stillwater county courthouse

STILLWATER COUNTY COURTHOUSEALTERNATE 1

Fire

Cab

inet

Conference

Treasurer

Clerk andRecorder

DOR

FinanceDept.

Clerk ofCourts

Justice of Peace

CourtRoom

(1,486 sf)

CommissionersJury Deliberation

DistrictJudge

Bailiff

Sally Port

Jury

LawLibrary

MechanicalRoom

Public Toilets

Meadowlark AssistedLiving Facility

NortonHouse

Sheriff

WitnessProtection

CountyAttorney Probation

AlternativeServices

LEGEND

Circulation

Storage

Common Spaces

Public Spaces

DEPARTMENTS

Court

Treasurer

Dept of Revenue

Commissioners

Clerk & Recorder

Finance

LEGEND

Circulation

Public Space

DEPARTMENTS

Sheriff

County Attorney

Witness Protection

Probation

Alternative Services

NORTON HOUSE

Norton House

ALTERNATE 1:The current plan developed for the Old Hospital will bring all Countyservices into this facility except for the following:

1. Sheriff,2. County Attorney,3. Youth & Adult Probation,4. Alternative Services and5. District Offices (District Courtroom will be relocated to the Old

Hospital)The services all associated with the Sheriff’s department will all remainhoused in the existing County Courthouse. As the cost for leasing theDistrict Court offices is shared equally by three counties, it will remain at thecurrent location. Limited remodeling in the existing County Courthousebuilding will be necessary to accommodate those remaining functions thatwill be concentrated on the first floor eliminating the need for majorremodeling throughout the building.

The planned approach for remodeling the Old Hospital is to completelyremove all interior finishes, including all non-bearing walls, plumbing,electrical and mechanical systems. This approach will allow for newelectrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems to be installed, as well as acode compliant thermal envelope and all new interior finishes. Other thanthe structure itself, the county will essentially have a new building. Exteriorfinishes and reroofing are also anticipated.

The primary advantage of this option is the initial cost, which is significantlyless than any of the other options for consolidating County services. TheOld Hospital is also in close proximity to the existing courthouse.

The primary disadvantage is that some County services and offices will stilloccupy a portion of the existing Courthouse, which has experiencedsignificant differential structural settlement over the years. The Courthouseis a masonry building that is not handicapped compliant, and does notcomply with current building and energy codes or life safety requirements.Any major remodeling in this building that involves multiple floors will triggerthe requirement to bring the entire building up to current building codes.The intent is to renovate the first floor and to block off the upper floors to thepublic; the upper floors will be used for file storage. In addition to thesettling issue, the space utilization in this building is less efficient due to thenumber of interior masonry bearing walls (vaults) which will need to beworked around. The plan is to utilize the first floor only, eliminating the needto bring the upper floors into code compliancy.

STILLWATER COUNTY COURTHOUSEALTERNATE 2

144'-0"

76'-0

"

NortonHouse

New 2-Story Facility(10,944 sf each floor)

New 2-Story Facility(10,944 sf each floor)

LEGEND

Circulation

Existing Building

New Law & Justice Facility

Second Floor Third Floor

ALTERNATE 2:The Courthouse is a very stately government building - the most significant building in the community which should be maintained and utilized. Unfortunately, there is not enough spacein the Courthouse to adequately accommodate the services currently housed there, let alone consolidate the current outlying offices. Additional office space will be required over andabove the existing satellite offices to satisfy the Space Program requirements' current needs.

This Alternate would include a new Law and Justice Center located on the existing Courthouse site. This new building is anticipated to be a two story structure with a stair and elevatortower that serves all floors of the existing Courthouse. This addition is recommended to be located on the north side of the Courthouse and be connected to the existing Courthouse byway of a common circulation core. This option will keep all County services on the same site and provide one point of delivery for County services.

The primary advantage of this option is that it will fully utilize a very substantial and stately public building located in the heart of the community. Although more expensive than otheroptions, a case can be made for investing in this historic structure. Structural stabilization efforts over the years appear to have slowed the differential settlement in recent years. Newstabilization techniques are now available that can further mitigate the differential settlement at lower costs than possible with previously available systems. Further structuralinvestigation will be required to determine the best approach to continued stabilization efforts.

