Veterans who can’t travel to the Government Center in Elk River have an alternative place to meet with a county representative for veterans services.

 

There is a satellite veterans service office in the  Sherburne History Center in Becker.

 

“It’s centrally located, and we wanted to be able to try to reach all the veterans  who live throughout the county,” says Sherburne County Veterans Service Officer (CVSO) Bruce Price. “Becker was about the furthest west where we had some type of county resource that was decent for this purpose.”

 

Price says there are lots of veterans in the western part of the county, near St. Cloud. But county offices typically serve their own residents before taking people from other counties.

 

“A veteran can ask to be served anywhere,” says Price. “But it’s up to the county office.”

 

The Becker location allows veterans in the western part of the county to cut about 20 minutes off a trip to Elk River.

 

The satellite office at the History Center was set up by former CVSO Gene Graff. But there were issues with access to information because of  poor internet service. It was only available in one room. And it was slow.

 

That changed last year when  the county received $75,000 in grants from the Blandin Foundation for broadband-related projects. Some of that money was used by the county IT department to upgrade the internet at the History Center. Now it is fully connected with 10 megabits of speed and wifi.

 

Now, the veterans service office can continue to serve county veterans at the Becker location.

 

“Now that we have the connectivity, I take my laptop and printer and I have access to anything I have access to at the Government Center office,” says Price.

 

The private office, which includes a conference-sized table, is open every Wednesday afternoon starting at 1 p.m. by appointment. Price says it’s been popular for veterans.

 

“We draw from all over the western portion of the county and the north,” he says. “It’s filled up every week.”

 

There is also a satellite office at the county’s public safety building in Zimmerman.

 

Appointments at that office, located at 27650 5th Street West, are from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Wednesdays.

 

Veterans who want an appointment at either office are asked to call the main veterans service office number - 763-765-3100.Price says county veterans should also mark Oct. 20 on their calendars. That’s when the History Center will host a free flu shot clinic for veterans from 1-3 p.m.

 

“This was done at the Becker Legion before,” says Price. “This year I changed it to the History Center. It’s a larger facility that can accommodate 50 to 60 people getting flu shots.”

 

Veterans seeking flu shots are asked to bring their VA ID card.

 

The Sherburne History Center is located at 10775 27th Ave. SE. in Becker.