2018: Year in Review!

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Posted By: greggwright January 4, 2019

Here are some of Olmsted County’s 2018 Accomplishments:

  • A new road was completed that will help people in the northwest part of the county access the Pine Island school and Highway 52
  • Plans were made build a new interchange at Highway 14 and CR 104
  • Landfill material was reclaimed and turned into electricity and which allowed for the reuse the landfill space
  • A new badger and prairie dog exhibit was built at the County Zoo and the parking lot was redesigned that makes it safer for visitors
  • A new camper cabin was built at Chester Woods
  • Improvement to the water lab were completed
  • The Master Plan for Graham Park was completed which is designed to make it a regional asset
  • The preparation for dredging Lake Zumbro was completed so that dredging can begin in the spring of 2019
  • The restoration of Lake Shady was completed
  • The comprehensive Land Use Plan for the City of Rochester was completed and the updates to the County’s Land use and Transportation Plans was begun
  • One of the busiest mid-term elections was completed and increased access for voters through early voting and curbside pickup was accomplished
  • The new driver’s license system for REAL ID system was initiated
  • The Property Real Estate and Licensing area in the courthouse was remodeled to improve customer service
  • An 8th judge was added to Justice System
  • Discussions began on how we can better help children of incarcerated parents
  • The GED program was brought back into the Adult detention center
  • A Pre-Trial Release program was developed that will move our county away from the practice of cash bond and increase the fairness of the criminal justice system while saving space in the Adult Detention Facility reducing the need for a new jail
  • 24,000 low income people gained or maintained access to health care in spite of a system (MNSure) that required an excessive use of time and technology to make it work
  • Plans were submitted and successfully completed to provide funds for a Mental Health Crises Center. This was accomplished in cooperation with our area legislators (funding will be received in 2019)
  • The County continued to build proactive programs that help families stay out of the Child Protection system and maintained our system of respectful guidance and support for families who needed the Child Protection system
  • Supports for affordable housing were increased. Programming for homeownership was increased and Olmsted partnered with other entities to continue to increase the stock of affordable housing options