ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SIXTH YEAR
ISSUE NUMBER 30
School Legion Board OKs Baseball Facility Suffering Funding Page 11
75¢
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BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA
WEDNESDAY PUBLICATION
City Council Begins Process of Hiring Next Administrator The Belle Plaine City Council placed the process of hiring a city administrator in Mayor Chris Meyer’s hands for now, agreeing he should begin checking with headhunting firms for potential candidates. In the wake of Mike Votca’s resignation in June and Finance Director Dawn Meyer once again taking on the position on an interim basis, the council briefly discussed how to proceed after last Monday’s (July 17) meeting. The mayor indicated working with a search firm would not guarantee the city hires the best possible candidate to lead city staff in implementing the wishes and policies established by the city council. The position requires a bachelor’s degree in public administration or related field and three years of professional experience with city or county including supervisory experience in operations, management, personnel, and finance. Candidates must exhibit a community service mindset with exceptional communication skills “and a high level of professionalism,” according to the city’s job description for the position. The city, working through the League of Minnesota Cities, has advertised the position via e-mail. Belle Plaine, Arlington and Gaylord are among area cities looking to fill a vacant city administrator position. Belle
Plaine’s position has a pay range of $85,177 to $112,818 plus “excellent benefits,” according to the city. Meyer is looking for a candidate who is “confident, forward thinking, aggressive and well rounded to meet all the aspects of this position and all of those that this person will come into contact with in the course of daily business at the city. This person needs to be firm but fair in order to get things accomplished while still maintaining a favorable working relationships with employees, citizens and potential developers,” he said. Councilor Paul Chard is looking for an administrator who will guide the staff, someone who will provide information the city council wants and needs to make decisions. He believes the next city administrator should allow staff to do its job. Chard said the city has tried hiring candidates from smaller cities, a person who will professionally grow along with Belle Plaine. “I don’t want him or her micro-managing the staff,” Chard said. “I’m looking for someone who’ll look over his shoulder without micro-managing the departments, someone who’ll do what’s best for the city.” Meyer believes the next city administrator will need to work hand in hand with the Community Development director to
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JULY 26, 2017
find ways to facilitate further development both in the residential, commercial and industrial sectors. “This person will need to have the experience to step up and move these types of projects forward,” Meyer said. Councilor Cary Coop strongly recommended a high level of involvement by the council during the interviews of candidates for the position. He believes the city’s next administrator – its seventh since 2000 – should have some administrative experience. “Hiring a person with no experience would be a mistake,” he said. A potential administrator must be able to work with coun- Brad Wagner is the new owner of Belle Plaine Dairy Queen. cil members, an experienced city staff, volunteer committee members, professionals with other cities, counties, state and federal governments, and the community at large, Coop said. Good communication skills, the ability to organize many personalities towards common goals, and administer staff are also high on his list of important attributes. “The first issue a potential administrator should address is working with staff to end any conflicts, hidden agendas or manipulation. The second issue is balance between eco-
City Council
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Pharmacist and owner Jill Reinhardt opened First Choice Pharmacy earlier this spring adjacent to Ridgeview’s new medical clinic and King’s Path apartments.
Two New Businesses Have Big Plans for Belle Plaine Two new members of the Belle Plaine business community are ready to serve the community as it continues to grow. Dairy Queen is now under new management as of April 28. First Choice Pharmacy opened its doors on East Commerce Drive earlier this summer in the new Ridgeview/Kings Path apartment complex at the juncJim Glisczinski (right), along with one of his helpers, Tate Fahey, will be at the pulling competion of South Meridian Street tition tomorrow night (July 27) at the Scott County Fair’s Grandstand. and West Commerce Drive.
