COUNTRY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019
Serving Marine on St. Croix, Scandia, May Township
VOL. 36 NO. 24 www.countrymessenger.com $.75
FIRE PREVENTION WEEK: Saluting our firefighters. PAGES 8 & 9
Turtle fencing project raises questions BY KYLE WEAVER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
After receiving several complaints about the chain link fencing that went up recently along both sides of Highway 97, the Scandia City Council went looking for answers. The answer: It’s for the turtles. According to a council memo, Minnesota Department of Transportation officials installed the fencing as part of an Office of Environmental Stewardship wildlife study. The fencing is design to prevent turtle fatalities by redirecting them and other small animals away from or to culverts underneath the roadway. MnDOT chose the area along Highway 97, west of Scandia Elementary School, because of a high number of turtle fatalities observed, with approximately 60 painted and snapping turtles killed in 2018. It was one of 15 sites chosen for the study. MnDOT officials said they notified nearby residents about the project back in February, but did SEE COUNCIL PAGE 6
SUBMITTED
After more than five years and 7,000 miles of riding, Terry Stille completed his mission to ride every street in Washington County in September of 2019.
Scandia drivers treated on national Cinnamon Bun Day
‘Every single street’ Terry Stille bikes all of Washington County MATT ANDERSON EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
“I moved to the area in 2013, and soon fell in love with cycling in the Afton and Woodbury area. That grew into a personal challenge to ride my bike on every single highway, county road, and public street in Washington County,” said bike enthusiast Terry Stille, currently residing in Woodbury. Though riding is something that Stille has enjoyed most of his life, the idea of cycling every street of Washington County would be intimidating to most. Stille, however, had one sign that pushed him towards the feat. “My birthday is April 23. When I learned that Washington County had 423 miles I thought that was
an omen to complete this challenge,” he said. “So, I averaged 20-30 miles per trip and used three bikes over the six seasons.” After committing to the challenge and riding for a number of years in Washington County, Stille was finally able to complete the goal he set out for in September of this year. “I started GPS tracking my activities with a phone app beginning in the spring of 2014, and finally completed the obsessive task this fall,” he said. “I now have a composite GPS map of my coverage to prove this feat, which took me five and a half years. That includes 423 square miles of the county, including all of the 31 cities and townships, and requiring around 7,000 miles on the bike.” Riding through all those communities certainly included meeting good people, seeing unique sights and eating good
NEWS 651-433-3845 editor@countrymessenger.com
food. Thinking back on his many long rides along the way, Stille reflected on one of his first through Scandia. “One of my first long rides in Washington County was the 65mile ‘Minnesota Major’ River to River ride out of Afton, and up to Scandia and back,” says Stille. “I do remember how nicely maintained all the roads in Scandia were. And I had a wonderful dinner on the patio at Meister’s in Scandia.” Traveling through town after town is exciting by itself, but Stille also had his share of opportunities to appreciate the nature of Washington County. Some of the parks and encounters with wildlife left a lasting impression on Stille. “Washington County has pleasantly surprised me with its beauty, it’s lakes, and its wildlife
ADVERTISING 651-433-3845 ads@osceolasun.com
SEE CYCLIST PAGE 2
PUBLIC NOTICES 651-433-3845 editor@countrymessenger.com
SUBMITTED
Scandia Mayor Christine Maefsky, Patti Ray of the Scandia City Council, Lynette Welsch of the Scandia-Marine Lions Club and Lynette Moratzka of the Gammelgarden museum braved the chilly weather of early October 4 to hand out hundreds of cinnamon roll for the 2nd annual National Cinnamon Roll day in Scandia
For two hours in the early-morning hours on October 4, Christine Maefsky (Scandia’s mayor), Lynne Moratzka (Gammelgarden Museum), Patti Ray (Scandia City Council), and Lynnette Welsch (Scandia-Marine Lions Club) celebrated National Cinnamon Bun SUBSCRIPTIONS 651-433-3845 office@osceolasun.com
Day with 500 people passing through the intersection of Olinda Trail and Oakhill Road. Wearing safety vests and holding napkins with cinnamon buns in their hands as they approached vehicles, SEE BUN PAGE 2
BREAKING NEWS, UPDATES Whenever, wherever you are! Scan me with your smartphone