Sartell Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com
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Friday, March 29, 2013
School-board meetings can be viewed online by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com
Video recordings of Sartell-St. Stephen School Board meetings can now be viewed online by the public. It’s one of several efforts by the new school board to open up communications between the board and the public it serves. The regular monthly board meetings are taped, and the video is then uploaded to the district’s webpage within 48 hours of the meeting. Links to the video can be found at www. vimeo.com/isd748. “The ability to have our community watch school-board
meetings at their convenience will continue to support enhanced communication efforts,” School Board Chair Michelle Meyer stated in a webpage memo. “We realize everyone may not be able to make Monday night meetings but are still interested in the happenings of our district. This addition will allow for more information to be accessed by our community in a timely manner.” Superintendent Joe Hill said he also believes online access to meetings will be a big plus. “This is a progressive means to enhance communication with our community in the 21st Century,” he stated in a memo. “This aligns well with Vision 2015 in
supporting and enhancing open and responsive communication, which allows for greater community engagement.” Three other efforts by the board to keep lines of communication open are these: 1.) The addition of a student representative to sit on the board in a non-voting, advisory capacity. 2.) Occasional question-answer sessions for the public, most recently at Liquid Assets coffee shop in Sartell. 3.) The scheduling of occasional meetings in St. Stephen. The April meeting will be held there at 6 p.m. Monday, April 15 at St. Stephen City Hall.
Site plan approved for apartment complex
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A site plan for an apartment complex – Schultz Apartments – was recently approved by the Sartell City Council. The project, to be built just west of Victory Avenue, will consist of 49 units on a 3.28-acre site.
Big Brother from page 5 turn at the counter, he told the woman she didn’t deserve what she had just received and that she had handled it very well. Riner ended up getting put in a first-class seat because he was nice and wore a smile. Figallo’s family is happy he has met Riner and made a good friend. They said they realize how important it is for any child to have someone he can trust and is comfortable enough with to share feelings. The family is glad for an authority figure like Riner, who can guide “Little Brothers” through listening, understanding and being together through difficult times and joyous times. Figallo’s younger brothers wish Riner could be their Big Brother, too.
Almost half of the area will be greenspace, with 74 trees and 212 shrubs. There will be eight one-bedroom apartments and 41 threebedroom apartments in the complex, which will be three stories
high. There will be two accesses at Victory Avenue. The applicant for the site-plan approval is Rick Schultz, owner; along with Mahler and Associates Architect.
Riner was nominated for the award by the BBBS agency. He said it’s an “honor and a privilege to represent and promote the program,” and he would recommend the program to others. “You will most likely make a difference in a young person’s life and have a whole lot of fun in the process,” Riner said. “There is a very good chance you will get more than you give.” Figallo said he doesn’t really know anything about the other ‘Bigs’ in the BBBS program, but he believes Riner is the best. Whenever he needs someone to talk to, is bored and doesn’t know what to do, or is confused about math, Riner is there to help. Figallo said Riner listens, offers ideas for him to use his time productively and helps him understand math. “Bill is the best ‘Big’ because no matter what I require to get the skills I need to succeed in
life, Bill is always there,” Figallo said. Figallo would also recommend the BBBS program to others. “BBBS has a lot of events, fun things to do and gets us discounts at a lot of places, but the best thing is they gave me a best friend for life, a Big Brother,” Figallo said. This is the second year both the state Big Brother and Big Sister have been chosen from the central Minnesota agency. The Big Brother Big Sisters program began in 1969 and provides youth with one-to-one mentoring relationships. The Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota program currently has 190 children who are waiting for a mentor. To learn more about becoming a mentor, volunteering or donating, call 320-253-1616 or visit www.bbbscentralmn.org.