Waite Park Chooses Renovation Over Relocation for Public Safety Building Due to Construction Cost Concerns

(KNSI) – The cost of construction has Waite Park choosing to renovate its current fire and police stations instead of moving locations.

The city council reached that consensus at a work session on Monday afternoon. Officials started looking at a new public safety facility in 2019. In 2022, voters approved a half-cent sales tax to help pay for the project. City Administrator Shaunna Johnson never imagined inflation would impact the project this much. “Our sales tax referendum is for up to $20 million. Who would have ever thought that we would need to spend more than $20 million, right? Well, 2024 is a whole new year. And the cost of these projects is far more significant than what our dollars are.”

She says renovating the current departments at city hall is estimated to cost around $25 to $29 million. A new building would cost over $30 million. They looked at four possible locations and, in the end, decided to keep the facility where it is.

Johnson and other staff have been touring other facilities over the last year and developing a needs assessment for its departments over the next 20 years. “We don’t necessarily have a layout or a design of that. What we can tell you is that we know that this is going to be the most affordable option out of all of them that we looked at. And we believe this is the best option from an operational standpoint and looking long-term for the city.”

Johnson says besides a lower price tag, there are other advantages. “By expanding and utilizing [city hall], we can really address a lot of those upgrades that need to be done from a facility condition standpoint within the whole project, where that helps save some considerable dollars.”

The current government center houses the city offices, the fire department, and the police force. Officials say the building was built in the early 90s, upgraded in the early 2000s, and needs maintenance.

Waite Park will spend the rest of this year honing in on the design, layout, and cost. They plan to begin work in the spring of 2025.

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