In addition, Life-safety and handicapped accessibility can be more cost efficiently addressed in new construction than in the existing building. The addition can house stairs, elevator,and toilets in a central location convenient to both the new and existing. The courts and Law Enforcement both have very specific space and security requirements, which are bestaccommodated in new construction.

The primary disadvantage to this option is the need for additional structural stabilization. Building Codes will require the addition of a second exit from the upper floors, a handicappedelevator, handicapped toilets, and ADA modifications throughout to make the building handicapped compliant. In addition, the electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems should becompletely replaced and made compliant with current codes and standards; similar to the approach proposed for the Old Hospital. As the Courthouse is a bearing masonry building, thisdrastically limits the flexibility to relocate interior walls; there will always be under-utilized spaces throughout the building because of the existing masonry bearing walls and the centrallobby on each floor. The Courthouse building is fully occupied, making remodeling more of a challenge for both the contractors and the occupants. This generally equates into moreexpensive and time-consuming construction. Also, parking will continue to be an issue when high visibility court cases are in session.

STILLWATER COUNTY COURTHOUSECOST COMPARISON

Stillwater County Offices

COMPONENT SPACE SUMMARY 8-Jan-15

COMPONENT DETAIL Option No.2 Option No.3 Option No.4 Option No.5

Existing New New NewCourthouse County Law & Law &

Remodel Complex Justice Justice

(No Law & Justice (New Site) (New Site) (Existing Site)

No. Space Description No. Size NSF No. Size NSF NSF NSF NSF NSF

Building Cost:Building Cost (Per Square Foot) 134$ 218$ 268$ 278$ 278$

Building Construction Cost 3,116,726$ 4,774,135$ 10,636,304$ 5,842,031$ 6,066,725$

Additional Project Costs:

Site Acquisition - Land 0 0 550,000$ 550,000$ 0

Site Acquisition - Site Utilities 175,000$ 175,000$

New Construction (At Hospital) 132,000$

Sally port - Secure parking 88,000$

Structural Stabilization (Courthouse) 210,000$

Elevator & Stairs 110,000$

Elevator Lobby Addition 234,000$

Demolition 35,000$ 65,000$

Site Improvements 40,000$ 50,000$ 1,750,000$ 814,000$ 350,000$

Utilities 40,000$ 36,000$ 12,000$

Landscaping 6,000$ 10,000$ 75,000$ 75,000$ 25,000$

Total Project Cost: 3,417,726$ 5,453,135$ 13,226,304$ 7,492,031$ 6,453,725$

Gross building Square Footage 23,259 21,900 39,688 21,015 21,823

Alternate

No. 1

Total project using existing county

facilities (Option 1 plus Limited

remodeling of 1st floor existing court

house)

Limited Remodeling Exist Courthouse 1,500,000$

(First Floor = 5,698 sf)

Option 1 3,417,726$

Project Costs 723,897$ Contingency (15%) 737,659$

Total 6,379,282$

Square Footage Old Hospital 23,259Square footage First Floor Court house 5,698

Gross Square Footage 28,957

Alternate

No.2

Total project with New Law & Justice

facility on Courthouse Site &

complete courthouse remodel

(Options 2 & 5)

Option 2 5,453,135$

Option 5 6,453,725$

Project Costs 1,633,097$ Contingency (15%) 1,786,029$

Total 15,325,985$

Square Footage Existing Court House 21,900Square footage New Law & Justice 21,823


Alternate

No.3 Total project with New Law & Justice

center on New Site & complete

courthouse remodel (Options 2 & 4)

Option 2 5,453,135$

Option 4 7,492,031$


Total 16,338,996$

Square Footage Existing Court House 21,900SF New Law & Justice (New Site) 21,015


Alternate

No.4

Total project with complete New

County facilities on New Site (Option

3)

Option 3 13,226,304$


Total 16,706,970$ Gross Square Footage 39,688

(Offices & Courts)

NSF

Space Assigned ToJob No.1206

Option No.1

Existing

Old Hospital

Existing Spaces Program Spaces Remodel

Stillwater CountyEstimated Mill Levy Impact AnalysisGeneral Obligation Tax-Exempt Bonds - 20 Year Term

Total Cost of the Project/Mills: Project Estimated

Cost MillsAlternate #4: 17,500,000$ 35.96

The total cost of the project/Mills: 17,500,000$ 35.96

Residential Property:

