Groundbreaking at the Fairgrounds

Construction of ice arena begins;

project funded with local sales tax

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM--On a sunny, blustery Friday, slightly soft, muddy ground was broken for the new Fairgrounds Community Center, centerpiece of a triad of sales tax referendum construction projects.

Representatives of the City Council, Park and Recreation Commission, the Brown County Agricultural Society, the mayor, legislators and other civic leaders stood during the ceremony on dirt near where the center's foundation will start.

"Looks like it's a little late for a groundbreaking," opined Councilor Clark Tuttle, surveying the earth work, already trenched for footings. Because of a milder than expected winter, Heymann Construction's sub-contractor, MR Paving & Excavating, had started moving dirt four days into January.

It was as if the project was twice-blessed, construction bids had come in over $300,000 below budget, and the weather had allowed a much earlier start than expected.

As those attending the ceremony picked their way across the sticky dirt, one after another marveled: "It doesn't even look like the ground is frozen."

"Everything has gone so smoothly," Council President Dan Beranek said, "that it seems like everything was meant to be. You gotta be happy. This building will be here a long time; with two sheets of ice, we shouldn't have to have kids out at midnight or up at 6 o'clock in the morning."

"What makes it a banner year for New Ulm is that this could have occurred during an economic downturn and the events of September 11," Mayor Arnold Koelpin remarked. "In spite of all that, citizens passed the sales tax referendum, they passed a school levy referendum, and the United Way went over the top in contributions. What a wonderful response from the community."

Park and Recreation Commission Chair Mary Hussman called attention to the driving force in getting the sales tax referendum going.

"We wouldn't be standing here today if it weren't for Bob Skillings," she said. "He was a catalyst, and he spearheaded this. It shocked New Ulm that this is happening."

"It was very exciting to be out here with the construction equipment and seeing this becoming a reality," Skillings said. "They're being very kind, and I did put a lot of work into it. However, if the commission hadn't supported it and worked with me, it wouldn't have happened. And the city council deserves a lot of the credit."

The homework the commission did before taking the proposal to the city council helped, Skillings said. "They were supportive all along the way."

Skillings, who was commission chairman during the projects' birth in 1996, credits a 10-week campaign in getting a vote of approval on the referendum.

"Our goal was to not have anyone criticize us for not providing enough information," Skillings recalled. "So we were continually pumping out information until, I think, the citizens approved it because they didn't want to hear any more about it."