Star Tribune
Rapidan Dam Store to move to new location in downtown Mankato
The Rapidan Dam Store, a restaurant southwest of Mankato that was demolished after flooding in June overran the nearby dam, may soon have a new home.
The Hruska family that has owned the store since 1972 is in the final stages of talks that would reopen the restaurant temporarily in a location in downtown Mankato, the family and a local realtor said.
The deal is finalized but still needs approvals from the city, said David Hruska, co-owner of the restaurant. The restaurant, known for its burgers and pies, would reopen on South Front Street, at the former location of the Wagon Wheel café.
“It’s close, but it’s got a couple steps to go before that’s done,” said Hruska, who owns the store along with his sister Jenny Barnes.
The Rapidan Dam Store was demolished in June by Blue Earth County officials as a safety measure following flooding on the Blue Earth River. The flooding, the second worst measured on the river, overran the nearby dam and swept away the Hruska family’s home, along with a playground, trees and other debris.
The family received approximately $40,000 for the building and still owns the land, which has shrunk due to the flood scouring away the bedrock near the river.
The final terms for the Rapidan Dam Store to move into the new location have been signed as of Tuesday afternoon, said Dain Fisher, a Mankato realtor and friend of the Hruskas who has been helping them relocate.
“It’s going to be exciting for the Dam Store to be in the heart of Mankato,” Fisher said Tuesday. The remaining steps involve approval by the city, he added.
A spokesman for Mankato city government confirmed the Hruska family is going through approval processes to move their business. The next steps are a planning commission meeting Wednesday and a city council meeting on Aug. 12, said Paul David, communications director for Mankato.
Use of the old Wagon Wheel location would be donated to the family for $1 for four months, said Kyle Smith of the Tailwind Group, which owns the building.
The family would have to pay their own expenses at the space, which has been vacant for several years, Smith said Tuesday.
The Wagon Wheel location will probably need a new floor and replacement ceiling tiles, as well as a professional cleaning, Hruska said.
The Rapidan Dam Store could reopen by the end of August at the earliest, Hruska said, adding that September is more likely.
Brooklyn Park police are seeking the public’s help in finding the driver of a vehicle that struck and injured a 12-year-old girl walking to school on Wednesday.
The crash occurred at 8:42 a.m. near the intersection of Boone Av. N and 63rd Av. N. The girl was crossing the street to reach a bus stop, according to police. The driver then fled the scene.
The girl sustained “moderate injuries” and was taken to the hospital by ambulance, police said.
Police described the vehicle as a white 2015 to 2019 Hyundai Sonata that is missing a passenger side rearview mirror. Police said the driver was a woman, but did not have a specific description. The vehicle came from the west across 63rd Avenue from the Bass Creek neighborhood between Highway 169 & Boone Avenue , then continued east on 63rd Avenue toward County Road 81.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Brooklyn Park police at (763) 493-8222.
Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold is expanding his plans of renovating the Xcel Energy Center to include the construction of a 650-room convention center hotel.
It originally included plans to renovate the adjacent RiverCentre, a parking ramp and a bridge along Kellogg Boulevard. It was previously estimated to cost around $250 million to $300 million.
The price tag will rise now, Leipold said, but he did not specify how much. A 650-room hotel would top in size the 410-room InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront hotel that is already downtown.
“The whole project is so great for downtown St. Paul, and it’s not just the arena,” Leipold said. “It’s a lot of stuff, so we think it’s great for downtown. It’s good for our fans, good for our market and we’re pushing hard this year.”
Minnesota Wild fans cross St. Paul’s West Seventh Street to the Xcel Energy Center before a Minnesota Wild game in October 2021. (Alex Kormann)
Leipold said the Wild would perhaps contribute up to $250 million in financing and would seek further assistance from the state. But he said it’s unclear what the chances are to receive that support, given the November elections could potentially result in a new governor and the Legislature in Minnesota.
“We’re trying to sell the legislature and the governor,” Leipold said. “The problem is, nobody knows who’s going to be running the legislature, Republicans or Democrats. We don’t know who the governor’s going to be. We’re kind of in a tough spot right now. But ultimately, we need to get the renovations and the upgrades in this arena.”
State Sen. Sandra Pappas, who expressed skepticism about the project receiving state assistance last December, was unavailable for comment Wednesday. The office of Gov. Tim Walz did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The suit alleges there is no plan for single-family homes at the development, which will instead be multi-family homes. Buyers will have to obtain either a traditional mortgage, with interest, or “obtain a loan from a Sharia-compliant lender” that Nolosha knew would charge a “profit rate” on top of the cost of the house. It also alleges that “most egregiously” customers will not be able to move into Nolosha in 2023 or 2024 because the development will not be ready for “many more years at best.”
It also says that when the Attorney General’s Office requested that Nolosha pay customers a full refund due to the delays, Nolosha refused.
The Attorney General’s Office contends that Nolosha doesn’t own the development’s proposed site in Lakeville, but offered to buy the land for $4 million in April 2023. Four extensions to the closing date have since been granted, the latest setting that date for Nov. 10 and the price at $3.4 million.
Abdullahi has said he has a signed purchase agreement for the property.
The lawsuit states that Nolosha has lacked even basic communication with Lakeville and has not submitted a comprehensive plan to the city about the development, let alone broken ground. Attached to the lawsuit is a photo of the proposed site, calling it “just undeveloped wetlands.”
It accuses Abdullahi of enriching himself as the “sole full-time employee of Nolosha” earning a salary between $2,000 and $4,000 per month.
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