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During my first trip between La Crosse and Winona I drove off the road four times. Seriously. It was so stunning. But there's more to the Winona area. Still, many miss what we have to offer when looking at it for personal or business relocation. Sometimes, we miss it too.
In some ways the Winona area is undiscovered. That can be appealing, but it doesn't promote growth. To make the area more visible we need to tell our story better. We need to let people know about all we offer. They need to make the area their own, just as we have done, so when they are deciding between Winona and other locations, they choose the Winona area.
Over the past year I've joined a number of people on a workforce initiative group that has been looking into ways to highlight the area for people and businesses considering a move. Our group includes Judy Bodway, Harland Knight, Jerry Papenfuss, Rich Mikrut, Genelle Groh, Gabriel Manrique, Ann MacDonald, Lisa Swanson, Della Schmidt and Mike Haney. We’ve created a list of topics to highlight specific areas, including manufacturing, education, way of life, tourism, agriculture, economic development, and more. We've asked a number of people to address areas where they are experts, and will be asking more people to share their knowledge as the project progresses.
But for a message to be heard, someone needs to recognize that it's important. My thanks to the Winona Post and the Winona Daily News for agreeing to run the pieces on Wednesdays in their papers and online. The pieces will also be available on the Port Authority web site: www.portofwinona.com. We also plan to add radio interviews on KWNO 's Good Morning Show at 8:15 Friday mornings following the written piece.
From 2002 until the early fall of 2004 I worked in Colorado at the base of the Rockies and in Washington State right off Puget Sound with views of the Sound and Mount Rainier. Incredible stuff, but when I would come home to Winona for long weekends, nothing was as beautiful as flying in over the Bluffs and Mississippi River. Nothing. Still, the Rockies and Puget Sound are world-renown places to relocate. In part, it’s because of scenery, but it has a lot to do with the other opportunities they offer. They have done a good job telling their stories. That’s what we hope to do.
When people ask you about the area, I encourage you to share the good news by pointing them to the Post, the Daily News, the Port Authority or Winona Radio. I hope you enjoy learning or becoming reacquainted with what the Winona area has to offer.
Pat Mutter
Executive Director
Visit Winona
Positively Winona: The Impact of Tourism
By Pat Mutter, Visit Winona
Over the past decade, travel and tourism in the United States have grown tremendously, and this rapid growth has raised awareness of this industry, especially in the cities and towns known for tourism. Most of us think of destinations such as Florida, California, and Arizona when it comes to domestic travel. Minnesota, much less the town of Winona, may not come to mind when people plan vacations. Yet, as a Midwest vacation spot, Winona is slowly and steadily growing in reputation, and tourism has become a buzz word in terms of social and economic development for our area.
Lodging facilities, meeting facilities, attractions, restaurants, retail stores, and transportation providers are among the local businesses greatly impacted by travel to Winona. In Winona County, the leisure and hospitality industry employed more than 2000 people, generated $55,577,437 in revenue, and raised $3,635,842 in state sales tax, and touched our community in countless other ways. These 2005 figures are from the Minnesota Department of Revenue and Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. The leisure and hospitality industry consists of accommodations, food services and drinking places, arts, entertainment, and recreation.
A community tourism industry is essentially a collection of businesses that creates the sale of goods and services to tourists. These visitors spend money on businesses that are tourist-oriented (eg. lodging, attractions) as well as at those primarily oriented to residents (food, recreation, gas). Businesses spend money on supplies, wages, and taxes; the employees in turn, spend tourist-related wages on everyday needs. The money is circulated back into the local community.
When we think of the impact from tourism, we often focus on the economics of income and jobs and on direct sales from tourism. However, a more appropriate assessment should also take into consideration the many businesses that do not interact directly with tourists but sell products and services to those who work in the tourism industry.
Equally important as the economic impact of tourism are the social and cultural impacts. New attractions such as the Great River Shakespeare Festival, the Frozen River Film Festival, Gilmore Creek Summer Theatre, Beethoven Festival, Theatre du Mississippi, the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, and the soon-to-open Garvin Heights Vineyards, would not be founded or flourishing in Winona today without a tourism base. Tourism brings about a renewed interest in cultural traditions, increased civic involvement and community pride, upgrades to services and facilities used by residents, and increased communication and understanding between tourists and local residents.
Winona’s success as a tourist destination has as much to do with the quality, diversity, and authenticity of visitor experience as it does with what the community shares and communicates with our visitors. Tourism can only work as parts of a whole: the community that provides the “location” or sense of place, the industry that provides the attractions and events that draw the tourists, and the visitors who partake of what we have to offer.
As Visit Winona celebrates its 24th year as a Convention and Visitors Bureau, we encourage everyone to celebrate the role of tourism in our community. Tourism brings new money into the community, helps diversify and stabilize the local economy, attracts additional businesses and services to support the tourism industry, contributes to the state and local tax base, and helps support local businesses that might not survive on resident income alone. In other words, tourism contributes greatly to the quality of life that we enjoy today in historic, island-city Winona.
Pat Mutter is the Executive Director of Visit Winona.
Positively Winona: Every Day We Like the Place More and More
By Rich Enochs, Wenonah Canoe
About 25 years ago I made my first visit to Winona. I was a youngish salesperson living in Chicago, and Minnesota was a part of my territorial responsibility. From that very first drive down the Mississippi from Minneapolis to Winona, I became a very big fan of the beauty of the region. Once in Winona, I established some long lasting business acquaintances, and based on the genuine business and personal values that I began to see in each of these individuals, I began to like Winona even more. I would look forward to my scheduled visits to Winona. The town was lovely and the people genuine.
I would often return to Chicago and tell my wife Nancy about this great little town called Winona, and we would talk about how nice it would be to live and work in a smaller town. Remember, at that time we were living in a megalopolis with very few friends and even fewer dollars. I still held on to the conviction that should there come a time that I could hang my shingle in any town that I wanted, that Winona would be on the short list. However, a series of corporate moves to San Francisco, Connecticut and finally corporate Headquarters outside of Philadelphia turned Winona into a distant memory.
As fate would have it, I worked for a company that was on an acquisition binge and we ended up buying Beatrice Chemicals, a part of which was a company called Fiberite located in my fondly remembered Winona. Shortly thereafter, I was to become a Winonan after all. I came home from work one day and said to Nancy, “Remember that little town called Winona that I liked so much? Well, we just bought a company there and I have been asked to go to Winona.” Now, Winona does not have all of the attractiveness that say a San Francisco does, nor does it have the shopping and theaters that New York City or Philadelphia does, so Nancy was not exactly jumping up and down with glee when I delivered my great news. But I persisted, and we moved to Winona.
We have never regretted that decision. Every day that we live here, we like the place more and more. I am still excited about the people who I have come to know in Winona. I have met great businessmen and businesswomen in this town, anyone of whom would have found success anywhere. I have worked with so many great people whose whole life has been dedicated to pursuing their daily tasks with a sense of character that I have seldom seen elsewhere. I see a vibrant community filled with an entrepreneurial spirit, the likes of which you will not find in other communities. I see the beauty of the geography and the topography with which we are blessed. I see outstanding educational opportunities for all residents, due to the diversity of the various schools that we have to choose from. I see a community founded on the river, whose character espouses the river’s philosophy; we endure.
