Mason City mayor says arena construction to begin next month, promises big year for Mason City

MASON CITY – Mayor Bill Schickel planned to announce in his “State of the City” speech Wednesday that groundbreaking for the new River City Multipurpose Arena is scheduled to take place by February with completion by the end of the year.

“We have finally lifted River City Renaissance out of the ditch and back on the road to success,” Schickel said in an advance text of his remarks.

The multipurpose arena is part of the long delayed $38-million downtown plan that was approved by voters more than a year ago.
Schickel also called for a river walk in the downtown area “that rivals San Antonio.” The idea is outlined in the Willow Creek Master plan, which Schickel said needs to be implemented.

In another area, he said continuing efforts to fix blighted properties will mean “safer neighborhoods, better housing and increased property values.”

“The City needs to lead by example. We have no business enforcing code violations on others if city properties aren’t up to snuff,” he said.

He said 2019 “is a year filled with promise” and described Mason City as “the up-and-coming, low-cost, high quality of life location for workers and families.”

Schickel will give his remarks at 7 p.m. tonight during the regular City Council meeting in the Mason City Room at the Public Library.

Mayor Bill Schickel’s State of the City 1-2-19:

Members of the city council, distinguished guests and friends.

Before I begin, let me say thank you to our city council, boards and commissions, staff and community partners. You’ve done great work this past year.  Also, thank you to the people of Mason City for allowing me another year of doing what I love, serving all of you.

I am happy to report the state of the city is good as we begin a new year filled with promise.

No question, the past year had its challenges. But it was also a time of accomplishment:

We hired Aaron Burnett as City Administrator. And Fire Chief Erik Bullinger, along with twenty-six other new hires. That is about 11% of our workforce. Welcome. Thank you for joining our team of public servants.

Eight businesses have been upgraded, eight neighborhoods improved.  All is made possible by our small business loan plan. We pay for the loans with the new property value the improvements generate.

Our neighborhoods are safer because of the city’s new fireworks ordinance. It may well become a model for other communities.

Driving is safer because of highway improvements. This includes the reconstruction of the north side of Highway 122, Highway 65 North, and the replacement of the 12th Street Northwest bridge.

Our community is cleaner due to strong code enforcement.   Seven properties were tagged for what is known as 657A action. This lets the city petition the court for the title to unsafe and abandoned properties. This is in addition to our standard code enforcement for things like weeds, trash and junk cars.

The city responded quickly to major flooding this summer.  We immediately launched our long term flood mitigation plan.

Our economic development team is working with ten active business prospects. They have a potential of creating 1,000 new jobs. It could be a $150 million capital investment.  

Tourism topped $100 million for the first time. A re-energized Main Street Mason City is revitalizing downtown. The Chamber finished three “Building Our Brand” murals. Look for more this year.  Alliant Energy is placing all utilities underground in the Commercial Alley neighborhood.

In April we launched Vision North Iowa. It’s a bold five-year strategy for community prosperity.

The Government Finance Officers Association again awarded Mason City the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. It’s the highest recognition the association gives.

After twenty-seven years of waiting, Central Heights is on the verge of having paved streets.

The biggest accomplishment has admittedly been the most frustrating.  But, we have finally lifted River City Renaissance out of the ditch and back on the road to success.  

Here’s the very latest. In recent days your city council has:

Hired architects to design and coordinate building a state-of-the-art multipurpose arena. ICON Architectural Group, of Grand Forks ND, has designed similar facilities throughout the Midwest. They are a recognized leader in this kind of construction. We’re delighted to have the architects with us this evening. They will be sharing more with us shortly.

Hired Gatehouse Capital as the developer of a new Music Man Square Hotel and Conference Center.  Again, they have built similar facilities across the country.

City staff is meeting regularly with all of our project partners: Mason City Youth Hockey, North Iowa Figure Skating, The North Iowa Bulls, Music Man Square, Southbridge Mall, the Performing Arts Pavilion Committee and NIACC, among others.

The architects have also been listening to our project partners. They want the design to be in keeping with Mason City’s Prairie School architecture and musical heritage.  They encourage synergy between the multipurpose center, mall, performing arts pavilion, hotel, conference center and historic downtown.

So why are we doing this? Why is it so important? Here’s why: One reason is Mason City’s continuing decline in population.  In the last decade, Cerro Gordo County lost 1,400 residents. We have a smaller than average population of young working age people. We need to turn this around. The first thing companies looking to relocate or expand ask about is a qualified work force. If we continue to lose working age people, we won’t have enough workers.  Our Vision North Iowa strategy puts it this way: The key is to “champion…placemaking projects. The kind that…create needed community amenities for young workers and families.”

Let’s not kid ourselves. The current retail trend will continue.  Communities that fail to repurpose their old shopping malls will be left behind.

Mason City won’t be left behind.  Instead, we will be a shining example of preserving our history while preparing for the future.

Let me address squarely the question of who pays. It will be paid for primarily with three main sources. Private investment by the developer will pay almost 40%.  A State Grant will pay an additional 25%. The balance of 35% will be paid with the new property taxes the plan will generate. This is in accordance with the two bond issues approved by the voters. There will be no new taxes if it is successful. And I believe it will be.

If, at a date in the future, the project fails or does not cash flow, then taxes could go up. But the same could be said for virtually any city undertaking.

What will certainly require new taxes is failure to move forward.  If we fail to take action, property values in our downtown will continue to deteriorate. Taxes will need to be raised to make up the difference. And, if we keep losing people, taxes will go up to keep the same level of service. Fewer people means everyone pays more.

A side note: The delays have been frustrating. But they have not been without benefit. We now have a new tool to attract investors. The federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act encourages developers seeking certain tax deferrals to invest in Mason City.  

So the New Year is indeed filled with promise.  Our 2019 priorities should include:

–Groundbreaking for the River City Multipurpose Arena by February and completion by the end of the year.  With council’s approval tonight, the first construction bid will be let January 15th.

–Putting the river back in River City. We can do this by implementing the Willow Creek Master Plan.  The beautiful river that flows through downtown was made famous in The Music Man. It has more potential today than ever. There is no reason Mason City can’t have a river walk that rivals San Antonio. Affordable mid range housing should be part of the mix in the river walk area.  

-Continuing efforts to address blighted property.  Success will deliver safer neighborhoods, better housing and increased tax revenue. The city needs to lead by example. We have no business enforcing code violations on others if city properties aren’t up to snuff.  

Imagine the possibilities, right here in River City.

Bigger cities are too often high-cost, congested and overrated. Mason City, on the other hand, is the up-and-coming, low-cost, high quality of life location for workers and families.

We have the location.

We have the transportation.

We have stable industries and hard working people.

We have everything we need to make 2019 the year of promise. Let’s get to work on making that promise a reality.  Our forefathers had a dream: That this city we love would be a shining example of a place where everything is possible. Thank you for doing your part to make that dream come true in the new year.