BPHS Students Sign College Letters
Ridgeview Adds to Plans in Belle Plaine
More State Volleyball Photos Page 13
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ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOURTH YEAR
BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
H.S. Volleyball
Tigers Sink Teeth Into State Title for First Time in Program History Top-Hitter Returns to School Monday on Crutches
by Dan Ruud Celebratory, chaotic, emotional and concerning are several words that can be used to describe the conclusion of Saturday’s Minnesota State Class 2A volleyball championship at Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul. One other word is “first.” The Belle Plaine High School volleyball team, which had not gotten past the semifinals in eight previous state tournament appearances, went the distance this time around to bring home the program’s first state championship. The Tigers, the No. 1 seed, defeated unseeded Perham 3-0 Thursday, defending state champion and No. 4 seed Stewartville 3-1 Friday and No. 2 seed Concordia Academy 3-0 Saturday, capping off a state championship season record of 32-3. As for celebratory, chaotic, emotional and concerning, they all unfolded just before, during and after Belle Plaine’s final point for the championship Saturday. Leading 24-19, the Tigers
Belle Plaine’s victory celebration following Saturday’s state championship match became subdued some when head coach Cassie Koch walked past her players to go see to fallen Tiger Mariena Hayden, who seconds earlier had recorded match point. The rest of the team, realizing the situation, cut short their immediate celebration. injured her knee on the play served for the victory but the elimination. Belle Plaine all- and needed to be helped off Beacons momentarily held off state hitter Mariena Hayden the court. Following a time-
Another Day Care to Locate in Existing Facility
approved Rainbow Discovery Child Care’s request for a conditional use permit (CUP) to relocate from 613 East Main Street to adjoining 617 East Main Street, the latter of which formerly housed Otto Drug by Dan Ruud Store, which closed earlier this The Belle Plaine City Coun- year. cil, following a public hearing Renee Schultz of Rainbow Monday night, unanimously Discovery Child Care, along
City Council Reduces 2016 Levy Hike from 7.2% to 3.4% funds to cover the shortfall of not receiving assessment payments ($180,152) for the 2010 refund bond for West Commerce Drive, an issue that was still pending in litigation. This past Monday night, Kreft reported that staff has since met with the property owner regarding the special assessment and that he made payments for the years 2014 and 2015, and subsequently entered into an agreement regarding future
Levy Hike
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with building owner Lori Otto, submitted the application for the CUP so that Schultz can relocate her child care center to the larger space and expand the business. Belle Plaine Community Development Director Cynthia Smith Strack reported that no major interior or exterior modifications to the building are planned. In a related action item, the council unanimously approved a city revolving loan fund (RLF) request by Angelina and Ryan Gorman to assist in the funding with leasehold improvements and equipment purchases for an infant and toddler day care facility at the current Rainbow Discovery Child Care site at 617 East Main Street. The loan request is for $7,920, the term for which will be five years at an interest rate of 2.5 percent. Staff reported that there is currently $145,945.86 available in the city’s RLF. *Unanimously authorized the advertising for part-time seasonal public works employees.
City Council
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Community Thanksgiving Service Next Tuesday Night at Redeemer Lutheran
The annual Ecumenical Community Thanksgiving Service will be held at Redeemer Lutheran Church 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 24. The church is located at 14226 West 280th Street in rural Henderson (two miles east of the Highway 169 and Highway 19 interchange). The service is sponsored by the congregations of St. John Lutheran, Our Lady of the Prairie Catholic, First Presbyterian,
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Number of Applicants for City Council Seat Swells to Seven The list of candidates for the soon-to-be vacant seat on the Belle Plaine City Council reached seven as of late Tuesday morning. The deadline to apply was 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. Nathan Hvidsten, who applied the previous week, has since been joined by Kenneth Muzny, Joe Lenz, Nickalaus Jensen, Henry Pressley Jr., Leif Tharaldson and Anthony Hetzel. City Council Member Scott Schneider, who still has over three years left on his fouryear term, is resigning from the council, effective Nov. 20, because he is moving to Shakopee. His final council meeting was Monday night. On Nov. 2, the council de-
cided to seek applicants for Schneider’s replacement, one of whom will be appointed. Interviews with all the applicants are scheduled for this Thursday night at Belle Plaine City Hall. It’s possible that whoever is chosen will only fill the seat through this year – that is if the council decides to hold a special election for Schneider’s remaining term at the General Election in November. The council could also opt to hold a special election prior to November, but such a step would be more costly. Regardless of what the council decides, it must (by statute) appoint at least a temporary replacement for Schneider.
