County Board considers trail, construction

During their meeting the morning of May 19, members of the Waseca County Board of Commissioners welcomed Freeborn County public works director Phil Wacholz, who provided an update regarding the planned regional Songbird Trail, slated to someday provide walking or biking passage from Albert Lea to the Sakatah Trail in the vicinity of Waterville. Thanks to grants and donations, Wacholz said, Freeborn County now has funds for some of the most expensive elements of the project within its borders: a bridge across the four-lane section of State Highway 13 on the west side of Albert Lea, and upgrades to bring three or four railroad bridges up to pedestrian or biking standards, with a smooth surface and guardrails.

 

The Waseca County Board had previously signed a resolution to become part of the efforts to create a regional trail: Wacholz now asked for a memorandum of agreement which would help provide assurance to agencies and benefactors that the trail will someday actually cover the intended distance.

 

Wacholz promised Waseca County leadership would be an independent actor as far as the pace and planning of the trail within its boundaries. He shared some information regarding possible sources of funding which commissioners commented seemed promising. Freeborn County was able to purchase right of way for their section of the trail from the railroad soon after train traffic on the north/south tracks was discontinued: Waseca County made efforts to do the same a decade or more ago, but was met by no interest from the railroad company.

 

Board members also heard from University of Minnesota Extension educator Amy Nelson, who works closely with county 4-H chapters. Nelson said more than 230 county youth are enrolled in 4-H; 170 prepared projects or took part in the 2025 county fair in some way. Nelson commented on the many ways 4-H helps participants build leadership skills and stated the county has a young generation which is “beyond ready” to step into roles where organization and planning are needed.

 

County board members followed the recommendations of the planning commission to issue needed permits for an outdoor cannabis growing operation on property south of Waseca,  for the construction of a 4 megawatt photovoltaic solar array on a 26-acre parcel of land near Waterville, and for an electrical substation to be located just east of Janesville along County Highway 14.

 

During their 8 a.m. work session, board members  looked at the first draft of a county-wide strategic plan. Over the past several weeks, county administration and board members had worked with consulting firm DDA Human Resources out of Faribault to share their impressions about various aspects of the county government’s work.

 

County administrator Michael Johnson gave a quick summary of the document, which is dozens of pages long.

 

Shown near the beginning of the document were the county’s three proposed priorities for the years 2026, ‘27 and ‘28: Continue work on the new justice center and modernizing infrastructure; build and maintain excellence in the county workforce and organizational leadership; provide excellent service and communication to continue building public trust. Listed under each of the priorities were proposed strategies and goals.

 

Johnson asked board members to consider the proposed plan and be prepared to provide input at a future meeting. In the meantime, he said, a similar request would be made of county department heads.