Oak Crest Holds D.A.R.E. Graduation
BPHS Spring Sports Team Nearing Home Stretch
Travel Between B.P. and Cities Getting Pinched in Jordan Page 14
Pages 12, 13
Page 2
ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOURTH YEAR
BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA, MAY 20, 2015
Karen Anderson to Speak at Memorial Day Service Army Reserve Captain Karen Anderson of Belle Plaine, who returned home to a hero’s welcome last fall following a 10month deployment in Kuwait as a member of the 452nd Combat Support Hospital, will be the guest speaker at next Monday’s Memorial Day Program at Veterans Park in Belle Plaine. On the night of Sept. 22, shortly after returning home, a Belle Plaine fire truck stopped by Anderson’s home on Buffalo Street to give her and her husband, Ken, a ride through Belle Plaine before arriving downtown to a rousing greeting at the Vets Club on North Meridian Street. The fire truck ride and welcome home was arranged by friends. In Kuwait, Anderson, now 52, currently a nurse practitioner at managed an emergency room at Target Clinic in Burnsville and a military base hospital. She is at St. Francis Regional Medical
The possibility of a second medical clinic in Belle Plaine took a big step closer to reality when the city council and Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia agreed to the terms of a letter of understanding for the project. The city council unanimously agreed to the content of the letter at its meeting Monday night, which includes selling the property to Ridgeview for $1 if all comes to fruition later this year. The Ridgeview Medical Center Board voted on April 27 to authorize its staff to enter into the same letter of understanding with Belle Plaine for acquisition of the property. Belle Plaine City Administrator Holly Kreft reported that city staff has been working with staff from Ridgeview regarding the construction of a clinic in
Belle Plaine, which is proposed to be located on city-owned property on the northwest corner of Highway 169 and County Road 3/Meridian Street. “The intent of the letter is to incorporate the terms of the previous letters and some final revisions agreed to by the parties into a final letter of understanding for the parties to sign,” stated Ridgeview Medical Center Vice President John Prondzinski in a letter to Kreft. “This letter supersedes the previous letters and is intended to be a final, nonbinding outline of proposed terms.” Prondzinski and two other representatives of Ridgeview – Scott Hughes (director of construction and real estate) and Steve Michals (Mount Development Company) – were in attendance Monday night, during which Prondzinski said he expects construction of the clinic to begin late this year or
NUMBER 21
Richfield and St. Paul Men Charged in Earl Olander Murder
Recovered U.S. Savings Bonds helped police identify the men who allegedly killed Earl Olander of rural Belle Plaine last month. Edison Celin-Dominguez Benitez and Reinol Godines Vergara are in the Carver County Jail and have both been charged for their involvement in the murder of Earl Olander of rural Belle Plaine. Bail was set at $500,000 cash or $1.5 million bond. They are due back in Carver County District Court Friday (May 22, 8:30 a.m.) for a first appearance. Vergara is charged with two counts of second-degree murder. Benitez is charged with two counts of aiding and abetting the second-degree murder. The two men are charged with entering Olander’s house on Homestead Road in San FranKaren Anderson cisco Township on April 9 or (continued on page 5) 10. They allegedly beat Olander and ransacked the house. They allegedly stole items that include $2 bills, old silver and silverware, a Bible, and two $1,000 U.S. Savings Bonds. Olander, 90, was found dead on April 11 when a neighbor went to the house to check on Olander at the request of one of his relatives. in the spring in correlation with According to the criminal the bridge project, and possi- complaint, the two men allegbly open for business about the edly beat the retired farmer and same time as the overpass. Prondzinski said Ridgeview is “very excited about the opportunity to bring Ridgeview’s services to the Belle Plaine community and compliment those already here.” “If the bridge was already Belle Plaine is one of Minthere, we’d like to be breaking nesota’s best places to raise a ground now,” Prondzinski said. family, according to Niche ratSome of the key components ing service. The city finished of the letter of understanding seventh in the service’s list of the top 55 communities in Mininclude: – The purchase price of the nesota to raise a family. property will be $1. Ridgeview Niche rating service assigned letter grades to various aspects of the community. Belle Plaine Proposed Clinic received an A- for crime and safety, a B- for access to librar(continued on page 8) ies and daycare facilities. Belle
