Egg Producer Hopes to Crack Open Free Super Bowl Commercial
All-MRC Cross County, Football, Volleyball Teams
BPHS to Present Holiday Play Next Week
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ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SECOND YEAR
BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA, NOVEMBER 13, 2013
75¢ SINGLE COPY
NUMBER 46
Giesen, Vandermark, Gardner Elected to B.P. School Board
Board Will Be School Board Blend of Veterans, Rookies Election Results
Bringing Home A Trophy The Belle Plaine High School volleyball team won two of three matches at this past weekend’s state Class 2A volleyball tournament at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. With their consolation championship trophy are standing, from left, assistant coach Chelsey Earney, Elizabeth Johnson, Danielle Taylor, Mariena Hayden, Amelia Kahle, Dakotah Poitra, McKenzie Koepp, Kaylee Hentges, Taylor Kruger and Ally Anderson. Kneeling are head coach Cassie Koch, Devin Lehman, Amara Meyer, Marykay Nasby, Emily Vinkemeier and assistant coach Chelsea Buesgens. For more on the state tournament, see story inside.
Voters in the Belle Plaine School District choose Dan Giesen, Joseph Vandermark and Dan Gardner to replace three school board veterans in 2014. Election Day (Nov. 5) voting saw Giesen receive 396 votes while Vandermark finished with 340 and Gardner 338. The trio will replace school board directors Judy Nagel, Mike Daly and Gary Steinhagen. They declined to seek re-election. The newcomers will be sworn at the board’s first meeting after Jan. 1, 2014. They will join experienced directors Matt Lenz, Matt Bigaouette and Mike Ludvik. Larry Kiewel and Aaron Provancha finished with 234 votes and 223 votes, respectively. There were also 10 write-in votes Tuesday.
Candidate Votes Dan Giesen* 396 Joe Vandermark* 340 Dan Gardner* 338 Larry Kiewel 234 Aaron Provancha 223 * Elected “Dan Gardner had a large following from his work at school. Dan (Giesen) and Joe (Vandermark) are young, successful, and with children in school looked very much like the new Belle Plaine,” Kiewel said. “I have good name recognition but as many people disagree with what I have written to the editor as agree with it.” Giesen was not surprised by
Election
(continued on page 8)
Sleep Out Set for This Saturday to Raise Awareness of Homelessness In an attempt to raise awareness of the needs of the homeless, the Streets of Hope Outreach organization will hold a sleep out this Saturday night on the River Rock Church-owned vacant property south of Highway 169 in Belle Plaine. The public is invited to participate. Bring your warm clothes,
tents and sleeping bags. Streets of Hope Outreach will also be accepting donations to buy supplies that are needed, including clothes and blankets to be distributed as well as food to be given to the Belle Plaine Food Shelf. If you can’t make the sleep out and would like to send some
type of donation, you can send it to: Streets of Hope Outreach, 12845 Briar Court, Suite 3, Burnsville, MN 55337. Last Monday night (Nov. 4), the Belle Plaine City Council approved a large assembly per-
Sleep Out
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City to Take More Time Before Hiring New City Administrator It’s been nearly three months since the Belle Plaine City Council relieved City Administrator David Murphy of his duties on Aug. 19, and the council is not in any big rush to hire his replacement. Finance Director Dawn Meyer has served as acting city ad-
ministrator since Murphy’s departure, and has been involved in the hiring process, which appeared to be nearing an end on Oct. 21. That’s when the council interviewed three finalists for the position. Those and three other candidates were interviewed earlier in October.
The city initially had 17 applicants for the job. But just when it looked like a decision on a hire may be made, the city pulled back on the reins, deciding to keep the
Belle Plaine’s Tiger Park and Jordan’s Mini Met will co-host the 2014 Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Tournament next summer. Improvements at both ballparks are planned.
Belle Plaine-Jordan Preparing to Host 2014 State Tournament
With the state amateur base- tournaments four times -- 1966, Baseball ball tournament in Belle Plaine 1981, 1994 and 2004. (continued on page 7) are also and Jordan next summer, plans Improvements (continued on page 7) are underway to beautify Tiger Park and Jordan’s Mini Met. In Belle Plaine, plans are for the city to contribute $30,000 towards a new scoreboard to replace the 14-year-old model that is hampered by aging wiring, outdated technology and inefficient bulbs. The baseball association will contribute about $12,000 toward the new scoreboard, said Gerry Meyer, a member of the Belle Plaine Baseball Board. Other improvements planned for venerable Tiger Park includes improvements to existing restrooms, seal coating of concrete surfaces in the spectator area and fresh paint for the grandstand. Plans also call for the removal of chain-link fence between the seating and the grandstand in favor of nylon netting, Meyer said. Seating down the right field line will also continue to be improved, as will the seating in the patio areas near the dugouts. Other improvements include enhancements to the public address system. The field at Tiger Park is in good shape, thanks to work done on the pitcher’s mound and home plate areas. “We had the batter’s area done to profesWorkers from Deming Construction of Fairfax braved a stiff wind while applying bricks to sional standards,” Meyer said. the exterior of the new Our Lady of the Prairie Parish Center building Saturday afternoon. Tiger Park has hosted state Veterans retired the colors after the annual Veterans Day proThe exterior of the building is largely complete as workers move indoors in time for the wingram Monday at Oak Crest Elementary School. The veterans ter. The building is scheduled for completion early next year. The $2 million facility will serve represented Belle Plaine’s American Legion and Veterans of the educational, office and social needs of the parish. Foreign Wars posts.
Brick Work
City Administrator
Retiring the Colors