House Assumed Taxable Estimated Tax Value Value Increase

Per Year

House 1 50,000$ 655$ 23.53$

House 2 75,000$ 982$ 35.30$

House 3 100,000$ 1,309$ 47.07$

House 4 150,000$ 1,964$ 70.60$

House 5 200,000$ 2,618$ 94.14$ House 6 250,000$ 3,273$ 117.67$

All Property:

Property 1 1,000$ 35.96$

Property 2 10,000$ 359.60$

Property 3 100,000$ 3,596.00$

Formula For Calculating Tax Increase:

Millage Taxable Estimated Tax Value Increase

Per Year

Example 0.03596 X 1,367$ = 49.16$ Your Valuation 0.03596 X = -$

Formula = Estimated number of Mills (35.96)/1000 "Taxable Value" =Estimates Tax Impact

* The taxable valuation of your property is located on your Stillwater

County property tax statement in the top portion of the statement

Note: This estimate is based on the bonds being repaid at 4.26%

interest over the life of the bonds (20 years)

Stillwater CountyEstimated Mill Levy Impact AnalysisGeneral Obligation Tax-Exempt Bonds - 20 Year Term

Total Cost of the Project/Mills: Project Estimated

Cost MillsAlternate #2: 15,300,000$ 31.45

The total cost of the project/Mills: 15,300,000$ 31.45

Residential Property:

House Assumed Taxable Estimated Tax Value Value Increase

Per Year

House 1 50,000$ 655$ 20.59$

House 2 75,000$ 982$ 30.88$

House 3 100,000$ 1,309$ 41.17$

House 4 150,000$ 1,964$ 61.76$

House 5 200,000$ 2,618$ 82.35$ House 6 250,000$ 3,273$ 102.94$

All Property:

Property 1 1,000$ 31.45$

Property 2 10,000$ 314.50$

Property 3 100,000$ 3,145.00$

Formula For Calculating Tax Increase:

Millage Taxable Estimated Tax Value Increase

Per Year

Example 0.03145 X 1,367$ = 42.99$ Your Valuation 0.03145 X = -$

Formula = Estimated number of Mills (31.45)/1000 "Taxable Value" =Estimates Tax Impact

* The taxable valuation of your property is located on your Stillwater

County property tax statement in the top portion of the statement

Note: This estimate is based on the bonds being repaid at 4.26%

interest over the life of the bonds (20 years)

PROJECT COST ESTIMATES:These are Preliminary Project costs, based on the current Space Program Requirements. Spectrum Group Architects cannot warrant that anyopinions of probable Project Costs will not vary from actual costs. Spectrum Group Architects has no control over the cost or availability oflabor, equipment, materials, or other market conditions or the Contractor's method of pricing. Spectrum Group Architects makes no warranty,express or implied, that the bids or the negotiated cost of the work will not vary from Spectrum Group Architects' opinion of Project Cost.

Stillwater County Offices

COMPONENT SPACE SUMMARY 8-Jan-15

COMPONENT DETAIL Option No.2 Option No.3 Option No.4 Option No.5

Existing New New NewCourthouse County Law & Law &

Remodel Complex Justice Justice

(No Law & Justice (New Site) (New Site) (Existing Site)

No. Space Description No. Size NSF No. Size NSF NSF NSF NSF NSF

Building Cost:Building Cost (Per Square Foot) 134$ 218$ 268$ 278$ 278$

Building Construction Cost 3,116,726$ 4,774,135$ 10,636,304$ 5,842,031$ 6,066,725$

Additional Project Costs:

Site Acquisition - Land 0 0 550,000$ 550,000$ 0

Site Acquisition - Site Utilities 175,000$ 175,000$

New Construction (At Hospital) 132,000$

Sally port - Secure parking 88,000$

Structural Stabilization (Courthouse) 210,000$

Elevator & Stairs 110,000$

Elevator Lobby Addition 234,000$

Demolition 35,000$ 65,000$

Site Improvements 40,000$ 50,000$ 1,750,000$ 814,000$ 350,000$

Utilities 40,000$ 36,000$ 12,000$

Landscaping 6,000$ 10,000$ 75,000$ 75,000$ 25,000$

Site Acquisition - Land 550,000$ 550,000$

Site Utilities 175,000$ 175,000$

Total Project Cost: 3,417,726$ 5,453,135$ 13,951,304$ 8,217,031$ 6,453,725$

Gross building Square Footage 23,259 21,900 39,688 21,015 21,823

Alternate

No. 1

Total project using existing county

facilities (Option 1 plus Limited

remodeling of 1st floor existing court

house)

