COUNTRY
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2019
Serving Marine on St. Croix, Scandia, May Township
VOL. 35 NO. 47 www.countrymessenger.com $.75
RESURFACING I-35: Work begins this spring. PAGE 11
Clerk, treasurer will merge in May Township 2020 levy approved BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
The clerk and treasurer positions will become one in May Township, after 54 of 74 voters approved the change on the March 12 ballot, according to a report from town chair, Bill Voedisch. Twenty residents voted against the merger. John Pazlar was re-elected to the board of supervisors. Pazlar ran unopposed and garnered 69 votes of the 74 ballots cast. There were no write-in votes.
Real talk when there’s no roadmap Writer reflects on life after job loss BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
“This is a book about losing my job.” So begins “What Comes Next,” a new book from Lindstrom author Heidi Barr. In it, Barr offers a frank look at the emotions, financial challenges and other upsets that come with a layoff.
Although the theme is one few like to dwell on, in a world of outsourcing and downsizing, layoffs are almost commonplace. In a typical year, between 1.5 and 2 million Heidi Barr Americans are laid off, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Barr has lived the experience and is not afraid to talk about it.
F From evaluating what had been lo lost to realizing she feels a mix of e emotions including some relief, “ “What Comes Next” is based on d day-to-day reflections as recorded in a journal. “I’ve always been a journaler,” B Barr said. “So after I got the news I started writing about what was g going on. I had a new journal, and h day after my first day being the unemployed I opened it to the first page and wrote, ‘What comes SEE AUTHOR, PAGE 2
Annual Town Meeting Election Day was followed by the town’s annual meeting. Voedisch reported that it convened at the Town Hall at 8:15 p.m., called to order by Clerk Linda Tibbetts who presented the agenda, and asked for nominations for a moderator. Laurie Carlson was elected moderator and conducted the rest of the meeting. Per Voedisch: • The 2018 minutes and the financial statement were accepted as presented without reading; • Contributing to the Youth Service Bureau was discussed and it was agreed to increase the contribution amount to $5,000 from the $4,000 in the proposed budget and levy for 2020; • The 2020 proposed levy of $782,552 was increased to $783,522 due to the YSB increase, and was approved; • After some discussion the legal newspaper will remain the Pioneer Press with publication in The Country Messenger as a courtesy; • It was agreed the gopher bounty remain at $1.50; • Gravel pit traffic on public roads was an important topic for one citizen, who wants the commercial pit operator to balance their truck traffic across more than one public haul route so no one public road gets all the traffic for a major job. The Town will again seek cooperation from the pit operator; • One attendee wanted the town to use social media as another way to communicate with its citizens. Clerk Tibbetts will pursue this. The time and place for the next annual meeting will be Tuesday, March 10, 2020, 8:15 p.m. at the May Town Hall.
SUZANNE LINDGREN | COUNTRY MESSENGER
Pending inspections, John Ostlund plans to purchase the building that houses the Marine Garage.
Ostlund’s Marine Garage ‘here to stay’ BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
Relief followed concern last week as Marine on St. Croix residents learned that Ostlund’s Marine Garage will likely stay open. The possibility of closure had surfaced the week before. Ostlund, who has leased the building for 18
years, reported that the owners wanted to sell but the two sides could not come to an agreement. “I was talking with my competitors trying to find jobs for my employees,” Ostlund told the Messenger. “We thought it was all set.” A note on the door March 8 offered an iota of hope for the longstanding
garage and gas station. “This building is for sale. We have been negotiating for a while. But can’t agree on the details. We were planning on moving out at the end of this month but received a call this Friday to talk again. “WE LOVE WORKING FOR MARINE! “We will keep you in
the loop. “John Ostlund” In a March 11 conversation, the building owner accepted Ostlund’s offer, prompting another note: “GOOD NEWS. Looks like we’ve worked out a deal! We are here to stay! John & Lynn” Ostlund noted that the SEE OSTLUNDS, PAGE 2
Flood response volunteers needed
Community Thread is partnering with Washington County Emergency Management to streamline the identification and registration of flood response volunteers. Volunteers are needed for sandbagging efforts and administrative tasks at public property sites across Washington County. All volunteers must register before
participating in flood response work. Volunteers will be required to complete the appropriate city registration and waiver forms for which they are volunteering. Volunteers ages 14 to 17 must provide parental consent and be supervised by an adult. Volunteers under the age of 14 are prohibited. For over 50 years, Community
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Thread has leveraged resources and volunteers to improve the lives of adults and their families in our local community. In past flood emergencies, many St. Croix Valley cities turned to Community Thread to assist with volunteer recruitment and management. As the only volunteer center in the area, Community Thread is able to
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provide the support and coordination of flood response volunteer efforts. Registration information and forms will be available at the Washington County Flood Response 2019 Facebook page or www.communitythreadmn. org as details become available.
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