State Senator Dave Senjem invited civic leaders in southeastern Minnesota to a conversation about communities using energy as an economic driver. Senjem represents citizens in Dodge and Olmsted Counties. The program held at the Chatfield Center for the Arts on October 29 was sponsored by the Institute of Environment, University of Minnesota. Its mission is to discover solutions … [Read more...]
Housing development TIF district
During the October 28 Chatfield City Council meeting, a joint meeting was held with the EDA to consider the creation of a tax increment financing (TIF) district for the “Gjere Addition”. EDA chair Mike Tuohy called the EDA meeting to order before the public hearing began. During the public hearing Chris Giesen explained that Mike and Julie Sogla purchased about 10 acres … [Read more...]
Veterans home site option agreement extended
At the October 21 meeting of the Preston City Council City Administrator Joe Hoffman explained the state is requesting an extension of the option agreement for the veterans home site until March 31, 2020. The option agreement from the city to the state for the veterans home site was set to expire November 30. Hoffman said they are anticipating a round of federal funding to … [Read more...]
Juvenile probation report
Travis Gransee, director of Dodge-Fillmore-Olmsted (DFO) Community Corrections, highlighted juvenile probation data at the October 22 county board meeting. Gransee pointed out that there was an increase in the number of juvenile clients in Fillmore County in 2019 (44 in 2018 and 51 in 2019). His data showed that there was a significant percentage decrease in both Dodge and … [Read more...]
Chatfield recognizes a remarkable citizen
At the October 14 Chatfield City Council meeting Mayor Russ Smith read a proclamation honoring one of the city’s own, Betty Lou Balcome. Smith listed the many contributions of leadership and service Balcome gave to the city over her lifetime. Betty Lou was one of the original fruitcake bakers of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church and she continued to do that for over 50 years. … [Read more...]
County to subscribe to a CodeRed system
Sheriff John DeGeorge pointed out the benefits of subscribing to a CodeRed Emergency Public Notification System at the county board’s October 8 meeting. He acknowledged that the county had first subscribed to a CodeRed system when Daryl Jensen was sheriff. At some point the sheriff’s office stopped using it and the subscription was not renewed in 2018. DeGeorge said paying … [Read more...]
Preston receives $2,500 donation for veterans home project
Stevie Ersland from Kasson raffled off a quilt she had made to raise funds for a future veterans home in Preston. She attended the October 7 meeting of the Preston City Council to donate the proceeds in the amount of $2,500 to the city. Former Dairy and Farm site City Administrator Joe Hoffman explained Scheevel and Sons have nearly completed their work at the former … [Read more...]
Utility-scale solar project in Fillmore County
Savion, headquartered in Lenexa, Kans., is proposing the development of a utility-scale solar project in Beaver Township, Section 14. Fillmore County Solar Project, LLC is expected to be a 45 MW solar energy facility. Local residents were invited to a meeting held at the United Methodist Church in Spring Valley on October 9 to learn more about the project and to get their … [Read more...]
Veterans home design tweaked due to budget limits
Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Larry Herke outlined some veterans home design changes that will need to be made to stay within the current budget during a meeting at Preston City Hall on October 9. He updated local officials and Veterans Home Committee members on the proposed veterans home in Preston. Herke has served in this position since January 2019. The … [Read more...]
Fraud investigator annual report
Nathan Barker, Fraud Prevention Investigator for a five county region, updated the Fillmore County Board on dollars saved due to fraud prevention efforts, regarding public assistance programs. Commissioner Randy Dahl was absent. Barker is the fraud investigator for Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Wabasha, and Winona Counties. He noted 10 cases were referred to him from Fillmore … [Read more...]