This is our home. It doesn’t have as many good restaurants as Nancy would like, nor as many shopping opportunities as we should have. What we do have is a home that is surrounded by good friends and a love for our community. My shingle hangs proudly in Winona.
Positively Winona: Community Arts and Sustainable Community Movements
By Will Kitchen
In Winona, the arts are becoming a sustainable model meeting the immediate needs for energy, tourism and economic impact while enhancing the future through flowering cultural growth that will breathe vibrancy into the area indefinitely.
Winona is becoming the “City of Festivals” with the Great River Shakespeare Festival, the Frozen River Film Festival, and the Beethoven Festival. These festivals are in their infancy, but the impact is already substantial. These festivals, in conjunction with the Maritime Museum, Theatre du Mississippi, the Winona Arts Center, Winona State University, St. Mary’s University and various other arts organizations and initiatives (Blue Heron Project, Bluff Country Arts Tour, etc.) and the wonderful mixture of professional artists in the area, make Winona a vibrant arts community.
When we think about sustainability, we need to look no further than the Frozen River Film Festival. The FFRF, a four-day festival of films, speakers, workshops and demonstrations focuses on environmental, world culture, adventure and extreme sports themes. The FRFF, along with local non-profit organizations and regional businesses including the Farmers Market, Sustain Winona, Bluff Country Coop, numerous Community Supported Agriculture farms, organic farms, locally developed produce, Organic Valley, Great River Organic Milling, Northland Organic, Natural Communities and Honda Motorwerks (hybrid cars) provides an incredible ground work being laid for Winona to become a sustainable arts and economic community model. When you add the involvement of Winona State University and the County and City governments in renewable energy efforts, the goal moves effortlessly from today to tomorrow to forever.
As Winona becomes a community arts and sustainable community model, what does it do for the people who live here now and in future? We will become a city of possibilities.
As we grow, think of Winona as a community whose basic tenets are:
Diversity of natural and human resources as a primary community goal
Economic development focused on sustainability and local efforts including tourism and Community Supported Agriculture
Professional arts as a way of life including creation, participation in and enjoyment of the arts.
Development of community minded young leaders.
Learning is the underlying base for the above tenets. Humbly, we must admit we are not there, and we do have a great deal yet to do. As long as we are receptive to the possibilities, as we have been with the Great River Shakespeare Festival and FRFF to date, this openness to new knowledge will lead in new directions. The result will make this a better place for all of us.
The future looks bright for Winona IF we continue to support the arts and sustainability. More needs to be done on linking arts and sustainability to the local economy. Given this, Winona appears to have a future that bodes well for its current and future residents.
Will and his wife Maggy Jacquim are the founders of Theatre du Mississippi and the Frozen River Film Festival.
Larry Gorrell
Positively Winona: A Quality of Life Rarely Experienced
By Larry Gorrell
While driving into Winona from any direction, you can’t help but be in awe when experiencing the theatre of seasons with blazing color in the fall, the stark grey and white beauty found in the winter, the promise of spring when the trees burst into innumerable shades of green, and the summer where everyone seems to find their way to the River, or at least to its banks.
This is why I love living in Winona. I moved here 16 years ago after spending an exciting decade in New York City. What amazed me then, and what continues to amaze me now is the inordinately high number of quality cultural organizations and events which is a pleasant surprise for a town of this size.
Over the past century art has been integral to the process of shaping Winona’s character. Winona has been the proud home of the Winona Opera House, Philharmonic Hall, and the Colonial Theatre among other cultural institutions. Some of the world’s greatest actors and actresses graced our stages, and Presidents used this place to deliver important speeches.
We are fortunate to have three institutions of higher learning with all of the resources they offer. For over 20 years, the Page Series at Saint Mary’s University has been presenting over 10 dance, music and theatre events each year of national and international repute. Winona State’s Lyceum Series is also dedicated to presenting events that provide cultural enrichment and education to the community. The series presents nationally renowned speakers, choreographers and iconic figures from several different cultures.
I cannot think of any similar city that offers its citizens the abundance of cultural offerings which add immensely to the quality of life we enjoy. If you are looking for something to do, what other city offers the following performing arts (this list is not meant to be exhaustive): Beethoven Festival, Blue Herron Consort, Gilmore Creek Summer Theatre, Great River Shakespeare Festival, Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts, Theatre du Mississippi, Winona Brass Band, Winona Community Band, Winona Oratorio Chorus, Winona Symphony; and visual arts: Minnesota Marine Art Museum, The Polish Museum, Watkins Museum, Winona Arts Center and the Winona County Historical Society. Additionally, for over a century, the Winona Public Library (the building itself is an architectural masterpiece and cultural landmark) has been a vital player in the cultural life of this community.
Arts and culture is important to the people of Winona. Our children learn this from an early age and are offered many arts and cultural opportunities throughout their grade and high school years: music concerts, dance concerts, plays, marching bands to name a few activities. All of this adds up to a quality of life rarely experienced in communities located outside of major metropolitan areas.
All of this is located in one of the most beautiful environments in the world -- defined by bluffs, valleys, farmland, waterways and lakes. We are truly blessed.
Larry Gorrell is the Executive Director of the Minnesota Marine Art Museum.
Gene Pelowski
Positively Winona: WSU’ is Nation's Only Undergraduate Composites Engineering Program
By Gene Pelowski
Every year, our state taxes go to pay for the many essential needs and services that make Minnesota one of the greatest states in the nation. While many of the benefits taxpayers receive in our state are obvious, most Minnesotans would be surprised to realize just how much state investments and expenditures truly impact our lives – both directly and indirectly.
In 1986, Governor Perpich visited Winona with a clear and distinct goal in mind to bring the benefits of our tax dollars home to Winona by encouraging important state investments in programming and infrastructure at Winona State University. Two years later, for the first time in the history of the state, the State of the State Address was delivered outside of St. Paul on the Winona State University campus by Governor Perpich. His address focused on the composite engineering industry in Winona and rural economic development.
Winona State has long had a strong relationship with Winona-area businesses and industries. In 1986, when Governor Perpich came to visit the WSU campus, he was impressed with the partnership between the University's science department and Winona's local composite industries including ICI Fiberite, TERTM, Polymer Composites, RTP Company, and We-no-nah Canoes.
Due to the good work WSU was doing for and with the local Winona economy, Perpich pledged to invest additional state tax dollars to create a Composite Engineering Program at the University that could further expand that relationship. I sponsored the legislation that Governor Perpich had included in his budget to secure an undergraduate Composite Engineering Program at Winona State University for the benefit of our community and state.
This program was a community effort that could not have been accomplished without the hard work and commitment of the people of Winona. While much of the program was to be funded through state tax dollars, one-third of the funding was required to come from private donations.
Support for the project was so great that with the help and leadership of ICI Fiberite founders Ben and Rudy Miller, and the generous contributions of many from across the Winona community, the project received above and beyond that one-third goal of private funding. Because of this community effort, the project met the qualifications to pursue necessary funding from the state.
