Happy Marigold Days

September 11, 2016

The 50th Anniversary Marigold Days:
The 51st Annual (50th Anniversary) Marigold days celebration is this weekend (Sept 10 & 11). The celebration starts on Thursday at 1:00pm with the Restoration & Log House tours and winds up with “Smash and Grab” playing live music starting at 3:00pm. Through out the weekend there will be live music, a dance and several special events to attend. The full schedule of events for this years Marigold Days celebration can be found at: http://www.marigolddays.com/?page_id=74 This years event promises something of interest for everyone. I hope to see everyone down there for a great time and don't forget the fireworks display at 8:30 Saturday night.

Remember 9-11:
This weekend also is the anniversary of the barbaric acts by Islamic Terrorist against a peaceful Nation. Most of us still clearly remember the day that a group of cowardly terrorist brought evil to the city of New York. We also remember how we came together as a single nation and answered the acts of evil with resolve and determination. This weekend while we are celebrating one of the last warms days of summer, take time to reflect, give thanks and honor those that have served or are currently serving in our Armed Services. From myself, and everyone with the city let me offer a well deserved Thank You, and for those still serving may God watch over you and bring you home safe to your loved ones.

Fifth Street Update:
After press time for last weeks article, the milling machine did show up and was able to complete a section of fifth street. There are pictures of the process on my blog located at: http://mayorbradford.blogspot.com The next step for fifth street will be at the end of the month, when the rest of the street from Mantor Drive to the city limits will be milled and the entire upper section of fifth street will be completely rebuilt. The remaining lower portion of Fifth Street will be addressed hopefully next year.

Reminders:
We have had one application for a new EDA member, but are still looking for one more commissioners. Those interested should come down to city hall to fill out an application.

The City Council will continue our discussion on Accessory structures, adding wording for B&B operations within Mantorville and changing some of the definitions within the Transitional districts. These discussions are a continuation from last City Council’s public forum.

Four of the five spots on the City Council are up for elections this year, please check your calendar to see if you will be in town on the first Tuesday of November and if not please make arrangements to vote absentee.

Remember that Marigold Days is this weekend; I hope to see everyone there.

Yours in service,

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

Milling Machine is here and working

After press time for my article this week the milling machine did show up

What’s up with 5th Street

August 26, 2016

5^th Street Project:

In my last article I mentioned that the city was going to have 5^th street milled and reclaimed by the end of that week. After I wrote that article we found out that the vendor’s milling machine was down. We have been communicating with the vendor and they are trying to find a loaner or get their machine fixed quickly. We are still looking at hopefully getting something done this week to mill 5^th street back to a gravel road. This is the first step to the full project of rebuilding the entire roadbed and pavement. The bulk of the project is still expected by the end of September.

Zoning updates:

Last council meeting we started the discussions of accessory structures, adding considerations for “Bed and Breakfast” operations within the city and zoning wording changes. During the discussion on accessory structures there were some questions about where the current zone map could be found and if it would be possible to have available during these decisions. I have made a web page on my server with a link to the full size high res PDF file our current zone map. The link to this page is at: http://bradford4house.com/zone.html and there is a link on my blog as well. The city is not planning any changes to the zones themselves at this point, we are just trying to clarify what a “transitional zone” is and update the wording so that a transitional district is just that and not just a residential zone. The council will continue these discussions at our next council meeting on September 12^th.

Happy Labor Day:

This week as Labor Day approaches, many of us are looking forward to the best time of the year. The time of the year where our precipitation is white and beautiful and we can get our snowmobiles and skis all tuned up and ready to go. Before we actually get to enjoy the nice cool temps of winter, we do have one last “summer celebration”.

This week Canada and the United States remember the contributions made by the labor movement. In 2016 we are celebrating Labor Day on the same date as the very first Labor Day (September 5^th). What started in New York City in the late 1800s is now a National Holiday. Take some time to spend with your family and loved ones and celebrate the so-called “end-of-summer”. Remember too, that none of this is possible without the sacrifices and dedication of our military personnel. To all our military veterans, Thank you, and God Bless!

