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 Local planners in Merrill are working to draw more Highway 75 travelers into town to stop and shop. The group is discussing adding signs and downtown updates to showcase the many businesses the town offers. [Click to enlarge] |
The town of about 750 people is looking for ways to encourage more of those drivers to stop in town -- not just at the request of a law enforcement officer.
In a town often seen by drivers as a speed trap, Merrill Mayor Rich Husman explained, local planners want to build Merrill a new reputation.
 With several antique shops, car sales businesses, engine repair shops, a Mexican restaurant and more, Merrill planners say the community has much to offer. They want to encourage more passers-by to stop and shop. [Click to enlarge] |
Travelers are required to slow down to obey speed limits.
Now community members are working to have those drivers stop and shop downtown.
With business and property owners, Merrill's mayor and city council held a brainstorming workshop earlier this month.
"We are looking for ideas from the business and property owners on what to do as a community to improve the looks of our downtown and accessibility of businesses," Husman said. "We want to take the lemon of all the traffic coming by Main Street and turn it into lemonade."
The group came up with several ideas to invite people into the community.
One was adding more signs.
Merrill sits on a stretch of one-half to three-quarters of a mile of Highway 75, Husman said.
"If we run that many cars through town, we should have more signs telling them the different types of businesses available," he said. "A convenience store, restaurant, antiques, car dealers, car repair."
Local Almost Antiques shop owner Jason Visvikis later suggested adding a restaurant.
He has a lot of people stop in while traveling from antique shop to antique shop.
"One thing people always say is they'd like to have a place to drink a coffee or have a dinner," Visvikis said.
Another topic the group discussed was downtown beautification:
adding trees, fixing sidewalks and streets, and improving businesses to make Merrill's downtown more inviting.
"Cities like Le Mars and Sioux City have a chamber of commerce. Merrill does not," Husman said.
The effort, the group discussed, would have to be from all property owners.
"We're not trying to single anyone out," Husman said.
And the idea is not just a "city council thing," he added.
The brainstorming session was specifically designed to not just be the five city council members.
"We wanted fresh ideas," Husman said. "We all have to invest in the downtown and residential area."
Before Christmas, a second planning meeting will be hosted, and all will be invited to participate.
Part of the stimulus of this brainstorming meeting was a 2007 visit by Drake University public relations students who offered the community ideas to promote Merrill.
Husman said community members are working now to put some of those ideas to use.
The time, he said, is right.
"We're going to have increased traffic in Merrill," Husman said. "We should be using that as a drawing card."
If they're passing through, why not invite them to do some shopping at an antique shop, do business at the bank or check out cars in a car lot, he suggested.
"We'd like to be known as a community that has more to offer than a speeding ticket," Husman said. "Let's get our community on the map."
The main problem with this is THERE IS NOTHING IN MERRILL. I think there are 2 body shops and a little bar and a gas station. Why would anyone shop in Merrill? The traffic was never the problem its the fact thats theres nothing there. People really need to stop thinking so much. Not every idea on paper looks great when you actually do it. I'm sure the brick idea on Main st. here in Le Mars was a great idea on paper but look how that turned out..
Im not a smart man but I think in order to bring people in for business you should actually have places to shop!!
Think Mcfly, think!!!!!!!!!!!
The only thing left is for Le Mars to annex Merrill and with our city council's smarts we could make it a ghost town in nothing flat. First thing you need is a bike trail connecting Le Mars and Merrill. It takes knowledge and Comedy Central to handle a case like this.
This is hillarious to see Merill Decide that just because they have traffic going through it that people will want to stop. Let me remind you that there isn't a way around it so the traffic must go through it. If I'm looking for something to eat and am on a city bypass, I'll come in and see what there is. But just because you have a store front, doesn't mean you will have business beating down your door. If the locals want businesses to operate well in their town, then they will visit it and the word to neighboring towns will get out and bring more business.
You don't stop at a business just because it is there, you stop because of an interest in it. Too funny to see that the highway which is pothole haven and can't seem to ever get repaired very well no matter how often they try is a reflection of how things are patched within Merrill. It is a bedroom town, and used to be more of an attraction for the locals. People can go places further faster now than before and didn't want to hang out there.
Merrill can fix itself up and become a point of interest or remain as their section of highway reflects.
I think in all fairness to Merrill, current and past Mayors and council the decision for Bogenriefs to move was more money elsewhere. In looking at all the articles online by the Sentinel and they are here, the incentives of Cherokee and size of city apparently outweighed what was offered in Merrill. One of the stories goes on to say that Merril so much as asked for assistance from Gary Tucker, the economic person for Le Mars to help with ideas to keep them in Merrill. Of course I can't see much happening in Le Mars under his help either. The community of Merril is no different than Le Mars is today and that is being just a short distance from Sioux City people can and will drive to shop, dine, and have fun.
Spencer, Atlantic, Cherokee, and Humboldt just to name a few are much more diversified and have more retail shops than Le Mars ever will just because of their location or should I say lack of to a Metro area like Sioux City. Le Mars and Merrill need creative ways to coax people into town, if that's what they want and a bike trail and fancy bricks for Le Mars won't cut it.
HEY RICH HUSMAN!! Here is a fresh idea, resign as mayor. You are not solely responsible for Merrill's bad state but you do have a lot to do with it.
I am not argueing the point about the city council, my point was, shortly after they opened a store front in Cherokee, they closed it.
I think they still have operations in Sutherland and Spencer.
Let's not get our facts twisted. Bogenrief Studios were indirectly encouraged to leave by Merrill's mayor and city council. They did not 'leave any communities high and dry.' That was done by the municipal government itself.
Merrill was once home to a number of fine businesses. There was a drug store, hardware,two grocery stores, three restaurants, coffee shop, numerous hair dressers, barber shop, manufacturing, three gas stations, and the list goes on. But due to its location, 6 miles from LeMars and 18 miles from Sioux City, it struggled with difficult economic times, and trying to compete with big business. It is nothing more than what main street Le Mars or donwtown Sioux City has had to deal with.
The Bogenriefs were a great asset to Merrill, but they have left other small communities high and dry.
It would be nice for all small town communities to see growth and thrive again.
Let's not forget there USED to be a world renown stained glass studio in Merrill named Bogenrief Studios. Bogenrefief studios brought tourists to Merrill which is the ONLY thing that has brought tourists to Merill EVER! The Bogenrief family requested the Merrill City Council participate in the National Downtown Restoration project and the city council refused. The Bogenrief family even set up the meetings with federal and state representatives to initiate the federally funded project themselves. To their dismay, city council members refused to attend the meeting and indirectly encouraged the Bogenrief family to move their business out of Merrill. To the Merrill city planners: MOVE OUT OF MERRILL! You have only helped Merrill become regular, dissipating small town in the past 20+ years you have been involved. It is time to hand the torch to younger, more intelligent Merrillites.
I think another place to eat would be a great idea, something like the truck stop. However, Negron's is hard to beat.. oh yummy!
How about we build a tall bridge so we can drive straight over merrill all together lol
how about just bypassing Merrill and Hinton...
Dan Smith put together a great little History of Merrill web site on the net. I suggest an interative Museum dealing with life in/on the Great Plains. Included would be the Great Plain Indians, Wagon Train, earlier plain settlers, to antique farm equipment. But the museum would need to be interactive w/the public. They actually get some hands on, which could be revenue to support the museum.
Also a 3-4 par golf course, miniture golf course, Go-Kart racing, Paint Ball course or even a Casinio. The town needs to draw the public in and I don't think " Billy-Bobs Used Cars " is going to do it.