A crowd estimated at 100 convened in the Kingsland (Spring Valley) gymnasium on June 5. The entire school board was present (Doug Plaehn, Deb Larson, Ann Oeltjen, Jackie Horsman, Tiffany Mundfrom, and Heather Betts, along with Superintendent John McDonald). Plaehn opened the meeting and said that the public hearing was being held due to the board’s proposed closing of the … [Read more...]
County avoids Strongwell waste
At the June 6 meeting of the county board, more information was brought forward pertaining to the dusty waste produced at Strongwell Corporation in Chatfield. At the May 23 meeting, it was noted that the dusty waste (from production of fiber reinforced polymer products) has been dumped at the Resource Recycling Center for many years. Employee safety concerns have been … [Read more...]
Fountain policing options continue
The Fountain City Council meeting, Wednesday, June 7, hit at several old and new agenda items, some which have been kicked around for some time. At the forefront, Police Chief Tom Mosher is preparing for retirement later this year and the city is looking to get a head of the curve by wading through a number of available options. Currently on the table are options for … [Read more...]
Dan Christianson, F & M Community Bank, joins ICBA for meeting with President Trump White House meeting focused on regulatory relief to “Make community banking great again”
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 1, 2017 — Dan Christianson, CEO of F & M Community Bank, which is based in Preston, Minn., joined more than 100 community bankers and the Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) this week for a meeting with President Donald Trump and other top administration officials at the White House as part of the 2017 ICBA Capital Summit. In the meeting … [Read more...]
Lanesboro plans to move ahead with street improvements
City Engineer Brian Malm asked the Lanesboro City Council to approve two resolutions at their June 5 meeting. The first resolution was regarding improvements to Park Road, which is in desperate need of repair. Because of property lines, the project costs would be shared with Lanesboro Public Schools. Malm and the City of Lanesboro have been working together with the school … [Read more...]
Preston to consider private well ordinance
City Administrator Joe Hoffman, at the council’s June 5 meeting, explained why it may be in the public’s interest to adopt a private well ordinance. The two main concerns are environmental and fairness. City wells serve a lot of people and are tested regularly to assure safe water. In a smaller city like Preston, if a large industrial user were to drill a private well, there … [Read more...]
Bathke involved in another escape
Just before 11 a.m. on Friday, May 26, 2017, a van full of nine inmates from the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud was hijacked by the inmates in the Lino Lakes area — just 66 miles from St. Cloud. The inmates were being escorted to other facilities such as the prison at Lino Lakes. All escapees were apprehended in various communities throughout the Twin Cities … [Read more...]
Veterans home committee members visit Chippewa Falls Veterans Home
Committees have been meeting now for months in Preston and Spring Valley, gathering information and planning for the possibility of building a veterans home in their Fillmore County community. Ron Scheevel and Don Gildner serve as co-chairs on the Preston committee. There is a competition between the two communities, each hoping to have the home built in their community. … [Read more...]
County works through Solid Waste issues
At the May 23 meeting of the Fillmore County Board, concerns were raised over Strongwell Corporation’s dusty waste that is being delivered to the Resource Recovery Center, which may be hazardous. County Attorney Brett Corson referred to a letter sent to William Hanson Waste Removal in March which raised several issues, for example, TVs in black plastic bags that were not … [Read more...]
Rushford audit; what will be done with fund, facility
The 2016 audit, by Smith Schafer & Associates, is completed and Rushford has received good news regarding several efforts. General fund reserves, as a percentage of general fund expenditures are now sitting at 67%, a marked improvement since 2011 when the figure had dropped to just 11%. The city had been cautioned previously that reserves had dropped too low and in the five … [Read more...]