COUNTRY
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2015
Serving Marine on St. Croix, Scandia, May Township
VOL. 32 NO. 08 www.countrymessenger.com $.75
LOG HOUSE LANDING PROJECT: Finding common ground. P6
Sharing the green BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
Eating your greens — especially the locally-sourced, pesticide-free variety — isn’t always easy. As critics of the locavore movement have pointed out, relatively high prices for
farm fresh produce and artisanal goods can limit access to healthy fare. But the Scandia Farmers Market is offering a homegrown solution to that problem through its Green Grocery Share Program. At its most basic, the program is an alternative currency
for buying local goods. When market goers buy a bundle of “shares” — accepted as a substitute for cash by vendors who have opted in to the program — a set of identical shares is given to the food shelf at Elim Lutheran Church. Anyone can ask the food shelf
for shares, which will be given confidentially and with no questions asked, extending access within the community to fresh, local food. “This way there will be fresh fruits and vegetables as well as
Scandia city admin to resign Log House Landing ramp repair planned BY KYLE WEAVER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
SEE GREEN, PAGE 5
Scandia City Administrator Kristina Handt has submitted her resignation. Handt, who has been with the city for three years, will depart the office Nov. 6, assuming a successor has been named by then. In a letter submitted to the city council at the June 16 Scandia City Council meeting, Handt cited child care as her reason for leaving. After reluctantly accepting Handt’s resignation, the council agreed to solicit bids from various recruitment firms to handle finding her replacement. Prior to her resignation, Handt has arranged for an extended maternity leave to begin in late August. Handt's leave included six weeks of state-mandated maternity leave, plus three additional weeks of accrued vacation time. Handt previously worked for the Village of Luck, Wis. and was hired by Scandia in 2012 following the retirement of Anne Hurlburt. Her departure comes as the city is in the process of hiring a Public Works Director and has only recently hired a full-time city maintenance worker.
Log House Landing SUZANNE LINDGREN | COUNTRY MESSENGER
Pam Arnold tells market goers about the Green Grocery Share Program on the opening day of the 2015 Scandia Farmers Market, June 10. The new program aims to increase the community’s access to fresh, local food.
Boat parade on Big Marine goes official BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
The parade of boats that circles Big Marine Lake each Fourth of July was sparked roughly twenty years ago by a spontaneous convoy. The exact year of its beginning is hazy in the local collective memory, but in the decades since the procession began, it has become an informal tradition. “We’ve had a boat parade around Big Marine for years,” said lakeside dweller Colleen
Nora, “but it was always just people going around the lake.” This year, Nora and fellow Big Mariner Linda Marotzke have brought a new level of organization to the event, shortening the route, recruiting judges for a boat-decorating contest and working with the Veterans Campground to bring focus to the holiday. “It takes a long time to go around whole lake,” said Nora. “The parade should be short and fun, [with attention on] vets and
the whole country’s birthday. The Fourth is all about celebrating our nation’s freedom, so we decided to tie it in with the Vets Camp on the lake.” Nora and Marotzke worked with Ken Larson, manager of the Veterans Campground to coordinate the boat parade with the campground’s existing kids’ parade. Like the boat parade, the kids’ parade — in which bikes are decorated in red, white and blue
One of the challenges inherent with Scandia’s efforts to renovate its Log House Landing access to the St. Croix River appears to have been solved. The city council agreed to accept the donation from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources of 50 concrete-cable planks to be used in refurbishing the boat launch. The planks will be assembled at the base of the launch ramp, with a base of crushed rock spread underneath and between them. The Carnelian-Marine-St. Croix Watershed District worked with the DNR to arrange the donation. “Obviously, the point here is to solve the erosion,” watershed district administrator Jim Shaver said. The district also agreed to provide $2,000 for part of the installation work. The city will pay for approximately $2,900 worth of gravel and rock for the project. Additional planks, at a cost of $80 each, may be needed beyond the 50 the DNR has agreed to donate. Similar planks are in use at the Somerset (Wis.) Landing, which is directly across from Marine on St. Croix. The council directed city staff to apply for the SEE SCANDIA COUNCIL, PAGE 2
SEE BOAT PARADE, PAGE 2
Home-town, quality care At our Osceola and Scandia Clinics, you’ll find convenience, quality and home-town care ‒ for every stage of your life. Appointments available, call 888-565-4662.
NEWS 651-433-3845 editor@countrymessenger.com
ADVERTISING 651-433-3845 sales@osceolasun.com
PUBLIC NOTICES 651-433-3845 editor@countrymessenger.com
SUBSCRIPTIONS 651-433-3845 office@osceolasun.com
BREAKING NEWS, UPDATES Whenever, wherever you are! Scan me with your smartphone