Last month, following citizen complaints and years of rampant speeding on Cedar Street, the Fountain Council unanimously approved installing a four-way stop at the intersection of Cedar and Third Street, which is about halfway down the length of Cedar Street. At the time, they also discussed the extension of temporary speed bumps, making it impossible to go around and move the … [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 SMIF update
At the July 24 meeting, the Rushford Council heard from Southern Minnesota Initiative Fund (SMIF) representative Andi Arnold, who discussed ongoing programs, grants, loans, and investments in communities and future partnerships and programs. Rushford is just one of the cities in Fillmore County benefitting from the SMIF partnership. According to Arnold’s report, for every $1 … [Read more...]
Rushford development gets new owner
At the July 10 meeting, the city of Rushford entered into an agreement with the Realty Gift Fund, a non-profit organization accepting charitable gifts of real estate. Bluff Country LLC is the former owner of the land, which sits east of Rushford Manufacturing in the Himlie Business Park. The city and Bluff Country LLC Development had an agreement for the Planned Unit … [Read more...]
Fountain addresses resident complaints
At the July 5 meeting, the Fountain Council discussed in length a number of citizen complaints. They included both noise during the day and after the 10 p.m. noise cutoff, as well as parking and street concerns. “Some of them are kind of nit-picky,” said Councilor David Gudmundson, who’d requested the complaints be discussed. No identifying information was given during the … [Read more...]
Rushford school building to be sold
At the June 26 meeting, the Rushford City Council once again discussed the future of the former Rushford-Peterson School District facilities at 100 North Mill Street during a closed session meeting. The historic site was sold to a private party in 2019 after the district expressed no interest in developing the properties. The city did indicate an interest in assuming control … [Read more...]
Rushford Village to update website
After speaking with several design companies, Rushford Village will contract with Vision Design for an updated website and domain. The council discussed details at the June 20 meeting. The current website provider, Catalis, contacted City Clerk Mary Miner regarding a sizable price increase. According to the Miner, the company says the increase offsets revenue shortages. She … [Read more...]
Peterson forms Museum Board after loss of curator
Long-time Peterson enthusiast and volunteer museum curator John Erickson passed away on May 30, leaving an obvious hole in museum operations. Erickson had an avid interest in history and genealogy. He was instrumental in the creation and operation of the Peterson Station Museum. “We lost John, as we know. We want to keep the museum going,” said Councilor Gail Boyum. She and … [Read more...]
Rushford eyes downtown beautification
The June 12 Rushford Council meeting primarily discussed notices and miscellaneous reports. Still, two items of general business did garner some comment. First up, new Rushford Ambulance Director Joey Busse was present, along with retiring director Lynn Humble, to meet the council. Humble’s time with the service ends this month after 39 years with the crew and 13 years in the … [Read more...]
MPCA agreement ends for Fountain
Amid several comments of celebration at the June 7 council meeting, the City of Fountain finally saw its stipulation agreement with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) end. As reported in the Fillmore County Journal in August 2017, the agency approved the new plant in 2009 and began operation the following January. In 2015, MPCA notified the city of a violation. The … [Read more...]
Village guide in the last steps
The City of Rushford Village has worked to hammer out a functional and comparable-benefit employee guide for the last year. After multiple discussions and revisions, the update is nearly complete. The final review by Public Sector Human Resources Consultant Paul Ness, with whom the city contracted, was done last month. Now, City Attorney Joe O’Koren is reviewing the draft … [Read more...]
Ambulance Service needs shift for Rushford
At the May 8 meeting, the Rushford Council learned that longtime Ambulance Director Lynn Humble is retiring effective mid-June. Humble has worked for the service as a director for the last 10 years and as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) for 39 years. Before Humble, Julie Zielbell Scuderio served from 2000-2013, and Anne Roberton served as volunteer director until 2000. … [Read more...]
Peterson gears up for property walkabout
The Peterson City Council will conduct its annual spring walkabout this month. It’s an opportunity for the mayor and councilor to look around the city at properties that may be out of compliance with city ordinances. The areas of concern are junk/clutter and the nuisance vehicle ordinance. The city adopted its nuisance vehicle ordinance in November 2018 after property owners … [Read more...]
Fountain approves 50-year lease of city-owned land
At the May 3 meeting, the Fountain Council unanimously approved a 50-year lease of city-owned land to Harmony Telephone Company. The plot of land at 91 Pine Street is roughly 50 feet by 50 feet. A 10-foot by 20-foot “hut building” will be constructed to house the company’s fiber optic equipment. City Clerk Mary Tjepkes contacted the cities of Wykoff, Lanesboro, and Preston … [Read more...]
Rushford Village looking at property assessments
Fillmore County has let Rushford Village know it’s on the list for 2023 property assessments. At the May 2 city council meeting, Clerk Mary Miner clarified that assessors are not expecting a tour of properties. Still, they do want to get inside as many as possible. “They just want to step inside to do a quick look,” she added. “They do ask that you let them in. It didn’t sound … [Read more...]
Rushford gets ahead of “forever chemical”
At the April 24 meeting, the Rushford Council approved entering a PFAS ( Perfluoroalkyl and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) Cost Recovery Program. The National Rural Water Association and Minnesota Rural Water Association recommend the step. While there is no current PFAS issue, the city opted to register for the program in advance to recover any expenses that the city may incur … [Read more...]