ABOVE: Fairmont Mayor Lee Baarts points out a project location to members of the House Capital Investment Committee, while Public Works Director, Matthew York, stands nearby, on Wednesday at Jeffrey Kot Fields in Fairmont.

FAIRMONT– On Wednesday the House Capital Investment Committee stopped in Fairmont to view and hear about a street reconstruction project that’s being considered for inclusion in a 2026 Capital Investment Bill. The $10.9 million dollar projects include an extension of Fairlakes Avenue from Hengen Street to Lake Avenue and a Charles Street extension and Kot Street project.

The public purpose of the project is to allow access to about 170 acres of land within city limits through the creation of roadways which will provide enhanced traffic circulation as well as opportunities for recreational and residential development.

Fairmont’s Public Works Director, Matthew York, said that the city started looking at projects with representative Bjorn Olson in the summer of 2024. York said this project was among many potential projects identified within the city.

On Wednesday when members of the committee gathered at the concession stands at Jeffrey Kot Fields, several city staff members were present and York had the opportunity to share more about the project.

“With a population of just over 10,000, people, Fairmont is a retail hub for approximately 48,000 people from Southwest Minnesota and Northwest Iowa,” York said. “The current population of Fairmont is approximately 12.5 percent below the poverty level.”

He said understanding that and how budgets work is important as Fairmont is struggling to meet affordable housing needs for residents, along with different types of housing.

York spoke about some of the other projects the city is engaged with, including a waste water treatment rehabilitation project and a replacement of ground storage tanks.

“With all these projects taking place and with over $70 million in road and underground infrastructure projects, we are looking for assistance.”

He said that with the Charles Street and Kot Street projects, it would allow for an extension of a dead end on Charles Street through a plated, city-owned right of way, which would connect with the parking lot area on Cardinal Street by Fairmont High School.

The Kot Street extension would go out to Prairie Avenue from east to west and would be designed with pedestrian safety at the forefront. York said it would include narrow lanes and raised pedestrian walkways.

“For vehicle movement, we only have one way in and out of this parking lot, so allowing multiple accesses will be safer for our residents and people who utilize these fields,” York said.

A trail system, about a mile long around the soccer complex, is also part of the project. It would extend out to the high school.

“We have about 500 members of our youth soccer association, junior and senior high soccer teams as well as many youth and adult soccer associations,” York said.

He said that the soccer field is the southern-most recreational area that is utilized by students and that the potential trail leading from the fields to the high school would connect to an existing trail that extends from the high school to Fairmont Elementary School.

“We’ll have inter-connection between all of our educational facilities as well as all of our recreational facilities on this side of town.”

In addition, York said the project would open up land-locked R-1 and R-3 properties that will assist the city in its continued effort to help with affordable housing needs.

“The second project is on the northwest side of town. It’s an extension of Fairlakes Avenue from Hengen to Lake Avenue. It will assist with a large amount of infrastructure needs within the city,” York said.

The tour was quick as Fairmont was one community out of 27 in central and southwest Minnesota that the committee stopped in to tour projects in this week. However, the city understands the importance of the stop in Fairmont.

“If they don’t come to look at the project that means we’re not going to get funds, so we’re staying on their radar,” said York.

Co-Chair Fue Lee (DFL-Minneapolis), talked about what the committee looks for in a project.

“When we’re out here in the communities, we’re listening to the impact of and the why for a project,” he said.

Co-Chair Mary Franson (R-Alexandria), added, “we just like to take a gander and see what’s across the entire state. There are a lot of needs across the state so what we touch is just a drop in the bucket. There’s billions and billions of dollars of asset needs across the state.”

The committee will continue to discuss the various projects and their merits and will likely not come to a conclusion until the end of the session in the spring of 2026.

However, York said that both the senate and the state are interested in this project and that the city did a Zoom hearing with the senate about this project in September.