City Info

The City of Milnor is located in southeast North Dakota along North Dakota Highway # 13 in a bustling community of agriculture and industry. Milnor is very progressive with a variety of businesses, three churches, an activity center, an excellent park and recreational system, golf course, swimming pool, library and school.

Our business district includes businesses that have been a part of the community for over 125 years as well as new and beginning businesses. In the past couple of years we’ve had several entrepreneurs remodel their facilities and the elevator expanded their grain storing capacity. This past year we have added three new Main Street businesses:

Main Street Coffee and Gifts, which features food, beverages and products from North Dakota businesses and artists, Crossroads Electric, a heating/air-conditioning and electrical company and Sakry Plumbing, a plumbing contractor. In 2010, Milnor annexed 24 additional acres into our city as an industrial park. A veterinary clinic is building in this new subdivision and other businesses have inquired about this newly developed area.

The Merchants Club is an organization that advances and helps the various businesses and promotes the local community. The Merchants sponsor the yearly celebrations: June Jamboree, Crazy Days and their latest project has been large beautiful baskets of flowers that hang along our Main Street.

Our City Council is very proactive; encouraging individuals, families and businesses to move to our community with incentive packages. We have established a Renaissance Zone and at present have nine projects in process and 23 completed projects. The City has worked with our Community/Senior Citizen Center, which also houses our city office, to make improvements that include new windows, a new roof, air-conditioning, ceiling tiles, new tables and chairs and handicap accessibility. We have also made renovations to the city shop with funding from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant.

Our Community/Senior Citizen Center is a hub of activity each day as our seniors congregate for dinner and other activities such as bingo and card games. Computers are available also for all ages to use at this center. Housebound individuals have meals delivered to their door by community volunteers.

The City of Milnor is presently replacing several sidewalks, putting in crosswalks at nine intersections and installing handicap ramps at six intersections using a grant from the Department of Transportation for Safe Routes to School. This grant will ensure safer walking and biking for our children. The City has also recently added two LED stop signs on Main Street for safer walking and driving for all our citizens.

In 2008, the City purchased 200 small trees which were used by the City in public areas and given to citizens for personal use. The City of Milnor has recently been awarded two grants through the North Dakota Forest Service and an additional 73 trees will be planted with these grants. Milnor is, and has been, a member of Tree City USA for several years.

Milnor, along with many other communities in the state, has suffered overland and creek flooding. In 2009, the City constructed an earthen dike along the north and west edge of the city to protect our community from flood waters that had previously entered our residential areas. Additional culverts and landscaping were installed to alleviate potential problems for individuals close to Storm Lake. Although we may still be threatened by high water, our citizens are safer.

The Milnor Municipal Airport has recently been renamed the Milnor Harris Lunneborg Field and although it may be considered small, we are proud that many private planes use the facility. The local flying club, Milnor Aviation Inc., uses the airport on a regular basis and each year holds a fly-in breakfast to raise funds for improvements and upkeep for the club’s airplane. In the past two years they have added a new lighting system for safer nighttime and bad weather landings, fuel tanks, rural water and a courtesy car to be used by individuals flying into the airport.

Milnor Public School has 240 students attending kindergarten thru 12^th grade. In the last three years our school has been very progressive by adding a new computer lab with 22 new computers, 14 Promethean Active Boards were introduced into the classrooms, 28 new laptop computers, and an online grading system. The school has recently added energy efficient improvements, air-conditioning and new staff positions. Gainor Football Field and the Glenn Dorr Memorial Track, which is adjacent to the park, have also had improvements, with a resurfaced track and a new public address system.

T-ball, softball and baseball program. The park has recently added a new basketball court and skateboard area and the community has built a handicap accessible walking/bike path along our Main Street for safer and better access to the park and downtown areas.

Two community gardening groups of volunteers have turned two vacant Milnor lots into community gardens in the past two years. Residents volunteer their time, talents, seeds and plants and the produce is offered to anyone who would like to pick or delivered for those who can not. Blooming plants add color, beauty and pleasing aromas for the residents to enjoy.

Lakeview Golf Course is located in the northwest corner of Milnor. This challenging 9 hole, 36 par course winds its way around Storm Lake on a gently rolling course. The course sports a club house, golf cart rental and storage. In 2009, the community owned golf course, completely remodeled and refurbished the club house. The club house is used not only for golf related activities but is also rented for graduations, anniversaries and other get-togethers.

