Construction has begun on Spring Valley’s Tracy Road Street Project. Drew Weber, of Bolton and Menk, gave the Spring Valley City Council an update at their July 14 meeting.
According to Weber, the intersection closure at Section Avenue/CSAH 1 and Tracy Road/ CSAH 8 will begin on July 17.
“From a project-wide standpoint I thought it best they get started. Just before the Fourth (of July) we had a crew doing door knocking trying to inform people about what was to come. After some revisions we had a team back out here to provide that update,” Weber said.
The detour will utilize Farmer Street/CSAH 8 and 240th Street during the closure. The work should take four to six weeks to complete.
Weber encouraged residents to sign up on the project website, clients.bolton-menk.com/springvalley2025streets/, for the most up-to-date information.
Weber shared work is continuing on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) grant, which is a flood study, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s (MNDOT) Active Transportation (AT) grant.
Spring Valley Signage
Greg Melartin, on behalf of the Spring Valley Business Alliance (SVBA), asked the council for their approval in starting a committee to work on creating new signage for the city of Spring Valley.
“Basically, we are going to come up with recommendations for a logo and signage and to help figure out how to finance this. You (the council) will have ultimate authority to approve or deny moving forward with anything, but SVBA will take on all the hard work,” Melartin explained.
Councilor Chris Danielson will serve as the council representative on the committee.
When asked about funding, Melartin noted the SVBA has had great success in finding grants to help with projects.
The council voted to approve the creation of the signage committee.
Tourism Board
and Parks Committee
The council reviewed and approved the new draft for the new Tourism Board after revisions were made from the previous meeting.
The Tourism Board’s purpose will be to develop and promote Spring Valley as a vibrant, welcoming destination by supporting tourism-related initiatives, partnerships and marketing efforts that benefit the community and stimulate economic growth, according to their mission statement.
The council then approved RJ Lucas, Wendy Betts, Jennifer Slifka and Tamra Voigt as the first appointments for the Tourism Board. There is one more opening on the board, so interested persons are asked to submit a letter to city hall by August 1.
The draft for the Park and Rec Committee was reviewed. Concerns were raised about the public understanding there are no funds for any projects, so the committee, along with Parks and Recs Director John Fenske and Park and Recs Commissioner John Dols, will have to search for grants and possible fundraising.
“I feel the community knows we don’t have money, but there are things that can be done with little to no money,” Mayor Justing Mlinar expressed.
After much discussion and revisions the council voted to table the draft until the next meeting.
Staff Reports
Councilor Luan Ruesink spoke on behalf of Public Works director, Chad Hindt. The Public Works department has been busy completing necessary testing at the waste water treatment plant. The street department has been working on manhole and catch basin repairs, mowing, spraying, installing the scoreboard, street sweeping, campsite maintenance, installing the street demonstration, maintenancing equipment, working with Roto-Router and working at the compost site.
Parks and Recs Director John Fenske shared they found the main leak in the baby pool and have shut off the line. Unfortunately, it is still leaking 800 gallons of water a day from a leak in the skimmer. Fenske stated he and Spring Valley Public Utilities will be discussing a reduced rate due to the issue. A plan will be made to fix the leak after the pool closes for the season.
Fenske thanked the Kingsland Booster Club for their donation of $30,000 to help with the pool repair costs.
The first free Family Night at the pool was a success. Fenske thanked Brandon Scheveel for suggesting the idea and for his donation to cover the event.
After receiving some complaints about pool closures due to weather, it was explained per the policy Fenske works with Spring Valley Emergency Management who, in turn, works in consultation with the weather service.
Emergency Management Co-Director John Dols stated, “If we close there is a good reason.” The policy is posted at the pool for those interested.
The third and fourth grade baseball will be adding an extra week to the end of their season due to weather-related cancelations.
Fenske thanked Tim Howard and Hindt for their time and effort in putting up the new flag pole, which was donated by Racks Bar and Grill, and the new scoreboard, which was donated by the Kingsland Booster Club.
Economic Development Authority (EDA) Director Chris Hahn highlighted the work that has been done to secure funding for the Green Space project, which is located by the VFW, saying, “it is going to be a really neat project.”
The Veterans Memorial, spearheaded by Duane Knutson, is also moving forward.
Library Director Melissa Vander Plas noted it has been a busy summer with 125 young readers signed up for the Summer Reading Program. There have been 15 programs with attendance totaling 552 kids.
The library has also been busy finalizing their 2026 budget and completing the grant agreement for their upcoming restoration and construction project.
Co-Ambulance Director Sue Puffer stated there were 49 calls in June. The state inspection has been completed and went well.Puffer thanked the Lions Club for their $2,000 donation. These funds will go toward the new Lucas device, which is a life saving chest compression system.
Ruesink thanked the ambulance department for their help with the Wagon Train, especially with the bad weather that came through the area.
Fire Chief Dustin Johnson shared there was a house fire, a shed fire, weather watching, four vehicle accidents and one carbon monoxide (CO) call out.
The department had training in how to handle electric vehicle fires. They also did an equipment check on their air packs and completed some small repairs.
Emergency Management Co-Director Mike Zimmer took a moment to speak about the purpose of the city’s sirens and when they are deployed.
“We need to have confirmation from trained spotters of 58 mile per hour (MPH) winds or greater to blow the sirens. The National Weather Service states the sirens are only one part of the overall warning system, which includes preparation like having a NOAA radio in your home or local weather partners. Sirens are an outdoor warning system designed only to alert those outside that something is dangerous and approaching. They are not meant to be heard in your house,” Zimmer explained.
Zimmer and Dols prepare for several days leading up to potential weather threats so they have the most up-to-date information. When needed they can deploy volunteer trained weather spotters and the county can send out the fire department, as well.
Dols noted without the emergency management department, which is completely volunteer, the city would not be eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA funds in times of disaster.
The council took a moment to thank everyone behind the success of Fins and Films.
Councilor Brent Kohn said, “It is another addition to the town that really draws people into downtown.”
Danielson expressed thanks for the Music in the Park event, as well, which has become a popular annual summer event.
Ruesink encouraged anyone interested in volunteering for the Ag Days event to speak with a member of the Ag Days committee, such as Stacy Rath or herself.
Finally, Mlinar expressed his gratitude for all the generosity within Spring Valley saying, “There have been quite a few people here tonight expressing their gratitude toward individuals who have either given money or time and that is such a huge benefit to our community. People are very willing to give in one way or another and I think that is huge. Showing that unity is really an amazing thing.”
Other Business
• The Ag Days temporary liquor license and fireworks permits were approved.
• The city has officially declared their interest in a tax forfeiture parcel 36.0111.000, which is located on the west side on Hudson Avenue across from Spring Creek Park.
• Steve Connor’s request for a fire department bill reduction after his semi was involved in an accident was denied.
• The council committed to helping serve food at the upcoming Relay for Life event.
• The council agreed to give a letter of support to the Green Space Project.
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