Chris Hahn

Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, July 27, 2023.   Reprinted with permission and gratitude.

By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy

 

So shiny, even the crows know it’s automatic. “It is a fully automatic car wash with a separate drying bay,” said Midwest Sales representative Stacey Rath, speaking of the new @ The Car Wash automatic automobile soapbox that now stands on the south end of the Midwest Sales dealership’s lot just off Highway 63 in Spring Valley.

Rath explained that the owners of the Midwest company, which owns the Midwest Sales dealership, determined that there was a surplus of dusty cars and a dearth of places that could suds, brush and dry them to satisfactory condition, short of standing in one’s driveway and getting soaked while obsessing over that one spot that won’t buff out.

“After the closing of Fowler’s car wash, we knew there was a need for the area to have one, and we just needed to find the location. When Midwest moved into the Kuehn Motors location, the wheels started turning. Midwest had been planning this since the summer and fall of 2022, and the previous building on the lot had to be torn down so we could construct a new site and make room for the car wash and a shop for Midwest to utilize in place of the one that was removed.” She elaborated, “Construction began after the purchase of the location in 2022, but getting equipment and parts has been a struggle that delayed the hopeful spring 2023 opening. Waiting on materials was the biggest challenge because we experienced several delays with getting materials and shipping.”

The car wash had its first spin cycle in late June or early July, and it’s spacious enough for vehicles of most sizes. “We can wash cars, SUVs and pickup trucks. The maximum height is 90 inches, so see the posted sign outside of the wash bay for instructions. We do not have a wash bay for oversize vehicles or semi-trucks. We can wash a variety of vehicles that are under 90 inches in height—please be cautious of the pressure from the washer and dryer, and be sure remove any loose items on your vehicle and/or in truck beds before entering the car wash—and @ The Car Wash offers three different levels of washes, including Elite, Elite Plus, and Fire and Ice, along with several a la carte items and a vacuum for your use after you exit the wash and dryer bays. We do have heat in the car wash, and there is a separate drying bay with automatic blower that goes around your vehicle twice.”

Rath explained that the first wash option, an Elite, is “your basic wash that includes a chrome and glass clean, a hot foam bath, underbody wash, Turtle Wax triple foam, high pressure rinse…the Blazing Glaze, finished off with a spot-free rinse and blow dry.” Drivers may choose to upgrade to the Elite Plus or Fire and Ice washes to further scrub and polish their cars or trucks and see how much attention it attracts from people and curious crows who can see their reflections in just about every angle and not have to see “those pesky bugs plastered on your vehicle.”

She added, “We also offer some additional services, such as ice and mud prewash, an all-hot water wash, liquid ceramic coating and a double rocker (panel) blast. Check out our Fire and Ice package for…a shiny clean car.”

@ The Car Wash is open to the public and will also serve Midwest Sales. Rath pointed out that customers may choose to stop through and use it for one wash or many. “Memberships are available for those that want a hands-free experience at the pay station, so see Midwest Sales during business hours to get your membership…we do offer gift cards and monthly memberships.”

What’s more exciting than something that’s new, and not to mention the car wash has some great features to keep your vehicle clean.”

Midwest Sales representative Kristi Jack added in conclusion, “All of us from @ The Car Wash, Midwest Sales, Leasing and Contracting would like to extend our appreciation to the community of Spring Valley for the warm welcome and voices of encouragement that they have extended. Also, to the Kuehn family for allowing us to be an extension to their family legacy. We plan to be in this community for years to come and be your total car care provider, just as you expected from the Kuehn family in years past.”

For more information on Spring Valley’s new car wash, log onto the @ The Car Wash Facebook page at At The Car Wash_Spring Valley.

 

Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325

Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, July 27, 2023.   Reprinted with permission and gratitude.

 by Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy 

 

Spring Valley’s library board got stucco this past Thursday evening on whether to use specific funding to repair the library’s exterior or to wait and find out whether the Spring Val[1]ey Public Library (SVPL) is chosen for the State’s library construction grant.

The SVPL building’s exterior is covered by a stucco-like material, EFIS, that was available in the early aughts but is no longer used, and its obsolescence has been the cause of headaches for the board and library director Jenny Simon because finding a reasonable means by which to patch holes has been very difficult. Simon has consulted with numerous contractors and received widely varying advice from each over the past few years, leaving her admittedly confused about how to approach the effort, as essentially, her job is to manage books, media and people, not worry about of what the building’s outer layer is comprised. Some contractors have recommended steel siding, and others, patching the growing holes or using alternative materials to upgrade the structure’s façade. Additionally, securing funding, be it grant or library maintenance monies, is another confusing maze that the director has had to navigate, though with the help of the library’s building committee for both aspects of the project.