Yours in service,

Chuck Bradford,

Mayor - City of Mantorville

MantorvilleMayor@Gmail.Com

MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com

Mantorville Zoning

The council is considering some wording changes for the transitional districts.
I have received many request for a map of our current zones.
I have a page on my web site with a detailed map for review
The link to that page is: Zone Map

Summer Construction

July 29, 2016

July has been a busy and exciting time. We have watched two National Conventions, attended the County Fair and now we are thinking about all the projects we have to finish up before we are once again blessed with the best season of the year.

I have been fielding questions lately regarding the Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) as well as fifth street plans. Fifth street is on schedule for later in the fall. The council has decided that the road is in poor enough condition that we are going to start the process of reclaiming the road early. The first stage of the reclaiming effort will be to revert the existing road surface back to gravel. This gravel will be used as the new road bed. We will not be able to place any agents on this gravel to control dust because that would “contaminate” the quality of the gravel and interfere with the new road surface. This first phase will happen within the next few weeks. The completion of this project is scheduled sometime in the fall (probably September). The city was able to get a discount on this project if we were flexible in our time line and allowed the contractors to fit this into their existing work schedules. The project for this fall will include the upper half of fifth street from Mantor drive out to the city limits. This year's project will not include the bike path because of some separation requirements between the road surface and the trail. The city is still looking at all options for the trail along fifth street and hopes to include that as part of next year's bottom half of the street project.

The WWTP project is still on-track for early next year. The Environmental impact study “comment period” for both the Mantorville portion as well as the Kasson portion has been completed and we are waiting notification of any concerns discovered. The city looked at bidding options and asked for proposals for an early completion (January 2016) as well as a on-time completion (Summer 2017) while this project was attractive to many construction firms the city did not receive any bids for the early work. The projects in Kasson look to be on track for a Summer of 17 completion as well so a January completion date for Mantorville would have been of little value as it turns out.

I am looking forward to another Marigold days which is quickly approaching and I hope to see all of you down there for this years celebration.

Yours in service,

Chuck Bradford,

Mayor - City of Mantorville

MantorvilleMayor@Gmail.Com

MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com

Never Forget Exhibit

The 9 11 memorial truck rolled in to Kasson today around 12:30.
You can see the video on my Facebook page at Facebook Video more information about the Exhibit can be found on their web site at Never Forget Exhibit

I remember clearly where I was when I found out about the events unfolding during the morning of September 11th 2001. Many of us understood in very short order that evil had raised its ugly head once again, some, to this day still do not recognize that we are engaged in a war against evil.

My brother-in-law was suppose to be in tower two that day but a last minute schedule change push that meeting to the following week, because of this he is alive today. 

We owe it to our selves, our family and our future countrymen to never forget the cowardly acts committed by these Islamic terrorist and the high price of our precious freedoms. Please take time while you are at our County Fair this year to visit this exhibit, remember those that have fallen and embrace our freedoms we exercise everyday that so many around the world do not enjoy.

Happy Fourth of July

 June 25, 2016

We are approaching the fourth of July, I hope everyone celebrates our independence and remember the ultimate price that has already been paid for us each to enjoy our liberties and freedoms we have today. We saw Britain also assert it's own freedom this past week and voted to leave the European Union. We congratulate the people of Britain for their bold and unprecedented decision.

The Mantorville Economic Development Authority (EDA) has two additional opening for EDA commissioners. Those interested in helping with tourism, bike trails or promoting businesses within our community are encouraged to fill out an application at City Hall.

The Stage Coach Days committee is looking for people interested in helping out with next years planning and execution for the 2017 event. This event has really taken off in the last few years and this is an exciting time to be part of the group that helps organize this each year.

Street Update

Some people have asked about the plans for 5^th street, what is going on with CR12 and what is happening with HW 57. Fifth street is still in the works for later in the fall. The road will be rebuilt between Mantor drive and past Bergmann. This rework is a complete rebuild of the road bed and the road itself. The trail is going to be a separate project and most likely will not occur in parallel with the new road work. The county is working on reducing the grade on 12, this involves lowering the top of the fill and additional landscaping. This work will help with winter driving, provide an improved bike path along that section of road and improve over-all safety of the HW57 12 intersection. The County is also working on an ADA compliant sidewalk along the east side of HW57. This will involve the removal the existing historic wall, reworking the original lime stone and rebuilding the wall with the original stone work.

