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Mahtomedi council awards architectural contract to OPN Architects for joint City Hall, fire station
Summary
The Mahtomedi City Council unanimously approved Resolution 2026-07 to hire OPN Architects for design and construction support on a new joint City Hall and Fire Station, following a committee review that favored OPN's fixed-price proposal despite it not being the lowest bidder.
Mahtomedi's City Council unanimously approved a contract with OPN Architects on March 17 to design and provide construction support for a new joint City Hall and Fire Station.
City Administrator Scott Neilson told the council a selection committee of city staff and Councilmember Luke Schlegel reviewed ten proposals, interviewed five firms and recommended OPN Architects. "We chose the firms to interview, and of the five the committee chose OPN Architects to serve as the architect for the joint City Hall/Fire Station project," Neilson said. Councilmember Schlegel, who served on the committee, said OPN was not the low bidder but offered a fixed bid and the committee believed they would "give the City what we need in a city hall/fire station building."
Tate Walker of OPN Architects addressed the council, saying, "they are excited to work with us, to keep us on schedule and on budget." Acting Mayor Lilly Melander said she appreciated OPN's focus on staying on budget and called the project "a big undertaking for the City." Councilmember Jeff Charlesworth characterized the project as a long-term investment, saying the intent is to build "this as a 50-year building."
Councilmember Luke Schlegel moved and Councilmember Jeff Charlesworth seconded the motion to adopt Resolution 2026-07, which awards the contract for architectural design services and construction support to OPN Architects; the motion passed unanimously. The resolution, as described in the meeting record, authorizes the city to proceed with OPN as the architect for the joint City Hall/Fire Station project.
The meeting record does not specify the contract dollar amount, specific schedule milestones, or funding source for the construction; those details were not provided during the March 17 meeting.
