That is a great question. As usual we have lots of development
going on. I think the first place to start would be in the new Sterling Ponds
Corporate Park.
You might know that our first park resident, TurnKey Corrections/Three
Square Market, broke ground in May. The companies use advanced technologies to manufacture kiosk and
software solutions for correctional institutions and micro market locations --
convenience store in the workplace. These companies should bring plenty of employment
opportunities to River Falls.
On July 26, the City Council approved developers’ agreements
for WinField Solutions’ development projects in Sterling Ponds Corporate Park
and the Mann Valley area. WinField Solutions is a research and development subsidiary
of Land O’Lakes, Inc. Construction will begin this summer and be completed by
the end of next year.
Another tenant in Sterling Ponds Corporate Park will be
the St. Croix Valley Business Incubator (SCVBI), which is a collaborative
partnership between the City of River Falls, University of Wisconsin-River
Falls, Chippewa Valley Technical College, and the regional economic development
community. Once established, the SCVBI will serve as a one-stop location for
the coordinated delivery of business development services in the region.
Chapman Drive from Casey Street to Huppert Street is also
being reconstructed this summer. The Council awarded the bid to Total
Excavating. The project includes widening the road and creating a paved trail
next to the road. This project will be completed by the fall of 2016.
There is also significant development going on outside
the park. Allina Heath has approved
plans to construct a 13,500 square foot medical clinic northwest of the River
Falls Area Hospital. Construction will begin this summer and the clinic is
expected to be open to patients by the early summer 2017.
These are just a few of the many different development
projects going on in your city now. City staff is always working with groups,
organizations, companies, and developers on different projects to see if they
will be a good fit for our community.
Mayor Dan Toland