Reflecting on this past year, the city has much to be proud of in terms of projects, development, and personnel.

In November, the proposed new aquatic center year was presented to the public for their consideration with a referendum vote on Nov. 7. The results of 1,455 voting Yes to 735 voting No meant a successful referendum of over 66%. Final design plans for a new Marshall Aquatic Center are underway and the city is grateful for the public’s support.

Early in the process, city staff were requested to consider making changes in how N 3rd Street functions and interacts with the rest of downtown, such as improving pedestrian crossings and dedicating more space for pedestrian use. Following many public meetings regarding how best to proceed, final plans and bids were accepted in early 2023.

The N 3rd Street and W Lyon Street Improvement project included full reconstruction and utility replacement of all water main and sanitary sewer mains as well as improvements to storm sewer systems. The street project also resulted in the replacement of the sidewalks, curb, and gutter, with a new concrete paved surface.

Annually the city’s Park and Recreation Department receives many donations-from individuals, businesses, and nonprofits in the community. In 2023, community donations towards Parks and Recreation were over $250,000. These donations will help fund inclusive playground equipment, improving the Legion Field baseball complex and installation of a new disc golf course at Independence Park.

In July, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) confirmed the presence of emerald ash borer (EAB) in Lyon County for the first time. There are now 41 counties in the state, including Lyon, with EAB. Over $6.883 million in new funding was made available by the Minnesota Legislature to enhance community forest health that will encourage and promote the inventory, planting, assessment, maintenance, improvement, protection, and restoration of trees and forest resources. The city of Marshall was notified in late Fall that we will receive over $300,000 of grants funds to meet the goal of the Legislature and help our community with EAB.

New development has transformed the appearance and view of East College Drive. To name a few, the development of Dollar General and Family Dollar/Dollar Tree meant vacant land was filled and helps provides additional shopping convenience in this area of community. Domino’s vacated a former gas/convenience store to make way for a new Kwik Trip slated to open in January of 2024. In addition to Domino’s, Shopko Optical and Leading Edge Credit Union transformed a former gas station site to offer customers a new location for each of their respective businesses.

Knochenmus Enterprises continued buildout of their commercial space at the corner of Main and College Drive with 1st Floor space being completely occupied by commercial tenants and including a new entertainment option-Wings Axe Company where visitors can experience an upscale axe throwing venue.

Marshal School District opened the Career and Technical Institute (CTI) to students on Nov. 6. The facility includes classroom, lab and shop spaces for certified nursing assistants, advanced automotive and advanced welding courses for high school students.

New ownership of the Market Street Mall and Harbor Freight opening a new store in the former Shopko building provides support to city economic development staff who consider filling other vacant commercial space as top priorities.

The brightest and biggest economic news of 2023 for Marshall was the announcement that Solugen will build a new 500,000 square foot biomanufacturing facility in Marshall as part of a strategic partnership with Marshall’s Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) plant. The new facility will be located adjacent to ADM’s existing corn complex and utilize dextrose purchased from ADM to scale Solugen’s current line of carbon negative organic acids and develop new molecules to replace existing fossil fuel-based materials. Construction of phase 1 is expected to create at least 40 permanent jobs and another 100 temporary construction jobs during commissioning.

Finally, less visible to most, is the work that city employees do each and every day to provide essential services, protect public safety and support quality of life amenities and opportunities for our residents and visitors.

Our employees often must find solutions to complex issues, work with the public on concerns that seldom allow for easy answers while at the same time navigating regulatory and financial constraints. Much was accomplished in 2023 due in large part to the dedication and commitment by our employees to their jobs and their community. Thank you to them and to the public for your continued support as we look forward to continuing our great work in the year ahead.

— Sharon Hanson city administrator for the city of Marshall