In 1987, with the help of presentations to the House and Senate by Stan Prosen, the father of composite materials, state funding for the new program was passed and signed into law. Two decades later, that investment is still providing innovative research and development in the industry, strengthening the local economy, and attracting bright young learners to the University itself to continue this tradition of academic innovation and local economic partnership. It remains the only Undergraduate Composite Engineering Program in the United States – and 25% of its highly skilled graduates settle and work in the Winona area, leading many of the composite engineering companies that comprise our local economy.
Without the tax dollars that funded the Composite Engineering Program at WSU, the local and regional economy in the Winona area would not be what it is today. Because of the program, local composite engineering businesses have been able to sustain and improve their operations, expand the scope of their services and multiply into dozens of new composite related businesses. When these local businesses succeed, Winona succeeds.
Gene Pelowski is State Representative for District 31A.
Harland Knight
Positively Winona: Volunteers Make This a Better Place
By Harland Knight
Having lived in the Winona area for 34 years and seeing the quality of life we all enjoy, I feel qualified to share what I see about the area that makes it such a good place to live, work and raise our families.
When I think about the role volunteers play in our quality of life, their importance soon becomes clear. You can see that importance even if you look at only a small portion of the organizations that are totally dependent on volunteers.
One organization that is high on my list is the Community Memorial Hospital Auxiliary. For many years they have been supplying the hospital with much needed equipment, as well as staffing front-line desks to aid patients and staff. This valuable donated equipment has helped significantly to keep our hospital and the medical community upfront and receiving national awards.
When you think about the impact of volunteers, all you have to do is to think about the volunteers who serve on the numerous Chamber of Commerce committees that work to make our area attractive to other businesses. Look at Winona County and the various cities throughout the county and the volunteers who make up the advisory boards and committees, which save the taxpayers untold amounts of money that would have been needed to function.
The County and area economic development authorities are all dependent on volunteers, as is the Port Authority of the City of Winona. Look at all the service clubs as well, all dedicated to serving others, often the younger members of our society.
Our school systems, both public and private, would function less effectively without the parents and community volunteers who step in to fill the voids which otherwise would have to be served by additional staff at taxpayer expense.
Think about The Red Cross, United Way, the Community Foundation, the Boy and Girl Scouts, the Boys and Girls Clubs, the 4-H clubs, churches…. The list goes on and on. I think it’s fair to say that those of us who are fortunate enough to enjoy the area tend to forget all of the benefits we enjoy because of the volunteers mentioned above.
For me, as a regular volunteer, the benefit is just in being a volunteer. The pleasure in assisting someone – be it the young, the middle-aged or those in their later years – is the best feeling in the world in what I think is the best place in the world.
Harland Knight is a retired businessman, entrepreneur and dedicated volunteer.
Jim Riddle
Positively Winona: Positively Organic
By Jim Riddle
I had the pleasure recently of stopping by the Winona Farmers Market for some local organic chicken, fresh fruits and veggies. The number of vendors at the market, many of whom are organic, and the variety of products offered for sale, is astounding.
Next, I was going to stop by the Blue Heron Coffeehouse for a cup of organic coffee, but the place was packed with a Shakespeare “front porch” conversation. Such a problem to have!
I needed some organic milk, cheese, eggs, and chips, so I stopped at Bluff Country Coop, to fill my cart with delicious local and organic items. I could have gone to HyVee or Midtown Foods, since they also carry some organic foods, but I didn’t have to re-park my car. What convenience!
According to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Winona County is in the top 5 counties statewide for the number of organic farms. We have organic dairy, beef, sheep, goats, poultry, small grains, hay, row crops, vegetables, fruits, and orchard crops all raised in Winona County. What abundance!
This region is also fortunate to have certified organic processors, such as Ledebuhr Meat Processing, Burt’s Hilltop Poultry, and Great River Organic Milling, located in our midst.
The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) in Lewiston has helped many farmers in Winona County convert all or a portion of their operations to organic production. The NRCS offers modest transition incentive payments, using Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) funds, for the three years that it takes to convert land from conventional to certified organic management.
The Land Stewardship Project (LSP), also in Lewiston, offers an innovative program called Farm Beginnings, which helps new farmers enter agriculture successfully. Many graduates of the Farm Beginnings program have gone into organic production. LSP has also organized workshops to help farmers improve their record keeping skills to meet the requirements for organic certification.
The Southeast Minnesota chapter of the Sustainable Farming Association (SFA) has organized seminars on the basic requirements for organic certification of crop and livestock farms, and they have brought thought-provoking speakers to our area.
The demand for organic food grew 22% nationwide last year, reaching sales of $16.9 billion, according to the Organic Trade Association (OTA). We are fortunate in Winona County to be part of that growth trend.
What are some of the benefits of organic production?
• A 10-year study by Universities of California-Davis and Minnesota has shown that organic tomatoes have higher levels of health-inducing bioflavonoids and antioxidants than conventional tomatoes, and that the levels increase over time in tomatoes grown in organic fields.
• A 27-year study by the Rodale Institute demonstrates that organic methods, which use soil-building crop rotations and cover crops, sequester more carbon dioxide than conventional methods, including conventional no-till.
• Organic farming can yield up to three times as much food as conventional farming on the same amount of land, according to the University of Michigan. In addition to equal or greater yields, the researchers found those yields could be accomplished using existing quantities of organic fertilizers and without putting more farmland into production.
• Iowa State University’s Long-Term Agricultural Research (LTAR) has shown greater yields, increased profitability, and steadily improved soil quality in organic over conventional rotations in grain-based cropping systems.
Winona County organic farmers are also participating in research and outreach activities. Organic dairy farmers Dale and Carmen Pangrac of Lewiston recently hosted a University of Minnesota Extension tour of their operation. Sandy and Lonny Dietz of Altura, who are working with UMN and UW conducting vegetable variety trials on their farm, were just named the Winona County Farm Family of the Year. Sandy and Lonny sell their organic produce at the Winona Farmers Market.
We are leaders in organic production (and consumption!) in Winona County. While more can be done, we are fortunate to live in a region where an increasing number of farmers are protecting water and soil resources from pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, antibiotics, and other toxins, while producing safe and abundant food by adopting organic methods.
Jim Riddle, rural Winona, is the University of Minnesota’s Organic Outreach Coordinator, and serves as vice-president of Winona County’s Economic Development Authority. He has served on the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Organic Advisory Task Force since 1991, and is former chair of the USDA’s National Organic Standards Board.
Rich Mikrut
Positively Winona: Manufacturing in Winona
By Rich Mikrut
Winona has a rich history of manufacturing activity. Not long after it was founded in the mid 1850s, core industries began to develop. One of the earliest and most important at the time was the lumbering industry. Sawmills at one time lined the riverfront. The river was used to raft logs down stream to Winona to be processed into lumber. Foundries also were and still are a major industry.
Some of our industries have come and gone, such as the manufacturing of house boats, motor homes and prefab houses, wagon and buggy building, blacksmith shops, meat packing, farm machinery, etc. The entrepreneurial spirit developed early in Winona’s history and has continued through today. Today, we see much effort to promote entrepreneurialism by the education community and economic development groups.