Glisczinski, Area Pullers Ready to Compete at Scott County Fair Jim Glisczinski has several tractors performing heavy-duty work on his farm in Belle Plaine Township. But there’s one tractor that won’t see a row of corn or soybeans. Its job is to pull a weighted scale – the farther the better. Glisczinski is one of a handful of area truck and tractor pullers who’ll be competing in the grandstand at the Scott County Fair this week. Unlike the National Tractor Pullers Association (NTPA) pull in the grandstand tonight (July 26, 7 p.m.), the competition in which Glisczinski and friends will compete is non-sanctioned. Glisczinski will compete tomorrow night (July 27, 7 p.m.) in the 11,000-pound hot farm division. His tractor is a 1980 John Deere 4440. He bought it from an implement dealer in Wisconsin during the summer of 2012 for $11,000. The tractor was originally from Alabama and was “beat to hell” when he bought it, Glisczinski said. Since then, he’s put about $15,000 into the tractor. The motor, the cooling system, pistons, camshaft, clutch have all been redone, Glisczinski said.
2017 Scott County Fair
WHEN: July 26-30 WHERE: Scott County Fairgrounds, 7151 190th Street W., St. Lawrence Twp., north of B.P. COST: No admission fee. Parking, $10 per vehicle per day, $5 per motorcycle, $20 season pass ADD’L INFO: www.scottcountyfair.org The diesel engine is cooled by water and a little bit of threadcutting oil. It’s powered by Cenex ruby red diesel fuel. At 59, Glisczinski can justify the investment. It’s his way of relaxing, of letting off steam. “It’s a fever, a hobby. It’s what we do,” he said. “I don’t have a boat. I don’t fish. I don’t gamble other than farming. I don’t cuss, until it blows up.” Last year, Glisczinski and his crew enjoyed three wins with the John Deere. His best pull last year was a 320-footer at the
Dakota County Fair. The other two wins were at county fairs in Wisconsin. Glisczinski finished among the top 10 in his class at the Scott County Fair last year, and he figures the competition will be as strong this week. He’s a member of a group known as “The Renegade Pullers,” a group of pullers from Butterfield, Minn. to Hamburg. They help each other out with parts, tools or advice whenever possible and enjoy the chance to get together and talk tractor pulling. On the track, they’re all business. Glisczinski recalls his first competition. It was many years ago at the Le Sueur County Fair. He finished in second place and there was no turning back. His first victory came the following year. “I was hooked,” he said. “I knew I could improve myself.” He’s been pulling ever since.
Glisczinski
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Wagner, is from the area. His fore leaving in 2008. His family grandmother, Gertrude Neisen, has owned DQ stores in Owatonna. He has also worked at is from Heidelberg. Wagner got his start working Big Plans in Dairy Queen stores several (continued on page 6) years ago. He started in the New Prague store in 2002 be-
New Owner, New Look Later This Year
Brad Wagner recently purchased the Dairy Queen franchise and building on East Commerce Drive at South Walnut Street. He has big plans for renovating the existing building and bringing a new look to the sweet treat store. Wagner has already invested about $65,000 in new equipment at DQ. He plans on investing another $225,000 later this year in an interior makeover with new tile and maple flooring, and new LED lighting. The store will be designed similar to the Grill & Chill in New Prague. Wagner knows that store well because his brother owns it. “We were able to get this building so we could have it be what we want, a really nice store,” Wagner said. Wagner has changed the lobby hours to 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The drive-through is open until 10 p.m. “We really like being in Belle Plaine. It’s similar to New Prague, the same kind of values, good families and good kids here,” he said. Wagner knows the area well. His mother, Beverly (Meger)
A generous but unapproved donation to the City of Belle Plaine and Townsend Park Friday morning had city staff asking Keys 4/4 Kids Executive Director Newell Hill to remove the piano. The city would welcome the donation, pending official approval.
Downtown Business’s Donation to City, Park Slightly Off Key
Newell Hill was simply trying to bring a little music and joy to Townsend Park Friday. He never expected his donation would be declined. Hill, executive director of Belle Plaine’s Keys 4/4 Kids, sought to donate a piano to the city and place it in a downtown
park. Friday morning (July 21), he left an upright piano in Townsend Park on South Meridian Street. The piano, just like the one outside the business
Off Key
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