City Beat: Candidate Forums, Recycling Update, and a Beautiful Bluff Project

September 18, 2020

Fall is almost here in Red Wing and that means our city is about to get a lot more colorful. Where are you seeing leaf changes around Red Wing? Send us your photos or tag us in social media posts. We'd love to see and share!

Image of City Hall with some changing leaves in foreground

Watch Local Candidate Forums From Home

Do you know who you're voting for? If not, these videos will help. The League of Women Voters, together with Prairie Island Indian Community and Chamber of Commerce, hosted four forums in Central Park and saved you the best seat online. Listen to local candidates from the School Board, Mayor and City Council, County Commissioners, and MN House and Senate.

Image of the candidates for school board 2020 in Central Park Red Wing MN

Watch the candidate forums here

(Absentee) Voting Starts NOW

Today is the first day registered voters can absentee vote for the November 3 general election. Skip the polling lines on Election Day and vote absentee by mail or in-person. Ready to vote? Here are some important dates in the countdown to Election Day:

September 18 - Early voting by absentee ballot begins.
September 22 - National Voter Registration Day. Check your registration and tell your family and friends.
October 2 - Try to apply for absentee ballots before this day to ensure enough time for you to receive and return your ballot.
October 13 - Make sure you are registered to vote to save time at your polling place.
November 3 - Election Day. Vote in person at your polling place or make sure your absentee ballot is postmarked by this day.

Welcoming Week in Red Wing

This year, the City of Red Wing joined organizations across the nation in Welcoming Week to recognize, celebrate, and greet newcomers in our community. In 2020, we are "Creating Home Together" even while remaining physically distanced. Through September 20, email us here at City Beat all the ways you make our shared home of Red Wing a more welcoming place. We'll post some of your answers in an upcoming issue.

Do you know anyone in our welcome video?

Big Changes on He Mni Can - Barn Bluff

He Mni Can-Barn Bluff is always beautiful, and now it's becoming more safe, accessible, and welcoming, too. Crews have been busy all summer restoring crumbling stairs, making trails more sustainable, adding parking, and creating a brand new entrance with Dakota history. Take a look at the work that's underway in these photos. The changes are phase one of the He Mni Can-Barn Bluff Master Plan and were made possible in part by a Greater MN Parks & Trails grant and local philanthropic dollars. Hit the trail and check out the changes. The project will be almost complete in November.

First Steps Toward a More Inclusive Government

If you're interested in following the work of the Advisory Team on Government Policies and Practices, head to the City's Advisory Team website page. After each meeting, you'll find summary notes, recordings of the public segments of meetings, presentation materials, resource documents, and more. The team's second meeting is September 23. This diverse team of 12 community members will be working to identify inequitable policies throughout government and over time suggest recommendations for positive change to the City Council. The first 18 months focus on public safety & policing.

Preliminary Budget Approved

City Council voted 5-2 to approve the City's preliminary 2021 budget and levy. To watch, read, and dive into all the details, click on our Budget page, which includes materials from Monday night's Council meeting. The public's final hearing on the budget is December 7. If you have questions or want to give more input, contact Marshall Hallock or your City Council.

10 Questions + 10 Minutes = 10 Years of Funding

2020 Census PSA: How Do I Take the 2020 Census? (:30)

The end of the 2020 Census response window is coming up fast--have you responded yet? If not, you have until Wednesday, September 30, to make sure your household is counted in the census. Responding to the census is easy, quick, 100% confidential, and will help determine Red Wing's future for the next decade. That's right--the next 10 years of federal funding is determined in part by completing 10 questions in about 10 minutes. Census takers are in the community now, but you can avoid the knock by completing the questionnaire online. Let's get a complete count for our city.

Bringing Human Rights into Focus

Nominate someone for this local award

Think of someone you know who stands up for human rights in our community. Is it a teacher? Neighbor? Friend? Recognize one or more people by nominating them for the 2020 Amos Owen Award, sponsored by the Human Rights Commission. Anyone is eligible and applications are open until this Monday, September 21 at 4 p.m.

Words Human Rights in focus in a pair of glasses

Recycling by the Numbers

Where are we now?

This September marks the first anniversary of Red Wing's switch to single-sort recycling and the arrival of the big, blue carts. A year later, the numbers have been crunched and it's good news:

Recycling increased by 40% in the first three months.
Curbside recycling increased from 74.4 tons in June 2019 to 127.8 tons in June 2020--that's 106,800 more pounds.
"Wishcycling" has gone down (putting trash in the cart hoping it's recyclable). That means we're recycling smarter.

As a city, we're still on a roll.

Keep up the good work, Red Wing!

All in a Day's Work

If you caught Monday's City Council meeting, you know the Red Wing Fire Department proudly introduced seven new faces to the public. Evan Olander (left) and Paul Kluesner (right) are the newest full-time firefighter-paramedics to join A- and C-shifts, respectively.

Congratulations also to those who passed their certifications to become paid-on-call firefighters for the RWFD. Pictured left to right: Grady Nelson, Chris Zenner,

Leo Dressen, Cole Swanson, and Alec Whipple. Thank you for your service to our city.