WWTP update

The city is working with the City of Kasson and the Minnesota Pollution Control agency. Once all the permits have been granted both Kasson and Mantorville will be cleared to begin construction. Mantorville is currently planning on a fall construction for our portion of the project with flow starting possibly in January. This continues to be a developing project and I will keep everyone posted when new developments arise.

New Ice Cream truck and Hot Dog Vendor were approved by the city council and I know the Ice Cream truck is already making rounds. The City has reviewed the permits and licenses of each of these businesses and have been provided with everything needed to confirm compliance with both state laws and local ordinances.

Happy Fourth of July.

Yours in service,

Chuck Bradford,

Mayor - City of Mantorville

MantorvilleMayor@Gmail.Com

MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com

Historic Vote reaffirms British Sovereignty

23 June, 2016

The brave and bold people of England reaffirmed their support for British sovereignty and voted to leave the failed New World Order experiment know as the European Union. In an unprecedented move by the English people, England has rejected the precepts of Socialism and a over-bearing one rule boarder less governing body. In a move that is being refereed to as England Independence day, the English people have spoken and the Prime Minister will invoke Article 50 of the EU charter which

speaks to the orderly exit of a member state. We congratulate and applaud this bold action by the voice of the people to embrace the principals of freedom and an the re-establishment of an accountable government. Euro, your next!

New Ice Cream Trucks Rolls the Streets

Last week the City of Mantorville approved the permit for an Ice Cream Truck to sell ice cream within the city limits. This truck has all the needed licenses and permits. I welcome this new business in to our community.

Happy Fathers Day

June 18, 2016

I hope everyone had a great Fathers day weekend. While we celebrate fathers day once a year the real fathers day is everyday. There is no greater title that a man can be given than the title of “father”! The divine gift of a special life to guide, instruct and care for is the greatest joy a person can receive in their life. To all my fellow fathers out there, congratulations and remember to cherish, protect and relish the gift you have been given in your child.

Fifth street plans are on tract for later this year. The city will be rebuilding the road between Mantor drive and past Bergmann drive. We are going with a single pitch road (as opposed to a center crest). The new road will be placed in the current roads position and the future trail will be a separate project.

The Mantorville Economic Development Authority has received some early payments and therefore, has additional funds for the next round of revolving loans. Anyone interested in expanding their business within Mantorville or starting a new business in Mantorville is encouraged to reach out to the Mantorville EDA for additional information regarding this process.

Stage Coach Days is this next weekend. Mantorville will once again have live music including Six Mile Grove. The entire weekend is packed with events, shows and activities so be sure to check out the events and times on the Stage Coach days section of the tourism page at http://www.mantorvilletourism.com, or on Facebook at : https://www.facebook.com/Mantorvillestagecoach The weekend will hold something fun for everyone in the family so make sure to come down and check it out. I hope to see you all down there.

In my article next week I will have more information about our Waste Water Treatment and hopefully a road work update as well.

Yours in service,

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

Remembering

May 27, 2016

This past Monday was Memorial day, the day we take time to remember those that have served all of us so that we may have the freedoms, rights and lifestyle we currently enjoy. During our extra day off it is important to keep our armed forces personnel in our thoughts and prayers. The city was decorated with our flags and many of my neighbors have the Kasson-Mantorville flags flying in their yards. If you were unable to remember those that have paid the ultimate price of freedom this past weekend I encourage you to do so this week. While it is never enough to just say thank you, a heart felt “Thank You” does go a long way to mend a heart wounder by war and or separation. On behalf of the City and from myself, I extend a warm and must deserved Thank You! To all of our service personnel.

The City engineer will be at the next regular City Council meeting to discuss street repairs as well as our waste water treatment plans. We are looking at doing two street projects this year as well as the waste water treat project. The City is planning on opening bids for awarding some of the work at our June 6 “special meeting”.

