This summer has been a busy one for the City and the City Council. Mantorville has hosted some great celebrations this summer and we were fortunate to have had good weather for most of our events. As the summer winds down, we are currently looking for volunteers to help with “Fall Fest”, those interested can contact City Hall, The EDA or myself.
The tourism sub-committee of the EDA has been active in promoting our citywide celebrations as well as planning for the future. One of the services that the tourism committee offers is the walking tour of Mantorville. The free brochures can be found in most local businesses. The brochure has a map of landmarks with historical interest and a small description about the property. The landmarks themselves are marked with a painted “stage coach” on the sidewalk in front of the property. The tourism committee needed a dedicated resource to help augment the volunteers efforts promoting tourism in Mantorville, with the help of title 5 funding the Tourism committee has been able to hire a resource that will help with promoting tourism in Mantorville and keeping our online content fresh.
The EDA is already working with some local businesses to help them expand and start their operations in the City of Mantorville. The EDA has a revolving loan fund, which was partially funded with a grant from the USDA. The businesses that these low interest loans benefit will contribute to the tax base within the City as well as provide our citizens more local options for their shopping enjoyment. The EDA currently has more capacity with this fund and current or future Mantorville businesses that would like to be considered are encouraged to apply.
The EDA is also currently seeking nominations for this year’s “GEMs of Mantorville”. If you would like to submit a name for consideration please send us the name of the individual you are nominating, the name of the person making the nomination and a brief description of why you feel they have “Gone above and beyond” for the city. Applications are due at City Hall by August 6th at 4:00pm. The award will be presented at the “Marigold Days” celebration.
The City Council was presented with an update by our engineering staff as to the progress of the Waste Water Treatment project. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is currently reviewing both cities plans and our engineer has indicated that so far everything is on-track. The next step is to select and secure a route for our line to Kasson.
The City of Mantorville is interviewing candidates for our maintenance staff position. In the interim, we have hired a person on a temporary basis to help with summer related activities. The interviewing committee will conduct the first rounds of interviews and make a recommendation to the full council. The full city council will have to make the final decision.
The City Council conducted a public input session concerning the Mantorville dog park. The City Council wanted to gauge what understanding both sides had from former discussions regarding the park’s future and the City’s involvement. The Dog Park committee would like the City to “match” Kasson’s’ $5000 donation using a portion of the Rochester Sales Tax Money that was given to the City of Mantorville. The City had previously said that Mantorville Tax dollars would not be used to build the park; however, at the time no one foresaw Rochester Sales Tax money being an option. The City Council did not make any commitments at the last meeting; however, the Council did agree to spend more time looking into the options.
The next City Council meeting will be on August 12th and the next EDA meeting will be on August 6th both meetings begin at 6:30pm in the Mantorville City Council chamber. The city Council will hold it’s retreat on August 22nd the Council will need to make some preliminary decisions on our budget for next year and we will be reviewing our sub-committees request for funding for next year at the retreat.
I want to thank the Kasson-Mantorville Lions club for donating time and effort to apply a new fresh coat of paint on our main pavilion and bathroom in Riverside park. The buildings look great! Thanks again!
Yours in service
Chuck Bradford, Mayor - City of Mantorville
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