South St. Paul inches toward a new library City would get a new county facility, though some residents will miss the old building July 6, 2021 — 5:54pm Text size Copy shortlink:
South St. Paul is one step closer to having a county-run library, a solution that would provide residents with a modern space but leave the city's nearly century-old library sitting empty.
The new branch would replace the existing library, which is city-owned and operated and dates to 1927. The city would retain ownership of the Colonial-style building at 3rd and Marie avenues — though some residents have raised concerns about the future of the historical building, saying they're worried it could one day be demolished.
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South St. Paul is weighing the fate of the massive gates that once guided workers to the Armour meatpacking plant but now present an obstacle for a developer who wants to build condos on the site.
The brick and limestone gates, once a small piece of the sprawling Armour meatpacking campus, are among the last vestiges of an industry that once defined South St. Paul.
Now, West St. Paul-based Langer Construction wants to build a 45,000-square-foot building on the 3.9-acre, city-owned property. It would be subdivided as condos for small businesses and could generate about $132,000 in property taxes annually, city documents said. Langer has already built several similar structures nearby.