PRSRT STD ECR U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #861
Don’t forget to set your clocks back! Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday, Nov. 5 at 2 a.m.
New Look. Same Local Coverage since 1854. Vol. 163, No. 30
11 2nd Ave. N., Unit nit 103, Sauk Rapids, Benton C Co County, ou un nty ty, MN 56379
Ice control, snow removal
Preparing for state Ringger reflects, looks forward to big race BY ANNA SALDANA STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS – Sam Ringger has been running into success on the cross country course this season. As a junior, he will be representing Sauk Rapids-Rice at the state cross country race Nov. 4 at St. Olaf College. “Sam runs with confidence, and I am super proud of all the hard work he has put in this season,” said Marie Zeilenga, the SRR cross country coach. “He deserves every bit of this accomplishment, and I know he is excited to go race at the state level.” Zeilenga’s words are true; Ringger is looking forward to the state race. “I’m really excited,” Ringger said. “It will be an honor to run at state with some of the top runners.” Making it to state has been a goal for Ringger since he started running in seventh grade. “My dad likes to run, and he wanted me to join,” Ringger said. “I am very happy with that decision. Cross country has been very enjoyable.”
As he prepares to race at state, Ringger recognizes how much hard work he has put in to get to this point. “Last year, I missed state by one spot, and it was a huge disappointment,” Ringger said. “However, I knew that state was still my goal, and I really wanted to make it this year. I ran more than 400 miles over the summer because I knew if I wanted to improve and make it to state, I’d have to put in a lot of miles. It’s paid off. Last year’s disappointment has really motivated me.” Throughout the season, Ringger has been running with the top of the pack at every meet. The lowest placement he has had in any race all season is fifth, which is where he placed at the Cold Spring invitational Sept. 21, at the conference championships Oct. 17, and at the section championships Oct. 26. Contrary to his fifth-place finishes, he has more first place finishes this season. He started the year placing first at the SRR home invitational Sept. 7. He also took first at
Ringger page 3
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
Sauk Rapids Director of Public Works Pete Eckhoff prepares for the city’s winter season Oct. 31.
City of Sauk Rapids prepares for winter season BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
PHOTO BY ANNA SALDANA
Sam Ringger competes in the SRR invitational Sept. 7 where he placed first. Ringger placed first in four separate meets this season.
Scout for life Reese relives experiences with son BY ANNA SALDANA STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS – Steve Reese loves being a Boy Scout. From the time he was in second grade, Steve — a Sauk
Rapids resident — has been a Scout, working his way through the ranks. He started as a Wolf Scout, crossed into Boy Scouts and continued in the program through high school. “When I made the cross over to Boy Scouts, I became
PHOTO BY ANNA SALDANA
Sean Reese and his dad, Steve, the Cubmaster for Sauk Rapids Pack 8, stand near the Mississippi River in Sauk Rapids Oct. 23.
Saturday, November 4, 2017
really active in it as a camp counselor for three years and elected into the Order of the Arrow, which is the honor society for Scouting,” Steve said. One of Steve’s fondest memories is earning his Eagle Scout Award. To earn the honor, he constructed habitats for puddle ducks. “I saw a lot of puddle ducks flying around the area where I grew up, but I knew there wasn’t a lot of quality habitat for them,” Steve said. “I turned that into my Eagle Scout project and had help constructing the nesting platforms. I am a duck hunter, and I knew there was a need for these. That’s how I chose it. It was so fun to see it finished.” Steve enjoyed his entire Scout experience. “The program is set up in a way where you can enjoy a little bit of everything,” Steve said. “There will be some things that you might not enjoy very much, but then you’ll find other things that you do. The nature stuff wasn’t my big thing, but the swimming, boating, waterfront and shooting sports were. When you start earning your merit badges, it’s almost like experiencing little jobs. It’s a great program.” Steve recently took over as the Cubmaster for Pack 8, a Sauk Rapids group where his son, Sean, is a member. As Cubmaster, Steve is responsible for coordinating activities for the entire Pack.
