by John Gessner
Thisweek Newspapers

An addition to the city maintenance center on McAndrews Road will give Burnsville needed room for vehicle storage while freeing space at the old maintenance garage for youth programs.

City Council members got a look at the proposed projects at an Oct. 24 work session.

"We've been talking about this a long time," said Mayor Elizabeth Kautz.

The maintenance center, built in 1995, houses less than half of the city's vehicles and equipment. The old maintenance garage -- a circular building in Civic Center Park that also houses the GARAGE teen center and a Burnsville Hockey Club training facility -- is still used for some vehicle storage.

Officials envisioned building an addition to the new center and converting the old garage to other uses.

The addition is planned for next year, with conversion of the old garage tentatively set for 2008.

The 33,175-square-foot addition to the maintenance center is estimated to cost at least $3.05 million. Building features such as a ribbon of windows below the roof would add to the cost.

Council members will discuss funding options in upcoming budget sessions.

Conversion of the old garage is estimated at $1.1 million. Plans call for an expansion of the Burnsville Athletic Club's small storage space. That would allow the club to move all its storage and offices out of City Hall and have a small, multisport training facility.

Plans also call for a doubling of the GARAGE's size, with a new music studio, and a small storage area for city needs.

And the uncovered "donut hole" in the middle of the circular building would be converted from asphalt to grass for a variety of recreational and civic activities.

"It's going to be kind of a neat recreational area, a neat park," said Bud Osmundson, city engineer and public works director.

The Burnsville Athletic Club is expected to contribute an undetermined amount to the project.

John Gessner is at burnsville.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.

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