Help hired to manage police remodeling

It will be the largest project that Facilities Manager Rick Clark has overseen in his 10 years with the City of Eden Prairie: Remodeling of city hall’s west end to accommodate larger quarters for the Police Department.

Another early step in that process was given the green light Tuesday, Sept. 19, by the Eden Prairie City Council. Its members agreed to hire Kraus-Anderson Construction Co. to manage the project, oversee the bidding, and guide the work, which is expected to be completed in spring 2026.

Why it matters: More office space and a garage for dozens of police vehicles now parked outside would help the Police Department handle future needs. It would be a costly undertaking – at least $13 million – but might be financed long-term without a big jump in property taxes.

Now using about 36,700 square feet in the lower level of the Eden Prairie City Center’s east side, the police would move to more than double that amount on both levels of the building’s west side. Included in that is 24,600 square feet for indoor parking of the police fleet on the lower level – 68 stalls in all.

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The remodeling is also expected to include relocating the publicly used meeting rooms in the City Center’s lower level. With the Police Department and meeting rooms relocated, the city would have about 50,000 square feet of lower-level space that it could lease to a company or other organization.

The city-owned building’s west side is largely vacant now. Two major rent-paying tenants — United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) and Eden Prairie Schools (which housed its Education Center in the building) — have moved out. An Eden Prairie Schools transition program, Tassel, which serves older students with disabilities, remains for the current school year and possibly a few months longer.

Various options and costs still need to be nailed down with Kraus-Anderson’s help, said Clark, but general figures remain unchanged since last March, when the city council informally reviewed the project and encouraged city staff to take additional steps.

At that time, City Manager Rick Getschow said the $13 million base cost estimated for the police project is close but not quite equal to the amount of existing debt being retired by the city in 2025, so the project could potentially cause a 1% increase in the city’s debt levy. City officials said it’s possible that state or federal grants could cushion the project’s financial impact. 

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Optional add-ons that would increase the project to $15-$17 million – such as a small addition for special-response equipment and training, and electric-vehicle charging stations in the lower-level garage – would create a bigger effect on the debt levy, Getschow said at the time.

Expansion of the Police Department’s quarters has been in the city’s long-term plan for at least six years, according to the city manager. The department has been located in the Eden Prairie City Center since 1993 when the city purchased the former CPT Corp. headquarters for use as city hall. There are about twice as many police officers today as there were 30 years ago, and the police fleet has grown to more than 50 vehicles.

The cost to have Kraus-Anderson manage the project is about $748,000, according to a city staff memo, which noted that the company has worked on numerous similar facilities. Two other companies also bid on the construction manager services role.