Downtown enhancements to include benches, planters

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

Benches, planters, and a “river” pattern stamp will highlight a redesigned downtown Henning when the Highway 108 construction project comes through town in 2024.

During its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday night, the Henning City Council formally adopted a plan by MnDOT and a local committee of residents to bring new items to the downtown Henning area next year. As part of the Highway 108 project, sidewalks will be extended into the current road per MnDOT guidelines. However, the extended sidewalks were eligible for a Transportation Alternatives and MnDOT beautification project grant funding. 

The Transportation Alternatives grant was for $150,000 and the MnDOT portion of the funding represents 2 percent of the overall project cost, which was estimated to be approximately $64,000.

As part of the proposed project, a colored and stained sidewalk will create a “river” pattern along portions of the downtown area. The “river” will not be blue due to the cost of the blue color, but will be a slightly different color than the rest of the sidewalk.

There will also be planters that are sidewalk level that will include wood chips and plants in the center. There will be a dry “river bed” that connects the pattern on either side of the planters to give a river look. Benches will also be placed where committee members have discussed during committee meetings. 

Several city council members initially expressed a hesitation about the beautification project after hearing concerns raised from business owners about items included in the project. There was also a concern about snow removal around the dry rock planters and benches, which must be fixed to the ground and cannot be removed.

However, Todd Carroll of MnDOT, said research has shown that beautifying the downtown area through similar projects as being proposed in Henning has resulted in an increase in business in the community. 

“There have been a ton of studies and the studies will say, if you are a business owner, I know it is a little scary, but every study I have ever read said that business owners (get) 20-30 percent more business with trees and things like that in town. I get that some people don’t think that’s true, but there (are) case studies all over the United States about that,” he said. 

  Carroll went on to say that in other communities it wasn’t necessarily expected for business owners and property owners to remove the snow from the boulevard. Snow in those areas are typically piled up through the winter months with a path shoveled through the snow to a business. On the other hand, snow on the sidewalks is typically removed each time it snowed. 

Representatives from MnDOT also said items will no longer be allowed to be placed near a building on the sidewalk. Any items for sale must be placed in the boulevard next to the road and not next to the building on a sidewalk. 

The exact cost of the beautification project, which could also include decorative lights in the two block downtown area, was not known at the time of the meeting. 

In other news

• Discussed delinquent utility bills in Henning that are reaching $60,000-65,000. Henning Clerk/Treasurer Jenna Kovarik said there are some accounts who have not paid in over three months, even though the city staff have reached out to the utility customers. The city will continue to attempt to make contact with the utility customers. 

• Approved an increase in the benefit level for firefighters who have completed at least five years of goof time service credit through the state PERA program from $1,100 to $1,300. 

• Discussed a potential easement at 100 Poulson Avenue after it was determined a city-owned piece of property had been used for several years as a driveway to access a shop. The city council said it will have it attorney review a potential easement agreement with the property owner.  

• Approved an increase for rent and meals at Willow Creek. The rent will increase 9 percent, while the food will increase 60 percent to $10 per plate as it was determined the food costs have substantially increased from last year. Garage rentals will also increase $10 per month to $50 a month for residents who rent a garage at Willow Creek. 

• Approved a new wage program for Willow Creek employees. The employees at Willow Creek will receive a $1 per hour raise retroactive to the first of the year, which Henning Mayor Robert Johnson said was the equivalent of a 3 percent raise and will also be eligible for a new performance base raise program that could provide anywhere from no raise to $.50 an hour annual increase based on performance.