News

The Litchfield City Council received information Tuesday evening from City Engineer Chuck DeWolf regarding a street improvement project scheduled for 2026. Swift Avenue from 6th Street to Ripley Street will be redone – including the utilities below, along with Ripley Street from Swift to Miller Avenues.

Mayor Ron Dingmann says the project will cost nearly $4.4-million but there are both state and federal funds which will help with the cost, making the local cost about $1.8-million. He says the City will advertise for bids in March and the project will take place from June through November next year.

Mayor Dingmann says the Council approved of an $8,000 façade grant request for Kaleb Lehmann at 213 North Sibley Avenue; approved of having Lisa Graphenteen help the City with a Minnesota Historical Society grant for the G.A.R. Hall; set the preliminary levy at $4,088,175 which is an increase of 7.8%; appointed John Mueller to the Planning Commission; and approved of letting the Golden Age Card Club use the community room in the new Litchfield Area Recreation Center on Friday afternoons since the construction of the new facility displaced them from their old meeting area at the Civic Arena.

The City is hosting an open house at the Litchfield Area Recreation Center on Sunday from 1-to-4 p.m. Owen Boerema is the director of the LARC and says the open house will give the public a chance to see what’s available there.

Boerema says the LARC includes a field house with 4 courts for basketball, volleyball and tennis and it can adapt to up to 12 pickle ball courts, and there’s an elevated walking track, a fitness center with all kinds of aerobic and weight equipment, and a meeting room which different groups may rent. He says they have a range of monthly membership options and you may stop in to sign up, or go to litchfieldrecreationcenter.com.

Mayor Dingmann says the idea for the LARC has been in the works for many years and a lot of different people are responsible for making it a reality.

Mayor Dingmann says Sunday’s open house will give the public a chance to “kick the tires” so to speak and check it out for themselves.

The Litchfield City Council approved of the preliminary levy last night and set in motion a large street improvement project for next summer, but the lengthiest item of business last night had to do with the senior meeting room which used to be in place at the Litchfield Civic Arena. The seniors got displaced for their card-playing sessions when the Litchfield Area Recreation Center (LARC) was constructed.

Brenda Rick led a group of about a dozen senior citizens who attended the meeting last night. She says the Golden Age Card Club has been meeting on Friday afternoons for many decades and they’ve had to meet in the Library since their meeting space was disrupted. After much discussion, a motion was passed to allow the club to use the community meeting room in the LARC, free of charge, as long as the room is not being used for something else. Council member Malinda Larson voted against the motion as she still had some questions about the arrangement.

The Council approved of the preliminary 2026 levy of $4,088,175 or an increase of 7.8%. The levy can be decreased (but not increased) in December. The levy hearing has been set for December 1st. The preliminary general budget is $7,399,554 and the debt service budget is $695,367.

City Engineer Chuck DeWolf presented information on a street improvement project for next summer which will include sewer, water and storm sewer utilities below on Swift Avenue from Ripley Street to 6th Street and on Ripley Street from Swift to Miller Avenues. He says they will advertise for bids in March and the project will take place next summer. A hearing on the project will take place in October.