PRSRT STD ECR U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #861
Boys Tennis: page 7
New Look. Same Local Coverage since 1854. Vol. 163, No. 2
Thursday, April 20, 2017
11 2nd Ave. N., Unit 103, Sauk Rapids, Benton County, MN 56379
Speicher named 2017 Sauk Rapids Hydrostat plans expansion Citizen of Year BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
Volunteering to connect BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS — When Jodi Speicher and her husband Dave moved to Sauk Rapids 15 years ago, she knew little about the community and even fewer people. Yet, Speicher’s involvement in the area and the impact she’s made on resident lives over the years has propelled her into a respected role. Speicher has been named the 2017 Sauk Rapids Citizen of the Year. “It is an incredible honor and privilege to be recognized among this group of people,” said Speicher, of receiving the award. “The previous citizens of the year are the pillars of the community. I don’t feel worthy. I honestly don’t. It’s very humbling.” Speicher will be honored April 24 at an open house reception in the Sauk Rapids Government Center. The event will begin at 4:30 p.m. Following a 5:15 p.m. program, Speicher will be recognized as 2017 Citizen of the Year by the city council at their regularly scheduled meeting. Vice president of sales and marketing for Good Shepherd Community, Speicher was nominated for her outstanding service to the Sauk Rapids community. She has been heavily involved with the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce, holding many committee leadership roles including positions as vicechair, chair and as a member of the board of directors. She has also
participated in multiple chamber committees. With a passion for working with older adults, Speicher is active in LeadingAge Minnesota, Walk to End Alzheimer’s and ACT on Alzheimer’s, all which aim at bettering the lives of those she cares for each day. Promoting active lifestyles for seniors is important to Speicher, and she was part of the grass-roots movement to begin the Becker Area Senior Center that opened in 2013. But the mother of two sons — Brady, 24 and Tyler, 18 — also commits her time to area youth. Speicher has been integral in forming a 501c3 for the Storm Celebrate & Graduate lock-in, so that it follows booster club rules laid out by the district. She also sits on advisory boards for both the sales and marketing and advertising programs at the St. Cloud Technical and Community College. After meeting her husband in college, marrying and moving multiple places due to Dave’s previous military career, the Walhalla, N.D. native became involved in civic groups to meet people and feel a sense of belonging. “I don’t know why I initially started, but I think I craved that connection,” she said. The family moved to Sauk Rapids after Speicher was offered a job by an administer she had previously worked with, now Chief Executive OfÀcer of Good Shepherd Community, Bruce Glanzer. “When I started going to Sauk Rapids Chamber in 2002, it was eight people in the back of Jimmy’s,” Speicher said. “I had belonged to chamber every place I ever lived.
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
Jodi Speicher, vice-president of sales and marketing for Good Shepherd Community, is the 2017 Sauk Rapids Citizen of the Year.
So the Àrst thing I did was check out chamber. I went to chamber connection religiously for the Àrst three years just to meet people. As an import, it’s tough. You make friends, but it’s hard to get together and do things because people are either going to the lake every weekend or are with their extended family. That’s why all these other things feed you. Because they give you that connection and relationship into a community.” The newly-named citizen of the year said the seniors she has worked with throughout her career have inspired her to stay active and engaged in the community.
“After they retire, it always seems like they are busier than they ever were in their working lives,” Speicher said. “It makes me want to do even more.” She also feels it is her civic duty. “When you live in a community, you should give something back. You should participate. The world is run by those who show up. I really believe that quote. And if I don’t do my part, how can I expect others to do their parts?” Speicher said. “Volunteering has always been a big part of what I have done in every community I have lived. It’s a part of me.”
A story of home, abroad
Feld pens WWII novel BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS — Gerry Feld has always been interested in World War II. Surrounded by veteran family members, his interest in the war was nurtured at a young age. “When I was a small child, there was a show on TV every Sunday afternoon called, ‘The Twentieth Century’ with Walter Cronkite. It was a half hour show. For years, they chronicled the war —PaciÀc and European Theatres, personalities, battles,” the Sauk Rapids resident said. “When that show came on you had better be quiet. My dad and my uncle would watch it religiously, and I would sit there with them. When the show was over, I always had questions. The war just really intrigued me.” Feld, a U.S. Army and National
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
Sauk Rapids resident Gerry Feld released his Àrst book “A Journey into War.” Feld will be doing a book signing April 29 at Barnes and Noble in St. Cloud.
