WASECA — A project over five years in the making kicked off on Friday, with the hopes of making Waseca more competitive with its neighbors on Highway 14.
WEB Construction and Waseca County broke ground on the new Waseca Workforce Development Center with several local officials present.
“We have industrial hubs in Owatonna and Mankato, right next to us, that every year feel a little bit closer. They’re getting built a little bit closer, so providing more and more training opportunities (is crucial,)” Michael Johnson, Waseca County administrator, said.
The project kicked off with a groundbreaking on Friday, which featured appearances from not just local and state representatives, but from D.C. legislators as well.
Most notably in attendance were Sen. Tina Smith, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Brad Finstad. Each congressperson highlighted the importance of a project like this. Finstad, one of the last speakers, highlighted the dedication of former Waseca County Commissioner Blair Nelson in getting this project off the ground.
“The first time I gave constituents tours of our Capitol was Blair Nelson, and in the rotunda, at 10 o’clock at night, as we were sitting there staring up 100 feet above us looking at the dome, Blair looks at me and says, ‘I got this project, I want to talk to you about,’” Finstad said. “That guy never stopped working… and that’s when it was first introduced to me that that this was a possibility.”
Nelson was also cited as being the first person to approach a U.S. congressperson about the project, bringing it to the attention of Smith in 2022. In May of 2023, Nelson would die unexpectedly of a heart attack in his Waseca home. Finstad, who’d come to know Nelson well, memorialized the commissioner by reading a prepared statement on the floor of the U.S. House in the following days.
The project carried on as a joint venture between the city, county and school district in Waseca. Now, with work having officially begun, helmed by Widseth and WEB Construction, hopes are high that the building can begin operations by late-spring 2027.
When built, the center will focus on education and job training for various trade jobs in the area. Both local and federal leaders hope that means people will be able to afford to live and work right in Waseca.
“This new workforce development center will address a top concern: recruiting and retaining workers,” Klobuchar said. “Of course, you can’t take a job in a town you can’t afford to live in, which is why we just passed the ROAD to Housing Act on a bipartisan basis, which is the most significant federal housing legislation in 30 years.”
The hope is that the workforce development center, combined with more affordable housing, will allow people to live productive lives in Waseca.
“Education across-the-board is super important, but I think this is a much more affordable option to do some training for our workforce without getting buried in the debt,” Waseca Mayor Randy Zimmerman said. “I think it’s more focused on what our local needs are and what our local business and industry needs.”