On January 17, Governor Mark Dayton signed an agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to leverage $350 million of federal dollars to help fund water quality improvement efforts in 54 southern and western Minnesota counties. Dayton believes “Minnesota is at a critical juncture in addressing our state’s serious water quality challenges.” The new … [Read more...]
Chatfield’s water meter installation near completion
At the January 23 meeting of the city council, Brian Burkholder reported that the installations of the water meters were near completion. At the last council meeting, he said that a third letter had been sent out to residents requesting residents to set up an appointment to have their meter installed. Public works people and installers went door to door in the evening to … [Read more...]
County updated on buffer law implementation
At the January 24 county board meeting, Rick Grooters and Ann Koliha, Fillmore County Soil and Water Conservation District, discussed buffer law compliance progress. Grooters stated that the Minnesota Buffer Law that was signed into law by Governor Dayton in June of 2015 has created a lot of controversy. The intention of the law is to protect water resources from erosion and … [Read more...]
Preston continues stay on wood burning cease and desist order
At the January 18 Preston City Council meeting, attorney Thomas Manion pressed the city council to continue a 2011 cease and desist order as requested by his client Diane Ruud. Several concerned citizens were in attendance. At a December 6, 2016 meeting, Dave Keene, owner of the property at 217 Preston St. SW, had requested that the cease and desist order be lifted due to … [Read more...]
New faces on Chatfield Council
At the January 9 meeting of the Chatfield City Council, the first order of business was the oath of office for the reelected mayor and the three new councilors. Mayor Russ Smith recited his oath of office. Newly elected councilors Joshua Broadwater, Pam Bluhm, and John Mc-Broom repeated their oath together. Councilor Paul Novotny was elected vice-mayor. Smith presented a … [Read more...]
Broadband grant awarded to Lanesboro area
On January 11, Lt. Governor Tina Smith announced Border to Border Broadband Development grants which will help fund the expansion of broadband in rural Minnesota. One of AcenTek’s two grant applications was awarded. A grant of about $1.78 million will help AcenTek build the infrastructure (last mile) to connect 431 unserved households, 42 unserved businesses, and one community … [Read more...]
Semcac helping people in Fillmore County
At the January 10 Fillmore County board meeting, Wayne Stenberg, Semcac executive director, reported on the non-profit organization’s efforts to help people “achieve their goals of self-reliance and independence.” Semcac offers over 25 programs from transportation, to Head Start, to Senior Dining, to energy assistance and weatherization, to family planning to name just a … [Read more...]
County Commissioners annual meeting
The first orders of business at the county board’s January 3 meeting were the election of officers and the oath of office for commissioners elected last November. County Coordinator Bobbie Vickerman called the meeting to order. Randy Dahl was elected chairman and Mitch Lentz was elected vice-chairman. Newly elected Gary Peterson (third district) and reelected Mitch Lentz … [Read more...]
Preston discusses curbside snow removal
The Preston City Council met for the first time in 2017 on January 3. Newly elected council member Holly Zuck and reelected Mayor Kurt Reicks and councilman David Collett recited their oath of office before addressing the evening’s agenda. Public Works Director Jim Bakken lead a discussion on options for curbside snow removal. He noted that every year there are some … [Read more...]
CUPs for winery/event center
Dean and Lisa Erickson discussed their applications for two conditional use permits (CUP) at the December 15 meeting of the Fillmore County planning commission. During the public hearings, their detailed expansion and construction plans at the Windy Willow Vineyard located in Section 9, Preston Township were described. Both CUPs, for a Farm Winery and for an Ag Tourism … [Read more...]