In 2007, the Milnor Area Community Center (MACC) volunteer group held its first 5K Run, encouraging physical fitness for adults and youth. The 5K Run is an annual event to raise funds to pay for the 15,750 square foot, donation built, community building that was constructed in 2003. The original cost of the MACC activity center was $767,700, and the fundraisers have raised funds to pay the balance of the loan down to $115,000. The group continues with projects in the community to pay off the mortgage. Recently this group has raised funds for two weight lifting machines that were added to the fitness center in the MACC and a cooperative agreement has been made with a trainer who works with individuals of all ages.

Satre Public Library is also located in the MACC building, which is connected to the Milnor Public School allowing students and teachers to regularly visit. The library has a system that rotates recently published books thru the facility. Books for all ages are available along with magazines, DVDs, audio books, puzzles and CDs. A public access computer is also available. The library and the Friends of the Library hold two book fairs each year to encourage reading for the youth and adults in our community.

Two years ago, the Satellite Club, a community organization, the VFW and American Legion built the Freedom Park on an abandoned lot on Main Street. The park includes a gazebo, a variety of trees and a monument recognizing the veterans from our community. A variety of community gatherings have been held here including Centennial events, homecoming/school events and Wednesday night music, fun and food.

Satellite Club, which is a community wide organization, sponsors the Dinner Theater each February where the Galaxie Award is given to the most outstanding person of the year, the Miss Milnor Pageant, a scholarship to a deserving student and a Halloween costume parade. This group also donates each year to the area churches, the park, the library, Post Prom and RIF.

The Bison Booster Club was created to encourage youth in sports and has since branched out to the community with fundraising for school and area wide improvements. The club has helped raise funds for many projects that were sponsored by other groups needing assistance with fundraising. Recent funds have been used for the MACC, the swimming pool, a digital sign on Main Street that is used to display school and community announcements and the purchase of tables and chairs for the activity center.

The Milnor Fire Department is an all volunteer group and in the past year has had over 20 new recruits. In 2009 a larger 3,000 gallon tanker and new extrication equipment were purchased. In June, the Fire Department purchased a new fire truck featuring a 1,000 gallon tank and 1,250 gallon per minute pump with a grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Milnor Ambulance Department is a combination of volunteers and one full time EMT, which provides basic life support services in the community and surrounding area. They have held fundraisers to help pay for new equipment, having recently acquired an AED (automated external defiberator) and other equipment, which has made our ambulance and fire department a “state of the art” instrument for our community.

In June, the Milnor Clinic celebrated 25 years of service to the area, inviting everyone for ice cream sundaes. A board, composed of citizens from our community, work with the St. Francis Healthcare Campus to continue this service to the community. The clinic offers laboratory and x-ray services, along with doctors and nurses, to serve medical needs and offer quality care close to home. Dental services are also offered one day a week.

Milnor supports a number of fundraisers and events to help others. Here are a few of those events our community is a part of:

Relay for Life is held each summer in one of the communities in our county. Milnor has hosted this event at the Glenn Dorr Memorial Track in previous years and in 2009 raised over $30,000 to continue the fight.
Each year our community supports the Saddle Up for St. Jude Fundraiser, which is a breakfast, trail ride, supper and auction held to raise funds for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Many individuals from the community take part in this fun day held at a rural location.
A formal dance and dinner is held in our community each winter as a fundraiser for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. This event is a fun time for everyone to “dress-up” for a cause. This past year over $5,500 was raised.
Our community also supports Dollars for Scholars with fundraisers, an annual golf tournament and the Fine Arts and Academic Award Night ice cream social for scholarships. Each year scholarships are awarded and in the past ten years 102 individuals have received scholarships to further their education.
Riding for Dreams is a local group of volunteers that fundraise and work with children and adults with special needs by incorporating horses into therapeutic and learning programs. Volunteers and riders meet at a farm on the outskirts of Milnor each week.
As our city and county have lost several friends and neighbors to suicide in the last few years, a memorial four-wheeler ride has been held the last two years, and will continue to be an annual event, to raise funds for suicide prevention. These funds will be used at the local level for counseling and education.

The City of Milnor has many other ideas for future projects, such as a walking path around Storm Lake, additional softball diamonds, a subdivision for more housing and continuing to encourage additional businesses to join us. If you’re interested in Milnor, visit us sometime. We would be proud to show you our city!