Local Man Sentenced to Over 28 Years in Prison
All-District Football Team Announced
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ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIFTH YEAR
BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA, NOVEMBER 23, 2016
75¢ SINGLE COPY
NUMBER 47
Council Okays Variance That May Reinvigorate Downtown Building
Pictured following Saturday’s Eagle Scout Board of Review are Belle Plaine’s three newest Eagle Scouts, from left, Hayden Cody, Ryan Stier and Nicholas Feddersen.
Belle Plaine Eagle Scout Count Soars Belle Plaine Boy Scouts Troop 324’s list of Eagle Scouts grew by three following this Saturday’s board of review held at St. John Lutheran Church Saturday morning.
Included are Hayden Cody, Nicholas Feddersen and Ryan Stier, all of whom are 17 years old and seniors in high school. Feddersen, son of Terry and Karen Feddersen, has been in
Judge Will Rule on Sundblad Murder Trial This Morning Scott County District Court Judge Christian Wilton will announce a verdict this morning (Nov. 23, 11:30 a.m.) in Scott County District Court on charges that Joshua Sundblad is guilty of murdering his infant son back in May of 2014. Sundblad, 26, faces several counts that include firstand third-degree murder and first- and third-degree assault. If he is found guilty, Sundblad will likely be sentenced at a later date following a pre-sentence investigation. He has been in the Scott County Jail since September of 2014 when he was charged with killing the child. He has waived his right to a speedy trial, said Scott County Attorney Ron Hocevar. Sundblad’s trial was held over the summer. He chose for Wilton to decide his guilt or innocence rather than trial by jury. Sundblad has remained in the Scott County Jail, unable to post the $50,000 cash bail/$500,000 bond. Sundblad is indicted on charges that include first-degree murder while committing child abuse. It also includes two counts of first-degree assault, one count of second-degree manslaughter, and two counts of third-degree
assault. Sundblad allegedly admitted in June of 2015 to another man while in jail he intentionally killed the baby. Sundblad’s attorney claimed the credibility of the man is questionable at best. The indictment alleges the attorney said Sundblad admitted he inflicted severe injuries to the baby’s head and ribs as the baby continued to decline. According to the indictment, the day the baby died (May 9, 2014) Sundblad allegedly covered the infant with a pillow, a blanket and some clothing in an effort to “put him out of his misery.” According to the original 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 approximately 5:22 p.m. Sundblad directed them to a bedroom where they found the baby and his mother. The baby’s skin was dark purple and would only lighten in color when oxygen was administered. The child was pronounced dead that night at Minneapolis Children’s Hospital at 10:52 p.m.
Local Holiday Events Upcoming This Year’s Lineup Includes Concert at Historic Episcopal Church The Belle Plaine Historical Society will hold its annual Christmas party and open house on Thursday, Dec. 1 from 6-8 p.m. at the Hooper-BowlerHillstrom Historical House adjacent to Court Square Park. Santa Claus and a couple of his reindeer will be there (bring your camera). During the same hours that
evening, the Belle Plaine Community Choir will perform at Belle Plaine’s historic Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, which is located near the park along Highway 25. The public is invited to both events. Belle Plaine’s 13th annual Holiday Express will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Dec. 3. Again, Santa will be there to visit with children. More information on the Historical Society Open House, Holiday Express and other holiday activities in Belle Plaine will be published in next Wednesday’s Herald.
Boy Scouts for seven years. His main project for becoming an Eagle Scout was establishing a flower garden at Our Lady of the Prairie Catholic Church and School. He has lived in Belle Plaine for 14 years. Cody, son of Ruth Cody and the late Tom Cody, has been in Boy Scouts for seven years. His Eagle Scout project was building two pollinator gardens for the Ney Nature Center in Henderson. Stier, son of Tiffany and Belle Plaine Scoutmaster Christopher Stier, has also been in the Boys Scouts for seven years. His Eagle Scout project was coordinating a flag retirement ceremony in conjunction with the Belle Plaine Veterans Club in 2015. According to Chris Stier, who has been the local scoutmaster for 11 years, three new Eagle Scouts in one day is unprecedented in Belle Plaine. “All of them have really been fun kids to be around from the time they started (Boy Scouts),” he said. Stier added that 11 Belle Plaine Boy Scouts have now ascended to the rank of Eagle in his 11 years as scoutmaster. A 12th is on the way as Wyatt Herrmann is scheduled to go before the three-member board of review on Dec. 8 to receive his Eagle badge. His main project was assembling and constructing targets for the community archery range. The Eagle Scout award is a performance-based achievement, the standards for which have been well-maintained over the years. Only about 5 percent of Boy Scouts nationwide achieve the award. Nevertheless, the goals of Scouting – citizenship training, character development and personal fitness – remain important for all Scouts, whether or not they attain the Eagle Scout rank. Merit badges signify the mastery of certain outdoor skills, as well as helping boys increase their skill in an area of personal interest. Of the 130 merit badges available, 21 must be earned to qualify for Eagle Scout. Of this group, 13 badges are required, including First Aid, Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, Citizenship in the World, Communications, Cooking, Environmental Science, Personal Fitness, Personal Management, Camping and Family Life.
