U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman visited with local and state officials in Austin Saturday afternoon, touring flood-affected areas and praising the city for its mitigation plan.

“The good news is this community learned the lessons of history,” Coleman said during a meeting at City Hall, adding that without flood mitigation, “the impact would have been much greater.

“This is a model for the way you should do things,” he said. “This has shown a tremendous amount of self-sufficiency.”

Coleman told Mower County and Freeborn County officials that farmers, on the other hand, did not fare as well.

“There is extensive agricultural damage in this region,” he said.

Coleman said he will push for federal funding, and enlist the help of U.S. Sen. Amy Klobachar and Rep. Tim Walz, who toured Austin Friday.

“Crises like this — in spite of the bickering you see at the legislative level — these are not partisan,” Coleman said.

City engineer Jon Erichson informed Coleman the 2008 flood is the third-worst on record; all three have occurred since 2000.

“FEMA is crunching numbers now,” said Erichson, who accompanied the agency on tours Friday.

Erichson explained the city’s future plans for flood mitigation, with the next phase being North Main Street. The project is scheduled to begin in 2009-10.

“Right now, that is our No. 1 goal,” he said. “All these projects are very expensive.

“We’re looking at some where in the middle of $5 million from the sales option tax for bonding,” Erichson said. “The city council is willing to bond … we need the matching funds to make it work.”

Erichson said that even though flooding does not affect many residents, the “landslide” vote for the half-cent option sales tax showed the community cares about this issue.

Flood mitigation is the city’s first and foremost priority, he said.

State Sen. Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin, said Austin is currently competing with about 20 other communities for the $30 million in bonding. State Rep. Jeanne Poppe, DFL-Austin, said she believes Austin is “at the top or somewhere near the top of the list.

“As the flood events occur, the priority list moves,” she said.

One North Main Street business was represented at the meeting with Coleman — Austin Packaging Company, who was spared this year but ravaged by the 2004 flood. The plant is anxiously awaiting mitigation before they have to endure another disaster, said Mark Johnson, director of human relations.

“The timeline is really a concern,” Johnson told officials, saying another flood like 2004 would “put us out.”

The plant, which employs more than 350 and specializes in contract manufacturing and packaging, shut down Thursday to prepare for possible flooding.

“The two days of production are a short-term problem,” Johnson said; however, customers want a reliable manufacturer.

“I see the competitive disadvantage,” Coleman said.

Johnson explained that APC is considering relocating or starting their own flood mitigation plan if the city does not begin their project soon.

Mayor Tom Stiehm said if APC decides not to wait for the city, and goes ahead with their own plan, they would offer any help needed.

“We dodged a bullet this time,” the mayor said, adding that in 1978, the flood was 2 feet lower than this year, and that “knocked the city on its knees.

“Statistics tell us in three or four years, it’s going to happen again,” he said.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty was scheduled to follow Coleman’s visit with a tour of Austin via bus Sunday morning.