The bulk of the Monday, January 14 council meeting was items within notices or reports and updates, but there was a number of agenda items, as well, including a number of annual designations, committees, and renewals. The item garnering the most attention was consideration of action on a engineering studies discussed at previous meetings. First up was an update on a Minnesota … [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.
Peterson preps ordinance for utility shut offs
At the Wednesday, January 9 Peterson Council meeting, a number of annual designations and items were discussed. Designations for 2019 will remain the same as last year. Loren Rue was appointed as acting mayor, Councilors Dave Colbenson and Lisa Price will serve as the Finance Committee, and Councilor Gail Boyum will serve as treasurer. Regular meeting times will remain the … [Read more...]
R-P Superintendent met with some pushback on hiring process suggestions
Preparations for the selection of a new Rushford-Peterson School District Superintendent continue. At the Monday, December 17 school board meeting, Superintendent Chuck Ehler provided a chart for the interview process which he said was based on feedback from the teachers and board members requesting a process of involving others in the interview process. Ehler’s suggestions … [Read more...]
Rushford approves EDA goals; revisits pedestrian traffic along highway corridor
At the Monday, December 17 meeting, the Rushford Council approved a four goal plan submitted by the Economic Development Authority. The goals had been discussed and approved by the EDA December 12. The goals are to improve downtown vitality, increase local workforce 50 jobs by 2025, fill housing demand by 2025, and to more effectively market the community. The objective of the … [Read more...]
Rushford Village approves final budget
At the Tuesday, December 18 meeting, the council formally approved the 2019 budget and levy in the amount of $435,000. The preliminary levy had been certified at $450,000 in September. This was $25,000 more than the 2018 levy. There were no comments at the Truth-In-Taxation hearing and the Village is banking for some major equipment upgrades in the coming years. “I don’t see … [Read more...]
Worrisome situation growing as drivers continue to pass stopped school buses
School buses; the bright yellow, metal behemoths are designed to stand out. We expect that there are children aboard and hope drivers anticipate stops. A frightening rise in the number of reported violations, close calls, and even deaths, however, has law enforcement, transportation directors, and bus companies on high alert. On October 30, three young siblings were struck … [Read more...]
Peterson makes a plan for upgraded electrical metering
The City of Peterson has made at least a partial move towards possibly upgrading electric meters. MiEnergy had previously supplied city staff with an estimate of roughly $28,000 to upgrade all meters to electronic reading capabilities. On several instances the council has previously discussed the issue, but hesitated to make any sort of decision, trying to weigh potential … [Read more...]
Rushford approves final levy; considers depot change, city limitations
At the Monday, December 10 meeting, the Rushford City Council unanimously approved setting the 2019 property tax levy at $936,000. This represents a 2.52% increase over 2018 levy of $913,000. The 2.52% is a net increase, representing a 5.43% decrease in debt service, but a 2.91% increase in operating costs. The $23,000 increase will provide an additional $6,500 to the General … [Read more...]
Rushford Village preps for final budget; puts end stamp on project
At the Tuesday, December 4 meeting, the Rushford Village Council conducted the annual Truth in Taxation meeting. No citizens were present with comments. The council has noted there were funding shortfalls in 2018. “We need to take serious consideration of what our budget is, as well as where we are with some of the things we may need,” said Mayor Gordon Johnson. “We did have … [Read more...]
R-P waits on school purchase agreement
At the Monday, November 19 Rushford-Peterson School Board meeting, Superintendent Chuck Ehler brought the board up to speed on the status of a potential sale for the former middle school in Peterson. According to Ehler, there was some misunderstanding regarding the title work, which prevented a purchase agreement from being secured. “As a board, you’ve been patient,” began … [Read more...]