City of Mankato honored with 2024 LMC City of Excellence Award

The city of Mankato received the League of Minnesota Cities 2024 City of Excellence Award for this year’s “Creative Involvement of City Residents” topical category Thursday at the League’s Annual Conference in Rochester. Mankato was honored for its 2023 Thomas Park Improvements.

For over a decade, Mankato softball enthusiasts were vocal about their desire to see the city build a new softball facility to provide increased gender equity and more modern amenities to local softball players. In 2019, after receiving community input, the city decided to convert Thomas Park – originally built as a baseball facility – into a $6.1 million softball complex.

The city relied heavily on the project’s external partners such as Mankato Area Public Schools, Mankato Community Education, Mankato Area Girls Fastpitch Association, Bethany Lutheran College, and the neighborhoods surrounding Thomas Park for the project’s design stages and to identify necessary amenities. City staff also hosted two neighborhood meetings where attendees shared input on the proposed improvements and their concerns with trees, traffic, parking, noise complaints, fencing, drainage, and proximity. The city addressed these concerns and shared its revised plans in the second neighborhood meeting.

Despite facing pandemic delays, cost increases, two rounds of project bidding, and difficult weather conditions, Mankato unveiled its premier softball facility to its internal and external project partners on July 25, 2023. Thomas Park now boasts four practice softball fields, one championship field with artificial turf, and plenty of amenities for softball enthusiasts and parkgoers.

The City of Excellence Awards are given annually by the League of Minnesota Cities in three population categories and one topical category. The awards recognize cities for outstanding programs or projects. Each winning city will receive a plaque, a check for $1,000, and recognition in League publications and promotional activities throughout the coming year.

The League of Minnesota Cities is a membership organization dedicated to helping cities throughout Minnesota build quality communities through effective advocacy, expert analysis, trusted guidance, and collective action. The League serves over 830 member cities through advocacy, education and training, policy development, risk management, and other services.