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agriculture & industry • community • faith & charities Education • down through the years • family & home business & health • life • neighbors • people A PUBLICATION OF THE ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE • FEBRUARY 2014
The electric car is coming And Riverland is prepared
By Tim Engstrom
tim.engstrom@albertleatribune.com
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tepping into the office of Riverland Community College professor Steve Vietor isn’t like stepping into the future, but getting into a conversation with him is. He can describe at length information about electricity, electric motors, wind turbines, solar panels and the car charger by the parking on the north side of the Riverland building in Albert Lea. His office looks like 1980, but check out what he said about the future: • As electric cars become more common, their drivers will seek out places with chargers that are near useful amenities, such as restaurants, parks and shopping centers, so they have something to do while their cars charge. Cities and malls that understand this will prosper as the electric car becomes more common. • Being at the intersection of two interstate highways, Albert Lea can attract electric car drivers. It is big enough to have activities and shopping choices and small enough to
be easy to navigate. “With these corridors, Albert Lea is really in a good position,” Vietor said. “Charge. Eat. Go.” And take note of what he said about the present day: • Electric cars have a display with maps that show the nearest charging station and the surrounding amenities. • In the past year, sales of electric and electric-hybrid automobiles increased eight-fold. They are coming. It’s just a matter of time. On Sept. 9, at the Albert Lea City Council, Mayor Vern Rasmussen took his turn giving reports. He mentioned that at a recent Albert Lea Port Authority meeting he learned that Tesla Motors, an electric car company based in Palo Alto, Calif., was researching a location for a charging station in Albert Lea. Tesla Motors, in late December and early January, installed four super chargers at the AmericInn on the north side of Albert Lea. Tesla has a dealership in Eden Prairie, but Albert LeaFreeborn County Chamber of Commerce Director Randy Kehr said the reason Tesla
wants to place chargers in Albert Lea is so owners of its cars can travel coast-tocoast, much like the CEO did when he was a young man. On his trip, he took Interstate 90. “One of the express purposes was to have a place where they could find food nearby,” he said. The AmericInn is within walking distance of McDonald’s, Applebee’s, Arby’s, a Dairy Queen, two convenience stores, a Hy-Vee grocery store and Northbridge Mall. “I think it’s exciting to have opportunities for green use in our community,” said Rasmussen. “It’s one more way to get our name out there to the public. Our city will be on the Tesla website.” As far as compatibility, some electric cars are capable of fast charging and some are not. Moreover, some have different connectors altogether, kind of like cellphone plugs. The Tesla chargers are compatible with certain 4Cars, Page 3
Photographs, clockwise from upper left: • Riverland Community College professor Steve Vietor prepares students for careers in renewable energy. • The engine of a Chevrolet Volt looks much different than a conventional engine. • A Chevy Volt owned by Riverland plugs into a charger at the north parking lot on campus. • Tesla Motors installed these super chargers at AmericInn in Albert Lea. • A snow-covered solar panel still gathers enough sunlight to generate electricity. • The plug for a Volt is under a cap near the front, not the rear.
Tim Engstrom
Page 2 • Albert Lea Tribune • Sunday, February 23, 2014 • PROGRESS 2014 - Education
Minn. school information
Albert Lea Superintendent Mike Funk
Official name: Albert Lea Public School District Number: 241 Type: Public Superintendent: Mike Funk Mailing address: 211 W. Richway Drive, Albert Lea Main phone: 379-4800 Website: albertlea.k12.mn.us Schools: Albert Lea Senior High, Southwest Middle, Halverson Elementary, Hawthorne Elementary, Lakeview Elementary, Sibley Elementary Miscellaneous schools: Albert Lea Area Learning Center, Brookside Early Childhood Special Education, Extended School Year, Fountain Center, Hayward Group Home
Sarah Stultz and Kathy Johnson
Official name: Alden-Conger Public School District Number: 242 Type: Public Superintendent: Brian Grenell Mailing address: 215 N. Broadway, Alden Main phone: 874-3240 Website: www.alden-conger.org Schools: Alden-Conger Secondary, Alden-Conger Elementary Official name: Glenville-Emmons School District Number: 2886 Type: Public Superintendent: Jerry Reshetar Mailing address: 230 Fifth St. SE, Glenville Main phone: 448-2889 Website: geschools.com Schools: Glenville-Emmons Secondary, Glenville-Emmons Elementary
There is an app for that
Application lets parents check on grades, other aspects By Sarah Stultz
sarah.stultz@albertleatribune.com
Parents of students in Albert Lea Area Schools have more opportunity than ever before to stay up-to-date on their child’s academics. When the district updated its student management system two years ago, that system came with several benefits, including a mobile application parents can download on their iPads, iPhones and Android phones, said Superintendent Mike Funk. Called ParentVUE, the app allows parents to check on aspects of their child’s education, such as grades and attendance, at any time they choose. “I personally think it’s a great tool to help parents become more aware of what’s happening in their son or daughter’s lives,” Funk said.
