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Administration urges demolition of Centennial Office Building, seeks CAPRA funding and Capitol security upgrades
Summary
The Department of Administration told the Capital Investment Committee the Centennial Office Building is functionally obsolete and recommends demolition, space reconfiguration in the Transportation Building to house displaced tenants, and a $5 million/year boost to the CAPRA emergency account, citing a current balance of about $127,000.
ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Department of Administration told the House Capital Investment Committee on Feb. 19 that the Centennial Office Building should be demolished and that the state must invest in space reconfiguration, Capitol security upgrades and emergency repair reserves.
"Next, the governor recommends demolishing the Centennial Office Building," Commissioner Tamara Grunvall said, adding that the building is at a "critical point" with nearly all systems requiring replacement and that renovation would likely exceed $250,000,000. Grunvall and Administration staff described demolition as phase 1 of a long-term site redevelopment strategy for the Capitol Complex.
Administration officials said general funds would be used to relocate the cellular distributed antenna system (DAS) and that Transportation Building reconfiguration would create space for agencies moving out of the Centennial building, including MMB, the Office of the Legislative Auditor and the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. Greg Ewig, director of real estate and construction services, said the department also recommends funding for Capitol Complex security improvements, such as kiosks, cameras, bollards and air-intake protections.
On emergency repairs and hazardous-materials response, Administration staff said the Capital Asset Preservation and Replacement Account (CAPRA) has a very low balance — roughly $127,000 — and recommended a $5,000,000 annual appropriation to meet historic needs for emergency roof, pipe and structural repairs and abatement of asbestos and lead.
Members raised operational and community concerns. One representative asked whether tunnel access from the Centennial Office Building to the Veterans Services parking ramp could be preserved; Administration staff said reconnecting the tunnel was explored but would add roughly $2,000,000 in additional cost and still require complex connections to the ramp. Representative Hansen and others urged that demolition plans include material-reuse and community engagement; Administration staff committed to high recycling targets (noting metro demolition often achieves near 80–90% recycling rates) and to engaging neighborhood stakeholders on site plans.
Administration staff offered to follow up with more detailed cost and timeline information, hazardous-materials assessment data, and project-level scopes when agencies return to the committee. The hearing then moved to procedural close and adjournment.
