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Kandiyohi County to sign award for Prairie Woods preschool ADA parking; work paid by DEED grant
Summary
Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center won county approval to proceed with a $134,746 contract to build an ADA-compliant parking and preschool drop-off area tied to its new Nature Preschool. The work is fully funded by a one-year DEED grant; the county must sign the notice of award as landowner.
The Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners voted May 6 to approve a contractor award for an ADA-compliant parking and drop-off area at Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center, a project tied to the center’s newly opened Nature Preschool.
The parking and drop-off work will be funded entirely through a one-year Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) grant that helped pay for preschool start-up renovations. Jennifer Swenson, executive director of Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center, told the board the grant covers the $134,746 recommended award and that no additional county dollars are required.
The preschool became licensed in February and has served about 25 families through start-up programming; it will open a full fall session with capacity for 18 slots. Swenson said the final piece of the DEED grant is “creating the safe ADA compliant parking and drop off area which leads directly to the Nature Preschool,” and that the grant deadline is June 30.
Mel Odins, Kandiyohi County public works director, reviewed the bids and said county staff “are comfortable with the bids.” Commissioner Emtek congratulated the center on its regional park designation, saying, “That’s a big deal.” A motion to award the contract to Swenson & Sons in the amount shown in the board packet passed unanimously.
Because Prairie Woods operates on county-owned land, county staff said the landowner must sign the notice of award so the contractor can begin preconstruction work. County Administrator Kelsey Baker told the board she and Prairie Woods staff have been working on a memorandum of agreement to clarify roles between the nonprofit and the county.
Swenson told commissioners Prairie Woods has begun habitat restoration and ADA access work tied to the preschool and said the organization plans to apply next year for legacy funding from the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission to support broader Phase 1 projects in its master plan.
The award completes the DEED-funded portion of the preschool project and allows the contractor to proceed to a preconstruction meeting scheduled this month.
