County Board authorizes bond issuance to build new Public Works facility to serve central Range

By Dana Kazel

The St. Louis County Board on Tuesday voted to authorize a bond sale of up to $45 million to build a new Public Works transportation building to serve the central Range region. The new campus will be centrally located in Balkan Township to serve Hibbing, Chisholm and surrounding communities.

Currently, Public Works crews and equipment operate out of a facility in Hibbing, sharing space with the City of Hibbing and MnDOT. The County's space is in the oldest part of the building constructed in the 1940s. The building has grown increasingly cramped and inefficient for modern-size road maintenance vehicles and had previously been identified as needing major renovations.

With the City of Hibbing planning to create a public safety campus at the current garage location, St. Louis County agreed to vacate and sell its space to the City. The County has begun developing plans to build a new complex to provide better transportation service to the region. The new facility will ensure faster and more effective response for road maintenance, provide better security, save personnel time, and prolong the life of the equipment.

"This is a win-win situation for both the City of Hibbing and St. Louis County," said Commissioner Mike Jugovich, who represents the communities of Hibbing, Chisholm and Balkan Township. "It's been impressive to see how we all are working together, recognizing opportunities to improve efficiencies and better serve our citizens."

The bonds will be issued later this month, with site work expected to begin later this summer. Building construction is anticipated to start this fall and be complete by the summer of 2027.

The St. Louis County Central Range Transportation Building will house both engineering and maintenance operations for the Public Works Department. The complex will also include an additional cold storage building, brine building, salt and sand storage, vehicle wash, and fuel station.

The County intends to pay off the bonds using revenue from the Transportation Sales Tax, so there should be no impact on the property tax levy.