The City has formed a ad-hock one time committee to expedite the review and proposed changes to our zoning and ordinances. Specifically we are looking at what a “transitional” zone is allowed to contain as well as what is allowed for accessory structures in R1 and R2 areas. Those that would like to make suggestions, have questions or would like to share an idea can send me an email, leave a post on my blog or attend a City Council meeting. After the sub committee looks at possible areas to change the work will be returned to the full council and we will have many more meeting about this and will post a public hearing notice prior to any formal adoption of any proposed change.

Finally just a reminder that the cliff is still eroding and the City and County are looking into corrective measures. I pointed out in my last article that the cliff has become even more unsafe over this past winter and that the situation has changed from what it was in the past. Please do not attempt to swing off the cliff!

Yours in service,

Chuck Bradford,

Mayor - City of Mantorville

MantorvilleMayor@Gmail.Com

MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com

Potential Dangers- Swimmers Beware

April 24, 2016

Most of us know that this winter was hard on our streets. Over the winter months there were several freezing and thawing cycles where water could work its way into crack, freeze and expand and damage the cement in our roads. The city is currently making plans on how to deal with our infrastructure however, there is a more potentially serious outcome of this winters climate that I want everyone to be aware of. The winter was not just hard on our roads but other exposed surfaces as well. The freeze/thaw cycles were also hard on our cliffs along the river. During this late winter and early spring some of the cliff-side had fractured and fallen into the river. This is a normal process of erosion and an example of how our landscape is constantly changing. I want to bring this particular spot of erosion to everyone's attention because I heard that some people have used this particular over-hang to jump into the river below. 

 

I know with warmer weather coming to our area and the approach of graduation some people's attention will be drawn to spending time in our parks and around the water. While I would never recommend anyone jumping off our cliffs into the river where the depth constantly changes, I want to point out what is different this year. The over-hang that stuck out over the water edge by a couple of feet has lost much of the rock that did over-hang the water. What makes things even worse is that couple of feet of rock is now in the river which extends the shoreline out a couple of feet. In other words, a jump which in the past would have landed a person 4 feet from shore, would now place that jumper onto some very hard and sharp rocks. Don't kid yourself! You will not clear those rocks (the ones above and below the surface). In the picture below you can see the amount of rocks that have fallen from the cliff and into the water.

This is all I wanted to cover in this article this week. I wanted to make sure everyone was aware of the new dangers. I know this seems like we are taking some fun away, but we just don't want anyone to be seriously injured! Please be safe and be aware of this new danger in our area. The City is looking into options to address this situation.

Yours in service,

Chuck Bradford,

Mayor - City of Mantorville

MantorvilleMayor@Gmail.Com

MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com

Paying Tribute

March 08, 2016

A Rough two weeks:

This past week the City once again flew our flags at half staff. While the current debate continues to grow over when a replacement should be announced for Justice Scaila, the Nation suffered another loss of a influential American. Nancy Reagan passed away this past week at her home in California. Our former First Lady was able to use her status and prestige to champion campaigns against drugs and is even given credit for the catch phrase “just say no”. Mrs Reagan also was very active in the fight against Alzheimer later in life. It is fitting that the city pay tribute to both Justice Antonin Scaila and Nancy Reagan to recognize their service and dedication to our country. The gap left with the loss of both of these great Americans will be hard to fill. Please remember to keep the families of Nancy Reagan and Justice Antonin Scaila in your prayers this week.

Remember Mulligan Stew:

Every year the Mantorville Restoration Association conducts a “Mulligan Stew” and auction. This year this event will be held at the Hubble House on this Thursday March 17 from 4:30pm to 7:00pm. This auction is a fund raiser for the MRA and an opportunity for some nice items to find a new life. Individuals or organizations interested in making a donation for the auction are encouraged to contact City Hall for more details. I hope to see many of our friends and neighbors at this event.

EDA:

Just a reminder that there is an opportunity to serve on the EDA. Anyone interested in helping out is welcomed to apply for an appointment at City Hall. The EDA has been working very hard on some exciting projects that we are planning on presenting in the very near future, keep an eye out for some great news from the City regarding these projects.