Guard veteran himself, sat amongst his assortment of 500 WWII books and military memorabilia earlier this month as he talked about a special novel in his collection. Nearly 40 years after he Àrst picked
up a pen to write what he calls the great American war novel, Feld has published his Àrst book. Feld will hold a book signing from noon to 3 p.m. April 29 at Barnes and Noble, of St. Cloud, in celebration of its
Major league memories Thayer recalls pitching for the Twins BY ANNA SALDANA STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS – Greg Thayer was once a little league baseball player with the same dream as all of his teammates: playing baseball for the majors Unlike many, Thayer was able to live out his aspiration. “It really was a dream come true,” Thayer said. “As a kid, it’s your dream growing up. Most kids have a dream of some sort, so when it comes true, it’s pretty unbelievable.” Thayer played baseball through high school, three years at St. Cloud State University and nine and a half in the minor leagues before getting his break into the major league. “The minors are tough because you are so close to your dream, but you have a lot of people ahead of you,” Thayer said. “I just kept playing because I knew I had that much more of a chance.” When Thayer was released from minor league baseball, he wasn’t ready to give up.
“There’s a saying in baseball ‘don’t quit the game, let the game quit you,’ so I went to play on an amateur team with my brother in North Dakota,” Thayer said. “We won the state tournament up there, and the Twins signed me from that.” Thayer threw for the Twins in the 1978 season – pitching 40 innings with a 3.8 earned run average (ERA). During his tenure, he found one win for the Twins. The Sauk Rapids resident wasn’t always a pitcher. He played third base and shortstop through high school. “I had a pretty good arm, so I always wanted to try to pitch, but I was always wild,” Thayer said. “I
Thayer: page 3
release. “A Journey into War” is a historical Àction novel which follows a young Minnesota man named Steven Kenrude from the beginnings of basic training over seas to the invasion of Normandy, through Europe and into the Battle of the Bulge. Feld created a Àctional Minnesota town and characters so he could rotate the chapters of the book between the struggles faced by those who served, as well as burden carried by those on local soil. “Everyone reads about the war, but people forget there were a lot of hardships and suffering at home. There was a lot of fear of the unknown — where is my loved one? Is he alive? They didn’t get letters for weeks or months on end, and there were a lot of problems within the families.” Feld said that in his main character’s case, Kenrude’s family toils with a younger brother, who
Feld: page 3
PHOTO BY ANNA SALDANA
Greg Thayer, who is now a baseball coach for Sauk Rapids-Rice, reminisces on his 1978 baseball season with the Minnesota Twins.
RICE — A business headquartered in Rice has potential to expand. The Rice City Council approved a Minnesota Investment Fund (MIF) application on behalf of Hydrostat, Inc. at the April 17 meeting. The city would have no Ànancial obligation in the transaction. However, if Hydrostat is awarded funds, the municipal would be responsible for administering the loan and presenting the state with two reports each year. “The Minnesota Investment Fund is a fund meant to encourage job creation and provide Ànancing options to move projects forward,” said Larry Hosch, business development director for Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation. “It’s a legislative-appropriated fund. If projects meet certain criteria, they are eligible for those dollars.” Hydrostat, located at 330 First Ave. SE, is an industrial cylinder hydrostatic and ultrasonic tester and requaliÀer. The company, which inspects, tests and reconditions a variety of cylinders, currently employs over 35 people and plans on hiring, as well as expanding their property. “Our plan is to buy an additional 13,400 square feet [in buildings] and another 4.5 acres,” said Stacy Schraut, owner of Hydrostat. Schraut also intends to increase his number of employees by roughly 10 people. Without the MIF, the owner said the expansion may not happen in the same capacity. “These funds will allow us to grow at a scale that we may not be able to do without them,” Schraut said. “One of the criteria is Hydrostat has to come up with at least half. We are way beyond that with the investment we are making. So really we are looking for anything available.” Schraut said the business is expected to qualify for roughly $240,000. “It is relatively no-stringsattached funding,” Hosch said. “When the city applies and is rewarded, they are able to negotiate the terms with the business owner. Usually it’s no-interest or low-interest. There can be some forgivable component to the loan, also.” In addition to helping the business owner, MIF beneÀts cities by allowing them to capture a portion of the loaned funds for economic development. Hosch said municipals may claim 40 percent or up to $100,000 of the funds to keep in the revolving loan fund or to negotiate a forgivable portion with the business owner. Rice will not be the Àrst in the area to administer such a loan. Sauk Rapids and St. Cloud have both managed MIF loans for businesses such as Talon Innovations, C4 Welding, Inc., Artic Cat and Artic Cold Storage. The city of Rice will hold a public hearing May 15 in accordance with the application procedures. Following the public hearing, a MIF application will be submitted to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. The Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation is assisting in the application process.
Gear up for Clean Sweep Week
SAUK RAPIDS — The city of Sauk Rapids will be featuring Clean Sweep Week 2017 beginning next Wednesday. The compost site will be open Wednesday, April 26 through Friday, April 28 from noon until 7 p.m.; and on Saturday, April 29 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Residents are encouraged to visit the city’s website http:// www.ci.sauk-rapids.mn.us for information regarding the city’s fees schedule and acceptable Clean Sweep items.