Dome days ahead at Wescott
By Todd Lechtenberg APS Executive Director of Finance and Operations
parking is on its west side off 14 Street NW. Entry to the dome is on its north side near the parking lot.
Packer Dome is an enclosed area that covers the turf of Art Hass Stadium and is climate controlled to about 55 degrees. It features a walking/running area, batting cages and fields perfect for organized athletic competitions or informal play.
the season and can be found on the dome’s new Facebook page: www.facebook.com/WescottSportsComplex
Individuals and organizations also can rent the entire dome, just the fields or half of a field. This is a great place for a family gathering or birthday party.
Austin Public Schools has tremendous student talent led by incredible staff. We are proud to provide public performances throughout the year and invite the public to see the wonderful productions put on by our students and staff.
Austin residents who are age 65 and older can get a free pass allowing entry to home sporting events, drama productions and music concerts. It is not accepted for tournament play and some special concerts. We hope to see you at this year’s APS activities, events and performances.
Austin is working to revitalize the Oakland Avenue corridor while making it a safe, welcoming and inclusive place for residents and businesses.
The City of Austin is requesting ideas from the public to improve this important community corridor.
This process for Oakland Avenue started July 10-11, 2024, with a public workshop where Austin residents learned about steps other communities are taking to encourage equitable development; shared their visions and goals for Oakland Avenue; and brainstormed specific actions that could be done to make the corridor more vibrant, attractive, welcoming and safe.
Now the City of Austin is seeking to gather more community feedback on these actions and add any key actions that are missing.
You can help by filling out an online poll by the City of Austin to rank top ideas under four goals:
English: forms.gle/iram5xXBVm7HaCNFA
Spanish: forms.gle/JWMbCFTKrLksEeFE7
For the General Election on Nov. 5, the City of Austin’s polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
You must vote at your correct precinct but your polling site might have changed due to 2020 Census redistricting.
Please review the city map above to find your ward and precinct. You also can verify your polling location online or by calling the City Clerk’s Office at 507
Live: Vote at:
1 City Hall – Council Chambers. Ward 1, Precinct 1
2 Austin High’s Hastings Gym. Ward 1, Precinct 2
3 Southgate Elementary School. Ward 2, Precinct 1
4 Banfield Elementary School. Ward 2, Precinct 2
5 Mower County Senior Center. Ward 3, Precinct 1
6 Ellis Middle School. Ward 3, Precinct 2
The City of Austin thanks the team of volunteer election judges for their dedication and hard work!
If you have questions about voting, please contact City Clerk Brianne Wolf at 507-437-9940.
verify your voting site, go online at:
County, city seek community input to shape future
It is an exciting time in Mower County and the City of Austin as both are planning and reaching out to community members to shape the next decades and beyond. County and city officials are partnering with Impact Austin and SEH to update their individual comprehensive plans together. Initial activities focus on bringing people together to create an overall future vision for the county and city. Once a vision is developed for both, the next phase will seek to understand our communities’ priorities for initiatives related to land use, economic development, transportation, housing, parks and recreation, infrastructure and community services.
By the fall/winter of 2025, complete plan revisions are expected to be ready for public comment and adoption by the Austin City Council or Mower County Board. You can take the survey online at: atwww.compplan2045.com
You will answer three questions to share your vision for the City of Austin and Mower County. This is an opportunity to reflect on what a high quality of life will mean for future generations.
Other engagement opportunities will include a series of surveys, community workshops, stakeholder focus groups, social media, email updates and pop-up events.
This project’s website also hosts an interactive map, where you can drop pins and comments showing us what you love; what you want more of; and what you’d like to see differently.
For more information, contact:
• Valerie Sheedy (Mower County project manager) at valeries@co.mower.mn.us
• Holly Wallace (City of Austin project manager) at hollyw@ci.austin.mn.us
• Nick Novotny (Impact Austin project manager) at nick@austindca.org
For updates on the comprehensive plans, sign up for email updates at: www.compplan2045.com
NEWS
By Allison Scott
You might be unfamiliar with the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) but it is vital in gaining a snapshot of the current health status of a community like ours.
Mower County’s statistics are a cause for concern but we cannot stop there;. We need to understand why.
• Why was Mower County ranked 81st out of 87 Minnesota counties in “Quality of Life” in 2023?
• Why was Mower County ranked 73rd for “Health Outcomes” and 69th for “Health Factors”?
• In 2022, the Minnesota Student Survey revealed that for the state, about 25 percent of surveyed children self-reported having experiences with suicidal ideation.