Limited Remodeling Exist Courthouse 1,500,000$

(First Floor = 5,698 sf)

Option 1 3,417,726$

Project Costs 723,897$ Contingency (15%) 737,659$

Total 6,379,282$

Square Footage Old Hospital 23,259Square footage First Floor Court house 5,698


Alternate

No.2

Total project with New Law & Justice

facility on Courthouse Site &

complete courthouse remodel

(Options 2 & 5)

Option 2 5,453,135$

Option 5 6,453,725$


Total 15,325,985$

Square Footage Existing Court House 21,900Square footage New Law & Justice 21,823


Alternate

No.3 Total project with New Law & Justice

center on New Site & complete

courthouse remodel (Options 2 & 4)

Option 2 5,453,135$

Option 4 8,217,031$


Total 17,172,746$

Square Footage Existing Court House 21,900SF New Law & Justice (New Site) 21,015


Alternate

No.4

Total project with complete New

County facilities on New Site (Option

3)

Option 3 13,951,304$


Total 17,540,720$ Gross Square Footage 39,688

(Offices & Courts)

NSF

Space Assigned ToJob No.1206

Option No.1

Existing

Old Hospital

Existing Spaces Program Spaces Remodel

Space Functions

Staff (Includes 'future'

hires next 3 years)

Space Program

Sq. Footage

Parking

Recommended

County Departments

Commissioners 5

Finance 3

Clerk & Recorder 5

Treasurer 5

County Assessor 3

MSU Extension 3

GIS 1

DES 1

Fire Warden 1

Planning 2

Economic Develop 1

Environ Health 2

Superintendent 1

Public Health 7

Facility Manager 1

Sub Total (1) 41 21,900 73

Law & Justice

Sheriff 11

County Attorney 4

District Judge 3

Justice of Peace 3

Clerk of Court 2

Alternatives 1

Adult Probation 2

Youth Probation 1

Victim Witness 2

Sub Total (1) 29 19,802 66

Courtrooms

Spectator Seating - District 130

Spectator Seating - Justice 33

Sub Total (2) 163 2,020 31

Total Employees 70

Total Court Rm Spectators 163

Total Buildinng Square Footage 43,722

Total Parking 170

Stillwater County Parking Requirements based on

City Of Billings Parking Standards:

(1) B-Occupancy (Courthouse)=One (one) Parking space per three hundred (300)

square feet of floor area.

(2) A-Occupancy (Courtroom); 1 Parking space per 65 square feet of floor area, or 1

parking space per one hundred (100) linear inches of gallery seating.

Alternate No. 2

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STILLWATER SITE COMPARISONS January 13, 2015

This report considers five (5) options identified by the planning process for

consideration in determining the best long term option for providing additional

county office space for county services. These options are:

1. Remodel “Old Hospital” into County Offices

2. Remodel the Existing Courthouse

3. New County Complex – On a New Site

4. New Law and Justice Center – On a new site

5. New Law and Justice Complex – On the Existing Courthouse Site

This report reviews each option and then looks at the advantages and disadvantages

of each option. Costs relative to each item are contained in an accompanying

spreadsheet.

Option 1: Remodel “Old Hospital” into County Offices

When the Old Hospital became available, the County considered this building as an

economical opportunity to address the County’s shortage of office spaces for county

services and at the same time be able to provide better accessibility for the general

public by consolidating offices into one location. The County currently owns the

building the County Attorney is located in and leases office space for the District

Court offices, in addition to the existing County Courthouse. These outlying offices

are expensive to maintain and operate, in addition to being inconvenient for the

public, as well as county employees. The Old Hospital provides the County an

opportunity to consolidate offices, as well as make public access to County services

more efficient and handicapped accessible. The Planning Department has already

been relocated to the basement of the Old Hospital, eliminating one of the counties

leased office spaces.

