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Friday, December 31, 2004
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LITTLE FALLS Officials happy school levy passes Staff Writer LITTLE FALLS -- Little Falls has had quite a year and plans to continue to grow in 2005.
Housing developments doubled, new businesses came and the community finally said yes to a school property tax increase this year.
Voters supported increasing the Little Falls School District's general education revenue up to $855.79 per pupil unit for 10 years. The news was big after the district had four failed referendums in the past four years.
The money from the referendum will preserve the staff and the programs that remain in the school district; restore libraries at all the schools and some vocational programs for the 2005-06 school year; and reinstate the custodians who were cut so the district can reopen the swimming pool to a certain degree and reopen the buildings on weekends and at other times during the week.
The school district has cut $7.5 million from its school budget since 2000.
Housing in the city is on the rise. Little Falls City Administrator Richard Carlson said the city usually sees 25-30 homes a year and this year the number doubled. Carlson said one of the reasons for the increase is due to the school referendum passing.
"This year I've seen the most growth since I've been here and I've been here for 20 years," said Carlson. "We usually see steady growth and this year it is happening a lot faster."
Carlson said the city annexed more than 56 acres into the city to accommodate the growth. He said the housing developments offer a variety of styles, including twin homes. The developments are Sunrise Addition, Hidden Oaks Addition, South Oaks, Park View, T.R. Northwest Addition, Golf View Estates and Riverwood Ridge.
The city has seen businesses and industries move and expand into the city, including Atomic Learning, Super Torquer, Ameritrack, Falls Repair and Meyer Communication. New retail businesses that came to the city this year were Quizno's, Claire Antiques, Space Options, Energy For Life and Classic Heating and Sheet Metal.
The Community Animal Hospital, Spectrum Printing and Apparel, Little Falls Machine, Mid-Minnesota Credit Union and Radio Shack expanded. Carlson said several downtown businesses have remodeled, including Bon Jos Women's Apparel, Whiskey River, The Pine Edge Home Care and Domino's Pizza.
Little Falls
County: Morrison, county seat.
Population: 8,224.
Major employers/industry: Larson Boats, Crestliner Boats, The Instant Web Companies, St. GabrielŐs Hospital, St. OttoŐs Care Center, The Lutheran Home, Little Falls School District, Little Falls Machine, Falls Fabricating, Fallsburg Woodworking, Meyer Teleservices, Central Minnesota Ethanol Cooperative, Central Minnesota Tool and Stamping, Precision Tool and Stamping, Lindbergh Manufacturing, Northern United, Integrated Molding and Spectrum Printing.
Notable attractions: Minnesota Fishing Museum, Pine Grove Park Zoo, Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Museum and State Historic Site, Linden Hill Conference and Retreat Center, Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery, Minnesota Military Museum and Charles A. Lindbergh State Park.
Notable events: Zoo Hullabaloo, Family Fun Days, Dam Festival, Little Falls Arts and Crafts Fair, Zoo Boo and Holiday Open House.
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Little Falls may see a Wal-Mart Super Center in 2005. The city is considering rezoning property off Highway 10 near the Highway 27 exit north of the Country Inn and Suites.
If approved, the superstore would be 203,816 square feet and would include groceries, a liquor store, an auto center, a gas station and a pharmacy with a drive-up window.
The city also developed two industrial parks. One 30-acre park is in north Little Falls and a 120-acre park is in northeast Little Falls. There is one new industry, Northern United, located in a park so far.
This year the city successfully leveraged federal, state and local grant funding to clean up and redevelop the Hennepin Paper Co., a former pulp and paper mill on the Mississippi River. The city is developing the 10-acre site into a public park. The site was a threat to public health and the environment.
The park will include walking paths, picnic areas, fishing piers and an outdoor amphitheater. Foundations and artifacts of the former mill were salvaged for the park. Carlson said the park will open in 2005.
Pine Grove Park Zoo made headway this year in expanding its bear exhibit. The zoo, after years of planning, finally has enough funds to start the facility.
The bear exhibit will be designed to hold two bears. The exhibit will have a concrete structure, glass viewing areas, a cyclone fence and the dens will have running water. The exhibit is proposed to be a multiuse facility with a veterinarian lab and public restrooms.
Next to the Mississippi River, the city installed a kiosk that is dedicated to Andre Cadot, the former mayor of LeBourget, France, who was instrumental in establishing Little Fall's sister city relationship.
And the city is working on building another water tower off Highway 10.
JENNIFER STOCKINGER can be reached at jennifer.stockinger@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5851.
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