At the Houston County commission meeting on November 19, the board approved Sheriff Brian Swedberg’s request to house Hennepin County inmates in the county’s detention center. Chairman Eric Johnson promptly called the meeting to order at 9 a.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Commissioners Dewey Severson, Eric Johnson, Robert (Bob) Burns, Bob Schuldt, and Greg … [Read more...]
Preston Approves CUP for Solar Array
Preston Dairy and Farm Association applied for a conditional use permit for a 68.1 kw ground mounted solar system at 27743 State Hwy 16 on its 6.1-acre lot. This size solar array requires a CUP and is allowed in I-1 (general industrial) district. The request was heard at a Planning Commission meeting just prior to the November 18 city council meeting. During the P & Z … [Read more...]
Spring Grove Discusses Housing Options
Spring Grove City Council members met Tuesday, November 19 at 168 West Main Street in Room #100. Mayor Saundra Solum called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. and led with the Pledge of Allegiance. Council members present included Mayor Solum, Heather Edgington, Trent Turner, Mike Hagen and Karen Folstad. City Clerk/Administrator Jana Elton was also present. The council … [Read more...]
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation Awards $200,000 in Small Town Grants
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) recently approved 25 grants totaling $200,000 to support small towns of 10,000 or less in SMIF’s 20 county region. Each grant seeks to impact the culture, education, economy and/or social aspects of a town by investing in collaborative initiatives that help make the community more welcoming. The Small Town Grant program was … [Read more...]
Rushford Village Undecided on Grant
At the November 19 meeting, the Rushford Village Council welcomed Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) Senior Engineer Mitchell Kiecker. Attending virtually, he provided a final Safe Routes to School report. Community Economic Development Associates (CEDA) Community and Business Development Specialist Rebecca Charles applied for the grant on behalf of the … [Read more...]
Planning Ahead at R-P
The Rushford-Peterson School Board heard a presentation by Rob Brown from Nexus Solutions at their regular meeting November 18. Nexus is a consulting firm that helps schools plan for future needs of a school. Brown shared sample 10-year plans the company had completed for other area schools such as St. Charles and Dover-Eyota. R-P has recently completed their strategic plan; … [Read more...]
Skifton to Continue as Houston Fire Chief
At their November 12 meeting, the Houston City Council decided to retain Steve Skifton for two more years as fire chief. Skifton had previously notified the council he wished to retire. The position was posted, and one person applied. At the interview, the applicant honestly shared that he had only applied to provide an option, but this had not been part of his plan for himself … [Read more...]
Fillmore County Land Use Department Responsibilities
Land Use department responsibilities were expanded at the November 12 meeting of the county board. Land Use Director Blake Lea explained there are people in-house who have completed the necessary training in water management. Both Lea and Dallas Dornink have met the requirements for certification as a Minnesota Wetlands Professional In-Training. The Minnesota Wetland … [Read more...]
New Educators in Caledonia
Caledonia Community Schools welcomes Angela Tamke, Grace Mikula, David Lind and Paul Nickelotti to its nationally recognized educational team. After interviewing these four remarkable individuals, it was clear that their personalities and teaching philosophy aligns with the schools’ mission statement: “Inspire in every student a love of learning by igniting curiosity, nurturing … [Read more...]
Peterson Addresses Water Line Issues
As part of the Minnesota Lead and Copper Rule, the city of Peterson diligently completed its required mapping ahead of the October 16 deadline. The federal regulation passed in 2021 in effort to support actions to reduce lead in drinking water. Now, the city is looking ahead to the next deadline. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, “All public water systems with … [Read more...]