Page 6 • Hometown News • Thursday, September 24, 2020
Local Municipality Minutes Email Minutes to htnews@meltel.net
Swanville City • August 4, 2020 Minutes of the Swanville City Council meeting held in the Swanville Center on Tuesday, August 4, 2020. The meeting was called to order 7:00 p.m. with the following members present: Sandy Lange, Jim Molitor, Deb Wood, Norm Carlson, and Tony Maciej. Also present: None Minutes from the July 7, 2020 Swanville City Council meeting were reviewed. After discussion, a motion was made by Jim Molitor to approve the minutes. Tony Maciej seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, motion carried. The treasures report was given. A motion was made by Tony Maciej and seconded by Norm Carlson to approve the treasurer’s report. All members voted in favor, motion carried. The City Clerk stated she had a sales tax audit performed by the State of MN. Mayor Lange read the audit letter from the State of MN which stated the audit is complete and there are no actions to change, all is well. The City of Swanville was notified the City could receive $26,218.00 in Federal Cares Act money. This funding is accessible for COVID-19 eligible expenses but the Coronavirus Relief Fund Certification Form must be summitted by September 15, 2020 to receive funding. After discussion Norm Carlson made a motion to sign the form to receive the funding money. Jim Molitor seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, motion carried. A letter from the Initiative Foundation asking the City to consider in the budget for 2021 a contribution. After discussion, Jim Molitor made a motion to contribute in 2021 $700.00, same as last year. Deb Wood seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, motion carried. Reminder: Affidavits of Candidacy for the City of Swanville General Election opened July 28 through August 11, 2020 until 4:00 p.m. Expiring elected offices are: Mayor (2 year) position, and two Council members (4-year terms). Council members terms expiring are Norm Carlson and Deb Wood. The Swanville Rural Fire Association annual meeting will be held August 25 at 8:00 p.m. Council is asked to be present if available. The following claims were presented for payment. Members of the council were furnished with a listing. Jim Molitor made a motion to approve the claims. Tony Maciej seconded the motion. All members voted in favor, motion carried. The next regular monthly meeting will be held Tuesday, September 8, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. There being no further business, a motion was made by Tony Maciej and seconded by Jim Molitor to adjourn. All members voted in favor, motion carried. Meeting adjourned 7:25 p.m. Julie Hollermann, City Clerk/Treasurer Upsala City • September 8, 2020 Call to Order/Attendance: The City Council meeting was called to order at Upsala City Hall by Mayor Rollie Johnson at 7:00 PM. Mayor Johnson led the Pledge of Allegiance. On roll call members in attendance: Mayor Rollie Johnson, Council Members Lana Bartells (via phone), Dennis Westrich, and Brian Lange. Absent: Crystal Benson People attending: MC Record reporter Sheila McCoy, First Response Team Vice President Garrett Doucette, Public Works Director Mike Tschida, Fire Chief Jay Baggenstoss, and City Clerk/Treasurer Michelle Stevens. Minutes: Bartells moved to approve minutes from August 3, 2020 City Council Meeting, 2nd by Westrich. Motion carried unanimously. Bartells moved to approve Special Budget Meeting minutes from August 13, 2020 City Council Meeting, 2nd by Lange. Motion carried unanimously. Added agenda items: Lange moved to approve the agenda as presented with the addition of ‘speeding’ under new business, 2nd by Westrch. Motion carried unanimously. Presentation, Citizen Appeals: Robert Harris with Lead for Minnesota presented on what the program is about and how it can benefit the City of Upsala. Department Reports: Fire Department Report: The Upsala Fire Department raffle is September 12, please be sure to buy a ticket. They will be joining the First Response Team with their training at the end of September. The Fire
