RelaxURhere – Cornfest 2020
The Big Stone Lake Area Chamber hosts the annual Cornfest celebration at Lakeside Park – always the third weekend in July. It is great to see the visitors along with all those “coming home” for the festivities. Follow the Chamber’s Facebook Page for all of the latest happenings, some videos, Facebook Lives and photos throughout the weekend!
Here is the Event Schedule – Enjoy!
Riverside Park Campground
Conveniently located along the Minnesota River (good fishing from shore on the river & Big Stone Lake) and walking distance to a grocery store and up to our downtown business district with shops, coffee shops and eateries.
Our campsites are considered primitive – there are bathrooms and electricity and a free City dump station & fishing cleaning station a short distance from the campsites. There is a laundromat on Second Street – driving distance.
Sites are on a first-come basis at $10.00 per night. There are 9 RV spots.
40′ max RV length – tent sites available along the shore of the Minnesota River.
Summer Rec!
Jill Dale, Summer Rec Directory
Contact: [email protected]
Summer Rec Facebook Page
Ortonville Parks & Recreation Facebook Page
2021 Summer Rec Program Planning is underway. Early Postings with information coming soon!
Due to COVID-19, the Ortonville City Council has made the tough decision of canceling the Summer Rec program this summer, however, we have activity kits available to help keep your kids active this summer. The kits are free for ages 5-12 with limited quantities. Kits contain a flying disc, a bubble wand, a jump rope, chalk, and a kite. With this kit are two activity pages with ideas to keep kids active. Turn in these pages to the city to get a prize! – UPDATE: The kits have been distributed – thank you to all who stopped by and pick them up!
Activity Sheets
21 Day Challenge Activity List
21 Day Challenge Activities List en espanol
Bingo
2020 RECREACION DE VERANO
Summer Rec Videos
- We would love to see you in action! Please send pictures or videos of you doing your activities to: [email protected]
- Home video activities to share with the kids – see below for the videos that have been submitted.
- Business How-To Video Info link! We are reaching out for assistance from our local businesses – not for financial assistance but with a great (fun!) opportunity to connect with our youth through the summer rec program.
4-H Activities
Big Stone County 4-H has been very busy this summer with Day Camps, 4-H Super Sitter virtual clinic… we’ll try to keep the list below updated with the latest activities that are available… but please also check out the 4-H Facebook page!
Simple Science on the Go Kits. July Deadline to sign-up! LINK to info
3rd annual Masters of Mac contest! This year we are coming to you virtually! Find your tastiest recipe to share with us for a chance to win! To compete, submit a photo of your macaroni creation as well as your recipe. Please share what makes your recipe unique. Did you include any Minnesota grown or raised items? Does your recipe have health considerations? Is it an old family recipe? Share what makes your mac special! Entry must be emailed to [email protected] — LINK to info
Mad Science Mondays! Look each Monday for a new and exciting science video to be posted! – LINK to info
Tween Trivia! Virtual fun to test your knowledge – Youth grades 6-9th – July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, August 6 – 1:30 to 2:00 MORE INFO LINK
Tasty Tuesdays! Join us to learn how to make some fun and delicious foods that everyone is guaranteed to love! MORE INFO LINK
4-H Day Camps in a Box! Youth will have the opportunity to explore nature, take part in explosive STEM experiments, and store memories you make today for you and others to see in the future! Birds, Bees, and Time Capsule Fun – these are just a few things that will lead you to have a spectacular adventure with us! Fridays, June 19 & 26; July 3 & 10 MORE INFO LINK
Thank you to those that have submitted videos!
For Businesses “How-to” Videos check this LINK
For family/youth-created instructional videos, you can submit by emailing them to Jill Dale at [email protected] or you can upload them to this dropbox folder: LINK to upload video: https://www.dropbox.com/request/Jy1fgYBT5Qnhs7DXpoPO
Below.. Robotics!
