Sunday, January 31, 2016

A Year in Review: New St. Cloud Appearances, Businesses and Events in 2015

With an array of new businesses, projects, renovations, and expansions completed in the greater St. Cloud area in 2015 and many more underway, it has been an excellent year for businesses in Central Minnesota. Let’s take a look back on the year with a review of the biggest 2015 construction and development projects in the St. Cloud area:
coborns headquarters concept.jpgCoborn’s
Coborn’s unveiled new corporate offices entitled Coborn’s Support Center along Heatherwood road near Interstate Highway 94 for $6.5 million. In 2013, the St. Cloud City Council also approved a $3 million road project in the area that would aid the development of the new support center.
Grede Holdings, LLC
Grede Holdings broke ground at the St. Cloud foundry in January 2015 to add a 32,000 square-foot expansion to an existing 320,000 square-foot facility. The $17.5 million project increased the Grede foundry workforce of 330 to 360 employees.
Dubow Textile Inc.
Dubow Textile has expanded for the third time in five years to meet a growing local demand for customized, screen-printed, and embroidered clothing. The project has added 21,000 square feet to the existing site at Lincoln Avenue, and it has also provided over 20 new positions.
IMG_0705[1].jpgAnderson Trucking
Anderson Trucking is currently going under construction for a new maintenance facility at 300 74th Street South. The $11.6 million project celebrated its 60th year anniversary in business as a transportation provider in 2015.
St. Cloud Hospital
The St. Cloud Hospital has been undergoing renovations and remodels of the Cancer Center, Heart and Vascular Center, pharmacy, CCHP Urgency Center, and construction of a new emergency trauma center, as well as upgrades to the behavioral units.


Athlos Academy
In October 2015, construction broke ground at 3701 33rd Street South for Athlos Academy, a charter school with branches operating in Arizona, Texas, and as nearby as Brooklyn Park. The St. Cloud area school district is currently still planning to build a new school to replace Technical High School.
Take a peek at what’s to come in 2016:
arctic cat worker.jpgArctic Cat Inc
An expansion and interior buildout of the Arctic Cat Inc. manufacturing plant will provide at least 10 new jobs to St. Cloud this year. The $400,000 private investment will include an expanded assembly line for the burgeoning company.




St. Cloud Lofts
lofts.jpgPending construction, the city of St. Cloud is looking to transform a vacant lot at 523 St. Germain Street into a condominium project named The Lofts. The six-story building will include 46 units—two studios, 37 one-bedrooms, and seven two-bedrooms.
For a more comprehensive list, visit the year-end development activity map.
Congratulations to all the businesses of St. Cloud for expanding and developing through the New Year!

Friday, January 22, 2016

Smart Energy and Safety Initiatives Across St. Cloud

Smart Energy.jpg

In April 2015, Mayor Dave Kleis announced, during his tenth annual State of the City address, a new plan to introduce energy-efficient LED street lights - dynamic informational signs, and high-tech cameras to reduce energy use and to improve safety in the community of St. Cloud.
The new smart energy LED streetlights recently installed in St. Cloud are a part of Excel Energy’s plan to replace all of its 100,000 streetlights across the state with energy-efficient LEDS. This is a part of the company’s proposed $100 million, five-year streetlight upgrade in the eight states Xcel Energy serves. The cost of LED lights has dropped significantly, which means the cost of installing LEDs is offset by lower energy and maintenance costs.
The city plans to have as many of the lights installed along downtown St. Germain Street and 5th avenue and eventually city-wide. As this means changing more than 2,000 lights, the project will take an estimated 22 months to complete.
The new smart energy and safety features cost an estimated $3.5 million in capital costs on a performance contract, costing nothing to the city. Similar to the renovations done to the Municipal Athletic Complex, the energy savings will pay for the long-term cost of financing.
Not only are the street lights energy efficient, they will also feature high-tech cameras, an audio system, and signage that will display information about detours, events, and parking availability. Brighter street lights and high-tech cameras will mean greater visibility and safer security precautions downtown.
Streetlights will be more efficient to operate and will cut the city’s electric bill by more than half. Greater efficiency means that the lights will only be replaced every 20 years instead of the current average of every six years, making for an excellent and energy-efficient community.

Monday, January 4, 2016

Winter Fun in St. Cloud

Whether you enjoy cold weather and snow or not, one thing is for sure – you don’t want to get bored during the winter season. Many people often find it easier to experience boredom during the winter months, but St. Cloud provides plenty of activities to prevent that from happening.

Some St. Cloud old favorites include ice skating on Lake George, sledding at Riverside Park and Calvary Hill, and cross-country skiing on the abundant trails in the area. You’ll never run out of outdoor fun in St. Cloud, but we do run out of pleasant winter days to spend outdoors. Luckily, there is plenty of indoor fun to keep you occupied as well:

Whitney Recreation Center
The Whitney Center offers a variety of recreational courts available for use, including a suspended walking track, 3 basketball courts, 5 volleyball courts, and 6 pickleball courts. They also have an exercise room that won’t be as crowded as a local gym. If you are interested in using one of these offerings from the Whitney Recreation Center, you have the option of paying for a 1-day pass, a punch pass, or a seasonal pass. For information on fees and hours, check them out online.

Open Studio & Teen Night
If you are a teen or young adult that has a passion for art, this may be right up your alley! Meeting every Thursday until May 26th, Open Studio & Teen Night at the Paramount Visual Arts Center offers people the chance to experience a variety of art mediums. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn tips from mentors in a variety of areas, including ceramics, hand building, painting & drawing, woodturning, and fused & stained glass. No registration is required prior to attending. All that is required is you pay a fee, which helps pay for materials. The cost is $10 for ages 21+ and $5 for ages 20 and under.

The Paramount Theatre
Take in a show or concert at the Paramount Theatre this winter. Whether you’d like to see a comedy show,  listen to classical music or tribute groups, or catch some live theatre, you’re sure to find something you like. The variety at the Paramount means opportunities for families, friends, or a fun date night. Check out the full calendar and get your tickets before they sell out.

With this list of activities, we hope we help alleviate some winter boredom. See something you haven’t tried before? Give it a shot - you never know, you might just end up liking something new. We hope you all have a safe and enjoyable winter season!