After scrambling around through the spare change pockets in my car for quarters, I got to the meters outside the St. Louis County/MN State Office building only to find that I don’t need quarters there anymore!
This welcome improvement is, I guess, part of the extensive remodeling that has occurred in the building over the last year or so. Speaking of nickel and dimed, most of the cost of this remodeling came from the failed Obama stimulus package. Here’s (some of) what we got for the money:
Previously, clients needed to visit four different program areas, located on four different floors of the building. This created a complex structural maze adding even more confusion to the sometimes daunting task of accessing appropriate government services. But, in addition to benefiting clients, the new Central Client Area will improve the use of building space, mitigate security related issues, lower cleaning and maintenance costs, and reduces the building’s overall utility bill. The project encompassed the entire first floor of the Government Services Center, and includes, centralized intake for Public Health and Human Services, secure interview rooms, shared reception spaces, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning upgrades, and general remodeling upgrades to meet current building codes for professional office buildings.
Source: St. Louis County Press Release
Related: In May UMD’s Lake Voice News wrote about a Downtown Resident with thousands in parking fines and it looked at some of the concerns about downtown meters, including the fact that they only accept quarters.
