Happy Thanksgiving

November 24, 2016

Every year around the Thanksgiving table we would tell the story of the first Thanksgiving. The cold winter of the East Coast stated to set in on the Pilgrims and they found themselves ill-prepared for the needs of the winter in the “new world”. In their moment of most need, salvation came from a most unlikely place. The Native Americans shared the bounty of that year’s harvest with their “new neighbors”. There are many variations of this story but the over-all sentiment is the same. When I think of this story I look for what lessons we can take from it. One,  if you have plenty don’t be afraid to share. This does not and should not be a government mandate, rather a genuine gesture of generosity towards your neighbor. Two, even though things look the darkest, don’t give up. If the Pilgrims had given up we would not be living in the greatest county the world has ever seen today. Three, don’t be too proud to ask for help if you truly need help. This is especially true for any of us that are dealing with issues that just seem overwhelmingly hard. There are answers, just let someone know you need help we will be there for you! Finally, look for new reasons to celebrate even during tying times. What back then seemed like a winter of starvation, turned into a celebration of life.

While we sit down around the table this holiday, let us remember those in our lives and community that has made this day possible. Let’s remember to celebrate our Armed Services personnel, our Law Enforcement personnel and our Firefighters. Remember it is the soldier not the politician that gave us the right to vote. It is the soldier not the preacher that gives u the right to celebrate God as we see fit and it is the soldier not the press that gives us the freedom of speech. Thank you to all of our service personnel, we truly do appreciate all that you do and honor your sacrifices.

From everyone at the City that is keeping our City great, let me extend a warm and heart-felt Happy Thanksgiving.

Thank You Mantorville

November 14, 2016

Safe Routes to School:
There was a meeting on Monday November 14 to start the discussions and plans for the next phase of safe routes to schools. The City of Kasson, The City of Mantorville, the School Board and community members were invited to take part in the discussions to determine what the areas needs were for safe routes to schools, what each government sector could do to promote this effort and how all of the stakeholders could work together to benefit our students. The design firm is to take the input from our meeting this week and work on a plan to be presented early next year. Each community will then determine what the best course of action will be to work towards the goals.

Fifth Street Update:
The work on Fifth Street for this year has been completed. The road is open to the east now for normal traffic. The contractor will need to come back in the spring and complete some driveway access issues and complete the landscaping; however, most of the work on the road surface has been completed and is ready for normal traffic to resume. Just as a reminder, even though the road surface has been greatly improved the speed limit once inside the City Limits is still just 30MPH, please slow down as you approach the neighborhoods along fifth street.

Waste Water Treatment:
The City of Mantorville’s plan to connect to the Kasson WWTP has been approved by the MPCA as well as the EPA and the requited permits have been granted. The work has started for the much awaited new wastewater treatment project this week. The construction crews have delivered new pipe, the fuser is on site and the drill will be here shortly. The plan is to start near Kasson and work towards Mantorville. The project will drill under the river and route along highway 57 turning onto golf course road. Both cities are working concurrently on their respective projects and final connection and flow commencement will be conditional on the finalization of both projects.

The Election:
Thank you Mantorville for your continued support and confidence in my leadership for our community. I continue to enjoy serving as your Mayor and I am looking forward to continuing our journey to improve our City. Thank you.

I also wanted to Thank Sherry Roth for her service on the council and welcome Ryan Christianson to the council. I am looking forward to working with our new council and continuing the work we have in progress as well as planning the next stages of future projects.

Veterans Day:
This last Friday was Veterans Day. The day we set aside to recognize the dedication, service, sacrifice and professionalism of our armed forces. The reason we even have free elections is the result of the vigilance of our veterans and soldiers. If you did not have an opportunity to say a special Thank You to a current or former soldier, please take time this week to let them know how much you appreciate their dedication and sacrifice. When we do take time to thank our veterans for their service, too often we over look the hardships and sacrifices that their loved one make as well. It is the veterans family as well we need to make sure we honor when we celebrate the accomplishments of our armed service. To all of our men and women in the armed service, to their families and to anyone who has ever served, THANK YOU and God Bless!

Yours in service,

Chuck Bradford,
Mayor - City of Mantorville
MantorvilleMayor@Gmail.Com
MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com