Spring Sports Team Have Big Week
Looking Back at Flood of 1965
BPHS Students, Siwek Lumber Teaming Up Page 2
Page 11
Pages 12, 13
ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOURTH YEAR
BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA, APRIL 22, 2015
75¢ SINGLE COPY
NUMBER 17
7-Year-Old Girl Asks Council Deputies, BCA Still Looking for Answers to Allow Chickens in Her Yard Who Killed Earl Olander?
Earl Olander’s funeral was Monday at East Union Lutheran Church. While his family and many friends bid the 90-year-old longtime farmer farewell, Carver County Sheriff’s deputies continue to look for answers to the all-important question. Who killed Olander, a man widely described as kind, caring and compassionate. Last week, Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson described Olander’s murder as a heinous crime. He said deputies and investigators from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) believe more than one person participated in the crime. They left Olander’s house ransacked. Saturday evening (April 11), a neighbor checking on him on behalf of a family member out-of-state found him dead in the living room, his hands bound. He had been assaulted.
the area at the time and other evidence that might help them identify possible assailants. Deputies won’t say what, if anything, had been taken from the house. Never married, Olander lived alone at 16885 Homestead Road in San Francisco Township. His house is about two miles southwest of East Union and five miles northeast of Belle Plaine. Olander lived alone. There was no sign of forced entry at the house. Investigators are not certain if Olander opened the door for the attackers or if they entered the house while he was in the yard and lay in wait for him to reenter the house. Kamerud said deputies are looking at “several leads to follow up on.” He said they are evaluating possible clues and scenarios, reviewing them in
Chard Tiling Gets 2015 Street Improvement Contract
by Dan Ruud The Belle Plaine City Council Monday night awarded a nearly $1 million street reconstruction and utility improvement contract to Chard Tiling and ExcaEarl Olander vating of Belle Plaine, but before they got to that, there was Olander was last seen alive another matter that warranted two days earlier. Tests by the some attention. medical examiner will hopeMayor Mike Pingalore said he fully close the window on when met 7-year-old Taylor Smith at he might have been killed, said McDonald’s recently, and after Jason Kamerud, Carver County hearing what she had to say, inSheriff chief deputy. vited her to come to Monday’s Kamerud said DNA testing meeting and let the entire counon evidence found at the house Olander cil and city staff know what is ongoing. Deputies are also (continued on page 8) she is asking from the city. She looking at cell phone use in came prepared and read her own hand-written letter at the podium in the council chambers. “Dear Mr. Pingalore. How are you today? My name is Taylor Smith. I am 7 years old and I wanted to talk to you about chickens. I don’t think it is fair that since I don’t live on a farm, I can’t have chickens. in commissioning a study that istrator Holly Kreft, it states: will investigate the potential – The YMCA understands that The reasons are you could have market for YMCA programs, the cost of the market study is a healthy meal of eggs every breakfast and I am in the 4H partnerships in delivery of ser- estimated to be $45,000. vices and/or facilities in Belle – The YMCA understands that and I would like to show them at the fair. It would teach me Plaine. a grant application has or will responsibility by taking care In a letter from Anita Lancello be submitted to the Scott Coun- of them. We have a fenced-in Bydlon, senior vice president of ty Economic Development Au- yard, so they would not escape. real estate development for the They would be in a chicken Partnership YMCA of the Greater Twin Citcoop. I would clean it and have (continued on page 8) ies, to Belle Plaine City Admin-
Partnership Formed to Pay for Study to Determine Feasibility of YMCA Facility in Belle Plaine by Dan Ruud It’s possible that the organization that helped make the Village People a household name across America decades ago could be coming to Belle Plaine at some point in the future. The YMCA is partnering with the city of Belle Plaine, the Belle Plaine School District and Ridgeview Medical Center
permission from my neighbors. Let me know what else I can do to get chickens. Have a nice day.” Taylor then rejoined her parents, Matthew and Sarah Smith, in the audience. The city’s ordinance currently does not allow chickens in residentially-zoned districts,
but Pingalore said he will see to it that the issue is addressed during the council’s next workshop, which is scheduled for May 4. In other business Monday night, the council unanimously
City Council
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City-Wide Recycle and Cleanup Day This Saturday
A Springfield, Minn. man was going too fast Thursday morning (April 16) to make the curve at “Carter’s Corner” on Carver County Road 40 north of Belle Plaine and about a half-mile east of Highway 25. The truck spilled much of the soybean meal it was carrying. The road was closed for cleanup until about 4:45 p.m. The driver was treated and released at an area hospital.
