Dec. 27—- Kandiyohi County’s application for state funds to help fill the gap in weather radar coverage in western Minnesota was denied earlier this month.
In November,
approved a grant application to the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources.
The $1.25 million grant would have allowed for a private-public partnership to install and maintain radar in several counties across the state to provide coverage to undermonitored areas. The project would have included a system proposed to be located in Renville and serve what was described in the grant materials as the Kandiyohi County and Renville County region.
Four new radar systems would have been built through the proposed project. The other regions to be served were Beltrami County, Faribault County and Crow Wing County. The grant also would have supported previously constructed radar in Grant County.
According to Kandiyohi County Emergency Management Director Ace Bonnema, the grant was denied during the commission’s Dec. 10 meeting in part due to it not meeting the criteria for the funds sought from the emerging issues account.
According to the
that account is intended for “unexpected and urgent” needs that cannot be accommodated through standard funding cycles.
The 17-member commission — made up of five state senators, five state representatives, five citizens appointed by the governor, one citizen appointed by the Senate and one citizen appointed by the House — otherwise makes funding recommendations to the Legislature for projects that help maintain and enhance Minnesota’s environment and natural resources.
Sen. Torrey Westrom, a member of the commission, “mentioned that our project wasn’t an emerging issue because we have always had weather so it was nothing new,” Bonnema said in a meeting Dec. 16.
That meeting led by the Kandiyohi County Board was an opportunity for county leaders to discuss a broad array of county needs with local legislators, the radar gap among them.
western Minnesota has large areas with little to no radar coverage beneath certain elevations: A lack of low-elevation radar in an area means less accurate information about weather in that area.
In order to avoid being blocked by trees and buildings, radar is pointed upward in a conical shape. This angle, combined with the curvature of the earth, leaves some spaces beneath the radar untracked. The further away an area is from the origin point of the radar, the worse the coverage at lower elevations. The nearest radar to Kandiyohi County is in the Twin Cities metro area.
Areas lacking radar coverage are forced to rely upon spotters on the ground tracking storms. This puts spotters at risk as they travel during harsh rains, winds and blizzards.
Previous efforts, in partnership with the private company Climavision, allowed for the installation of a radar system in Wendell, Minnesota. Further funding would expand on this model.
Despite not receiving funding, the project was highly ranked in priorities among submitted applications.
“Out of the six projects (that applied under the emerging issues account), ours was tied for the highest priority. However, we did not receive the invitation to do a presentation. It was a little frustrating because trying to explain this in two pages proved to be really difficult,” Bonnema said during the Dec. 16 meeting with lawmakers. “Also it looked like there would have been enough funding for all six projects.”
Bonnema has not given up hope on securing funding for weather radar in western Minnesota. At the meeting with State Sen. Andrew Lang, Rep. Dave Baker and Rep. Scott Van Binsbergen, Bonnema asked if 2026 would be a good time to push for state funding.
“I have been a supporter of this project. Truthfully, it is new ground, using a private-public partnership. It is a little strange for the state of Minnesota. However, I think there is a path. I don’t know what that path is specifically,” Lang said.
Lang suggested that the path forward could still be through the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources or through the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
Bonnema mentioned two other possible solutions, firstly the county purchasing its own radar, which could cost twice as much without the help of a state grant, or seeking funds through state bonding.
Next year will be a potential bonding year for the state of Minnesota. The Legislature during even years typically considers a bonding bill to borrow money for larger public infrastructure projects.
