Spring Valley EDA News

Local Food Shelves Stepping Up to Meet Record Demand – The number of people in the area who lack a steady supply of food is growing dramatically

November 4, 2025 by Chris Hahn

Originally Published art rootrivercurrent.org

By David Phillips, October 27, 2025

At the time of publishing this article, the United States was within days of hundreds of thousands of families losing their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits due to the federal government’s shutdown. In Minnesota alone, according to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’ office, thousands of Minnesotans could lose access to nutrition assistance beginning November 1 which will only exacerbate an already difficult time for families in need. To help bridge the gap, he announced, the state will allocate $4 million in new funding for Minnesota food shelves.

In visiting local food shelves, Root River Current contributor David Phillips has discovered, families across the greater Root River Valley are finding circumstances here just as challenging as across the rest of the state. Here’s his story.

SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA – Local food shelves are reporting increased, even record, numbers of visits in 2025. That aligns with statewide data that shows one in five Minnesota households – more than one in four that have children – is food insecure, according to a study by Second Harvest Heartland, a Minnesota hunger relief organization. The study showed that 18 percent of the state’s population is already supported by the emergency food system.

Several of the region’s cities, even as small as Wykoff, operate food shelves to help those in need. Most rely on volunteers for staffing with funds from donations and grants to stock the shelves.

Food shelf supplies for area communities largely come from Channel One, a regional food bank in Rochester that serves more than 100 programs in southeastern Minnesota.

Although the amount of food insecurity in this region is slightly lower than the state as a whole, Channel One reports that food shelf visits in the area continue to increase rapidly, mirroring state and national trends. The regional food bank served 296,000 households in 2023 and more than 390,000 in 2024.

Record visits to area food shelves in 2025

The Spring Valley Area Food Shelf has seen a 20 percent increase in average household visits through the first nine months of 2025 compared to 2024.

READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE AT THE ROOT RIVER CURRENT

City of Spring Valley seeks Deputy Clerk

October 29, 2025 by Chris Hahn

Published Wednesday, October 30, 2025

The City of Spring Valley is now accepting applications for the position of Deputy Clerk. The successful applicant should possess the following: the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing; the ability to work independently and possess excellent planning and organizational skills. Preferred experience in general office procedures, and working knowledge of Microsoft Office, Google Docs and Canva or similar programs. Applications must be made on the City of Spring Valley’s application forms. Application forms are available at City Hall. Application forms should be returned to:

City Hall
Attn: Deputy Clerk Application
201 S. Broadway
Spring Valley, MN 55975

Applications are being accepted until position is filled with preference given to applications being received by Friday, November 21, 2025.

VIEW POSITION DESCRIPTION HERE

DOWNLOAD EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION HERE

SMIF-Announces Promise Act Grants for Small Business Expansion

October 16, 2025 by Chris Hahn

For Immediate Release – Owatonna, MN October 16,2025

Through a partnership with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) will award $1.3 million in competitive grants to businesses in southern Minnesota to invest in existing operations or planned growth.

Grant awards will range from $10,000 to $50,000 and can be used for working capital to support payroll expenses, rent or mortgage payments, utility bills, equipment, and other similar expenses that occur in the regular course of business.

Grant awards will be limited and approved on a competitive basis. Not all eligible businesses will receive a grant. Primary business operations must be located in SMIF’s region, which includes 20 counties and one Native nation. Businesses must earn $750,000 or less in gross revenue (based on prior year’s (2024) taxes) to be eligible. Additional eligibility requirements are listed on SMIF’s website.

The grant cycle opens October 16, 2025 and will close on November 17, 2025. For the application and guidelines visit smifoundation.org/promise. Contact Melissa Langer (melissal@smifoundation.org) or Brian Conzemius (brianc@smifoundation.org) with questions.

Want to know if this grant might be a good fit for your business? Download or complete Spring Valley EDA Grant Qualification Checklist here!

Spring Valley Chamber of Commerce to host 3rd Annual Career Expo, Thursday, October 30th

October 6, 2025 by Chris Hahn

Published October 5th

The Spring Valley Area Chamber of Commerce is seeking area businesses and organizations to engage with high school students, and help them explore and learn more about current job openings, volunteer options, and future career opportunities! On Thursday, October 30th, the Spring Valley Area Chamber of Commerce in a collaboration with Kingsland Public Schools, will host the 3rd Annual Spring Valley Area Career Expo, at Kingsland High School gymnasium.

This is event is free to businesses and organizations who with to exhibit, and provides and excellent opportunity for local students to explore opportunities currently available in “their own backyard” and surrounding areas!

To learn more about this event, or to register your business or organization, CLICK HERE TO REGISTER or email info@springvalleychamberofcommerce.com.

New Court will Brighten Up Downtown Spring Valley – Community space to honor local Vietnam veterans

September 21, 2025 by Chris Hahn

Originally Published inthe Root Rvier Current – September 16, 2025

By David Phillips

SPRING VALLEY – This community is coming together to fill a hole in the heart of Spring Valley created by a fire that destroyed a historic downtown building in 2017.

A courtyard with places for people to relax and interact with each other is replacing the empty space in a row of downtown buildings on the west side of South Broadway Avenue.

O’Connor Court, named after Steve and Char O’Connor, both of whom served in Vietnam, is a project of the Spring Valley Business Alliance with input from Hanson-Raabe VFW Post 4114, which owns the property.

