Rice County board approves grants, plats and road project changes; names Hidden Willow Pond

The Rice County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved multiple grant and planning actions, amended a design contract for a future road reconstruction project, and formally adopted the name Hidden Willow Pond for a small lake in Lonsdale.

The board voted to host another Minnesota GreenCorps member at the county environmental services office, adopted a regional application to pursue a federal Economic Development Administration (EDA) disaster supplemental grant for watershed flood resilience, accepted an extension and additional funds from the Sauer Family Foundation to support family resource center development, and approved a contract amendment that restores state funding for a family recovery support program.

Why it matters: the grant approvals provide money and partnership authority for flood mitigation planning, family-support programs and local environmental education and waste-reduction projects. The planning actions clear multiple lot and permit requests that allow proposed property development and communications infrastructure to move forward in several townships.

Environmental services supervisor Julie Remco told the board the GreenCorps placement costs Rice County little beyond a workstation and limited training funds, noting past members helped start composting at the Government Services Building and led plastic-film collection and fix-it-clinic events. "We've had some great accomplishments with the past Green Corps members," Remco said.

For regional flood resilience, the board authorized Resolution 5030 to allow Rice County to partner with neighboring counties on an EDA disaster-supplemental grant for the Upper Cannon River watershed. Sarah (surname not specified), participating online for the regional partners, described a phased approach and said the counties hope to assemble a portfolio of construction-ready projects for future funding. She said the counties also plan a separate Rice County-specific application in August that would not compete with the regional proposal.

Social services director Chris Salmon asked the board to accept a Sauer Family Foundation extension and additional award to the Rice County Family Services Collaborative. Salmon said the original award of $150,000 (accepted by the board in March 2024) has been extended and supplemented by $97,000, bringing the total award to $247,000 and extending the grant cycle to June 30, 2026. "These funds will be utilized to support existing family advisory councils within Rice County partner organizations, bring leadership training to support the development of parent advisory groups, and further develop the family resource centers model in the county," Salmon said.

Salmon also asked the board to approve an amendment to the existing contract with the Northfield Faribault Community Action Center for the Family Recovery Support Program. He said the Department of Children, Youth, and Families redistributed unspent Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) funds to counties, and Rice County received an additional $31,689 for 2025. That raises the 2025 contract amount to $81,038; Salmon noted that the state allotment for the contract in 2024 had been $95,598.

In public works business, county highway engineer Dennis Luby presented a MnDOT tour agreement (Agreement No. 1059686) related to construction of a roundabout in Lonsdale; the county's anticipated partial reimbursement is about $25,000. The board also approved a $93,000 amendment to the county's design contract with Widseth Engineering for the County Road 20 reconstruction project (programmed in 2027) to account for project extensions on the north and south ends and to add a trail component.

The board approved several planning commission recommendations at once: a conditional-use permit for a proposed 199-foot communications tower in Warsaw Township (recommended with eight conditions), a waiver plat for a 2.5-acre building site using a transfer-of-development-rights in Forest Township (six conditions), a preliminary and final plat to combine two lots within a planned-unit development in Shieldsville Township (five conditions), and a waiver plat for multiple parcels in Wells Township (six conditions). Each item was presented by planning staff and recommended for approval by the planning commission.

At a public hearing, the board formally adopted Resolution 25-027 to name an unnamed nine-acre pond in the Lonsdale Business Park "Hidden Willow Pond." Peter Boulay of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources told the board the proposed name is unique in state records and acceptable under Minnesota Statute 83A, which governs geographic names. "Officially, it's 11,842" lakes, Boulay said when asked how many named water bodies the state lists; he added that counting very small basins raises the total to roughly 21,000. Lonsdale city administrator Joel Erickson said the name traces to the city's 2015 comprehensive-plan update and a 2016 council resolution naming the adjacent nature preserve.

A local resident, James Fisher, asked whether naming the pond would change regulatory responsibilities or public-access requirements; Boulay responded that the naming statute "only deals with the name of a feature, not the hydrology of the feature," and that naming does not itself change regulatory status.

The board also approved a tax-exempt gambling permit for the Ladies of Ducks Unlimited "Girls With Guns" Chapter 329 for an August event at Almonds Gun (approved by the township and sheriff). Routine items including approval of the consent agenda (overtime report and payment of bills), agenda and minutes were approved. The board recessed into closed session later in the meeting on a motion recorded in the minutes.

Votes at a glance (key motions approved): - Approve meeting agenda — motion by Commissioner Underdahl, second by Commissioner Pritzker; approved. - Approve minutes of July 8, 2025 — motion by Commissioner Malika, second by Commissioner Peters; approved. - Host Minnesota GreenCorps member (resolution to accept host site) — motion by Commissioner Peters, second by Commissioner Purfuss; approved. - Conditional-use permit: 199-foot communications tower (Section 12, Warsaw Township) — recommended with 8 conditions; approved. - Waiver plat: Daniel Pumper (Section 20, Forest Township) — recommended with 6 conditions; approved. - Preliminary/final plat: Bern Sweden (Section 36, Shieldsville Township) — recommended with 5 conditions; approved. - Waiver plat: George Wagner (Section 32, Wells Township) — recommended with 6 conditions; approved. - Authorize participation in regional EDA disaster supplemental grant (Resolution 5030) — motion by Commissioner Malika, second by Commissioner Underdahl; approved. - Accept Sauer Family Foundation grant extension and additional $97,000 (total $247,000; grant period extended to 06/30/2026) — motion by Commissioner Malika, second by Commissioner Peters; approved. - Amend Northfield Faribault Community Action Center contract for Family Recovery Support Program (+$31,689 FFPSA; new total $81,038 for 2025) — motion by Commissioner Underdahl, second by Commissioner Malika; approved. - MnDOT tour agreement for Lonsdale roundabout (Agreement No. 1059686; ~ $25,000 reimbursement) — motion by Commissioner Peters, second by Commissioner Perfus; approved. - Amend Widseth Engineering design contract for County Road 20 reconstruction (+$93,000) — motion by Commissioner Malika, second by Commissioner Peters; approved. - Adopt Resolution 25-027 naming Hidden Willow Pond — motion by Commissioner Malika, second by Commissioner Perfus; approved. - Tax-exempt gambling permit for Ladies of Ducks Unlimited (Chapter 329) at Almonds Gun — motion by Commissioner Perfus, second by Commissioner Peters; approved.

The meeting closed with the board moving into a closed session later in the agenda; no action items arising from the closed session were recorded in the open minutes. The board adjourned after returning to open session.