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.

Watch City Council Meetings Online!

Owatonna’s City Council meetings are now available to watch live or on demand. Visit owatonna.gov/Government/Mayor & City Council to see options and links. Click this link to view a live feed of Owatonna’s Public Access, Education & Government Channel where City Council meetings are aired live and rebroadcast. Or, to view any past City Council meeting on demand, click this link: owatonna.gov. Owatonna School Board meetings are also available to view through these options.

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 on the City’s website: https://owatonna.gov/agendacenter.

May 15: Economic Development Authority will meet at 4 p.m. in the Charles S Crandall Center, 540 West Hills Circle.

May 16: Library Board will meet at 4 p.m. in the Gainey Room at the Owatonna Public Library, 105 North Elm Avenue.

May 21: A Study Session will be at 5:30 p.m. in the Chambers, 540 West Hills Circle to discuss a Great River Greening grant received for trees, tree care and public education. In addition, Whitney Johnson from Allina Health will provide an update on hospital matters and Emily Thamert, Human Resources Director will give a culture update. The City Council Meeting will begin in the Chambers at 7 p.m.

What Will Owatonna Look Like in 2050?

Input Needed to 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 that question. Imagine Owatonna 2050 is a guiding framework that will help city leaders, developers, business owners and citizens make decisions about how Owatonna will grow over the next 20-plus years.

City staff has engaged with residents and stakeholders from Engage Owatonna, the business community, parks and recreation advocates, nonprofit agencies, social service providers, immigrant communities 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. This input from across the community, gathered through Six-Word Stories, a survey, focus groups, etc., were used as a foundation for developing a draft Comprehensive Plan.

Everyone in Owatonna is invited to stop by May 16 between 4 and 7 p.m. for an Open House at Owatonna Public Utilities, 208 South Walnut Avenue, Morehouse Room. This is one way to provide input on the draft Imagine Owatonna 2050 Comprehensive Plan's 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. Presentations will be provided at 4:30 and 6 p.m.

To provide input on the draft plan online, please visit 2050 Comprehensive Plan (arcgis.com) and look for the "give your input" link to take a brief survey before June 30.

“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 additional information, visit Imagine Owatonna: 2050 Comprehensive Plan | Owatonna, MN.

May 17 & 18 Proclaimed Poppy Days

During the May 7 City Council Meeting, Mayor Kuntz proclaimed May 17 & 18 as Poppy Days. The red Buddy Poppy is a nationally recognized symbol of sacrifice worn by Americans since World War I to honor those who served and died for our country in all wars. The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) distributes the Buddy Poppies. For additional information about Poppy Days, visit National Poppy Day (legion-aux.org).

Adventure Begins at Your Library graphic

Spend the Summer at the Owatonna Public Library

Summer Reading Program

Resources and programming for those of all ages are available at the Owatonna Public Library all year ‘round. There are also ways for youth to maintain reading skills throughout the summer months with free programs and materials. Visit Owatonna.gov/library for details on the 2024 Summer Reading Program, “Adventure Begins at Your Library.” Stop by the library for the program kick-off between 3 and 6 p.m. June 5. Events planned include Bakken Museum/Science of Space, Sustainable Safari Wildlife Show, the International Owl Center and much more!

Storytime Tuesdays for Summer

Weekly summer Storytime Tuesdays at 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. will begin June 11.

Photo of Troy Klecker speaking to Grand Rapids representatives

Owatonna’s Downtown Revitalization Seen as Best Practice

The Grand Rapids, Minnesota Downtown Advisory Group visited Owatonna April 30to hear about how the downtown area has been revitalized.

Lisa Cochran, Owatonna’s Main Street Director, greeted the group and shared the structure of Owatonna’s Main Street organization. Kevin Raney, City Council Vice President provided information about Owatonna’s economic development efforts. City of Owatonna Community Development Director Troy Klecker spoke about the physical design and infrastructure included in the downtown streetscape project completed last year. He also provided background on how the redevelopment of Owatonna’s downtown evolved.

Other speakers included Brad Meier, President & CEO of the Owatonna Area Chamber of Commerce; Sean Williams, Executive Director of the Owatonna Area Business Development Center; members of the Owatonna Business Partnership Lauren Kozelka and Matt Jessop; Darrin Stadheim and Scott Mohs.

Following the presentations, the group toured the Main Street District. They also visited several other historic downtown areas around the state. For additional information about Owatonna’s Main Street District, visit owatonna.org. To find out more about Owatonna’s economic development efforts, visit owatonna.gov.

Photo of posts installed for new gate at Lake Kohlmier

New Park Gates

As a safety precaution, new gates are being installed at Dartts Park and Lake Kohlmier. They are designed to help minimize illegal activity and protect park property. Electricity will be added to these gates in the coming weeks. City parks are open from 6 a.m. until 11 p.m. daily. The new gates were funded through a public safety grant. For additional information about Owatonna’s parks and the amenities at each one, check out the Parks and Recreation Finder app.

National Public Works Week May 19-25, 2024

(Article source: apwa.org)

The American Public Works Association (APWA) is proud to announce the theme "Advancing Quality of Life for All" for the 2024 National Public Works Week poster. Public works departments contribute to advancing and enhancing our quality of life, no matter where we live in the world. Public works professionals provide essential services that lead to healthier, happier, more vibrant communities.

The "Advancing Quality of Life for All" theme shines a spotlight on the way public works professionals advance our quality of life, whether as a first responder to an electricity outage, regular waste pickup or in a myriad of other ways they silently serve their communities.

Public works professionals provide an infrastructure of services in transportation, water, wastewater, and stormwater treatment, public buildings and spaces, parks and grounds, emergency management and first response, solid waste and right-of-way management. They make communities dynamic places to live and work.

Photo collage of ducks stuck and then freed

Wastewater Crew to the Rescue!

The Owatonna Wastewater Collection crew recently performed a task they aren’t asked to do every day. They helped a mother duck reunite with her ducklings after they had fallen into a storm sewer. All the ducklings were safely retrieved and the feathered family continued on their way!

West Frontage Road Closing May 16–17

West Frontage Road between Culver's and Olivia's will be closed beginning Thursday, May 16 and is expected to reopen by Friday afternoon. During this time, City crews will repair sanitary sewers. The length of closure is subject to change due to weather or other factors.

The detour plan is available at owatonna.gov. Drivers are asked to drive slowly down, remain aware of construction workers and follow all posted signs in the project area. Thank you for your patience as this work is completed.

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