WILLMAR—For those who think that walleye are the star of the show when the Willmar Lakes Area hosts the 2018 Governor’s Fishing Opener, try again.
It’s really an opportunity to showcase all of the attractions the area offers, and let people know why this is a great place to visit or call home.
Organizers are expecting 125 media guests during the four days of activities May 10-13, according to Beth Fischer, executive director of the Willmar Lakes Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
WILLMAR—With the approval Tuesday night of a tax increment financing district, the 15th Street Flats apartment project in Willmar has cleared one of its last hurdles and is now on schedule to begin construction in June.
“The city and the EDC have been working with Commonwealth Development for approximately a year to bring this project to the table, to fruition,” said Bruce Peterson, Planning and Development director.
The resolution creating the district was approved by the Willmar City
It was back during the November elections in 2016, the Raymond Assisted Living project was passed by public vote to approve financing for construction and equipping a 12-unit home for the aged by the city of Raymond. With the question passing by the Raymond community with 70 percent support, the Raymond Assisted Living Committee began the next phase in bringing an assisted living home to Raymond. Now in 2018, the project has stalled, but not for lack of trying, in fact, it has stalled so that the
RAYMOND—Kati and Adam Hess posted an S.O.S. on Facebook.
Colin and Stephanie Froehlich jumped on a tip from one of Stephanie’s co-workers.
Hal and Terri Miller got the inside track thanks to their son.
No matter the approach, the destination was the same: Raymond. They are among the new homeowners in this western Kandiyohi County community of 764 people, where there was a flurry of activity this past autumn. The successful were those who acted fast.
“That’s just how it goes,”
NEW LONDON—There’s more than just beer brewing at the Goat Ridge Brewing Co. in New London.
After 2½ years in business—and following an expansion last year—Goat Ridge is adding another 1,600 square feet onto the business.
The addition will create space for an expanded taproom, a bigger brewhouse and a bigger dance floor for their frequent live music shows and space for a farm-to-table restaurant.
“It’s a nice fit,” said Josh Reed, who owns Goat Ridge with his wife,
WILLMAR—With millions of state bonding money on the line when the Legislature reconvenes next month, local officials made the case Monday that several area projects should be funded.
Members of the Senate Capital Investment Committee began a 12-day tour of the state Monday to hear pitches for projects seeking state funding.
During an hour-long stop at Ridgewater College in Willmar, committee members heard about the nuts and bolts of two major road and bridge projects and maintenance projects at
SPICER—Wearing ice-covered boots and wiping away icicles from beards and noses, a crew of about 40 people were busy Wednesday harvesting massive ice blocks from Green Lake.
Prized for the crystal-clear ice that reflects a blue hue as the sun filters through the bitter cold air, the 573-pound blocks of Green Lake ice will be the jewels used to build a 70-foot-tall ice castle in St. Paul for the Winter Carnival.
St. Paul’s annual winter celebration will be extended an extra week this year—from
Willmar is a diverse community with a large Latino and Somali/East African population that is increasingly represented in the business world. Members of these communities own and operate approximately 12% of businesses in Willmar, as evidenced by a recent Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) Survey of diverse businesses undertaken by the EDC.
Last fall, the Southwest Initiative Foundation awarded a grant to the EDC to design and implement a BRE program for diverse businesses in the Willmar area.
“A dynamic county with much to offer existing and prospective businesses” is the summary used by contributing writer Gina Stephens to describe the Willmar area in a six-page article featured in the September 2017 publication of Business in Focus magazine.
Providing a comprehensive view of North American business, the magazine offers monthly online and print editions that bring together the country’s top businesses and potential clients. Business in Focus is a national publication with
MHFA Approves $15.8 million in Affordable Housing for Willmar
On October 19, 2017, the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency announced it approved funding for two multi-family affordable housing projects in Willmar—15th Street Flats and Hanson Apartments. The former is a $9.3 million project that involves new construction of a building with 47 rental units on the southeast side of Willmar. The latter is a $6.5 million project that includes acquisition and rehabilitation of 56 rental units in two buildings