RippinRockets, PDF Material/Directions
Employment – City Openings
Positions Open Listed Below:
Reminder: Water Pipes
A reminder to those that have had issues with water pipes freezing in the past – running water through the pipe – even at a trickle – helps to prevent pipes from freezing.
Opportunity Zone
Of the 509 eligible low-income census tracts in Minnesota, Governor Dayton could designate 128 census tracts as Opportunity Zones. The Ortonville EDA completed the application and sought support from the City and the County to submit Ortonville’s census tract for consideration as an appointment – with success!
Opportunity Zones are a new community development program established by Congress in the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 to encourage long-term investments in low-income and urban communities nationwide.
Opportunity Funds are a new class of private sector investment vehicles authorized to aggregate and deploy private investment into Opportunity Zones. Opportunity Funds allow U.S. investors holding unrealized gains in stocks and mutual funds to pool their resources in projects located in Opportunity Zones, which will be invested in rebuilding low-income communities.
U.S. investors are eligible to receive:
- A temporary tax deferral for capital gains invested in an Opportunity Fund.
- A step-up in basis for capital gains reinvested in an Opportunity Fund.
- A permanent exclusion from taxable income of capital gains from the sale or exchange of an investment in a qualified opportunity zone fund if the investment is held for at least 10 years.
As the final details of this program have been rolled out, we are excited that the timing is coinciding nicely as we finalize our work with the Minnesota Housing Partnership (MHP) to address the needs that were identified in the 2018 Housing Study by Maxfield Research & Consulting.
Staff from both the Ortonville EDA and the Big Stone County Housing & Redevelopment Authority along with a committee have been working with MHP on project planning:
What do we have?
Community: Families, youth, vets, seniors, etc.
Resources: Available land, infrastructure, etc.
What do we want?
Workforce housing rental single family, rehab
What do we need to get what we want?
The Committee is currently drafting a Request for Proposal (RFP) which will go out to developers. This Draft RFP will first be taken to the City Council for review and then the Committee plans to host a public meeting for the review of the plans for input/changes before being released. The housing projects under consideration in the RFP will be Opportunity Zone — project friendly!
Housing Committee Members are:
- Dalen Roe, Cenbank
- David Rogers, Ortonville Area Health Services
- Kristi Ehrenberg, Big Stone Therapies
- Mary Hillman, Big Stone Lake Area Chamber
- Garry Swenson, Ortonville EDA
- Kim Sykora, Ortonville EDA/City Council
- Nancy Lee, Big Stone County HRA Staff
- Vicki Oakes, Ortonville EDA Staff
If you’d like more information on the Opportunity Zone and/or preliminary information on the housing projects, please contact Vicki Oakes at 320-839-6155 or email [email protected]
2019 Council Agendas & Minutes
City Council’s regular meeting schedule is:
1st & 3rd Monday’s of the Month
Link to Council Meeting Videos
LINK to 2018 Minutes & Agendas
LINK to 2020 Minutes & Agendas
Below, PDF links to the City Council Meeting Agendas & Minutes
Plowing & Sanding Roads in Ortonville
We are now in the “Before New Year’s Day Blizzard” just after we finished clean-up from the “After Christmas Blizzard” – please, if you have to travel, do so with caution!
News Release from Big Stone County Emergency Management this morning
(if you have a Facebook Page, here is a link to this release)
Dec. 31, 2018 (7:15 a.m.)
The Minnesota Department of Transportation has enacted a no travel advisory on state and federal highways in the following counties due to dangerous driving conditions:
· Clay
· Big Stone
· Stevens
· Traverse
· Wilkin
High winds and blowing snow are causing whiteout conditions. Snowplows will continue to operate, but motorists are advised not to travel until conditions improve. For tips on safe winter driving, go to www.mndot.gov/workzone/winter.html. For real-time traffic and travel information in Minnesota, visit www.511mn.orgor get the free smartphone app at Google Play or the App Store.
Please have patience as the City crew works to keep our roads open during yet another storm. The video below (and post photo above) was taken during clean up from last week’s blizzard.