Faribault County Historical Society director Randall Anderson addressed the Faribault County Commissioners last Tuesday with a request that the commissioners restore the annual financial commitment to the organization that was cut out of the budget three years ago. No action was taken at the meeting.

Faribault County Historical Society representative Randall Anderson attended the Faribault County Board meeting on Tuesday, May 5 with a request that the commissioners restore its annual financial commitment to the organization.

“Three years ago the Board of Commissioners terminated its long-standing annual financial contribution to the Faribault County Historical Society,” Anderson said. “Approximately 10-12 years ago that funding amounted to $17,000, which adjusted for inflation would be equivalent to $23,000-$24,000 in 2026 dollars.”

Anderson went on to say that at some point prior to 2019 the annual support from the county had been reduced to $10,000, before eventually falling to zero.

“The county’s budget makes provision for “Culture and Recreation,” which by definition includes libraries, historical societies, parks and trails,” he commented. “In its Statement of Financial Condition for 2024, Faribault County allocated 0.9 percent of its total spending on this category which was the second lowest, only ahead of economic development.”

Anderson pointed out that Minnesota has long recognized that historical societies are part of civic infrastructure and that Minnesota State Law gives counties the explicit authority to fund their local societies, to levy taxes for history and to provide public space.

“This has been true for nearly a century,” Anderson added. “The logic is simple – history belongs to all of us, and counties have a role in ensuring its care.”

According to data supplied by Anderson, even at the county’s most recent level of support ($10,000), Faribault County would still be at half the amount of the next lowest county compared to the 13 other counties that surround Faribault County.

While expressing his desire for more county support, Anderson also took time to update the commissioners on the many projects and undertakings of the Faribault County Historical Society, including the fact that the local society owns and maintains 10 buildings.

The County Board did not take any action but will begin working on the 2027 budget in a few months.

Denny Wick of the Public Works Department supplied the board with an update on the road construction on County State Aid Highway 19.

“Because of road conditions, we had to delay the start of working on the road,” Wick stated. “There were six or seven soft spots in the road that we ended up digging out. We put fabric down and added some rock and those spots now seem to be in good shape. The contractor, Ulland Brothers, will begin by shaping the road on May 11 and if all goes well the paving could begin a week later.”

Wick also had a resolution for the board to pass for a detour agreement with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT).

“Because the state is about to begin work on, and adjacent to, Highway 22 from 350 feet south of 12th Street to the north junction of Highway 109, and adjacent to Highway 109 from 1,650 feet west of Half Moon Drive to the junction of Highway 22, they are requiring a detour,” Wick explained. “The detour will be CSAH 21 and the county will receive a reimbursement of $60,784 from the state. That amount could increase to a maximum of $122,000 if the county were to prove more damages were done to the road.”

The resolution passed by a unanimous vote.

Sentence to Serve (STS) representatives Jason Casias and Eli Redenius attended the meeting to give the commissioners an update on the STS program.

“Working with Martin County we have been able to have an average crew size of 2.89 people,” Casias commented. “We have had 31 males and 11 females working as part of the program since Jan. 1 of this year.”

Building and Grounds director Saxon Warmka came to the meeting with a request for a new water softening system at the Law Enforcement Center.

“We have been having issues with the current water system at the LEC,” Warmka said. “When I discussed the current system with the current provider, I was told the system is outdated and well beyond its lifespan. I received two bids from local contractors, one which was from our current provider.”

Warmka was asked how old the current system was.

“Talking with Culligan, they said it was a 10-year system that was 15-16 years old,” Warmka replied. “It would be a whole new system that would be installed.”

The two bids were from Culligan of Fairmont and Coxworth Water Conditioning of Blue Earth, LLC. The bid from Culligan totaled $37,635 while the bid from Coxworth totaled $34,000.

Warmka told the board they have experience working with Coxworth.

“They put the system in the old jail building,” Warmka commented. “They always have parts on hand and promptly get out on service calls.”

Warmka said the parts and labor warranty for each system were similar.

The board voted to approve the purchase of the system from Coxworth Water Conditioning.

Warmka also had three bids for the board to consider to complete the concrete work from door A on the courthouse north to help with water flow issues and safety issues because of the cracks in the current concrete.

“To ensure that the water can flow away from the building,” Warmka added. “I would also like to remove the old tower next to the building.”

The bid for the concrete work was awarded to Greg Grotte Construction at a cost of $73,230 while the bid for removing the tower went to Patten Roofing at a cost of $2,700.

Faribault County’s GIS (Geographic Information Systems) coordinator Brandee Douglass attended the meeting to provide the board with a brief update on the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) Monument Grant.

“The grant was used to document and preserve PLSS corners, which form the foundation for property boundaries across the county,” Douglass explained. “A corner certificate is prepared by a licensed land surveyor to record the location, history and monumentation of each PLSS corner. These records ensure long-term reliability for surveyors, property owners and the public.”

Douglass shared that a total of $299,950 in grant money was spent for records research, field work and corner certification.

“We certified 266 corners in Rome and Dunbar Townships,” Douglass said. “People can use Beacon to locate PLSS corners and view the most recent corner certificate.”

In other news, the board:

• Approved the training requests of Kelly Hendrickson and Eva Steele of the Faribault County Recorder’s Office to attend the Minnesota County Recorder’s Association Annual Meeting.

• Approved the request of Hendrickson to attend the 2026 Fidlar Education Symposium for software training.

• Voted to have Warmka serve as the county’s safety coordinator because of his EMS and fire department training. Warmka will move up one step on the pay scale as compensation for his extra duties.