Sheriff Tom Kaase reviewed the Fillmore County Jail inspection report at the board’s August 22 meeting. The Minnesota Department of Correction’s (DOC) annual inspection of the facility was conducted from May 10 through May 16, 2017. Inspectors found that the “jail does not provide a properly trained food service provider at the facility.” The DOC requested an immediate plan to … [Read more...]
Fillmore Central ready to start the school year
Fillmore Central is gearing up to start school on September 5. Numbers are up from the last school year at 351 students currently enrolled in kindergarten through sixth grade versus 345 last year. Open house for the high school and K-6 are on August 30 from 4-6 p.m., along with an open house for SAC and daycare. The open house for Pre-K will also be held on August 30, but … [Read more...]
Congressman Walz’s staff visits proposed veterans home sites
Thanks to Dave Goodmanson, Fountain, who called Congressman Tim Walz’s office last week, three of the congressman’s staff visited Fillmore County on August 15 for most of the day. Goodmanson called about the city’s wastewater facility discussed in another article in this paper. About three months ago Cathy Enerson, who is the EDA director for both Preston and Spring Valley, … [Read more...]
Rushford EDA looks to cut deficit
The Rushford Economic Development Authority has been a productive force within the City of Rushford, as a source and manager of flood recovery loans and a catalyst for increased economic stability and growth. However, unknown variables throughout each annual cycle make budget predictions challenging. To avoid dipping into further reserve funds, while facing a $31,000 deficit, … [Read more...]
Spring Valley streets completed, under budget
The Spring Valley City Council met in regular session August 14, with all members present (Tony Archer, Todd Jones, Mayor Jim Struzyk, Jessy Betts, Mike Hadland and city administrator Deb Zimmer). A letter was received by the city, from Trout Run Ginseng and Shrimp LLC. It explained that the firm plans to start an indoor shrimp production facility, and explained why this … [Read more...]
Lawsuit over for Rushford-Peterson Schools
The long-awaited decision on the fate of a lawsuit against the Rushford-Peterson School District is in. August 14, Fillmore County District Judge Matthew Opat handed down his findings in favor of the district. “It is a relief to have the ruling behind us and to be able to have this matter resolved. The district is looking forward to cooperating with the scope of the access … [Read more...]
Chatfield to “See what the voters want” in November
At the August 14 meeting of the Chatfield City Council, a long discussion ensued concerning the construction of a new swimming pool. Councilor Joshua Broadwater was absent. Julie Henry, co-chair on the swimming pool committee, presented results of a survey conducted by Community Perceptions, an independent research organization. The survey was conducted in July with a 28% … [Read more...]
Conflict at Wykoff council meeting
A regular meeting of the Wykoff City Council was held on August 14. Members in attendance were: Mary Tjepkes, Rocky Vreeman, Mayor Al Williams, Clerk Becky Schmidt, Mary Sackett, and Richard Gleason. A large crowd of citizens was also in attendance. Vreeman asked about the council meeting minutes, and why they are a synopsis rather than a full transcript. He said the … [Read more...]
Fountain called its congressman
Congressman Tim Walz’s office received a call from Dave Gudmundson last week asking for assistance. Walz staffers Josh Syrjamaki, Chief of Staff, and Peder Kjeseth, Agriculture and Energy Outreach Director, listened to concerns during an August 15 Fountain council meeting. Mayor Richard Kujath made clear the main concern is the high cost of wastewater operation. Potentially, it … [Read more...]
Rushford Village citizens question road project
The headache that was the 2016 south Rushford Village road project continues to hamper city efforts to conclude the project. The $643,000 project has been discussed by the council at length, with the final pay application to McHugh Excavating approved earlier this month. At the Tuesday, August 15 Village council meeting, three citizens brought forth information and frustrations … [Read more...]