Belle plaine herald january 27, 2016

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Chatfield Students Delve Deeper Into

Boys’ Hoops Team Wins Three More

Girls’ Basketball Team Ends Victory Drought

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Technology

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ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIFTH YEAR

BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA, JANUARY 27, 2016

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NUMBER 4

Council Addresses Street Improvement Project Concerns Okays Ridgeview/ Lutheran Home Concept Plant by Dan Ruud Concerns that were brought up at a public hearing in August were readdressed and acted on by the Belle Plaine City Council last Tuesday night. Following the public hearing five months ago, the council unanimously agreed to order the final plans for the $1,450,000 project, which is proposed to consist of Forest Street East, one block of Oak Street North and two blocks of Court Street

Members of this year’s BPHS one-act play are back row, from left, Neil Bigaouette, Jonah Meyer, Noah Reutzel, Patrick Selly, Hunter Meyer and Emma Salden. In the middle row are Aryanna Albee, Jennifer He, Bryce Nelson, Megan Littlepage (with baby), Rachel Fahey, Stephen LaJeunesse, Kali Gorman and Kolby Spomer (crew). In the front row are John Franck, Taylor Thompson, Hannah Burmeister, Taylor Cote, Griffin Ruud and Drew Keup (crew).

BPHS One-Act Play Going Back to 1800s Public Performance This Thursday Night

The Belle Plaine High School one-act play group will present “Anatomy of Gray” as its 2016 play. “Anatomy of Gray” tells the story of June Muldoon, a 15year-old girl growing up in a small Indiana town in the 1880s. When June’s father dies, she prays for a healer to come to the small town so that no one will ever suffer again. The next thing she knows, there’s a tornado and a man in a balloon

blows into town claiming to be a doctor. At first, the new doctor cures anything and everything, but soon the town’s preacher takes ill with a mysterious plague, which begins to spread. The play deals with death, loss, love and healing in a unique comingof-age story. Last year, Belle Plaine won the subsection championship with its production of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and then placed third at section. Belle Plaine is attempting to make its 12th appearance at the

Minnesota State One-Act Play Festival in St. Paul. The group earned its 11th starred rating in program history at state with its 2014 production of “The Drowsy Professor.” The school earned previous starred ratings at state in 1993, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013. This year’s cast and crew include: Jonah Meyer (Gray), Hannah Burmeister (June), Megan Littlepage (Rebekah), Noah Reutzel (Phineas), Rachel Fahey (Tiny), Stephen LaJeunesse (Crutch), Kali Gorman (Belva),

Belle Plaine Dollars for Scholars 25th Annual Phone-A-Thon This Weekend You Can Also Donate Online

Belle Plaine Dollars for Scholars will conduct its 25th annual Phone-A-Thon this weekend. Dozens of students will take turns manning the phones from the Rose Room at the Belle Plaine Public Library asking Belle Plaine and District 716 residents to make pledges. This year’s donations will gener-

ate immediate funds for 2016 scholarships. Annual fund-raisers such as the Phone-A-Thon and Car Raffle generate the monies for scholarships to be awarded each year to the graduating students. One-hundred percent of the money donated goes toward the scholarships. More students are choosing to continue their education at a post-secondary level. As the community and schools grow, the continuing challenge and

Truck Carrying Hazardous Materials Crashes in Blakeley Twp. A truck carrying a hazardous corrosive liquid crashed and began to burn Monday afternoon on County Road 1 in Blakeley Township, prompting sheriff’s deputies to close the roadway and warn area residents to stay in their homes. Just after 1:40 p.m., sheriff’s deputies received a report of a northbound truck crashing into a tree on the east side of County Road 1 (Union Trail), not far from the intersection of County Road 1 and West 250th Street in Blakely Township. The truck ran off the east side of County Road 1, through the ditch before striking the tree. Firefighters determined diesel fuel from the fuel tank leaked, but no hazardous materials were released from the trailer,

said Scott County Sheriff Kevin Studnicka. Firefighters were concerned about a possible leak because the hazardous material – Veresene 100 or UN 3267 – reacts to water, said Belle Plaine Fire Chief Matt Stier. The truck’s driver, a 35year-old man from Wyoming, Minn., suffered minor injuries in the crash. He was treated at the scene, Studnicka said. Sheriff’s deputies closed roads in the area of the crash. County Road 1 remained closed into the evening while crews cleaned up the truck, trailer, and fuel spill. The Scott County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Belle Plaine Police Department and Minnesota State Patrol Commercial Vehicle Division.