Yours in service,

Chuck Bradford, Mayor - City of Mantorville
MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com

Happy Leap Year Week

February 29, 2016

I dated my article this month February 29 because I have always liked that date. I have always wanted to have a birthday of February 29, so all my neighbors that did have a birthday this last Monday, congratulations and Happy Birthday.

Mulligan Stew:

Every year the Mantorville Restoration Association conducts a “Mulligan Stew” and auction. This year this event will be held at the Hubble House on Thursday March 17 from 4:30pm to 7:00pm. This auction is a fund raiser for the MRA and an opportunity for some nice items to find a new life. Individuals or organizations interested in making a donation for the auction are encouraged to contact City Hall for more details. I hope to see many of our friends and neighbors at this event.

Streets:

Spring is coming and so are the dreaded needed street repairs. As the frost comes out of the ground we will notice some temporary “frost boils” that will eventually lay down themselves. Spring will also bring some street issues that will need to be addressed. The City conducts an annual streets servery to evaluate the current prioritized list of street repairs and make formal plans for the coming construction season. The current top street plans include 5^th street and Golf View Court. Both of these streets have experienced accelerated deterioration over the last year and will be discussed at our semi-annual retreat at the end of the month.

EDA:

The Mantorville Economic Development Authority (EDA) has a vacancy. The EDA is the organization that makes recommendations to the city regarding tourism, the allocation of the Rochester Sales tax money and how to grow business within Mantorville. Anyone interested in helping the city and the EDA make these types of decisions can apply for the open seat on the EDA by filling out an application at city hall. There is also an opportunity for those that would like to help out with the planning of some of our events like Stage Coach Days. The EDA is trying to model the sub committee after what the Marigold Days Committee does and that is to have a group that is single focused on the planning of an event. For those interested in helping out with the planning of Stage Coach Days but do not want to be fully involved in the other operations of the EDA this is a great opportunity for volunteerism.

GEMs:

I wanted to remind everyone that the EDA does a “GEM of Mantorville” award every year during the Marigold Days celebration. While we still have significant amount of time before this presentation, anyone that knows someone that has significantly devoted their time and passion to our community that they feel is deserving of acknowledgement, is encouraged to fill out an application at City Hall for the EDA to consider.

Variances

The city is currently evaluating the process of variances as well as updating our ordinances. The Council hopes to evaluate the rationale behind some of the recent variances we have reviewed, ask the questions “What do we want to allow”, “What do we want to prevent” and how can we adopt some “considerations” into our existing ordinances. The first step is to align our current ordinances with new State Statute. While working with our legal team it was determined that the language in our ordinances were not inline with some of the new wording in State law. The second step in this process will include some of the actual policy changes. Each step will require a public hearing, these hearing will be posted and anyone interested in providing testimony to the council will have an opportunity to provide input for the council's consideration.

Elections:

This year is an election year. We will choose a new president this year as well as state and local offices. It has been an honor to serve as your mayor and I plan to run again to continue to serve as your mayor. I would be honored and thrilled to once again be asked to be your mayor.

Yours in service,

Chuck Bradford, Mayor - City of Mantorville
MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com

2015 State of the City

January 20, 2016

Happy New Years Everyone! The City of Mantorville held its “AA-“ S&P rating with a note of “No Change Expected” after a review of our financial standing and account balances. Mantorville is on solid financial grounds and is poised to be in a very strong position going forward.

Setting a low Levy

The City is allowed to charge up to 1% of the taxable market value of a home. If the City were to charge the entire 1%, our “advertised levy rate” would be “100%” of that 1%. In other words a house with a taxable market value of $100,000 would be tax by the City in the amount of $1,000. In 2015 the City Council lowered our rate below the rate off any of the previous four years. For the last five years, Mantorville has not raised our tax rate. In order to put this figure in perspective, I have included a table below that illustrates the tax levy amounts and levy rates for the last seven years.

