WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2020
Serving Polk County’s St. Croix Valley since 1897
VOL. 122 NO. 51 www.osceolasun.com $1.00
SPORTS: Osceola Braves finally play at home. PAGE 8
Osceola/St. Croix Valley Railway cancelled for the rest of 2020 The worldwide pandemic (COVID-19) has forced a decision to cancel operations of the Osceola and St. Croix Valley Railway for the remainder of 2020. The decision was made July 17, by the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Transportation Museum (MTM), which operates the railway along the St. Croix River, with departures from Osceola. “It was with extremely heavy hearts, after considering many factors and having honest discussion, that our Board
made this decision,” said Brian Voss, MTM Chair. “Many of our members and volunteers have spent nearly every summer for decades working on the railway, and they love doing it,” he said. “The pandemic is unprecedented, and overwhelmingly we felt that we must put the health and safety of our passengers and volunteers first and foremost.” MTM considers itself a partner with the Village of Osceola, the Osceola Chamber SEE RAILWAY, PAGE 15 JO JASPERSON | THE SUN
Osceola Schools plan to reopen face-to-face Aug. 26…for now BY JASON SCHULTE EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
Before its regular board meeting July 15, the Osceola School Board held a committee meeting with the main topic being the school’s reopening plans for the 2020-21 school year. Superintendent Mark Luebker led the presentation by saying Polk County School Districts received guidance from a variety of sources including the Depart-
ment of Public Instruction, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Polk County Health Department and the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. “We are planning to start with a five day face-to-face start on Aug. 26,” he continued. Planning is the key word in the sentence because COVID-19 can change plans in an SEE SCHOOL, PAGE 10
Osceola High School graduation The Osceola High School Class of 2020 finally got its commencement program July 16 at Robert Vesperman Field in front of staff and family members. For more photos, see page 9.
Money, mines headline Village Board meeting BY JASON SCHULTE EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
An extensive Village Board meeting was held July 14 as it lasted nearly 3 ½ hours. One of the items the Board held a lengthy discussion on was the police department and specifically its staffing levels. “We are below minimum staffing levels,” explained Police Chief Ron Pedrys. “Everyone’s short on staffing and equipment...Part-time is at a premium in this
area.” Pedrys said the department has four full-time officers when the recommendation should be six. Board members acknowledged the time is now. “We’ve kicked the can when it comes to police staffing,” said trustee Deb Rose. “We need to address this as soon as possible.” The problem, like nearly everything else when it comes to government, is funding. For 2021, the Village is looking at
nearly a $55,000 shortfall to hire a full-time officer. “Our reserves are limited,” explained Administrator Ben Krumenauer. “We are tight, tight financially.” Suggestions include hiring the officer now and making the cuts for other departments in 2021. That died pretty quickly. No motions or actions were eventually taken. The Board did deem hiring a full-time officer for 2021 a priority. The mine
The other main conversation topic was the mine. Board members shared their thoughts on the joint meeting with the Town of Farmington board, which was held July 8. Trustee Tim Anderson believed it was a good meeting, but felt more were needed. Trustee Van Burch echoed Anderson’s thoughts, yet, wondered, “Our infrastructure has to grow
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