COUNTRY
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2016
Serving Marine on St. Croix, Scandia, May Township
VOL. 32 NO. 50 www.countrymessenger.com $.75
ORDINANCE APPROVED: No wake zones on local lakes. PAGE 2
Solar farm moratorium proposed in Scandia BY KYLE WEAVER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
With two solar farm projects approved, two currently seeking permits and as many as three more believed to be waiting in the wings, the Scandia Planning Commission has called an official time out. The Scandia Planning Commission voted to recommend a three-month moratorium to give the city time to re-work its ordinance on solar farms. The proposed moratorium will face a city council vote on April 19. Last week the commission discussed two proposals before agreeing that there were “holes in the ordinance,” as commission member Dan Squyres put it. “I would say that’s obvious to everybody,” Squyres said. In particular, the commission zeroed in on the ordinance’s screening requirements, which hold that solar panels and equipment should be screened from roadways “to the extent possible.” Screening the farms from neighboring homes, though, is only required when there is a potential for glare from the panels. Since most solar farms are designed to capture, not reflect, the sun’s rays, the concern for glare is minimal. Further, most solar panels are aimed skyward and are perhaps likely to reflect any glare back toward the sky. “We learned last month that there is more to learn and discuss,” commission member Travis Loeffler said. The commission first considered a moratorium of up to one year, but backed it down to threemonths when concerns were raised about the Minnesota Solar Garden Program tax incentives for the projects, which are set to expire in 2016. “With these subsidies … we don’t want to cut people off and discourage them,” council member Chris Ness said.
EVAN JOHNSON AND GENE DI LORENZO | COUNTRY MESSENGER
Marine Fire and Rescue celebrates legacy Marine on St. Croix Mayor and volunteer fire department squad member, Glen Mills, presents a plaque at a dedication ceremony commemorating the grand opening of the vintage 1886 Marine Fire Hand Pumper exhibit next to the Fire Station and celebrating the Fire and Rescue Department’s 130 years of service to the community.
St. Paul homicide suspect arrested after Hwy 95 chase BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
Amid reports of a convoy of squad cars “flying” through Marine at 9:30 p.m. last Thursday, April 7, police apprehended a man suspected in a fatal St. Paul shooting earlier that day. According to Chisago County Sheriff Rick Duncan, a deputy saw the suspect’s vehicle near Shafer shortly after 9 p.m. and called for backup. Deputies tried to pull the man over near High-
way 95 and 220th in Scandia (about a mile north of Highway 97), but he refused to stop. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Stillwater police and Minnesota State Patrol joined the chase, which continued south on Highway 95. According to police audio, officers tried to stop the suspect with speed sticks, but the driver was able to avoid them. Ryan David Petersen, 37, Woodbury, was finally caught as he came into Stillwater. St. Paul
police confirmed the following morning that they were holding him in connection with the fatal shooting of a man in second-story law office on Selby Avenue. The historic Dacotah Building where the shooting occurred is also home to restaurant W.A. Frost & Company, and the shooting led to an hours-long lockdown, evacuation and closure of the busy street late Thursday afternoon. St Paul police said the shooting was isolated and not random.
Oldfield Avenue solar farm
Prior to discussing the moratorium, the commission told the proposers of a 40-acre solar farm on Oldfield Avenue North that they will have to create a better screening plan or be denied a permit next month. SEE COUNCIL, PAGE 2
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5K Run/Walk and Free Kids Run | April 23, 2016 Enjoy a 5K run and walk through the residential area of Osceola. Chip timing is available to 5K runners. Start and stop at Osceola High School. For more information, call 715-294-5736
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