After 16 months of construction, the St. Louis County Government Services Center-Cook is complete.
The new facility spans a 60-acre site and includes a large office building that will house staff from several departments including public works, land and minerals, the assessor's office and public health and human services.
The complex also includes the David M. Skelton Transportation Building — an 82,000-square-foot heated building for vehicle storage and mechanic space — plus two 16,500 square foot structures, one for cold storage and the other for salt and sand storage.
Total investment in the facility is $24 million, including land acquisition and engineering costs, a county news release said.
The new facility provides a centralized base for public works crews serving a more than 2,000-square-mile area of the county including Cook, Linden Grove and surrounding areas from Side Lake to Kabetogama to a portion of the Echo Trail.
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Approximately 567 miles of county roads, as well as various contracted roads and driveways, will be maintained from the new facility.
The County Board voted to name the public works portion of the facility in honor of Dave Skelton, who worked for St. Louis County for 33 years in roles ranging from bridge worker to deputy public works director. He was credited with helping to initiate the county's move toward the design and use of joint services buildings which housed multiple departments, often those with converging missions, under one roof.
In September, the county unveiled its new $19 million Government Services Center in Virginia , named for late commissioner Elizabeth "Liz" Prebich. The two new facilities came together as part of the same $42 million bonding project.
With the Cook facility now open, the long-serving public works site in Cook will be closed and offered for sale. Meanwhile, another garage in Linden Grove will be converted into a depot for salt and sand storage.
