Commissioners Tour Facilities before Finalizing Priorities
- Jul 21
- 2 min read
by Trinity Gruenberg
The Wadena County Commissioners held their regular meeting on July 14.
Capital Projects
County Administrator Colleen Winter discussed upcoming county building projects over the next five years.
Some of the items on the agenda included: approved ADA ramps at the courthouse, modernizing the courthouse elevator to meet state code by around 2028, upgrading the long-delayed courthouse bathrooms, especially the downstairs ones that don’t meet ADA standards, fixing a leaky breezeway between the courthouse and the attorney’s office, upgrading the election window, and updating old HVAC controls in public health facilities. No priority list was finalized, but commissioners plan to revisit the items after touring the facilities.
At the fairgrounds, the board discussed the progress of remodeling the 4-H building, which has received $100,000 from the county and additional funds from private donations.
They focused on improving water service and fencing around the area. The 4-H building currently doesn’t have a permanent water supply. There’s a new water line nearby, but plumbing work is still needed. Additionally, a water line for a new campground and barn along Highway 10 is partly installed using about $93,000 from MnDOT settlement funds, but final connections are pending. They also discussed putting up permanent fencing along the highway using recycled materials after the highway work is done.
Staff is getting updated quotes from TKE and Larson to upgrade the existing elevator, which will include new controls and safety systems, at an expected cost of just over $100,000. A completely new elevator would be much more costly and disruptive. The county is also looking at elevator maintenance contracts with the intention of having the same company handle both the modernization and ongoing maintenance...
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