It was an informational meeting, but no one seemed to have all the information Tuesday night at the J.

Wednesday, January 26, 2000

It was an informational meeting, but no one seemed to have all the information Tuesday night at the J.C. Hormel Nature Center.

Developer David Wellstone came before a packed house at the Ruby Rupner Auditorium to discuss his company’s planned development of 55 acres west of the nature center.

"I had talked to Pat Piper and I wanted to have this meeting," Wellstone explained to a wary crowd. "I had heard some rumbling and grumbling from down this way."

Wellstone’s company, Greater Minnesota Affordable Housing, is looking at developing the 55 acres into an area of between 125 and 140 homes with parkland and several ponds, he said. The price range would start at $90,000 and go up.

"I think there might be misconceptions that it’s going to be junk housing," Wellstone said. "No, we’re going to put up nice homes."

Of paramount concern to many of the people there was the effect to the environment such a development might have. Asked whether he had been made aware of the sewer problems people already living in the area had, Wellstone admitted that he hadn’t. Because of a high water table and what residents described as an ineffective lift station, they often face sewer backups into their basements.

Another resident attested that there is quicksand leading to sinkholes in the area, and expressed fear that more development in the area would lead to sinkholes that would damage their own property.

Missing from the meeting was the city engineer’s office. This was because of the rapid fashion in which the meeting was pulled together, however, the absence left a void in answers available for people’s questions.

Third Ward City Council members Dick Lang and Gloria Nordin put in appearances, as well as Mower County Commissioner Len Miller.

One issue of contention was the lack of notification of residents of the area. Most hadn’t heard a thing about any planned development until encountering it in the media in recent weeks. Clearly, some people there thought the city of Austin and Wellstone’s company had been working on sneaking something past the people of that area.

Wellstone denied that. He said his company had been in contact with the city off and on for the past nine months, but had only found land it found suitable recently, and that while the owner, David Morris, had been given earnest money, the deal was not closed and many tests remained to be completed before final commitments were made.

"If we figure out that this land is not suitable, we won’t build," Wellstone insisted. "We’re not going to make a stupid decision. It would kill our company."

Others questioned whether the development was subsidized in any way by any government funding or perhaps even by Hormel Foods Corp. Wellstone said the development would be fully financed by his company.