The current plan developed for the Old Hospital will bring all County services into

this facility except for the following:

1. Sheriff,

2. County Attorney,

3. Youth & Adult Probation,

4. Alternative Services, and

5. District Court offices (The District Courtroom is planned to be located in the

Old Hospital).

With the exception of the District Court offices, these other services all associated

with the Sheriff’s department will all remain housed in the existing County

Courthouse. As the cost for leasing the District Court offices is shared equally by

three counties, it will remain at the current location. Limited remodeling in the

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existing County Courthouse building will be necessary to accommodate those

remaining functions that will be concentrated on the first floor eliminating the need

for major remodeling throughout the building.

The planned approach for remodeling the Old Hospital is to completely remove all

interior finishes, including all non-bearing walls, plumbing, electrical, and

mechanical systems. This approach will allow for new electrical, mechanical, and

plumbing systems to be installed, as well as a code compliant thermal envelope and

all new interior finishes. Other than the structure itself, the county will essentially

have a new building. Exterior finishes and reroofing are also anticipated.

The portion of the building designed for District Court services will require extensive

structural modifications, in order to allow for the larger clear span space required

for a court room; which also requires higher ceilings. A small addition to the Old

Hospital will be necessary to accommodate required auxiliary spaces for District

Court Services:

1. A secure sally port for prisoner transfer,

2. Holding cells to retain individuals during trial, and

3. Judges’ chambers, adjacent to the court room.

The primary advantage of this option is the initial cost, which is significantly less

than any of the other options for consolidating County services. The Old Hospital is

also in close proximity to the existing courthouse.

The primary disadvantage is that some County services and offices will still occupy a

portion of the existing Courthouse, which has experienced significant differential

structural settlement over the years. The Courthouse is a masonry building that is

not handicapped compliant, and does not comply with current building and energy

codes or life safety requirements. Any major remodeling in this building that

involves multiple floors will trigger the requirement to bring the entire building up

to current building codes. The intent is to renovate the first floor and to block off

the upper floors to the public; the upper floors will be used for file storage. In

addition to the settling issue, the space utilization in this building is less efficient due

to the number of interior masonry bearing walls (vaults) which will need to be

worked around. The plan is to utilize the first floor only, eliminating the need to

bring the upper floors into code compliancy.

This Option will also require the renovation of the first floor of the courthouse to

accommodate the functions listed above that are to remain in the courthouse.

of 6

Option 2: Remodel the Existing Courthouse

Remodeling and renovating the existing Courthouse has been the subject of much

conversation over time, which in the end has always resulted in the same conclusion

– a significant amount of work will be required to stabilize the differential structural

movement and to bring the building into handicapped and building code compliance

before doing anything to improve the functionality of the offices housed in the

Courthouse.

Additionally, there is not enough space in the Courthouse to adequately

accommodate the services currently housed there, let alone consolidate the current

outlying offices. Additional office space will be required over and above the existing

satellite offices to satisfy the space program requirements current needs. If this

option is selected additional county office space will be required somewhere in the

community.

The Courthouse is a very stately government building – the most significant building

in the community that should be maintained and utilized. A major remodeling of

the entire building will be less expensive on a square foot basis than a partial

remodeling (all things being equal) because of how the two remodeling projects

would be approached – complete demolition of interior finishes and systems vs. a

piecemeal approach.

The primary advantage of this option is that it will fully utilize a very substantial and

stately public building located in the heart of the community. Although more

expensive that other options a case can be made for investing in this historic

structure. Structural stabilization efforts over the years appear to have slowed the

differential settlement in recent years. New stabilization techniques are now

available that can further mitigate the differential settlement at lower costs than

possible with previously available systems. Further structural investigation will be

required to determine the best approach to continued stabilization efforts.

The primary disadvantage to this option is the need for additional structural

stabilization. Building Codes will require the addition of a second exit from the

upper floors, a handicapped elevator, handicapped toilets, and ADA modifications

throughout to make the building handicapped compliant will also be required. In

addition, the electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems should be completely

replaced and made compliant with current codes and standards; similar to the

approach proposed for the Old Hospital. As the Courthouse is a bearing masonry

building, this drastically limits the flexibility to relocate interior walls; there will

always be under-utilized spaces throughout the building because of the existing

masonry bearing walls and the central lobby on each floor. This building is fully

occupied, making remodeling more of a challenge for both the contractors and the

of 6

occupants, which generally equates into more expensive and time-consuming

construction. It should also be noted that more space is required than is available in

this building and additional construction will be required somewhere.