Our area is often envied by neighboring regions because of our vast economic diversity. Because of this diversity, we are somewhat immune to sharp rises and falls of the national economy. We are not at the mercy of one or two large companies. Currently, we have manufacturing companies in electronics, composites, recreational items like canoes, foundries, chain, fasteners, metal fabrication, screen printing, other printed materials, fertilizers, lifting products, medical devices, advertising and promotional products, metal bending tools, garbage cans, clothing, automotive electronics, parts and automotive rebuilding equipment, die casting, lighting fixtures, heavy road equipment, violin bows, plasticized picnic tables, vanilla extract and home remedy products, stained glass windows, bulk product coverings, kitchen cabinets, furniture and the list goes on.
On a summer day, a drive through the back alleys will find people working in their garages and shops developing some of their ideas. This is usually where it starts and has for decades. Fortunately, many of these efforts have evolved into full blown manufacturing companies.
Rich Mikrut is the VP of warehousing and distribution for Lawrence Transportation Company.
Mark Peterson
Positively Winona: History Sells
By Mark Peterson
It’s sometimes easy to overlook what we have in place. Luckily, not everyone turns a blind eye to what the Winona area offers.
I know the organizers of the Great River Shakespeare Festival saw the possibilities. One thing they saw is that Winona is ideally situated to benefit from tourism.
We are smack dab in the very epicenter of the most beautiful part of the entire Mississippi River, close to large population centers, a strong local and diverse economy, two universities and a technical college, and some of the best architecture anywhere on the upper Mississippi River. Now with the new Beethoven Festival, the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, the much discussed and long waited expansion of the Winona County Historical Museum set to begin, as well as other events and attractions, Winona is starting to get the kind of attention it deserves.
I was at a meeting recently where the director of the Minnesota Office of Tourism (Explore Minnesota) said that tourism revenue in Minnesota equals the revenue generated by agriculture—about $12 billion a year! Over one third of the people who took part in a recent survey by the state tourism office said that history, museums, events and cultural attractions were part of their reason for visiting the state. I’ve seen other studies that show those who visit museums and historic sites tend to be better educated, have higher personal income, spend more and stay longer.
I believe that Winona is at a crossroad in its history. For a long time Winonans have struggled with preserving their past. When it comes to historic preservation we too often have opted for the easy solution and quick fix. Too often we hear that a building looks awful, the weeds are unsightly, there are dead pigeons inside, the roof leaks, it will cost too much to fix and should be torn down. Many people see only what is in front of them and not what something can become. We should look completely at the possibilities before moving on.
The old Post Office, the Morgan Block, Central Park, the Opera House…the list is long of important buildings that we have torn down. Sometimes structures are beyond fixing, will cost more than they are worth to fix, or cannot be adapted for other purposes. It can be difficult to take. We should remember what we have lost, but not dwell on it. But we should learn from the past as we look at our future.
The local Heritage Preservation Commission, along with Historic Downtown Winona, and the city of Winona, has been working on locally designating our two National Register districts. This will be coming before the city council in the near future. The purpose behind this effort is to provide some protection for our historic buildings and help with keeping better quality of design within the districts.
We should be proud of our interesting and colorful history and the fact we have some of the finest 19th and early 20th century architecture to be found anywhere along the upper Mississippi River. Using history to sell Winona to tourists and people looking to relocate makes a lot of sense. It certainly isn’t the only answer but it can be an important part of our future.
Mark Peterson is the Executive Director of the Winona County Historical Society.
Rachel Schultz
Positively Winona: Healthcare's Sweet Spot
by Rachelle Schultz
During my five-year tenure in Winona, my enchantment with this community has grown—from its people and the diverse business environment to its natural beauty and expanding cultural opportunities. Winona’s history illustrates how the engagement of visionary and philanthropic individuals can foster the growth and prosperity of a community.
The story of healthcare in Winona deserves mention. More than 113 years ago several physicians identified the need for a hospital to serve their patients, and they engaged key leaders in the community to bring this vision to reality. The birth of the hospital occurred through their leadership and the commitment of the Winona community to take care of its own. There is an unwritten covenant that exists between a community-owned not-for-profit hospital and its community. In Winona, this covenant was established 113 years ago and is held in trust today by Winona Health with the community.
Healthcare has evolved over the past century. Many of us do not remember life before Medicare, Medicaid or health insurance. Payment might have included baked or canned goods and chickens, while today there is a mind-boggling system of co-pays, deductibles, networks, and pre-authorizations. Technology of old included the rotary phone, and today our diagnostic, imaging, surgical and medical record technology warrants a Star Trek designation. This explosion of growth has provided our community with an economic engine that has driven growth in jobs, investments in the community and an influx of new dollars – more than $27 million dollars annually – into our community.
I often ponder this evolution as I envision what the future has in store for us. There is nostalgia for the days when physicians were able to simply focus on taking care of their patients with the support of the nursing staff. But medical advancements are inspiring. More services can be provided in smaller communities like Winona than ever before, increasing access and convenience for patients. While none of us ever wants to be in need of services, the fact is that we all will need the healthcare system one or many times during our lives. We all have an interest in ensuring high quality healthcare is available in our community.
Winonans are truly fortunate to live in a healthcare “sweet spot.” The primary care focus of our local healthcare system is an exceptional foundation. Birth through end of life healthcare services bracket the miracle moments that we are privileged to experience with community members. And access to specialty care in the region surrounds us with choices that are the envy of small (and large!) communities across the United States. The collaborative relationships our local physicians and hospital have with our region’s tertiary centers ensure that community members receive the care and services they need.
The current national healthcare dilemma will be with us for years to come, and it will likely overshadow the true purpose of the work of physicians and healthcare staff. I will not lose sight of the efforts of our exceptional local providers to cure, heal and care deeply for our patients, residents and our community. At the end of the day, I know Winona will rise to the present day challenges with the entrepreneurial and philanthropic spirit that founded this community and then its hospital 113 years ago.
Rachelle Schultz is Winona Health President/CEO.
Jonelle Moore
Positively Winona: A Great Place to Own a Home
By Jonelle Moore
The first question I am often asked these days is, “How is the housing market here? Is it as bad as we hear on the news?” My response is that Winona’s market is solid and balanced. While we have never enjoyed the benefits of incredible inflation in home value, we’ve been fortunate to avoid the tremendous price drops that many other areas have experienced.
Winona’s housing market remains very affordable. With our area’s healthy and diverse economy, the dream of owning a home is most often a reality. Our entry-level housing supply is not new or fancy, but it is comfortable and accessible to people who could never hope to be homeowners in many areas of the country. Starter home prices in some sectors of our nation are what luxury homes sell for here. Well-priced, well–kept homes in every price range are finding buyers in this market.
With housing prices stable and the housing supply favorable, Winona is an excellent place to live and work. Salaries in the community generally allow for those who manage their incomes responsibly to own their own homes. Move-ups to second, third or fourth homes are common. It’s humorous to me to hear comments like, “Sure the housing prices are high in California, but the wages are higher too!” With starter homes there going for half a million and up, there is no way a secretary, store clerk, police officer, nurse, teacher, etc., would make five to six times what they do here. It is all relative, of course, but Winona ranks very high on relative affordability.
