Minnesota State Academies seek predesign and asset preservation funding for Faribault deaf and blind campuses

The Minnesota State Academies in Faribault told the Senate Capital Investment Committee on Feb. 18 they are seeking state bonding support for predesign work and asset preservation to address aging campus facilities at both the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf and the Minnesota State Academy for the Blind.

Superintendent Terry Wilding said the two residential campuses serve students statewide and provide specialized instruction, mobility training, braille services, and residential programs. The deaf campus includes buildings dating from the 1860s to the 1940s, several of which Wilding said are not fully usable or accessible. The academies requested predesign funding to evaluate and design replacement for up to six buildings on the deaf campus to improve energy efficiency, safety and accessibility.

On the blind campus, Wilding said the therapy pool dates from the 1950s, requires substantial ongoing repairs and currently relies on a single lift to get children into the water. The academies asked for predesign to evaluate a zero‑entry (walk‑in) pool solution that would allow wheelchair access without a lift, which staff said would be safer and more efficient for students and staff.

Wilding said the academies cannot levy or pursue local bonding and are wholly dependent on the state’s bonding process. He reported that academies’ enrollment increased this year, with about 100 students at the deaf school and 50 at the blind school, and noted prior 2023 appropriations included $2.1 million in asset preservation and $4.6 million for dorm renovation, which is now in design and under way.

No formal action was taken at the hearing.