• Why was Mower County consistently ranked higher than this average in all surveyed groupings of 8th, 9th and 11th graders? With 37 percent of our 11th-graders who reported these experiences.
Countless surveys are done, reporting
various statistics such as these; however, that usually is where the story ends without ever answering these questions.
We must ask: What is causing such an influx in our county?
The CHNA is not simply a snapshot of our community’s current health status. It dives deeper than the surface-level statistics. While health is the CHNA’s main focus, it incorporates both social and environmental factors that can lead to poor health outcomes.
Accessibility to health care? Language
barriers? Reliable transportation issues? Food or housing instability?
The CHNA asks questions like this to help identify the root cause of some of these jarring statistics.
This assessment is set by the Minnesota Health Department to be done by local public health departments every five years and nonprofit hospitals every three years to keep information current.
Using qualitative and quantitative data collection, an action plan can be established to help mitigate some of these top
factors. This data is not just for the facilitating organizations but also is made public to inform community partners and the community itself. In turn, this produces a unified target for all county members.
We want to hear from YOU. Please get involved and make a difference in our community’s health and future.
Some of you have been selected randomly to fill out our official survey. If you were selected, you should have received this survey in the mail by now. We greatly appreciate you taking time to complete it.
But what if I want to contribute more than just surveys?
That’s fantastic. We are taking note of interest for focus groups or community listening sessions. If you are interested in either of those opportunities, please call or text Mower County’s community health educator at 507-481-4863 or via email: allisons@co.mower.mn.us
Please note that participation is kept anonymous, with no identifiable traces of how you answered.
We look forward to hearing your voices because together, we can build a safer, healthier and stronger community for all Mower County residents.
As winter approaches, the public gets concerned about access to work, school and business.
People driving during the winter will encounter equipment removing snow and ice. Amber or blue flashing lights generally are the first indication such equipment is being used in the area.
The traveling public’s safety and convenience is of utmost concern to the Mower County Highway Department.
Our goal is to have all Mower County roads passable as soon as possible after the conclusion of winter storms.
The traveling public is reminded:
• Exercise caution; drive with care.
• Keep in mind that the legal speed limits might not be possible de-
pending on road conditions.
• Serious injury or death can be avoided if motorists use caution around snow-removal equipment.
Snowplow safety awareness tips:
• Yield to snowplows. They drive slower than posted speeds.
• Give the snow plow room to
work safely on the roadway.
• Slow down. Never use cruise control on wet or icy roads.
• Stay alert. A snowplow weighs 17 times more than your car.
• Never drive into a snow cloud.
• Be patient. Follow a safe distance (8 seconds) behind aplow.
• It is unlawful to deposit snow or ice from driveways onto or across public roads. Piles of snow and ice canfreeze into a solid mass creating a hazardous situation. Any accidents or damages caused by piles placed in the roadway may become the liability of the property owner or offending party.
• Parked vehicles are not allowed in the right of way (Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 160.2715).
Mower County’s Records’ Office has started a free “Property Watch” program for the public.
Anyone can sign up for the program that notifies you any time a document is recorded in the County Recorder’s office with your name on it.
To sign up, just provide your name and email address online at:
If you have questions or need assistance with signing up for “Property Watch,” contact the Recorder’s Office at 507-437-9493.
Other Homestead Deadlines
4c(3)(ii) nonprofit – May 1
Mobile home homesteads – May 29
Veteran’s exemptions – Dec. 31
Exempt status – July 1
By Tyler Lendt
Homestead applications and special ag applications – Dec. 31
Relative homestead applications –Between Jan. 2 and Dec. 31
By Marcus Thompson
trict’s Board of Supervisors.
The Voigts Devin, Darin, Dustin and Dallas with their parents David and Beth run a farm operation that includes raising beef cattle, growing cash crops on a corn-soybean rotation and running a manure-pumping business.
Over the years, the Voigts have maintained and installed numerous grassed waterways that helps protect against field erosion on their cropland.
In recent years, the Voigt family also has focused on incorporating soil-health practices that include starting a strip-till system,
flood-reduction projects and for 16 years have supported the SWCD-CRWD staff’s water-monitoring efforts.
“The Voigts are great examples of conservation-minded farmers,” said Cody Fox, Mower SWCD’s district manager.
“They have seen firsthand the value of rotating crops, applying cattle to the landscape and reducing tillage.”
In December, the Voigts will be honored with other conservation-minded farmers in Minneapolis at the annual meeting of the Minnesota Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts (MASWCD).