In the Winona area, mid-range homes start at about $150,000, offering good square footage and many amenities. The high end of our market starts at about $350,000 and up. At those prices, the homes have great square footage, many high-end upgrades and lovely locations -- pretty much all the bells and whistles and all for less than a starter home elsewhere!
Another question I hear is the foreclosure rate! In this category too, Winona is a good place to be. Our foreclosure rate remains very low. There is good reason for that. Winona lenders, while very competitive in every way, have also been responsible. They believe in the value of treating customers ethically, thus ensuring long-term relationships with them. Knowing this, most of the real estate community has strongly encouraged clients to use these local lenders. Therefore, we are not seeing large numbers of buyers getting into trouble from predatory lending practices that force them to sell their homes at “fire sale” prices.
Winona homeowners take pride in their homes. Neighborhoods are diverse, interesting and well-kept. A wide variety of housing is available -- from the historic to the contemporary and everything in between. Winona is still a community of neighborhoods- people watching out for each other. All housing here is close to shopping, parks, trails, schools and every amenity this community offers. Affordable, available housing is definitely one of the Winona area’s biggest assets!
Jonelle Moore is broker/co-owner of Coldwell Banker Skeels/Moore and Associates.
Lisa R. Falker
Positively WInona: A Culture of Giving
by Lisa R. Fakler
Giving comes down to an individual desire to make our society better. A community with a strong commitment to giving – be it money, time or other resources – is a community that cares about, and for, each other. Winona is such a community.
Our caring is evidenced in the quantity and quality of programs offered by area nonprofits. Local business and individual support of these programs and events is impressive. Typically, Winona area businesses receive several requests a week for support of everything from food shelf donations to the little league. No business can give to everything, but here in Winona, we sure try. Gifts range from in-kind donation of services, to cash gifts, to the giving of time.
In today’s society of “what’s in it for me” it does make you wonder why individuals and businesses give. Beyond the desire to make our society better, there is another reality of philanthropy – it makes us all more reliant on each other. And a community that relies on each other then supports and cares for each other. The business who gives $25 to the prom or the one that gives $100,000 to a local museum are both building and caring for the community because they are investing in it for the good of all of us. It’s this investment that creates the sense of community that makes Winona such a fabulous place to live.
A thriving community is generally defined by economic growth. Winona’s strong entrepreneurial roots and economic success benefit the community as a whole. The entrepreneurial spirit and giving goes well beyond what businesses give themselves. Corporate leadership in Winona believes in supporting the community and by their example therefore support their employee’s efforts to do the same. This means families giving financially as well as through corporate programs that offer volunteers and matching dollars for employee’s community efforts.
Successful entrepreneurs give back to the community which has helped to make them successful. One community organization alone stewarded gifts from individuals and local businesses and in 2006 gave back over $1.25 million to local charities and community initiatives. That’s one organization alone. Imagine all the other organizations, gifts, in-kind resources and direct giving that are not recorded or captured in statistics. It boggles the mind.
Winona’s culture of giving is deeply rooted in the community. So the next time you are planning an event for a youth production, a community fundraiser or just need help to do something great for our community – just ask for help, and you’ll be amazed that when you mention the benefits for the Winona area, how much support will be right behind you to ensure success!
Lisa Fakler is President of the Winona Community Foundation.
Amy Jo Marks
A Great Place to Start a Small Business
By Amy Jo Marks
Winona has wonderful opportunities to start a small business. With its picturesque location, surrounded by bluffs, rivers, and its downtown architecture, Winona is a historic river town that is once again destined for greatness.
Seeds for growth have already been planted with the Great River Shakespeare Festival, the Minnesota Beethoven Festival, and the ever growing arts scene, including Theater du Mississippi, the Winona Arts Center, the Frozen River Film Festival, and the Marine Art Museum. All of these fantastic attractions bring people to our city, and there is room for more seeds to be planted.
Winona’s universities offer a population explosion from fall through spring. The natural surroundings bring tourists in for biking, hiking, fishing, canoeing, boating, hunting, snowmobiling and other outdoor activities. All of this is great for small business.
Small businesses benefit from the amazing amount of industry in our community. These industries relocate many families from other communities. These families contribute to a diverse and expanding town. All of these people need places to eat, shop and live. With high gas prices we’ve seen in the past few years, more and more people are shopping locally. The greater the variety of restaurants and shops in Winona, the less people will need to spend their money in other communities. With more money in this community, more tax revenue is generated for schools and programs that can better the Winona area. For people considering starting a small business, Winona has endless amounts of resources and support available. Many local banks with small business programs are willing to lend money. And because many of the banks are rooted in Winona, they are willing to work closely with individuals on lending options. Minnesota State College Southeast Technical has a Small Business Center that can answer questions about starting a business, such as business plans and financial statements needed to take to the banks. They can also set you up with a retired business owner who mentors you through the process. The Chamber of Commerce offers classes and seminars a few times a year on starting a business in Winona. Local banks also offer free classes on starting a business or improving existing businesses for ongoing support.
My small business, Blooming Grounds, has been successful because of the combination of all these factors. The families that live in Winona that support the coffee shop on a daily basis and the amount of people that work downtown who need coffee, lunch or a snack in the afternoon are the foundation of my business. The tourists give my business an added boost in the summer and the students at the universities give it a boost in the fall through spring. There are so many different types of groups to support business in our area, which is why I have been successful.
Winona has the best of both worlds: small town feel with large industries and universities to support small business. The Winona area offers opportunities that generates plethora of ideas for small businesses, and we are lucky to have many people willing to help you open the doors.
Amy Jo Marks is the owner of Blooming Grounds Coffee House.
Bob Sebo
Positively Winona: Building Pride in the Downtown
By Bob Sebo
The Sebos set foot in Cedar Valley and made their new home as Norwegian immigrants on July 4, 1854 (I kid you not...it was the Fourth of July, according to family folklore). Even by Winona standards that makes me a native.
I have a visceral connection to the place we call Winona. I call it home. And I want it to always feel… like home.
I remember when the Hot Fish Shop left Mankato Avenue… thinking that it made that corner look more like anywhere and less like Winona. Don't get me wrong…I like what's going on in the east end. It means jobs. I just want to make sure we don't fall asleep at the switch and lose too much of what makes Winona…well, what makes Winona…Winona.
That's why I'm excited about a process that will begin soon at City Hall that recognizes the importance of downtown to our community. It's an overdue recognition that the downtown is one of our defining characteristics that should not be significantly changed unless we all give it a good think.
The city's Heritage Preservation Commission, which I chair, has been asked to nominate our downtown's two national historic districts to our local register of historic places. National register status is largely honorific…local designation has teeth. It means, for example, that as a community we have decided that we won't make a habit of tearing down buildings in the districts (roughly running on Third Street from the Courthouse to Franklin and on Second from Center to Walnut). It also means that when buildings in the district are changed or built new whenever possible they feel…well, they feel like Winona. And before you ask, I will tell you that every study I've ever seen says local districts provide an economic boost for property owners. It's not another government mandate, it's an investment.
