SHA letter of support Jan. 25, 2022
Dear Scandia Heritage Alliance Board of Directors:
We write in support of your Water Tower Barn and Scandia Arts & Heritage Center project, and
in favor of Minnesota House Bill HF 1461/Senate Bill 1424 requesting state bond financing.
The City of Scandia in recent years has spent considerable effort to create a tourism
infrastructure, believing that in years to come tourism can be a main driver of economic activity,
not only in Scandia but in the entire St. Croix Valley. It was a tourism study conducted by the
city’s Economic Development Authority that led to the creation of this official tourism committee.
Rebirth of the Water Tower Barn, the last such existing structure in Minnesota, as the heart of
an arts and heritage center would be one of the most important elements bringing that strategy
to life. It would help us tie together the different strands of Scandia’s often-overlooked story in a
way that would make this rural corner of the Twin Cities Metro area an accessible and attractive
destination for visitors, and educate them about the history of the St. Croix Valley.
The Arts & Heritage Center would sit across the road from Gammelgården Museum. It would tell
the next chapter of the story of the area’s first Swedish settlers as their community became a
commercial center for northeast Washington County. But it would do much more than that. Your
comprehensive view of the region’s history rightly encompasses its original Native American
culture, as well.
There is also an element of scientific and technological education in your plans: Showcasing the
water tower’s technology, and emphasizing the importance of water resources to our area’s
story. The boardwalks and signage you plan for adjacent wetlands will focus the attention of
visitors to our environment, building on the work of our neighbor, William O’Brien State Park.
The performance space included in your plans will highlight the depth of artistic talent up and
down the St. Croix Valley.
With efforts under way to designate the St. Croix Watershed a National Heritage Area, and the
Gateway Trail soon to connect to Scandia and the site of your project, the time is now to begin
work in earnest on the Water Tower Barn–Arts & Heritage Center. We believe that Scandia and
the St. Croix Valley have an amazing story, and that it can’t be properly told without your
project. We can’t wait to share it with the rest of Minnesota.
Sincerely,