Fire training center under construction in Maplewood

Updated: June 16, 2012 - 8:57 PM

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Authorities broke ground on the East Metro Public Safety Training Center in Maplewood last week.

Twenty-five east metro fire departments from Washington and Ramsey counties will use the center, which will be built on 20 acres of land at Highways 120 and 5 at the border of Maplewood and Oakdale.

It will be "state-of-the-art," said Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner Ramona Dohman.

The first phase of the project will cost $4.3 million. Construction is scheduled to start July 30. The second and third phases include soil cleanup and ongoing improvements to the center and surrounding marshland.

The center will include a main building for classroom instruction and meetings, a trench training area, a seven-story burn tower, a training pond and a driving track, among other features.

Dohman said the new center will give several emergency agencies an opportunity to train and learn together, strengthening their skills.