The Peterson City Council met Wednesday, August 14 and the biggest topic of discussion continues to be what to do with city streets. Several areas are badly in need of repair and the city is still getting a handle on what condition underground utilities are in. In trying to make a determination of the financial impact a street project would have on the city, proposals were … [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.
Fountain under new wastewater contract
At the Wednesday, August 7 meeting, the Fountain City Council approved rescinding a decision made at the July meeting to utilize a PointWatch system as of August 1. The system, a remote monitoring system, is provided by MMS Environmental isn’t yet installed and running at the wastewater treatment plant. Instead, the council made a new motion to move forward with … [Read more...]
Rushford Village talks water woes and road repairs
By now, it’s no secret that Rushford Village is looking at making some serious changes to South Rushford to mitigate water problems that have plagued the area this year. The council has been discussing the issues and possible solutions since 2016. The area is considered rural street type, without gutters and storm drains, and has a system of culverts and ditches in place to … [Read more...]
Driftless Goat Company; setting the stage for restoration
Living in arguably one of the most breathtaking natural areas, we often see the lush rolling hills, dense forests, and golden prairies at face value. We forget that they have been roamed, managed by farm and land owners, and altered by years of interaction by humans. A shift in balance between soil, land, plant, and animal has resulted in reduction of quality and sustainability … [Read more...]
Rushford sets hearing for ordinance; looks to future
While the Monday, July 22 Rushford Council meeting had a smaller agenda than normal, discussion of topics was robust and included plenty of items to take notice of. Garnering the largest conversation during the meeting was the setting of a public hearing for the purpose of approving an update to an ordinance granting a franchise to Ave Telephone Association DBA/Acentek. This … [Read more...]
Rushford Village gets word on drainage issues
At the Tuesday, July 16 Rushford Village Council meeting, the city received word from Bolton & Menk Engineer Derek Olinger regarding a drainage analysis of south Rushford. The area has been inundated with water several times this year including one event that led to scrambling of services to pump water. Olinger noted that the analysis is not a final report and additional … [Read more...]
R-P finds new buyer for Peterson building
Having vacated the site in August 2017, the Rushford-Peterson School Board has sought a buyer for the former Rushford-Peterson Middle School building since last year. Two bids were previously approved, then fell short, but it appears the district now has a solid buyer for the site. He even came with check in tow to the Monday, July 15 board meeting. The R-P Facilities … [Read more...]
Lanesboro receives housing update; discusses misconduct allegations
The Lanesboro City Council met Monday, July 1 and the meeting was standing room only as more than 30 residents filled the council chambers. Also present were Elaine Edwards, Economic Development Authority (EDA) Board President, of Bridid Tuck and Jennifer Hawkins, University of Minnesota Extension, who were on hand to discuss recent Senior Housing Impact study results. The … [Read more...]
Rushford Village approves variance request
After a lengthy review process and a public hearing, the Rushford Council has approved a request by Terry Hubbard to construct a shed on his 44587 Oakview Loop property. Hubbard has maintained that due to the location of the residence on his property, existing and secondary drainfield areas, and stormwater flow he is limited on where he can construct a shed and sought a … [Read more...]
Rushford stresses proactive communication with floodplain residents
The City of Rushford, as many in the state, is in the midst of updating its Floodplain Ordinance following revisions to mapping done by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). A public hearing on the draft ordinance was held during the Monday, June 24 council meeting. While no public comment was … [Read more...]