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“Where Fillmore County News Comes First” Weekly Edition
Week of the Young Child Inside this issue
Multifaceted recreational trail system page
6
Monday, April 11, 2016
Small moments matter page
12
Volume 31 Issue 29
Funding for squad car technology page
14
Sports Baseball Preview page
22
Canton • Chatfield • Fountain • Harmony • Houston • Lanesboro • Mabel • Ostrander • Peterson • Preston • Rushford • Rushford Village • Spring Valley • Whalan • Wykoff
Crowd hears Ostrander infrastructure plans
Exterior renovation of Preston City Hall By K aren R eisner karen@fillmorecountyjournal.com
Details, as to the kind of exterior maintenance work needed on the Preston City Hall/ Library, were discussed at the city council’s April 4 meeting. Mayor Kurt Reicks was absent. City Administrator Joe Hoffman explained that there are four major parts to this project, including a new roof, window and door replacements, EIFS (exterior insulation and finish system) repair on three sides,
including awning replacement, and tuckpointing of the brick, mostly on the front of the building. Architect Terry Grubbs, New Brighton, has inspected the building and offered a proposal not to exceed $1,440 to outline the scope of the work and to provide a cost estimate for the project. A motion to retain Grubbs was approved. Dairy and Farm reuse Discussion continued as to the possibility of purchasing See RENOVATION Page 9
Lanesboro seeks new brush dump site Mike Bubany shares proposed funding plan. By R ich Wicks rich@fillmorecountyjournal.com
The Ostrander City Council met on April 5 for a regular meeting with all members present (Erin Brugh, Pam Kunert, Mayor Pat Nesler, Clerk Chris Hyrkas, Heidi Jones, and DJ Start). Approximately 35 citizens attended the meeting, and the main topic was the city’s plans for infrastructure upgrades, and the associated costs. Mike Bubany presented information comparing Ostrander’s tax and water/sewer rates to three similarly sized towns (Racine, Fountain and Wykoff). He also gave details on the projected costs and funding, stating “What we’re looking at here is approximately $9 million
worth of stuff, of which Fillmore County has about a $2 million tab, and about $5 ½ million is being pursued through grants. And that leaves a little under $2 million for Ostrander to pay for locally.” He explained that the plan he showed is for the city to pay the $1.94 million back over 40 years through increased tax and utility rates. He shared that a “typical” household would see an increased cost of roughly $30 a month, or $360 annually, in these combined costs. But he added that individual households would vary due to home valuation and water usage. There was discussion about scaling back the plans, to control costs, but Josh Pope (representing Bolton & Menk) explained that Rural Development veri-
Prices Effective April 11 - April 17, 2016
Photo by Rich Wicks fied that there’s a need for the improvements included in the $9 million plan, so it makes sense to try to get grants so the city can get the best “bang for the buck” by getting $9 million in improvements while the city would only pay the $1.9 million portion. Erin Brugh asked if it’s correct that certain grants are only available if the city raises utility rates to specified levels, and Bubany confirmed this, explaining that the proposed plan would allow the city to meet the requirements for these grants. Pope added that since the grants are still an unknown factor, the city has prioritized the various portions of the overall project, and would drop-out the See INFRASTRUCTURE Page 2
By H annah Wingert hannah@fillmorecountyjournal.com
The Lanesboro City Council met for their regular meeting on April 4, at 5:30 p.m. All council members were present. The agenda was approved with several additions and changes. The farmer’s market policy and procedures were approved by the council. City Administrator Michele Peterson mentioned that she had received questions regarding the new blanket insurance and the time frame of the Farmer’s Market. Currently the market runs from 9 a.m. – noon, but the current policy states that vendors are allowed to stay longer if they wish. However, the insurance policy will not cover vendors after the market officially ends at noon. The council decided to remove that state-
ment from the policy to avoid any issues. Council member Tom Smith asked whether local businesses would be able to buy into the blanket insurance policy and set up booths even if they don’t sell produce. Mayor Robin Krom responded that the council would let the Farmer’s Market Association decide what can and can’t be sold at the market. The Lanesboro Fire Department asked the council to approve two additional personnel. Council member Tom Dybing gave the Planning and Zoning Commission update. At their last meeting on March 16, Blake Norby asked about what the ordinance is for sidewalk displays. The commission plans to review the ordinance, See BRUSH DUMP Page 10