At the December 5 Lanesboro City Council meeting, a public hearing was held for Truth in Taxation. Lanesboro resident Brenda Bonney spoke to the council about her request to rezone her property as a rural service district as it was denied by Planning and Zoning. She noted that she doesn’t receive any city services and the property is very rural in nature. “We request that our … [Read more...]
Lanesboro amends liquor ordinances
A public hearing for amending the liquor ordinances was held at the November 7 Lanesboro City Council meeting. Karen Heimdahl from Sylvan Brewing thanked the council for working on it and said that she was in support of the proposed amendments as they would allow her business a little more flexibility. The council reviewed the city’s liquor ordinances and made a motion to … [Read more...]
Harmony welcomes new Chamber director
“There’s a lot of great reasons to live here and visit,” Allison Whalen said about Harmony. Whalen is the new director of the Harmony Area Chamber of Commerce and is excited about her new job, which she began on October 3. Before accepting her position as Chamber director in Harmony, Whalen worked at F&M Community Bank in Preston for 14 years. “I loved working at the … [Read more...]
Fillmore Central SPED rooms get upgrade
At the October 25 Fillmore Central School Board meeting, Elementary Principal Jim Peters reported that the SPED rooms have had their lighting upgraded to color tuned lights, which allows the colors and brightness of the lights to be adjusted. “They use it every day with the kids,” Peters said. He is currently evaluating the space in the building to find more room that can be … [Read more...]
Lanesboro council amends developer agreement with G Cubed
During the public comment portion of the October 3 Lanesboro City Council meeting, Lanesboro resident Lester Dunn commented that he appreciated the Zoom coverage for city council meetings. “I wanted you to know that there are a lot of people who watch these meetings,” he said. “If anything good came out of COVID, that was it.” Karen Heimdahl from Sylvan Brewing encouraged the … [Read more...]
The vexatious fly nailed the screen test
It was the time of the screen door slams. I was trying to spell Czechoslovakia. I’d found a lucky rock and put it in my pocket to help me with my spelling. I was a good student and got two A’s on every single report card. There was one in Allen and another in Batt. The Sandman had put me to sleep, the smell of bacon was my alarm clock and I spilled my milk at dinner. That … [Read more...]
Preston welcomes new coffee shop
There’s more than just groceries at Preston Foods these days. Now, while you’re picking up pantry staples or ingredients for a quick supper, you can also stop by the new coffee shop, Rod N’ Reel Coffee Co., next to the deli counter and treat yourself to something from its menu. “We were looking for an opportunity for something our community doesn’t have,” said Brad Hoiness, … [Read more...]
Fillmore Central school year off to a great start
At the September 27 Fillmore Central School Board meeting, Superintendent Heath Olstad announced that the school year was off to a great start. The elementary students continue to have lunch and breakfast in their classrooms and a salad bar was added for grades 3-6. The back-to-school conferences for grades K-6 were well attended by students and parents. A project was completed … [Read more...]
Harmony resident questions lack of increase in library budget
Harmony resident Harvey Benson spoke during the public forum portion of the September 13 Harmony City Council meeting. An avid library supporter, he had attended the recent library board meeting and was surprised to hear that the city had recommended no increase in funding for the library in the 2023 budget. He asked if that was correct and if so, why that decision had been … [Read more...]
Lanesboro residents speak out about grain bin
A public hearing was held at the September 7 Lanesboro City Council meeting to discuss the proposed sidewalk improvements. Lanesboro resident Anna Loney addressed the council to ask how those particular sidewalks were chosen for improvements. “I would like to distinguish whether our objective is to have a walkable community,” she said. “I’m not sure if a blanket policy is where … [Read more...]
Harmony resident disputes citation
The August 16 Harmony city council meeting opened with a public hearing on vacating a portion of 2nd Ave SW. Roxanne Johnson spoke on behalf of property owner Mavis Brunsvold. Brunsvold and all other property owners for the area in question have signed the petition to vacate and are in favor of it. The public hearing was closed. The consent agenda was approved and included … [Read more...]
Lanesboro council makes changes to street improvement plan
Andy Heimdahl, owner of Sylvan Brewing, addressed the Lanesboro City Council at their regular August 1 meeting. He had noticed that the addition of two parking spaces in front of his brewery along with a small ramp were in the street improvement plan. While he understood the need for more parking spots, that space is frequently used for large brewery deliveries. “If there were … [Read more...]
Fillmore Central replaces elementary school supply lists with supply fees
A K-6 grade supply fee of $25 per student was reviewed by the Fillmore Central School Board at their July 26 meeting. The fee will allow the teachers to purchase the exact supplies the students in their classrooms will need rather than sending out a school supply list for families to purchase individually. Due to the change, a supply drive will no longer be held, but people … [Read more...]
Harmony resident voices concerns over utility billing process
Lisa Miller addressed the Harmony City Council at their July 12 meeting about her utility bills from the month of May. She owns six properties in Harmony and typically receives her bills via email and then a mailed late notice if they are not paid promptly. However, in May, she said that she did not receive any notifications at all about her bills. She didn’t realize it until … [Read more...]
Fillmore Central repairs elementary school roof
Superintendent Heath Olstad gave an update on the elementary roof project to the Fillmore Central school board members at their regular June 28 meeting. The project is going well so far. Olstad and board member Jim Love were able to go up on the roof last week to see what was being done up there. It was discovered that the weeps, which are ropes placed through the masonry to … [Read more...]