(KNSI) – The financial cost for the new Stearns County Justice Center is becoming clearer.
At a work session on Tuesday, the total was amended to $313 million from around $320 million in January. The updated estimate factors in $9.2 million related to inflation and about $3.5 million to tear down the existing Law Enforcement Center. Demolition costs should come to $2.7 million, with another $750,000 needed for asbestos abatement.
Planners also have a better idea of what it will take to install a utility connection for the new center, build a maintenance shed, and make an adjustment for contingencies, which totals $1.5 million. The new expenses are offset by roughly $11 million in reductions. A bulk of the cuts are related to redesigning the court tower as a four-story structure rather than five. The overall size of the building is down to 482,000 square feet, almost 100,000 less than initially planned.
Groundbreaking is expected in the spring of 2026. The county is fronting the project cost through borrowing, which will be repaid over time using a 3/8-cent sales tax. Retailers began collecting the levy on April 1st.
As reported at the time by KNSI, many of the Justice Center’s budget changes were initially discussed in January.
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