The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Tim Krohn

December 5, 2009

When merger ideas flare up, apply friendly swapping

The possibility of merging Mankato and North Mankato is in the news. It’s not the first time.

A couple of decades ago when the idea arose, North Mankato got so worked up about it that there was a half-hearted movement to actually change the city’s name to get it out from under the shadow of its big brother across the river.

The name North Ridge was floated. To which the late Ken Berg, then editor of The Free Press — and proud Mankato resident — wrote a short editorial page item saying North Mankato should go ahead and change its name to “North Ridge.”

Then, he said, Mankato could change its name to “Ridge.”

The friendly rivalry between the towns is flaring again. Before moving ahead with a full merger, we could try some swapping to see how things feel.

Mankato could give Cub or Hy-Vee a subsidy to build a full-fledged, honest-to-goodness grocery store in North Mankato. It might help soothe some of the envy issues we in North Mankato harbor.

North Mankato could lend Fun Days to Mankato so it could have an actual long-term community celebration that people want to go to. For a big city, Mankato has had trouble latching onto an event to call its own. RibFest comes close, but when you have to pay $12 for three rib bones, it loses the feel of a community festival.

North Mankato could move Mutch Hardware store from Belgrade Avenue into the River Hills Mall. Just drop the whole building inside. Next to Victoria’s Secret would be good, I think. A perfect convergence of small town meets big city.

Shoppers could go into the glistening Secret to pick up a couple haute couture bustiers and then stroll next door to Mutch’s with the handwritten “Screen and Window Repair” sign taped to the window. They could enjoy the smack of the screen door and the creek of the old wood floor as they buy bar and chain oil.

Mankato could share its late-night entertainment experience with North Mankato.

At 2 a.m. bar closing time, corral a couple hundred drunken college kids onto buses, take them up to Northridge, drop ’em off and tell them to walk back to the MSU campus.

This would give a break to the long-suffering residents who live on the current migratory drunk route from downtown Mankato up Warren Street.

It would give North Mankatoans an opportunity to enjoy the rich diversity of a bigger city — one that can only be fully appreciated by having a frat boy peeing in your hydrangeas.

And it would help the kids sober up before they got home, assuming they don’t get hit by a Cadillac Escalade returning to one of the upper North residences, or fall off the Vets Bridge.

Mankato could also move one of its big Verizon Center concerts to North Mankato — maybe hold it in the old Dollar Store building. They could rename it the Verizon Wireless Dollar Store if that helps.

The last big performance we’ve had was the Cline Sisters Karaoke at the Circle Inn. They’re very good, but John Mellencamp would be nice, too.

The Caswell Field park could be converted to hold Vikings training camp in North Mankato next summer. Brett Favre could stay with Mayor Gary Zellmer, a straight-arrow guy who would keep Favre out of trouble during the off-season.

Yes, I think a little hands-across-the-water cooperation is all we need to smooth the way for a merger.

And when that consolidation is wrapped up, we can cast an eye on Eagle Lake.

Hey, the Mankato Piece would look great there.



Tim Krohn is a Free Press staff writer. He can be contacted at 344-6383 or by e-mail at tkrohn@mankatofreepress.com.

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Tim Krohn