“It has been so fun to be (Sean’s) Cubmaster,” Steve said. “It has come full circle for me, and I now get to see (Sean) experience the same things I did. I know he’s having fun with it, just like I did.” Steve started his time with his son’s Scout experience as a den leader. A den consists of smaller student groups in the same Scouting rank. This year, there was a need for a Cubmaster and Steve accepted the role. “I like having my dad as the Cubmaster. It’s a lot of fun,” Sean said. Steve’s wife, Meghann, plays a part in Scouting, as well. She is Sean’s den leader this year. “I took on the role of Cubmaster due to my knowledge and continued involvement in the program,” Steve said. “I really enjoy watching the boys when they have an ‘a-ha’ moment after struggling with something — when that something just clicks and their face lights up. But I have to make sure I don’t say certain things to my wife because she has to run her own program as den leader. I don’t want to interfere with that. However, we do enjoy
Scout for life page 2
Public Veteran's Day Programs Sunday, Nov. 5, 1 p.m. — 11th annual Veterans Day Parade and Social. St. Cloud VA Campus, 4801 Veterans Drive. Following the parade a Vietnam War Commemoration Ceremony will be held at Apollo High School, 1000 44th Avenue N, St. Cloud. Friday, Nov. 10, 2:30-3 p.m. — Rice Elementary Program, 200 Third Avenue NE, Rice.
SAUK RAPIDS — With mercury levels dipping drastically and snow flurries falling from the skies, residents of central Minnesota are surely aware winter has arrived. Although many residents may be scurrying to find hats and gloves, and equip their vehicles with snow brushes or scrapers, the city of Sauk Rapids is fully-prepared to take on the season. In fact, they have already started. The first step to combating the complications of winter is planning ahead. Sauk Rapids Director of Public Works, Pete Eckhoff, placed the city’s order of 1,000 tons of road salt last March. He ordered an additional 300 tons of treated salt and bought sand, as well. In total, $67,275.06 of the $75,000 sand and salt budget was used to purchase commodities. “I know roughly what I use,” said Eckhoff, who has nearly 25 years of public works experience between the cities of Sauk Rapids and St. Cloud. The city of Sauk Rapids and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDoT) order their road salt on contract through a private vendor in St. Paul. “I’m obligated to take 80 percent of my order and I’m allowed to take 120 percent,” Eckhoff said. “But I can’t take any less than 80 percent. Last year, we hardly had any snow events after February, so the shed is full and I still have 1,000 tons on reserve.” Eckhoff will need to relocate the 800 tons of salt bound by contract from the St. Paul facility by May 2018. If the upcoming winter season is as mild as it was the past year, he may be required to find additional accommodations for the supply. But Eckhoff is not worried. “I never want to run out,” Eckhoff said. “I don’t know what kind of winter I’m going to have this season, but I am betting I’ll use enough out of the salt shed to take that 80 percent of salt for next year. I ordered less of the treated salt because of the quantities in the salt shed this year, but I don’t ever want to get where I have used up my 120 percent. Then you have to go into the open market and buy it.” Eckhoff said purchasing road salt on the open market can be extremely difficult and costly for a city. He would rather look for storage options
than search for salt. Sand is cheaper for the city to purchase, but not necessarily more economical. Each time salt-sand mixtures are spread to ensure traction for motorists, public works has to revisit the area in the spring to street sweep and transport the polluted sand. For that reason, it is used sparingly. “The problem with sand is you have to pick it up in the spring,” Eckhoff said. “All those times you went and spread salt-sand out, that sand lays in the street and goes down the storm sewer. Then, you have to clean the storm sewer out. The MPCA [Minnesota Pollution Control Agency] is getting very strict on what gets discharged into the river. A lot of these communities have gone to using straight salt.” Regardless of the solution, Eckhoff said the department is always trying to get by with fewer chemicals and create less of an impact on the environment. Ice control and snow removal go hand-in-hand for the 14 public works employees. They began preventative maintenance — patching around gate valves and storm sewers — in September and last month they staked plow routes. The streets and parks department is primarily tasked with plowing and salting, but in larger snow events the utilities staff joins in the team effort. “About 50 to 60 percent of the time the street department takes care of all the plowing because Craig [Nelson, utilities director for the city of Sauk Rapids] has his hands full with lift stations and other stuff that they have to do,” Eckhoff said. “But if we get a major snow event, I’ll call them in and they’ll do their truck routes.” Public Works has two pick-up plows, nine heavy trucks and one skidsteer that assist in snow removal and ice control. The drivers — all of which are year-round employees — start plowing on major arterial roadways, before moving to neighboring roads and alleyways. They also remove snow from the Government Center and Sauk Rapids Liquor store parking lots, as well as other areas within city limits. If one driver has finished his route, he calls to help another. Ideally, the crew can complete the city in eight hours. “The best time to plow is 1 in the morning,” Eckhoff said. “You almost have to do it then, but unfortunately Mother Nature doesn’t always cooperate.” Eckhoff said a lot of variables go into deciding when to dispatch his employees, but for the most
Winter preparations page 3