WADENA — Lina Belar would like people to imagine the possibilities.
The Wadena County Historical Society executive director wants local residents’ ideas on how best to repurpose the former Wesley Hospital building, which is owned by Astera Health. The society hosted another Community Conversation on Tuesday, Oct. 24, at The Depot.
“We kept a whiteboard of all the people’s ideas and things like that,” Belar said. “There was a lot of talk that we’ve heard before about housing for veterans. There was talk about what, a great place that would be for a haunted house.”
The nonprofit society initially talked to attendees of the Wadena Rotary Club’s Corn and Chicken Feed at Burlington Northern Park and the farmers market in August. And just before the public event at The Depot, Belar was listening at the Salsa Fest at the park in September.
Belar said of The Depot event, “In general there, it was pretty upbeat, pretty positive.”
About a dozen people attended the “What’s the Wesley Conversation” at The Depot next to the park where they could learn more and share their thoughts about the former hospital.
“There’ was some talk there could be some possibility for housing that would help veterans,” Belar said of one idea about what should be done with the historic building.
File photo
The Housing Assistance Council, a national nonprofit, is providing technical assistance to the Wadena County Historical Society for helping to find purposes for the Wesley Hospital building.
“The person that we had here last week from the Housing Assistance Council is putting together maybe arrangements that would allow for housing because I guess there’s some federal money if people are interested in that,” Belar said of housing for veterans.
The council supports affordable housing efforts in rural America and has provided below-market financing for affordable housing and community development, technical assistance and training, research and information and policy formulation, according to the nonprofit’s website.
Michael Denny / Wadena Pioneer Journal
“One day when we were at the Wesley, somebody came up and said that he just made a place for his parents,” Belar said. “They had bought a place that they thought they could retire to and they kept raising the rates to it. They couldn’t afford it.”
The majority of ideas fall into three categories: low-income or emergency housing, small business offices or vendor space, and museum or cultural space, according to Su Legatt, a community engagement artist who solicited input at the Rotary fundraiser and farmers market.
“One of the things that we did the first time that we were out in public was we would ask people if they were born there or did they work there,” Belar said of the former Wesley Hospital building. “And there are a lot of people who answered yes.”
The Depot event was made possible by an arts-based community development grant from the Five Wings Arts Council to the Wadena County Historical Society.
“Attendance has been good, but I would like it to be even better obviously,” Belar said. “I think we had a lot of people coming out of the gate. One of the first events that we held was the corn feed, and a lot of people were at the corn feed, so they were very interested.”
A meeting was held in October with both city and county officials to appraise the outpouring of ideas collected from the general public and to narrow the focus to those selections that will be considered for repurposing the building.
“I think anything is possible,” Belar said. “First of all, you need an idea. And second, you need a vision for how you’re going to make that idea happen. At this stage, I have been encouraged just to think about all the possibilities instead of trying to narrow it down to one thing.”
The next Community Conversation will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Maslowski Wellness Center on Thursday, Nov. 2. The last Community Conversation will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 12 at the Wesley Hospital building.
FRANK LEE is the features writer for the Wadena Pioneer Journal. He may be reached at 218-631-6470 or at
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I cover the community of Wadena, Minn., and write features stories for the Wadena Pioneer Journal. The weekly newspaper is owned by Forum Communications Co.