All-MRC Speech, Girls’ Hoops Teams
BPHS Choir Headed South for Spring Break
Area Townships Hold Annual Meetings, Set Levies
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ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOURTH YEAR
BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA, March 25, 2015
75¢ SINGLE COPY
NUMBER 19
Developer Interested in City Property Near Where Bridge is Proposed to be Built by Dan Ruud Following Monday night’s regular meeting, the Belle Plaine City Council went into closed session, during which the media and general public is not allowed to attend. The purpose of the closed session was to discuss negotiations and what the next steps should be pertaining to interest the city has received for the purchase of city-owned land located in the northwest quadrant of Highway 169 and County Road 3, near where an overpass is proposed
to be built. According to City Administrator Holly Kreft, the city owns approximately 12 acres of land in that area (north of Highway 169), about eight acres of which is developable. No information has been made public about the asking price or offer, or who the developer is, although the Herald has received unconfirmed information that Ridgeview Medical Center has expressed interest in building a clinic on the site. When contacted Tuesday, Bob
Stevens, president and CEO of Ridgeview Medical Center, said “Ridgeview is in discussions with several area landowners, however, we have no definitive plans at this time.” During Monday night’s regular meeting, the city council held a public hearing regarding the right-of-way for plat No. 4 for the proposed bridge over Highway 169 near County Road 3/ Meridian Street. The plat was
Developer
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City Council Okays Projects and Equipment Purchases
Biggest Dumping of the Season
FEMA to Pay for Local Flood Relief Project
Much of the Twin Cities area received only a little over 3 inches of snow from Sunday’s spring storm but Belle Plaine was among the communities in a swath that received close to 10 inches, give or take an inch or two in some spots. The storm came on the heels of an unseasonably mild stretch of weather, during which temperatures sometimes approached 70 degrees. The above photo was taken late Sunday afternoon from the bridge over Highway 169 in Belle Plaine. Among those who were back to winter chores Monday morning was 79-year-old Dave Grosser, right, who was busy shoveling snow outside his home at 200 East Main Street.
by Dan Ruud The Belle Plaine City Council Monday night unanimously accepted the final plans and authorized the advertisement of bids for the South Creek drainage way project. City Administrator Holly
Kreft reported that the city recently learned that FEMA will provide funding for the project, which following the floods last June was identified as a mitigation project to minimize future flooding and impacts to private property. FEMA has awarded the city the necessary funding for the project, which is estimated to cost $300,000. South Creek is a small waterway that borders much of the southern portion of the city.
The focal point of the work will be an area south of Daniel Drive and Sunrise Lane. Kreft said the small creek sometimes overflows during heavy rains, which is a hazard to nearby properties. The final plans and specifications for the project have been prepared. Bidding will begin April 2 with an opening date of
City Council
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New Auditorium Will be Costly Investment For B.P. Schools Discussions Will Continue at April 13 Workshop
If the Belle Plaine School Board is truly serious about the construction of a new auditorium, the investment is one that will require a significant investment and buy-in from throughout the district. Monday (March 23), the board saw a feasibility report on the proposal. Lee Meyer of DLR group prepared it with assistance from Gary Benson of Kraus-Anderson, a construction management firm. The report indicates a 500-seat auditorium will cost anywhere from $7.35 million to $8.45 million, depending on where it will be built. The report offers the district the option of building a standalone building or one that can be attached to an existing school building at a similar price. “It verified that adding the facility to an existing building would be just as expensive as building a free standing facility,” said Director Matt Lenz. Increasing the size of the auditorium to 600 seats would add between $300,000 and $400,000 to he cost of the proposal. The existing auditorium at the District Center seats 230. The board has considered four locations – on the south side of the junior-senior high school building ($7.65 million), at the Belle Plaine Schools District Center ($8.45 million), at Oak Crest Elementary School
