WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2019
Serving Polk County’s St. Croix Valley since 1897
VOL. 121 NO. 49 www.osceolasun.com $1.00
SPORTS: Braves lose two of three games, keep playoff hopes. PAGE 10
Osceola board chooses village administrator BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
The Village of Osceola is in the process of solidifying employment terms with a new village administrator. After interviews with four candidates last Saturday, the village board unanimously chose to offer the position to Benjamin Krumenauer, currently of the Fox River Valley area. Krumenauer accepted the position and by noon Monday the village was finalizing an employment agreement, according to Interim Village Administrator Frank Pascarella. Once the agreement is completed and reviewed the board will formally appoint him to the position, either in a special
Krumenauer
meeting or at its regular meeting, July 9. “The board is happy with the selection,” Pascarella said. “They thought all the candidates did well throughout the selection process.” Krumenauer stood out for his experience in economic development and strategic SEE VILLAGE, PAGE 15
Library’s name honors farm family BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
Step into the Osceola Public Library, and visitors will likely notice that it has a new name. Lettering above the circulation desk now reads “Wilberg Memorial Library” in honor of a $508,000 gift from Charles and Gloria Wilberg. The couple made their living farming in Osceola. They also loved to read. For years the family had planned a donation to the library, the giving of which was set in motion after Gloria’s death last year. “Charles and Gloria Wilberg were very modest and unassuming people,” attorney Judy Remington said at the June 27 unveiling ceremony. “They farmed in Osceola since 1964, when they moved here from Minnesota. They raised five children: Charles Jr., Robert, David, Tom and Mary.” Robert, Charles Jr. and his wife, Karen, returned to Osceola for the ceremony, at which Rem-
SUZANNE LINDGREN |THE SUN
Charles and Gloria Wilberg’s sons, Charles Jr. and Robert, attended an unveiling ceremony last week celebrating the library’s new name, Wilberg Memorial Library. From left: Karen Wilberg (Charles Jr.’s wife), Charles Wilberg Jr. and Robert Wilberg.
ington highlighted the Wilberg family’s values. “Often when I worked with them I was reminded of my own Swedish relatives,” she said. “They brought their values truly from the old country. The first value they had was hard work. Charles and Robert can attest to the fact that
dealing with many hundreds of acres, livestock, as well as raising five children was truly daunting. They were very successful at all of it. “They also had a saving ethic. They often went without. The farm was the most important thing. The farmhouse was a little drafty and
cold in the winter, and they spent many of those nights reading books from this library.” The other thing about the Wilbergs, according to Remington, was their unending curiosity. “They were fun people to talk to,” she said. SEE LIBRARY, PAGE 2
Water quality specialist weighs in on local lakes ‘We can turn ‘em around’ BY KELLY HOLM CONTRIBUTING WRITER
If a lake is coated with algae, it is probably best to avoid taking a dip in it, for reasons beyond that it is gross and slimy. Add something like, “What does that mean for local lakes and swimmers?” Well, most lakes in the Osceola area are eutrophic, according to Polk County Water Quality Specialist and Aquatic Invasive Species Biologist Jeremy Williamson. For context on what this means: a body of water’s trophic state index is a measurement of the nutrition content it contains, as well as its productivity, the amount of water used in order to yield a certain quantity of product. Oligotrophic waters are low in nutrition and
productivity, with very little algae. Such waters are clear and good for drinking. Mesotrophic waters are somewhat productive, nutritious and clear and support considerable levels of flora and fauna. Eutrophic waters, like most of Osceola’s lakes, are very productive and full of nutrients and plants. While the oxygen emitted from aquatic plants supports wildlife growth beneath the surface, it can also lead to the lake becoming overwhelmed with algae, harming animal life. Williamson elaborated on what exposure to an algae-heavy lake could entail for swimmers. “Those lakes will turn green in August, just because of how the landscape is,” Williamson said. “We have had instances where dogs have died from algae poisoning. The phone starts ringing when that happens… A proNEWS 715-294-2314 editor@osceolasun.com
ductive lake is usually a productive fishery, but in August, you may not want to bring your twoyear-old swimming there if there’s some pretty prolific algae bloom.” In humans, rashes are a common response to excess algae. “In general, from a water quality standpoint… looking at just water health in and of itself, we’re always pushing toward lower trophic status,” Williamson said. “[Osceola lakes are quite] eutrophic. They have high nutrients, they have quite a bit of algae, that said, we can turn ‘em around.” One action taken to improve water quality in regard to algae levels is the application of aluminum sulfate (alum) to Cedar Lake, approved at the Cedar Lake Protection & Rehabilitation District annual meeting and funded by property taxes and a DNR grant. ADVERTISING 715-294-2314 ads@osceolasun.com
COURTESY POLK COUNTY
Sampling aquatic plants on Big Round Lake.
Alum application dispels the phosphorus that fuels algae growth, clearing and oxygenating waters. Excess phosphorus spreads from lake to PUBLIC NOTICES 715-294-2314 office@osceolasun.com
lake, as Horse Lake flows into Horse Creek, which flows into Cedar Lake. Additionally, “within the watershed… we have this fantastic group of ag-
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riculture producers, who are doing this fantastic work with no-till scenarios,” Williamson said. SEE QUALITY, PAGE 2
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