WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2019
Serving Polk County’s St. Croix Valley since 1897
VOL. 121 NO. 27 www.osceolasun.com $1.00
SPORTS: Osceola girls basketball wins third straight MBC contest. PAGE 11
Osceola Firefighters Ball benefits department for sixth year BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
A stronger fire department directly impacts the population it serves, from rescuers’ ability to help people in danger to reducing the cost of residential insurance premiums. For the sixth year, the Friends of the Osceola Fire Department and Osceola Lions Club will host a Firefighters Ball to benefit the department, defraying costs for area taxpayers. “Any money we raise from the dance is used to help purchase items the fire department needs,” explained Fire Chief Don Stark. “We try to show things we’ve purchased in the past, or things we’d like to get that would help the department.” A display at the event demonstrates the cost of outfitting a fireman. “Those costs just keep going up,” Stark explained. On the other hand, improved service capabilities caused in part by moving to the new fire station could mean lower insurance premiums for area residents. “We got our insurance ISO [insurance service SEE BALL, PAGE 15
Kwik Trip makes offer for Osceola property BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
KYLE WEAVER | FILE PHOTO
Osceola Fire Chief Don Stark and his date, Julie Woltz, share a laugh with other dancers at the 2018 Osceola Firefighters Ball.
Kwik Trip has expressed interest in buying two tax-delinquent lots in Osceola. The lots, which are adjacent, sit south of the village center on Ridge Road off State Highway 35. They total 78 acres. According to a memo to Polk County board members, the county foreclosed on the properties in 2010. The county put the properties up for public auction in July and October 2018, asking minimum bids of $170,000 and $175,000, respectively. No one bid the minimum. At the October auction, the county asked $250,000 for both lots and did not receive a minimum bid. In selling, the county hopes to recoup costs including delinquent taxes, special assessment and other charges totaling more than $175,000 for each property. Because the properties did not sell at auction, the board is entitled to authorize a direct sale. Kwik Trip has offered $250,000 for both properties, according to the resolution under review. The offer was referred to the Environmental Services and General Government committees for review.
Hikers, bikers ask to keep Gandy silent in summer BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
The on-again discussion about opening the Gandy Dancer Trail to ATVs and UTVs in summer met resistance from silent sports enthusiasts last week. Hikers and cyclists asked county board members to keep the trail free of ATVs in summer, saying the change would increase trail maintenance costs by tens of thousands of dollars and hurt existing businesses that cater to silent sports users. “About 1,500 event participants would be impacted,” said Stephanie Lundeen, owner of Luck’s Café Wren. “For each participant there is a spectator. … I don’t see that
this board understands the economic impact of non-motorized sports trails.” Others emphasized safety, saying that shared use would displace hikers and bikers completely. For one trailside resident, the existing noise is already a bother. “I would rather have trains than snowmobiles, they’re so loud,” said Bruce Christensen of Milltown. “They decided in the mid to late ‘80s that this trail was going to remain silent. I don’t see the county being obligated to open it to ATVs. I don’t see any reason to sneak in through the brush to get to the bar.” Public comment at the Jan. 22 meeting skewed heavily against motors on the trail.
One member of Polk County’s Snowmobile and ATV Council, Melvin Smith, avocated for shared use including horses. He pointed out that his group does significant maintenance on area trails, and said he believed motorized users would be respectful of others on the trail. Public participation in past meetings indicates Polk County residents are pretty evenly split over the issue of motorizing silent sports trails. Horseback riders also addressed the board Jan 22, asking to be included in the trail plan. The resolution’s sponsor, Supervisor Chris Nelson of Balsam Lake, tried to assuage those who had voiced concern. “The core of the resolution
was just to ask environmental services to have a discussion about it,” he said. “I think a lot of misinformation gets out. Someone says, ‘Everyone rally. They’re going to pass this tonight.’” In a nine to four vote (two absent), the Polk County Board approved a resolution directing the Environmental Service Committee to develop and propose revisions to Polk County’s segment of the Gandy Dancer Trail plan “with consideration of expanding ATV winter use to all-season ATV and UTV use.” Ultimately, there has been little movement on the issue since December, when the resolution was sent to the EnviSEE COUNTY, PAGE 19
SUZANNE LINDGREN | THE SUN
Melvin Smith, a member of the Polk County Snowmobile and ATV Council, said his group takes care of the trail.
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