Tax Year	Levy Dollar Amount	Levy Rate
2009	$406,611.00	56%
2010	$414,743.00	57%
2011	$423,037.00	63%
2012	$427,268.00	73%
2013	$427,268.00	72%
2014	$422,995.00	72%
2015	$424,525.00	72%
2016	$427,226.00	70%

                Historical Tax Levy information for Mantorville

In the table above you may notice that the Levy Rate for 2016 went down but the total dollar figure went up. The State of Minnesota recalculated our maximum tax capaCity based on housing value increases within the City and the adjusted cost of inflation, the new calculation gave the City a greater tax capaCity therefore the rate went down even though the dollar amount went up.

2015 Events

The City celebrated the 50^th annual Marigold days celebration and enjoyed an expanded “Stage Coach Days” weekend; however, there were some sad events as well. The City mourned the passing of one of our council members when Don Swanson passed away. The City and the world were reminded that evil is still capable and willing to inflict harm on the innocent and the City stood with the people of France and displayed the French flag for a week in a show of solidarity.

City Hall Updates

The City Hall and Fire Hall building were in need of some fixes and updates. The siding was in bad shape and some of the wood trim badly needed replacing. The City was able to finish this project in 2015. The exterior was resided, the trim lines were cleaned up and the exterior lights were converted to LEDs. The building looks a lot better.

City Re branding efforts

The EDA and the City have been working on a re-branding project during 2015. The final three designs for the new look and feel for the City were on display and several citizens voted on their favorite designs. After public input the EDA choose a design and the EDA is taking the next steps to finalize this work in 2016, we will make an announcement when the new look can be viewed.

Waste Water Treatment Project

The City is looking forward to the construction of the new waste water line between Kasson and Mantorville. This project has been in the works for several years now and the City is hopeful we can break ground this summer. More information is available on my blog in the May 6 and March 1 2013 articles. My blog is located at www.MayorBradford.BlogSpot.Com.  Recently Governor Mark Dayton announced his budget proposal which included the requested funding for both the Kasson WWTP project and another 3.1 million for Mantorville's waste water project. This figure is a proposal from the  Governor’s office and any final budget would have to be approved by the House, Senate and signed by the Governor in order to actually make the money available for our project. Still this is very encouraging. My original comments to the bonding committee can be found on my blog under October of 2013 and is titled “Bonding Committee WWTP Remarks”.

Street Projects

The City is planning on expanding the streets projects and the City is making plans for several of our streets that desperately need repairs. We re-evaluate street needs every spring to determine what damage has occurred during the winter months. The City is planning to get two projects in during the 2016 construction season.

Local Trail Projects

The Dodge County Trails Association has been working on trail routes for the last couple of years, with the planned street projects for this spring considerations are being incorporated into street reconstruction plans. The local trails could be incorporated into a connecting route between segments of the regional “Stage Coach Trail”.

Opportunities within the City:

The Mantorville Economic Development Authority has two opening on the committee. The EDA helps make recommendations to the City Council regarding the economic health of the community, select individuals for our annual “GEM” award, evaluate revolving loan applicants and working on City Events.

One of the events that the EDA is looking to help promote and plan this year is the “Stage Coach Days” the EDA is going to try and model this committee after the Marigold Days Committee were the new “Stage Coach Days Committee” is going to be responsible for the planning and execution of the event. This means that anyone that would just like to help with a single event can volunteer for this event. Anyone that is interested in just helping out with a single event can contact City Hall for more details.

The Best is Yet to Come

The New Year brings new opportunities, new challenges and new friends. As we say good-bye to 2015 and hello to 2016, we are optimistic about what the future brings for the City and our citizens. We look forward to completing our planned projects and making plans for the projects that are still on the drawing board. On behalf of the City and myself, let me extend a heartfelt “Thank You” to everyone that attended a City meeting this past year, wrote a letter to the council and provided recommendation or guidance during our decision process. Your input is more valuable than you know and we truly do appreciate your time and efforts. I also wanted to say thank you to all of our neighbors that have volunteered either in a formal way on one of our subcommittees or in an informal way on one of our projects, so much of the character of Mantorville would be very different without your contributions, THANK YOU!

Yours in service,

Chuck Bradford,

Mayor - City of Mantorville