Shopko in Hutchinson closed in 2019, and has been empty ever since. Now it will soon be used by MITGI for expansion.
Downtown Hutchinson’s largest empty building is set to be filled following a unanimous vote by City Council this past week.
“We’re excited,” Eric Lipke, president of Midwest Industrial Tool Grinding Incorporated told council members just before they approved a conditional-use permit to allow light manufacturing in the former Shopko building. The building has been vacant for two years, though a private owner has tried to find a tenant.
The Hutchinson business, which currently operates in the city’s northeast manufacturing zone, plans to use the building for expansion as its current facility is running out of space.
The manufacturer of standard and custom-cutting tools has about 70 employees at its current site. The Shopko building provides more than three times the space.
Midwest Industrial Tool Grinding Inc. of Hutchinson is expanding its operations out of its current facility on the northeast side of town into the former Shopko building.
“I’m not sure how long it will take to reach a level where we’re full there, or if it will be an equal ratio, but we expect a significant increase,” Lipke told council members.
Hutchinson Planning Director Dan Jochum said parking will not be an issue. If there are 70 employees at the site, they would be split among three shifts, with the largest — about half — during the regular day shift.
The conditional-use permit comes with stipulations, the most noteworthy of which is aimed at the building’s exterior. No items are to be stored outside except in the enclosed area in the back.
“That’s not going to be an issue with the applicant,” Jochum said. “They’re not intending on storing any items or materials and such outside.”
The Planning Commission recommended the permit with a 3-1 vote.
“There is some general sense that some folks don’t think manufacturing should be downtown,” Jochum said. “Staff is still of the idea it should be approved. It meets all the ordinance standards and conditions we set forth.”
Tom Wirt, a member of the Planning Commission, asked council members in a letter to consider the city’s branding study, which found Hutchinson is viewed as a “place to go” for shopping and good restaurants. He believes allowing light manufacturing could limit the growth of activities that would make downtown more attractive, a destination for visitors, and a stronger center for local businesses.
Commission member Robert Hantge said the city’s comprehensive plan included the promotion of mixed uses in downtown Hutchinson — a goal that light manufacturing meets. Supporters of the permit also cited the potential benefit of additional shoppers downtown.
When the issue was previously discussed at a City Council meeting, Jochum said there had been no interest in using the space for retail since Shopko closed in 2019.
“Big box in general has declined,” he said, noting a smaller variety of stores.
When the building was up for auction in April, Jochum received numerous calls from interested parties, but none mentioned big box stores. Interested parties mentioned secure storage and RV storage.
“To me, that was not a great use,” he said. “That does not create a lot of jobs.”
Hutchinson Police Chief Tom Gifferson helped incoming third-grader Adalynn Stacey find her way at Park Elementary School Monday during the first day of class. Gifferson was out and about helping everyone stay safe as children returned to schools for the start of a new year.
A police escort
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What were Hutchinson police up to in 2020? Did the city receive any grants that year? Were any new businesses welcomed into the community?
The answers to these questions and numerous others can be found in a new document that went live from the city of Hutchinson this past week — The 2020 Annual City Report. Find it at tinyurl.com/hutchinsonreport or through the city’s Facebook page.
“This is kind of our first-go,” Matt Jaunich, city administrator, told the City Council. “There is still some work I want to do on it.”
He said the report has been a goal of his for a few years, and it represents the first of its kind in Hutchinson’s history so far as he is aware. Every year, the City Council receives reports from each department, as well as plenty of other information. The annual city report compiles that data into one source with about 150 pages. Also available in the report is information on tax rates, and how they compare to other cities.
In 2020, Hutchinson’s tax rate was 66.47%, below the state average of 75.74%. The average for regional centers such as Willmar, Fergus Falls and New Ulm was 58.6%.
“One of the things that frustrates me the most is roughly 90% of what I hear out in public about what we do here is factually inaccurate,” Jaunich said. “And so how are we going to try and properly educate the public about what we do here? This is just one step.”
