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ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SIXTH YEAR
BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA, may 10, 2017
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NUMBER 19
Sand Companies, B.P. Eyeing Workforce Housing Project in City With an identified need for workforce housing in both Scott County and Belle Plaine, a company is interested in bringing affordable housing to the city. Sand Companies is looking to build a 40-unit apartment complex in Belle Plaine to provide reasonably priced housing for people working at the area’s primary industries, health care facilities and other commercial venues. The city council favors a downtown location, said Cynthia Smith Strack, Belle Plaine’s director of Community Development. Jamie Thelen, president and chief executive officer of Sand Companies recently discussed plans for an apartment complex with an affordability component with the city council during a workshop May 1. The proposed apartment complex would require about two acres. Thelen said he and city staff have been meeting with landowners for potential acquiBelle Plaine High School students Amber Glisczinski and Joe Ruehling arrived at the 2017 BPHS Prom’s Grand March in sition for the needed land. style Saturday afternoon. Ruehling cleaned up the family business’s milk truck to escort his date to school. They were among The apartments’ rent would be based on 60 percent of the about 200 students attending prom Saturday. More pictures are on page 12.
A Special Ride to the Grand March
median income -- $41,000 for a two-person household, $46,000 for three people living under one roof, and $51,000 for a family of four. Those are wages ranging from $9.86 per hour to $12.26 per hour. Rent for the apartments would range from $805 for a one bedroom to $1,115 for a three-bedroom apartment. Thelen said the apartments would provide affordable housing for people working at businesses like Cambria, Coborn’s, The Lutheran Home and other companies. Sand Companies has apartment buildings in Jordan, Shakopee and elsewhere in Scott County It’s location along the Highway 169 corridor would also make it accessible to workers at businesses in the area. Mayor Chris Meyer said the council is aware of the need for affordable housing in the area. The Metropolitan Council says Belle Plaine should prepare space for 244 affordable housing units by 2040. Those units will likely be in a high-density zoning area, Smith Strack said. The affordability component of the project would be funded through tax credits. Sand Companies is also making application to the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (MHFA). The next round of applications is due June 15, Thelen said. The amount of the tax credits needed would depend on the propThe annual Pops Concert will viewing on Friday evening be- erty and size of the project in showcase the talents of Belle ginning at 6 p.m Belle Plaine. Plaine High School’s musicians, singers, visual artists and tech. students Friday evening (May 12) in the school’s north gymnasium. The school choirs are singing many different pop songs, from “Bohemian Rhapsody” to “My Girl” by the Temptations. The BPHS band will be presenting Disney songs and a couple of small ensembles by the percussion and jazz band. The evening begins at 6 p.m. with refreshments on sale, the opening of the exhibits, an open mic. night for ninth- through 12th-grade soloists to perform. From 7:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m., the ninth- through 12th gradeband and choir concert students will perform.
BPHS Students’ Sundblad Gets 26 Years for Role in Infant Son’s Death Talents on Display at He’ll Be Eligible for Parole in 2034
The tragic case of 59-day-old Carson Scott Bosquez Sundblad’s death and Joshua Sundblad’s role finally came to a conclusion Monday afternoon (May 8) when Scott County District Court Judge Christian Wilton sentenced him to prison time. Sundblad was sentenced to 313 consecutive months (just over 26 years) for convictions on two counts of first-degree assault and one count of manslaughter. He’ll also serve 15 months of concurrent time for a third-degree assault conviction, said Scott County Attorney Ron Hocevar. Sundblad will be credited 977 days of time served. The sentence was handed down after Wilton found Sundblad guilty last November. Sundblad opted for trial by a judge.
He has been in jail since he was charged in the baby’s death in September of 2014. Sundblad will be eligible for parole in 2034. He’ll be initially sent to the Minnesota Department of Corrections facility in St. Cloud and possibly be assigned elsewhere from there, Hocevar said. Wilton sentenced Sundblad, who will turn 27 Sunday (May 14), to 153 months for the first of the two first-degree assault convictions, 1½ times the state sentencing guidelines. Wilton sentenced Sundblad to 103 months of time for the second first-degree assault conviction. He received a 57-month sentence for the manslaughter conviction. “We’re satisfied with the sentence the judge handed down. We think it was appropriate,” Hocevar said. Prosecutors argued in favor of an upward departure. Sundblad’s defense attorney, Michael McDonald of Prior Lake, had previously pushed for a
downward interpretation of the sentencing guidelines, noting Sundblad had never been in serious legal trouble previously. Hocevar is pleased with the sentence, McDonald unhappy. “We’re disappointed,” McDonald said. “But I can’t say it was outrageous.” Hocevar hopes the sentence will help the Bosquez family heal. A victim’s statement from the baby’s mother, Brittney Ann Bosquez, was read into the record before Wilton read the sentence for the counts on which he determined Sundblad’s guilt. Wilton had previously found Sundblad not guilty on a firstdegree murder charge.
Initial Call for Help
According to the criminal complaint, police, firefighters and paramedics responded to a report of an unresponsive baby at a house on the 200 block of South Elk Street May 9, 2014 at
Sunblad
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Construction Work Underway Crews from William Mueller & Sons of Hamburg were hard at work last week removing the curb and gutter and bituminous roadway from West Main Street and other sections of streets involved in Belle Plaine’s 2017 street improvement project. Work will continue this week.
‘Pops Concert’ Friday
Spring Art Exhibit Tonight
“Drawing to a Close,” the school’s annual spring art exhibit will open tonight, May 10, 6 p.m., in the library with a welcome by BPHS art instructor Carol Hannon-Orr. The guest speaker, art alumni and Outstanding Senior Artist Award Winner Tyler McGrath, will address the audience at 6:15. p.m. He will be sharing his portfolio, educational and job experiences before he moves out to Los Angeles to continue his graphic design and illustration business. The seniors and this year’s Visual Arts Team artwork will be spotlighted in the gym and the work of 9-11 graders will be in the library. The exhibit will be open for
Longtime Herald Staff Writer, Dan Ruud, Passes Away Longtime Belle Plaine Herald writer and photographer Dan Ruud passed away Saturday evening. He was 59. Ruud joined the Herald staff in the early-1990s. He covered sports, city news, school events, businesses and many other topics over the years. He was also a skilled photographer. Fighting an aggressive cancer, Ruud took leave from work in mid-April. His condition worsened last week. Ruud was born and raised in
Rochester, Minn. and graduated from Bemidji State University. He served his country in the U.S. Navy and had a passion for baseball, warm weather, beaches, movies and photography. He and his sons visited every Major League Baseball stadiums in the Continental United States. Dan is survived by wife of 35 years, Luanne; sons, Jesse, Justin and Josh. His obituary can be found on page 3.