NEW ULM — Brown County commissioners unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday authorizing application for a $300,000 grant for a licensed surveyor to certify and establish GPS coordinates on quarter corners (half-mile points of mile sections).

Action for work in Bashaw, Mulligan, Leavenworth and Prairieville Townships came on a motion by Commissioner Brian Braun, seconded by Tony Berg.

Brown County Highway Engineer Wayne Stevens said the project is contingent on Brown County receiving a grant. Sixty-five Minnesota counties submitted Letters of Intent, for a total aggregate request of more than $16 million. There is $9.1 million available in the program. Grants will be selected April 30.

Projects just be completed by March 31, 2026.

Last week, commissioners approved a $244,650 bid by Bolton & Menk of Mankato to certify with GPS coordinates, 328 quarter corners in the four townships. Madsen Land Surveying of Fairmont bid $265,200 for the project.

There are many highway county highway projects in the 10-year program within the townships that would benefit from certified quarter corners.

“Quarter corners are important. They define property and help everybody who needs to do property transactions,” said Stevens.

“The hope is that the legislature keeps funding this. The grant would cover us for three years,” he added.

“Quarter corners were done in the early 1900s. Many of them are still there. You just have to dig to find them,” Stevens said.

Brown County hired a licensed land surveyor to certify county section corners in several projects almost 10 years ago, but quarter corners (that divide sections in half) were not certified. Some quarter corners have been certified by landowners.

Brown County has 1,003 corners certified with GPS coordinates, 192 certified but with no GPS coordinates, 819 without certification and 15 certified with GPS coordinates.