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George’s sign actually came down safely

George’s Ballroom sign was safely removed earlier this week. On Wednesday the large Art Deco sign that has been a part of New Ulm’s downtown for over 80 years was taken down by a crane. It was shipped by truck to Mankato to be refurbished. The plan is to incorporate the old sign into the new apartment building that will be constructed on George’s site. Hopefully the sign can survive another 80 years. The fact that work crews were able to save the sign is kind of a miracle. It had been attached to the building for decades, exposed to the elements and yet it survived. The demo team deserves a great deal of praise for completing the task with minimal complications.

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Westridge celebrates 1-year anniversary

Westridge Place, the pod model day care the city created at 1314 Westridge Road has been in operation for a year. The pod model allows up to four in-home day care providers to operate out of the same building. Three providers moved into Westridge a year ago this week. A fourth followed a month later. In the year since Westridge Placed opened it has garnered a lot of attention. Day care shortages are a problem statewide and nationally. Many communities have reached out to city staff to learn all they can about the pod model. The success of Westridge shows the pod model is a viable method for day care. This is an anniversary worth celebrating.

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Cheers to longterm mayors, councilors

As the year comes to a close, several communities are holding their final city council meetings of the year. For some councilors and mayors, this is not just the final meeting of the year, it is their final meeting as a city leader. This years multiple cities in the area are seeing longterm elected officials retire. Last week, Courtland city councilor Ralph Bents attended his last council meeting after over 20 years on the council. Last Tuesday, Sleepy Eye Mayor Wayne Pelzel was honored for eight years of service. Next Tuesday, New Ulm City Councilor Les Schultz will attend is last meeting after 16 years on the council. All three officials chose not to run for election again. It can be a challenge for some communities to find people willing run for office. It is even harder to find individuals to stay on the council for multiple terms.