MARSHALL — The 2026 bonding bill that the Minnesota state legislature passed this week will help with facilities updates at Southwest Minnesota State University, as well as infrastructure improvements in several area communities.

SMSU will receive $1.2 million in state bonding dollars, according to details of the over $1.2 billion bonding bill

“We’re definitely excited to have some investment in our facilities,” said Nathan Polfliet, associate vice president of advancement at SMSU. “We’re very grateful to our local legislators for supporting this.”

Also included in the bonding bill were funds for street and water infrastructure projects in southwest Minnesota communities like Slayton, Russell, and Ghent.

Information released by Minnesota House Fiscal Analysis and Senate Counsel, Research and Fiscal Analysis broke down the more than $1.2 billion capital investment bill passed by state legislators early this week. The bill included a total of $69.8 million in bonding for projects in the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities. It included Higher Education Asset Preservation and Replacement (HEAPR) funding, as well as bonding requests from Alexandria Technical and Community College and SMSU.

SMSU will receive $1.2 million for facilities projects. The 2026 capital investment breakdown listed the bonding dollars as being for projects on the university’s locker rooms and gymnasium, and an athletics dome structure.

At this point, Polfliet said, the university is waiting to learn more specifics about what the bonding dollars can be used for. SMSU’s original bonding request was for about $24.3 million, he said.

Polfliet said updates to the locker room areas have been a high priority for the university for some time.

“The locker rooms really need quite a bit of work,” he said.

In Lyon County, the city of Ghent will receive $3 million for water infrastructure work, and the city of Russell will receive $1 million for part of its ongoing work to improve water and sewer systems.

In a presentation to state legislators last fall, engineers working with the city of Russell said some improvements in the community, like a lake overflow structure and improvements to lift stations, have been completed. But more work was still needed to replace deteriorating water mains, engineers said.

The capital investment report said the $1 million in state bonding would go toward Phase 2 of Russell’s infrastructure project.

The city of Lake Benton will also receive state bonding dollars. The capital investment breakdown revealed $863,000 for public infrastructure in the city.

The city of Slayton will also receive $2 million in bonding for street infrastructure work, according to the report. In a Monday Facebook post, Slayton city staff said the bonding dollars will allow the city to fully reconstruct 34th Street between Juniper Avenue and 160th Avenue. This street runs along the southern edge of Slayton.

“This investment will allow the city to address the long-term condition of this important corridor and improve safety, drivability, and reliability for residents, farmers, school traffic, and emergency services,” city staff said in the Facebook post.

Slayton city staff said final design specifications have not been determined for the project yet. However, the city’s priorities for 34th Street will be to build a 9-ton roadway section capable of supporting heavy traffic, and to have at least one paved shoulder on the roadway.

Other area communities with projects included in the bonding bill were Redwood Falls and the Lower Sioux Indian Community. The capital investment breakdown included $808,000 from the state general fund for a Dakota language immersion school in the Lower Sioux Community, and $1.3 million in bonding for preservation of the historic swayback bridge in Ramsey Park in Redwood Falls.