ABOVE: This county-owned building at 1200 N. State Street is planned to be remodeled soon and the county recently received $300,000 out of the most recent bonding bill to do it. Sentinel file photo.

FAIRMONT– Martin County received good news over the weekend from Representative Bjorn Olson as he shared that $300,000 was included in the $1.24 billion general obligation bonding bill that just passed. The funds will be used to remodel the county-owned building at 1200 N. State Street in Fairmont so that the veteran service office and 4H extension office can relocate there.

Commissioner Joe Loughmiller said that he and fellow Commissioner Kevin Kristenson had previously sat down with Olson and he had encouraged them to submit a funding request to be considered if they had one.

“Kevin had the idea to do the North State Street building,” Loughmiller said.

County Coordinator Scott Higgins helped write up the request and when Higgins and Loughmiller recently attended the Association of Minnesota Counties Legislative Conference they met briefly with Olson to discuss what the county’s goal for the building was.

“Of course 4H and veteran services are near and dear to his heart as an active military member as well as a rural representative for southern Minnesota so he agreed to look at it and potentially submit it into the funding request for 2026,” Loughmiller said.

Since then, the county had been quietly checking in with Olson on the status of the request and on Sunday evening, Olson shared with Kristenson that Martin County had received the $300,000 from the state to remodel the facility in order to relocate the two offices from the locations the county is currently renting for them in the Fairmont area.

“It would have come out of our local levy otherwise,” Loughmiller explained.

In February, the board of commissions had heard from Oleson and Hobbie Architects that the cost to remodel the building would come in around $322,00, though there were cost savings options available via a simpler floor plan.

Loughmiller acknowledged that it’s not a huge amount of money in the grand scheme of things but said the county is extremely grateful to the state and Olson nonetheless.

“Any way that we can reduce the impact on the local levy,” Loughmiller said.

Olson said that he’s been encouraging all local leaders to provide him with options of projects to be considered for potential funding.

“We’ve got a lot of committees in the state and a lot of opportunities in the state. When you’re trying to put the puzzle together on how it’s all going to end up, it’s good to have options,” Olson said.

He said in the past a more significant amount of money has been granted, such as $4 million for Sherburn for a road project and $13.5 million for a project in Madelia.

“The crux of the matter is I need to have options and ideas and things that are needed that I can help if the puzzle piece fits to help alleviate some of the burden of our constituents,” he said. “Commissioner Loughmiler and Commissioner Kristenson really took that to heart when I said I needed expensive projects and smaller projects.”

Olson also acknowledged that the county wasn’t granted a lot of funds for this project as the majority went to water, infrastructure and state preservation of assets, but he said the project was perfect for some of the excess funds.

“I was able to reach in the drawer and see all the ideas that our county commissioners had for me and this is the one that was able to stick,” he said.

Olson said he would encourage local leaders to continue to ask for funds for their projects and needs.

“In all honesty, the only reason why Martin County is getting money this year is because the county commissioners took me at my word when I said I need options and they gave me some,” Olson said.

On making the request, Loughmiller said, “It really was a team effort.”

Looking back on the process, he added, “When it works right, government can really be beneficial for the citizens. We’re were able to coordinate between the county and state and make this happen.”