Car Crash: September 15, 2020: At approximately 7:54 a.m. received a report of a two-vehicle crash on County Road 17 near 140th Ave. in Holding Township. This location is approximately two miles east of the City of Holdingford. A 2006 Chevrolet work van driven by Marvin Skwira, 53, of Holdingford, was westbound and came to a stop on Co. Rd. 17, waiting to make a turn into a driveway. A 2014 Nissan Pathfinder was also westbound and being driven by Scott Zehowski, 34, of Rice. Zehowski struck the Chevrolet from behind and pushed the Chevrolet into the south ditch. The van ended up on its side, against a utility pole. Skwira was able to free himself from the Chevrolet. The Nissan was also occupied by two children, ages 5 and 9. The two children received minor injuries, were treated on scene but not transported. The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Holdingford Fire Department and Mayo Ambulance. The crash remains under investigation Grandparent Scam: Grandma, Grandpa, I’m in jail and need help. I’m not a grandparent, but I can imagine how receiving a phone call like that would trigger many emotions. That is what the scammers are going for; to get your emotions to override clear thinking. Over the past week we have taken three fraud calls that all used the grandparent approach. In two of the calls money was sent by the victims who thought they were helping a grandchild in need. In neither case was the grandchild in trouble. The loss in the two cases was $18,000.00 in each instance. We will investigate, but the chance of recovering any funds is slim. Please remember, law enforcement agencies and jails will never ask for cash to be mailed. Sometimes the scammer says they are a lawyer trying to help. While I’m not a lawyer, and I don’t play one on TV, they are not going to pressure you to send money in the mail either. If it’s legit, I would have to believe they would ask for a cashier’s check or some sort of legitimate electronic transfer. Not cash, not gift cards, not Google Play cards, etc. If you get this type of call, the first reaction should be to call the child’s parents and then law enforcement. The scammers never quit. Let’s get the word out and stop them. Farm Accident: September 19, 2020: At approximately 12:32 p.m., received a call of a farm accident that occurred in a field near County Road 30/County Road 174 in Oak Township. A male party had been pinned between a pickup truck and a loaded silage wagon and was reported to have injuries to his lower extremities. When officers arrived on scene, the victim identified as Ronald Waldorf, 58, of Albany, was no longer pinned but had significant injuries to his leg. Waldorf was treated on scene by Freeport Rescue and Melrose Ambulance and was transported to the Melrose Hospital. Waldorf was flown to the St. Cloud Hospital by Lifelink Air Ambulance. The driver of the pickup identified as Diane Boeckers, 62, of Melrose, was not injured. It was learned through investigation that the accident occurred when Boeckers and Waldorf were trying to hook the loaded silage wagon to the pickup truck. Boeckers was backing the truck up to the silage wagon when the accident occurred.
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Trucks will be going in for basic maintenance this fall. Baggenstoss shared the thank yous they received for the help the department gave to the Northern Metal Fire in Becker. First Response Team: Doucette stated that they will be utilizing Sourcewell Grant dollars for COVID recovery. Morrison County is also offering a grant that both departments will be taking advantage of. The LUCAS machine has arrived. The team will be hosting a wilderness search and rescue through Central Lakes College on Saturday, September 26 at Nick Johnson and Dannielle Haus’s place. Please note that their will be helicopters and other emergency teams in the area for the training. The Upsala First Response Team is hosting a raffle in October; please purchase a ticket for a good cause. Maintenance Report: Tschida reported on water and sewer levels, and he stated discharging is done. The trees were trimmed in the uptown alley. The Rec Building cleaning is completed. The streets sweeper will be here in September. Tschida plans to start flushing hydrants on MEA Thursday evening. The department is continuing to put rip rap rock around the sewer pond. Thein Well did their annual inspection of the City’s wells; well #4 is losing capacity. They recommend cleaning and jetting the well. Tschida recommends doing the cleaning and jetting next summer. City Office Report: Stevens reviewed the September Calendar. Planning Commission: Lange reported that the commissioners walked through portions of the zoning ordinance. They discussed the Jason Malisheski permit. They reviewed the lot split for Sheri and Steve Johnson. The commissioners also talked about the mobile home that was moved in without a permit; the owner will be billed with a doubled permit fee. Recreation Board: No meeting was held. The Rec Building was cleaned by Service Master while it was shut down; the City will use COVID dollars to pay for the expense. Unfinished Business: CEDA Contract: Mayor Johnson reported that the City met with Ron Ziegler and both parties agreed that terminating the contract would be best. CEDA sent a refund check for the months that were not used. Rental/Background Checks: Stevens reported back to the Council on the request to require