The seeds of community growth are being sown in Owatonna as City Council, backed by an agreement with ICS consultants, embarks on a visionary project for constructing a new Community Center—guided by hands-on input from the very heart of the community. The May 21 council meeting marked a pivotal step with the clearance of a work scope development plan for the Community Center, coupled with an update on public safety facilities, propelling Owatonna towards a robust civic future.

City Council President Greg Schultz emphasizes the pressing need, Owatonna’s need for a community center has been a growing conversation. It's time to make it a priority based on the community's feedback. With ICS's collaboration, the city is launching a community engagement campaign to gather public inputs that will act as a cornerstone in fleshing out the project's details, spanning potential locations to the amenities offered, shaping cost estimations, and outlining potential funding avenues.

From conducting surveys for resident insights on preferred services and forming a dedicated Community Center Task Force, to hands-on workshops and focus groups—the engagement strategy is geared towards placing citizen voices at the forefront of decision-making.

This initiative also ties into Owatonna’s Long Range Asset Plan, a blueprint for the City’s infrastructure aspirations designed to lay a foundation for judicious investments, renovations, and a return on taxpayer value.

For citizens ready to contribute to Owatonna's transformative journey, resources like Owatonna.gov/imagineowatonna and the dedicated email channel Communitycenter@owatonna.gov, are poised to document community engagement, ensuring that their voice leads the charge in this civic achievement.