Scott County Board Approves Blakeley Brewery’s Licenses
City Council Okays Permit for Rainbow Discovery to Relocate to Former Otto Drug Building
The Belle Plaine City Council Monday night voted 3-2 to approve a resolution amending the final 2016 property tax levy and budget, a move that will cut the levy increase by more than half. On Nov. 2, the council voted 3-2 to approve a final property tax levy for 2016 that represented a 7.2 percent increase over this year’s levy. The 2016 levy was for $5,051,291 compared to $4,712,754 this year. City Administrator Holly Kreft reported on Nov. 2 that one of the reasons for the increase in the 2016 levy was to generate
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Redeemer Lutheran, St. John’s Assumption, River Rock Christian, Discovery and West Union Lutheran. The community is welcome to attend. The Thanksgiving worship is also intended to remember the needs of others. A monetary offering will be accepted during the service to support the local Good Samaritan Fund, which
provides help for transient people in the area. This fund is supported by participating churches and the Thanksgiving offering is the main source of annual income for this fund. In addition, worshipers are encouraged to bring nonperishable food items to be donated to the Belle Plaine Food Shelf. Monetary donations are also welcome. Checks can be made out to the Belle Plaine Food Shelf.
Volleyball
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It’s been a lot of work and plenty of time waiting, but the owners of Scott County’s only township brewery and taproom have the approvals they need to open the doors for business. Yesterday morning (Nov. 17), the Scott County Board unanimously approved an application allowing Jeff and Dave Luskey and Kurt Fossen to begin brewing their own craft beer and operate a taproom. The U4IC Brewing Company is located on
County Road 1 (Union Trail) in Blakeley Village. The trio plans to operate a 30-barrel brew house in about 8,000 square feet of leased space within the old creamery building Jeff Luskey told county commissioners the taproom is important because it will allow U4IC to test its products to potential customers. The com-
Scott County
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Ted Kornder, who farms land along Highway 169 in St. Lawrence Township northeast of Belle Plaine, is one of a handful of farmers in the area who left rows of corn standing to form a living snow fence. The rows of corn stalks, along with round bales of corn stalks, are intended to protect the roadway from snow blowing across it this winter. Farmers receive a stipend for participating in the Minnesota Department of Transportation program.
‘Living Snow Fences’ Aim to Keep Roads Safer During Winter On a cold winter day, with a howling wind from the north blowing snow across Highway 169, the road surface can sometimes be difficult to see and navigate. The Minnesota Department of Transportation has been working for years to provide safer driving conditions on highways like 169 throughout the winter months. This year, at least one area farmer has chipped in to assist. Ted Kornder of St. Lawrence Township farms land along Highway 169 north of Belle Plaine. He and neighboring farmers, plus many more across the state leave 16 to 24 rows of corn stalks as a buffer between wide-open fields and the highways. Kornder is one of a handful of Belle Plaine area farmers participating in the programs. The
others include Gary Crosby, Mark and Neil Koepp, and LeRoy Chard. The program is called “Living Snow Fences.” The Minnesota Department of Transportation has been operating the program for about 15 years, said Dan Gullickson, a forester with Mn/ DOT. Iowa and other northern, snow-belt states have also used “Living Snow Fences” for several years to shield roads from blowing snow and keep them clearer longer. The latest Mn/DOT figures show 22,000 drivers a day use Highway 169 north of Belle Plaine. South of Belle Plaine, the count drops to about 16,800 vehicles each day. “We know (Highway) 169 is a very important corridor for moving people between Mankato and the Twin Cities,” Gullickson said.
A Helping Hand
The rows of corn stalks and rolls of corn stalks act as a shield for the highway. With no fences, Mn/DOT plow drivers will clear the road of snow, only to have blowing snows recover the roadway. Packed snow, chemical and refreezing can also lead to hazardous conditions. “It gets very slippery out there,” said Kornder. “We have plenty of spin-outs and crashes in this area, especially north of here.” Farmers receive a stipend for participation. Using a program
Roads Safer
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