WALKER - Cass County Board approved a deed and easement agreement and a grant agreement with the state Tuesday, paving the way to receive more than $6 million from two state funds to cover Ah-Gwah-Ching expenses.
The largest fund comes from state bonding to cover demolition and reuse, while the second is a grant to cover extending sewer and water utilities from Walker to Ah-Gwah-Ching.
These agreements will enable the state to release the Legislature-approved money to the county.
The board also selected low bidder Kimley-Horn of St. Paul to provide civil engineering consulting services for the utility project.
The commissioners approved hiring Landecker & Associates of Walker to survey the utility line.
The county staff will open bids Monday for removing asbestos and other regulated materials and for demolition of existing state Ah-Gwah-Ching buildings. Total costs for this work is expected to approach $3 million.
Wold Architects and Engineers of St. Paul presented an updated, proposed pre-design concept of how the county might phase into building new county structures over the next 20 years at Ah-Gwah-Ching, assuming the state sale to the county occurs in June as currently planned.
Wold designs envision a "U" or half-circle concept layout with court services at the center and jail/sheriff operations on one end and general government/health, human, vets services on the other end.
Public parking would be in front at the center of the "U."
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