Option 3: New County Complex – On a New Site

This option is included in order to understand the costs of a complete new County

facility, and to be able to compare its costs to other options being considered. The

assumption is that remodeling is less expensive than new construction; however at

some point new construction makes more sense especially when considering all

associated costs over the life of the building.

The County services contained in a new facility are identified in the space program,

and is anticipated to be organized in two separate wings – a wing for Law and

Justice and a wing for all other County services.

Site requirements for this option are to identify a new site close or adjacent to the

town boundaries where city utilities will be available. The site also needs good

accessibility from the freeway for law enforcement. For long range planning

purposes, the site needs to be large enough to accommodate future growth. This

being said, a site of 6 – 8 acres should be planned and budgeted for as a minimum;

10 acres is preferred.

The primary advantage is that the County will have all new facilities, built to current

building code requirements including energy standards and handicapped

requirements. The life cycle costing of this option will be the least cost of all the

options. Life cycle costing is an important factor to consider, and it often outweighs

the higher first costs as compared to other options.

The primary disadvantage is that this option will have the highest initial cost and will

require the acquisition of a new site with higher site development costs than

utilizing an existing previously developed site within the city limits.

If this option is selected the existing courthouse will have to be repurposed;

associated costs for repurposing have not been considered in this comparison.

Option #4: New Law and Justice Center – on a new site

In order to provide the necessary space for all essential County services, this option

explores developing a stand-alone Law and Justice Center on a new site. This facility

will house District Court and all ancillary services associated with District Court

including Judges’ chambers, Justice Court and chambers, Clerk of Court(s), County

of 6

Attorney’s office and the Sheriff’s Department. Also contained in this facility will be

offices for Victim/Witness Protection, Youth Probation and Adult Probation.

Site requirements discussed under Option #3 are considered to be the same for this

option (6 – 8 acres). For long range planning purposes, the site needs to be large

enough to accommodate future growth, which should include eventually moving all

County services to this site.

The primary advantage of this option is that it allows the spaces and departments

with the most specific space requirements to be housed in new construction.

The primary disadvantage is the added cost of purchasing and developing a new site

along with the need to remodel existing facilities (Courthouse or old hospital) to

properly house remaining County services.

Option #4 needs to be combined with Options #1 or #2 to provide the necessary

office space the county currently needs.

Option #5: New Law and Justice Complex – On the Existing Courthouse Site

This option will house all the same services as the previous option, except for offices

and services related to: Victim/Witness Protection, Youth Probation, Alternatives,

and Adult Probation that will be housed in the existing (adjacent) County

Courthouse.

A new Law and Justice Center located on the existing Courthouse site is anticipated

to be a two story structure with a stair and elevator tower that serves all floors of

the existing courthouse. This addition can be located on the north or west side of

the Courthouse and be connected to the existing Courthouse by way of a common

circulation core. This option will keep all County services on the same site and

provide one point of delivery for County services.

The primary advantage is that life-safety and handicapped accessibility can be more

cost efficiently addressed in new construction than in the existing building. The

addition can house stairs, elevator, and toilets in a central location convenient to

both the new and existing. The courts and Law enforcement both have very specific

space and security requirements that are best accommodated in new construction.

The primary disadvantage is the existing Courthouse is experiencing differential

structural movement previously discussed that will need to be resolved. Also,

parking will continue to be an issue when high visibility court cases are in session.

of 6

Summary The five (5) Options listed above can be summarized into four (4) Alternates, as only

Option #3 (New County Complex on new Site) completely addresses the Space

Program requirements, by itself, and without any other Options necessary to meet

those requirements.

Alternate #1: Remodel Old Hospital (Option #1) plus Limited Remodeling of 1st Floor

Existing Courthouse.

Alternate #2: Complete existing Courthouse Remodel (Option #2) plus New Law &

Justice Facility on existing site (Option #5)

Alternate #3: Complete existing Courthouse Remodel (Option #2) plus New Law &

Justice Facility on new site (Option #4)

Alternate #4: Complete New County Facilities on new site (Option #3)

stillwater county courthouse

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