WILLMAR—For a few days last week a large crane towered over state Highway 40, near County State Aid Highway 55, as a new box culvert was installed at the Hawk Creek crossing. The installation is part of the Willmar Wye Rail Connector and Industrial Access project.
Despite the rains, the Hoffman Team, the contractor for the Willmar Wye project, continued pushing forward with construction on the road portion of the rail bypass project. The entire project will include a new section to U.S. Highway
Popular destination in Kandiyohi County was designated on April 23, 1919
Celebration events are planned throughout the summer to honor 100 years of Sibley State Park, according to the Department of Natural Resources. The park, in west-central Minnesota, is named for the state’s first governor, Henry Hastings Sibley, and was funded by the state Legislature and designated as a state park on April 23, 1919.
“Sibley State Park is a special place for many people,” said park naturalist Kelsey
WILLMAR—To help move the construction of new 24-unit apartment building at the Sunwood Apartment Complex near Ridgewater College forward, developer AEHM LLC has requested the Willmar City Council consider approval of a 10-year tax abatement for the project.
Gabe Olson, of AEHM, explained that with rising construction costs, the project would probably not be possible without assistance from the city.
“Construction costs are pretty high,” Olson said. “Without the abatement, it would
The EDC has identified childcare as a goal for 2018 and is participating in the Rural Child Care Innovation Program led by First Children’s Finance in Kandiyohi County. The program is a community engagement process designed to address the challenges of childcare in rural communities. A recent survey of local employers and parents resulted in more than 1,200 responses. A community conversation was held on November 29th where the results of the survey and the future of the program were presented.
WILLMAR—Kandiyohi County will deliver a strong nudge this coming year to get the public to make reservations online for campsites at its county parks.
When reservations open Jan. 14 for the 2019 camping season, the first two weeks will be set aside for those who register and pay online. Phone reservations won’t open until Jan. 29.
And the message to make reservations online and pay with a credit card will be repeated often throughout the season.
It’s going to be the lead-up to 2020,
WILLMAR—In an effort to diversify their farming operation, the Hultgren family planted 40 acres of organic industrial hemp this year on their land in northern Kandiyohi County.
After making adjustments on the combine to prevent the rope-like stems from wrapping around the equipment, the hemp seeds were harvested and cleaned in September.
“I thought it went OK,” said Noah Hultgren, who farms with his brother, Nate, and parents Duane and Nancy Hultgren.
With a history of planting corn,
Designed to bring familiarization of Minnesota and communities across the state, including Kandiyohi County and the city of Willmar, to site selectors nationwide, the 2018 Minnesota Site Selectors FAM Tour may have been the most effective tour in the four years I have been a part of this organization.
Past FAM Tours
In 2015, the FAM Tour included one site selector, Linda Burns, coming to Willmar for one day to tour the area and visit with business leaders. During the other three days that Ms. Burns
For almost 15 years, the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission (EDC) has been working hard to serve as a catalyst for economic growth in its region. In 2017, Business in Focus took a closer look at this dynamic organization and all of the great initiatives the EDC was working on in partnership with other sectors to make the City and County a vibrant and attractive place to live and do business. Read the entire article on the EDC and Kandiyohi County featured in
NEW LONDON—Construction and development of the Glacial Lakes Trail and it’s 6.5 mile extension from New London into Sibley State Park continues to progress as scheduled with several key milestones recently reached.
Last week construction crews installed a box culvert (a concrete tunnel) at the intersection of Highway 71 and County Road 40, which will allow those using the trail to pass safely beneath the roadway rather than risk crossing the heavily trafficked roadway.
The tunnel runs diagonally
WILLMAR—Homes located on the northside of downtown Willmar and businesses within the downtown business district will soon be able to apply for no-interest, deferred loans for eligible rehabilitation projects.
The city’s application for a Small Cities block grant of $1,205,177 was approved earlier this summer by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
“This project is for assisting homeowners and business in the downtown area on district heat, to help them with
