Long-time Peterson enthusiast and volunteer museum curator John Erickson passed away on May 30, leaving an obvious hole in museum operations. Erickson had an avid interest in history and genealogy. He was instrumental in the creation and operation of the Peterson Station Museum. “We lost John, as we know. We want to keep the museum going,” said Councilor Gail Boyum. She and … [Read more...]

The Peterson City Council will conduct its annual spring walkabout this month. It’s an opportunity for the mayor and councilor to look around the city at properties that may be out of compliance with city ordinances. The areas of concern are junk/clutter and the nuisance vehicle ordinance. The city adopted its nuisance vehicle ordinance in November 2018 after property owners … [Read more...]

The Peterson council voted unanimously at the April 12 meeting to proceed with improvements to North Church Street. Its condition has been a concern for the last several years while the city has worked to prioritize and improve its streets. Fred Kruckow of Dunn Blacktop was present at the meeting to discuss the details and cost estimates. The street’s base is solid and will … [Read more...]

The City of Peterson has a new councilor after receiving three letters of interest from residents, including Steve Feldmeier, Joseph Kochen, and Justin Simon. The city declared a vacancy in January following the election of then-Councilor Chris Stenzel to the mayor’s seat in the November general election. “I’m impressed with everyone, but think Justin is the best fit,” stated … [Read more...]

The January 11 Peterson meeting highlighted a welcome to the new council, including Councilor Kristina Grindland and Mayor Chris Stenzel, who served as a councilor since 2020. They join Councilors Gail Boyum and Tracy Seelbinder. With Stenzel’s recent election as mayor, his former council seat was declared vacant. The council will appoint a resident to fill that seat at the … [Read more...]

The last Peterson Council meeting of the year, held on December 14, addressed several annual items and two agenda items added by outgoing Mayor Dave Colbenson. It included employee review for new Public Works Director Tim Hallum and discussion on the council itself. Public comment is taken at the beginning of the meeting, limited to three minutes per person. However, … [Read more...]

Concerns over rising costs led the Peterson Council to approve a 5% budget and tax levy increase for 2023. The council set the preliminary amount at 8% or $105,973. Councilor Chris Stenzel noted comparative levies from other cities in the 5-7% range, the smaller increases in cities able to absorb the costs better. “Everyone is experiencing a lot of higher costs,” added … [Read more...]

The October 12 Peterson Council saw new Mayor Dave Colbenson bring up several agenda additions. Colbenson had served as councilor and mayor pro tem until September 7. At that meeting, Mayor Tim Hallum resigned and accepted the new Public Works Director position. Colbenson will serve the city as mayor until the end of the year. “I hate to bring this up, but with good … [Read more...]

An interesting turn of events at the September 14 Peterson City Council meeting saw the hiring of a new Public Works director, resignation of the mayor, and mayor pro tem stepping into the mayoral role through the end of the year. During new business, City Clerk Chris Grindland stated four applications for the position of Public Works director were received, reviewed, and all … [Read more...]

At the August 10 meeting, the Peterson City Council discussed a memo regarding a Park & Recreation Board. Drafted by Councilors Tracy Seelbinder and Gail Boyum, City Clerk Chris Grindland, and resident Scott Smith it detailed a vision for the board to act in an advisory role to the city. Goals for the board include: maintaining existing parks, a focus on providing positive … [Read more...]