County advances Justice enter construction

In a brief special meeting the afternoon of Wednesday, Dec. 10, county commissioners gave the go-ahead on general specifications regarding the justice center to be constructed west of the county courthouse beginning next fall.

 

County administrator Michael Johnson explained to commissioners that the special meeting was warranted because, with a Dec. 10 approval in place, the process and timeline for preparing and letting bids could be underway quickly enough to allow the first phases of construction to begin in August of 2026, thus allowing an enclosed shell to be in place so that other elements of the construction could continue into the winter.

 

Johnson provided a summary of recent activity related to the justice center, remembering that a plan commissioners had seen during 2024 had caused “sticker shock” with a price tag of about $42 million. By this September, the cost had been pared down to about $25 million, mostly by decreasing the dimensions of the structure and some of its interior spaces.

 

Johnson mentioned he feels confident the overall cost of constructing the new justice center–including removing the current law enforcement building located at 122 Third Avenue Northwest and with the addition of a new generator–would be no more than $28.8 million.

 

Johnson also reminded commissioners that Waseca County has a far lower load of debt than any of the state’s other 86 counties, meaning that the county is likely to receive very favorable financing rates.

 

As described in a previous County Pioneer article, the new justice center structure will be about 125 feet on a side, three stories in height, and will house the county’s courtroom and court offices as well as the county corrections, county attorney, sheriff’s and emergency management departments. The facility will include a “class one” jail–one authorized by the Department of Corrections to house prisoners for no more than 72 consecutive hours.

 

Though a general layout for the interior spaces of the new structure has been shared, Johnson suggested final approval of square footages and smaller details is likely to be an “ongoing process” as construction begins and continues. “Many of those can be addressed along the way,” he said. “The emphasis right now is approving the general plan so that the needed timelines can continue to move forward.”

 

Commissioners expressed satisfaction that this official step has been taken.

 

Commissioner Brad Milbrath, who had been with the Waseca County sheriff’s department for 34 years and served as sheriff for 12 before retiring in 2022, recalled discussion about replacing the county jail had taken place in 2002, at which time a new structure could have been built for $7 million. Of the current plan, he stated, “We’re getting a good, secure, safe environment not only for our staff, but for our constituents.”