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Mankato’s economy shows exponential growth CHRIS HOUCK
staff writer
The city of Mankato has seen continuous growth in economics and population in recent years. Whether it is the opening of new restaurants, expansions on the mall or construction, like the project that consumed Madison Avenue this past summer, the city of Mankato has been continuously extending itself, as well as creating programs and efforts to facilitate the growing population, in order to help accommodate the city’s continued success. Despite recent economic downturns in the United States, the city of Mankato has continued to grow. The city’s website, devoted to updating the public on the current status of Mankato, summarizes the increasing stature of the Greater Mankato area its experience; “Mankato and North Mankato has experienced tremendous growth over the past decade, evolving into a regional center that provides services to a population of 1.6 million within a 60-mile radius.” The economic growth of Mankato has not been one of rapid change, but rather one of a steady transformation. The United States Census Bureau reports that there has been a stable
increase in the population of the Greater Mankato area, stating that there has been a 0.6 percent increase in the population of Mankato in the year, 2010 and 2011. That statistic is a welcome sight to the local employers. With the inflow of an increasing population, the workforce in the city has also increased with the unemployment rate down to 4.2 percent, from 5 percent in 2011, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. Mankato has enjoyed a comparatively lighter load on the unemployment rate as well, with the United States’ total reaching up to 9.6 percent earlier this year. There’s no doubt that the city of Mankato is an area of great growth. The 44 percent increase in Greater Mankato’s total payroll in the last ten years, which amounts to an additional $5.2 billion, has been added to facilitate the growing market in the area as well, according to the Greater Mankato Growth organization. As the population of the Greater Mankato area grows, Minnesota State University, Mankato has already seen the effects of the ever increasing inflow of people, with such additions as the new residence hall
and renovations to the Centennial Student Ballroom. The city itself has seen some additions such as new restaurants as well as many additions and renovations to the mall and its stores. Such amount of renovation and construction in the last three years has totaled to approximately $237 million, according to Greater Mankato Growth. To ensure the continued growth of the Greater Mankato area, such programs as the Envision 2020 incentive have arisen. The goals of Envision 2020 are primarily set around improving education, economic development, transportation, health and human services, livability and community planning or regional governance. The plan includes goals like improving the quality of life for all residents and updates the public of its progress through their website to reach their vision of Mankato in 2020. With the city of Mankato showing no signs of slowing down in its ongoing pattern of steady growth, many programs and institutions have implimented to ensure that the city of Mankato continues to grow and be able to accommodate the varied and limitless potential of its residents, with many more changes to be seen in the future.
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Thursday, September 13, 2012T
MSSA Ratifies Senators
CHRIS HOUCK
staff writer
The third MSSA meeting of this semester included discussing such issues as the aftermath of the fall elections and new senators joining the senate. Minnesota Senator from District 23, which includes the Mankato area, Kathy Sheran, spoke to MSSA in order to introduce herself to the senate. Sheran spoke along side State Representative Kathy Brynaert. The two spoke about the importance of their communication between institutions like Minnesota State University, Mankato in order to influence decisions made at the capital, “It really makes a difference,” said Sheran. They also spoke on the voter-ID laws, saying that the proposed amendments to the state constitution are murky and encouraged people to visit the Office of Minnesota’s Secretary of State’s website to get the actual language of the proposal. This week’s meeting also saw the ratification of new senators from Tuesday’s election. The ratifications included
College of Allied Health & Nursing Senator, Daphne Drossart, College of Behavioral Science Senator Sam Turner, College of Arts and Humanities Senator David Rosencrance, Undeclared Majors Senator Lazarus Jackson, Graduate Studies Senator Ganisher Davlyatov, Julia Sears Senator Skeeter Rogers, Stadium Heights Senator Gabriel Ignacio and Off-Campus Senators Beth Madsen, Elizabeth Jacobsen, Stacy Klinkhamer and Michael Hanson. Two more senators were voted into office but are awaiting their official application before ratification. Mike Ramirez, the Elections Committee Chair, gave his report on Tuesday’s elections, saying that 361 students voted in this year’s election, which is a vast improvement over the estimated 80 students they had the year prior. He also said that MSUSA is currently providing early registration to students for this year’s election. Ramirez was also elected to a still vacant Allied Health & Nursing senate seat by a single write-in vote, but declined the position during the meeting.