WOODBURY NEWS NET: Public Safety Groundbreaking Marks Years Of Collaboration In Woodbury
On Friday, May 8, Mayor Anne Burt and other Woodbury dignitaries participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for the city’s new Public Safety Complex.
The project, expected to cost around $60 million, is a renovation and expansion of the current public safety building on Radio Drive.
The importance of the project, and the help received from Woodbury and Minnesota’s elected leaders, was evident in the range of public representatives present at the event.
Guests included 4th District Rep. Betty McCollum, who represents most of Woodbury, and 2nd District Rep. Angie Craig, who represents the rest of Woodbury in Congress. State Sen. Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger, as well as Woodbury state Reps. Shelley Buck and Ethan Cha, also attended.
“This is a coordinated effort not only in our federal offices, but with state and local governments, and with the voters to get the referendum passed,” McCollum said. “As this community has grown, so have the demands for public safety, whether it’s police or fire or EMS. You are watching that accelerate here. With the help of federal financing, Woodbury has secured $1 million toward the building and technology for its new Public Safety Campus.”
Craig had positive remarks for city, state and federal officials, as well as the many people in the Woodbury Public Safety Department responsible for bringing the project forward.
“I just want you to know how unusual it is for us to be able to work on such a multidimensional basis, with the city, the county, the state and with the federal government,” Craig said. “This brand new Woodbury Public Safety Center will make sure that local law enforcement and first responders have the tools they need to keep our community safe. And if there’s anything that is a first priority as an elected official, it is to do whatever is necessary to provide folks the resources to keep our community safe.”
Speaking on behalf of Sen. Tina Smith, representative Jack Smyth said: “When people imagine public safety, we often first think of our wonderful first responders, but we sometimes don’t realize everything that goes on behind the scenes to support them. There’s a whole host of communication systems, buildings, computers, maps and other high-tech tools that allow them to quickly respond to emergency situations. This project will significantly improve those tools and put them all under one roof for an even better and faster response effort.”
Washington County Commissioners Stan Karowski and Karla Bigham were also present, as were former City Administrator Clint Gridley, former Public Safety Director Lee Vague and members of several city community organizations, including the Woodbury Community Foundation, SoWashCo CARES and Woodbury Thrives.
Traditionally, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony, attendees sign the cut ribbon after the event and give it as a keepsake to the business. At the groundbreaking, Mayor Burt requested that all present sign a beam to commemorate the occasion.
Mayor Burt also announced that both the remodeled and expanded Public Safety Building and Woodbury’s new water treatment plant will be completed in 2028.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s representative, Jack McGregor, read her statement, which included these words: “For a growing city like Woodbury, this project could not come any sooner. The public safety campus will ensure that our officers have the resources, infrastructure and support they need to do their job and keep us safe.
“Once fully completed, this facility will be ready for growth, featuring expansions to accommodate new full-time staff, greater security for vehicles and equipment, and increased community programs to build a safer, more secure and more efficient public safety department… This upgrade will reduce the time officers have to spend behind a desk, which means more time out in the community, keeping our streets safe and connecting with folks across the city.”
Woodbury Public Safety Campus Project
Funding primarily comes from a voter-approved 0.5% local sales tax, expected to generate $50 million, that began in April 2025 and is supplemented by federal grants, rebates and city funds.
Funding Breakdown
- Local option sales tax: $50 million (expected within 8-20 years)
- Department of Justice grant: $1 million
- Inflation Reduction Act funds: $975,000
- City Capital Improvement Budget: $3.2 million
- City General Fund: $1.3 million
- Property tax adjustment: An estimated $13 annual increase for the average household to cover remaining costs