Thumbs up to local developers and businesses investing in older properties on North Riverfront Drive.
A Free Press story published Sunday showed a handful of developers investing in rehabilitation of some of the older buildings on Riverfront Drive beyond Old Town and up to Highway 14. The upgrades are making the buildings more valuable and increasing their assessed values for taxes, adding growth to the city’s tax base.
Local insurance agent Aaron Hatanpa has invested in several projects. He is remodeling the old Kato Tool building at 1416 Riverfront Drive for his State Farm Insurance office and other tenants. Real estate agent Jay Sallstrom bought the old Ginny May Donuts building three years ago and invested some $250,000 in it to turn the 1955 structure into one housing a heating business, a cleaning company and karate school.
Nearby, a $2.6 million investment remodeled an old car dealership into the new Kitchens, Bath and More store. The new Minnesota Standard Showcase plumbing supply warehouse was constructed in 2023 with a $3.17 million investment. Ferguson plumbing was remodeled with a $140,000 investment.
Other recent remodeling and upgrading projects on North Riverfront include:
• A $300,000 project upgrading a 1963 building into the new Graif Clothing about 10 years ago
• A $320,000 investment 20 years ago to the 1946 Music Mart building and more than $80,000 remodeling the neighboring structure that’s home to the Pappageorge Restaurant and Bar
• A $525,000 Riverfront Liquor store constructed by Peter Trocke
• The $400,000 Riverfront Studio Suites hotel and Graybar Electric construction of a $1.5 million warehouse in 2014
• A $250,0000 remodel of 1952 warehouse that includes Kato Athletic Fitness Center and Brandt Screen Printing at 1522 Riverfront Drive
• $261,000 in remodeling and upgrades to the building doing business as Kendell Doors and Hardware
• A 363,000 addition to C&S Supply hardware store in 2009
• $390,000 remodeling of a closed candy-packaging business into a Rooms and Rest Furniture Outlet.
While the Mankato City Center and Old Town may get much of the largest multi-million investments both public and private, it’s good to see attention being paid to older Mankato buildings that still have a useful life and can be upgraded to the benefit of the city and businesses.
Bipartisan review of bombing long overdue
Thumbs up to Democrats and Republicans in Congress who have finally called for a review of the recent U.S. military action in the Caribbean and Venezuelan coast bombings of suspected drug-running boats.
Reports show a September bombing on one of the boats left two survivors who were also later killed in apparent violation of U.S. and international law that would make the action a war crime.
Leaders of the House and Senate committee on Armed Services and the Senate Intelligence committee received a private briefing from Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley on Thursday. They viewed a video of the strike and some believe it clearly qualifies as a war crime. Democrats have called for the tape to be released. Bradley defended the action saying the survivors could have continued the drug operation with what was left of the board.
Preposterous.
Congressional Republican leaders who control both houses should have been asking about these strikes when they began. A vigorous oversight hearing is long overdue. While the Pentagon has said it got legal clearance from the military lawyers, that report or any information on the legal basis has never been made public, not even to members of Congress.
The demand for hearings from the Republican Congress is remarkable as it marks the first challenge of almost any Trump administration policy, many of which are skirting laws or being challenged in the courts.
In the days since the report, Hegseth and President Trump have tried to back pedal and cloud the issues with Hegseth saying such killings happened in the “fog of war.”
These excuses should be challenged. A full bipartisan congressional hearing is long overdue and the public should know the truth about these serious and unprecedented actions by U.S. military leaders.