This year's Great River Shakespeare Festival was by all accounts a huge success. Why did talented people choose Winona as a site for the festival? Why do talented people in many fields choose to make Winona home? I believe it is because we are who we are…and because our town is what it is. We want to grow and develop…but we also don't want to lose what makes us attractive.
Because of the luck of the draw and the grace of God we are located in pretty much the most beautiful spot on the planet. We have built a place here that we are proud to call home…and increasing numbers are choosing to visit. We want a future that looks like us…we don't want to be Stillwater or Red Wing…we certainly don't want to be La Crosse or Rochester. We want to be Winona. Think of the Winona we might be if we think ahead and plan.
When the Courthouse was being built in 1881 one of the workers placed a prediction of the future in the cornerstone. He predicted that by 1981 Winona would be a city of 100,000. Well, not quite…but he was bullish on Winona. He believed that Winona is a place of possibilities…and so do I. Let's capitalize on who and what we are. Let's preserve the best of Winona's past as we try and build the best possible future.
We have a beautiful natural setting. We have an historic downtown filled with world class architecture. We host cultural resources and events that are the envy of the upper Midwest. Our educational institutions are among the best in their class. Our diverse economy is humming. It would appear that we've been doing something right.
As we expand on that success, let's not forget who we are. This is our town. This is our area. We should be proud of the places…most significantly downtown…that tell the story of our town's first 150 years. Preserving our history as we prepare for our future…we owe it to both our grandparents and our grandchildren.
Bob Sebo is a radio personality with Winona Radio.
Judith Ramaley
President, Winona State University
Positively Winona: Living in a CommUniversity
By Judith Ramaley
For a number of years now, I have been thinking about what happens when a university and a community become so closely connected that it is difficult to tell where the University ends and the community begins; in other words, a CommUniversity. Now that I am at Winona State, I see what such a close partnership can do. As we enter our Sesquicentennial Year, we will celebrate how our foundation was laid by the aspirations of the young town of Winona. The tale begins in 1857 when the Governor of Minnesota said in a message to the Legislature: "to make a state requires more than the axe, the saw and the water-wheel; mind, knowledge and education are required…"The citizens of Winona raised a subscription of $7,000 to claim the first state Normal School in Minnesota. We have been partners and neighbors ever since. For 150 years, we have been drawing talented people to the community who become our neighbors, friends, co-workers, customers and volunteers.
Sense of Place. Our daily lives are shaped by the bluffs above us, the broad span of the Mississippi River beside us and the sense of place conveyed by this historic river town. All of these things are touched by our students, faculty and staff. Drive up to Garvin Heights and study the restoration of the unique prairie habitat you can see there. Our River Studies Program, in cooperation with Visit Winona, has expanded to provide summer river tours on the WSU River Explorer for visitors, tours so popular that we had to add two cruises to accommodate the people who wanted to come aboard. WSU’s partnership with the United States Geological Survey helps to promote the study of this special ecosystem and to contribute to knowledge that will allow us to preserve the Upper Mississippi for generations to come.
Entrepreneurial Spirit. The innovators of Winona built a unique composite industry here after World War II and, because of this, WSU has the nation’s only undergraduate Composite Engineering Program. Winona enjoys a range of enterprises that far outstrips most communities of our size. Imagine what it is like to be able to offer our faculty and students access to businesses that are helping to reshape the world order, companies that are global in expanse, engaged in reinventing how business is done. We are forming wonderful collaborations with companies that will help our students prepare themselves for life and work in the 21st century, while offering our partners access to a talented and energetic workforce.
Serving Youth. If we were all to wear WSU’s colors on the same day, our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of WSU would turn the town purple. Consider a few numbers. More than 120 WSU students serve as Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Many of the summer Park and Recreation staff members who work with Winona area youth are WSU students. We offer more than 280 students a chance to study at College for Kids every summer and we draw more than 2,100 young people to our summer sports camps.
Building the Community. This community is on a roll. Four years ago, a group of visionary people started the Great River Shakespeare Festival. Two years ago, we started the Frozen River Film Festival, and just this summer we all enjoyed the first season of the Beethoven Festival. Each of these wonderful additions represents a collaboration of WSU with Saint Mary’s University and with many community organizations and civic leaders. Matching these cultural programs, we have a growing focus on recreational and youth sports with plans for improvements in the softball fields, a regulation track, a boathouse on Lake Winona and an expansion of our Memorial Hall that will produce the first truly integrated Wellness and Fitness program in the country.
On to the next 150 years. Each of these efforts blends WSU resources with those of our neighbors and partners. What is so wonderful about all this is that WSU in its 150th year has been shaped in every way by our relationships with Winona and with the communities throughout Southeast Minnesota. Winona, in turn, has enjoyed a quality of life that few cities of our size could imagine. We can expect even more in our next 150 years.
Judith Ramaley, Winona State University’s 14th President, has lived in Winona for two years.
In difficult times you see true character – for individuals and communities. Over the past week and a half people from all over the country have watched and learned what the Winona area is all about.
Instead of giving up in the face of this terrible tragedy, people are moving ahead. There is an exceptional resilience and courage, a relentless attitude and a feeling that nothing can beat us down. News coverage has shown horrific backgrounds, but the people interviewed have shown strength of character, an underlying optimism and a clear focus on what is truly important in life.
Instead of walking away, people have embraced their neighbors. The people watching have noticed an uncommon feeling of community – people helping others. It started with neighbors alerting neighbors and neighbors pulling neighbors from homes and apartments. It has continued with the quick organization of local relief efforts and people willing to volunteer their time. So many businesses have given so generously to their community and their displaced employees. In a world so filled with “what’s in it for me,” our response has been “what can we do?”
Instead of saying it’s someone else’s problem, government at all levels has taken responsibility. Even though it would be impossible to prepare for this sort of catastrophe, the response from local, county, state and federal agencies has been extraordinary. While there may be a lack of experience locally, there has been no lack of effort or commitment, and it is clear that a major regret of the people who have done so much is that they haven’t been able to do more.
We have many assets here in the Winona area, many of which we have been writing about for the past four months in Positively Winona. This flood has shown the country that the Winona area’s greatest asset is the people who live here. Your true character makes this place special. You and your neighbors should be proud.
Mark Metzler is the Vice President of Marketing for Vision Design.
Ann Merchlewitz
Positively Winona: Proud to be Part of the Winona Area for 95 Years and Counting
By Ann Merchlewitz
We’re planning the celebration of the century, and you’re all invited. In just five short years, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota will celebrate its centennial, and we’ve got one of the most important guest lists imaginable – our community.
We’re proud to be a part of this community, and we’re eager to paint the town SMU red! Mark your calendars for 2012, and save the date!
From its perch atop Terrace Heights, tucked in the majestic bluffs, our Winona campus exemplifies the breathtaking natural beauty of this picturesque area.
What started out as a school for young men in 1912, has grown into a diverse educational network extending from the undergraduate campus in Winona to our Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs (offering programs in Winona, the Twin Cities, Rochester, Apple Valley and more than 100 off-campus sites throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin — and as far away as Kenya).
