At the August 10 school board meeting, Josh Thompson, Jill Harstad, Lanny Isensee, Matt McMahon and Tom Keefe were present as well as Superintendent Ed Harris, Lorri Lowery, administrative assistant and principals Shane McBroom and Eric Nelson. Katie Priebe was not present. Tom Keefe, who represents Chatfield at the Hiawatha Valley Education District, stated that they are … [Read more...]
Rushford road project hits bump
The Rushford City Council held a closed session on August 8, before the start of their regular meeting. The purpose was to discuss the potential purchase of the Farmers Win Coop properties downtown. The cooperative merged with Farmers Co-op Elevator in 2018 and began selling equipment on the downtown Rushford site in 2019. The company had already consolidated its workforce at … [Read more...]
Gjere Subdivision final plat approved
At the August 8 Chatfield City Council meeting a hearing was held for public comment on a proposed townhome style medium-density development. The subdivision is to be located in Elmira Township at 273 Mill Creek Rd. NW. Mike and Julie Sogla have proposed the planned unit development for 11 residential townhomes. There are existing municipal services and facilities to serve the … [Read more...]
Fillmore County continues review of 2023 preliminary budgets
The many budgets under the Sheriff’s Department were discussed at the county board’s August 9 meeting. The budgets under the Sheriff Department umbrella include 911 funds, sheriff office, Spring Valley contract, Mabel-Canton-Harmony contracts, forfeitures, DARE, dispatch, court security, jail, and emergency management. Sheriff John DeGeorge said a big change in the Sheriff’s … [Read more...]
Winston County Gravel Cup returns to Houston area
Paul Reardon visited the Houston City Council regular meeting August 8 to discuss details of this year’s Winston County Gravel Cup. According to Reardon, last year’s event brought in 80 to 90 riders and raised around $2,000 for the community. This year, he anticipates that around 200 people will attend the event tentatively planned for September 24. The bike “race” will … [Read more...]
From relationships to partnerships
In 2021, deep into a world pandemic, Spring Grove School Assistant Superintendent Gina Meinertz planted a seed. With frequent watering and nutrition, the seeds grew and formed community partnerships. Seventh graders at Spring Grove School were in for a school year that they could not envision. English teacher Julianna Lile and her colleagues contacted local farmer Dayna … [Read more...]
Minnesota weekly gas update
August 1, 2022 – Average gasoline prices in Minnesota have fallen 18.7 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.14/g today, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 2,856 stations in Minnesota. Prices in Minnesota are 53.8 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand $1.13/g higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has declined 14.8 cents in the last … [Read more...]
Rushford Village to close road for work
At the August 2 meeting, the Rushford Village council learned of a one-day road closure on County Line Road. The purpose of the approximately 60-foot closure section is for engineers from Bolton & Menk to conduct soil borings. The road has been the topic of many recent discussions as deep erosion from the watershed has left the section with a steep embankment and deep … [Read more...]
Fountain to grow sinkhole capital tourism
At the August 3 meeting, Fountain’s city council received an update from Councilor Colleen Fohrenbacher regarding a plan to make the city’s claim to fame as the ‘sinkhole capital of the U.S.’ a tangible tourism aspect. The US Geological Survey has mapped roughly 60 percent of sinkholes in Fillmore County and so it’s estimated that there may be more than 10,000 sinkholes, … [Read more...]
Preston Historical Society annual update
At the August 1 meeting of the Preston City Council, Sheila Craig, president of the Preston Historical Society, updated the council as to the ongoing activities of the Society. The Society had received a $10,000 Small Community Grant from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) in the fall of 2021. The funds are being used to study funding options for the … [Read more...]