The Owatonna Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) will host a Memorial Day Ceremony at 10:30 a.m. at the Four Seasons Centre, 1525 South Elm Avenue. The public is invited to attend.

City Meetings This Week

The public is invited to attend the following City meetings this week. Agendas, meeting minutes and City Council packets are available in the Agenda Center online at https://owatonna.gov/agendacenter.

May 9: Airport Commission meeting 5 p.m. at the Owatonna Degner Regional Airport.

May 14: South Central Drug Investigation Unit will meet at 1 p.m. in the Meeting Room at the Waseca Public Safety Center in Waseca. At 5:30 p.m., the Human Rights Commission meeting will be in the Charles S. Crandall Center Conference Room and the Planning Commission meeting will be in the Chambers.

New Commissioners Julia Seykora and Jennifer Hansen being appointed

Volunteers Appointed & Reappointed

Volunteers serve on the City’s 12 boards and commissions and most terms expire annually in April. During the May 7 City Council Meeting, Mayor Thomas Kuntz recommended, and the City Council approved, the appointment of the following new commissioners:

Airport Commission: Greg Krueger
Human Rights Commission: Julia Seykora, Jennifer Hansen & Jessica Bjore

In addition, Mayor Kuntz recommended, and the City Council approved, reappointments for these board/commissioners to serve new terms:

Fire Code Board of Appeals & Fire Civil Service Board - Paul Smith
Housing & Development Authority - Lindsay Schultz
Park & Rec Board - Gina McGuire & Sara Baird
Planning Commission - Mark Wilson & Nicholas Peake
Public Library Board - Karen Malin
Public Utilities Commission - Doug Zirngible
West Hills Commission - Arlan Burmeister & Jan Mittlestadt Tippett

What Will Owatonna Look Like in 2050?

Your input May 16 will help shape Comprehensive Plan

What is your wish for Owatonna in the next 20 to 30 years? The City of Owatonna is developing a Comprehensive Plan through the Imagine Owatonna 2050 process to address this question.

Imagine Owatonna 2050 is a guiding framework that will help city leaders, developers, business owners and citizens make decisions about how the city will grow over the next 20-plus years. Throughout this process, the City has engaged with residents and stakeholders from the business community, parks and recreation advocates, nonprofit agencies and social service providers, Owatonna’s immigrant community and residents of all ages. Community engagement and input throughout the process has been essential in creating a draft vision, values, and high-level goals for the 2050 Comprehensive Plan.

Next, the City of Owatonna will host an Open House to gather input on the draft Imagine Owatonna 2050 plan with a vision and goals for the future. The event will provide information about planning land use and development, parks and trails, transportation, housing, economic development and the environment!

Everyone in Owatonna is invited to stop by May 16 between 4 and 7 p.m. for this Open House which will include two opportunities to view a presentation at 4:30 and 6 p.m. It will be held at Owatonna Public Utilities, 208 South Walnut Avenue, in the Morehouse Room. “It has been great to hear from diverse groups about what the future should look like in terms of City planning,” said Greg Kruschke, Community Development Manager. “We look forward to ongoing involvement from across the community as we work to finalize these plans.”

For background on Imagine Owatonna 2050, maps and other information, please visit www.owatonna.gov/imagine2050. This website will be updated before the Open House with similar content to provide an alternative to in-person attendance.

Calling All Third Graders

It’s time for Steele County Safety Camp!

Registration is open for this year’s Steele County Safety Camp June 6 and 7. This event is designed for kids who are in third grade during the current school year. Along with fun and games, participants will learn how to stay safe when fishing, boating, canoeing, camping, hiking, biking and using firearms as well as some basic instructions on first aid and electrical, fire and outdoor equipment safety and much, much more. The camp is held at the Lake Kohlmier boat landing and McKinley Elementary.

Safety Camp is hosted by the Owatonna Police Department, Owatonna Fire Department, Allina Health, Blooming Prairie Police Department, Federated Insurance, Life Fitness, Minnesota State Patrol, Owatonna Izaak Walton League, Owatonna Public Utilities, and Steele County Sheriff’s Office. Safety Camp is made possible thanks to support from Owatonna’s generous business community! Visit www.steelecountysafetycamp.com for more information and to register.

Arson Awareness Week

May 5-11, 2024

The goal of Arson Awareness Week is to highlight the dangers of arson and what can be done to prevent it. According to the State Fire Marshal, over the past 10 years in Minnesota, arson has killed 25 people and caused nearly $99 million in property damage.