We’re looking forward to a great year; our freshman enrollment is the highest it’s been in 20 years, and our SGPP enrollment is exploding. Altogether, Saint Mary’s students number 5,600, more than 2,250 in Winona-based programs alone.
Though our locations have expanded, and number of faculty, staff and students has multiplied, the spirit of SMU has remained constant for nearly a century.
It’s the same spirit that we believe flows generously through our caring community.
Here are just a few examples of ways that our SMU community works within the greater Winona-area community:
Music Access for All provides musical instruments, music lessons and sheet music to underprivileged youth.
The SMU I.T. department donates hundreds of computers and related equipment to area schools.
1,000 K-12 students from ISD 861 and Winona Area Catholic Schools will attend performances in our Performance Center this year.
Our K-12 Reading Teacher Program prepares teachers who can develop, provide and supervise special reading programs for K-12 students. And our student teachers work and learn within area schools.
The Saint Mary’s University Gifts for Winona program annually provides Christmas gifts for more than 1,625 Winona County individuals who are in need of help.
Through our Volunteer Services offices and Office of Campus Ministry, hundreds of volunteers help people in Winona and around the world. Most recently, hundreds of faculty, staff and students banded together to help our neighbors affected by flooding.
Almost 1,000 area youth participate in our summer sports camps.
We gladly make available our facilities and trails for various community events.
The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts inspires hundreds of young artists in dance and theatre.
As we anticipate our leaves turning colors, we will eagerly welcome hundreds of youngsters to campus for our annual trick-or-treat event.
And the list continues with speakers, gallery exhibits, fundraisers, academic events, concerts and community involvement.
Winona is fortunate to have three higher-education institutions that bring thousands of fresh faces and helping hands into town each fall. Imagine the opportunities Winona has with that kind of manpower, that level of technology, the combined knowledge of each institution’s talented faculty, and state-of-the-art facilities. Alone, each institution’s contributions are significant; together, the possibilities are endless.
We’re committed to a renewed spirit of collaboration with Winona State University and Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical. After all, we all have the same goals — to educate the leaders of tomorrow and to fill our students with both the knowledge and the heartfelt desire to help others.
Together, we have and will continue to make a difference. And, there’s truly no better reason to celebrate.
Ann Merchlewitz is Vice President and General Counsel for Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.
Judy Bodway
Positively Winona: Why Choose Winona for Your Business
By Judy Bodway
At least once every week I’m asked why a business should be in Winona. Before I answer I reflect on all the great things that Winona has to offer and then share my answer based on the questioner’s needs. Almost always the answer reflects on a colorful, rich history and anticipates a bright, nearly limitless future.
Our greatest asset has always been our people. Winona area people are excellent workers, great neighbors and willing volunteers focused on the greater good. Our differences and similarities bring us together for stimulating public and private discussions on what is best for the community. Even when we disagree on what the final outcome should be, we all have the best interests of our community in mind.
Nothing could celebrate the greatness of our people more than the response to the recent flooding. Neighbor helping neighbor, stranger helping stranger, pitching in to do whatever was required during and immediately following the disaster emphasizes our willingness to help and work. The business community responded by donating needed items for the cleanup and showing care and concern about their employees. Our ability to work together in a time of need by lending a hand, a shoulder, a prayer or a hug should make any business should proud to locate in Winona.
The diverse business community is matched by few other cities. Winona has a strong manufacturing community meeting the needs of the world. Our educational systems -- from pre-school through graduate education -- are unique in offerings for a community our size. Winona health care continues to provide first class medical care for all. Recreation, arts and culture continue to grow and expand, offering options from fishing to cross country skiing, museums to music, plays to dance and many activities in between.
Few have the chance to experience the four seasons in an environment that includes the Mississippi River and surrounding bluffs. We can experience water skiing, canoeing, ice fishing, swimming, bird watching and more, all in this unprecedented natural environment we call home.
Why would a business locate in Winona? The question is why wouldn’t a business locate here and be part of our community. We truly have it all: good employees; diverse employment opportunities; transportation connections to the county and world; numerous educational opportunities; recreation, arts and cultural offerings; and a beautiful natural environment. Winona is a great place to live, work and play.
Judy Bodway is Winona’s Assistant City Manager for Economic Development.
Caroline van Shaik
Positively Winona: Putting “Local’ into our Food
By Caroline van Shaik
We live in a beautiful but demanding landscape. Our bluffs and valleys, marked erratically by the underground channels of karst geology, require a dose a caution amidst their careful management. The region's slopes give us visual texture and a real workout, but they also can be a conduit for soil and chemicals on the run. Whether cows or corn, grass or grain, farmers' management decisions come to bear on the trout streams, wildlife, and shops that help to explain why we live here.
In a recently updated report, the 15-county region including Winona County is seeing an impressive growth in the number and value of organic and direct food sales - 13% more farms from 1997 to 2002 and a 37% increase in direct sales. It also generated a third each of the state's overall milk and hog sales, and raised a quarter of the state's soybeans and almost 30% of the
state's corn - on just 18% of the state's cropland.
That's a lot of corn on our hillsides, so it is a hopeful change in direction to see the growing percentage of organic farmers, many of whom are grass-based. It's an important change because soil, water, and wildlife conditions are improved when steeply sloped ground has vegetative cover on it year-round.
It's also important because we don't eat most of the row-cropped corn but we can and do eat the pastured livestock, dairy, and poultry products of those slopes. This distinction should be viewed as progress in a county whose Economic Development Authority (EDA) wants to promote local food as an economic driver.
Winona County residents spend some $60 million just on food eaten at home and some of those dollars clearly arrive in Winona every Wednesday and Saturday at the Winona Farmers Market during market season. "Market season" started 20 years ago when area farmers started the Winona Farmers Market with some assistance from the University of Minnesota Extension Service and the Chamber of Commerce.
In honor of this benchmark and of the fresh food grown within 50 miles of Winona, a Harvest Feast is being served this Sunday the 23rd at the Blue Heron Coffeehouse. Owners and chief cooks Colleen and Larry Wolner have been putting "local" into their menus for years. Organized by the Local Foods subcommittee of the EDA, the Feast will be prepared by the Wolners - who, appropriately, aren't giving out the menu until they see what's fresh at the market the day before.
Minneapolis Chef Lucia Watson (of Lucia's Restaurant fame) will be doing a cooking demo at the market at 10:30 Saturday and then speak at the Harvest Feast. (took place in September, 2007) Feast tickets are available until Friday at the Blue Heron and at Bluff Country Co-op. All proceeds benefit the market as it launches its next 20 years of bringing the season's best - and lots of weekly visitors - to town. There is nothing like a farmers market to make you happy to live in farmcountry.This is our regional economy at work, and this time of year, it is delicious!
Caroline van Shaik coordinates the Community Based Food Systems and Economic Development Program in Southeast Minnesota for the Land Stewardship Project.
State Representative Steve Drazkowski
Regardless of Income, All Flood Victims Deserve State Assistance
By State Representative Steve Drazkowski
When we heard the forecast for an “all day soaker” on August 18, few people in southeastern Minnesota would have predicted what Mother Nature had in store: Torrential rainfall that would eventually take several lives, and force hundreds more from their homes and businesses.
