The Wadena County Board moved forward to address space needs in the courthouse by hiring a Perham architectural firm to examine the possibility of renovating the Wensman Building to accommodate all non-enforcement-related offices. But it's the labor of local college students and inmates that could make the project work.
The board set a cap of $5,500 for Baker, Hogan and Houx Architecture and Planning's hourly services.
Plans to redo streets this spring around the Wensman have created an imminent need to examine the project. The board would like to install larger sewer and water lines to allow for the possibility of building offices in the Wensman Building while the ground is dug up for the road.
If the project does go forward, the renovations would be phased in over several years to avoid accruing debt.
The county would use free Sentenced to Serve labor for the project. The board is also looking into using the services of Minnesota State Community and Technical College students to do construction work.
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Wayne Wolden, MSCTC business manager, informed the board that the college is very interested in working with the county. Scheduling and the work the students usually do for local contractors are all issues that have to be looked into, he said. If the students work on the project, their labor would be provided at no charge as part of their experiential learning, he said.
Architect Tony Stoll said the opportunity to renovate the building using so much free labor is a great opportunity.
"I think it's a no-brainer as far as rates," he said. "Whether it makes sense as far as functionality is an issue."
BHH's initial work with the county will involve interviewing department heads to incorporate their wants and needs into a master plan.
"If we're going to move, we're going to want to do it right," said Kevin Stensrude, management of information systems director. "A proof of concept, not just how we're going to make it happen."
Stoll said the firm plans to develop several options for the county to consider. Because BHH works on an hourly basis, Stoll said the county could discontinue their planning services if it discovers that renovations plans are not realistic.
