Star Communities: Glencoe Overcoming Internet Trolls

Star Communities are those communities that have shone above the rest. They may have overcome immense tragedy, or they have simply excelled beyond expectations for a town of their size. These are example communities that are role models for those who strive to be better. The community of Glencoe, Minnesota, is the latest to receive this designation.

The sensationalism in the media has gotten out of hand. Just look at anything politically related. Yes, I know this blog is part of “the media”. However, I try to keep a positive mindset as rural communities need positive thinking and positive actions as they look to make themselves better for the future.

Yet, there are sensationalists who tear communities down. One of these is ALOT Travel, which published a list of the “Ugliest Cities in Each State”. I’m not going to link to the article as their SEO doesn’t need any more of a boost, but you can Google it if you wish. In Minnesota, the town they picked was Glencoe. A city of nearly 5,700 residents, about an hour southwest of Minneapolis.

Attractions in Glencoe

Firstly, there are several attractions in town that contribute to its attractiveness. This includes Oak Leaf Park at the southwest end of town. The park features the Glencoe Aquatic Center, softball fields, a disc golf course, a large playground, and a regularly stocked fishing pond. There are also five picnic shelters and a campground with several RV pads to rent. At the southern edge of Oak Leaf Park is a wildlife sanctuary with a 32-acre refuge that features elk, deer, waterfowl, and various other animals.

Other parks in town offer additional amenities, including a BMX track, an archery range, and an ice rink with a warming house. Then there’s Crow River Sno Pros, a club that grooms and maintains over 150 miles of snowmobile trails in the county, offering yet another recreational amenity during the winter months.

There’s also Panther Field House, a 47,000 square foot facility with a full-service health club and fitness facility. This grand facility is owned and operated by the Glencoe-Silver Lake Public School District, but it was made possible through a highly successful fundraising campaign. In addition to funding provided by the School District and the City, donations from throughout the community helped make the facility possible.

Investment in Infrastructure

Glencoe has always been focused on improving itself. Since 2015, the City has invested well over $30 million in infrastructure. Part of that investment has been in the downtown area, where the community completed a sidewalk and pavement improvement project. In total, Glencoe has completed about 110 blocks of street improvement projects in recent years, with significant impacts on the neighborhoods throughout town.

This year, they are reconstructing Hennepin Avenue, one of the major north/south corridors in town. It’s a sizeable reconstruction project that includes improvements to the water and sewer lines along the corridor as well as the road itself. Although significant projects like this can be quite the headache from a public engagement point of view. However, the City has communicated the progress regularly through a weekly newsletter to the community and informative updates on its website.

Working with the State

Glencoe has also been working with MnDOT over the years to improve the transportation network in and around the community. Although roundabouts are seemingly always controversial, MnDOT recently completed one on Highway 212 at Morningside Drive. The reconstruction of this intersection has significantly improved the safety and function of the roadways where these two essential roads cross.

The City is also looking forward to the future expansion of Highway 212. Highway 212 is the main arterial through town and serves as the community’s connection to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Area. It’s currently a four-lane separated highway along much of that distance. But one section, between Norwood Young America and Cologne, remains to be converted to a four-lane section.

Additionally, Glencoe is fortunate enough to be one of four communities in Minnesota that have obtained a federal grant to replace their airport terminal. Working with MnDOT, the City has also received other grants to help fund the project. By working cooperatively with MnDOT, the City’s share of the project was only 5% of the total cost.

Glencoe City Center

One of the great things about this town is the Glencoe City Center. In 2007, the local school district closed the Henry Hill school building, a massive historical structure in the center of town. Not comfortable with letting this grand old building sit empty and wither away over the years, local leaders got involved. Based on the overwhelming local interest, a steering committee of 40 started meeting to brainstorm a future for the structure. After the former school was purchased from the school district, a fundraising campaign was launched to support the renovations. Over 500 different donors gave to the project. Donations from a few dollars to half a million were combined with grants to refurbish the building and the surrounding site.

Now renamed Glencoe City Center, the building has been added to the National Register of Historic Places and has been rehabilitated to its former glory. It is an ideal example of adaptive reuse as well. The building hosts the City offices, an event center with a ballroom, meeting rooms, the local chamber of commerce, and an office for the Buffalo Creek Watershed. Additionally, the local library has taken over the entire second story of this sizable structure. The Glencoe Woodworking Club has also moved into the former cafeteria space, providing a “fully-equipped woodshop for its members to design and create personal projects.”

Glencoe City Center has proven to be an ideal gathering space for the community. In addition to the Glencoe Woodworking Club, it regularly hosts meetings for a number of groups. The Lions Club, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, youth groups, Common Cup Ministries, and senior citizens groups gather in the facility regularly. City Center also hosts about 30 wedding receptions each year, concerts, and theater events. It is an ideal example of a community coming together to create something extraordinary from a vacant building.

A Community Investing in Itself

One of the most notable aspects of Glencoe that stands out to me is the community’s involvement, not just the City’s, in making the town better. The Glencoe Rotary Club has been working with the City to create a dog park in the southeast corner of Oscar Olson Park. The Rotary Club paid for the concrete, but they are not the only organization involved. Rice Builders, as a donation to the community, completed the work to install the concrete. Glencoe Woodworking Company constructed the park benches. The Glencoe Regional Health marketing team developed the signage and public art for the dog park.

There’s also a pickleball association in town that has led fundraising efforts to create four new courts. At last count, the Glencoe Area Pickleball (GAP) group raised over $50,000 to construct new courts in Oscar Olson Park. Other organizations, like the local Lions Club, have been involved in community betterment projects in the past as well. “It just seems if we have a project, we don’t have a lot of trouble finding a group that would take the fundraising on,” states City Administrator Mark Larson.

Planning the Future

Glencoe’s residents are also looking to the future. Community planning has regularly been an integral part of the actions that the community takes. The City completed its last update to the Comprehensive Plan in July 2022 after a thorough public input process.

Since then, they’ve been working with Community Economic Development Associates (CEDA) on a housing study. The plan is an update to their 2017 study, addressing notable changes in housing demand and related challenges.

Glencoe is also working on the development of the Oscar Olson Park Study. Located in the northeast corner of the community, Oscar Olson Park has plenty of potential to serve a variety of recreational needs for this growing community.

Some of the planning work that Glencoe has put in has paid dividends. In 2022, a master plan was completed for the local airport. This effort was instrumental in landing the necessary federal and state grant funds to build the airport terminal.

“In this case, the fact that we had a new terminal building identified on the master plan was a key in getting this funding,” stated Larson in an interview for SEH Consulting. “If we didn’t have that terminal building planned … and a place for it, we wouldn’t have gotten this money.”

God’s Country

In the early 80s, Glencoe was the subject of French film director Louis Malle’s documentary, God’s Country. Throughout the filming, Malle interviewed a number of the community’s townspeople. Clearly, Malle saw more in this town than some internet troll.

Overall, it is quite obvious that the moniker of “Ugliest City in Minnesota” does not fit the City of Glencoe. The community as a whole has an undying passion to make Glencoe better year after year. Looking at the basis of the claim in the ALOT Travel article, it was entirely based on a few negative comments on another website. Not exactly top-notch research.

Does Glencoe have areas for improvement? Building a great community is an ongoing endeavor. However, what this community has created so far cannot be remotely described as “ugly.”

One thing is for certain, Glencoe isn’t letting the internet trolls win.

Star Communities

* If you know of a town that should be recognized as a Star Community, let us know through the Contact Us page.