Otter Tail County leaders tour western communities, hear local concerns

A former county highway garage in Pelican Rapids has become Pinewood Estates, a nine-lot residential subdivision, and that was one of the clearest examples Otter Tail County leaders saw as they toured western communities to review local investment projects.

Commissioners Bob Lahman, Dan Bucholz, Wayne Johnson, Kurt Mortenson and Sean Sullivan joined staff from across county departments on the tour, which the county organized to highlight the work of its Economic Growth and Community Investment team. The route ran from Fergus Falls through Pelican Rapids, Vergas and Dent, covering communities spread across three commissioner districts and giving the board a direct look at places where county decisions show up on the ground.

In Pelican Rapids, the county said it completed a new highway garage in 2023, freeing the old site for housing redevelopment. Its 2024 housing report said infrastructure installation was finished at Pinewood Estates and six lots were listed for sale, with Minnesota Housing funding leveraged for up to three new single-family homes. For a county where the 2020 Census population was 60,081, the project offered a visible example of how public works and housing policy can share the same piece of land.

The stop in Vergas carried a different kind of value. County leaders set aside time there so local officials could speak directly with them, a small-town forum in a city the county lists at 348 residents. Vergas and Pelican Rapids are both in Commissioner District 2, while Dent, listed at 170 residents, is in District 1 and Fergus Falls is in District 5. That spread matters in Otter Tail County, where decisions made in one corner can look very different by the time they reach another.

The tour also highlighted the Glacial Edge Trail, including the planned Maplewood segment. The county says that section will be 2.5 miles long and built in summer 2026 as the first stretch of a proposed 14-mile trail connecting major regional destinations. Together with Pinewood Estates, the trail work showed commissioners projects that are changing where people can live and how they can move through the county.

The visit came as part of a broader pattern. Otter Tail County has previously held county-wide project tours, and in June 2024 commissioners hosted a community event at the Vergas Event Center to meet residents directly. The county’s EGCI program has also drawn statewide notice, with its Empowered Worker Program winning the 2025 Outstanding Economic Development Award from the Minnesota Association of Professional County Economic Developers.