MANKATO — The new Blue Earth County public works campus is making big progress, with the walls of the large building up, storm water ponds mostly dug, and mountains of gravel and dirt on site.
“Things are going good. Construction is on schedule,” County Administrator Bob Meyer said.
“We had some weather delays but that was anticipated and was in the schedule.”
The hope is to have the new $40 million facility, at the intersection of County Roads 90 and 16 about a mile and a half south of city limits, operational in the first quarter of 2026.
Precast concrete walls started showing up in late February, and by mid-April the shell of the building should be enclosed.
Storm water ponds on the north and west sides of the campus are largely dug out, but Meyer said more work will be done on the northside pond.
And a large pile of dirt is in place to build a berm along the north side of the property. That berm will help block views from the neighbor to the north.
Meyer said people have wondered about a mountain of gravel that has been piled on the northeast corner of the property.
“It’s all gravel that is needed for this project.” The gravel will be spread out on the site with concrete and asphalt put on top of it.
While a lot has been done, a lot still needs to be done.
“We’re glad to be out of the ground. That’s where major issues can arise. So I think we’re doing well.”
The southwest corner of the building will be office space. The rest of the southern side of the building, along County 90, will include mechanics space and a wash bay. The north side of the building will be a garage where large trucks and equipment will be parked.
The main building is 97,000 square feet. Another 30,000-square-foot building will be built on the property to store seasonal equipment.
Access to the campus will be from County 16.
The city of Mankato is extending municipal water and sewer service to the new county shop.
Meyer said that under their agreement with the city, the water and sewer services will be just large enough to only provide services to the public works campus. He said that was done because some area residents had worried that running services to the new campus would mean developers could hook into it and build housing or other developments in the area. But the agreement with the city stipulates no one else can hook into the city sewer or water lines.
While construction is well underway, there remains a lawsuit moving through the courts to stop it.
In the spring of last year, homeowners Patrick Lease and Lynn Koosman-Lease filed a lawsuit against Mankato Township, alleging the board’s granting of a conditional-use permit for the facility was “directly contrary” to the township’s land-use ordinance.
In March of last year the Mankato Township Board voted 2-1 to approve Blue Earth County’s plans for the facility, which would serve as a base for county snow and road crews. Some residents near the site threatened to file a lawsuit if the Township Board gave the go-ahead.
The Leases live next to the proposed shop site.
Blue Earth County District Court Judge Kristine Weeks dismissed one count in the lawsuit without prejudice on Feb. 10. The count alleged the approval of the conditional-use permit for the public works facility in an agriculture district violated the Lease’s due process and equal protection rights.
The plaintiff and defendant submitted their latest memorandums to the court earlier this month ahead of a motion for a summary judgment hearing March 13. As of Monday, no next hearing had been scheduled, as the judge reviews the most recent submissions by the sides.