Posted: 8/28/03

Alternative learning center site eyed for new St. Francis city hall

by Tammy Sakry
Staff writer

After months of discussion, the St. Francis City Council may be making headway on finding a new city hall.

The council has unanimously approved having an appraisal done on the Oakland Alternative Learning Center on Bridge Street.

R.A. Fields of Ham Lake will conduct the appraisal, at a cost of $3,000.

The council wants to consider this site because it is centrally located and it has good access, said City Planner Steve Bjork.

It is also has an existing 8,000 square-foot building in the city's downtown area, he said.

The appraisal will determine if the building is large enough, and if the city would save money or if it would be better to build a new facility.

Since January, the city council has been considering two sites along Highway 47 to construct a new city hall.

Both sites could offer the city more than the minimum 3.5 acres that the council has determined it will need for the proposed project, which could comprise a 20,000 square-foot city hall with 10,000 square feet for a police station and 130 parking spaces.

The first site is located north of Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts, north of Yucca Street.

The second site is located on the west side of Highway 47, near 229th Avenue, south of the St. Francis Baptist Church.

A previous city council considered retrofitting the park/street department building on Bridge Street for the city hall in 2001, but later decided to drop the site because a new building would have been needed to for the two departments.

Although the city has been told the Oakland Alternative Learning Center board would be willing to consider an offer, it would not commit to selling the building.

A new city hall has been discussed since 1999. City hall operations moved from the building it shared with the municipal liquor store in 2001, after infrastructure problems caused by the renovation of the adjoining municipal liquor store resulted in a mold problem.

The city council had planned to do the renovation in stages to allow the city hall to remain in the building longer, but decided to accelerate moving the city hall into a new building.

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