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Trinity Lutheran School Teacher Finalist for State Award
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Page 2
Pages 17, 18
ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOURTH YEAR
BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA, March 18, 2015
75¢ SINGLE COPY
NUMBER 18
Scott County Board Eyeing Local Option Sales Tax Hike Proposal Would Generate Estimated $6 Million for Projects, Transit
Hundreds of people enjoyed the comforts of true spring-like weather during Saturday’s St. Patrick’s festivities downtown.
Felicity Mecredy Crowned Miss Shamrock; McPartlans Receive Television Coverage A couple of McPartlan brothers led the parade and a Mecredy girl followed in the footsteps of her sister in becoming a Miss Shamrock. Those were just a couple of the highlights of Saturday’s Belle Plaine St. Patrick’s celebration downtown, which took place under sunny skies with temperatures well above normal, prompting some people to wear shorts and T-shirts. Felicity Mecredy was crowned Miss Shamrock by retiring Miss Shamrock Marisa Worrell. Mecredy’s sister, Jerusha, was crowned Belle Plaine Miss Shamrock in 2006. Ironically, it was Jerusha Mecredy (Zimmerman) who crowned Karen Worrell Miss Shamrock in 2007 and on Saturday Marisa Worrell crowned Felicity Mecredy. Mecredy, the daughter of David and Susan Mecredy, is joined in the 2015-16 Green Court by princesses Courtney Fogarty, daughter of Emmett and Karen Fogarty; Jenna Seaver, daughter of Randy and Patricia Seaver; and Alyssa Wentworth, daughter of Mike and Carol Wentworth. The latter princess is also a Belle Plaine German Days princess. This year’s Irish Lads were Carter Piche, Dylan O’Brien, Derek May and Joe Hankins.
The grand marshals of Saturday’s parade, Belle Plaine natives John and Tom McPartlan, received more media coverage than they ever thought they would. Fox 9 News caught wind of their story and brought their cameras to Saturday’s festivities. The feature, several minutes in length, aired across the Twin Cities region Saturday night. Besides showing John and Tom in the parade and other festivities, it also showed them walking through Sacred Heart Cemetery visiting graves of people they knew in Belle Plaine, including their sister, Betty Kroells, who died earlier this year. John, 78, and Tom, 80, and their sister, Margaret Meger of Belle Plaine, are the last of nine siblings still living. John and Tom currently live in Crystal, Minn., and Orchard Park, N.Y., respectively. John’s and Tom’s longtime spouses have passed away but they had plenty of family with them Saturday, some of whom came from quite a distance. John’s daughters Ellen and Anne came from Hartford, Conn., and Miami, Fla., respectively, while Tom’s daughter Robynn came from Hamburg,
St. Pat’s
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With little money from current transportation funding proposals under review at the Minnesota Legislature seemingly headed this way, Scott County commissioners are considering adopting a local option that would generate an estimated $6 million annually. Commissioners are considering implementing an optional sales tax increase up to ½ percent on all taxable retail purchases made in Scott County. The additional revenue would be used to leverage state and federal funding for a predetermined list of potentially bigticket road projects the county can’t begin to fund on its own and the state doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to include in the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s budget.
“We’re not considering this because we really want to,” said Commissioner Joe Wagner of Sand Creek Township, Belle Plaine’s representative on the county board. “Nobody wants to consider a tax hike.” At a workshop yesterday morning (March 17), the Scott County Board discussed scheduling an informational presentation on the proposal and question-and-answer session at its April 7 meeting. Commissioners then plan to vote on the proposal at the April 21, meeting. Board meetings begin at 9 a.m. The state legislature gave counties the authority to enact a local option sales tax hike of up to ½ percent. Commissioners discussed it preliminarily last year, but the issue was left to simmer since then. County Administrator Gary Shelton said citizen reaction at that meeting and during online discussions the county hosted have been at least conditionally favorable, with many participants support-
Sales Tax Hike
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B.P. School Board Facing Costly Projects by 2020 Roofs, Athletic Facilities Will Require Deficit Spending
New Miss Shamrock Felicity Mecredy
As its buildings and facilities age, the need for upkeep is testing the Belle Plaine School Board’s willingness to dip into its financial reserves while considering other ways to pay for expensive capital projects. At Monday evening’s (March 9) workshop, the board discussed an imbalance between funding received and capital wants and needs in the next few years. It’s a list of projects and commitments that exceeds the formula-driven revenue based on enrollment and the age of Belle Plaine School District facilities. The district receives about $407,000 in state aid for operating capital. But the spending under consideration for capital projects and deferred maintenance for 2014-15 is just shy of
$594,000. The district plans to spend down operating capital reserves from $611,979 to $425,784. “Obviously, that can’t continue,” Superintendent Kelly Smith said. A big chunk of the capital spending, almost $291,000, covers payments on district wide technology – the wireless network, iPad minis, other computers and maintenance – the board approved last year as well as energy-efficiency projects completed in 2007. The school board is also facing significant roof and athletic facilities maintenance projects in the next few years. Smith was optimistic some relief in the form of additional funding for capital maintenance projects might come from the legislature. A few bills offering increases for maintenance funding were offered early in the session. But he told school board members Monday there
School Board
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Public Hearing on RightScott County Hosting of-Way Plat for Bridge Open House on Road Project Next Monday Repairs in Blakeley Twp. The Belle Plaine City Coun- acquisition of 702 South MeScott County is hosting an open house tomorrow (Thursday, March 19) to update area residents on plans to improve roadways damaged by a torrential rainfall last spring. It will be held at the Belle Plaine Public Library at 125 Main Street W. from 6-8 p.m. The purpose of the open house is to give residents an opportunity to review and comment on the new alignment of County Road 60 before it is finalized. Historic rainfalls occurred Belle Plaine native Wayne Meger was emcee of Saturday’s post-parade program downtown.
June 19 in the Minnesota River bluffs in Blakeley Township. The heavy rains caused County Road 60 road bed slope failure and erosion with loss of road bed shoulder and embankment failure. The open house will present the latest information on the cleanup and proposed improvements to County Road 60. The county has approved a proposal to repair to County Road 60 on a new alignment. For additional information, call Jake Balk, project manager (952-496-8436), or Curt Kobilarcsik, assistant county highway engineer (952-496-8345).
cil will hold a public hearing shortly after 6:30 p.m. next Monday (March 23) regarding the right-of-way for plat No. 4 for the proposed bridge over Highway 169 near County Road 3/Meridian Street. The necessary property for the right-of-way involves pieces of land owned by Phil Morris, Robert and Lois Hafermann, Chatfield on the Green and the city of Belle Plaine, the latter of which owns most of the affected property for the right-ofway. In November, the council okayed a purchase agreement with Eric and Lisa May for the
ridian Street for $277,000 for replacement housing and relocation costs. The property is part of the right-of-way for the proposed bridge project. The plan involves the construction of a bridge over Highway 169. However, rather than build it at the point where County Road 3 directly intersects with Highway 169, it would be located a short distance down the southbound lane of Highway 169 with access from West Commerce Drive on the north side of Highway 169 and County Road 3 on the south side. The city is hopeful that construction of the bridge can begin this fall.