BROOKINGS, SD – It’s a $9 million project, but Brookings City and County leaders say a government center for their offices is needed. This week county commissioners and city council members looked at bids for the second phase of the project as work on the first phase continues.

Right now, most Brookings County offices are at the County Courthouse and City offices are at City Hall.

“For the city, we’re pretty well cramped for space in City Hall to the point where we really need to expand and so did the county,” Brookings City Councilman John Kubal said.

That’s why both the city and county are teaming up to expand and it’s a partnership Kubal says has made the project easier on both sides.

“It would be more costly for the city, and this way we can share a lot of space,” Kubal said.

A partnership and project Kubal says will help both the county and city to become more efficient.

“For example, there will only be one set of chambers. We will use that for our meetings-the council will, and also the county commission can use it for their meetings,” Kubal said.

From the county, the commission offices, human resources, finance, veteran’s welfare and the register of deeds will move from the Brookings County Courthouse to the new building. The states attorney, planning and zoning, equalization and emergency management offices will also move to the new building from the rented offices in 1921 Building. All the non-emergency city offices will move to the new building, and Brookings City Council and the county commission will share a chamber room.

Several houses at the new location were either torn down or moved to make way for the new center.

The new center has been in the works for over 10 years, and Kubal hopes the outside will be built before winter and expects employees to move in next May at the earliest.