More River Fishin’ Photos
City Council Hears from Property Owners
Tigers to Open State Tourney at Watkins Sunday Page 13
Page 6
Pages 12, 14
ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOURTH YEAR
BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA, august 19, 2015
75¢ SINGLE COPY
NUMBER 33
A Hot River Fishin’ Contest School Board Picks Laager Chris Baynes’ Flathead Catfish Tops as Next B.P. Superintendent
Greg O’Brien’s by Less Than Half a Pound by Dan Ruud There have only been four 90degree days in the Twin Cities region so far this summer and two of them occurred during this past Friday’s and Saturday’s Belle Plaine River Fishin’ Contest. But that did not keep a contest-record 271 anglers (the previous record was 255 in 2013) from turning out for the 40th annual event, two of whom were paid handsomely for their efforts. Included were Chris Baynes of Mankato and Greg O’Brien of Belle Plaine. Baynes caught 41.50-pound flathead catfish that topped one caught by O’Brien by less than half a pound (41.15). One other flathead in excess of 40 pounds (40.65) was brought to the park by a man but the fish was disqualified for lack of health. It was carried to the park on a stringer and contest rules state: Fish must be carried to the weigh-in point in coolers or other suitable containers. These fish are the responsibility of the contestants. Last year’s $2,000 winner was a 39.25-pound flathead caught by Andy Stueven of North Mankato. Baynes’ win by a whisker this year netted him the $2,000 grand prize, while O’Brien won the second-place prize – a 17foot Alumacraft canoe. The third-place prize of $400 was won by Jake Robinson of Shakopee with a 35.85-pound flathead. The fourth largest fish of the day, good for $200, was a
River Fishin’
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Contract Talks Begin, Set for Approval Aug. 24
After nearly two hours of discussion that moved the Belle Plaine School Board members from a 3-3 split to a unanimous decision, the board sees Stillwater School District Assistant Superintendent Ryan Laager as their next superintendent. During a special meeting Thursday (Aug. 13) at Oak Crest Elementary, the board voted unanimously in favor of entering into contract negotiations with Laager to replace retiring Superintendent Kelly Smith. Ed Waltman, a consultant with South Central Services Cooperative, and Director Mike Ludvik, the school board’s chairman, will work on negotiating a contract agreement between the school district and Laager. “The candidate is very excited to enter into contract negotiations,” Waltman told the board after calling Laager with the board’s decision shortly before 9:30 p.m. The district sent Laager a proposed contract over the weekend. Monday morning, Waltman said, “I believe we have an agreement.” The school board expects the contract to be ready for approval at its Aug. 24 meeting. Laager and Bloomington School District Assistant Superintendent Tim Anderson were the two finalists for the position. Anderson interviewed with the board and met community members Wednesday (Aug. 12). Laager was in Belle Plaine for his interview Thursday before the board began deChris Baynes of Mankato was the winner of this year’s Belle liberating at 7:30 p.m. Plaine River Fishin’ Contest with this 41.50-pound flathead.
Board members said they could support either candidate. “It’s all about finding the right fit for you, your staff, your community,” Waltman told the board. “You have two excellent finalists.”
Tough Decision
After sitting through interviews with both men and hear-
ing the recommendation of a community committee of primarily district staff, board members struggled to reach consensus. They sifted through attributes of the two finalists, using phrases like “team builder,” “proven leader,” “honest and ethical,” “collaborator,” and “proven record” when describing both men. Laager and Anderson were lauded by board members for being “strategic” and their knowledge of the “best practices” of educational strategies. “We’re all struggling with what is the right answer. They’re both excellent candidates, which is a good problem to have,” said Director Dan Giesen. He acknowledged shifting his support from Anderson to Laager, changing a 3-3 split to 4-2. The positions of the other board members were not known because the candidate they supported was not publicly identified. In the end, Ludvik said Laager’s breadth of work ex-
School Board
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Fire Department Street Dance Saturday The annual Belle Plaine Fire Department Relief Association Street Dance will take place this Saturday at the Fire Hall, 700 East Main Street. There will be a bean bag tournament with registration at noon and first toss at 1 p.m. The cost is $20 per two-person team and is limited to the first 30 teams. You can preregister at belleplainefiredept@gmail.
com. The beer garden will open at noon and food will also be available. Local sober cab rides will be available free of charge. The Charlie Sticha Polka Band will perform from 2-6 p.m. From 8 p.m. to midnight, music will be provided by the Twin Cities area band SO BIG, which plays a wide variety of classic to current rock and country rock music.
