Simplified: Minnehaha County Commissioners saw the final draft of a long-term facilities master plan on Tuesday. Construction plans in the next decade include tearing down the current administration building in favor of a brand new facility, and demolishing the historic Coliseum to make room for more office space for the Public Defender's Office.

Why it matters

  • The county's current administration building isn't big enough to accommodate the various county departments and personnel needed to serve a fast-growing population. The building, more than 70 years old, has "served its purpose very well, but it's time to move forward," as Commissioner Dean Karsky put it.
  • In solving for the overcrowded admin building, the county sought the help of contractors – Architecture, Inc., HDR and Tegra Group – to take a comprehensive look at the entire county campus and propose changes for the future.
  • Those recommendations, presented in their final form Tuesday, include multiple phases over the next 30 years. The first phase – between now and 2035 – includes a $23.6 million parking ramp, a new, $58.6 million administration building and the demolition of the Coliseum in preparation for a future office building.
    • Lutheran Social Services, the nonprofit currently overseeing operations in the Coliseum, declined comment for this story.
"Really, it's an underutilized asset for the county," Architecture, Inc.'s Andrew Eitreim said of the Coliseum. "It doesn't serve the county any significant purpose, so the county needs to consider that and understand what the long-term future for that facility could be."
  • County Commissioners on Tuesday said they've spoken publicly about this plan several times but haven't heard much feedback from the public.
"Our emails are always available, and it would be great to hear from people," Commissioner Jen Bleyenberg said.

Tell me more about the facilities plan

Consultants estimate the county needs to essentially double the amount of square footage it has in the next 30 years to accommodate projected growth.

  • Many of those needs are expected to hit in the next 10 years, including an estimated additional 18,000 square feet for administrative space and more than 100,000 square feet in additional court space.

To meet those needs, the most immediate project in consideration is a 70,000-square-foot multi-level administration building that would be constructed in the southwest corner of the campus (currently a parking lot) and then make way for the demolition of the current 42,000-square-foot admin building.

  • Adjacent to that new building is a proposed parking ramp with a skyway connection.

Then, down the line, the county could construct a new, 131,000-square-foot facility for the courts – estimated to cost over $150 million with shell space for a future $21 million addition.

What about the Coliseum?

The plan is to demolish it in the first phase of construction when the current admin building is torn down.

Then, a future phase of the long-term plan calls for an office building to be in that space – making room for the Public Defender's Office, which is currently leasing space in the 300 building next door because there's no more room.

What happens next?

The master plan is expected to be fully completed in the next couple of weeks, and it has not yet been formally voted on by the County Commission.

If you want to contact commissioners with your thoughts, you can find their contact information on the county website.