BURNETT COUNTY
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2017 VOL. 55 NO. 31 www.burnettcountysentinel.com $1.00
FUN AT THE FAIR: SEE 2017 BURNETT COUNTY FAIRS EXHIBITOR BOOK INSERT
A hub of humanity: The Grantsburg Public Library BY SEAN DEVLIN SENTINEL
SUBMITTED
Easter Egg Hunt fun Macy Bistram, who turns one on May 11, is shielded from the rain by her mom Kayla’s umbrella during the Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday at Coyland Creek. More photos on page 15.
GRANTSBURG— A Hershey bar once cost .50 cents. Now it’s a $1.49 in most places. Gas prices fluctuate like the tides and college tuitions are so costly they are almost comical. Library services are free— still. However, the main argument seems to be that a Kindle, laptop or smart phone can serve as a library. A room full of books is irrelevant. Yes, it is true that a person can carry thousands of books around in their pocket or handbag, but are books all modern libraries offer? Far from it. “We are not a business. We are a service,” said Kristina Kelley-Johnson, the Grantsburg Library Director since 2014. “This is a free resource that you have. Not just to check out books, but to spend time with your families. I want anybody who finds they can use this library to use it. It’s yours,” she said. With all of the resources available to the community, the Grantsburg Pubic Library serves as an extension of the home. It is an archaic idea that a library is solely a warehouse of books. Here in Grantsburg, the director and her crew offer the community a wide range of resources. Some of these resources include: Wi-Fi, computer access, tax filing service, local genealogy assistance provided by volunteer historians, a free Ancestry.com database, meeting rooms for not-for-profit organizations, and literacy programs for preschool and grade school age children. The director focuses much of her time catering to families SEE LIBRARY, PAGE 6
‘Six-foot hurdle’ blocking emergency communications BY STEVE BRIGGS SENTINEL
HERTEL—More than $200,000 in new digital emergency communications equipment sits idle, never used, as Burnett County, the St. Croix Band of Chippewa and a power company wrangle over a six-foot easement. The emergency equipment that would assist law enforcement, fire protection and ambulance service has no electrical hookup. The issue affects not only the Hertel area but most of northeastern Burnett County and another tower in southeastern Burnett County, including the towns of Rusk, Dewey and Roosevelt. It further hampers inter-county communications from reaching the Barronnett tower in southeastern Burnett County. At last Wednesday’s Infrastructure Committee meeting, Burnett County Administrator Nate Ehalt explained the situation, “As you committee members SEE WATER TOWER, PAGE 16
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STEVE BRIGGS | SENTINEL
$200,000 worth of equipment, building and power generator sit idle at Hertel Water Tower for lack of a six-foot easement to connect the equipment to Polk Burnett Electric Utility power.
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