Belle Plaine, Ridgeview Medical Center Reach Understanding on Proposed Clinic Near Hwy. 169 by Dan Ruud
75¢ SINGLE COPY
Vergara
Benitez
bound his hands and feet with duct tape. His feet were freed when deputies arrived at the house and the bloodstains on the floor indicated Olander was bleeding profusely while struggling to free himself. Deputies found shoe prints belonging to a pair of Crocs and Adidas shoes in the house. Police were led to the two men by a citizen cleaning out an apartment where Benitez, 29, previously lived in St. Paul. The citizen found the two U.S. Savings bonds bearing Olander’s name tucked in a Bible written in a European language. The citizen called police after checking Olander’s name on the Internet and learning he
was the victim of a murder in Carver County, according to the charges against Benitez and Vergara, 35. Benitez was arrested at his place of employment May 9. When he was taken into custody, he was wearing a pair of Crocs shoes supposedly matching the shoe print found in Olander’s house. Vergara was wearing Adidas shoes when he was arrested the following day, according to the criminal complaint. Vergara had previously worked for Olander, painting his house and shed within the past year
Olander Murder
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B.P. Wins High Ratings Among Best Places to Raise a Family Plaine received a B+ for its community grade, a category Niche describes as incorporating “statistics that capture an area’s involvement and investment in the community.” Belle Plaine was assigned an A for housing and a C+ for education. Niche said its education grade is weighted on enrollment. Belle Plaine is one of three Scott County cities on the
Niche list. Jordan was rated second and New Prague fifth. Niche ranked Eden Prairie as the best community in Minnesota to raise a family. Jordan received a B+ for crime and safety from Niche and a B for its education system. Its community grade was set at
Best Places
(continued on page 8)
City Council Okays Method to Market Vacant Downtown Lot by Dan Ruud The Belle Plaine City Council Monday night unanimously approved a request-for-proposals (RFP) approach to market the city-owned vacant lot at the intersection of Main and Meridian streets downtown. Last October, the council voted 3-2 to authorize staff to purchase the lot, where an arson fire 10 years earlier destroyed the preexisting building at 100 South Meridian Street. The city purchased the lot from Waugh Properties LLC of Chanhassen for $45,000, plus commission and closing costs. The funds for the purchase came from tax increment financing (TIF), state money that the city was in excess of, and if not spent soon, would have had to be returned to the state. During a workshop earlier this month, the marketing and status of the lot since the city purchased it about six months ago was discussed. Community Development Director Chelsea Alger reported that the marketing of the parcel had been discussed by the city’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) at its previous two meetings. “Discussion in support of offering the property at a reduced
rate in order to promote redevelopment efforts in the Central Business District and increased tax base occurred at both meetings,” Alger reported. “Discussion ranged from marketing it for $1 to up to the actual cost to the city with the expectation the property be developed within the specifications and timeline of the city.” Alger further explained that the EDA reviewed a recommendation from staff to market the property sale through a RFP process, during which each potential buyer will submit a proposal to the city pursuant to development guidelines identified in the RFP. “This alleviates the need for the city to determine up front what the building should look like and how it should be occupied; rather allowing these ideas to be developed through the entities who are presumably more well-versed in the practice,” Alger continued.
City Council
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A Fitting Tribute Firefighters from the Jordan Fire Department and Shakopee Mdewakanton Dakota Fire Service brought ladder trucks to Belle Plaine Friday (May 15) to raise an oversized American flag over the street outside St. John Lutheran Church during Stacy Dvorak’s visitation. Dvorak, 41, of Belle Plaine, passed away Saturday, May 9. A private interment was held at Czech Cemetery in New Prague. An ardent supporter of veterans, Dvorak led efforts to provide puppies for soldiers returning
from deployment. She also helped organize pheasant hunts for veterans and was an active supporter of Scott County Pheasants Forever. After her death, friends called area fire departments asking for the use of a ladder truck to fly the flag during the visitation. Several area departments were quick to respond. “It’s an honor to be here,” said Nathan Crooks, a firefighter with the Mdewakanton Fire Service.