News + Announcements

By Joshua Schuetz

In a bid to breathe new life into the city of Kenyon’s historic Depot Park, local volunteers and students from Minnesota State University, Mankato have joined forces for a much-needed renovation project. CEDA team member Cora Boelman, emphasized the significance of this endeavor, stating, “The structure itself hadn’t been painted since the ’90s and we received grant funding from SMIF to make it happen, so it was something we could do to make a change.”

The project has faced its share of challenges, notably in rallying volunteer engagement. However, recent efforts have seen 15 dedicated volunteers come together to tackle the renovation. The interior has been painted a shade of green to match the nearby Goodhue Depot, preserving its historical charm. Depot Park has long served as a venue for family reunions, baby showers, and community events, including the upcoming “trunk or treat” celebration.

The revitalization effort has not stopped at the building itself; it has sparked discussions about the underutilized green space surrounding Depot Park. Plans are underway to explore additional enhancements and amenities for the park, with the aim of making it more attractive and accessible to the community.

CEDA Vice President Chris Giesen has been designated as the main point of contact for the project, while graduate students from Minnesota State University, Mankato are collaborating to devise various layout and improvement ideas for the park’s exterior. Boelman noted, “It’s a stepping stone for us” highlighting the potential for further transformation in the future.

The project has been made possible through grants for gallons of paint and community support, helping to offset costs and provide the necessary supplies. Located near downtown and boasting amenities like a disc golf course, Depot Park is poised to regain its status as a central hub for the community, thanks to the dedicated efforts of local volunteers and students alike.

By Joshua Schuetz

The City of Spring Grove was awarded $312,990 through an application to Minnesota DEED’s Redevelopment Grant, authored by CEDA. The award, which was announced in September, is the largest amount awarded to any community in greater Minnesota through the program.

The funding will be used to rebuild a mixed-use property in Spring Grove, which burned down last year, displacing one business and several residents.

“Right after that happened, we immediately went for state aid, and then we started writing this grant,” said CEDA team member Rebecca Charles, who authored the grant.

Following the fire, the property was purchased by the Spring Grove Real Estate Fund, a private, nonprofit investment organization in the city. The Spring Grove Real Estate Fund was formed through a partnership with SMIF led by CEDA team member Courtney Bergey-Swanson.

“They immediately began working on some ideas on what to do with the space, and what they came up with was a mixed use building,” Charles said. “We hope to have another hardware store in it, but we don’t have a tenant at this time.”

Six two bedroom apartments, four studio apartments and six one bedroom apartments will be included in the new building. A disaster for the city has transformed into a project that will add a new business and sixteen much-needed housing units to the community.

Charles said the community has fully supported the project and that residents are glad to know that something will be done with the property.

“As soon as the EDA knew we were doing something with it, they had a local artist create a mural on the plywood covering parts of the property, and everyone was very excited about the project,” Charles said. “DEED will inform us of the next steps and we will use this funding to move the project forward.”

The new building’s name is appropriate to its story: Føniks, which is the Norwegian word for phoenix-the bird that rises from the ashes.

By Joshua Schuetz

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack paid a significant visit to Lime Springs in Howard County, Iowa, where he emphasized the importance of rural economic development. During his visit, Vilsack toured Upper Iowa Beef, a meatpacking plant in Lime Springs that expanded its facilities through a USDA grant. Following the tour, Vilsack held a roundtable discussion with local farmers, business leaders, and economic development professionals, including CEDA team members Jason Passmore, Spiff Slifka, Chris Giesen and CEDA Board member Brian Krambeer.

Slifka said one point of discussion was the income disparity between farmers, something Vilsack said the USDA has not been active enough in addressing in recent years. Since 1981, 437,000 small farms have been lost in the United States, and a smaller share of corporate farms collects more income.

“We know that 7 percent of farms are owned by large corporations. Last year, we had record income from farmers, but that 7 percent of corporate farming took 89 percent of the income, which left 93 percent of the farmers with 11 percent of the income” she said.