The report, which was compiled by administrative coordinator Melissa Starke and department heads, will be built upon in coming years. Jaunich said he also hopes it will come out sooner in future years and help residents avoid having to look up 10 reports for 10 departments.
“While COVID saw our unemployment rate peak at 8.2% in May, we have recovered to post an unemployment rate at 4.1% in November and 4.8% in December, basically the same level it was at pre-pandemic,” reads one portion of the report’s executive summary. “Unemployment rates in Hutchinson continue to remain lower than the state (4.9%) and federal (6.5%) percentages. Vacancy rates for our market rate rental units also continue to be at historic lows and our median sales price of our residential homes continue to rise, having increased from $175,000 last year to $200,000 through the end of 2020, the eighth straight year of an increase.”
In addition to data from the city’s departments, the report also discusses community surveys, the city’s organization, partnerships, awards, and broad indicators of health.
Did you know Hutchinson’s median household income for 2020 was $57,672, above the average ($56,606) for regional centers. The percent of the city’s population below the poverty line is 9%, the same as the state average and six percentage points below the average for regional centers in the state.
“One of the goals I had was to be a little bit more transparent to the public,” Jaunich said.
Princess Kay of the Milky Way Anna Euerle of rural Litchfield poses with her butter sculpture.
Princess Kay of the Milky Way Anna Euerle of rural Litchfield poses with her butter sculpture.
Linda Christensen, right, works on a butter sculpture of the 2021 Princess Kay of the Milky, Anna Euerle, in the dairy building at the Minnesota State Fair. Christensen retired this year from creating the butter sculpture of Princess Kay after doing so for 50 years, passing the job on to her successor, artist and Minnesota native Gerry Kulzer, another Litchfield resident. Christensen began sculpting Princess Kay and finalists in 1972, shortly after graduating from Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Anna Euerle, reacts with surprise as the Princess Kay crown is placed on her head during coronation Aug. 25 at the Minnesota State Fair.
Princess Kay of the Milky Way Anna Euerle
Wearing a face shield, 2021 Princess Kay of the Milky Anna Euerle has her likeness carved into a block of butter in the dairy building at the Minnesota State Fair. Euerle, a 19-year-old college student from Litchfield, Minn., representing Meeker County, was crowned the 68th Princess Kay of the Milky Way in an evening ceremony Aug. 25.
Anna Euerle, right, poses with sculptor Linda Christensen and the butterhead sculpture Christensen created of Euerle during 10 hours in the studio/cooler at the Minnesota State Fair.
Anna Euerle goes nose-to-nose with her butter sculpture.
Anna Euerle, middle, poses with her butter sculpture while her parents Vaughn and Joan Euerle stand at the entrance to the carving booth.
Anna Euerle has spent all 19 years of her life in the dairy industry.
From being born the daughter of Joan and Vaughn Euerle, who own and operate a rural Litchfield dairy farm, to studying agribusiness with a dairy emphasis at Ridgewater College last year, she’s been immersed in the industry.
Given that resume, maybe it should be no surprise that Euerle aspired to be Princess Kay of the Milky Way — Minnesota’s official dairy ambassador.
And on the evening of Aug. 25, aspiration became reality at the Minnesota State Fair.
“You know, this has been a dream of mine for quite a while now,” Euerle said during a telephone interview Saturday. “So when I was crowned, I was just full of pride that this was something I was able to accomplish, to be able to represent Minnesota’s dairy community.”
Euerle was one of 10 finalists from around the state competing to be Princess Kay. The princesses were judged based on their knowledge of the dairy industry, communication skills and enthusiasm.
Though she knows the industry and has developed strong communication skills through involvement in FFA throughout high school, Euerle said the judging process was tough.
“It wasn’t grueling, it’s just the nerves,” she said. “I was so nervous, especially when we arrived at coronation, and we were waiting backstage. I just, you know, whirlwind of emotions.”
In the 68th year of the Princess Kay of the Milky Way competition, Euerle became the first woman from Meeker County to wear the crown.
