COUNTRY
Serving Marine on St. Croix, Scandia, May Township
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016 VOL. 32 NO. 40 www.countrymessenger.com $.75
ROAD PROJECT: Open house for Marine on St. Croix. PAGE 6
BOLD reactions
SUZANNE LINDGREN | COUNTRY MESSENGER
"Marine residents are willing to go to great lengths to keep the elementary school in their community." said Susan Logan at the Jan. 28 public hearing on the proposed closure of Marine Elementary.
Locals plead with district to keep schools open BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
EVAN JOHNSON AND GENE DILORENZO
Finishing touches Chase Stegmeir works on the family’s “snow deer” at Scandia's 2016 Vinterfest. See more Vinterfest photos on page 7.
Two retire from Scandia Fire & Rescue BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
After years of service, Erich Kertzscher and Debbie Peterson are retiring from Scandia’s fire and rescue squad. Kertzscher, 52, has been with the department for 25 years and noted that between him and his father, Ernie Kertzscher, the family has served Scandia Fire for 50 consecutive years. Peterson, 58, joined the team almost 14 years ago. “I first became a certified EMT … when we became empty nesters and moved to Scandia 17 years
SUBMITTED
Retiring firefighters Debbie Peterson and Erich Kertzscher at a Jan. 25 training.
ago,” she said. “I thought it would be fun to join the fire department, another way to serve my community.” She sat in on a winter training session to test the waters and reports that, “the whole crew made me feel welcome, even as an observer.” She signed up that spring, passed the physical and fitness test and became an official member that May. Both Peterson and Kertzscher retire with hard-earned tales from the field. Among the most SEE FIREFIGHTERS, PAGE 2
Parents and community members implored the Stillwater School Board last week to keep three small schools – Withrow, Marine and Oak Park – open in 2017 and beyond. At public hearings held for three evenings at Oak-Land Junior High in Lake Elmo, some commended the board and ad-
ministration on a job well done thus far, calling their efforts underappreciated and necessary. Others chastised administrators, critiquing a “cookie cutter” solution that did not involve stakeholders in its process. But most agreed that closing the schools would be an irreversible mistake. District leaders did not respond to comments at the hearings, but will discuss public feedback at a learning session this week. SEE BOLD, PAGE 2
Log alarms river gazer
On Friday, Jan. 29th at 3:57 p.m., the Washington County Sheriffs Office Dispatch received a 911 call from someone worried they’d seen a body floating in the St. Croix River off St. Croix Trail, near the Boom Site north of downtown Stillwater. According to a release from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, dispatch activated county deputies, the office’s Water/Parks and Trails unit, the Stillwater Fire Department and Lakeview EMS. All responding units worked together with the assistance of the caller and it was determined that it was a log floating in the water.
Free Health Seminar Topic: Ask the Cardiologist
February is American Heart Month. Find out what your future risk of heart disease may be with our relaxed, Q&A seminar on February 4. Visit MyOMC.org/events or call 715-294-4936 to register, space is limited.
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