ST PAUL, Minn. — The State Office Building has stood for 92 years just across from the State Capitol. Currently it’s home to Minnesota House members’ offices and staff, and the elections division of the Secretary of State’s office. The office building is also the space where House committees hold their hearings and other meetings.

The DFL House majority decided it was time for a major upgrade and expansion, to create a space that is safer and more accessible to the public. They passed a bill that will nearly double the floor space of the structure and enhance its security features.

“The new addition, we’re building all public space. It’s going to be hearing rooms, it’s going to be meeting areas, places for folks to rally and gather,” House Majority Leader Jamie Long told KARE.

“We’re trying to make sure the investment we’re making are going to be here for future generations, and one that folks can be proud when they come up and visit their state legislators.”

Rep. Long points to independent reports showing the 1931 building’s HVAC systems are outdated and piecemeal due to renovations that have happened across the decades as the use of the building changed. More recently, maintenance crews have detected mold and subpar electrical systems. A burst heating pipe caused major flooding in flood damage in 2016.

“But mainly it’s about public access. We have a building that was not designed for having hearing rooms. It was designed as an old office building and we’ve jerry-rigged some hearing rooms into it. But we don’t have room for the level of public demand for access to our hearings. I’ve chaired committees where many couldn’t fit into the room.”

The Republican minority has balked at the size and scope of the project, but mostly the price tag. Total cost is estimated at $500 million. Added to that is interest on construction bonds across 30 years, which the Minnesota Management and Budget department estimates will be $230 million if it’s not paid off early.

“This is $730 million. I just feel like the public hasn’t been aware how exorbitant and extravagant this is,” Rep. Kristin Robbins, a Maple Grove Republican, told KARE. “And I’m trying to shine a light on it, trying to stop it before they really get too far down this hole.”

Rep. Robbins acknowledges that Republicans lack the votes to undo the project, but it’s their goal is to create enough of a public outcry to get the Democrats to reverse themselves.

“Certainly, the building does need some upgrades –the HVAC system, the technology upgrades so citizens can Zoom into hearings rather than travel from all parts of the state for a two-minute slot testifying before a committee,” Rep. Robbins remarked.

“But this is way beyond what those costs would amount to.”

Major construction is set to begin in the spring, but contractors have already begun some of the staging work above ground outside the State Office Building and in the tunnel that connects the building to the State Capitol. That tunnel will be closed for most of the project and reconfigured to fit the footprint of the new structure.

“I’m not saying we don’t do anything. I’m saying we pause, do some real cost-benefit of the other options that are out there and then come back and decide what’s in the best interest of the taxpayers that will serve the functionality of the House,” Robbins explained.

She pointed out that the Legislature only meets five months out of the year, and since the COVID-19 outbreak staff members are working from home more often than not.

If you’re getting a feeling a déjà vu from this controversy, it’s because we’ve seen it before in the Capitol Complex. Republicans objected to the construction of the new Minnesota Senate Office Building back in 2014. They asserted it was unnecessary and that the spending was authorized as part of an omnibus tax bill without being fully vetted.

Even after construction began, they pitched using it for something other than Senate business. When it was completed, Republican Senators initially refused to move into it, opting to remain in their old offices inside the State Office Building. A member of the caucus removed the Republican Senators’ name plates from their new offices.

“When the Senate built a brand-new office building, it was $90 million and people were so outraged. This is $730 million, and I just can’t imagine this is a priority for state spending,” Robbins remarked.

Long said part of what we’re dealing with now is that previous upgrades to the State Office Building didn’t go far enough. He said this will be a facility that will last many decades into the future.

“A pretty important function of our state government to have a building that can receive the public and do so in a way that is safe for them and provides the opportunity to interact with the legislators they’re seeking.”