Marshall Celebrates 150 Years of History and a Bright Future
The southwest Minnesota regional center was profiled in the 2022 ENTER print annual. We checked back in with City Administrator Sharon Hanson to hear about the sesquicentennial and new developments in this thriving community.
By Sheri Hansen | July 14, 2022
The city redeveloped the site of an abandoned gas station in the heart of downtown into Veterans Memorial Park. Photo by Chad Holder.
FEATURE
This feature is a follow-up to the profile of Marshall, Minnesota, in the 2022 ENTER print annual, available for purchase here. The print article can be downloaded here.
Founded in 1872, Marshall, Minnesota, is celebrating its 150th anniversary with events, public art, history displays, and more throughout the year, with a major focus on events in August. While the history celebrations unfold, City Administrator Sharon Hanson and other community leaders are keeping up the work of developing and building the Marshall of tomorrow.
“We’ve had some vacant spaces in our downtown area for decades, and we’ve been hyper-focused on getting them redeveloped in recent years,” says Hanson. “Right now, we have an empty parking lot that we’ll be redeveloping in three phases, starting with residential-only buildings and adding mixed-use development in the later phases. The mixed-use will combine commercial space on the main floors and apartments above, which fits nicely into the character of our downtown.”
Photos 1–5: Marshall City Administrator Sharon Hanson, an aerial view of Veterans Memorial Park, the recently renovated Marshall City Hall, one of the city’s colorful murals downtown, and Mayor Bob Byrnes, who is celebrating 30 years in office in 2022. Photos by Chad Holder.
Just across the intersection from that lot stand the Landmark Mercantile and historic New Atlantic Hotel buildings. Local companies had started renovations to convert the three-floor historic building for commercial use in decades past, but the work was not completed. Knochenmus Enterprises is now completing the renovation, which will house the corporate headquarters of Ralco Nutrition—one of Marshall’s anchor businesses—on the second level of the two buildings and create an event space on the top level of the Mercantile building.
“It’s wonderful to see the Mercantile project finally go from a vacant building to a commercial space,” says Hanson. “It’s also great to see one of our larger employers expanding its footprint in our downtown.”
The city’s anchor healthcare and agriculture businesses also continue to expand their facilities. Avera Health is reoccupying spaces that had been shuttered during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, adding more clinical space that serves the city and surrounding communities, and sustaining significant employment levels. Archer-Daniels-Midland’s ethanol plant is expanding its footprint and supporting rail improvements to allow for use of its byproducts for everything from livestock feed to food and beverage.
“We have a very healthy economic position in Marshall, but we also have a lot of needs for public infrastructure, equipment, and maintenance. We’re hoping to maintain that strong position by spending responsibly.”
“We love seeing the investment in infrastructure, which is only possible because of Department of Transportation grants,” says Hanson. “The material for the ethanol plant comes almost exclusively from a 60-mile radius, so the local impact is enormous. And the more diverse the revenue streams the company creates, the more stable it becomes as a part of our economy.”
City Hall was recently renovated by Engan Associates Architects. Now, Hanson and other Marshall government leaders are turning their attention to the local aquatic center, one of the oldest public pools in the state. Earlier this year, the city sought permission from the legislature to put a ballot initiative before Marshall voters to collect sales tax for a renovation of the facility. The larger tax bill the legislature prepared included this provision, but the bill was not completed before the end of the legislative session, which may delay the project significantly. Voters won’t have a chance to decide on this funding mechanism until 2024.
“We have a very healthy economic position in Marshall, but we also have a lot of needs for public infrastructure, equipment, and maintenance,” Hanson explains. “We’re hoping to maintain that strong position by spending responsibly. A special tax would allow us to do things in the measured way that has served us well for decades.”
As residents and former residents flock to the community events in August, city leaders will celebrate with an eye on the challenges that lie ahead.
“We’re just as worried about inflation and supply chain delays in our development projects as anyone else says Hanson. “But we will continue to stay connected to what our community needs and find ways to not only celebrate all we’ve done but also keep building this community for the future.”