The city plans to start moving city staff into new offices and an operations building at the Delano West Metro Business Park.
The two buildings along McKinley Parkway were built by Randy’s Environmental Services, City Administrator Philip Kern said. The 11-acre site was later sold to Republic Services.
The city bought the buildings from Republic and closed on both this spring, he said.
The main office building, which looks like it could be an outdoor sporting goods store, is mostly empty. The city connected it to fiber Monday, giving it internet coverage, phone service, and more, Kern said.
The city plans to move three permanent employees from city hall to the new building this week, starting with finance assistant Jennifer Williams, he said.

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A divided Delano City Council gave preliminary approval to Capstone Homes’ River Water subdivision Tuesday with conditions, allowing the project to move forward.
Capstone Homes plans to build up to 194 homes on approximately 88 acres of rural land in Franklin Township. The development, which will be built in phases, will be located north of downtown along Ebersole Avenue.
The City of Delano, acting on a request by property owners, voted in April to annex two pieces of land that will become part of the planned subdivision, City Administrator Philip Kern. That gave the city jurisdiction over the project.
The city council voted 4-1 Tuesday evening to pass a resolution and two ordinances to approve a preliminary plat for the subdivision and adopted rezoning requests to allow it to go forward.

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When students and teachers return to school Monday, many will enjoy carbon-free power thanks to new solar panels installed on two of the school’s roofs.
The solar arrays were installed on top of Delano High School, above the pool and the dining well, and Delano Intermediate School, above the gym.
They are now ready to turn on, which Delano Public Schools District plans to do this week.

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The Polish American Cultural Institute of Minnesota has awarded the Motzko family tree sculpture by Addie Motzko with a $650 Chester Rog endowment.
The grant benefits the cause of Polish heritage projects. This will be added to the fund to purchase the sculpture to make it a permanent piece located where Motzko’s Store was originally located on the corner of Hwy 12 and Rockford Ave.

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Delano will soon get a taste of Culver’s famous ButterBurgers and frozen custard, thanks to a first-time business owner who believes in the “people-first” concept of the popular Midwest chain.
The new restaurant under construction at the corner of Tiger Drive and Highway 12 is more than halfway finished, and it should be completed in early November, owner/operator Ryan Kaiser said. He’s aiming to open the new franchise Dec. 4.

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Delano Intermediate School students may soon be the ones giving the weather forecast.
Hennepin County Emergency Management has partnered with Delano Public Schools to build a mesonet weather station near the northwest corner of Delano High School.
A mesonet is a network of weather stations, said Emily Jackson, an operational meteorologist with Hennepin County Emergency Management. Hennepin County’s mesonet is known as the Hennepin West Mesonet.
Delano is in Wright County, just west of Hennepin County, which was why the emergency management agency asked Delano Public Schools to host a weather station on its campus.
A lot of the weather that affects Hennepin comes from the west, so it helps to have a station in that direction, Jackson said.

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