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Aug 27, 2023

Nobles County mulls ice arena, library and impound storage shed

WORTHINGTON — The Nobles County Board of Commissioners considered multiple building projects at its work session Wednesday, including planned construction of a storage shed for impounded cars, a

WORTHINGTON — The Nobles County Board of Commissioners considered multiple building projects at its work session Wednesday, including planned construction of a storage shed for impounded cars, a planned renovation of the existing Nobles County Library in Worthington, and a potential project regarding the Worthington Ice Arena — either renovating the existing one or building a new one.

The city of Worthington and Nobles County governments have, for several years, considered building a shed for storing impounded vehicles as well as vehicles that need to be kept as evidence.

Commissioners authorized a ceiling of $345,000 for the project, but when bids were requested, none were made. Staff received a quote for $189,000, which included a concrete floor from Morton Buildings, but after site improvements and drainage were worked into the equation, the cost estimate exceeded $345,000.

Conversation about the potential project has been ongoing for about seven years.

A focus group is continuing to work on plans for the renovation of the Nobles County Library in Worthington, with Koch Hazard Architects providing preliminary designs.

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The revised layout of the upper floor would shift the position of the youth collection as well as office space, placing most of the books in a large open area on the main floor. The large room in the basement would remain a flexible programming space, with the Nobles County Art Center still occupying approximately the same area as before. Its storage space may shift.

One element added to the library exterior in the proposed plan is an accessible ramp leading to the basement, which commissioners seemed to agree was not a good idea, citing concerns over ice and snow removal and the potential for skateboarders to use the ramp.

Jason Johnson and Jay Milbrandt of the Worthington Hockey Association gave commissioners an update on the status of the Worthington Ice Arena, which has been in operation for about 30 years, exceeding its life expectancy.

As such, the Hockey Association, as well as the city of Worthington and District 518, have been considering the possibilities for either renovating the existing facility or building a new one, potentially on District 518 land near the Intermediate School. No decisions have been made as to whether to renovate or build anew, as the Hockey Association is awaiting cost estimates.

The Hockey Association recently turned management of the facility over to the city of Worthington, with the city paying $1 per year for the lease to the association for the facility. The Nobles County Fair Board owns the property the arena is located on.

Johnson and Milbrandt invited the county to join the discussion about the arena’s fate, and commissioners agreed to be involved, but cautioned they were not committing funding to any potential project as yet.

In other news Wednesday, the county board:

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