The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Local News

November 23, 2010

Mankato council OKs talks to buy bank site

City appears ready to move ahead with civic center expansion

By Dan Linehan Free Press Staff Writer

MANKATO — Should Mankato buy the downtown U.S. Bank site in hopes of building a performing arts expansion to the civic center, or give up on the $30 million project with an admission that the Legislature will never go for it?

The bank is getting more cramped, and has been putting off maintenance because of the city’s interest in the site, bank president Todd Loosbrock said. Now, the bank has an opportunity to move into the nearby HECO building, which is being renovated.

And the bank would like to know — sooner being very much preferable to later — if they should fix up their building or get ready to move.

Loosbrock said he is “concerned that it’ll be go time and we won’t have a plan.”

The City Council didn’t decide the fundamental issue Monday, but as it voted 6 to 1 to allow the city manager to re-start negotiations to buy the building, the council’s opinion became more clear. There appear to be enough votes to support buying the property and using sales tax money to build the expansion.

Councilman Vance Stuehrenberg provided the opposition.

“People say, ‘gosh we’re building a $30 million facility. How can we ... spend this type of money when people are hurting?’” he said.

Councilwoman Tamra Rovney replied the spending would employ construction workers and attract people to the downtown.

The smaller chambers of the Blue Earth River Room were unusually full, as 13 of the 20 members of the City Center Partnership council showed up to support the project. They were prominent businesspeople: an attorney, restaurateur, architect and redevelopers.

Architect Bryan Paulsen said the performing arts center will help downtown Mankato “create an identity of a cultural center.”

Attorney Andy Willaert said the “taxpayers here are job creators” who have “invested a stunning amount of money in the city center.”

Along with hundreds of others, they have also volunteered their time in Envision 2020, Mayor John Brady said in an impassioned speech defending the expansion.

Waiting for the Legislature to commit bonding money — which seems unlikely this year given the Republican takeover — is “going down the wrong path.”

He said it would take “political courage” to move forward with the project, whether the Legislature wants to follow or not.

The city has enough sales tax money to pay for about half of the project. If it goes alone, it could improve the hockey arena and add meeting rooms but not build the performing arts center.

Some councilors, including Jack Considine and Charlie Hurd, didn’t say whether they supported the project overall, only that they said the city should negotiate to buy the building. But given the vocal support of Rovney along with Council President Mike Laven and Councilman Mark Frost, the project appears to have enough votes if a decision needs to be made in 2011.

The US Bank building and drive-through area were together valued at $1.99 million in 2010 by Blue Earth County. In 2009, it was appraised by the county at $2.93 million, but the value was lowered by a state tax court.

The city of Mankato hired an appraiser that set a value of $1.7 million for the Second Street property, calling that figure “the basis for the purchase price” in a letter to Loosbrock sent earlier this year.

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