Spring Valley EDA

Tools for Economic Growth in Spring Valley, Minnesota.

Spring Valley EDA News

Kingsland Public Schools Invites Southeast Minnesota to Informational Open House

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JULY 11, 2022:   KINGSLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS INVITES SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA COMMUNITIES TO INFORMATIONAL OPEN HOUSE – HOW DO PUBLICSCHOOLS AND SCHOOL BOARDS WORK FOR YOU? 

 

Kingsland Public Schools is proud to host a FREE informational and educational open house for communities in Southeast Minnesota! How does a school district work for you? How does a board of education work for you? These are questions most community members in every district have and we have invited Bruce Klaehn, retired superintendent, to answer them for you?

Bruce had a 41-year career in education; 13 as a teacher, 9 as an elementary school principal, and 19 as a superintendent. He spent 9 years at the helm in Grand Meadow and retired from Dover-Eyota Public Schools after 10 years as superintendent. Bruce has helped numerous districts throughout Minnesota since with providing leadership training and more.

Topics of interest include: Finances including referendums, budgets/funding, taxes/levy & aide, explaining data privacy, authorities in education including federal/state/local school board governance, curricula, roles of your school board, roles of your superintendent, how you can be involved and so much more!

As community members, we understand it can be overwhelming, confusing, or even misunderstood how our public schools operate or what exactly our school board’s authority is. We also understand that ALL communities have a common interest and passion – providing the best education for its students. This is why Kingsland is inviting all community members in Southeast Minnesota to attend, we are in it together!

When: Wednesday, July 20th, 2022
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Where: 124 N. Broadway Avenue, Spring Valley, MN 55975

Enjoy beautiful Wednesdays on Broadway in beautiful downtown Spring Valley from 5pm-8pm while you visit! Food, vendors, shopping, live music, drinks, and a great time.

Media Inquiries: Contact Scott Klavetter – 507.272.0555 or klavetter.scott@kingsland2137.org

Community Inquiries: Contact Jackie Horsman – 507.261.5479 or horsman.jackie@kingsland2137.org

Kingsland discusses gym roof replacement

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Due to the Independence Day holiday, the Kingsland School Board met on July 6 for their monthly “work session.” Superintendent Scott Klavetter highlighted the list of staffing updates, which includes new hires Abagail Palkowski (elementary sped teacher), Nathan Carolan (building and grounds director), Collin Boekhoff (elementary teacher), and John Pereda (high school guidance counselor). It was noted that Mike Johnson is retiring from his bus driver position, and Lindsey Gries will be on maternity leave.

Klavetter reported on the gym roof storm damage repair situation. He reported, “The roof was turned in to insurance in early March, with the assumption that the damage was done, as you recall, back in those December storms… We have had multiple roofing companies look at the gym roof over the past couple weeks, and the consensus is that the gym roof will need to be replaced before winter.” He went on to explain that he’s had to push back with the insurance company, because their initial assessment was that the damage was simply due to normal wear and tear due to aging, rather than storm damage. He said the roofing professionals who have examined the roof said there are clear indicators of storm damage, so the insurance should cover the loss. Klavetter will continue communication with the insurance company to “take a second look.”

Wednesdays on Broadway gives downtown SV ‘new look and vibe’

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Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, July 7, 2022.   Reprinted with permission and gratitude.

By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy 

 

“Monday, Monday, can’t trust that day…every other day, every other day of the week is fine, yeah…” Tuesday’s always a little wobbly after Monday, Thursday’s almost the weekend, Friday is devoted to packing for Saturday trips and Sunday hotel stays, or for mowing lawn. That leaves trusty, reliable Wednesday to “go downtown, downtown…forget all your troubles, forget all your cares, and go downtown…everything’s waiting for you!”

And Spring Valley resident Justin Mlinar agrees. “Bringing people downtown is so important. The evening of the June 15 event, I heard from many attendees that they were happy to see the downtown hopping again. Some even mentioned that it had been years since it was so busy. It brought a lot of joy and excitement to the people attending. Wednesdays on Broadway is a farmers’ market with a block party feel.”

