FAIRMONT– Kyle Redenius, a crew leader with Sentence to Serve (STS), gave an update on what those in the program have been working on to the Martin County Board of Commissioners during their meeting on Tuesday.

He started by saying crews have done a lot of work at the Veterans Memorial and have also helped with some foreclosure homes around the country by boarding up doors and windows.

“We’ve been busy with the rural recycle sites,” Redenius said. “Some of the barrels are getting fatigued from all of the years they’ve been out there getting used. The East Chain site, we just swapped five barrels out.”

On that note, he said crews also do a lot of work at Prairieland in Truman.

“That stuff is unbelievable, how much stuff piles up. It’s unbelievable how much recycling two counties get per week,” Redenius said.

Unfortunately he said there has been a lot of illegal dumping.

“It’s been getting larger quantities. I’ve been taking pictures of it. It’s whole trailer loads now. We do go through the garbage to get names out of the garbage and we’ve been successful on a couple of illegal dumpings,” Redenius said.

He said that he puts together the time and fuel and everything it takes to get the illegal dumped garbage together and then Prairland makes a bill that he then gives to a deputy.

“On top of a ticket, he hands them the bill,” Redenius said.

He stressed that they are trying to find out who is dumping illegally because it’s “never ending.”

As for other work STS has been engaged in, Redenius said they’ve been stripping, waxing and buffing the courtroom floors. He added that STS could use another buffer because they also use it at the Human Services building as well.

“We were excited about the warm weather because we were starting to split and cut and get everything going for firewood and then we got this great surprise. We’re going to be out shoveling today,” he said.

In total, Redenius’ report said that from Dec. 1, 2025 to March 7, 2026, STS crew members put in 1,566 hours of work over 51 days. The board passed a motion to receive and file the report.

In other business at Tuesday’s meeting:

— Lenny Tvedten from the Martin County Historical Society requested to join the Minnesota Counties Intergovernmental Trust (MCIT) Membership. The county will bear no responsibility or financial obligation but the board offered its support.

— The board approved of the purchase of two Motor Grader Mounted Rubber Tire Packers, for a total of $79,144, and also approved of the disposal of two 2005 Walk n Roll Packers.

— The board approved the hire of Desirae Hertling as a full-time communications officer in the Martin County Sheriff’s Office and approved and authorized recruitment of a part-time communications officer.

— The board approved and authorized the board chair to sign the Minnesota Cyber Response Team (MNCRT) confidentiality agreement.

— The board approved grant funds received through the FY24 Congressional Direct Spending program, in the amount of $1.1 million, and originally intended to go toward the Justice Center project, be used instead for the improvements to the Martin County Security Building. An application will be signed and sent in by County Coordinator Scott Higgins.