TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The City of Tampa has officially opened its new state-of-the-art City Center in East Tampa.

The goal of the new center is to make city operations more efficient, enhance the neighborhood with a community gathering spot and enhance workforce development.

Around 500 city employees will work at the center, which will consolidate multiple city departments and divisions under one roof including Arts and Cultural Affairs, Code Enforcement, Community Engagement & Partnership, Fleet Management, Maintenance and more.

The 161,000 square-foot government services building came with a price tag of more than $100 million.

“Our aim here was to centralize, have sort of a one stop for city services in the community and in a central location,” said Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.

The mayor also said the city and construction company DPR exceeded their goal for including minorities in the project.

“The commitment to diversity and inclusivity in every aspect of this build was a top priority,” said Brian Yarborough with DPR Construction.

Stephen Bridges said he was grateful to be involved as a minority and someone who lives in East Tampa.

“I’ve seen the start of this building when it was flat ground to where it is now,” said Bridges, who served as a Project Engineer. “This is one of the biggest opportunities I’ve had in my construction career. So, being able to work in my own neighborhood, working on a project that’s $100 million, it’s just, it’s an out of mind experience.”