BPHS Baseball Team Expected to Receive Top Seed Track Teams Soar to MRC Team Championships
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ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIFTH YEAR
BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA, MAY 25, 2016
75¢ SINGLE COPY
NUMBER 22
Margaret Morrison to Speak at Memorial Day Service
After running Steffen Hardware in downtown Belle Plaine since the 1970s, Jim Steffen will begin his retirement sale tomorrow.
Steffen Closing Hardware Store After ‘Retirement Sale’
Longtime Business Owner Eyes Retirement With ‘Mixed Emotions’
He’s had sales before, opportunities to move product out the door at reduced prices. But this sale will be different for Jim Steffen, owner of Steffen Hardware. It will be the hardware store’s final sale. Tomorrow, Steffen Hardware will begin a “retirement sale.” Decades after he took over the operation from his father, Jim Steffen is ready to take his leave. He’s had the building on North Meridian Street at East Church Street for sale for the past few years. “I’ll be 70 next month,” he said. “I want to go to car shows, to swap meets or on vacation. I want to jump in the car and not worry about the business.” Different groups of people, one from Belle Plaine and others from the Twin Cities proper, were interested in buying the hardware store, a member of the Do It Best chain of hard-
ware stores. Steffen said the amount of money Do It Best wanted up front from the interested buyers was a hurdle too steep to be cleared. The building is for sale for $179,000. Its foundation is over 2,200-square feet with an upstairs apartment around 1,150 square feet. The building was built in sections, most of which were completed pre-1900. The ad in this week’s Herald says the sale starts tomorrow (May 26). Steffen plans to liquidate as much of the inventory as possible. When it’s no longer worthwhile to open the doors, Steffen plans to close up shop and make plans for the following day. “I have no idea how long it’ll last, whether it goes fast or slow,” he said. “I’ve never done this before.” Though it is no longer Belle Plaine’s lone hardware store, Steffen Hardware had a loyal clientele, Steffen said. “It’s too bad he’s closing. Steffen’s has always been very convenient for me as a downtown businessperson,” said Karl Kolden, a funeral director and member of the Belle Plaine chamber.
Kolden’s concern as a chamber member is who will fill the void left by the closing of businesses like Steffen Hardware.
The Daily Banter
In as much as he won’t miss running a hardware store, Steffen will miss the daily banter with customers. Want to solve the community’s problems or talk classic rides and other antique collectibles between customers? Steffen is comfortable with that. His collection includes a 2003 Corvette, a 1955 Chevy pickup and a ’69 Chevy Camero. “I should sell some of them. I’m open-minded,” he said. “If the check’s big enough, I’m open-minded.” Steffen has no children and has never been married. His parents, Clarice and William, have both passed away. One of two sisters (Nancy) is deceased. There’s nothing to hold him back. “I’m married to this place,” he said. “I have mixed emotions about it. The change is going to be extreme. I’ll be here all the time, and then I won’t.” Steffen has run the business since the mid-1970s. His father, William, started Steffen Hardware in 1955 after deciding running a hardware store in Belle Plaine was more to his liking than farming in western Minnesota. At the time, it was one of three hardware stores in Belle Plaine, he said. Steffen has been thinking about his plans for the business for much of the past eight nity Development, said she has to 10 years. He knows the big no disagreement with the estibox stores, Home Depot and mates.