Most recently, the library has been set forth as a contender for the State Library Construction Grant Program, a limited pool of funding that will be distributed to libraries that demonstrate specific need for assistance in meeting structural maintenance or improvement. No matter whether those funds require a matching amount from the library’s own finances, the board and Simon spoke of being cautious about how they would be used if SVPL were to be chosen as a recipient. The board discussed at length how to proceed with repairing the building while perusing a quote from a local contractor for stuccoing the library or using similar materials, and Simon informed the board members that she would be requesting the official Spring Valley Building Fund use parameters for a coffer set aside to help with building upkeep but for which she was needing such information.

The board concurred that obtaining details on what is and isn’t necessary or allowed for each funding outlet would be most beneficial to the work ahead of them, particularly as the exterior and other projects will require the board’s attention so that the proper individuals or companies may be hired. Simon will return to the board with further itemization of potential revenue streams at the next meeting in September, as the library board does not meet in August because the library is a busy Ag Days meeting center.

The board moved on to talk about the budgeting process and submitting a balanced budget to the City council for consideration by the end of September, the point at which a preliminary budget is due. Members felt it necessary to invest extra caution as the board prepared its preliminary budget because of a rather heated 18-minute meeting at the end of 2022 that led to board members and City councilors disagreeing on how to approach drafting a budget. The board asked for clarification from the council and administration on how to propose the library’s funding, aiming for optimism and improved lines of communication between its membership and that of the city’s elected officials. Additional conversation on the budget may be forthcoming, but the board did reach a decision to delay hiring a new Saturday hours staff member at this time as it had planned to do once the summer winds down, namely because of expected budgetary decreases and the availability of staff who is willing to open the library on Saturdays–with hours already included in the current budget for that individual’s employment–if the board voted to proceed with such. An existing staff member may soon be put to work overseeing operations on Saturdays, however, and Simon expressed her anticipation that patrons could soon return to choosing media and accessing library services at least twice a month on Saturdays from late morning to early afternoon.

Next, Friends of the Spring Valley Public Library President Sarah Hansen attended the meeting, bringing an update on the group’s activities. She cited that the Friends have been at Wednesdays on Broadway in June and July, selling ice cream and inviting people to stop in at the library and/or to join the Friends as they work to lift some of the everyday operation tasks from the library staff’s hands. Volunteers have made themselves available for cleaning the library, and Hansen is grateful for their generosity and willingness, but she remarked that perhaps it may be helpful for the group to have people who “adopt” a part of the library for a month and maintain it, or for people to donate specifically toward a custodial or janitorial fund to hire someone who can clean the library if no volunteers are available. Simon and board members thanked Hansen and the Friends volunteers for their dedication to making SVPL a destination that residents and visitors will enjoy.

The annual children’s summer reading program is now finished for the year, meaning that Simon and library assistant Jeanette Ramaker are able to step back and feel accomplishment and relief. Simon extended her thanks to Ramaker for sitting on the Southeast Libraries Cooperating (SELCO) Vetted Program Committee to lend input on which presenters would be appreciated by reading program attendees and meet the library’s goal of keeping youngsters engaged in reading throughout the summer, or that of introducing the smallest to the stories that live inside books.

Upcoming library events include a pet painting session with Pet Painting with Willomina, which has a full class and a waiting list for Aug. 3, and author visits that will be set up for fall and early winter. Simon held up a brochure for the Testify Exhibit that will arrive at the library, highlighting that it is an exhibit relating to the experience of Black Americans. She concluded by thanking Marilyn Matson for a donation to SVPL in memory of Ray Lemke.

The Spring Valley Public Library is on Jefferson Street, just behind First National Bank in downtown Spring Valley. Library hours are Monday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Tuesday through Thursday from noon to 7 p.m. The friendly library staff is available to answer most questions about how to find or use media within the library’s collections. For more information, stop in, call 346-2100, or log onto the library’s website at www.springvalley.lib.mn.us

 

Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325

 

 

On July 10, the Spring Valley City Council held a public hearing prior to their regular meeting to discuss the proposed noise ordinance.

The ordinance states “it is unlawful for any person to make, continue or cause to be made or continued any excessive, unnecessary or unusually loud noise or any noise which either annoys, disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace or safety of others, within the limits of the city.”

This ordinance is a results of complaints from residents regarding noise issues and frustrations over the lack of enforcement.

“We have to have a statute or ordinance to enforce on,” Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge explained. “Once adopted, if it is a violation of what is in that ordinance and it is witnessed by a deputy or we have video evidence of it then we can take action. We just have to have the mechanism to enforce it.”

Read the entire article by Paule Barness in the July 17th Edition of the Fillmore County Journal here!