Willmar Ten News Today

The Willmar City Council on Monday in a 5-3 vote denied a motion to choose renovating the JCPenney building at Uptown Willmar for a new city hall and community center.

The Willmar City Council on Monday denied in a 5-3 vote a motion made by Councilor Julie Asmus and seconded by Councilor Justin Ask to choose the JCPenney building at Uptown Willmar for a new city hall and community center.

A chronology of events regarding the city hall discussion shows the work began in March 2018 when a Willmar architecture firm was hired to draw up site concepts and designs for a new Willmar city hall.

The Willmar City Council approved a motion at its July 17 meeting to make a decision regarding the JCPenney location for a new city hall and community center at its Monday, Aug. 7, meeting, but that item is not on the Aug. 7 meeting agenda.

Councilors approved placing the question of whether or not to move the community center and city hall to a renovated JCPenney building at Uptown Willmar on its next meeting agenda, with some cautions.

Andy Weiner is the president of RockStep Capital, which owns the Willmar and many other mall and retail outlets in the U.S. Three members of the Willmar City Council said this week they don't trust mall ownership.

The Willmar City Council decision that will be made at its Monday, July 17, meeting will allow Willmar Municipal Utilities to move forward with its long-term plans that have been delayed for months due to council indecision.

Design concepts and cost estimates for a new city hall and community center were heard Monday for several locations, including the current Willmar Community Center site, the former JCPenney at Uptown Willmar, and a potential city hall/Willmar Municipal Utilities campus.

The proposal to renovate the former JCPenney building in Willmar into a city hall and community center has led to a lot of community discussion regarding the Willmar Ten Investors, the Uptown Willmar mall and its parking lot, as well as the JCPenney building itself. Some of the information that is circulating is simply incorrect.

City of Willmar staff continues to put up hurdles up for Willmar businesses and appear to give unfair advantage to non-local businesses in its city hall-community center development processes. Is it because of staff bias or poor-decision making?