The Lanesboro School Board saw a change to the agenda at their meeting August 9 in the forum of the Lanesboro, Minn., school. HVED Director Deb Marcotte was slated to give a presentation about the HVED (Hiawatha Valley Education District) joint powers agreement before the board voted on the agreement. Recent developments in price negotiations led to a need to revamp the … [Read more...]
SPED without HVED
Houston Public Schools will soon be beginning their first year without a contract with HVED (Hiawatha Valley Education District) and provide their own special education services. Amber Kulig, director of SPED for the Houston District, addressed the board at their August 3 regular board meeting. A SEAC (Special Education Advisory Council) will need to be established for … [Read more...]
Rushford Manufacturing’s role in Minnesota State College Southeast National Competition Win
Four CNC machinist students made their way from underdog to winners at the recent Project MFG Advanced Manufacturing Competition. The National Championship was held at the Gene Haas Foundation Center in Greenville, S. C.; the three-day competition was videotaped as season 3 of Clash of Trades. After a grueling 20 hours, the team of Ellery Kiesel of Winona, Austyn Warren of … [Read more...]
Hearing Set on CRV Bridge Demolition
At their August 1 meeting, the City of Rushford Village, Minn., set a public hearing about the possibility of demolishing the Village Road Bridge. The CRV and the county were intending to do some repairs on the bridge, but needed easements from three property owners. One of the three has refused to grant an easement on his .03 acre. He had wanted a guarantee that the road would … [Read more...]
Q & A session on Houston referendum
The Houston School Board held an extended Q & A session following a board meeting at a special meeting July 20. Public comment was allowed as usual, with a three-minute limit during the meeting as well. Tom Weber from SiteLogiQ and Ryan Fetters from Baker Tilly attended the meeting to help answer questions regarding the referendum. Board member Arlin Peterson brought up … [Read more...]
Fillmore Central referendum set for November 7
At their July 25 meeting, the Fillmore Central School Board approved putting to the voters a vote on revoking the current referendum revenue authorization of $292.15 per pupil and replacing it with a new authorization of $783.86 per pupil. The new authorization would be subject to an annual increase at the rate of inflation. The current referendum is set to expire in one more … [Read more...]
R-P Board learns details on possible building purchase
Deb Marcotte, Executive Director of HVED, visited the Rushford-Peterson school board meeting July 17, to share a current update on the potential purchase of the Winona Mall by HVED. Marcotte informed the board that HVED has been actively searching for a centralized location for 10 years. Superintendents of the 12 member districts had decided one central site located in Winona … [Read more...]
Peterson gnomes make Quirky Minnesota Places list
At the July 12 Peterson City Council meeting, Councilwoman Gail Boyum shared that she’d been approached by visitors to the city as she worked in the garden in back of the museum, asking where the gnomes were throughout the city and if there were gnomes for sale. It turns out that Peterson has gained notoriety on Facebook in the group Quirky Minnesota Places; now people are … [Read more...]
Houston readies for Hoedown
With Hoedown, Houston’s yearly celebration, coming soon, Houston’s City Council concerned itself with readying the town for guests, at its July 10 meeting. The condition of the park bathrooms was a concern of Jeanne Tippery as well as the Mission 66 group. Tippery reported to the council that she’d obtained information on painting the bathrooms with a commercial grade epoxy. … [Read more...]
Rushford Village new water meters and billing
The City of Rushford Village used some of the funding from the American Rescue Plan to purchase needed new water meters for the city. At their July 11 meeting, the council heard a report from City Ttreasurer Judy Graham regarding their first billing with the new system. With the old system, water bills were averaged throughout the year and residents paid the same amount each … [Read more...]
Houston citizens comment on building referendum
The public showed up to comment and ask questions about the upcoming building referendum at the Houston School Board’s June 29 meeting. Before the public comment period, Vice chairman Josh Norlien (Chairwoman Mimi Carlson was absent) advised the public that the board would not be responding to the comments at that meeting and that there was a time limit of three minutes for … [Read more...]
El Barco Mexican Restaurant comes to Rushford
The people of the Rushford area have been waiting and hoping for another restaurant to open in the former Stumpy’s location for a long time. Soon the wait will be over. El Barco is scheduled to open mid-July, according to new owner Juan Bacilio Vaca. When Vaca first came to Rushford to look at the available former Stumpy’s restaurant building, he felt, “Something is good in … [Read more...]
R-P signs contract for Nike apparel
At their regular meeting June 20, the Rushford-Peterson School Board approved a five-year contract with Nike. In this contract, R-P agreed to purchase Nike apparel for its varsity sports programs at 40% off the retail price. BSN Sports will also set up online stores for each sport so the public can purchase gear (both Nike and less expensive apparel) to support specific sports. … [Read more...]
Mike Halvorson, DNR Safety Instructor of the Year
Each year the DNR selects one ATV safety instructor as Safety Instructor of the Year; this year, they have chosen Mike Halvorson of Rushford from over 1,000 safety instructors in the 70 ATV clubs across the state. Bluff Country ATV Club president Allen Kirchhof said of Halvorson’s award, “an award truly deserved because of his tireless effort and dedication to what we are … [Read more...]
Lanesboro School Board hears update on potential HVED building purchase
Board Chair Christine Troendle, who is the board representative to HVED (Hiawatha Valley Education District), reported to the Lanesboro School Board at their regular meeting June 14 that HVED was moving forward to purchase the entire former Winona Mall in Winona. Board members had received a draft joint powers agreement via email to review. All 12 HVED member districts will … [Read more...]