By Sam Ehrhardt

CLARKS GROVE — The city of Clarks Grove is quietly making improvement upon improvement.

Mayor Bruce Hansen is proud of the work that’s being done in the city, and the way it’s being done.

Hansen has been the mayor of Clarks Grove since 1998. His involvement in government, however, started in 1978, when he was first on the City Council. Hansen has been a main contributor in Clarks Grove politics for almost 40 years.

“Not much happens around here without me knowing it,” he said.

In those 40 years, Hansen has seen slow but steady improvement to Clarks Grove.

“We try to keep the city up little by little,” he said.

Recently, the city’s improvements have started to pile up. Some notable projects have included a new disc golf course, a new city museum and City Clerk’s office, repaired roads and sewage systems, a new “Gaga Ball” game in one of the city parks and a rebuilt water tower, to name a few.

As positive as the changes are, Hansen worries the projects have not gotten the recognition they deserve.

“A lot of people don’t seem to know this is here,” Hansen said of the extensive new disc golf course.

Hansen acknowledges that Clarks Grove is a smaller city, and attractions like these can’t be expected to draw huge crowds.

“It’s a quiet town,” he said.

Although it seems to Hansen that people greatly enjoy walking and biking the city’s renovated paths, he hopes other new attractions see more popularity in the future.

“If people want to go play frisbee golf, it’s right here,” he said. “If you had a picnic here (at one of the parks), there’d be plenty of stuff for the kids to do”.

Hansen is proud of the way in which the projects have been made possible. He said that not only are all the projects finished without any city debt, but taxes in Clarks Grove are also some of the lowest in the county.

“We try to fix and improve, but not overspend,” he said.

Hansen is proud of the way the city he has helped govern for so long maintains itself.

“As a rule, people in Clarks Grove take real care keeping their homes looking nice” he said.

He noted that this care extends to public areas, as well.

“Here in Clarks Grove, we don’t let things slide. We fix them.”