goal for Dollars for Scholars is to present scholarships to all students who apply. Students will be calling potential donators this Saturday, Sunday and Monday evening. Donations of any and all sizes are greatly appreciated. If every donation is increased by $5, Dollars for Scholars would earn an additional $5,000 for this year’s graduating class. Jeff Misgen of Pizza Plus has donated a $250 in-store gift certificate for this year’s Phone-AThon challenge. To be eligible for the drawing, all you need to do is increase your PhoneA-Thon donation by $5 over last year. For every $5 over last year, you will receive an additional ticket(s) to be entered in the drawing. One of the rising challenges the Phone-A-Thon is experiencing are residents who no longer have land lines and are using cell phones. If you would like to be contacted, please email your contact information to belleplainedfs@gmail.com. If you are not contacted during the Phone-A-Thon but would like to contribute to a Belle Plaine student’s post-secondary education and have your name entered in the drawing, you

Phone-A-Thon (continued on page 8)

Griffin Ruud (Homer) and Taylor Thompson (Maggie). The townspeople are played by Aryanna Albee, Neil Bigaouette, Taylor Cote, John Franck, Jennifer He, Hunter Meyer, Bryce Nelson, Emma Salden and Patrick Selly. The crew consists of Drew Keup and Kolby Spomer. The directors are Tony Hartmann and Carol Hannon-Orr. Hartmann was codirector of Belle Plaine’s one-act play for a number of years with Peter Jacobson, who is on a leave of absence to teach in India. HannonOrr, who is no stranger to the program, has joined Hartmann as a codirector this year. She was the director of the school’s one-act play when Hartmann was a student in the play in the 1980s. Hartmann said the cast and crew have been rehearsing “Anatomy of Gray” since the first week of December. “We selected the show after

One-Act

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East. The city mailed notices to a total of 57 property owners. Some of those property owners expressed concerns at the hearing, including: – Proposed sidewalks within the project area. – Stormwater drainage at the intersection of Forest and Oak streets. – Poor traffic visibility due to the retaining wall on Highway 25 (Walnut Street). Since the public hearing, the public works committee reviewed each of the above con-

City Council

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Local Brewery’s Tap Room Opens Friday After several months of preparation, U4IC Brewing Company’s taproom in Blakeley village will open to the public this weekend. The taproom is in the brewery at 23436 County Road 1 (Union Trail) in the building the Blakeley creamery and Went Laboratories used. It will open Friday (Jan. 29), 6 p.m. to midnight; Saturday, noon to midnight. The taproom’s hours will be Thursday, 4 to 10 p.m.; Friday, 4 p.m. to midnight; and Saturday, noon to midnight. The team of Jeff Luskey, Kurt

Fossen and Dave Luskey has been brewing a variety of beers -- Blakeley Pils, Low Road Altbier, Car Show American Ale, Grass Skirt Hawaiian Style Ale, Old Corn Crib American IPA, and Beezztinger Hard Cider. They will also have Patrick’s Honey Pot Root Beer for visitors to enjoy at the opening. They will also welcome Rolling Hearth Bistro to the brewery this Friday and Saturday. Rolling Hearth will be serving up wood fired brick oven pizza and chicken wings.

Annual Awards Ceremony to Become Gala-Palooza The Belle Plaine Economic Development Authority and Chamber of Commerce are co-hosting “Gala-Palooza,” an event to thank business owners in Belle Plaine. The event, which will take place Wednesday, Feb. 3 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Matt Saxe Chevrolet-Buick, is open to business owners, business representative and their spouses. Gala-Palooza is replacing the formal, long-standing annual awards banquet. This year’s thank you event

will feature a relaxed, social atmosphere. Hearty appetizers will be served and music will be provided by Matthew Griswold, a Minnesota-based musicologist, singer and songwriter. Refreshments will also be available. Admission is $15 per person and payable at the door or at the Chamber of Commerce office. Please RSVP no later than today (Wednesday) by visiting www.whoozin.com/6X6-E9CM3JH or by calling City Hall at 952-873-5553 or the Chamber of Commerce at 952-873-4295.

Guests From the Capitol State lawmakers and administrators from The Lutheran Home recently met to discuss longterm health care. During their tour of The Lutheran Home facilities in Belle Plaine, (standing) Speaker of the House Rep. Kurt Daudt, Kingsway Administrator Karl Keup, Lutheran Home CEO/President Michael Klatt and Rep. Bob Vogel stopped to chat with Kingsway residents (seated, from left) Shirley Laabs, Fred Krentz, Dave Laabs and Vern Schultz.


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