This storm cell didn’t choose which homeowners would be devastated and which would be spared. Simply put, if you were in the flood path, you were hit hard. Your income did not matter, nor did the size of your home. The flood waters did not discriminate.
Neither did lawmakers when it came to dealing with this tragedy. Once Governor Pawlenty called a special session, Republicans and Democrats worked together in a positive and productive fashion to craft a bill providing disaster relief to those who were suffering.
Much of the $157 million relief package is being sent to the flooding victims in southeastern Minnesota. $16 million of that has been allocated for housing relief.
When putting together the housing provision, lawmakers wanted to ensure that all homeowners would be eligible for state flood assistance. To address this problem, we wrote specific language stating that a homeowner’s income should not prevent them from asking for and receiving aid.
We believed, in other words, that a flood victim is a flood victim.
Sadly, the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency didn’t see it that way.
Despite the language in the bill eliminating the need to do so, the MHFA decided to implement its tried-and-true housing assistance formula, which is based on income limits. Under these guidelines, a household making more than $81,120 in Winona or Wabasha counties would not have even been allowed to apply for state disaster housing assistance.
Basically, this provision meant we would discriminate against those flood victims who allegedly make too much. And because of this, half the households in our area would not have received assistance.
Recently, I contacted the Governor’s Office and the MHFA to alert them to these oversights, and asked them to modify this policy. After a few days of discussions, they agreed to implement the housing relief the way the Legislature intended – by making all affected homeowners eligible.
All of us are in this together, regardless of party affiliation, household income, or any other criteria. A flood victim IS a flood victim, and I’m grateful all will now be treated equally.
It's refreshing to see that government still can work for the people. Lawmakers from both parties worked together to create legislation that benefited all flood victims. And following a minor setback, all flooded homeowners will now receive access to the assistance they so desperately need.
State Representative Steve Drazkowski (R-Wabasha) represents Minnesota House District 28B, and is a co-author of the disaster relief proposal.
Alan Stankevitz
This Place Is For the Birds!
By Alan Stankevitz
During the months of September through December, about 40% of all North American migratory birds use the Mississippi Flyway to travel from as far away as the Arctic coast of Alaska to tropical Central America. It is no surprise that during this migration the Winona area becomes a birder’s paradise.
Bird watching or “birding” as it is sometimes referred to, has become big business throughout the United States. Based on a report produced by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in 2001, 46 million birdwatchers spent $32 billion on the hobby of bird watching. And the Winona area is prime territory for this recreational activity.
On a personal note, I am a bird watcher and bird photographer. I spend most of my time traveling along the Mississippi River and its tributaries in search of one of those National Geographic, once-in-a-lifetime photographs. Although I have never have taken that once-in-a-lifetime photograph that will gain me worldly fame, that hasn’t stopped me from photographing birds whenever I can.
Here in the Winona area, bird watching is a year-round event. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is or what the weather might be, there is always something to see. One of my favorite times of the year however, is late autumn when the air is crisp, skies are blue and the sound of thousands of tundra swans can be heard as they make their way down the Mississippi River.
True to their name, tundra swans spend their summers along the arctic coastline from western Alaska to the eastern Canadian providences breeding and raising their young. During the summer months they spend the majority of their time on dry land, but once migration begins they prefer open water.
The open waters of the Mississippi are the perfect place for them to rest as they travel towards the Atlantic coast where they over-winter. In some places near Winona there are sometimes tens of thousands of these beautiful white birds resting and feeding—the sound is deafening at times.
The swans will usually stay until the river begins to freeze over and then it is off to the east coast of the U.S. for the remainder of the winter. This usually occurs in mid to late November, but some years they will stay until December.
Birders that visit the area don’t just show up for the swans however. This is also prime time for viewing bald eagles. Bald eagles primarily eat fish, and as the river begins to freeze over, as many as a hundred or more of these majestic birds can be found fishing just below the lock and dams.
Although the summer months bring lots of travelers to the Winona area, don’t be surprised to find carloads of birders with their spotting scopes, binoculars and cameras focused on tundra swans and bald eagles as they make their way down the Mississippi.
You Can Never Leave Winona Behind
By Greg Evans
I’m seldom at a loss for words, but writing this Positively Winona piece is difficult. It’s not because there aren’t many great things to say about Winona, it’s because we’re moving.
When I began my working career 22 years ago, I never expected to come back to Winona again. When I returned to accept a position with Merchants Bank in 1989, I expected it to be a temporary stop before moving on to the proverbial “bigger and better.” Well, Winona can be surprising.
Now, as my wife Terri and I prepare for relocation to Cannon Falls and the great opportunity for growth the Merchants organization has provided for both of us, it’s almost impossible to think about leaving Winona behind.
There are so many things that make this community extraordinary, and unfortunately we take most of them for granted. Winona enjoys a physical beauty that is priceless, but what truly makes Winona a beautiful place is far more than that. Other assets we enjoy that make our community the envy of other communities would include:
Economic Diversity and Stability – As I’ve had the opportunity to travel to communities throughout Southeastern Minnesota and Westcentral Wisconsin in my role as Director of Marketing for Merchants Financial Group, it’s become increasingly clear that Winona is home to an entrepreneurial spirit that those other communities covet. Our economic assets are nearly endless and include … the evolution of composites manufacturing… the vibrancy that comes from the growth of a company like Fastenal… the presence of long-standing companies like Watkins and Merchants Bank… companies like RTP which have earned international acclaim… strong niche manufacturers like We-No-Nah Canoe and Coda Bow… and successful start-up companies like HBC… Now, that is an impressive list!
Unparalleled Educational Institutions – Find a community of this size that offers high school students a high-quality public high school and the choice of three faith-based institutions like Cotter High School, Hope Lutheran High School and Onalaska Luther High School. Think about the energy and economic stimulus injected in Winona every August when students return to Saint Mary’s University, Winona State University and Minnesota State College Southeast Technical. The Arts – The recent explosive growth of organizations like Theatre du Mississippi, the Great River Shakespeare Festival, and the Minnesota Beethoven Festival has led to greater visibility and appreciation for all the arts – from long-standing organizations to arts-related activities at our educational institutions.
A truly giving spirit – Probably most important is being part of a community filled with people who genuinely care about other people. Non-profits here flourish because of the generosity of the entrepreneurs and locally-owned companies that call Winona their home. That spirit was tested again following our severe flooding. The outpouring of help offered by hundreds of individuals and businesses throughout the community is inspiring.
All of these assets and dozens more make Winona a special place, and I've been given tremendous opportunities to experience that which really makes Winona unique. My parents set a strong example of making sacrifices to help build a strong community. I’m fortunate to work for a Company that truly understands that community leadership and giving back to others is what will lead to long-term growth and success. These values don’t come from institutions. They come from people. Not just one person or a small group, but from the community as a whole. You… all of you... are what really make this such an extraordinary community. Terri and I will miss You the most.
Greg Evans has been with Merchants Bank since 1989 and was recently named Regional President for Merchants Bank – Cannon Falls.
