PRSRT STD ECR WSS US. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 70 MADELIA, MN 56062
POSTAL PATRON
“Where Fillmore County News Comes First” Weekly Edition
Pinewood Derby Champs! Page 4
Exposing the conservative right page
Monday, June 11, 2012
Chatfield’s play-off run
6
page
Volume 27 Issue 28
SWCD and TNC parnership
10
page
26
Why the Rivers Turn Brown page
29
Canton l Chatfield l Fountain l Harmony l Lanesboro l Mabel l Ostrander l Peterson l Preston l Rushford l Rushford Village l Spring Valley l Whalan l Wykoff
Rushford loses USDA grant and loan By K irsten Zoellner kzoellner@fillmorecountyjournal.com
Dave Harrison offers a new dining experience in the city of Lanesboro with the introduction of Intermission. Photo by Jade Sexton
Intermission: the new place to be in Lanesboro heard of a possible opening next the Commonweal Theatre. jsexton@fillmorecountyjournal.com He decided to open up his own Dave Harrison of Preston has restaurant, and called it Interhad a passion for cooking for mission. They have been open many years. He graduated from for business since April. the Culinary Institute of Amer- The name came from Nancy. ica in 1994, and has been work- It not only ties in with the theing with food ever since. When ater next door, it also implies a he first graduated, he came to break. Lanesboro as the opening chef “It’s taking a break in your day, a break in your activity,” at the Old Village Hall. Harrison and his wife Nancy said Harrison. ran the Intrepid Traveler in Harrison enjoyed his time Harmony ten years ago, and cooking at Riverside on the have been looking for another Root. “I enjoy working in that N he said. “I like opportunity to run theirNoown w opeatmosphere,” a s the busyness, small restaurant. Harrison t h Nig the summer.” the craziness of worked at Riverside on7 the ek we Harrison and his wife have Root in Lanesboro for seven years. About a year ago, he three sons, ages 17, 16, and By Jade Sexton
13, that all help out at the restaurant. Harrison has been showing his oldest, Nathaniel, the ropes when it comes to prep work and even making entrees. Some of the inside of the restaurant was already there from the previous tenant. There are seven panels on the walls that were outside of the Commonweal during construction of the new theater. The painted murals contain scenes that represent the four seasons, the Cornucopia Art Gallery, the Commonweal Theater, and Welcome to Lanesboro. On one wall is painted the dictionary definition of the word “intermission.” See INTERMISSION Page 2
Father’s Day June 15, 16, 17
Grilled 8oz Grouper Fillet with Citrus Hollandaise Sauce Prime Rib Au Jus 10 oz & 20 oz Grilled 8oz Whiskey Steak Caramelized Red Onions 109 S. Parkway, Lanesboro, MN 55949 www.riversideontheroot.com
Hrs: 7 Days & Nights 11am-9pm • Fri & Sat Late Night Menu 9-10pm
Two days after the last city council meeting, Rushford was hopeful they could meet a June 30 deadline for the city hall and library projects. However, it was unclear whether the city would be granted any funding through a USDA American Recovery and Reinvestment Act program due to massive changes in the project(s). A day later, it was clear the deadline couldn’t be met and City Administrator officially requested the USDA to de-obligate the loan and grant, citing an inability to meet plan and specification requirements. This potential outcome had been touched on at the May 28 council meeting and some anticipated that the city would need to seek funding elsewhere for the reduced project. Originally awarded the $250,000 grant and up to a $2.234 million loan, a 40-year note at 4.25 percent interest, the
funding had come in a long line of successive fundraising efforts by the Library Board. Beginning in late 2007, and following nearly eight years of studies and surveys in relation to the library, the city was awarded a sought-out Brownfield Beautification Grant from Minnesota DEED (Department of Employment and Economic Development). The matching grant, in the amount of $617,600, was aimed at property acquisition and building demolition for a new city center project on the former G.S. Woxland lot on the corner of Park and Mill Streets. The property was aquired in April of 2008 and by early 2009, a capital campaign was in full swing with hopes of raising additional funding for the project, which at that time was estimated at $3.4 million, minus an optimistic $1.2 million in fundraising efforts. In August 2010, the new See USDA LOAN Page 24
CR 12 West renamed Greenleafton Road
Road by city residents and will now have that name adopted kreisner@fillmorecountyjournal.com officially on the section of road In an attempt to clear up that lies within the city limits. any confusion between the George and Kay Spangler, city of Preston and Fillmore who have three lots which front County addresses, the city that section of road, requested council approved the renam- the name change. George Spaning of CR 12 West between gler noted that years ago it was the west bridge (Fillmore Street called Greenleafton Road and bridge) and the brush site at it appears on maps, a 2011 their June 5 meeting. This sec- Fillmore County land atlas, and tion of county road has historiSee GREENLEAFTON Page 18 cally been called Greenleafton By K aren R eisner
Great Weekend Music!
• Wed, June 13, 5 - 9pm ~ Charlie Warner • Sat, June 16, 9 - 11:30pm ~ Magic Jack &
Bill Cagley - Magician/Music
• Sun, June 17, 5 - 9pm ~ Patachouli
Dirty
Martini
Lounge