Grain Truck Crash Closes County Road 40 Thursday Carver County Road 40 was closed just northeast of Belle Plaine Thursday (April 16) when a truck loaded with soybean meal failed to make the sharp turn at “Carter’s Corner” and rolled over, spilling its load. The single-vehicle crash occurred just after 9:15 a.m. on County Road 40, about a halfmile east of Highway 25. The truck was heading northeast. The driver, Tyler Schultz of Springfield, Minn., lost control of the vehicle. It hit a guardrail on south side of the road and rolled onto its right side, spilling thousands of pounds of grain. Sheriff’s deputies at the scene indicated Schultz admitted he entered the corner too fast.
Belle Plaine Mayor Mike Pingalore took time out for a photo with 7-year-old Taylor Smith Monday night after she told the council she wants to raise chickens in her yard.
Deputies learned during their investigation that Schultz, 26, reached to the floor of the cab for his cell phone just before losing control of the truck. He was cited for distracted driving. Belle Plaine firefighters extricated the driver from the cab. He was transported to Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia where he was treated and released. The road was closed until about 4:45 p.m. during cleanup of the grain. Tow trucks raised the truck back upright before the road was reopened. Belle Plaine Fire Chief Matt Stier is concerned about the safety of the roadway, especially to drivers not familiar with “Carter’s Corner.” The county
says about 1,000 vehicles a day drive the roadway. The section of road has been the scene of many accidents over the years, 13 off-the-road crashes between 2010-2014, said Kate Miner, Carver County Public Works transportation manager. Of the 13 vehicles that left the road, 12 involved motorcycles, she said. Carver County Public Works crew installed a sign warning drivers to reduce their speed from the 55 mph limit to 30 mph entering the curves. “Hopefully this helps with the amount of calls we have on that road,” Stier said.
The city of Belle Plaine and the local Lions Club will conduct the community’s annual Recycle and Cleanup Day from 8 a.m. to noon at the police department parking lot, 420 East Main Street. The event is an opportunity to rid your garage and home of unwanted clutter and other items. Residents from the city of Belle Plaine and the townships of Belle Plaine, Blakeley and St. Lawrence can drop off their unwanted recyclable and refuse items. Items accepted at no charge include glass, newspapers, scrap metal, aluminum, cardboard and plastic. Donations of clothing, shoes, games, toys, lamps, curtains, linens, knick knacks, tools and bicycles will benefit the Epilepsy Foundation. There will be fees charged for refuse items. Large appliances are $10 per item. These include air conditioner, computer desktop/laptop, computer monitor, copier (large office style), dryer, microwave, refrigerator, vacuum cleaner, dryer, washer, water heater and water softener. For televisions, the price is $10 for up to 20 pounds and $20 for up to 50 pounds. For larger TVs, the price will be determined at arrival. Small appliances, which can be disposed of for $2 apiece, include printer/fax machine, radio, typewriter and VCR/DVD player. Automotive items and their costs to drop off include battery ($2), car tire ($3), truck tire ($8) and tractor tire ($15).
Larger household items accepted and their costs include sofa ($25), mattress ($20) and stuffed chair/recliner ($15). The minimum cost for a carload of miscellaneous waste is $30 and $50 and up for a pickup/trailer load. No hazardous waste will be accepted, includ-
ing fluorescent bulbs, paint, motor oils/filters and chemicals. Yard waste will also not be accepted. That should be taken to the city compost site located on West State Street (County Road 6). For more information, call Belle Plaine City Hall at 8735553.
Ladd to Retire, City and School District Teaming Up to Find Replacement Major Changes to Position Proposed
by Dan Ruud Belle Plaine Community Services Director Nelson Ladd recently submitted his letter of retirement following 30 years on the job. His last day will be June 30. In the letter, Ladd thanked the school district “for a rewarding 30 years” of employment. In the meantime, the school district is considering a change in the position that would include the activity director duties as well, a job that is presently handled by Mindy (Sparby) Chevalier, a full-time employee for the school district. If all goes according to plan, Sparby will become assistant principal for grades 7-12. “The activities director/recreation director position is a model that some districts use to fit their needs, and in a district our size this is a nice fit,” Sparby said. “The joining of these two positions will allow facili-
ties scheduling to be done more efficiently because it will all come out of one office. There can be a shared vision and communication between our youth programs and school programs. The role will work with both the city and school district to help provide services that will benefit our entire community.” Sparby added the beneficial skills for the activities director/recreation director position include communication, organization, public relations, technology integration and knowledge of the school and community. Because the community director’s duties overlap into the city’s sphere of things through various youth programs and
Ladd
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