Dakota County
Tribune
Farmington | Rosemount and the surrounding areas
www.dakotacountytribune.com
October 15, 2015 • Volume 130 • Number 32
Talk show host enters 2nd District race
NEWS DCTC renovations
Jason Lewis is known as ‘Mr. Right’ on the radio
Dakota County Technical College project creates spaces for courses inemerging career fields. Page 2A
OPINION Enforcing buffer zones State requirements for buffer zones around waterways are practical, but now enforcement is needed. Page 4A
by Tad Johnson SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Political talk show host Jason Lewis announced on Monday that he would be seeking the open 2nd District seat in the U.S. House. Lewis, known as “Mr. Right� on his KTLKradio show for several years, introduces a wellknown name statewide to the Republican endorsement battle that already includes three others – former state Rep.
Pam Myhra, Burnsville; former state Sen. John Howe, Red Wing; and Meggitt PLC engineer David Gerson, South St. Paul. They are seeking the seat that U.S. Rep. John Kline, R-Burnsville, said in September he would not seek. Kline first won election in 2002. Candidates vying for the Democratic Party’s endorsement are St. Jude Medical vice president of global human resources Angie Craig, of Eagan,
and former Center for Vision Excellence executive director Dr. Mary Lawrence, of Prior Lake. Lewis, who lives in Woodbury, which is not in the 2nd District boundary, told the Star Tribune he has not decided if he will abide by the party’s endorsement. Candidates do not need to be residents of a House district to run in that district. The self-described Libertarian has run for Congress before – in 1990 when he lived in Colora-
do. He said in a video message on his campaign website that he’s getting into the race in part because many people in the 2nd District are living paycheck-to-paycheck. “This campaign is about big things in 2016,� he said on his website. “Government has grown far beyond its constitutional limits and the result is less freedom, less real economic growth, higher taxes, more debt, Jason Lewis See LEWIS, 9A
Solar panels on school roofs?
THISWEEKEND
Farmington School District looking into installing solar arrays
Just in time for Halloween The stage musical “Jekyll & Hyde� will be presented at the Lakeville Area Arts Center Oct. 23-Nov. 1. Page 17A
by Andy Rogers SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Tigers march on at Youth in Music championships The Farmington marching band finished 16th at the 11th annual Youth in Music Band Championships at Farmington High School on Oct. 10 with a score of 62.5. Other area teams that competed include Eastview, which finished fourth with a score of 85.3, and Rosemount, which finished second with a score of 90.3. Rosemount was 1.1 points behind the winners from Eden Prairie. More photos of Farmington and Rosemount’s performance can be found at www.Sunthisweek.com and on Page 8A (Photo by Andy Rogers)
SPORTS
Mid-Amateur winner Farmington native Sammy Schmitz a likley 2016 Masters invite. Page 10A
In 1955, Great Northern Oil Company started the Rosemount oil refinery (left) on the city’s east side that 10 years later had as its majority owner Koch Refining Company. Today (right) the plant is owned and operated by Flint Hills Resources, which adopted the name in 2002 to better reflect its diverse portfolio of products. (Photos submitted)
Refinery has kept Minnesota moving for 60 years PUBLIC NOTICE The Dakota County Tribune is an official newspaper of the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District. Page 12A
INDEX Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 10A Public Notices . . . . . . 12A Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 13A Announcements . . . . 16A
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Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend Refinery grows with Rosemount by Tad Johnson SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Sixty years ago on a bright Sept. 27 morning in 1955, two men turned a wheel that set in motion a company that would be a cornerstone of Rosemount for years to come. Great Northern Oil Company President W.J. Carthaus and Pine Bend refinery plant manager M.T. McCants spun the valve open that started the flow of crude oil to the plant that has grown from a 25,000 barrels per day to Flint Hills Resources’ current 339,000 barrels per day and supplies about 50 percent of the gasoline and diesel fuel used in Minnesota. As leaders, employees and community members celebrated the 60-year anniversary of the plant with an open house, current vice president of operations and plant Great Northern Oil Company President W.J. Carthaus (left) and Pine Bend manager Scott Lindemann credited refinery plant manager M.T. McCants spun the valve open that started the flow of crude oil to the Rosemount plant on Sept. 27, 1955. (Photo from the See FLINT HILLS, 6A Dakota County Tribune file)
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The Farmington School District is in the planning stages on installing solar panels on top of its buildings with hopes of saving “substantial� dollars and being good stewards of the environment. The plan includes solar panels on every school building in the district. It would produce about 6 megawatts of power. It’s a challenge to accurately estimate what that would mean financially to the school district, but once the panels were paid for, the district would receive “substantial� savings, according Jane Houska, Farmington’s director of finance. Superintendent Jay Haugen said the longterm savings will really help in six to eight years. “This is a big thing that can come online for our school district about the time when our finances get soft,� he said. The panels would be purchased through a third-party investor, and Farmington would receive between 10-20 percent of the power for free without putting any money into the project. After about six years, the district would have option to purchase the system for a small amount. The plan is to use the savings from the first six years to hopefully pay for the system without using money from the general fund. “The plan is to ultimately own the array without putting any capital into the project,� said Art Crowell, executive of special projects at Sundial Solar. See SOLAR, 9A
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