Monday, January 29,
PRSRT STD ECR WSS US. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 70 MADELIA, MN 56062
2018
2017-2018 Co mm un ity Pr og re ss ed iti on
A SpeciAl Section Brought
to you By
tHe FiLLmore County JournAL
l Wykoff Spring Valley l Whalan l Rushford Village l l Preston l Rushford l Ostrander l Peterson l Lanesboro l Mabel l Fountain l Harmony Canton l Chatfield
in tHis sPeCiAL seCtion eiCkHoFF FertiLizer Looks teCHnoLogy eFFiCienCy
to
POSTAL PATRON
pAge 02
Houston’s rosendAHL rePAir reAdy For its 10tH yeAr pAge 03
BeCker tree FArm grows LeAPs And Bounds pAge 04
FILLMORE COUNTY
Big tHings going on in
JOURNAL “Where Fillmore County
pAge 05
CHAtFieLd sALon owner dreAms into PLAns
News Comes First”
By
wHALAn turns
pAge 05
notHing HAs CHAnged, everytHing HAs CHAnged
go online to view this section!
pAge 06
ng oPens dunkin doodLes groomi d to rAve reviews in rusHFor pAge 07
AL
CAnton veterAns memori tAking sHAPe pAge 10
LAnesBoro Legion kiCks FundrAising CAmPAign
oFF
pAge 15
WWW.FiLLMOReCOun
tyjOuRnaL.COM
2017-2018 Community Progress Edition Inside this issue
“Where Fillmore County News Comes First” Weekly Edition
The modern day tattoo stigma page
Monday, January 29, 2018
Compromise moves land acquisition forward
5
page
6
Volume 33 Issue 19
Fillmore Central board appointments page
10
Chatfield capital financial planning page
17
Canton • Chatfield • Fountain • Harmony • Houston • Lanesboro • Mabel • Ostrander • Peterson • Preston • Rushford • Rushford Village • Spring Valley • Whalan • Wykoff
Jake Fishbaugher: 2017 NFL Student Athlete of the Year
New member elected to Lanesboro School Board By H annah Wingert hannah@fillmorecountyjournal.com
School board member Terri Scott resigned from her position on the board due to moving out of the district. During a special meeting, Steve Storhoff was appointed to fill Scott’s seat until her term is up. He will begin serving on the school board in February. At their January 28 meeting, the Lanesboro School Board approved the 2018 board elections, appointments, etc. Dave Ruen was elected as the board
chair, Dave Lawstuen as vice chair, Steve Snyder as clerk, and Lolly Melander as treasurer. The meetings will continue to be on the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. in the elementary library. The Merchants Bank of Lanesboro was set as the district depository and the News Leader as the official newspaper. Nethercut Schieber Attorneys was set as the general business legal counsel and Rupp, Anderson, Squires & Waldspurger as the See MEMBER ELECTED Page 7
Houston School Board passes audit with flying colors Jake got to rub elbows with NFL players during his award ceremony and came home with mementos signed by Laquon Treadwell and Stefon Diggs, Vikings wide receivers #11 and #14. “It was CRAZY to be on the field with the players,” says Jake of his experience that day. Photo by Stacey Hildebrandt, Photographer, LCLA Photographie By Julie Little julie@fillmorecountyjournal.com
playing. It’s a good experience just to be a kid.” The easiest part about football for Jake is, “having fun. The hardest part is when you don’t have the winning record and you have to keep going and don’t give up.” Jake plays both offense and defense. On offense he’s a tight end. “Coach likes me for a receiver,” says Jake, “because of my speed.” He’s 5’6”, which is tall for a seventh grader, and very quick. On defense he’s a linebacker. Jake actually prefers playing defense because, “I like how the team gets pumped up when defense is doing well.” Next year Jake will be one of the oldest players on the team so his goal is to keep that in mind and be a good leader. Jake has been inspired and encouraged by many people in See FISHBAUGHER Page 2
eric@fillmorecountyjournal.com
The Houston School Board met for its regular meeting at 6 p.m. in the library of Houston Public High School. In attendance were Superintendent Abraham and board members Bonner, Stillin, Wilson, Lundak, and Carlson. Board member Norlien arrived at approximately 6:02 p.m. Following the Pledge of Allegiance, the board added a signage discussion item to the old business section of the agenda, then approved the evening’s agenda and a resolution for a closed negotiation strategy meeting, both unanimously. The board then opened the meeting to public comments, of which there was none, and unanimously approved the consent agenda. The consent agenda contained one contract, one hiring memo, and one resignation, along with a pay equity report. The first discussion item on the agenda was the presentation of the district audit performed
Your community banks
for generations!
by Chris Popenhagen of the firm Clifton Larsen Allen. Popenhagen reported, among other data, that there was no exception with the school’s financial statements, and that the school’s reporting were all in order and in compliance. Popenhagen mentioned that the general fund added a balance of $189,000 in the 2017 year, but also noted that online enrollment was down. A new category, Long-Term Facilities Maintenance, posted $365,000 in revenue, replacing the previous category of Deferred Maintenance. Deferred Maintenance had been part of Health & Safety, which posted a loss of about $46,000, a negative which Popenhagen said would “ride for about another 18 months” before reimbursements. Poenhagen reported on a few trends in the audit, noting that the school district was using most funds as they came in, and that fund balances were See PASSES AUDIT Page 6
Since 1856
Since 1901
When you first meet Jake Fishbaugher, you might notice his broad smile, his firm handshake, his friendly voice, and his easy going manner. What underlies all of this is a true leader with a competitive nature, a willingness to work hard, an athlete’s discipline, and a strong sense of team spirit. Jake, a seventh grade student at Fillmore Central, was recently presented with the NFL Student Athlete of the Year Award for 2017. The NFL recognizes several outstanding people each year with award certificates, but it is unusual for someone so young to be included in this ceremony according to Stacey Hildebrandt of Preston, who does photography for the Youth Football Program. Earlier this year, Jake was
attending an event at the new Vikings stadium when he met several influential people including Wilson Edwards, Minnesota State Director for Youth Football. Jake showed that he had the kind of characteristics Youth Football values. The website for the Minnesota Association of Sports Officials (maosa.org) says about Jake in announcing his award, “He is a straight A student, two-year manager for varsity football and one-year varsity baseball manager, played in the fifth and sixth grade football program. He’s played baseball since he was four and has played basketball since third grade. He recently wrote and gave a speech at the school’s Veterans Day Program.” One thing Jake likes most about playing football is, “You don’t have to worry about much, like homework or school when you’re
By Eric Leitzen