After years of discussion and a recent false start, on Tuesday night the Minneapolis school board is expected to decide where to locate its new district headquarters. That vote was supposed to happen two weeks ago, but two developers and some community members wanted more time to consider three options -- new construction or renovating buildings downtown or on the current site.
Of the three finalists for the project, the district administration recommends consolidating central offices at 1250 W. Broadway. We agree. The North Side location is the best choice for the district, the city and district students and parents.
Though concerns have been raised about the financially strapped district's ability to even consider a new facility, there are compelling reasons to build. Chief among them is cost. Construction would be in the same general price range as renovation -- about $27 million initially. And this is a good time to build because interest rates and construction costs are more reasonable.
With a smaller student enrollment and fewer administrators, the district desperately needs to consolidate and downsize central office operations. Currently the staff is spread across four buildings and 633,000 square feet of space, including the existing run-down headquarters in northeast Minneapolis. Repairing that structure and maintaining the other sites would take at least $20 million to $30 million over the next couple of years and an estimated $85 million to $90 million over 30 years.
By contrast, a new, more-efficient central office would cost around $75 million, saving at least $15 million over the next three decades. Administration space would be reduced to 275,000 square feet, and the price tag could be lower if the project receives federal stimulus funds or tax credits.
Mortenson/Legacy's proposal would tear down the existing Broadway school and replace it with a new, state-of-the-art, energy-efficient structure. It would be the new face of the district, housing a spacious, tech-savvy boardroom where citizens would interact with district leaders. The space could be designed from the ground up to meet district needs. Unlike renovating the current building, phasing in use of the new headquarters wouldn't be a problem.
Building a new facility on the city's North Side would have a huge positive impact on a challenged neighborhood that has been hardest hit by the mortgage foreclosure crisis. And it's more likely that the district could sell its the property on the Northeast site because of other development in the area.
The other finalists for the project recommended renovating older buildings. Both made strong cases for reusing existing structures instead of new construction. The Ryan Cos. proposal would demolish part of the current headquarters at 807 NE. Broadway but retain and renovate the core building. And Chicago-based Transwestern proposed buying and renovating the vacant Valspar building downtown near the Metrodome.
