Mankato Free Press (October 27, 2024)—A remarkable series of fortunate events is playing out in Mankato again.

The city of Mankato, with the help of residents, has assembled a “wish list” of amenities the city would like to add but do not have room for in its budget while keeping taxes reasonable.

The list was encouraged by the leaders of the Mankato Area Foundation, who manage dozens of “donor directed” funds from area philanthropists. The list ranges from a $1 million new stage for the outdoor Vetter Stone Amphitheater, to $925 per pole holiday decorations in the city’s business district.

It includes a splash pad to keep the kiddies cool on those hot summer days and take care of our best friends in the idea of a new east side dog park. Other proposals ask for shade structures near pickle ball and youth baseball fields, a permanent shelter for a farmers’ market and replacing the floating boardwalk trails at the Rasmussen Woods nature center.

Mankato Area Foundation President and CEO Nancy Zallek has urged the city and council to “dream big” and says: “This is an unbelievably generous community.” The wish list idea was started under former City Manager Pat Hentges. And if past success is a predictor of future success, many of the items on the wish list will become a reality.

A decade ago, the wish list included the revitalization of Sibley Park’s zoo, the creation of a veterans’ monument, the amphitheater at Riverfront Park and a youth baseball complex. Zallek points to the motivation of local philanthropists that achieved a number of signature projects like the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota, the Ardent Mills Silos, VINE Adult Community Center and Kiwanis Holiday Lights.

The key to achieving the projects is often matching a donor’s passion with a project idea. And the timing may be right now as a significant tax reduction for philanthropists will be greatly reduced in 2026. The 2017 tax cut bill approved by President Donald Trump and Congress allows for a large reduction from the 40% estate tax for those who donate to charitable causes.

We believe all of the projects on the wish list have merit — with some, like a permanent canopy over the Vetter Stone Amphitheater, that can yield financial returns for the community.

We’ve not seen such public good-private good partnerships in other cities, though we are sure there are some.

Still, these kinds of collaborations speak volumes about the region and its people. Perhaps there’s a common understanding that the earth starts out under everyone’s ownership, so how it is nurtured and who finances improvements is not as important a question.

Philanthropist Frank Hanna wrote a book in 2008 called “What Your Money Means” that talked about “non-essential wealth” and the radical idea of the need to give it all away before one dies.

Observers note there’s a kind of joy and freedom in that. One that can be felt even in municipal debates like this. And these actions will speak well of us to those who come after.