by Dan Ruud An aged downtown building that once was frequented by the public may soon be put back to public use following action by the Belle Plaine City Council Monday night. Cindy Heimerl, who owns and operates Rubies and Rust Wedding Barn in Belle Plaine Township, wants to turn the former post office building she bought at 229 Meridian Street North (between the current post office and the Vets Club) into an events center. Heimerl requested and received a variance to reduce (by one) the number of off-street parking spaces required for what most recently has been an apartment in the B-3 Central Business District (downtown). Heimerl said she plans to renovate the building and will still maintain a two-bedroom living unit there but not one that will be rented on a continuous basis. Instead, she plans to use it as a place for guests to stay overnight following special events she will host in the main area of the building, including groom’s or brides’s dinners and anniver-
saries. She also plans to host other small special events such as birthday and graduation celebrations, etc. at the site. The events will accommodate up to 100 people. “I believe I can create a very successful business like (Rubies and Rust wedding barn),” said Heimerl, adding that the building is “rundown now but I can turn it around to be a place people will want to go.” The council voted 4-1 (Gary Trost no) to approve the parking variance. The planning and zoning commission had voted 3-2 to recommend approval. The vote to approve the conditional use permit was unanimous by both the commission and council. No one other than Heimerl spoke at the public hearing that preceded the council’s action. In other business Monday night, the council voted unanimously to accept an application from Frontier Communications to provide cable service in Belle Plaine, which currently has one provider – Mediacom. As part of the acceptance of the application, the city will commence
negotiations with Frontier regarding its plans to provide service in Belle Plaine. Jack Phillips of Frontier provided an overview on Frontier’s background and the services it provides to cable subscribers. He was the only one from the audience to address the council at Monday’s public hearing. City Attorney Bob Vose, who will help oversee the negotiation process with Frontier, reported that Frontier already has cable franchises in Apple Valley, Burnsville, Farmington, Lakeville and Rosemount, and has requested franchises from other cities, including Wyoming and Chisago City in the eastern suburbs, as well as Delano, Mound and Watertown to the west. Vose’s report added that Frontier’s application states that Minnesota has a “level playing field law” for issuance of a cable franchise in an area that already has an agreement with another provider. Vose said he and city staff will
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Slippery When Freezing Wet
Tuesday morning’s wintery mix was a factor in a Henderson man losing control of his car and leaving Scott County Road 6 (Blakeley Road). Belle Plaine emergency officials, including fire department and Ridgeview ambulance personnel, removed Bob Traxler, 29, of Henderson, from the car and used a stretcher to get him to the ambulance. He was then transported to an area hospital. His injuries, which included a cut on the head, were non-life-threatening.
School District Working to Keep B.P. Students at Home ‘Capture Rate’ Best in MRC
Working to keep as many of the community’s students as possible enrolled in Belle Plaine Public Schools, the school district continues to enhance its academic and co-curricular offerings. During a workshop Monday evening (Nov. 14), the school board heard a report on the reasons some families decide to leave. The board was informed how the district is working to offer the best learning initiatives it can through blended learning and a growing array of online learning opportunities that otherwise might not be available because of low enrollments. The online courses include are currently being taught to senior high school students in health science, psychology, sociology. Students are also taking advance placement classes in biology, creative writing and U.S.
History. Overall, 86 students are taking online classes. Gardner said the online learning is one of several efforts the Belle Plaine School District has worked on to make the district a place “where families want to stay and we can also bring in more families.” The district is also working to meet a goal of every student being involved in some form of positive activity at least once during the year. Belle Plaine Schools lost 247 students to other school districts via open enrollment, said Superintendent Ryan Laager. About 61 students enter the districts via open enrollment this year, creating a net loss of 186 students this year. With each student generating about $7,975 in state aid to the district, the net loss of students amounts to about $1.48 million in revenue that leaves the district with the students. The Belle Plaine School District is working to stem the departures by enhancing its pro-
gram and facilities. It asked 81 families that left Belle Plaine Public Schools for some of the reasons they decided to enroll their children elsewhere. The reasons include communication with staff and district leadership, relocation to another district, lack of support with special education, concerns about curriculum, and school atmosphere.
‘Always Concerning’
“It is always concerning when students leave our district. And that can be for many reasons. I applaud our administrative staff for their work investigating why students (families) leave and also why families like our district,” said Director Dan Gardner, the school board’s chairman. “The key number for me is we have the least number of students leaving our district in our conference. It would be
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