In the coming months, 600 Ramsey County employees will relocate from the Government Center West building on Kellogg Boulevard in St. Paul to downtown's Metro Square.
Jolly Mangine, the director of property management for Ramsey County, says the county wanted to move away from the riverfront. "We believe there's a higher and better use for riverfront development," he says.
Plus, the Government Center West building, which dates back to 1895, is "old and in need of repair," he says. "It was time to vacate and get it up for development."
The county began work on the $19 million project, which includes the cost of purchasing Metro Square, in January.
Metro Square's renovation will unfold in several phases. For one thing, its vertical transportation systems, including elevators and escalators, need to be upgraded.
The plan also calls for "tenant improvements," dealing with the carpet, walls, ceilings and mechanical systems.
The work will be staggered, allowing for workers to move in on one floor while construction somewhere else in the building continues, he explains.
State workers who were already based in the 400,000-square-foot Metro Square building will remain. They'll take up about 120,000 square feet while the county plans to use 190,000 square feet, according to Mangine.
In this kind of joint governmental building, housing both county and state departments, "there's quite a bit of synergy," he says.
Mangine stressed the environmental benefits.
Metro Square, which was formerly a department store, allows for the county to use less space, "which lends to lots of efficiency," he says.
Having the opportunity to redesign the space is a huge plus. "We're able to reduce our inefficiency by 15 to 20 percent," he says.
Heating and ventilation systems will be state-of-the-art for air quality and energy conservation. Newer systems in general, he says, are more efficient, easier to track and manage, and lead to better air quality, he says, adding that all in all, the building will "be quite green."
Source: Jolly Mangine, director for Property Management for Ramsey County
Writer: Anna Pratt