We reported last week that Tri-County Health Care in Wadena recently announced that they will be undergoing a major building project.

The company is in the planning stages of a project to either remodel their current building located in downtown Wadena or construct a brand-new facility. One of the potential sites for the new building that Tri-County is looking at is the site of the Wadena County Fairgrounds. A public forum was held tonight to let the community know about the project and to hear input from members of the public.

“We want the whole project to work. Tri-County Health Care is very important to our community. They provide top-notch medical care for our community. They’ve been a great partner with the city on several projects. But then also, we are the county seat and I think it’s very important that our fair stays in our vicinity, also,” said George Deiss, Wadena Mayor.

The public forum was put on by Tri-County Health Care, the city of Wadena, Wadena County, and the Wadena County Fair Board. At the forum, CEO of Tri-County Health Care Joel Beiswenger presented to the audience the reasons that the hospital believes a new facility is needed. Many community members voiced their support for the project and their optimism for the future of Wadena.

“There’s been a lot of tremendous growth in Wadena the last couple of years with businesses coming in, businesses remodeling, relocating into bigger buildings. A lot of house and apartment starts,” added Deiss. “So there’s a real positive attitude about Wadena right now and I think this will continue that positive attitude.”

Tri-County Health Care hopes to break ground on the project in early spring of 2020.

By — Rachel Johnson

Lakeland News Lead Reporter