(KNSI) — Waite Park is about a month away from wrapping up the schematic design phase for the expansion of the city hall.
Public Works Director Bill Schluenz says when the plans are presented at the second council meeting in January, the lion’s share of the prep work will be finished.
“They’re robably going to be at that 90% rate. We’ll still have some changes that we’re going to be making as we get further into it, but they’ll be pretty much concrete.”
Schluenz thinks things are going well with little to no modifications needed so far and hopes construction will begin in April or May, but this isn’t a run-of-the-mill construction project. City Hall will remain open throughout the renovation. How to stage that properly is something that is still being discussed.
In 2022, voters approved a half-cent sales tax that will collect up to $20 million for the project. The original plan was to build it at a new location but inflation made that cost prohibitive. Waite Park sees roughly 30,000 visitors each day due to its business and retail districts. That necessitates the hiring of more police officers and the current facility has run out of space.
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