John Morrison Farewell Everything Many Would Expect
Vietnam Vet Visits Belle Plaine Students
Spring Sports Teams Finally Out of the Gates Page 15, 16
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ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SECOND YEAR
75¢ SINGLE COPY
BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA, MAY 1, 2013
NUMBER 18
BPHS Prom at MOA Saturday
Genesis General Manager Joe Spinler and Belle Plaine Country Store Manager Lynzi Kleist stand in the former warehouse/office area that is being renovated for additional retail space, including a Hardware Hank store that will open there this summer.
Renovation Project Taking Shape at Belle Plaine Genesis Big Changes Coming This Summer, Including Country Store Name Change and a Hardware Hank by Dan Ruud You wouldn’t know it from the outside or even within the store area itself, but big changes are taking place behind the walls of the Belle Plaine Country Store at 820 East Main Street. The former office and ware-
Farmers Market Seasonal Opener Today The Belle Plaine Farmers Market will open for the 2013 season Today (Wednesday). The market will be held every Wednesday from May 1 to Oct. 16 from 3:30-6:30 p.m. at Court Square Park. Vendors with homemade or home grown items are welcome. For more information contact Lisa Fahey at 952-8735665 or Diane Skelley at 952873-2467. More on today’s market opening can be found in the Farmers Market Corner column inside this edition of the Herald.
house area is being gutted and transformed into what this summer will be home to a Hardware Hank store. The projected opening date is Aug. 1. The name of the business will change from Belle Plaine Country Store to Genesis Town and Country, which will include the Hardware Hank brand and image. The Country Store is not being affected by the project and will remain open throughout construction. The Country Store,
which opened in the fall of 2003, is observing its 10-year anniversary this year. Genesis General Manager Joe Spinler said the total amount of retail space will more than double – from the current 5,000 square feet to approximately 12,000 square feet. No additions are being constructed. The additional space will come from the renovation of the ad-
Genesis
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Scott-Carver Threshers Auction and Flea Market This Weekend
The Scott-Carver Threshers Association will hold its 31st annual Consignment Auction, Swap Meet and Flea Market this Saturday and Sunday (May 4-5) at the Threshers Grounds adjacent to the fairgrounds in St. Lawrence Township. It will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Grounds open at 7 a.m.
In what Belle Plaine High School prom advisor Lyle Noah said will be the most attended prom in school history, some 260 students will head to the Mall of America in Bloomington this Saturday night and remain there until the earlymorning hours of Sunday for the post-prom party. It will mark the second time in three years that the BPHS prom will be held at America’s largest shopping mall. As was the case in 2011, the prom dinner will be catered by MOA’s Crave Restaurant. Prom itself will take place in the Great Room, which is located in Nickelodeon Universe amusement park. The Great Room features 4,000 square feet of a privately enclosed space with a stage, and audiovisual and theatrical lighting capabilities. “Groups of 60 to 550 fit perfectly for receptions, corporate meetings, award ceremonies, dinner galas and trade shows,” The Great Room at MOA’s Nickelodeon Universe is the site of according to MOA’s website. this Saturday’s BPHS prom. From approximately 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., Nickelodeon Universe will be open exclusively for Belle Plaine’s post-prom participants. Noah said that prom-goers can take limos to MOA or ride in a coach bus that will depart the school after the grand march. Students will not be allowed to drive themselves. All postprom bus riders will return to the high school at approximate-
Prom
This car, donated by Saxe Chevrolet/Buick, is the prize of Saturday’s Dollars for Scholars raffle.
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Scott County Attorney’s 2013 Salary Appeal in Judge’s Hands
The antique car, truck, tractor, farm equipment and machinery consignment auction will be held Saturday at 9:30 a.m. The two-day event will also include a pancake breakfast, food stands, garage sale, County Store and more. There will be an antique tractor pull 10 a.m. Sunday. What constitutes an accepted For more information, visit settlement offer? The answer www.scottcarverthreshers.org. to that question might go a long way toward determining what Scott County Attorney Pat Ciliberto’s 2013 salary will eventu-
Ciliberto: County Board Rescinded Accepted Offer
ally be. Monday, attorneys for Ciliberto and the county board met with Judge Kevin Mark in chambers and discussed facets of Ciliberto’s appeal of his 2013 salary and the motion to require the board stick to the offer Ciliberto claims was properly made and accepted. The county board contends the offer was withdrawn.
Mark said he would issue a decision “soon.” Ciliberto is appealing a decision the county board made in December setting his 2013 salary at $131,840 – a 3 percent increase from the $128,000 he earned in 2012. Among the justifications for
Salary
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Another Change in Store Five consecutive days of plus-70 degree weather (Friday through Tuesday) had some local farmers prepping their fields for spring planting, especially on the drier soils like this one on the Belle Plaine prairie with planters standing by (below). However, spring planting activity A number of dogs gave the Belle Plaine Dog Park a test spin during Monday evening’s open is expected to cease for a while as the forecast the rest of this week calls for some rain possibly mixing with snow. It will likely be deep into May before most farmers can complete their house. More photos of the event appear on page 16. spring planting.
The Running of the Dogs
Belle Plaine dogs now have a place their owners or other guardians can take them to stretch their legs and/or just hang out with other canines for a while. The Belle Plaine Dog Park, equipped with a newly-installed fire hydrant and plenty of open
space, is located at the hockey rink across the street from the junior/senior high school building. It officially opened Monday evening with an open house that was attended by a couple of dozen people and man’s best friends. Coborn’s provided free hotdogs and bottled water at the event, which was held in 70-degree weather and bright sunshine. A joint facility agreement was
recently reached between the city and school district to facilitate the dog park. The rink, which will function as a dog park during the spring and summer months, is furnished with dog waste receptacles and picnic tables. The rink will function annually as a dog park during much of the year but will be used only for hockey during winter.