Softball Tigers Make Best of Long Trip
BPHS Track Teams Open Outdoor Season Victorious Page 15
Page 15
High Island Rodeo This Week Page 16 ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SECOND YEAR
BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA, APRIL 10, 2013
75¢ SINGLE COPY
NUMBER 15
Much of West Main Street to be Narrowed, Project Begins Soon by Dan Ruud construction costs and will also of West Main Street from WilBelle Plaine’s 2013 street and lower future maintenance ex- low Street to just west of Eagle utility improvement project is penses, while still providing for Street. From that point westward, walks exist only on the scheduled to begin soon and adequate on-street parking. this year, more than most years, This year’s project also in- west side. All existing walks residents will notice a signifi- cludes street reconstruction and will be removed and replaced. cant difference when the work utility improvements at Eagle The sidewalk on the north side is taking place and after it’s Street between Park Street and of West Main Street to Elk completed. Main Street and the 100 block Street will be completed. Curb cuts will be constructed for all That’s because highly-trav- of North Buffalo Street. eled West Main Street will be “The conditions of the exist- existing driveways and alleys. narrowed between downtown ing bituminous street surfaces Numerous other sanitary, waand The Lutheran Home. on Main and Eagle streets are termain and storm sewer imAccording to City Engineer characterized as poor and ex- provements will also take place Joe Duncan, the existing width hibit alligator cracking and throughout the project area. of that stretch of road (between raveling as well as areas of Duncan said the project could Willow and Buffalo streets) differential settlement,” states start within the next week, varies from approximately 50 the project report,” which was weather permitting. Some conto 65 feet, and will be reduced prepared by Bolton and Menk, struction equipment and many to the city’s state-aid standard the city’s engineering firm. road closure signs have already of 44 feet. The boulevards on “The public works department arrived in the project area. The both sides of the street will be expends significant resources work is expected to last about annually to rework, patch and three months. LeRoy Bentfield added some wood to the fire as he was among those cooking a batch of maple widened accordingly. From Market Street to Willow otherwise maintain the streets Chard Tiling and Excavating syrup Friday outside Harold Edberg’s building south of Highway 169. of Belle Plaine was awarded Street, part of which is in the in the project area.” central business district, angle The curb and gutter on Buffalo the contract with a low bid of parking exists on the south side Street will remain in place with $1,304,218, which was some of West Main Street, and there- only the street section being $196,000 (13 percent) below fore, the existing street width replaced as a function of wa- the city engineer’s estimate of termain replacement and storm $1,500,000 for construction there will remain the same. costs. An assessment public Duncan said narrowing the sewer construction. by Dan Ruud helping cook the first batch of up is ready to be strained and streets helped reduce this year’s Sidewalks exist on both sides hearing will be held this fall. Belle Plaine area maple syrup maple syrup of the season Fri- bottled. producers had to be patient this day morning on three wood- It normally takes 30 to 40 galspring, so much so that they had burning stoves outside Harold lons of sap to produce a gallon to flip the calender page from Edberg’s building south of of syrup. The amounts vary deMarch to April before they Highway 169 (behind Belle pending on the sugar content of could venture into the woods Plaine Animal Hospital). the sap, which is mostly water. and come out carrying buckets “We had a good day yester- The Belle Plaine group, full of sap. day (Thursday). We brought which consists mostly of retirAccording to LeRoy Bent- in about 180 gallons of sap,” ees, tapped over 200 trees this field, one of about a dozen Belle Bentfield said. year, each with a bucket hangPlaine area residents who has Basically, the process involves ing from the spout (spile). This made producing maple syrup boiling sap in a pan until it con- year’s sap began to flow signifihere a spring ritual, this year’s tains a high percentage of sugar. cantly on Thursday. The foreseason is “a good three weeks When the sap reaches a certain cast the rest this week, howevbehind schedule.” temperature (slightly above the er, calls for unseasonably cool Bentfield was among those boiling point of water), the syr- temperatures, especially today and Thursday when highs are forecast to be only in the 30s and dip into the 20s overnight. While March of last year is warmly remembered by many Minnesotans and other MidCindy Dikmen, chair of the westerners, the record-breaking Donations Being post-prom committee, said cash mildness wasn’t so sweet for prize donations are being maple syrup producers. That’s Sought for Prizes and sought for the post-prom party, because maple trees generate Belle Plaine