The Sherburne County Government Center expansion will cost a lot more than the $44.5 million estimate the board of commissioners received in December. Tuesday, Doug Wild of BWBR Architects said the number is now closer to $63 million if the board wants everything they originally asked for. “The $45 million project solves for the issue of flow, security systems and maintenance,” he told members of the board. “It doesn’t fully solve for the issues of space.”

 

Patrick Sims, construction manager from Adolfson and Peterson, said the original estimate was based on the conceptual design phase, before all the details had been included.

 

“Now that we’re in schematic design, that information is being developed. As the renovation square footage increased, we can confirm the amount of windows, floor coverings, finished paint on the wall, millwork quality...” he said.

 

The increase of over $18 million includes $12.4 million in renovations to existing space, $3.84 million for the third floor shelf of the new courts building, $1.9 million for the first two floors of the courts building and about $550,000 to finish space for the 10th Judicial District offices.

 

Commissioner Rachel Leonard was adamant about the county getting the best value for its taxpayers.  She spoke about projects that had been done since she became a commissioner in 2000.

 

“I’ve been here the longest, so I like to look to history to forecast the future,” she said. “We did a lot of things that improved service and saved tax dollars.”

 

Those projects include construction of a safety building in Zimmerman the Sherburne History Center, purchasing 80 acres near the Government Center that became two data centers, the addition of three county parks, building a jail addition, investing in an 800MHz radio system for all county jurisdictions and building a maintenance facility in Becker.

 

“All these that I mention are paid for. And now we’re looking at another giant step,” she said. “I’m for the one for $63 million because it takes care of our employees. It takes care of our future and our courtrooms.”

 

Commissioner Bruce Anderson agreed the county needed to make the Government Center safe and prepare for future growth.

 

“Previous boards have done the right thing and they’ve never been easy decisions,” he said. “We’re here again today. It’s a public safety issue. We have not added onto this building since 1998. We’ve done pretty well, but the building needs work.”

 

Jessica Green of Northland Securities explained three scenarios about the economic impact of a $63 million project on the county levy based on a 20, 25 and 30-year bond.

 

She said if the county contributed $20 million up front, the levy impact on the remaining $43 million bond could range from a high of $884,269 to a savings of $170,500. Those numbers take into account the $2.89 million in debt service for two existing bonds that will be paid off by 2019. 

 

Administrator Steve Taylor said the county has been putting money away in preparation for the expansion and has enough for the up-front $20 million. The land and building fund has $11.25 million. Money is also available in the Jail Enterprise Fund ($4,116,000), general fund ($1.5 million), solid waste funds ($1,134,000), Legacy Grant Fund ($1 million) and year-end savings ($1 million).

 

 

Green said the numbers also don’t take into account revenues the county will potentially be receiving from the 10th Judicial District, estimated at about $150,000 a year.

 

The board then had to decide if they wanted to move ahead with the next step - having plans for the site work completed so they could be put out for bid.

 

Carey Everson of Adolfson and Peterson said in order to keep the timeline intact, it was important for the board to approve moving ahead with construction drawings for site work regardless of whether they chose to spend $44.5 million or $63 million on the project.

 

“In either project, the sitework is the same - temporary parking, preparation for the building addition, that is very time-sensitive,” he said. “Winter will be coming and the bituminous plants shut down at the end of October.”

 

The board voted, 4-0 to move ahead with site plans. Wild said they should be completed in July, with bids received before the Aug. 3 board meting. Final costs for the project should also be ready by that meeting.

 

Wild said at that time, the board could decide whether or not to move ahead with the project. If they do, groundbreaking would take place the following week.