As a parent himself, Funk said he uses the app, and he likes how it is a more immediate way of finding out information. “It’s really impacting how we communicate with our parents,” he said. Reid Ulve, director of computer information, said though he is unsure of the exact number of parents who use the app, he knows most of the parents of middle-schoolers and highschoolers are using it. “It’s growing in popularity,” Funk said. Finance Director Lori Volz said the initial cost for the district’s software upgrade — of which the ParentVUE app is a part — cost about $90,000. Each year after, there is an annual support fee of almost $22,000. In addition to the mobile app, the software gives the
What can parents do on the app? 1. Review assignments and grades. Parents can track grades on individual assignments, quizzes and tests, as well as an overall grade for each class. They can view upcoming assignments. 2. Review class schedule and attendance. Parents can see if their student has been tardy to class or absent for school. Parents of high school students can district the ability to send out emergency messages, notify parents of school closings and let parents know when they need to put money in their child’s lunch account. The changes came as the school
check on the attendance of their child per period. 3. Check on their child’s health. The app shows each child’s visits to the school nurse. 4. Correspond with teachers. Instead of opening a separate email browser, parents can select a button on the app and send a message directly to the child’s teacher. district updated its website and Facebook page. Parents interesting in signing up for the app can contact Ulve at 379-4815 or reid. ulve@alschools.org to set up a login.
Official name: NRHEG School District Number: 2168 Type: Public Superintendent: Dennis E. Goodwin Mailing address: 306 Ash Ave., New Richland Main phone: 465-8633 Website: nrheg.k12.mn.us Schools: NRHEG Secondary, NRHEG Elementary Official name: Hollandale Christian School Type: Private, K-8 Principal: Enno Haan Mailing address: 203 Central Ave. S., Hollandale Main phone: 889-3321 Website: hollandalechristian.org Official name: St. Casimir’s School Type: Private, K-8 Principal: Joanne Tibodeau Mailing address: 330 Second Ave. SW, Wells Main phone: 553-5822 Website: stcasimirsschool.net Official name: St. Theodore Catholic School Type: Private, K-6 Principal: Sue Amundson Mailing address: 323 E. Clark St. Main phone: 373-9657 Website: www.sttheo.org Official name: United South Central School District Number: 2134 Type: Public Superintendent: Jerry Jensen Mailing address: 250 Second Ave. SW, Wells Main phone: 553-3134 Website: usc.k12.mn.us Schools: United South Central Secondary, United South Central Elementary
We are small enough to make you
BIG!
The Glenville-Emmons Elementary School has met or exceeded Annual Yearly Progress goals as established by the State in math and reading for the last four years in a row.
The Mitchell County Historical Society sites include: • The Mitchell County Historical Museum in the Cedar River Complex, 809 Sawyer Drive, Osage, IA 50461 • Fort Severson • Cedar Valley Memories including museum, depot and schoolhouse • Walnut Grove #7 Schoolhouse and Docken Cabin • Log house and Union School at the Mitchell County Fairgrounds
The Reeves 40-140 Cross Compound is the largest of all known steam engines and is the only one known to be operating in the world.
Glenville-Emmons Schools 230 5th St. SE Glenville, MN
507.448.2889
Opportunities abound in a caring, positive environment
2014 Cedar Valley Memories 19th Annual Power Show Saturday, August 9th and Sunday, August 10th, 2014
Demonstrating: Steam Engines, Threshing, Baling, Plowing & more! Featured tractors in 2014 are Massy Harris, Ford & Ferguson
education - PROGRESS 2014 • Sunday, February 23, 2014 • Albert Lea Tribune • Page 3
Cars: Electric vehicles are not same Continued from Page 1 compatible with certain models of Tesla cars and free for their drivers to use.