landlords to do background checks on all tenants. Stevens stated that she was in contact with the League of Minnesota Cities and they have not heard of any city requiring background checks. If the City of Upsala wanted to require such a thing, they should contact their attorney. New Business: Approve CARES Act dollars: Lange moved to approve the CARES act dollars from the State on the expenses as presented, 2nd by Westrich. Motion carried unanimously. Main Street Flower Box Contest: Mayor Johnson stated that Laura Douvier, the Post Office Master in Upsala, won the annual Flower Box Contest and received $25.00 in Upsala Bucks. Proposed Budget & Levy: Lange moved to raise the City’s levy by 0.5% for 2021 to meet the City’s fiscal responsibilities, 2nd by Westrich. Motion carried unanimously. Speeding in Town: Mayor Johnson stated that there is quite a bit of speeding on County Road 21 as well as Highway 238; he will be talking with the Sheriff’s Office to help deal with the problem. Medallion Hunt: The Long-Term Disaster Recovery Team met and agreed to have a monthly activity to encourage a new normal in our community. September’s activity will be the annual Medallion Hunt that is usually held during Heritage Days. Acknowledgements Appreciation goes out to Jan Schutz for volunteering her time and talent to process the paperwork for the sale of the property on Hwy 238. Your generosity is greatly appreciated! We appreciate unselfish citizens who help their neighbors without recognition. Your actions are what makes Upsala a great and special place to live! Financials: Lange moved to approve the bills as presented, 2nd by Westrich. Motion carried unanimously. Updates/FYI: Next Regular City Council Meeting will be Monday, October 5, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. Adjourn: Lange moved to adjourn at 8:40 p.m., 2nd by Westrich. Motion carried unanimously. Michelle Stevens, Clerk/Treasurer
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Harold “Harry” Hanson, age 95, of Sauk Centre died peacefully in the presence of his family on Saturday, September 19, 2020 at CentraCare-Sauk Centre Care Center in Minnesota. Harold Allyn Hanson was born January 24, 1925 in St. Paul, Minnesota to Elmer and Florence (Jackson) Hanson. Harry graduated from Wilson High School in St. Paul and then proudly served three years in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Following his military service, he attended and graduated from Hamline University. Harry taught American history and coached one year in Kimball, Minnesota. He then moved to Sauk Centre where he taught American history and social studies and coached basketball, baseball, and golf. In Sauk Centre, he met and married his wife of 67 years, Alta (Carpenter) on May 31, 1952 at First Methodist Church in Sauk Centre. He retired from teaching in 1985 but continued writing columns for the Sauk Centre Herald, moving from sports coverage to human interest stories of residents around the area. He volunteered his time at the St. Cloud VA and donated blood for many years. Harry’s love of history led to family vacations and cross-country travel to visit historical sites. He enjoyed all sports, but golf was his passion. Harry was elected into the inaugural class of the Sauk Centre Athletic Hall of Fame. He was selected as the Lions Club All-State Baseball Coach in 1975; he received Minnesota State High School League recognition for “twenty-five years of outstanding coaching;” and he belonged to the Half Century Club for newspaper professionals. Harry was a member of the First United Church of Christ, American Legion Post 67, Paul F. Donart VFW Post 2853, and a lifetime member of the Minnesota Teachers’ Association. As a member of the Minnesota Baseball Coaches Association, he held the office of president in 1974-75. Survivors include his wife, Alta Hanson; children, Cheryl Hanson (Brad Clary) of St. Paul, Julie (Tony) Schippers of Mesa, Arizona, Rod (Sharon) Hanson of Sauk Centre, and Ken (Denise) Hanson of St. Cloud; six grandchildren, Andrea, Kelly, Cheyenne, Kaylee, and Macy; two great-grandchildren, Tori and Carter. Harry was preceded in death by his parents, Elmer and Florence Hanson; sister, Janet (Hanson) Allen; and granddaughter, Winona Hanson. No services are planned Memorials are preferred to the Care Center Activities Department at CentraCare Health-Sauk Centre, 425 Elm Street North, Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Remembrances may be shared on-line at www.pattonschad.com or at Patton-Schad Funeral and Cremation Services, 620 Beltline Road, Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Arrangements were made with PattonSchad Funeral & Cremation Services of Sauk Centre.
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