Cleanup is next task for county campus

The county plans a major makeover of the crumbling streets and confusing parking lots at the Government Center in Stillwater.

The sprawling complex, possibly the busiest in Washington County, draws thousands of people a day seeking to do business with the jail, courts, land records and tax office, social services, health and environment and other offices.

But as the county is finishing up a $59.6 million expansion and renovation of the 28-acre complex, other problems have become evident. Surrounding county roads are in poor shape. Residents often have trouble finding their way around because the campus lacks signs and other "connectivity" to guide them, said Jacob Gave, the county's design engineer.

In addition, about 700 employees work on the campus, and the county wants to move them off neighborhood streets.

"Deteriorating pavement conditions in roads and parking lots and deficient intersection control are safety issues that need to be addressed," Gave said.

The county board voted last week to award a contract for engineering design to Bolton and Menk, Inc., of Mankato, Minn., at $373,469 or less. The firm was one of five bidders.

The county's $2.5 million project, scheduled for completion in 2013, will include walking trails and a "welcome monument" that gives the campus more visibility, Gave said.

Much of the recent expansion and remodeling at the campus, county officials have said, resulted from county population growth that's now approaching a quarter million residents. Improvements included a new courts building, a three-story expansion of the adjacent Law Enforcement Center, and remodeling of outdated offices and public spaces.

Gave, in his presentation to the county board, said residents will find the campus far easier to navigate when the project ends in two years.