($7.35 million) and as a freestanding building on property west of the football-track complex ($7.4 million). Meyer noted the typical classroom in a new school costs about $190 a square foot to build while an auditorium, because of its size, equipment and technology involved in the project, could cost about $250 a square foot. During the finance committee meeting before the board meeting, directors also saw two potential funding options for discussion. Both will require voter-approved bonds. One op-
tion calls for a schedule of immediate payments on principal and interest over 20 years. The other option pays only interest on the bonds until the district’s debt on its buildings is retired in about 10 years. Then, payments would cover principal About 40 Blakeley and area residents inspected Scott County’s plans to reconstruct County Road 60 during an informational open house Thursday (March 19) at the Belle Plaine Liand interest. The second option would re- brary. duce the annual tax impact on property while back loading the payments. It would increase the overall cost of the project by
School Board
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Hope Residence Hosting Event to Celebrate 35 Years Hope Residence, a ministry of The Lutheran Home Association, is celebrating its 35th anniversary this month. The community is welcome to join in the celebration at Hope Residence on Saturday, March 28 from 2-4 p.m. where there will be a reception, silent auction, refreshments, hors d’oeuvres and a dance. Hope Residence opened its doors on March 13, 1980 to two residents. Since then, Hope Residence has served more than 204 residents with developmental and intellectual disabilities and is currently home to 52 individuals. Hope Residence provides an extensive array of services to support and enhance the lives of residents dealing with disabilities such as Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, ataxia and epilepsy. The care the staff
provides to the residents is tailored to meet the unique needs of each individual, focusing on their own personal growth and enrichment. From social activities to recreational programs, Hope Residence provides the kind of supportive environment that allows individuals to increase their self-sufficiency, be active members of the community and develop meaningful friendships. “The residents here become your second family and it’s a joy to be greeted by them everyday,” said Sally Koepp, an employee at Hope Residence. “The work is very rewarding and I’m happy to be a part of Hope Residence.”
County’s Plans for Road Fix in Blakeley Get Positive Reviews Finals Details Will be Ready by Summer
If Thursday night’s informational meeting of Scott County’s plans for returning County Road 60 through Blakeley Township to useable condition were a movie, reviews would have mostly been a thumbs-up. Over 40 people attended the informational presentation at the Belle Plaine Library (March 19). A late-spring storm June 19 created a mudslide from the walls of ravines on both sides of County Road 60, leaving the road unsafe and unusable. The county closed it with concrete barriers on both sides of the washout area. The closure left Scott County roads 1 and 6 as the routes to travel between Highway 169 through Blakeley township and village. The county’s plan is to rebuild County Road 60 – potentially up to a half-mile -- slightly to the north and well below the existing roadbed. It will take out the curves in the road and reduce the grade from 12 to
about 8 degrees, said Curt Kobilarcsik, Scott County’s assistant highway engineer. The majority of concerns he heard from residents regarding the project came from issues “off County Road 60,” Kobilarcsik said. Those concerns ranged from apprehension over the state of County Road 6 between Blakeley village and Belle Plaine, a request to trim back trees along County Road 1 and the ability to turn left from County Road 60 to northbound Highway 169.
“That’s got to be addressed,” said Lee Schmidt, a township resident. “It ain’t very good up there.” Schmidt’s only concern for the County Road 60 project is the expectation that will likely increase the amount of traffic on the roadway. He said for years, Blakeley Township has been quiet, free of roads with excess
County’s Plans
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Kroells is All-American Belle Plaine High School graduate and University of Minnesota sophomore Michael Kroells received All-American honors after placing eighth in the heavyweight class at last week’s NCAA Wrestling Championships in St. Louis. As a team, Minnesota finished in eighth place with 59.5 team points, led by fourth-place finishes from seniors Chris Dardanes, Logan Storley and Scott Schiller. In all, five of the eight
Gophers who wrestled in St. Louis earned AllAmerica medals, with Kroells and Dylan Ness joining the trio of fourth-place finishers on the podium at their respective weight classes. The first-place team was Ohio State, which won its first national title.