The July 12 Rushford council meeting was unusually brief, but it did contain discussion and updates on various projects and ongoing negotiation of the possible purchase of the former Farmers Win Cooperative site. First up, one of two items of general business, was the approval of appointing election judges for the November General Election. A number of the volunteers are … [Read more...]
Kirsten Zoellner
Reporter
kirsten@fillmorecountyjournal.com
Kirsten has been a reporter for Fillmore County Journal since 2008. No awards to date, but her mother finds her articles riveting. She enjoys shining a light on the great people and events in the county and has aspirations to someday write a novel about them. A native of Rushford, she is a member of Root River Community Church, co-founder of Odyssey Homeschool Association, and was the founder for the Rushford-Peterson Valley Farmers' Market.
When not writing, Kirsten happily spends her time raising a family alongside Joel, her husband of 18 years. She homeschools their six children (Evin, Lauren, Logan, Ada, Kathleen, and Emelia) and does her best to ensure domestic bliss. Kirsten is an advocate for conservation and homesteading and operates Liten Dal Farm, where the family raises dairy goats, pastured poultry and hogs, alpacas, a few steers, and horses. Hobbies other than juggling include the outdoors, reading, vegetable gardening, cheesemaking, fermenting various things in Ball jars, and making everything from scratch despite the fact that it probably costs more.
Kirsten and her family proudly reside in rural Fountain on her great-great-grandfather's farm.
You can follow more about Kirsten on the family's Facebook page, Liten Dal Farm, or their blog: ourprairienest.wordpress.com.
Rushford gets updates on projects
The July 12 Rushford council meeting was unusually brief, but it did contain discussion and updates on various projects and ongoing negotiation of the possible purchase of the former Farmers Win Cooperative site. First up, one of two items of general business, was the approval of appointing election judges for the November General Election. A number of the volunteers are … [Read more...]
Rushford nails down airport projects
The Rushford Municipal Airport has seen several projects take shape in the last few years with more than a handful prompted by the devastating fire of a six-unit hangar in October 2019. At the June 28, 2021 council meeting, several issues related to projects saw approvals as well as notes of frustration. First up, the Pavement Improvement Project. This is underway to correct … [Read more...]
Rushford Village discusses Planning and Zoning projects
The June 15 Rushford Village council meeting was in large part, discussion regarding a number of proposed and ongoing developments related to planning and zoning. A hearing was held prior to the meeting regarding the application by Bonnie Norstad for a second solar array on her property, located between Highway 30 and Highway 16. The proposed array is the second on the farm … [Read more...]
Peterson discusses policing
The City of Peterson has debated the need for policing several times over the last six years, each time determining that there isn’t enough public demand or concern for it. At the June 9 council meeting, the issue was discussed once again with Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge in attendance. Within Fillmore County, only Rushford Village, Whalan, and Peterson have no city … [Read more...]
Fountain looking at service providers
At the June 2 Fountain Council meeting, Clerk Mary Tjepkes and Mayor Jim Schott noted the rapidly approaching end of the city contract with Frontier Communications. The contract, which provides phone, fax, and internet, is set to expire July 21. Tjepkes has frequently indicated several problems with the service and now the city is considering other options. Kyle Moorhead, of … [Read more...]
Rushford Village refinances under suggestion of planner
It’s been several years since Rushford Village has had financial planner Mike Bubany, of David Drown Associates, at a meeting. Typically, he’s brought on board to discuss cost impacts for project planning. This time, it was Bubany who approached the city with a cost savings proposal. “We’ve got a possibility of refinancing debt for the sole purpose of lowering payments. We can … [Read more...]
Fountain looks to city hall security
Fountain’s special council meeting May 24 was initially scheduled to discuss road maintenance needs, but the recent break-in of city hall garnered the bulk of the conversation. According to Mayor Jim Schott, the break-in occurred late Monday May 17 or early Tuesday May 18. At this time, it is unclear who was responsible. City Clerk Mary Tjepkes confirmed items taken, which … [Read more...]
Rushford receives clean audit
Despite technical difficulties at the start, the Rushford Council meeting held May 10 yielded a clean audit for the city. Auditor Jason Boynton and Kali Lentz, of Smith Schafer & Associates joined the meeting virtually to present the findings, which highlighted healthy funds in an unusual year. The city’s tax levy for 2020 was $973,000, up from $936,000 in 2019. The … [Read more...]
Peterson approves welcome sign, community garden
After several months of discussion, the Peterson City Council has approved the order of a new welcome sign to be placed on the Root River State Trail. The 2x4-foot composite sign will taut a three-dimensional design and the city’s former school colors through a gold background and maroon lettering. Produced by Art Sign Works, of Murrieta, Calif., the sign will also have the … [Read more...]