He elaborated on the initiative to enliven Spring Valley’s commercial thoroughfare, citing, “We hope to bring our community together once a month for a night out to showcase all we have to offer – live music, food vendors, shopping, fun for the whole family. Earlier in the day, all cars are cleared from the street. Vendor and exhibitor booths begin to line the street in the parking spaces at around 4 p.m. The whole downtown area takes on a whole new look and vibe.”

Mlinar explained, “Wednesdays on Broadway takes place the third Wednesday each month from 5 to 8 p.m. The June 15 event was a lot of fun, and we are hoping for even more fun throughout the summer. There are three events still to attend–July 20, August 17, and September 21 – and we have live music each month …” which he named as Schmidty (July 20), Luke Hendrickson (Aug. 17), and country jam with the Stiers, Cindy Seabright, and more (Sept. 21).

He continued, “Wednesdays on Broadway hosts 50-plus vendors and exhibitors at each event. The variety of what is available…may surprise people. Every booth is different, and you’re sure to find something you love. The vendors are selling some really amazing items, all the way from art, reclaimed items, handmade jewelry, lotions and soaps to fresh vegetables and even meat. Exhibitors vary, from local businesses, organizations and clubs, most of which have prizes to give away or games for children to play, and each event also has live music playing throughout from 5 to 8 p.m.”

Food is also a big part of this event, he added, “We have the occasional food trucks, however, all of our downtown restaurants are also open and ready to serve some really delicious food. Stellar 181 Taphouse, Big Bob’s Eatery, The Pizza Place and Valley Diner are all open during the event. It is a great opportunity to have businesses come, be a part of this event and engage with the Spring Valley community and others from visiting communities. Our wish is to see Spring Valley not as a competition but instead as a co-op where businesses are supporting each other.”

Mlinar, who is part of a marketing team for several local events, cited that Wednesdays on Broadway “was an idea that started between Tiffany Mundfrom and Jenn and Alex Slifka.” He added, “The planning group for Wednesdays on Broadway is excited to keep the event going, and we are already discussing ways to make it bigger and better for next year. Since the planning group was formed, Wednesdays on Broadway has grown to a size that we could have never imagined. We have discussed increasing Wednesdays on Broadway to bi-weekly or even weekly; however, it will take additional conversations to figure out if this is feasible or not. We want to keep this going as long as there is an interest and people want to get out and enjoy Spring Valley and have some fun. The excitement of something new draws a lot of people to Wednesdays on Broadway. Not just from Spring Valley, but also from surrounding communities… we had people attend as far away as from Rochester, St. Charles, Preston and even northern Iowa, to name a few.”

Mlinar is pleased to state that there have been very few challenges getting this event off the ground. “We have been really fortunate to have a lot of great people on the planning group…a bit of a dream team, you could say. They are working hard to make Wednesdays on Broadway a success. At this point, the weather has been our only challenge, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that we have good weather moving forward. Weather can be tricky in Minnesota. The skies barely cleared in time for the June 15 event. With vendors booked at other gatherings and festivals, we decided not to have rain dates. However, we do have a backup plan to move into the Spring Valley Community Center, if needed.”

He remarked that the rewards of organizing and promoting the downtown gathering lie in witnessing the work’s results. “Having people out enjoying themselves and seeing them smile while they are at Wednesdays on Broadway is the best reward. However, I suppose it’s the economic benefits to Spring Valley, too, because it’s businesses, and the visiting vendors and exhibitors are an added bonus as well. We have a lot of vendors and exhibitors coming from other communities…too many to share. It’s best to keep an eye on the Wednesdays Facebook posts for up-to-date information on who will be there, and there is a full list of participants on the Economic Development Authority’s (EDA) website, but this list can change if someone were to back out or be added. A full list of vendors and exhibitors is posted the day before the event once they are assigned a space.”

