PRSRT STD ECR WSS US. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 70 MADELIA, MN 56062
tions Harmony Foods Renova
Father - Son teams and family companies remodel Harmony Foods in 2013
Rita McConnell, Deli Manager
Diane Hanlon, Assistant Store Manager/Pricing Coordinator
Louise Sikkink, Bakery Manager
Howard Haugerud, Meat Supervisor
Mavis Brunsvold, Deli Assistant
Chris Syverson, Produce Manager
By Brad Hoiness improvements that Co-Owner/Operations Manager not rest, following some great works It’s time to catch our breath...but This project had been in the our Harmony Foods store. to upgrade our store to provide were recently completed at analysis of all options for five plus years with thorough the latest in energy efficient refrigeration. install a new location to a building growth for the future and a brand new larger store in the We studied everything from west. More space would have been nice considering or us to do the things we’d expansion to the east, south building no longer allowed and customers to adjust our staff amount of space in our existing led to some challenges for you, our has This show to for. hope known and become with some new partners to. We’ve developed relationships of to best serve you. customers, these changes are the start of each day in Harmony back in late January comAs I began to spend at least all aspects of the remodel which in large part was around 2013 and continuing through to notice something pretty neat was going on project. started pleted in April of 2013, I lunch at On the Crunchy Side one day late in the Matt ate me. It really hit me as we Ryan Riester (Riester Refrigeration), Joe Meyer and two It was myself, John Riester, Back in 2004 when we were first introduced to theseworkfrom each Meyer (Ankeny Builders). we have a father son team 2013, in now and great family run companies Minn. to me that this had been ing on this project in Harmony, the rest of that day, it occurred Kingsley Mercantile and As I thought about this our project with VIS Plumbing, happening frequently during Morem Electric. Ankeny Builders, Inc. Blue Earth, Minn. Earth, Minn. after general contractors from Blue Michael (Mick) P. owners It started with Ankeny Builders, for years. The third generation Inc., which has conducted working with their fathers Builders Ankeny lead now on Ankeny and Robert L. Ankenyhas expanded across the Midwest with a large focus when and business for over 50 years was first introduced to this company back in 2004 relaI the grocery/retail business. in our Rushford store. This proved to be a valuable Ankeny we did an extensive remodelof 2007 in Rushford. It only took one call to Mick flood the plans and the together tionship following hand to put had full scale drawings in and he was on his way and store back together. for open Rushford our were put we to and flood estimates the cost showed up a week after Mick selected the father and In 2007, Ankeny Builders out. our Harmony Foods project, phenomenon started to play business in just 74 days. For Meyer and that is where this project kept moving along and son team of Joe and Matt contractors, made sure the Ankeny, being the general including demolition, refrigeration, HVAC, refrigeration, coordinated the entire projectand flooring, finish carpentry Mike painting contractors. the Stauffer and others from site Ankeny team were also on at various stages of the project. Vis Plumbing – Harmony & Lanesboro, Minn. The extensive plumbing the portion of the project was responsibility of VIS Plumbing Jon of Harmony and Lanesboro. guys, Willford and his crew of were including his son Mike were impressive to watch as they and busy throughout the facility to and able were days few a kept the project on track over just so it could be inspected. This get the rough in completed the ability to keep progressSee REMODEL Page 2 allowed the other contractors during a remodel is much ing. Commercial plumbing
POSTAL PATRON
“Where Fillmore County News Comes First” Weekly Edition
Monday, February 3, 2014
Volume 29 Issue 20
Todd Himlie, Store Manager
Check out the Harmony Foods renovation insert in today’s Journal
One Moment, Please...A family energy challenge page
5
Winds blow in Marquee blow-outs page
12
Location issue for Chatfield Veterans Memorial page
19
Kingsland discusses impact of snow days page
23
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
End of a long road; Rushford approves legal settlement By K irsten Zoellner kirsten@fillmorecountyjournal.com
Representative Greg Davids and Senator Jeremy Miller hear legislative priorities from the county board and department heads. Photo by Karen Reisner
County airs legislative priorities By K aren R eisner karen@fillmorecountyjournal.com
Representative Greg Davids and Senator Jeremy Miller were given a legislation wish list for the 2014 session at the county board’s January 28 meeting. County department heads were on hand to explain how these legislative changes could have a positive impact on their departments and for the county. Most of the requested actions are also 2014 policy positions of the Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC). Legislators’ comments Davids referred to the 2013 session as one that produced “job
killing tax increases.” He called the business to business taxes including the warehouse tax devastating (the warehouse tax will not take effect until over a month after the 2014 session begins). He berated the bonding bill produced by Governor Dayton for 2014 and said it will have to be rewritten during the upcoming session. Davids insisted MNsure was a disaster and should be scratched. He finished his remarks saying it is not good to have both the House and the Senate controlled by one party. Davids thanked the board for their part in making the Veterans Cemetery a reality. Chairman Chuck Amunrud thanked the legislators for their
legislative work for the cemetery, adding that every department in the county was involved at some point, plus local veterans groups. Miller insisted that they need to listen and work together for the constituents that they represent. The 2014 session will be short starting February 25 and will end in mid May. It is a bonding and capital investment year. He said he will be supportive of the elimination of unnecessary laws and regulations. Miller said he will continue to support the redesign efforts of AMC, the goal being to eliminate regulations and free up county resources. He See COUNTY Page 2
Ending a nearly 6-year saga that began in 2009, the city of Rushford has approved a settlement with F&L Management & Development, Inc. (Tom Serie) and Guardian Inn of Rushford, LLC. The matter has been in arbitration since November 2011, following termination of a development agreement in July 2011. In conference with attorney Robert Aslop via speakerphone, of Kennedy & Graven, the city council listened to a summation of Aslop’s background information regarding the issue and recommendation for settlement. The dispute of three agreements, signed in November 2009, includes a site development agreement of a community center, a development agreement for a motel, and a lease agreement, including construction and operation. As previously stated in the Journal, by June of 2010, the projects had slowed considerably, but had came to a
halt as Serie notified the council that he would put no more than the $593,000 of expected FEMA funding into the community center until he could secure funding for the motel portion of the project. “For the 18 months, the city worked with the parties to get projects completed,” noted Aslop. “The documents themselves were incomplete to certain terms. Financial incentives were contemplated, but were not spelled out in the agreement and were subject to negotiation.” According to Aslop, claimants, including Roger Zeug, Peter Breyfogle, and former mayor Les Ladewig, initially sought over $2.7 million in damages arising from the city’s purported wrongful termination of two development agreements executed between the city and claimants for the construction and operation of a community center and motel in the Himlie Business Park. Site development and motel See RUSHFORD Page 10
Preston, Peterson chosen for prime bicycling event the ride are to promote Share the Road, fitness, tourism and bicykirsten@fillmorecountyjournal.com cling as a transportation mode Two Fillmore County towns, as well as to promote the Scenic eagerly awaiting news, received Bikeways System of Minnesota.” confirmation last week that they According to the group, the had been chosen as a part of a concept for the ongoing tours four-day, four-community bicy- began in part from members of cling event. Bicycling Around the State Bicycling Advisory ComMinnesota (BAM), an eight-year mittee, as well as several enthutour organization, set up the event, siastic individuals. Beginning in aimed at highlighting Minnesota 2006, with just 30 riders, the communities to an ever-growing initial number tripled in the first bicycling audience. “The goals of See BIKE EVENT Page 11 By K irsten Zoellner