Kimmy Stinehart
High School art Albert Lea High School students share their work
Rachel Reichl
Haley Allen
It’s electric! The charger at Riverland is free to the public and is compatible with most other makes of electric cars. One other charger is at the new Kwik Trip station on North Bridge Avenue, fairly close to the Riverland location. Store Manager Bill Goebel said he has been learning about the charger after the station opened in November. All of the car chargers in Albert Lea are near the city’s interchange with Interstate 90. There isn’t a charger near the interchange with Interstate 35. “Someone is going to pull into Albert Lea, want to be directed to the nearest restaurant near a charger,” Vietor said. “If they find what they are looking for, they are going to want to come back.” Electric car drivers tend to be economical and green-minded, Vietor said. They like to map out their route to save energy. Familiarity with a city helps in that endeavor. Kehr and Rasmussen said they hope car chargers come to the I-35 exit, as well. The car charger at Riverland’s Albert Lea campus is next to a solar array. However, the charger isn’t directly tied to the array. The array is tied to an interactive system in the building, which is tied to the power grid. The charger is tied to the same interactive system. The power from the solar array goes to the same general power grid that car chargers draw from. Riverland has two more solar arrays on the south side of the building at the base of
a wind turbine. They, too, feed to the building and, hence, the grid. Vietor said there are three types of car chargers: Level I, Level II and Level III. Level I is found mainly in garages. It offers anywhere from 110 to 170 volts and charges a typical car in five to nine hours, usually overnight. Utility companies someday will offer discounts for charging cars at night. “That’s coming, too,” he said. A Minneapolis StarTribune story describes Kwik Trip chargers as the Level I kind. Level II offers 208 to 240 volts and can charge a typical car in two hours. Charging a car at Riverland is free — General Electric donated it, and students use it for getting an education — but ones at most places will have a data receptacle for credit and debit cards, Vietor said. Level III is called a “quick charger” or a “super charger.” This is what Tesla plans to install at AmericInn. It varies but can reach up to 480 volts and charges a car in less than an hour. That’s handy, but used too frequently, it can shorten the life of the batteries, Vietor said. Technology keeps changing, though, as batteries become better and some high-tech chargers can monitor battery temperature to ensure the transfer of electricity isn’t too speedy.
A more employable graduate The Tesla Model S Performance with an 85 kilowatt-hour battery pack can travel 265 miles, the electric car with the greatest range on the market. It is all-electric, with no gas-powered motor. No hybrid stuff here. The charger is in the rear,
and under the front hood is storage space — a front truck that Tesla calls a “frunk.” Riverland owns a Chevrolet Volt, a hybrid-electric car. It travels 30 to 40 miles completely with electric power. After that, a gasoline-powered motor kicks in that runs the electric-based generators that propel the car. The gas motor even provides extra charge to the batteries. Vietor said the electric-based mileage goes down slightly in the winter and summer because of the heater and air conditioner. What’s neat, though, is the Volt’s computer system will find the most cost-effective way to run the heating and cooling, he said. And though an electric car is more expensive to purchase — the sticker price for a Chevy Volt is $34,185 — the savings come on the road. He said it costs him about $9 to drive his Chevy Suburban 18 miles to his Austin area home. It costs $2 in electricity with the Volt. “Even if you don’t believe in global warming, nine times out of 10, you believe in conservation,” Vietor said. “The savings come in the day-to-day use.” Students at Riverland learning about the wind industry also study solar power. Vietor said it makes them more employable because the companies that run wind power also are in the solar industry. “Google ‘EDF Renewable,’” Vietor said, doing just that on his computer. With his mouse, he hovered the cursor over the navigation bar at the top of the company’s website. “Wind energy. Solar energy.” Starting in January, Riverland began to offer a course in installing photovoltaic solar arrays.
ALBERT LEA AREA SCHOOLS Thinking. Achieving. Caring.
Haley Allen
Valerie Manning
Brody Nielsen
Kelsey Villarreal
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District Aims: 1. Safe, healthy and welcoming schools 2. Increase opportunity and achievement 3. Effective and efficient operations For information on School District 241’s comprehensive programs visit albertlea.k12.mn.us or call 507/379-4800
Page 4 • Albert Lea Tribune • Sunday, February 23, 2014 • PROGRESS 2014 - Education
NRHEG Public Schools provide students the opportunity to reach the full potential of their gifts and talents through the following benefits: • 10 to 1 student/teacher ratio • Counseling & advisement • Rigorous academic courses • Personalized curriculum • Flexible scheduling • Problem based learning • Quality college prep education • Top notch athletics and fine arts programs • School environment where children feel safe, supported & ready to learn Call us today to schedule a visit!
New Richland - Hartland - Ellendale - Geneva Public Schools Secondary School 306 Ash Ave. S New Richland, MN 56072 507-465-3205 Fax: 507-465-8633
http://www.nrheg.k12.mn.us/
Elementary 600 School St. Ellendale, MN 56026 507-684-3181 Fax: 507-684-2108