Your Wellness
Using their own merit
The essential guide to a healthier you
National status for eight Chaska High students
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www.chaskaherald.com
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2011
CHASKA
$1
HERALD PHOTO BY MOLLEE FRANCISCO
Jersey barriers have gone up around MnDOT’s maintenance building on Chaska Boulevard and Jonathan Carver Parkway. The project has been stalled as MnDOT looks for a new contractor to finish the work.
MnDOT project stalled Lawsuit in progress PHOTO BY MOLLEE FRANCISCO
The majority of the deck on Carver’s river bridge was gone as of last week. The piers remain for now.
Bye-bye bridge BY MOLLEE FRANCISCO mfrancisco@swpub.com
Piece by piece, Carver’s iconic railroad bridge is coming down. As of late last week, only the far ends of the bridge deck remained. Soon, it will all be gone. “We are anticipating completion of the removal of the last of the steel deck plat girder spans sometime next week,” wrote Ter-
ry Peterson with Omaha Track Material – the outfit handling the project. “Once that is complete, we will begin preparation for the demolition of the six concrete piers.” According to Carver City Administrator Brent Mareck, the whole bridge should be gone by the end of the year. The section of rail was abandoned by Union Pacific after a trestle south of
Last remnants of Carver’s RR bridge coming down
Carver collapsed in March 2007, effectively severing the line.
HISTORY Carver’s river crossing was originally built in 1871 by the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway (M& St.L). The railroad bested steamboats in the area by allowing for travel year-round, including
Carver bridge to page 2 ®
“The sadness to me is that the railroad itself is no longer there. It is and was an important part of my life.” Vern Wigfield Retired railroad employee
BY MOLLEE FRANCISCO mfrancisco@swpub.com
The Minnesota Department of Transportation’s (MnDOT’s) maintenance building project is on hold as the state looks for a new contractor. The partially constructed building is located just off of County Road 61 and Jonathan Carver Parkway on the border between Chaska and Carver. Chaska Mayor Mark Windschitl inquired about the project and the jersey barriers installed around the site at last week’s City Council meeting. City Administrator Matt Podhradsky responded that the state and the contractor were in the middle of a lawsuit that had stalled the project. “The contractor just got relieved of duty,” said Podhradsky. “They’re going through process of determining another contractor to come in.”
MnDOT to page 2 ®
Images of Carver County Book captures county’s history in photographs BY MOLLEE FRANCISCO mfrancisco@swpub.com
Florida transplant Ruth Tremblay developed a fascination with barns not long after moving to Minnesota. Her fascination soon turned into a passion as she picked up her camera to capture images of Carver County’s disappearing barns. And as she got to know the people attached to the barns, she began to understand how it all fit together – the land, the
Historical images What: A book of Carver County historical photographs, called “Images of America: Carver County” Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Authors: Ruth Tremblay and Lois Schulstad Details: 127 pages, paperback, $21.99 Book presentations/signings: 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 15, Waconia Library, 217 S. Vine St., Waconia 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 5, Norwood Young America Library, 314 Elm St. W., Norwood Young America
people, the history. Today, many of those people and their stories are collected in a new book from Arcadia Publish-
ing, “Images of America: Carver County.”
Book to page 16 ®
SUBMITTED PHOTO COURTESY OF OLVERN VINKEMEIER
Augusta “Gustie” and Frank Bahr spin wool into yarn at their home in rural Watertown. The photo is one of many in the new “Images of America: Carver County” history book.
INSIDE OPINION/4 OBITUARIES/6 HAWK TALONS/9 CALENDAR/13 SPORTS/17-19 CLASSIFIEDS/28-31 TO REACH US SUBSCRIBE: (952) 345-6683 EDITOR: (952) 345-6574 OR E-MAIL EDITOR@CHASKAHERALD.COM.
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