Renville County makes new push for Minnesota Legislature wellness center bond fund – West Central Tribune

OLIVIA — Renville County will reapply for state bonds for a proposed $18 million wellness center.

The county Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 Tuesday in favor of the second attempt. Commissioners David Hamre and John Robinson voted against the proposal, while Commissioners Randy Kramer, Greg Snow and Doug Erickson voted in favor at their meeting.

Hamre said there are too many unanswered questions about the responsibilities and costs the county could incur as owner of the proposed facility. Robinson also cited the concerns, asking whether the county needs to decide the matter before it is known whether or not there will be a bond bill in the upcoming session.

Commissioner Kramer urged moving forward, stating that the county would need to submit its bond application in December if it was to be considered at all.

He told commissioners that the goal of developing a wellness center was at the heart of the county’s decision in 2020 to select HealthPartners to operate a former county-owned system now known as Olivia Hospital and Clinic. HealthPartners has committed $3.75 million to the project and is seeking to provide therapy services at the facility, providing it with a source of income as a tenant.

The organization “held up its end of the bargain,” Kramer said of the organization’s support. It committed resources to introduce the bill to lawmakers last session.

The bond bill, which failed to pass in the final seconds of the 2024 legislative session, called for $9 million in funding for the project.

“We were super, super close. I wish we had had 60 seconds more. Things would have looked very different,” Jackie Edwards, director of foundation and community relations at Olivia Hospital and Clinic, told commissioners at their meeting a week earlier.

Plans for the proposed wellness center call for a multi-purpose facility for people of all ages, Edwards told commissioners at the Nov. 19 meeting. It would include a two-field gymnasium and an indoor track, assets not available in the county of 14,000 residents. It would also offer areas for cardiovascular and cross-training.

Its purpose goes far beyond relaxation and physical activity. Plans include an education and community area, a small senior center and a child monitoring area. A significant portion of the facility would include areas for therapy and outpatient services provided by the hospital and Big Stone Therapies.

Edwards says a federal grant is essential to moving this project forward.

If the county doesn’t apply for bonds, “I would say this project is complete,” Edwards told commissioners. It is unlikely that Olivia Hospital and Clinic will continue to dedicate resources to this. “We just can’t keep going,” she said.

In addition to the HealthPartners funds and state guarantees, the county has applied for $2 million in federal funding, $2.25 million in private donations and $1 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture loan funds.

The goal is to make the business self-sustaining. Edwards said various options are being considered to distribute the load if service outages occur. One idea is to divide the cost of any shortfalls among communities in the county based on the number of residents who are members of the center.

One proposed budget assumes that about 5% of county residents purchase memberships based on their experiences at YMCAs and other community centers.

Macy Moore/West Central Tribune

The county would own the center, which would be built on the Olivia Hospital and Clinic campus. A local government agency must own the property if the center is to be eligible for state and federal funding, Edwards said.

Two newly elected commissioners, Craig Carlson and Greg Mertens, will take office in January, succeeding Kramer and Erickson, who did not seek re-election. They were present at Tuesday’s meeting and the last meeting on November 19 for discussions about the center.

Kramer emphasized that the decision to apply for bonds does not require the county to move forward with a project if state bonds are not granted.

“We have the opportunity to do something for the future, for our children, for the seniors. This applies to everyone,” Kramer said, encouraging commissioners to support the resolution.

He noted that HealthPartners’ $3.75 million offer was consistent with their decision. The funding — along with strong support from area lawmakers last session — gives the county a big head start, he said.

Above all, Kramer said a wellness center is important to making the county a better place to live.

“I’m not at the point where I want to give up yet,” he said, adding, “Because I think we have too much to gain for Renville County.”

“We can’t close the door and say if we lose population, we lose population, whatever it may be,” Kramer said.