High School will which will be held at Nickel- the most sap when cool (not Jeff Luskey (left) and Kurt Fossen are starting u4ic Brewing Company in the old creamery hold both its prom and post- odeon Universe in MOA. To freezing) days are followed building in Blakeley. They’ll start brewing root beer later this spring and beer in the sumprom party at Mall of America donate, contact her at 952-873- by freezing nights (normally mer. (MOA) in Bloomington on Sat- 5416 or by mail to 1025 South March). The weather was simChestnut Court, Belle Plaine, ply too warm for those two inurday, May 4. gredients to come together last Current plans are to hold prom MN 56011. and post-prom at MOA every Dikmen said there will also be year. other year. Belle Plaine’s first a need for chaperones at prom Edberg, one of the founding at that location was in 2011. and post-prom. Any percents members of the local maple When they were kids growing be done before the two open also want to offer their beer in The Grand March will be held who are interested in volunteer- syrup gang, described last year up in Jordan, Jeff Luskey and their taproom for samples and bottles and kegs at area liquor at 5 p.m. May 4 in the school’s ing should call her or come to a as the worst syrup season the Kurt Fossen knew their way sales of malted beverages, they stores. south gymnasium, after which post-prom parent meeting 7:30 around the remains of the old are excited and ready to get For Fossen, owner of a drySyrup p.m. April 17 at the BPHS comstudents will head to MOA. brewery there. Today, the long- started. wall company, the opportunity (continued on page 16) mons area. time friends and now business Their business partnership has to join Luskey is a result of a partners hope to be brewing up been fermenting for years. Lus- slow economy. “My business is success in Blakeley. key and Fossen started brew- slow right now,” he said. “I deThe pair has teamed up and ing beer in small quantities on cided to take a chance.” will soon be opening a 30-bar- their own since the late-1980s. Luskey works for Tennant rel brewhouse, u4ic – aka Eu- Their plan is to create 15 variet- Inc., the company that sells phoric Brewing Inc. – in about ies of ales – from light summer floor-cleaning equipment. He’s Sibley Aggregates owner Le- ect this summer. Construction approximately 40 feet below 8,000 square feet of leased brews to a dark imperial stout long eyed the brewing busiRoy Chard is asking Sibley could take place late this sum- the current elevation of county space within the old creamery -- that will be available later ness. Both men will keep their building along Scott County this summer once they receive County to relocate two county mer or in the fall at the earliest, roads 6 and 60. Brew roads and intersections adjacent said Sibley County Engineer Sibley Aggregates wants to Road 1 in Blakeley. And while the necessary OKs to brew beer there is still plenty of work to and operate a taproom. They (continued on page 16) to his mine in Faxon Township Darin Mielke said. lower the highways closer to so he can extract the aggregate “It depends on his schedule, elevation of the bottom of the from beneath the two roads. how busy his crews are,” said gravel pit. Relocating the highChard is asking the county re- Mielke said. ways to the northwest and north locate County Road 6 (Scenic Chard owns the mineral rights will improve the general safety Byway Road) from approxi- beneath county roads 6 and 60, of the road by eliminating the mately four-tenths of a mile Mielke said. He is currently steep slopes that currently exist northeast of the intersection working on preliminary plans adjacent to the rights-of-way, with County Road 5 (Faxon to determine the feasibility of Mielke said. Road) to a quarter mile south the road and intersection relo- The project, if it occurs, will of its intersection with 291st cation projects. require temporary closure of Avenue. He is also asking Sib- Chard’s company will pay all both county roads. Mielke said ley County to relocate County costs associated with the proj- the county and Chard are workRoad 60 (295th Avenue) from ects should it ultimately occur, ing on a staging plan that will its intersection with County Mielke said. minimize impact on the apRoad 6 (Scenic Byway Road) Sibley Aggregates operates a proximately 900 vehicles a day to approximately a half-mile large gravel pit north and east that use County Road 6 and 400 north of the County Road 6 in- of the intersection of county vehicles a day that use County tersection. roads 6 and 60. The gravel pit Road 60. The county board has already supplies concrete, bituminous, given Chard its OK to begin and aggregate materials for working on preliminary plans. many cities, counties, and local The board may consider final residents in the area. The lower Luskey and Fossen moved brewing equipment into the former creamery building in Blakeley plans and approve the proj- level of the gravel pit is located last weekend.
Local Maple Syrup Producers Finally Spring Into Action
Prom, Post-Prom to be Held at Mall of America
Area Men Hoping to Brew Plenty of Success in Blakeley
Chard Asks Sibley County to OK Relocating Roads, Intersections