Investments

Mayo Clinic Health System St. James opened doors to its new $22 million facility in November 2007. In 2015-2016 over $2 million dollars have been invested in the building and continued improvements have been made to the way care is delivered.

In the spring of 2016, Good Samaritan- St. James opened a new Post-Acute Rehabilitation Center that features:

• 8 short-stay private recovery suites with private bathrooms, showers, refrigerator and cable television
• A new therapy gym and private treatment room for in-patient and out-patient physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy
• Remodeled lounge, kitchen and dining area

In the summer of 2016 the campus also remodeled 23 long-term care resident rooms with new flooring.

In 2016, First Lutheran Church completed a $1,100,000 remodel project.

• Remodeled the kitchen
• Added bathrooms in the social hall
• Remodeled downstairs classrooms into two pastor’s offices and a new conference room
• Remodeled the downstairs bathrooms
• Turned the chapel into a social gathering
• Became ADA compliant
• Re-carpeted the downstairs and added a portico

In 2015, Pioneer Bank made a $200,000 investment by updating the interior and exterior of their facility with:

• A new teller line
• New furniture, flooring, and fixtures
• New breakroom facilities
• An expanded drive-thru

In 2014, the St. James Super 8 completed a major remodel to include:

• Carpeting
• Lighting
• Lobby furniture
• Pool and spa lifts

In the fall of 2012, Anytime Fitness in St. James underwent a remodel that included:

• New equipment
• Free-standing walls
• New workout space upstairs
• Aesthetic upgrades throughout the entire facility

DODA specializes in a wide variety of manure handling equipment, pumps, mixers and field irrigation systems. In the Summer of 2016, DODA USA expanded their facilities in the St. James industrial park. The expansion included:

• New 31,000 square-foot building
• New office space
• Expanded manufacturing and increased efficiency

Tri-County Seed opened doors to a brand new 9,000 square foot facility in the St. James Industrial Park in January of 2016. Tri-County Seed is a full service agronomy business with seed, fertilizer, seed treatment, chemistry, and provides application. The business sells directly to farmers.

In 2014, Subway built a new facility and relocated their operation. In addition, they built extra space which is currently being leased by H&R Block.

In 2014, Smithfield Foods expanded their manufacturing to include additional operating lines. The expansion led to the creation of over 75 jobs.

Rod’s Repair expanded their business in 2015-2016 by adding a new hoist, alignment rack and additional square footage.

In 2014, Edward Jones acquired this building and completed $40,000 of remodeling work to the upstairs office. The main level is leased to a tenant.

Construction began for the St. James Veterans Memorial in 2015. The initial cost was $125,000 and investment continues as pavers are sold and additions are made. This project was made possible by generous local donations.

Toddler Town is a public playground that is also used as an outdoor classroom for preschoolers. Toddler Town opened in 2011.

• A $25,000 Pepsi Refresh Grant was a major contributor to help make this a reality
• The remaining $50,000 came from businesses, service clubs, and private donations

Watonwan County invested over 13 million dollars in the St. James area between 2013 & 2017 on County road and bridge projects.

Watonwan County Public Works has invested almost $100,000 in the Watonwan County Fairgrounds in recent years.

• Upgrades to the Dairy Barn
• Upgrades to the 4H Food Stand
• Floor repairs in the 4H Exhibit Building
• New perimeter fence, pattern tiling and reconditioning of arena surface at the Horse Arena
• New service doors at the Beef Barn

The St. James School District 840 implemented a 24.9 million dollar expansion and remodel of 3 buildings in 2017:

• High School Media Center improvements
• New Media Center for the Elementary School
• Security improvements
• Technology improvements
• Added classroom space
• New gym facilities
• Upgraded theatre facilities
• New office space
• Pool upgrades

Trap shooting is a growing pastime and a relatively new sport for high school students. Approximately $55,000 has been invested in the range between 2014-2017, with the help of a DNR Grant and private donations.

• In 2016, Century Link upgraded over 1 million dollars’ worth of fiber lines in the community.
• In 2016, CenterPoint Energy upgraded over $250,000 dollars’ worth of gas lines in the community.
• Both of these projects were initiated by City street and State Highway projects in the community.

Recent investments to the City-owned Community Building and Princess Theater include:

• New equipment and kitchen appliances, including convection oven (2011)
• Digital Movie Equipment upgrade (2012)
• New Access Ramp (2014)
• Flooring and Paint (2016)

The City has made many investments in Parks and Recreation in recent years, including:

• Swimming Pool- remodeled the building’s interior in 2013
• Built a new picnic shelter in the Campground in 2013
• In 2014 re-shingled the south shelter and in 2016 built a new north shelter and remodeled the south side complex shelter
• In 2016 built a fish cleaning station by St. James Lake
• Seal coating and overlays on the St. James Area Bike Trail 2014-2017

In 2014, the St. James Fire Department built a brand new fire truck garage for additional space.

City of St. James Municipal Airport

• Comprehensive planning in 2015-2016 for FEMA regulations
• LED Lighting on Runway and Taxiway in 2015

State Highway 4 reconstruction 2016-2019, improvements include:

• Replacing water and stormwater infrastructure
• Replacing sanitary sewer lines
• Upgrading storm sewer
• Replacing sidewalks and bringing them into ADA compliance
• Planting 300 new trees
• Construction of two mini-roundabouts
• Street replacement
• Aesthetic Upgrades
• New LED street lighting

In 2017 Stormwater lines were replaced from St. James Lake to St. James Creek. The project included replacement and upgrades of street, sanitary sewer and water infrastructure.

Many improvements have been recently made to City Utilities:

• Wastewater Department- General improvements including change to biological treatment system to address and eliminate phosphorus (2013)
• Water Department- Raw water lines (2012), new meters (2014), new storage shed (2015)
• Light Department- New electric meters (2014) and a new storage facility (2012)

In 2015 the Water Tower received a fresh look with a paint job and necessary maintenance was completed.

In the summer of 2017 Watonwan County invested in the WatLine Bike Trail a total of 2.3 million dollars. The 5 mile trail expansion comes from the west side of the current St. James 4 mile Bike Trail and heads to Long Lake, south of St. James.

The St. James baseball field was re-modeled from the ground up in the summer of 2017. People have been very generous in donating approximately $500,000 to make this a field of dreams. Stop by to watch a game on the brand new stadium bleachers and enjoy one of their delicious pork chops!