COUNTRY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2019
Serving Marine on St. Croix, Scandia, May Township
VOL. 36 NO. 25 www.countrymessenger.com $.75
TOBACCO SALES: Council approves new age requirement. PAGE 6
New Scandia administrator ‘already feels at home’ BY KYLE WEAVER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
CARL WEGENER
Governor Tim Walz recognizes the conscious effort of Walter Mondale to protect wildlife across the United States at the October 15 celebration at William O’Brien State Park.
Five St. Croix River sites in Minnesota renamed to honor Walter Mondale Ceremony at William O'Brien State Park celebrates the statesman on the banks of the river he helped protect BY GREG SEITZ ST. CROIX 360
The rain stopped and the skies cleared around noon October
15, which was good timing for a special event taking place at William O’Brien State Park. Elected officials and others were gathered with the news media to recognize Walter Mondale’s contributions to protecting the St. Croix River. The 91-year-old former Senator, Vice President, and Ambassador was seated by the fireplace at a pavilion near Lake Alice, for a ceremony renaming the sur-
rounding day-use area after the St. Croix River champion. It’s just one of five locations up and down the river being renamed, illustrating the scope of Mondale’s contributions to St. Croix conservation. The Walter F. Mondale Day-Use Area is a popular spot at a popular park, providing access to the river and Lake Alice, picnic grounds, SEE CEREMONY PAGE 2
Geology meets cycling at Scandia Rocks and Rolls BY MATT ANDERSON EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
Cycling and geology are often not thought of as combinable activities, but Cycling Scandia’s first Rocks and Rolls event successfully put them together for a fun new activity. Janie O’Connor worked with geologist Dale Setterholm to create this unique occasion. “About 15 years ago I was a University of SEE CYCLING PAGE 7
JANIE O’CONNER
Geologist Dale Setterholm took cyclists from various communities around Scandia and Marine on St. Croix for the first Cycling Scandia “Rocks and Rolls” event. Riders would stop at different geological formations and let Setterholm explain the significance of each.
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Scandia’s new city administrator is settling in to both his new role and his new community. Though Ken Cammilleri only took office as Scandia City Administrator a few weeks ago, he says he is already immersed in and ready for the challenges and the opportunities. A bachelor and a dog owner, Cammilleri has rented a house in Scandia, not far from the village center, and already considers the city his home. Originally from Port Washington, Wis., Cammilleri earned his undergraduate degree at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wis., and holds a master’s degree in public Cammilleri administration from the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee. While Cammilleri had initially contemplated obtaining a law degree, he instead found himself drawn to public service. Cammilleri was influenced in part by his father, who worked for 30-plus years as a health inspector, serving multiple cities and communities throughout his career. “His stories about serving the community were inspiring to me,” he said. Cammilleri started out in the field as a deputy administrator in Wind Point, Wis., a community of 1,700 people on the shore of Lake Michigan. He also worked in Washburn, Wis., before landing the top administrator job in Pine City, Minn., in June 2013. Cammilleri felt right at home in Pine City and figured he could have stayed there for a long time. But, as it sometimes does, life got in the way. Cammilleri had to leave the role to help a family member with some health issues. “I don’t regret it,” Cammilleri said. “I liked Pine City. It’s sad I had to leave, but I’ve found myself a new place.” Cammilleri makes a daily routine of going for a swim at the YMCA facility in Forest Lake. In his free time, Cammilleri is a frequent state park visitor. He enjoys camping and, at the moment, chasing fall colors along the hiking trails. As for the job, Cammilleri admits he has a good bit of catching up to do, as he faces an initial backlog of code enforcement issues that built up over the summer—a normal ebb and flow, he said, that usually tapers off come winter. With the city having recently approved its comprehensive plan, Cammilleri noted that the next steps will include updating ordinances and zoning codes to meet the plan’s goals. In Cammilleri’s experience, working through such issues goes far more smoothly when the community is included as much as possible in the discussion. In his view, it is much harder to hear SEE ADMINISTRATOR PAGE 2
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