Work begins on new Linn County Secondary Roads building

Work has begun to prepare the property at 1944 County Home Rd., for construction of a new Linn County Secondary Roads Main Shop/Engineering building.

The building site, west of Highway 13, is the location of the current Main Shop for the county’s Secondary Road Department. The project will combine the functions of the Engineering Office, currently located at 1888 County Home Rd., and the Main Shop into one new building. The existing Main Shop will become cold storage for the Secondary Roads Department.

The new building will provide space to park all county vehicles at that site inside, instead of outside, Linn County Director of Policy and Administration Darrin Gage said.

Larson Construction won the contract with a bid of $15.7 million. The entire project, including architecture fees and the cost to run Marion city water to the site, will cost about $19.3 million, Gage said.

Rough grading and other dirt work was begun before cold weather halted progress. Construction of the building is scheduled to begin this spring with completion expected in spring of 2026.

Once the new building is up and running, “at some point down the road” the county will try to sell the property at 1888 County Home Rd., Gage said.

The site is about 11 acres, and Gage said the old water tower on the property will no longer be needed once the area is connect to Marion city water.

"There will be city water there. That will make it a lot more attractive for a private buyer," Gage said. However, such a sale may not happen until late 2026 or in 2027, he added.

The Linn County Board of Supervisors will use a combination of funding sources to pay for the $19.3 million project.

The county will use about $7.4 million of a $10 million pool of federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars received to replenish lost revenue. Another $700,000 is slated to come from funds the Federal Emergency Management Agency has not yet obligated for a barn that was damaged in the 2020 derecho.

About $8 million will come from local-option sales tax money carried over from Secondary Roads from three budget years — fiscal 2024 through 2026. Other funding sources also will be tapped if needed.