FARGO (KFGO) - Fargo city leaders pulled out their shovels to break ground on the new $22 million City Hall Monday. Contractors already started excavating a deep foundation for the structure, under construction east of the current city hall. It's taken three years to get to this point.
The project had to be re-designed when bids came in too high. And some have been critical of the new plan, saying the design wasn't good enough. Architect Terry Stroh says there's been some speculation the building won't last which he says is not true. He says when people see the new City Hall they'll like it.
Mayor Tim Mahoney calls the new government center "the gateway to the future" that will last a century. The old city hall, built in 1958, is cramped and falling apart.
The new building should be completed in the fall of 2018.