Vergas mayor highlights the benefit of several grants last year

By Robert Williams

Editor

Vergas Mayor Julie Bruhn gave a progress review of the city’s comprehensive plan and many successes at the end of the Vergas City Council meeting during her State of Vergas address Tuesday, Jan. 20.

In 2025, resilience was a focus added to the planning, vision for the future and partnerships.

“Those things remain important to the work of the city, but this year resilience was introduced and an importance to the future of Vergas,” Bruhn said.

Efforts to strengthen the city’s resilience was done through collaboration with Empowering Small Minnesota Communities (ESMC), Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) and West Central Initiative (WCI).

Vergas received grants from ESMC and RSDP to engage in energy initiatives, along with another grant from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to make improvements to the Event Center, Fire Hall and the Liquor Store.

“These grants have positioned the City of Vergas to receive further funding through the West Central Initiative,” said Bruhn.

Funding added solar panels to the roof of the Event Center, along with a battery bank installation decreasing energy costs and providing energy backup capabilities for the community in the event of a power failure.

Vergas became a GreenStep city in 2024 and achieved a 2-star level in 2025.

Minnesota GreenStep Cities and Tribal Nations is a voluntary challenge, assistance and recognition program to help communities achieve their sustainability and quality-of-life goals. This free continuous improvement program, managed by a public-private partnership, is based upon a menu of 29 optional best practices. Each best practice can be implemented, as decided by elected officials, staff and community members, by completing one or more actions at a 1, 2 or 3-star level, from a list of over 180 actions. These voluntary actions are tailored to Minnesota, focus on cost savings and energy use reduction, and encourage civic innovation.

The comprehensive plan, completed in 2022, remains the roadmap to the future until 2036.

“Currently, 86 percent of the identified strategies have either been completed or have had some progress made,” said Bruhn.

The top focus areas were parking, housing and businesses.

Bruhn highlighted the 2025 completion of the city center parking lot and additionally two handicapped parking designations being added downtown. 

Of the three new housing additions, 94 percent of the lots have been sold, according to Bruhn.

The mayor also discussed the efforts of the the Vergas Economic Development Authority (EDA) / Housing Redevelopment Authority (HRA) and the community club to support local businesses.

The EDA/HRA continues to award business facade improvement grants and its working relationship with Community and Economic Development Associates (CEDA).

“CEDA has been invaluable in providing services and expertise in identifying improvement opportunities and resources,” Bruhn said.

Bruhn also spoke about the efforts of both the EDA/HRA and CEDA in their top priority of bringing daycare to Vergas. The HRA has signed a purchase agreement for property to be developed into a daycare location at 303 Altona Avenue.

“The EDA/HRA is visiting other communities’ daycares, researching grant opportunities and established a daycare committee to lay out the operational framework,” said Bruhn. 

The Vergas Community Club’s high visibility throughout Minnesota and efforts to bring people to Vergas, along with the expansion of Looney and Holiday dollars to direct spending to local businesses was also of note.

Another major part of the comp plan and something residents highlighted as important were parks and open space. Those were further validated by a resilience and energy survey conducted in April.

“The protection of lakes and our natural environment scored as the highest area concern in the survey,” said Bruhn.

The future $1.2 million Long Lake Park project was included in 2023.

“Long Lake Park is very important to Vergas – recreationally, environmentally and economically,” said Bruhn. 

Funding for the Long Lake Project is being pursued through a potential half-cent city sales tax. 

The city council passed a resolution in November to request permission from the state legislature for a half-cent sales tax increase on city retail sales.

“If approved, this would be placed on the Nov. 26 election ballot,” said Bruhn. “Based on historical data of city sales it is anticipated it would take approximately five years to raise the $1.2 million estimated project cost.”

“In summary, Vergas has moved forward and experienced significant momentum in 2025,” Bruhn said. “And has demonstrated what is truly possible, even if you’re a small community. The 2025 story would be defined as what is possible. What is possible when a small town uses data partnerships, commitment, and community engagement to achieve advancement, resilience and quality of life while keeping the small-town charm at the heart of the community.”

Another improvement under parks and spaces is the 2025 connection of Vergas to the Heart of the Lakes trail that runs from Pelican Rapids through Maplewood State Park to Perham. The connection was created during the County State Aid Highway 35 full reclamation project from Dent to Vergas.