Local Investment Group Exploring Golf Course Purchase Group is Interested in Valley View, Any Available Course
A group of local investors is interested in buying a golf course. While their interest is not exclusively focused solely on the course sitting idle just outside Belle Plaine’s southern
city limits, the foursome wants to know if area golf enthusiast would support their ownership if the group could swing the sale. Lee Sauter is the spokesperson for an unnamed group of four area residents potentially interested in purchasing and operating a golf course. Sauter, a retired Belle Plaine math teacher, stresses the group is not locked in on Valley View Golf Course.
B.P. School Board Filing Period Comes up One Name Short Vacancy Could be Filled by Write-In
Apparently interest in serving on the Belle Plaine School Board doesn’t garner the interest the school district hoped it would be. The filing period for this fall’s election closed last Tuesday with two candidates for three open seats. Director Tracy O’Brien and former board member Gary Steinhagen were the only two candidates who signed to run for three available four-year terms. Directors Mike Ludvik and Matt Lenz decided not to seek re-election. O’Brien is seeking election to the appointed position she has
held this year. Steinhagen, who served on the board from 2010-2013, is running for a seat on the board. With nobody filing for the third seat, the top write-in candidate who wants the job will win the seat on the Belle Plaine School Board. If the top write-in candidate decides not to take the seat, the next highest recipient of legitimate write-in votes will have the opportunity to serve, said Superintendent Kelly Smith. He’s checking with the Minnesota School Board Association for confirmation on handling the situation. If none of the write-in candidates want to serve, Smith said the board can appoint someone to fill the vacancy. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Your Opinion:
The group is interested in your opinion on its efforts to acquire a golf course, possibly Valley View south of Belle Plaine. Lee Sauter wrote survey questions. They are available at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y9NZ9CR The course needs plenty of work to bring it back to playing shape. Its clubhouse features space for a sit-down restaurant. The group is interested in any golf course in the region that’s for sale. “That certainly would be a good option for us, because we’re all from or live around here,” Sauter said of Valley View. Owners LeRoy and Connie Chard closed the golf course and restaurant earlier this year. Sauter said he met with LeRoy Chard earlier this year and discussed the state of the golf course. A frequent patron of the 20-year-old course, Sauter won’t speculate on why Valley View was closed. He believes the course is both attractive and walkable. Sauter believes Valley View has the potential to be a viable business. Although it is not being ac-
Golf Course
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Jon and Peg Schuette have operated Belle Plaine Auto at the corner of South Meridian and West Raven streets since 1983. In 1992, Jon began selling cars and trucks.
For Schuettes, Belle Plaine Auto, It’s Time to Turn the Page When discussing the future of Belle Plaine Auto, Jon Schuette stresses the point. “I’m not retiring.” Exactly what he’ll do after closing down his business this fall is yet to be determined. Schuette joke finding a job where somebody pays him a lot of money for not working too hard or very long each week. But he knows better. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he said. He looks forward to working for someone else. “I want to go home and see what it’s like to not worry about the business.” Schuette recently announced he plans to sell off the remaining stock of previously-owned cars he displays on the lot at the intersection of West Raven and South Meridian streets and close up shop. He recently completed the sale of the cor-
ner lot to Stier Transportation. Schuette has access to the property until the end of the year but expects to be out of the shop and office by October. He plans to lower prices on vehicles until the cars sell. In addition to selling vehicles, Schuette performs bodywork and some mechanical repairs as he’s able. Schuette won’t move his tools until he’s done selling cars. “If I move my tools, there’s nothing I can do,” he said. Schuette bought the business in 1983 from Mark Boeckman. He had worked for Boeckman beginning in 1980. Boeckman and his partner Dave Albrecht started the business several years earlier. “I happened to stop by one day looking for a job. I never left,” he said. Boeckman continued to work
on cars, but from a shop in Blakeley village. Albrecht was a big influence and the two frequently went to coffee and talked shop. Schuette credits Albrecht and Boeckman for his success in the early years on his own. “They’re good friends and mentors,” Jon said. In 1992, Schuette started selling cars to complement the work he performed on them. He stressed that any work he did on vehicles before displaying them for sale has always been fairly minor. People assumed that because he did body work, many of the cars were salvaged. During the summer, he sells more vehicles. The winter months see more bodywork performed at the shop, he said.
Schuettes
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