Dakota County
Tribune
Farmington | Rosemount and the surrounding areas www.dakotacountytribune.com
NEWS Speech showcase Rosemount High School students to showcase their public speaking talents during special event. Page 2A
OPINION State has a surplus of ideas The ECM Editorial Board suggests that the state budget surplus should be used to invest in projects, saved to build reserves and given back in tax relief. Page 4A
April 2, 2015 • Volume 130 • Number 5
Elementary band saved, for now Middle school sports realigned, class size average to rise in Farmington School District by Andy Rogers SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
During a special session on Wednesday evening, the Farmington School Board approved its much discussed budget priorities for the 2015-16 school year. With the district anticipating a $700,000 deficit, School Board members, administrators and interested residents tried to find creative ways to fill the hole without hurting the district. “I think by doing these things
next year we can still be a strong district next year,” Superintendent Jay Haugen said. Cutting elementary band was perhaps the least popular option among the administration, School Board and general public and it was saved at least for next year. “We found many districts that have eliminated elementary band, it has hurt their overall program,” Haugen said. Middle school sports will be realigned for 2015-16. The plan
allows for varsity high school head coaches to still have some influence over the program, according to Athletics Director Bill Tschida. The middle school volleyball team would be combined between Dodge and Boeckman middle schools. Track, tennis and wrestling will remain the same as will the eighth-grade soccer and football programs. Middle school cross country, girls swimming and golf programs will be combined with high
Winterguard places third
school. Athletic fees will increase by $30 next year, but the district will continue to bus athletes both ways to games. One proposal was to bus athletes only one way. Average class size targets will be raised by one except in kindergarten, first grade and middle school. To counter, the budget will include all four unallocated full-time staff positions the superintendent uses at his discretion See CUTS, 12A
In an era before Xerox machines and Liquid Paper
THISWEEKEND
Rosemount school district’s clerical employee for 30 years dies by Tad Johnson SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
High school chanteuse Apple Valley High School senior Scarlett Koenig will see the release of her debut album “Lucid” this month. Page 17A
SPORTS
The Rosemount High School Winterguard placed third in the Northstar Circuit for the 2015 performance season that resulted in just 0.5 points separating first from third place. The circuit is comprised of guards from Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The guard was comprised of 18 RHS band members: Amber Billings, Sara Conway, Caitlin Hanson, Elise Johnson, Jaiden Kolb, Marissa Laurel, Emily Lawrence, Taylor Mann, Brandy McCarthy, Auna Nelson, Rachel Pavlicek, Sammy Ramaker, Jackie Sieve, Sam Swenson, Jenna Vickery, Libby Westlund, Hunter Wyatt and Anna Zmich. Staff members were Ronley Aviles, Coley Aronson, Jonathan Glatfelter and Leon Sieve. A video from the group’s performance at the March 28 championship in Minnetonka is online at SunThisweek.com. (Photos contributed by Dave Andrews)
Relay to light up the night Athena winners selected Rosemount and Farmington high schools have students named among Athena Award winners. Page 10A
PUBLIC NOTICE The Dakota County Tribune is an official newspaper of the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District. Public notices are published online at SunThisweek.com.
INDEX Education . . . . . . .2A, 3A Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A Announcements . . . . . 6A Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 10A Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 13A News 952-846-2033 Display Advertising 952-846-2019 Classified Advertising 952-846-2003 Delivery 952-846-2070
People can experience togetherness at Farmington Relay for Life in July
See ERVASTI, 11A
Farmington picks Larsen as fire chief by Andy Rogers SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
by Jennifer Chick SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Organizers are hoping a shorter event time frame for the Farmington Relay for Life will encourage more teams to sign up. The Farmington Relay for Life has been organized every summer since 1991, but this year, Connie Honrud, relay chairperson, said the relay will only last six hours instead of the 12 hours of previous years. The relay will be Friday, July 24, from 6 p.m. to midnight at Robert Boeckman Middle School, 800 Denmark Ave., Farmington. Honrud stresses the event is not a race but a time of gathering to remember and celebrate. “It’s just a great way to get together with your community friends,” Honrud said. “There is a ceremony and then the first lap is called the survivor lap.” The event was first started in 1991 by Gretchen Bergman, Mary Juenemann, Pat Ostlie, Pat Rupp and Shirley Tix.
Rose Marie Ervasti, a 30year clerical employee for the Rosemount school district, died March 24 at age 87. Ervasti was born the youngest of seven children on July 20, 1927, to Julius and Frieda Rose Ervasti (Moeller) Strese. Raised in Lebanon Township and Rosemount, Ervasti attended Rosemount schools when all 12 grades were in one building. Ervasti graduated in 1945 as salutatorian after serving as class vice president, editor of the Blu ’n’ Gold school newspaper and member of the glee
The Farmiington Relay for Life will be Friday, July 24, from 6 p.m. to midnight at Robert Boeckman Middle School, 800 Denmark Ave., Farmington. (Photo submitted) “When we first started it, it was called Ramble and Amble,” Bergman said. “We were the second ones in the state to have that event.” For many of the organizers, the event is very personal for them as cancer survivors and caregivers. Honrud is a 29-year breast cancer survivor and her husband is a two-year cancer survivor. Judy Chown, publicity chairperson for the Farmington Relay for Life, first got
involved when a friend asked her to start a team in 2000. Later she and husband Pete Chown, sponsorship chairperson for the relay, were both diagnosed with cancer and the event took on even greater significance. “It is the idea of getting together with all these people, all these people and their different struggles,” Judy Chown said. “All of the support from See RELAY, 12A
The city of Farmington has announced that it plans on hiring Jim Larsen to be the city’s first full-time fire chief, according to City Administrator David McKnight. The job offer is contingent upon a successful background investigation and will go before the Farmington City Council for approval on April 6. Larsen is a United States Fire Administration instructor and was one of 13 applicants. The city was down to two finalists, including Troy Corrigan, who is an assistant fire chief in Farmington. Following an open house and several rounds of interviews, the city chose Larsen. Farmington wanted to add a full-time fire chief because the duties continued to rise due to the continued growth of Farmington. Tim Pietsch worked as a paid, on-call fire chief, but he has a fulltime job outside of the department. Farmington was one of the only cities in the area of its size without a full-time chief. The Farmington Fire Department features 48 volunteers, including firefighters, fire and rescue responders, and officers. There are two fire stations in Farmington serving 75 square miles and 25,000 people. Email Andy Rogers andy.rogers@ecm-inc.com.
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