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“Where Fillmore County News Comes First” Weekly Edition
Monday, May 22, 2017
Two of a kind
Whalan council discusses beekeeping
LFC Girls Capture (First) True Team Crown page
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Volume 32 Issue 35
Crowd speaks at Wykoff special meeting
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Fillmore County 4-H horse project annual awards page
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Canton • Chatfield • Fountain • Harmony • Houston • Lanesboro • Mabel • Ostrander • Peterson • Preston • Rushford • Rushford Village • Spring Valley • Whalan • Wykoff
Tesmer Farm Safety Day Camp sets record
Rushford Village looking to wrap up project By K irsten Zoellner kirsten@fillmorecountyjournal.com
The May 16 Rushford Village meeting was brisk; just 14 minutes. In that time though, the Village made it known that they want to wrap up their 2016 utility and road improvement project, with or without the contractor. The frustrations felt by the Village have been stated on numerous occasions by Mayor Gordon Johnson, members of the council, and Public Works Supervisor Travis Scheck. The McHugh Excavating project was slated to kick off early last spring and was discussed as being wrapped up by July. However, the project delayed in starting. Complaints by the city against the contractor began to mount as work paced Dr. Lynn Aggen, longtime Safety Day volunteer from Harmony-Cresco Veterinary Clinics, shared the story about the time he trusted a 2,400-pound bull. “You never do that even if you think he’s tame,” he said. “I learned the hard way. When I least expected it, the bull turned on me. I was nearly killed and from that day forward, I respect the bull more than anything and never have trusted one again.” Photo by Annie Lewis
The Tesmer Farm Safety Day Camp set a record for most attendees with nearly 600 students. The annual May event held at Mabel’s Steam Engine Park brings fourth graders from Fillmore and Houston County schools to learn about basic safety. “This year was the biggest ever,” said Michael Cruse, local extension educator. “And the great thing is, it’s almost completely supported by unpaid volunteers. These are people taking time off work, sometimes unpaid, and farmers giving up
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annie@fillmorecountyjournal.com
a day during prime planting season. It’s really amazing!” Cruse’s predecessor, Jerry Tesmer, was instrumental in starting the event along with several community members, about 25 years ago. It’s grown into an event that fourth graders look forward to all year. It was named after Tesmer a few years ago and is coordinated by Houston and Fillmore County Extension Offices. The history of the County Extension Offices coordinating activities like this goes back a long way. These events were usually held at fair grounds or schools, but involved only small groups of students. “Jerry made
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the effort to change that,” Cruse said. “When he transitioned to being the local extension educator in both Fillmore and Houston counties, he decided to host the farm safety event in Mabel and invite all of the schools from both counties.” On average, between 450475 students attend the event, but this year it was just short of 600. The kids rotate through sessions covering everything from ATV safety and tractor rollovers to bicycle safety and fire extinguishers. It’s typically held the third Tuesday in May, begins around 9:30 a.m. and See FARM SAFETY Page 2
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along. As the first substantial completion date passed, then the final completion date, tensions rose. The contractor requested an extension, but did not formally file for it. After review, Bolton & Menk engineer Josh Pope believes a seven-day extension to the project is justifiable, setting a September 24 and October 8 as potential substantial and final completion dates. The company achieved what was deemed substantial completion on September 28. Final completion was not been achieved and due to weather and at the time, the Village indicated work would not be completed until spring. It was noted this was likely the better scenario, instead of See RV WRAP UP Page 9
Preston hearing for 2017 sidewalk improvements set By K aren R eisner karen@fillmorecountyjournal.com
At the May 15 Preston City Council meeting, the proposed sidewalk improvements for 2017 were discussed. Councilman David Collett was absent. Public Works Director Jim Bakken completed the annual sidewalk inspection in April. Any deviations over one inch were marked. Five locations were selected based on condition, volume and traffic, and funds available. His feasibility report includes proposed sidewalk improvements in and near the 100 block of Main St. SW and the 200 block of Fillmore St. W.
The total estimated cost of the improvements is $14,389, of which $10,785.25 will be the city’s portion. The proposed assessments total $3,483.75 for the owners of the five benefiting properties. Bakken explained that the city budgets $5,000 each year for sidewalk improvements. No improvements were made in 2016. Bakken recommended scheduling sidewalk improvements every two to three years to provide a larger job to interest contractors. The feasibility report was
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