Met Council: Belle Plaine, Area Cities Continue Growing
As the economy continues its rebound from the great recession, the Belle Plaine area and much of Scott and Carver counties are continuing to enjoy population gains, albeit it measured growth. According to preliminary population estimates the Metropolitan Council released May 11, Belle Plaine’s 2015 population was 6,742. In 2014, the Met Council estimated Belle Plaine’s population as 6,538. In 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau said the city had 6,661 residents. The city has 2,396 households, an increase of 34 households according to the Met Council’s 2015 estimate. The Met Council’s 2015 preliminary population estimate for Scott County increased to 140,759 residents from 129,928 from the 2010 Census. The Met Council says the county has 48,298 households -- 3,190 more than were counted during the decennial census. Cities and counties have until mid-June to notify the Metropolitan Council if they disagree with the 2015 estimates. Cynthia Smith-Strack, Belle Plaine’s director of Commu-
CITIES 2010# 2015* Belle Plaine 6,661 6,742 New Prague@ 4,280 4,315 Jordan 5,470 6,150 Shakopee 37,076 40,254 Prior Lake 22,796 25,049 Savage 26,911 30,024 Cologne 1,519 1,692 Carver 3,724 4,330 Chaska 23,770 25,607 TOWNSHIPS Belle Plaine 878 938 Blakeley 418 422 St. Lawrence 483 511 Helena 1,648 1,844 San Francisco 832 835 Benton 786 778 Hancock 345 319 Dahlgren 1,331 1,306 COUNTIES Scott 129,928 140,759 Carver 91,042 98,750 Dakota 398,552 414,166 Hennepin 1.152m 1.22m Ramsey 508,640 533,677 Region Total: 2.85m 3m Sources: # U.S. Census Bureau; * Metropolitan Council; @ Portion of New Prague in metro area
Steffen
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Retired U.S. Army Reserves Lt. Col. Margaret McCue Morrison will be the guest speaker at next Monday’s annual Memorial Day Program at Veterans Park in Belle Plaine. Morrison, the daughter of Ed Morrison and Cora Ellen McCue Morrison, is a 1975 graduate of Belle Plaine High School. She completed basic training and AIT (advanced individual training) at Fort Jackson, S.C., in October 1987. She received her commission as a second lieutenant with the Minnesota Military Academy, Camp Ripley, in June 1989. Morrison held several administrative staff positions, as well as headquarters detachment commander of the 457th Transportation Battalion; platoon leader, executive officer and company commander of the 329th AG Company Postal; inspector general at Fort Snelling and Fort McCoy, Wis.; battalion commander of the 1106th Mobilization Support Battalion, Fort Eustis, Vir.; SRP Team Chief, Fort Dix, N.J., and observer controller trainer with the 75th Training Division, Fort Snelling. Morrison’s awards include the Meritorious Service Medal 1 OLC; Army Commendation Medal 2 OLC; Army Achievement Medal 4 OLC; Army Reserve Component Achieve-
Belle Plaine Among Benefactors of MVEC’s Round-Up Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative (MVEC) has made a second-quarter donation of $25,765 to 20 local organizations through Operation Round Up. These donations are made possible by MVEC members who “round up” their monthly electric bills to the next dollar amount. At 1 cent to 99 cents, rounding up an electric bill amounts to just an average $6 a year, but collectively, those nickels and dimes add up, as over $1,506,907.20 has been given back to local community organizations since 1995. Belle Plaine organizations were among the major benefactors from the latest round of fund distributions, with the Southern Valley Alliance receiving $3,500 for its 24-hour phone service. The Belle Plaine High School weight room renovation project got $3,000, and the Belle Plaine Food Shelf $500.
City Filing Activity Slows Only one more name (as of noon Tuesday) had been added to the list since the first morning of the filing period for Belle Plaine city offices that began last Tuesday (May 17) and will expire 5 p.m. next Tuesday. Ben Stier put his name on the list of candidates for a four-year seat on the city council. Nickole Shetka and incumbent Cary Coop were the first to file. Incumbent Gary Trost is also seeking reelection but for the two-year term that was vacated by Scott Schneider, who moved to Shakopee. Henry Pressley Jr. was appointed in December to occupy Schneider’s seat until the 2016 election. Pressley last week said that he has not yet decided if he will seek to extend his stay on the council.
