Final Design for Waite Park City Hall Expansion to be Unveiled Monday Afternoon

(KNSI) – The lead architect and construction manager will present to the Waite Park City Council Monday on the upcoming public safety expansion of the government center.

BKV and Bradbury Stamm are set to give an update on the site plan and cost estimates for the project as part of the schematic design phase. Expected to come with a price tag of over $25 million, the work will add a new wing to the building that would stretch to the north, nearly to the edge of the current parking lot. It would approximately double in size.

The center will not close during the renovation and expansion, but some administrative staff will likely need to be relocated during some of the construction. Staff will address the issue and also discuss how the senior center will operate as it is located in the basement of the government building.

Council members will hear from Northland Securities on how to finance the project. The plan will include a timeline for issuing bonds and when funding will be received. The bonds would be repaid over time, thanks to a local option half-cent sales tax that passed via referendum in November 2022. It went into effect in April 2023 and will be collected for years to come.

Before city hall is addressed, staff will update the council on the possibility of selling the former public works building to the Boys and Girls Club of Central Minnesota. The organization pitched the idea at a work session in January.

___