State board outlines $10 million Badura Nursery rebuild, shortlists three design teams for interviews

The State Designer Selection Board on March 4 reviewed proposals and clarified the scope for a planned reconstruction and modernization of the Badura nursery, a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) tree‑seedling production site, and voted to interview three short‑listed design teams.

Board members and DNR staff described the work as demolition and replacement of an outdated seed extractory, remodeling of a pine‑cone storage building, demolition and replacement in kind of an old packing house, a roughly 500‑square‑foot office addition and site work to improve vehicle and material flow. Brian, the DNR agency representative, said the nursery currently produces “3 to 4 million native Minnesota‑sourced seedlings and approximately 600 pounds of seed annually” and that much of the existing packing, storage and circulation layout is inefficient for modern equipment such as pallet jacks and forklifts.

The project is funded with a $10,000,000 bond allocation, and the board was told that the budget must cover design, permitting and construction. Agency staff said equipment replacement or specification would need to be included in that $10,000,000 budget if new equipment is required; as Brian put it, the selected design team would be expected to inventory existing equipment, recommend reuse or replacement and include any new equipment costs in the project budget.

Board members asked the agency to clarify operational requirements that designers must plan for, including: a cooler and a kiln/misting room used during seed extraction; seasonal staffing patterns with substantial temporary labor during packing season (the DNR estimated 60–100 seasonal workers on site during peak operations); public pickup and educational tours (roughly three to four tours per month in nicer weather, and many private customers who pick up orders at the nursery); and on‑site water and septic (the site is on well and septic, and the DNR said no work on those systems is currently included unless later required).

DNR staff said the nursery site is roughly 200 acres with about 175 acres in production and is bounded by two highways; existing access is from the east highway and staff suggested the predesign phase should examine alternative entry/exit and circulation schemes to improve safety for semis and public visitors. Staff also told the board the project will follow the B3 sustainability program requirements because the work uses bond funding; they emphasized that energy systems and HVAC will be scrutinized through B3.

Board members pressed teams’ B3 experience and whether firms had prior industrial‑process or nursery work. During the evaluation of six anonymous proposals, members repeatedly emphasized the need for designers to define the site’s workflow as a first task, inventory and evaluate existing equipment, and provide clear cost estimates during each phase (pre‑design, schematic design, design development and construction documents). Several reviewers noted missing or unclear deliverables in proposals (for example, one proposal omitted a cost estimate at one required phase), and the board flagged that as a contract compliance concern.

After reviewing proposals, the board voted to invite three firms for interviews. The roll call and tally produced a shortlist of Firm A, Firm E and Firm F for 20‑minute presentations plus 20 minutes of questions. Board members said interviews should probe each team’s industrial‑process understanding, how they will maintain operations during construction, and which consultants they would engage for specialized spaces such as coolers, kiln/misting rooms and material handling.

Votes at a glance: - Motion to approve the meeting agenda: approved (unanimous). - Motion to approve minutes of the Nov. 21, 2024 meeting: approved; one abstention was recorded. - Election of secretary (Susan Estes): motion moved and seconded and approved (voice vote). - Motion to interview three firms (20 min presentation + 20 min Q&A): moved by Ted Tucker; approved. Shortlist selected by roll call: Firms A, E and F were selected for interview (final tallies: A—7 votes, B—0, C—1, D—0, E—6, F—7). These firms will return for interviews in approximately two weeks.

The board’s next step is to hold interviews with the three short‑listed teams and then select a design firm to complete the predesign report and subsequent design phases. DNR staff said predesign will finalize site flow, equipment reuse or replacement decisions, cost estimates, and whether any septic or utility work must be added to the project scope.