Meanwhile, Chris Meyer is challenging incumbent Mayor Mike Pingalore, both of whom filed last Tuesday morning. If more than two people file for either Mayor Pingalore’s or Council Member Pressley’s seats, a primary will be held Aug. 9 to reduce the number of candidates to no more than two for each seat. A primary will also be held Aug. 9 for Coop’s and Trost’s seats if more than four people file for those jobs. You can file at Belle Plaine City Hall, 218 north Meridian Street downtown. Offices will be closed next Monday in observance of Memorial Day.
ment Medal; National Defense Service Ribbon; Global War on Terrorism Medal; Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M Device and hour glass; Army Service Ribbon and the Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon. Morrison, who retired from the U.S. Army Reserve last July
31, has three children – Donna Bergman of Seattle, Wash., Andrew Dahlberg of Minneapolis and Shannon Dahlberg of Wilmington, N.C. Morrison is a registered nurse in nephrology with HealthPartners Clinic in St. Paul. Monday’s program will begin at 11 a.m. with the introduction by Roger Delgehausen, which will be followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem, the latter of which will be sung by Belle Plaine High School students Schuyler Sterk, Neil Bigaouette, Lauren Murphy and Patrick Selly. The Invocation will be provided by Rev. Sarah Timian of St. John Lutheran
Morrison
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Memorial Day Services Set at West Union, Assumption Cemeteries The West Union Lutheran Church will again host a Memorial Day event to give thanks for our freedom and honor our nation’s veterans. The ceremony, which will open with the Cologne Honor Guard at a veteran’s grave, starts at 9 a.m. The featured speaker will
be Capt. Karen Anderson of the U.S. Army Reserve. A breakfast/brunch will be served at 10:15 a.m. An honor guard from the Green Isle American Legion will be at Assumption Cemetery Monday (Memorial Day) for a brief ceremony at 9 a.m.
Attorney Expected to Wrap Up Sundblad Murder Defense
Defense attorney Michael McDonald was expected to complete his case yesterday (May 24) defending Joshua Sundblad of Belle Plaine in Scott County District Court. Scott County Attorney Ron Hocevar said the completion of the defense portion of Sundblad’s trial would be followed by the submission of written closing arguments to Judge Christian Wilton. Sundblad, 26, is charged with first-degree murder of his infant son while allegedly maintaining
a pattern of child abuse, plus first- and third-degree assault. The child died in May of 2014. Sundblad was initially charged with third-degree murder in the baby’s death in September of 2014. Those charges were increased to first-degree murder following a grand jury indictment last fall. The trial began May 10. Sundblad waived his right to a jury trial, leaving the decision on his innocence or guilt with Wilton.
Used Car Sales/Repair, U-Haul Rental Proposed for Former BP Gas Station Property The former BP gas station property along Highway 169 in Belle Plaine, which was sold at a Scott County foreclosure auction on April 12, may soon be put back to use. Chris Wyman is the new owner of the property and is proposing to turn the 1.7-acre site into a used car dealership and repair, as well as establish a U-Haul rental service. According to Ellen Paulsen, Scott County taxation supervisor, the 1.7-acre site had a successful bidder – Merle Volk of Carver, at the April 12 auction. His bid was for $142,200. Wyman said he has since obtained the site from Volk. The minimum bid for the 1.7acre site was $70,000. Earlier this year, Belle Plaine Community Development Director Cynthia Smith-Strack said the most recent (2015) market value for the property was $350,000. The site, which for many years also operated under Skluzacek
Oil Company and decades ago as Southtown Shell, went out of business in 2010 shortly after a couple of major highway crossings in Belle Plaine closed. The site was cleaned up several years ago, including the removal of the underground fuel tanks in order to make it more marketable. The building itself is still standing. The building was constructed in 1956 for Carl Johnson, who for many years had operated a Shell gas station in downtown Belle Plaine. He expanded at the new location on Highway 169. It was called Southtown Shell and included a restaurant, gas station and one lube stall. Wyman said he plans to renovate the existing building and make it a part of the new complex. He has applied to the city for a conditional use permit, which will be addressed by the planning and zoning commission during a public hearing on June 7. The city council will follow suit on June 20.