Arson destroys more than homes; it can devastate a neighborhood resulting in decline through increased insurance premiums and a decrease in property values. To help prevent arson, consider taking these steps:

Install lights on all sides of the house including motion-activated lighting near the entrances.
Trim or remove shrubbery blocking the view of the house from the street.
Clean around the house and garage to remove unused and unneeded paper, trash, cleaning supplies, partial cans of paint and other materials that could become kindling and fuel a fire for an arsonist.
Get to know your neighbors and help each other keep an eye on the neighborhood.

To anonymously report suspicious fires, call the Arson Hotline at 800.723.2020. Additional information about arson prevention is available on the US Fire Administration’s website.

Read Your Community events

The Featured Read for May 2024 is Dear Jacob: A Mother’s Journey of Hope by Patty Wetterling and Joy Baker. A Community Book Discussion is scheduled at the Library at 6 p.m. on May 9. A Book Signing at 5 p.m. and Author Program at 6 p.m. will be open to the public May 20 at the Steele County History Center.

Author Sun Yung Shin Tour includes Owatonna

As part of the 2024 Minnesota Author Tour, Sun Yung Shin will speak at the Owatonna Public Library May 14 at 7 p.m. (This is an after-hours program as OPL closes at 5 p.m. Tuesdays.) This event is free and open to the public.

Sun Yung Shin is a winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, PEN USA Literary Award and MN Book Award. Organized by SELCO (Southeastern Library Cooperating) and funded through Minnesota’s Legacy Amendment Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, this tour brings Minnesota authors to Southeast Minnesota to inspire readers and writers of all ages.

Lake Kohlmier Being Treated

The Lake Kohlmier beach area is scheduled for chemical treatment May 14 or 15, weather permitting. After treatment, the water is not safe for swimming (two days), fishing/fish consumption (three days) and other uses – drinking, irrigation, livestock watering, pets, etc. (seven days). The Park Maintenance Division treats Lake Kohlmier annually for weeds and swimmer’s itch. Call 507.444.4321 for more information.

Mineral Springs Waterfall Restored

City crews recently restored the waterfall at Mineral Springs Park. With some concrete patching and leak repairs, water is once again being pumped out of the Straight River to the top of the falls and then returns to the river creating a beautiful waterfall worthy of a stop to take in.

2024 City Construction Projects

City Council Approved Bids

The City Council voted unanimously at its May 7 meeting to approve bids for the following construction projects this summer. Start dates for the 2024 projects have yet to be determined. Sign up for updates from the Public Works Department to stay informed!

Street Maintenance (Crack Sealing & Seal Coating)

Roadways in need of repair are first crack-sealed and then seal-coated. Approximately 4.99 miles are planned for crack sealing and seal coating in 2024. Pearson Bros, Inc. of Hanover, Minnesota was awarded the contract with a price of $202,067.

Cedar Avenue North Mill & Overlay

A section of North Cedar Avenue requires repairs beyond crack sealing and routine pothole filling. Due to the deteriorating condition, 0.9 miles of North Cedar Avenue from the bridge south of 11th Avenue to the 26th Street roundabout are planned to be overlaid. The contract was awarded to Crane Creek Asphalt Div. of Mathy Construction for $282,115.

2024 Miscellaneous Overlay Project

Four street segments are planned to be overlayed this construction season:

Rolling Green Drive SE - from Van Buren Avenue SE to Minnesota Avenue
Van Buren Avenue SE - from Havana Road to South Street
Phelps Street - from Harriet Avenue SE to Hillcrest Avenue SE
Paris Place

This project will be completed by a contractor that will do the preparation work and the Owatonna Street Department will do the paving. Steve James Excavating of Owatonna has been awarded the preparation portion of the project with a contract price of $82,200.

East Side Corridor Milestone Reached

Steele County and City of Owatonna officials recently announced the proposed East Side Corridor project has achieved a milestone in the preparation of the environmental documents necessary to plan and construct the new roadway. The Federal Highway Administration has accepted the project’s Purpose and Need and Evaluation Criteria Memos.

These two memos are the first of several steps in preparing the project’s federal environmental document which will include a series of reports describing the impact of the East Side Corridor project on people and the environment. The environmental document will study the impact on traffic, cultural resources, noise and wetlands. The document will also outline the efforts required to avoid, minimize and mitigate impacts to these resources. These reports and the final environmental documents are expected to be completed later this year and then be made available for public comment.

The project proposes to build a north-south roadway on the east side of Owatonna from near the intersection of Bixby Road and 18th Street SE to Kenyon Road with an extension of 26th Street NE. The project is scheduled to begin construction in 2026.

To learn more about the project, the next steps, view the memos or a project update newsletter, visit the project website at: https://eastsidecorridor.com.

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