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“Where Fillmore County News Comes First” Weekly Edition
Free Bounce House at the Fillmore County Fair! Inside this issue
Chatfield Superintendent page
Monday, July 20, 2015
Street repairs in Canton
5
page
6
Volume 30 Issue 43
Lively Wykoff council meeting page
Spring Valley junk
10
page
20
Canton • Chatfield • Fountain • Harmony • Houston • Lanesboro • Mabel • Ostrander • Peterson • Preston • Rushford • Rushford Village • Spring Valley • Whalan • Wykoff
Look for Boots and Badges BOOK ORDER on the back page of the Fillmore County Journal
Lawn emblem “hogs” attention
Rushford rejects airport bid; approves hearings for sale of former community center By K irsten Zoellner kirsten@fillmorecountyjournal.com
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Dewey Dahl, of Preston, Minn. sits next to his one-of-a-kind Harley Davidson lawn emblem. Photo by Barb Jeffers explaining that four of his friends of attention from residents and By Barb Jeffers helped including Regina Blong, passersby. Dahl says “it’s quite barb@fillmorecountyjournal.com Rinetta Fravel, Billy Eash and a conversation piece” as people Sometimes as we drive back Roger Dyreson. driving by or riding by on motorand forth to work each day, or Assembling and placing the cycles see it and sometimes stop run daily errands, we tend to lawn emblem “was quite a job and ask to take a picture next to block out much of the scen- on that hillside” says Dahl. After it. ery around us. For those driv- choosing granite and hauling it Dahl says he thought about ing through Preston, Minn. on back, the spot on the hillside having the lawn emblem lit up Highway 52 something often needed to be cleared by remov- at night but states “there are catches their attention. ing the sod. The granite was enough distractions on the high A Harley-Davidson lawn then placed in pieces to create the way” already that he does not emblem sits on the corner lot large Harley Davidson emblem. want to add another one. at 113 Kansas St. NW which The approximate size of the Dahl has even been asked if is not something you see every lawn emblem is 9’ across and he would sell the lawn emblem day. Most people have never seen 8’6” tall and is black and tan. saying only that he was “offered another one. Dahl notes that it looks espe- quite a bit of money” for it but Owner Dewey Dahl states that cially nice after it rains because the emblem has not moved from he always wanted “something “it looks really black and kind of his yard. Dahl is not sure what big” in Harley Davidson decor shines and sparkles” which makes the total cost of the project was and when the subject of a lawn the H-D in the middle stand out as it was done several years ago emblem came up he went with more than usual. but the Harley Davidson lawn it. This one-of-a-kind lawn See LAWN EMBLEM Page 2 Dahl says “I didn’t do it alone” emblem has created quite a bit
Rushford Municipal Airport Commission has received and rejected a bid for an airport fuel tank replacement and upgrade project. The lone bid for the estimated $240,000 project came in 25% higher than engineer’s projections. According to City Administrator Steve Sarvi, additional issues with the bid included items left out and timeline. Plans for the project called for a removal of the current 8,000 gallon above ground tank system and relocation of the system to include two 5,000-gallon tanks buried south of the airport office. This option allows the city to offer both low-lead aviation fuel and jet-A fuel, which is utilized
by helicopters, including those operating out of the airport. It was noted at the March council meeting that the Airport Commission believes burying the tanks will create better sight lines at the airport, allow for future expansion of either the office or hangers, and eliminates the need for paving for above ground tanks. The project had been bid in 2014, with the city attempting to seize an opportunity for federal and state funding. However, at that time, bids also came back exceeding engineers’ estimates and were rejected. In May, the city snagged a beneficial bit of funding for the project through a transfer agreeSee RUSHFORD Page 3
New mayor, old business take center stage at Whalan’s July council meeting By Steve H arris steve@fillmorecountyjournal.com
By Steve Harris The first official meeting of the Whalan City Council with its new mayor—Rory Berekvam—proceeded quickly and quietly on Monday, July 13, 2015, with the council attending to on-going street maintenance and pothole questions, along with approvals for current building projects in the town. Previous minutes and the Treasurer’s Report & Bills Due were presented and unanimously approved by the council.
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All members of the Whalan City Council were in attendance, except for council member Dave Rahn. City Clerk Lolly Melander was also present. Mayor Berekvam took the oath of office to fill out the remainder of Larry Johnson’s term that will go through 2016. Johnson resigned last month due to his family’s recent move to a new residence beyond Whalan’s town limits. Berekvam is not new to the position—he had previously served as Whalan’s mayor once before. See NEW MAYOR Page 2
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