At the Tuesday, August 21 meeting, the Rushford Village Council was joined by a number of individuals including Bryce Lange, of Community and Economic Development Associates (CEDA). On hand to discuss the recent Southeast Minnesota Regional Economic Study, Lange noted the goal is to locate trends and narrow the scope of some 600 variables, as they relate to tourism, immigration, jobs, and housing.
One of the recent CEDA plans is a land forum meeting, to be held September 13, at 6 p.m., at the Village Hall. “What we’re looking to accomplish is bringing landowners, developers, and bankers together who are looking to develop the land. The first step in getting something accomplished is finding the players and see who wants to develop the land,” said Lange. “We need to make sure these people understand what we can do for them in terms of grants and loans.”
“It’s kind of a good time; looking at the possibility of industrial, residential, and with the new school,” said Mayor Gordon Johnson. “It’s really hard to get a feel until after you have something. Are there other things you’ve found that are of interest?”
“You are the largest city, by area, in Fillmore County,” responded Lange. “We’re not sure where that development is going to happen, but we have a lot of money to work with, to make it attractive to people. There are a lot more positives with Rushford Village. Working with them is the first step forward.”
Also present at the meeting were Don Ramsden from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, David Schmidt, of The Nature Conservancy, an international group dedicated to the conservation of lands and waters. The conservancy is in the process of purchasing a 960-acre parcel currently owned by Margie Schueler and the Elmer R. Schueler Trust. Six hundred forty acres of the parcel lie within Rushford Village, while the remainder is in Winona County. Portions of the property are agricultural land and pasture, but the majority is forested and home to an abundance of native plants and wildlife. Rush Creek and Schueler Creek run through the property.
“We thought a lot about what would happen to the farm,” said Margie Schueler. “We could have sold off piecemeal to a developer, but we just wanted it to stay like it was. With the wildlife, we envision a place of learning. We hope the school would want to use it. We want people to go in and enjoy nature.”
“It is our intent to transfer it over to DNR Wildlife Management,” noted Schmidt.
Johnson expressed concern with transfer of land to the state and the loss of taxable property, noting the state provides payment in lieu of taxes to the county, in which the county pays a minimal amount to the city. Rushford Village provides no benefits to the property currently, with the exception of trash collection to two residences, as it is accessed via County Road 27.
Schmidt noted it was not in their power to address the state statute for payment to the city. “It has to be addressed with the legislature,” he said. Schmidt urged the council to consider the exceptional quality of the property. “For every one plat we purchase, there are five or six landowners that we turn down, this is one tract that has a lot of pluses to it.”
“It is the ideal area,” added Johnson.
“Less than 10% of the total forest land in southeast Minnesota is public,” added Schmidt. “It just happens to be concentrated here.” He went on to note the public amenities of the property are of value, particularly it’s accessibility.
Councilors Chad Rasmussen and Mike Ebner both noted that landowners should be able to do with their property as they like. Ebner noted the positives of having the land accessible to the public providing an opportunity to increase local economy.
Schmidt indicated they would be willing to advocate for the city at their upcoming meeting with Fillmore County, but urged the council to continue to advocate for itself as well. There used to be farms to hunt and fish on.
In other news, the council has approved the specs and plans for the Benson Lane project, in addition to a contract with Generation X to do the construction. Derek Olinger, of Bolton & Menk, was on hand to discuss the details.
The original plan has been downsized considerably and has been reviewed by Bolton & Menk, the city’s engineer. Plans now call for two 48-inch culverts, with concrete over top and aggregate underneath. The city will supply aggregate for Generation X for further cost savings.
“One thing you should know about this; I will fully expect it to crack in a few areas,” said Olinger. He indicated it will hold together, but a certain amount of cracking is unavoidable. “Given the amount of water that goes through this crossing, it’s going to move around a little bit the first few years. It’s more of a cosmetic defect.”
Sealing of the cracks in years to come will depend on how the cutting of control joints is done during construction. “If there is a sealable crack, you can give it a try,” he added. Additional fabric, to preventing aggregate from moving out, will be included. A pipe with a sock will also be added to help drain the subgrade and will outlet downstream from the crossing. This will help eliminate the freezing and thawing of water trapped below the soil under the aggregate.
The contract price quote is $49,470, which is significantly less than the $100,000-150,000 the Village was originally looking at. There are further ways the city may be able to lower costs, including providing a site for excavation fill to be placed. One of the DNR conditions for not needing a permit was not adding any soil to the area that may increase water levels. Additional proposals were sought, but none were received.
Bolton & Menk will assist with making sure plans and specs are followed, but on a selective basis to help keep the estimated $5,000-10,000 engineering costs as low as possible. However, the council indicated if engineering oversight was needed, it is important. “We’re not looking to save $500 that’s going to cost us $20,000 later,” said Councilor Dennis Overland. The project will be funding by existing city funds, as opposed to bonding through Minnesota Rural Water.
The council is short one candidate for the expiring seats. The filing period for the positions is now expired, so write-in candidate selections will be a key part of the election November 6.
The next regularly scheduled meeting is Tuesday, September 4, at 7 p.m., at the Village Hall. The public is encouraged to attend.
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