We constantly marvel at the abundance of big news to share with our Star Herald readers.
There are a lot of really important things happening, and we often wish for a daily publication to adequately update the ever-progressing projects and to keep up with new announcements in a timely manner.
Just this week we had the privilege of covering the groundbreaking ceremony for Luverne School District’s $30 million voter-approved construction project.
It will result in a $7 million 600-seat performing arts center and $23 million worth of new construction for a commons, media center, improved classroom spaces and more.
History. Making. News.
This week we also covered plans for a $14 million upgrade to Luverne’s wastewater treatment plant. (It sounds technical and boring, but bear with us; this stuff is important.)
The improvements were necessitated by Premium Iowa Pork’s plans to start processing antibiotic-free pork next year, but the upgrades improve the city’s capacity for industrial growth for the next 50 years.
PIP will pay for $6.7 million of the wastewater treatment plant improvements in addition to remodeling the old IBP plant with $30 million of construction improvements. (This all improves our local tax base, by the way.)
MPCA Commissioner Laura Bishop and her team were in town Friday to talk about wastewater compliance as it relates to economic development.
Specifically, discussion centered on a little-known waste water regulation that reportedly prompted TruShrimp to abandon its plans in Luverne.
The conversation, while at times academic, went to the heart of how healthy government works: state and city leaders listened, suggested, listened some more and worked toward a future solution agreeable for both environment protection and economic growth.
This week’s paper also carries an endearing feature about Barb Bork and her 40-year-old Sewing Basket store downtown.
The story of her success through the years clearly stems from her ability and willingness to adapt and thrive (and work hard for her customers).
She sold fabrics and sewing supplies in her early years but shifted gears to feed a growing market for quilting and other fabric crafts, and now she’s on the cutting edge (pardon the pun) of digital art design.
Barb, at 76, keeps up with changing technology and sells the $20,000 machines that are capable of producing elaborate cross stitch and embroidery products at the touch of a button. She also offers training and servicing for the niche products.
Her story fits well with our other news this week in that she epitomizes the progressive spirit of our community in its drive to adapt, succeed and grow amid challenging forces.
We truly live in a special place where decades of good leadership and private cooperation has fostered an atmosphere of “can-do” for everything from the arts, to public recreation to reliable infrastructure — and the list goes on.
Meanwhile, our Star Herald news team is grateful for the opportunity for our role in recording these successes in print for our future community leaders and residents.
Help! We need more pages to keep up with all the big news!
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Star Herald Editorial