An early morning fire on Oct. 9, 2017, didn’t injure any individuals, but it was devastating to the community.

The historic 1871 building was one of Spring Valley’s most historic properties and home to Johnny Ringo’s Bar and Grill, a popular spot for local residents. Additionally, this building was a resource for the local VFW, which once owned the building and still had a passageway from its neighboring hall.

Local business owner Shelly Skindelien, of the downtown pet grooming business Shiny Hiney, is taking the lead on the project for the alliance, which is also working on an overall downtown redesign among other community projects (see New Design for Downtown Spring Valley, published by Root River Current).

Click here to read the full article by David Phillips in the Root River Current

Summertime’s hot at the Spring Valley library

July 30, 2025 by Chris Hahn

Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, July 25, 2025. Reprinted with permission and gratitude.

By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy

Spring Valley’s library board of trustees held its midsummer meeting last Thursday, July 17, providing library director Melissa Vander Plas an opportunity to update them on the summer reading program and upcoming activities.

She stated, “We’ve been having a lot of fun with the summer reading program. We’ve had a lot of kids in and out of the library every day, and we have over 600 hours of reading logged by the kids who have turned in their reading logs. We have storytime on Fridays, and this Friday (July 18), Gene and Jeanette (Ramaker) will be bringing their bounce house.” She wrote in addition, “Our summer reading program has been very well received this year, with 125 youth registered. We are doing reading logs this year, and 66 readers have turned in 196 logs – three hours each – for a total of 588 hours as of July 15. We have hosted two storytimes so far, with 15 kids and their parents attending each. Our Wednesday programs have been very well attended, with the Kingsland School-Age Childcare (SACC) bringing about 40 to 45 kids each week. We have hosted The International Owl Center, Dazzling Dave the Yo-Yo Master, Tales by Terry, Brodini the Magician, Rose Oyamot, Tom the Creature Teacher coming next Wednesday, and then our foam party finale planned for July 30. We have also held three dragon movie showings with several families attending — averaging about 17 to 20 at each. Our popup activities have included putting out puzzles, Connect Four game, a paper chain flag and cornhole, with a few more planned for the rest of the summer.”

Vander Plas continued, “I have been contacted by a Master gardener candidate that would like to create a seed library here at the library. She would gather seeds from various vendors, sort them into envelopes and place them in our display case for people to ‘check out.’ She is seeking the help of the Friends of the Library and other volunteers as well. Staff would simply be responsible for opening the display case when someone would want to take some seeds.”

The trustees then perused the preliminary Spring Valley Public Library (SVPL) budget for 2026, observing that it could change according to how the city chooses to align its overall budget – all city staff wages have increased by 3.5 percent in the city’s budget. The library’s 2024 actual budget was $230,143.60, the 2025 budget was $268,419.44, and its proposed 2026 budget is $281,653.94. Currently, building maintenance and staff annual raises and potential staffing increases have been topics of discussion, as the board included funding for painting the library’s interior – a sum and project that may be deferred if necessary — and approved granting Vander Plas and library assistant Jenni Lovejoy their annual pay raises in separate actions before accepting the preliminary budget.

Friends of SVPL president Sandy Sellner-Wee shared about the Friends’ recent activities to support SVPL’s mission, listing that the Friends had sold ice cream at Fins and Films over the past weekend and planned to be part of Wednesdays on Broadway if the weather finally cooperates, will be at Ag Days and also Oktoberfest, as well as the Spring Valley Area Community Foundation’s (SVACF) final Music in the Park concert slated for Bluff Brothers Brewery this Friday, July 25 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Friends members have lent a hand wrangling enthusiastic summer reading program crowds and supervised at movie hours. “We’re a small group, but they’re doing an awesome job,” Sellner-Wee said.

The board expressed its heartfelt appreciation to the community for its generosity, beginning with Gene and Jeanette Ramaker’s donations of books and Gene’s volunteerism. The Friends earned their gratitude for “helping with crowd control and crafts on summer reading program days and supervision of the dragon movies,” and area businesses were recognized for their contributions toward the summer reading program – including Racks and Sunshine Foods for monetary donations, the city of Spring Valley, Pizza Place, the Spring Valley Area Community Foundation, Kwik Trip, Valley Lanes, Casey’s, Jem Movie Theatre, Niagara Cave, Stellar 181 Taphouse and Chateau de Chic. Additionally, the board thanked several donors for their monetary gifts totaling $565 to be deposited in the library’s SELCO Foundation savings account for later expenses.

The trustees typically meet on the third Thursday of each month to manage library business, but as is their usual, they will not have an August meeting – the next meeting is Thursday, Sept. 18 at 6:00 p.m. Upcoming library programs include Tom the Creature Teacher this Wednesday, July 23 at 1:30 – bringing his reptiles and amphibians to the library, a movie this Thursday, July 24 at 2:00 – “DragonKeeper,” and the summer reading program finale foam party on Wednesday, July 30. Later, the library will hold a Willomina Art Studio watercolor class on Sept. 23 at 6:00 p.m.

The Spring Valley Public Library is located just off Broadway, on Jefferson Street, behind First National Bank. It is open Monday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday from noon to 7:00 p.m., Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and the first and third Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. For more information, log onto the library’s website at www.springvalley.lib.mn.us, call 507-346-2100, or stop in and have a look around.

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