Treatment facility would be located in Clay County

By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent 

County commissioners, on Feb. 13, passed a resolution in support of Clay County (Moorhead area) pursuing the possibility of establishing a new psychiatric residential treatment facility. This plan is only in the preliminary stages.

Current facilities are in operation in the Twin Cities, Duluth, near St. Cloud and near Mankato. The Regional Treatment Center in Fergus Falls closed several years ago.

“Clay County is looking at either building a new facility or remodeling an existing structure. Plans are to pursue bonding money through the 2025 Minnesota State Legislature,” said Otter Tail County Human Services Director Deb Sjostrom to county commissioners.

County Board member Lee Rogness of Fergus Falls said that he and fellow commissioners should continue to support local mental health providers in Otter Tail County, in addition to supporting Clay County with its plans for establishing a new psychiatric residential treatment facility.

Roadway roundabout plans continuing

County Engineer Krysten Foster informed county commissioners about the approximate timetable regarding the new roundabout near the YMCA (North Friberg and East Fir Avenue) in Fergus Falls.

Also planned are possible roundabouts near Dairyland (North Union and Fir Avenue) and a third roundabout north of Productive Alternatives (West Fir Avenue and Tower Road).

“Otter Tail County is seeking grant funds to support the construction of all three roundabouts near the YMCA, Dairyland and Tower Road intersections,” Foster said. “If the city and county are selected for state and/or federal grant money, construction is expected to begin in 2026 or 2027.”

  Foster added that if the grant application is not successful this round, construction of the Fir and Friberg roundabout near the Fergus Falls YMCA could begin in 2025.

Wetlands, habitat easements approved

Otter Tail County commissioners, meeting Feb. 13 with representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, approved six wetland easements and one habitat easement.

A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and governmental agency that restricts development on a piece of property in future years. The goal is to protect water resources and habitat for wildlife by limiting residential, industrial or commercial development.

Contracts may prohibit alteration of the natural topography, conversion of native grasslands to cropland, drainage of wetlands and establishment of game farms. Easement land remains in private ownership.

County, school, city partnership approved

County commissioners approved a joint plan for one end of the Heart of the Lakes Regional Trail, in Pelican Rapids. A multi-use building near the high school football and baseball fields will be used by both city residents and those who plan to use the recreational trail that will run from Pelican Rapids to Perham.

The school district will maintain the building.

The trail also will run through Maplewood State Park. To that end, bids will soon be coming in to county government for construction of the trail through the park, east of Pelican Rapids, according to County Parks and Trails Director Kevin Fellbaum.

Also needed, says Fellbaum, are obtaining grant funding for construction and receiving final permitting agreements between Otter Tail County and the Minnesota DNR. There are plans in place in the coming years for the addition of connecting spur trail segments from the main trail to the communities of Dent and Vergas.

Fellbaum said that four of the five major trail segments of the regional trail are built: the Pelican Rapids segment, Silent Lake segment, McDonald Lake segment and Perham segment.