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Our invocation was offered by Kathy Austvold and Wally Cole was our song leader. We celebrated January and February birthdays, recognizing Steve Andrews, Lois Josefson Russell and Dave Peters with January birthdays and Mark Bring, Hal Leland and Anthony Nordan with February birthdays. Only Steve, Mark and Hal were present and those sitting on each side of them (or whose names were next to the honorees on the Zoom participant list) celebrated a little extra by contributing a dollar to the club coffers. This writer also put in a dollar to brag about Kathy Austvold not bolting from the meeting last week when the snake was brought out, but she reported that she didn't depart because she never looked at the snake and husband Steve was with her. Keith Olson, with us from sunny Arizona, stated he had personally been proximate to two Western diamondback rattle snakes in the prior week and also paid to brag that February was the month his father and Ronald Reagen were born, both on February 6th. Buzz Lundeen introduced our program, Mayor Ben Schierer, first elected to office in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. Ben and Tessa have five children and they also operate Union Pizza and Toast. He went through the history of the downtown riverfront project, telling us that it was initiated in the summer of 2016 and by January of 2018 they had in place the plan. It identified five strategic sites, including the dairy property, a two-block downtown stretch on the river and the old mill site. Phase I, currently under construction, is a $5.1 million dollar project that includes the river overlook and plaza//farmers market. Phase II construction is expected to start this spring and will include the splash pad; a $1.75 million bonding request for this phase has been made to the State but even if received about 25 to 30% of the necessary funding will have to come from local dollars. Mayor Schierer also told us that on June 30 of this year there will be a big celebration of the City's 150th anniversary. He also talked about Fergus Falls not having a strategic or comprehensive land use plan. This can be a problem for developers who are expecting one but also can be a divisive subject with the citizenry. The City will be working on such a plan this year, covering land use, infrastructure development, economic development and community development. We also learned there will be referendum to extend the local sales tax on this fall's ballot to support an aquatic center and improvements to Delagoon Park, specifically to the camping area and upgrading the baseball and soccer fields. The local sales tax is now raising about $1.5 million dollars a year, which reflects about a 50% increase over what had become the norm. The local sales tax for the library will be expiring in August of 2023. Ben reported that the Council is not moving forward with a franchise fee at this time, but he also noted local government levy dollars have gone down since he became a Council member in 2004. Recognizing that the past two years have been tough for everyone, our mayor complemented the City Counsel and staff for the work they have done during the pandemic. Ben was thanked for his remarks and a book will be given to a local library to recognize his presentation. The book? The Berenstain Bears and The Truth. . |
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