HEART OF STEELE

From 1989 to 1998, I worked for a small community newspaper in Lakeville and watched that city nearly double in size.

In 1990, its population was just above 20,000. The year after I left, census-takers counted more than 43,000 people. In between, I wrote about a new city hall, new police department, new fire stations, an ice arena, housing developments that crept ever closer to the borders.

Ten years may seem like a long time, but all I saw was a whirlwind of activity.

There were some cool projects. A couple of massive, concrete silos came down to make room for a high-rise apartment building that quickly filled with senior citizens – that was fun to watch. What wasn’t so much fun was writing about school boundary changes. After a while, I began to dread covering school board meetings.

For a while, it felt like the district was making changes every other year. Board members didn’t have a choice: Some buildings were so crowded, they required temporary classrooms, while others had unused space. There were discussions about everything from experimental schedules to changing grade-level splits.

With every proposed change, angry, frustrated parents filled the board room, many in tears as they talked about how attached their children were to their schools and teachers. Some students who moved from elementary to middle or high school ended up in a new building every fall for three or four years.

Hearings on boundary changes went deep into the night; nobody left happy. Over time, those differences became hard lines. Some split neighborhoods and ruined friendships.

When I heard that Owatonna is on track to see a population of more than 40,000 by 2040, I thought back to those days early in my career. This city is in a much better position for that slow, measured growth, and people in leadership already see the changes coming.

But in all the talk of community and economic development, I hope everyone keeps sight of the most important part of this community’s growth: protecting Owatonna’s kind and generous heart.