More Scenic Byway Race Photos
Scott County Won’t Fight Indian Land Decision
BPHS Girls’ Capture MRC Cross Country Title Page 17
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ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIRST YEAR
BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA, OCTOBER 17, 2012
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NUMBER 42
City Council Adopts Assessment Roll for 2012 Street Project by Dan Ruud Following a public hearing, during which no one from the audience spoke, the Belle Plaine City Council Monday night unanimously adopted the final assessment roll for the city’s 2012 street and utility improvement project. “The 2012 street improvement project is nearing completion and the city engineer feels confident that the costs can be accurately assessed,” reported City Administrator David Murphy, adding that the final costs came in under the bid amount. The area to be assessed for this year’s project includes: – North Elm Street between Church Street and Spring Street. – Court Street from Meridian Street to Walnut Street. – Chestnut Street north of Court Street. – Ravine repair at the end of Chestnut Street. The total amount to be assessed for this year’s project came in at $366,121.66, which benefitting property owners will pay back in annual installments over a period of seven years at an interest rate of 3.5 percent per year. The city is absorbing $1,125,118.41 (75 percent) of the cost of this year’s project, which included a considerable amount of work on streets that
fronts Court Square Park and other city properties. What had been an almost full council chambers had already cleared out before the council opened the street improvement assessment public hearing. That’s because the vast majority of those who were in attendance earlier were either local Girl Scouts (and parents), or those who were involved in helping save the life of Belle Plaine technology director and seventh-grade football coach Ken Wick when he suffered a cardiac malfunction on the football field Sept. 11. Belle Plaine Girl Scout Troop 21109 received a certificate of merit for their efforts on Saturday raking leaves from parks and curb-sides of city streets to help reduce the amount of leaves that enter the city’s sewer systems this time of year. Wick’s lifesavers, which included over a dozen Belle Plaine school district staff, firefighters, ambulance and law enforcement personnel, were there to receive certificates of merit for their efforts as well. Mayor Tim Lies made the presentations on behalf of the city. In other business Monday night, the council authorized staff to enter into an agreement with Selly Excavating to ad-
City Council
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Participants in Saturday’s half-marathon utilized a small detour to get around this construction scene on Sibley County Road 6. by Dan Ruud The project, which began Temperatures in the 50s, plena few weeks ago, will be ty of clouds and very little wind made for ideal running condicompleted this fall.
Scenic Byway Races Feature Two Repeat Winners; Runner Turnout Down
Angie Johnson and Anne Miller found the inaugural Harvest Hunt Coin Friday at the Blaha Bird Sanctuary at the corner of North Willow and West Court streets.
Duo Took Successful Search for Harvest Coin to the Birds
Angie Johnson and Anne Miller knew exactly where they were headed once reading the fourth clue in the inaugural Harvest Coin Hunt Friday afternoon. After three clues had stumped the pair and dozens of others searching for the Harvest Coin, the final clue left no doubt where it was hidden. Johnson and Miller hit pay dirt, finding the Harvest Coin in the Blaha Bird Sanctuary at approximately 4:25 p.m. Friday, thwarting the efforts of others who had flocked to the corner of Court and Willow streets with the hopes of finding the medallion and claiming $100 in Belle Plaine Bucks. They found the coin just north of the intersection on the east-
ern edge of the heavily wooded ravine shelter. It was in a New Balance running shoe just under a log and next to a large piece of milkweed. The hunt was a preamble to the Second Annual Scenic Byway Half-Marathon and 5K run Saturday. The final clue was filled with references to the intersection, birds and trees. It made the search easy for indomitable medallion hunters. The pair found the coin with two other groups of hunters nearby. “Everybody figured it out,” Miller said. “But hey, you snooze, you lose.” Like many people, Miller and Johnson had searched a variety of places around town – Veterans Park, school grounds, along nearby curbs and public ball fields. The pair had been out
three times a week in each of the three weeks of the search. They had previously visited the bird sanctuary looked around an area within a few feet of where it was hidden but couldn’t close the deal. “Bill (Kurschke) did a good job of writing the clues,” Miller said. While Miller is a renowned and indomitable contestant in the St. Patrick’s and Bar-B-Que Days medallion hunts, she and Johnson have no plans to take the next hunt off. Miller, her daughter and husband found the Barbecue Days medallion amidst a tree north of the Episcopal Church last summer. The pair served notice to other coin hunters in town. “We’re going to turn it up a notch for St. Patrick’s Day,” Johnson said.
tions at Saturday’s second annual Minnesota River Valley Scenic Byway Half-Marathon and 5K races in Belle Plaine. A total of 387 runners (210 in the 5K and 177 in the halfmarathon) completed the races. Last year, 468 runners (243 in the half-marathon and 225 in the 5K) completed the event’s inaugural races. Carrie Traxler of the Belle Plaine Chamber of Commerce said there were 462 registered for the races this year, but for one reason or another, decided not to compete or didn’t finish the race. Females significantly outnumbered males in both races this year – 101 to 76 in the halfmarathon and 135 to 75 in the 5K. “While race registrations are down slightly from last year, we are pleased with the turnout considering the talk of severe weather the days leading up to the races,” Traxler said. “Between the weather and
construction on Court Street, Scott County Road 6 and Sibley County Road 6, there were many obstacles outside of our control that created additional stress for planning this year’s race. The chamber was able to work with city and county officials to keep the half-marathon route on the Scenic Byway loop and we were very grateful that the rain held off the day of the race.” Traxler added that besides Minnesota, there were runners from Illinois, North Dakota, Missouri, Wisconsin, Maryland, South Carolina, Oregon and Utah taking part in either the half-marathon or 5K. “Runners told us last year that the half-marathon course is challenging and this year we touted that to the running community,” Traxler said. According to Rosemary Harnley of Red Wing, who placed first both years in the female age 60-69 category, the Scenic Byway Half-Marathon course is the “toughest half in Minnesota.” “Because the new 5K route didn’t overlap with the half-
marathon route this year, we also needed more than twice as many volunteers, “ Traxler continued. “We wouldn’t have been able to put on a successful event without all the community members that donated their time.” Traxler said that approximately 75 volunteers assisted in road guarding, chip cutting, concessions and cleanup, etc. There were two repeat winners this year, both coming in the men’s races. Eric Thies, 23, of Apple Valley (formerly of Arlington), won the half-marathon decisively again this year with a time of 1:18:51. His time last year, when the temperature was about 10 degrees warmer, was 1:18.39. Thies, a 2007 graduate of Sibley East High School and 2010 graduate of the University of Nebraska, works as a credit analyst for a Twin Cities area bank. He was a standout longdistance runner in high school and college, the latter of which he earned multiple first-team
Races
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Firefighters Visit B.P. Schools Belle Plaine firefighter Nicholas Bosquez demonstrated how firefighters search for a lost child in a smoke-filled room during a visit to Oak Crest Elementary School last Wednesday (Oct. 10). As part of Fire Prevention Week, firefighters visited schools promoting fire safety and recommending children encourage their parents to have an escape plan in the event of a house fire.