Photo by Deb Gau One of the features of the MERIT Center track expansion is a “skid pad,” a specialized concrete pad that can be used to create slick driving conditions with water or ice. As part of demonstrations at Thursday’s open house, law enforcement vehicles slid across the water-covered pad.

MARSHALL — It was a good day for a drive — but area residents could opt for a wilder ride at the newly-expanded driving track at the Minnesota Emergency Response and Industrial Training (MERIT) Center. If their passengers felt up to it, local law enforcement officers and law enforcement students at Minnesota West Community and Technical College would demonstrate the new features of the track, going fast and sliding a squad car across the slick “skid pad” built for driving training.

Passengers who weren’t feeling the need for speed could also ride in a fire truck or ambulance, or see demonstrations of a semi truck maneuvering around a skills course at the track. All the demonstrations were examples of what the MERIT Center will be able to offer with the track expansions.

“The training you get here, on a day like this, is going to help people on their worst day,” said state Rep. Chris Swedzinski, during an open house celebrating the track expansions.

The track expansion helped bring to fruition a plan that had been in the works for a long time, said Marshall Mayor Bob Byrnes.

“The MERIT Center really has a long history” in Marshall, Byrnes said — one that goes back around 20 years.

“This turned out to be a beautiful project,” said state Sen. Gary Dahms, R-Redwood Falls.

Construction of an additional 1.5 miles of driving track at the MERIT Center was completed this month. Besides expanding the track, the project also built the concrete skid pad, which can be covered in water or ice to create slippery driving conditions.

Byrnes complimented R&G Construction on completing the track expansion in a challenging year.

“Given the weather conditions, they did a fantastic job finishing the project on time,” he said.

The project received $3.1 million in funding from the state of Minnesota.

“It’s in Marshall, but it’s also good for the region,” Dahms said of the project. With new features and a longer track, the MERIT Center can hold a bigger variety of training classes, including law enforcement and commercial driving training.

“I think there will be more law enforcement training,” said Marshall City Administrator Sharon Hanson.

In the past year, about 3,000 people have already come to use the MERIT Center, Hanson said. That number included not only emergency responders, but business and industrial training as well.

While the second phase of construction at the driving track is finished, there are still plans to expand the track in the future, said MERIT Center coordinator Jasmine DeSmet. Earth moved during construction was used to create berms that will become part of a gun training range, and a future third phase of track construction would add roadways that simulate in-town driving.