New Public Works Building Will Be Built In Dickinson - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

The Dickinson City Commission has approved a bid for a new $17 million Public Works Building.

The new facility will provide more room for city trucks, allow all of the city deparments to be under the same roof, plus house some furry friends.

Construction on the new Public Works Building will start in the next couple of months at this location just south of Dickinson's Solid Waste Facility.

"Our water, waste water, storm water divisions, it will include our street divisions," Dickinson City Administrator Shawn Kessel said.

All of those city divisions have outgrown their current facilities.

"These structures were built in the 1950's, so their doors were sized for the equipment that we had in the 1950's," Kessel said.

Which makes it difficult to fit today's equipment through the garage doors.

"In some cases we have to take extreme measures such as letting air out of the tires and such to get stuff in," Kessel said.

The new building will also provide some luxuries, including a mechanics lift for repair work and oil changes to city vehicles plus a fuel island.

"Which will allow all of our city vehicles to fill instead of going to various vendors throughout the community," Kessel said.

But you won't see just city employees coming in and out of the new building.

"That animal shelter is something we've been planning for quite sometime now, I'd say probably two years already."

A new city animal shelter will be included in the new building, replacing the current, worn down shelter.

"As our population grows so do the amount of pets in our area, and unfortunately the amount of pets that get away from their owners or get abandoned," Kessel said.

With more pets and people living in Dickinson, the goal is for the new building to help keep up with the city's growth.

Kessel says the project should be complete by this time next year.