Civil Municipal - June 2024

infrastructure development and community engagement. Mayor Lachermeier articulates the balance Buffalo seeks to maintain as it grows. “We’re innovating with growth and challenges. We are growing at such a nice pace, but it’s sometimes overwhelming,” she admits. The mayor emphasizes the importance of maintaining the city’s small-town feel alongside its expansion. “We want to keep that sense of community because we don’t want people to be strangers.We want them to come together,” she says. This balance involves ensuring infrastructure keeps pace with growth, including maintaining roads, expanding fiber access, and supporting retail and industrial developments. Kelly highlights the specific areas where Buffalo intends to invest, mainly focusing on infrastructure and downtown revitalization. “The investments in infrastructure,whether it be fiber, streets, or pavement management plans, are huge,” he notes. He also points to placemaking and wayfinding downtown 27 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 06 BUFFALO, MN