He’s enamored of the neighborliness that has come of people getting together downtown on a mid-week evening. “I believe that community is very important. After the past two years, our community needs events like this. Regardless of the number of attendees, bringing people together at Wednesdays on Broadway brings a great feeling of success. And it’s nice to see old friends connect and new friendships begin. It’s a fun time for the entire family…attendees young and old will not be disappointed. I hope that everyone enjoys the entire evening, from shopping and music to the food. Although we are new to hosting this event, we are constantly discussing ways to improve so everyone will have the most enjoyable experience.”

Mlinar concluded by giving kudos to Tiffany Mundfrom, Jenn and Alex Slifka and the city of Spring Valley for making the event successful. “Without their support, Wednesdays on Broadway wouldn’t happen. I know I said it before, but the ‘community’ feel is amazing. Even among visitors from other communities, you still feel like you’re welcome and that you belong.”

For more information, log onto the Wednesdays on Broadway Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WednesdaysonBroadwaySpringValleyMN/, or check out the Spring Valley Economic Development Authority website at https://springvalleyeda.org.

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

Spring Valley addresses grass and other cleanup

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The Spring Valley city council held a regular meeting on June 27.  All council members were present (Mayor Tony Archer, John Dols, Chris Danielson, Luan Ruesink, and Greg Brooks). City Administrator/Clerk Deb Zimmer participated as well.

Zimmer shared with the council regarding the city’s enforcement of excessively tall grass and other violations of city ordinances aimed at keeping the city orderly.  Zimmer’s report included, “Letters were sent for long grass notice.  Mowers were hired to mow three properties.  The Warrant came through for the cleanup of the Sass property.  Working on getting that scheduled.”

Click to read the full story by Rich Wicks in the July 4, 2022 Fillmore County Journal 

Osterud -Winter Foundation Approves Semi-Annual Distribution

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Trustees of the Osterud-Winter Foundation met to approve the semi-annual distribution of $34,100, proceeds from the $1 million trust established for the Spring Valley area by the late John N. Osterud, Founder of Home Federal.  The Trustees approved distributions to the following organizations:

 

Kingsland School District Scholarship Fund
Spring Valley Cemetery Organization
Spring Valley Living
Spring Valley Public Library
Spring Valley Historical Society

 

Discretionary Grants:

 

Spring Valley Ambulance
Spring Valley Fire Department
Senior Dining/ Meals on Wheels
Spring Valley Historical Society
City of Spring Valley EDA
Kingsland School Parents
Spring Valley Public Library

 

The Osterud-Winter Foundation was established in 1994 and the past 28 years we have provided the students of Kingsland School District scholarships totaling $865,000 with total charitable distributions of $1,730,000. We continue to be grateful for the generous gift to our community and appreciate the US Bank Private Wealth Management Group of Rochester of investment advice.  The trustees are Deanna Capelle, Sue Kolling and Steve Heusinkveld.

Spring Valley to patch streets and fill potholes

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The Spring Valley City Council held a regular meeting on June 13.  All council members were present (Mayor Tony Archer, John Dols, Chris Danielson, Luan Ruesink, and Greg Brooks).  City Administrator/Clerk Deb Zimmer was absent, so Chris Hahn participated in her stead.

The council discussed a price quotation from RCM Specialties, for filling potholes and other patchwork needed on city streets.  Council members said the city had been pleased with work done by that company before, and the council voted to approve the work to be done as listed in the quote, at a price of $25,000.

Next, the council considered operations at the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP).  A proposal was received from the firm of Bolton & Menk, for “interim assistance” on operations at the WWTP, until the city can have a fully certified and trained operator in-house.  The council voted to accept the proposal from Bolton & Menk.  The council also approved two new employees for the city: Ben Chopp as WWTP Operator, and Jordan Lieffort as Deputy Clerk.  Chris Danielson mentioned that she sat in on the interviewing with each, and feels they will be good employees.

Click to read the full story by Rich Wicks  from June 22, 2022 in the Fillmore County Journal