Bar-B-Q Days Medallion Tucked Away
Where to See Fireworks Page 16
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ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOURTH YEAR
BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA, JULY 1, 2015
75¢ SINGLE COPY
NUMBER 27
City Set to Approve Final Plans for Overpass Project On the Belle Plaine City Council’s agenda next Monday night (July 6) will be a resolution to approve the final plans and specifications for the proposed Enterprise Drive extension and overpass project (near Highway 169 and County Road 3) and authorizing the advertisement of bids for the project. The council and city staff have been moving forward with plans related to the project, which “would provide connectivity between the north and south sides of the city.” On June 1, City Engineer Joe Duncan reported that the final design work was nearing completion and the layout drawing
The corn on the Tony Kornder farm on the south side of Highway 169 near the former Hot Spot gas station is off to an excellent start as the 2015 growing season reaches the midway point this Fourth of July week. Pictured with Tony are his son Ruben, twin daughters Megan and DeDe, wife Wendy and father Ted. The 1940s McCormick Farmall Cub tractor in the photo is still used on the farm, mostly for cultivating the family’s pumpkin fields.
Area Crops Topping Mid-Season Form A few soakers and plenty of brief showers have combined to keep area farm fields moist throughout this growing season as over 4 inches of rain has fallen in the Belle Plaine area in June alone. Mix in ample sunshine and warmth, and the first half of the 2015 growing season is well above average. Many cornfields in the immediate Belle Plaine area this week are at or above shoulder high, including Tony Kornder’s farm in St. Lawrence Township (see photo). Kornder said his corn is off to one of the best starts he can recall, even though he didn’t plant until April 30, weeks later than some other
farmers. “That (April 30) is way early for me . . . I can hear it grow at night,” Kornder said. In fact, most of the state is experiencing similar fortunes. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, Minnesota’s corn condition rated 81 percent good to excellent as of this past Monday. There were scattered reports of soybean’s starting to bloom, and soybean condition rated 77 percent good to excellent. Small grain development remained ahead of the five-year average with approximately 75 percent of the crops in or beyond the heading stage.
“Nowadays, if corn is kneehigh on the Fourth of July, it’s way behind,” said Joe Lauer, agronomy professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The last time the old adage was a useful gauge of corn crop development was two generations of farmers ago. “The technologies we have now for growing corn – from the equipment we have to the plant hybrids we develop to the treatments we put on the seeds and in the fields – have shifted things,” Lauer said. “With all that working for us, corn should be chest- or even neck-high by the Fourth of July.” Topsoil moisture supplies in
Minnesota were rated 0 percent very short, 1 percent short, 87 percent adequate and 12 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies were rated 0 percent very short, 3 percent short, 90 percent adequate and 7 percent surplus.
was reviewed and approved by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT). Duncan added that Mn/DOT concluded that there be a full removal of the left turn-ins on Highway 169, while the right turn-ins will remain mostly as they currently exist with only a few modifications to coincide with the removal of the left turn-ins. If the final plans and advertisement of bids are approved next Monday, it is anticipated the city will award the bid in
Overpass
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Blakeley Road Closing Monday for Most of the Summer Segments of Scott County Road 6 will be closed for most of the summer between Belle Plaine and Blakeley village. Beginning Monday (July 6), County Road 6 – also known as Union Trail and the Blakeley road -- will be closed in segments for a month. County
maintenance staff is replacing centerline culverts from Belle Plaine to Blakely, according to Jake Balk of Scott County Public Works. In late-August, the road will be closed again for a pavement project that work will take two months.
Lutheran Home Wins Innovation Award The Minnesota Department of Human Services and the Minnesota Board on Aging recently awarded The Lutheran Home Association (TLHA) the 2015 Age and Disabilities Odyssey Innovation Award. Over the past six years, TLHA has designed service models and technology based strategies, developed new approaches for care delivery through grant programs with the state of Minnesota, federal grant programs and foundations. These innovative grant programs have been instrumental in advancing the quality of services and delivery models for older adults, families and caregivers. “TLHA is honored to receive the Innovation award and we are proud of our team members and technology partnering organizations who have embraced our grant initiatives to increase
quality and caregiver satisfaction, and positively impact the older adult lifestyle,” said Michael Klatt, president and chief executive officer, The Lutheran Home Association. “It is exciting to build creative and effective strategies, pilot new models, and observe the impact that this innovation provides for older adults and caregivers,” said Catherine Berghoff, director of Grant Resource Development and Program Administration, The Lutheran Home Association. TLHA’s state grant initiatives include several Community Service and Service Development and Home and Community Based Service and Nursing Facility grants through MNDHS. 1. Implementation of health monitoring technology across
multiple settings, including low-income housing and private homes, health monitoring education and community outreach and the development of the online MN Home Health Technology Resource Center. 2. Development of Care Well, an innovative model designed to reduce caregiver turnover and improve the quality of care for older adults and families. Care Well is an award-winning model that includes multiple technology-based strategies designed to work seamlessly together to support caregivers, increase competencies and care efficiencies, and improve service quality. An additional TLHA state Rogers Haas, a regular at the Belle Plaine Archery Range, said there have been plenty of grant initiative, Dementia Care people using the range since it opened late last summer.
Lutheran Home
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Grand Marshals Named for BBQ Days Parade
Pictured, from left, with the Innovation award are Sharon Blume, director of Family Services and Technology for TLHA; Catherine Berghoff, director of Grant Resource Development and Program Administration for TLHA; and Michael Klatt, president and CEO of TLHA.
Belle Plaine’s 57th annual BarB-Q Days celebration will take place July 17-19. The grand marshals of this year’s parade are Bruce and Susie Volek. Among the featured events returning this year are the Friday evening Horse Show, Saturday morning’s Bull Run followed by the parade at noon, and Sunday’s 4 p.m. Queen Coronation. The festivities will wrap up with the always popular Spectacular Fireworks Display.
Belle Plaine One of Four Cities Named Excellence Award Winner City-administered initiatives that included development of a recreational trail, redesign and reconstruction of a downtown district main street, revision of a snow and ice control program, and development of a municipal archery park were recognized last Wednesday when the League of Minnesota Cities announced City of Excellence Award winners for 2015. The awards were presented at the League’s annual conference in Duluth. Cities selected were Belle Plaine, Alexandria, Eden Prairie and Paynesville. To compete for consideration as a City of Excellence, cities self-nominated a project, program or initiative that was administered to achieve one
or more of the following: improvement of the quality of a city service; development of an effective or innovative way to solve an old or common problem; modification of a program from another community or organization to fit city needs; discovery of a way to save the city money without compromising service results; and/or creative involvement of city staff or citizens in making a decision. Winning entries were chosen in three population categories and in a special topical category, the latter of which went to Belle Plaine. A description of each winning nomination follows: Topical Category – Parks and Recreation Programs and Projects/Belle Plaine
The city of Belle Plaine first took a serious look at the recreational opportunities of archery when a local enthusiast approached members of the city’s park board with the idea of developing a site. As a result, over a span of about 2 1/2 years city staff went to work on efforts to locate land, establish partnerships and identify potential funding sources. The Archery Park was a true collaboration of local entities and organizations, along with a group of involved citizens appointed to a newly formed archery subcommittee. A piece of open land owned by
Excellence Award
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