Zumbro Falls & Hammond, April 24-28, 2013
Nestled in the Zumbro River valley in southeastern Minnesota, the communities of Zumbro Falls and Hammond are small rural communities with great resources and potential. The communities are located 20 miles north of Rochester, with a regional population of roughly 600 people. In 2010, both communities were devastated by a flood. In addition to responding to the flood, MDT has been asked to assist these communities to create a shared vision for their future.
As usual, this visit will focus on building stronger physical spaces in traditional neighborhoods and downtown blocks. In addition, it will focus on wiser and more sustainable usage of the each city’s resources: economic, natural, built, and community. Central to the visit will be the decline in development prior to the flood that was accelerated with federal buy out of flooded properties. This visit will have serious and exciting challenges for MDT: economic development, flood recovery, regional land uses and governance, natural resources and tourism, and community organizing abd development. Come be part of this Minnesota Design Team weekend that will define a vision for these beautiful communities.
Contact Todd Johnson if you are interested in being involved as a member of the team.

2013 Annual MDT Retreat
Please join MDT at our Annual Retreat on Saturday, January 12th at International Market Square, Suite 185.  Our agenda includes an engaging panel discussion on a variety of current issues facing our Minnesota Communities and how design and planning impacts their future.  The panel includes the Initiative Foundation, Minnesota Main Street, Blue Zones, University of Minnesota Center for Rural Design and possibly others.  We'll shift gears for a drawing workshop with Dan Green to practice our drawing and rending skills - for future MDT visits!  We’ll also recap our 2012 visits to Randall, Bemidji, and Lake Park and share what’s ahead for 2013.  Lunch will be provided.  This event is free and open to MDT members and interested members as well. RSVP at http://minnesotadesignteam.org

2011 Retreat
Forty-five hardy souls attended the annual Minnesota Design Team Annual Retreat on Saturday, January 15, 2011 (a very cold day), at the Como Visitor’s Center. Led by Neil Reardon, Assoc. AIA and chair for 2011, the morning session included updates on the three visits to Crosby Stewartville, and Wadena. This was followed by conversation on three emergency visits the MDT has undertaken in recent years – Roseau (flooding), Rushford (flooding) and Wadena (tornadoes).

Mike Lamb and Steve Roos, ASLA, were moderators for a panel on emergency visits which included Todd Peterson from the City of Roseau who spoke of his experiences in working with the MDT in his community, and Susan Hart from Rushford who spoke of her experiences.

Both said the MDT process absolutely works, and they were happy to have help on where to go next from professionals not connected with the community. They also both mentioned that given the dire situations they were in, it was also a time for them to ask the question – “do we build our community the same way, or is it a time to take a new direction”? It was decided that the word “Recovery” better explains these kinds of visits than the word “Emergency.” Thanks to James Arentson, AIA, for coming up with the term.

Dan Green, AIA, and John Barbour, AIA, led the afternoon session in helping the attendees with drawing and coloring skills, since the boards done during a visit are hand drawn for a sense of spontaneity and liveliness.

Recent Visits
The City of Lake Park Thursday through Saturday, October 4 to 6, 2012.

Bemidji, MN - September 13-15, 2012
Minnesota Design Team visited Bemidji, MN. Watch for more information coming soon!

Randall, MN - May 31 - June 2, 2012
Click here to view the Randall Vision Boards.
Minnesota Design Team visit to Randall- a community in Morrison County, MN with a population of 650 residents. The community was established in the 1890s and was named for John H. Randall, a railroad official. The town is bisected by a main line of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad and U.S. 10 and State Highway 115 are two of the main routes in the community. Today, although still vibrant, Randall is interested in the redesign of its downtown main street to allow residents and visitors greater access to regional trail connections and serve as a “gateway” to Camp Ripley.

Howard Lake – October 27-30

Stewartville on October 7, 8 and 9, 2010. Stewartville is an attractive town of 5,553 on Hwy. 63, 20 minutes south of Rochester. They asked the MDT to help them pull together a community-wide shared sense of identity and vision for their future. For much of its 150+ year history Stewartville has understood itself to be a small town and a regional hub. In recent years, though, as nearby Rochester has grown, Stewartville has struggled to define its place. As a result of the visit, the town received help to get them on track to create and preserve a vibrant downtown, all while experiencing the significant widening of Hwy. 63 through the middle of town.

Past MDT Visits:
Lake Park - October 4 to 6, 2012
Bemidji - September 13 - 15, 2012
Randall - May 31-June 2, 2012
Howard Lake – October 27-30, 2011
Wadena, MN - October 2010
Stewartville, MN - October 7-9, 2010
Crosby & the Cuyuna Lakes, MN April, 2010
Pine City, MN September, 2009
La Crescent, MN - September 11-14, 2008
Gaylord, MN - September 4-6, 2008
Rushford, MN - April, 2008
Le Roy, MN – April 10-12, 2008
Staples, MN – April 3-5, 2008
Maple Plain Visit – October 26-29, 2007
Palmer Township – September 21-23, 2007
Houston, MN – April 20-22, 2006
Redwood Falls, MN – April 6-9, 2006