“It kind of feels like I just broke the glass ceiling for the county,” she said with a laugh. “You know, I think looking forward, as our county has future finalists, this will really kind of push them, because they’ve seen that somebody from our county can do it now. And it’s achievable. So it’s really special for me to be able to kind of be the encouraging factor for Meeker County going forward, but of course, yes, I’m so honored to be the very first.”
Euerle also felt a special sense of honor being crowned this year, because of its confluence with history.
One of her first duties as Princess Kay was to have her likeness carved from a 90-pound block of butter. For the past 50 years, Linda Christensen, a California-based sculptor, has handled the carving. Last year it was announced Christensen — who was unable to travel to Minnesota to do the carvings — would retire after sculpting Princess Kay this year. And her replacement would be Litchfield artist Gerry Kulzer.
“To be crowned this year, when it’s Linda Christensen’s last year sculpting, then to be able to welcome Gerry Kulzer … into the butter booth, that was just so special,” Euerle said.
She sat in the refrigerated, glass-walled booth in the dairy barn at the State Fair for about 10 hours Thursday and Friday, watching as Christensen transformed the block of butter into Euerle’s likeness. Throughout that time, Euerle said, she and Christensen were joined in the booth by various media from around the state. The experience gave her the opportunity to learn even more about Christensen’s half-century of butter sculpting.
“She’s just such a phenomenal woman, and to be her last (Princess Kay) sculpture is truly an honor,” Euerle said. “You know, that butterhead is going to be a piece of history. That was very cool.
“And of course, (Friday) night we had her retirement ceremony, where I actually got to witness her passing over the sculpting knife to Litchfield’s own Jerry Kulzer, and as I speak right now, he’s carving his very first finalist of the year,” she added. “That’s just been so fun to see. It’s kind of the cherry on top of the entire experience.”
Of course, the entire experience will grow over the next 12 months as Euerle travels the state to promote — and educate people about — the dairy industry. It begins with 12 days at the State Fair, where she will be kept busy with a variety of activities. One of them was judging a butter sculpting contest Saturday, where entries included an ice cream cone, a gallon of milk, a cat, cow and dragon.
The year ahead will bring much more.
“It is a very busy engagement schedule,” Euerle said. “I’ll be doing a multitude of things, from classroom visits to different farm visits. So she (Princess Kay) does quite a bit of things across a broad spectrum. I’m really excited to get started for a year and just do some different things. It’ll probably be crazy, but I’m ready for it.”
That, Eurele has proven throughout a jam-packed high school and early college career. She served a year as reporter on the state FFA officer team during her freshman year at Ridgewater College. This past summer, she has worked at three area dairy farms while serving as a Meeker County dairy princess and preparing for the Princess Kay competition.
In addition to helping out on her parents’ farm, Euerle worked at Corstar Farm in Manannah, a 30-cow dairy where she also owns a couple of cows in partnership with Cory and Kristen Salzl. One of those cows was shown at the State Fair Saturday, so even though Euerle’s Princess Kay duties wouldn’t allow her to show the animal, she did go down to watch the show.
Euerle also has served an internship at Ru-be Dairy, a 600-cow operation south of Grove City.
The work has kept her busy, to be sure, but it also offered a glimpse at the diversity of dairy farms.
“To be able to work with three different farm sizes was so unique,” Euerle said. “I definitely referenced that in my judging, and I’ve been referencing that so far as I’ve gotten to visit with different individuals. It’s just so fun to share, you know, how farms work, because there’s lots of misconceptions about farm size and how that varies the treatment of animals. But from farm to farm, what I’ve noticed this summer is that farmers care, whether it’s 600 cows or 30 cows.”
It’s a message she’s eager to share as Princess Kay — and, she hopes, as she pursues a career in the dairy industry after college. Her long-term goal is to work as a milk inspector for USDA in Minnesota.
“Dairy farmers are beyond passionate for what they do,” Euerle said. “I’ve never met a more hard-working group of individuals. They are up and at ‘em 365 days a year, 24/7. To have that kind of passion for your job is just phenomenal.”
It’s an enthusiasm Euerle also seems ready to share herself during the next year as dairy royalty.
