New Public Works Facility takes home MCA Award of Excellence

The City of Ramsey hired RJM Construction to construct its new Public Works Facility. On January 26, 2022, at the Minnesota Construction Association (MCA) Awards of Excellence Gala, RJM was given an award in the Publicly Funded Construction Project category.

The City of Ramsey hired RJM to build a new 93,000SF public works facility to replace the existing facility. RJM welcomed this opportunity to offer their CMA services to the Ramsey team, as well as having the pleasure to work once again with their frequent community-market design partner Oertel Architects.  

Ramsey Public Works Department Moves into New Public Works Facility

For four decades Ramsey Public Works has proudly maintained and served the 29-square mile city, all the while operating from temporary "headquarters" ranging from tin shed annex buildings at the Old Town Hall site and later to a "temporary" trailer house bolted the parking lot of a repurposed sawdust and shavings factory. Now, in 2021 - 15 years after moving to their "temporary" facility - the community is investing in a final and fitting headquarters for the Public Works Department. In doing so, capitalizing on cost efficiencies, improved safety and effective operation so as to deliver essential services with continuing pride for the next four decades and beyond.

The Ramsey City Council first began planning for a new Public Works facility in 2006. The site for the new building was purchased in 2008. The former Public Works Facility consisted of three separate buildings with off-site equipment storage spread over three additional sites. The facility fell short of storage and space needs and created workplace safety concerns. Previous buildings were nearly 50 years old and showed signs of deterioration.  

The building now has ample work space for each member of the team and designated work areas for each division to complete its daily tasks. The site also has a conference room and a training space that doubles as the team's lunch room. The old site did not have space for department meetings. This meeting space can also be rented by the public. Additionally, the Parks & Recreation staff will be housed at the new facility. This means, the new facility will serve as the registration place for recreational programming and facility rentals.   

The new facility will serve as a central storage and meeting area saving the crew time and creating a more efficient organization. It also allows the Public Works team to better care for City vehicles and equipment – protecting and prolonging the life of these public assets. And, it all came in under budget.