Vol. 7 Red Cow Gazette, Amboy, Minnesota 56010 Winter, 2013 No. 4

AMBOY’SCheck ItOUT

Amboy Halloween!!

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Progress on Depot continues, but what will it be used for?

Plans being made for The Junction

By Les curry

Work continues on the land-scaping around the depot project.The interior has been repainted tothe original colors and we have alist of other projects that we wouldlike to do to the office and waiting

room area. That list includes a newfloor, restroom, window repairs,heating and air conditioning, andelectrical updates. The goal wouldbe to retain as much of the depotlook and feel as possible.

We would like to thank all thepeople that have donated money

and bought bricks. Brick sales willcontinue for as long as it will taketo complete and pay for the proj-ect. If you are looking for a gift forthe hard to buy person maybe apersonalized brick would be justthe right gift. Stop into SweetCicely, Frame It or the CottageCafé and pick up a form. Youcould also print one from theAmboy MN web site.

So far we have spent $20,000for the project and we expect thatthe final cost will be $30,000. Wealso know that sometime down theroad a new cedar shingle roof willneed to be installed.

The biggest question that wehave heard is “Now that you haveit --- What are you going to do withit?” A committee has been formedand is currently researching thepossibility of using the depot tohouse a “locally produced” store.This store would allow local peo-ple to have retail store front to selltheir goods. At the time of sale aconsignment fee would be collect-ed and used to support the expens-es of the operation. When a plan isfinalized, we will send out a gener-al mailing.

The Amboy Area Community Clubcompleted gathering preliminary feed-back for “The Junction” project, whichaims to put the defunct Amboy MiddleSchool to good use as a multi-purposecommunity building. With approxi-mately 10 acres of land and about47,000 square feet of building, therewere over 150 ideas and suggested usesfor the vacated school property.

Dozens of community membersgathered at the school on October 2ndand again on October 16th to develop aconsensus of the possible uses for thebuilding. Of the many suggested ideasthe group of interested citizens nar-rowed the field to a few choices. Theyinclude utilizing the old cafeteria andsmall gymnasium as an event centerwith full kitchen and banquet facilities.Another popular idea is to renovate an

area of the school and turn it into afirearms education center and indoorshooting range. The large gymnasiumcould be converted into a health and fit-ness areas open to the public and alsoprovide space for Maple River Schoolsporting events and practices.Community adult education classeswould continue to be offered in some ofthe classrooms with other classroomareas being converted in apartmentsand retail space, possibly a grocerystore.

Most all in attendance wanted theschool to create jobs and revenue for thecommunity. They thought that TheJunction should be a non-profit entitywith some for-profit activities.Community members stated they werewilling to support the facility throughrents and activity fees. Most are willing

to support an annual membership of$200.

The next step in developing TheJunction is to gather data on the build-ing and begin to estimate the costs ofrenovation. Small groups are beingformed to look at the various areas ofinterest and to examine the facility’sinfrastructure to determine if any haz-ardous materials exist that will add tothe cost or even prohibit renovation.The Maple River School Board votedto approve an option to purchase, whichgives the Amboy group one year (withan option for an additional year) to con-duct a feasibility study.

The more community involvementthe better! If you are interested in par-ticipating in the planning and develop-ment of The Junction, contact ArtSidner at sidner123@earthlink.net orMarty Aldinger at scicely@hickory-tech.net or call Lisa Lindberg at 507-380-0288.

For more information please visit:http://www.amboymn.govoffice2.com.

Much to our surprise, Alliant energy found a buried set of railroad

ties and rails when they were installing the electrical power cables to

The Depot.Dave Rennpferd, Les curry, Marty Aldinger and Gerry Voth put-

ting the finishing touches onto the new curb next to The Depot.

Santa is expected to visit the Amboy Fire Department on

Dec. 14 from 10a.m. to NoonThe juncTion

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