Investing in rural America and helping make rural prosperity more widespread were discussed at the roundtable. Passmore said Vilsack announced additional funding for farmers, with programs aimed at helping them monetize animal waste by turning it into SAF (sustainable aviation fuel) among other things. These programs help farmers in two ways: first, they can make them more sustainable, and second, they can help farmers make financially unproductive
parts of the farming cycle profitable.

“One challenge he had for us is not just tied to our investments with the USDA but with the growing industries in the energy fields and other agricultural related fields that are coming up. How do we position ourselves as communities to possibly recruit some of these new business startups? How do we align ourselves that way similar to a supply chain?” he said.

Passmore said CEDA’s work in Howard County aligns with that challenge, as the county’s revolving loan funds have provided funding to startups, transitions and established businesses across a diverse range of local industries. “Right now, we have more than $1 million in USDA revolving loan funding currently assisting 36 businesses in Howard County.”

Giesen added “Brian Krambeer from MiEnergy Cooperative spoke of their USDA REDLG program that has provided millions to area businesses as well. It’s great to see CEDA working on the front lines engaged with USDA to elevate our rural communities and improve their sustainability.”

By Joshua Schuetz

One year ago, CEDA team member Hillary Tweed was approached by a group of women in Benson who had an idea: to revive the Benson’s Quilt and Garden Tour, which was last held more than thirty years ago.

“They wanted to get the event going again in Benson, so we started meeting monthly to begin planning,” Tweed said. “This was all done because members of the community wanted to contribute, so the quilters and gardeners donated their materials and space.”

A quilt and garden tour is exactly what it sounds like: gardens from around the community were chosen, and quilts were placed around them, along with refreshments, offering attendees the chance to enjoy local art, crafts, ambience and food.

When Tweed and the group began recruiting quilters, they discovered more interest in
quilting—and the event—than they had expected. “We had so many quilts submitted that we had to cap it at 120,” Tweed said. “As we started receiving positive feedback from people in Benson, other organizations jumped on board.”
The Zetetic Study Group provided the refreshments served at the event, and Thrivent Financial also offered monetary support. The Benson Golf Club, meanwhile, donated the use of the clubhouse to sell tickets for the event.

Tweed said the reason she was contacted was that the local organizers were aware of the economic development office’s work on other area events and its use of social media to promote local activities.

“We have a music in the market event, and I help with managing the Benson Facebook Page, so they knew our office was involved in organizing and promoting events,” Tweed said. “It also helps that I like to quilt, too!”

When all was said and done, the event, held on June 28th, was more successful than its organizers had expected, with over a hundred quilts on display across several gardens in the community and attendees.

“We had a lot of people whom I didn’t expect to see there—it wasn’t just quilters and gardeners, and we were able to have local artists come and paint landscape scenes at the event, which people really liked.” Tweed said. “It truly was something for the entire Benson community, and it was great that we were able to revive it.”

By Joshua Schuetz

Residents and visitors to Hayfield now have a new way to take trips ‘round the town. The city’s new bike share service, work on which has been underway throughout this year, is now open to the public as of August 23.

Hayfield’s bike share service is free. Six new bikes were purchased through the funding from The Hayfield EDA, with the help of CEDA team member Rebecca Charles, led the way on the project, which was funded in part by a $10,000 grant from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF). A bike rodeo was held last year to raise awareness and additional community support for the project.

Bike shares, which allow residents and visitors to rent bikes for free or a small fee, are growing in popularity throughout Minnesota and the United States as cities look to promote physical exercise, reduce car dependency and give residents more opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, there are 2,655 bike share stations in 65 cities across the United States.
SMIF, and work on the pergolas and bike racks was also funded through the grant. In order to make the service accessible and inclusive to all residents, the city chose to purchase bikes of varying sizes, including youth to adult frames.

The new bike share racks are located under two pergolas by city hall. In addition to sheltering the bicycles from rain, the pergolas will offer residents a place to rest in the shade when walking downtown, checking one of the bikes out, or bringing a bike in after a ride. Bicycles will be stored indoors during the winter months.

Residents and visitors are welcome to check out bikes from the city, which can be done at city hall. Weekend rentals are also available but must be checked out by 3:30 p.m. on Thursdays.