Dodge County Independent

City would need to spend $1.4 million to get pool up to code

2012-01-17T10:37:00.000-08:00

In October the DCI had an article describing the condition of the Kasson municipal pool and options available. The city has been "Band-aiding" the pool for as long as possible and now they are to the point where the baby pool will not open at all next summer due to expensive repairs required to reach compliance.

At a city council meeting in December Mayor Tim Tjosaas gave the board a list of required repairs to bring the pool up to code. USA Aquatics gave an itemized request with a subtotal of $1,160,000. Add on "soft costs" of $240,000 to the estimate and the total repair estimates come to $1.4 million.

Due to the anticipated cost of repairs the city and park and recreation director Ron Unger have a plan in place to have a new pool at the present North Park site by the summer of 2013.

The current pool has had a capacity of 202 since 1982. To meet ADA handicap accessibility standards would be very expensive.

Rick and Tom Schaffer from USAquatics will do a presentation on the proposed Kasson Aquatic Center Wednesday night. The plan for a new pool is a close match to the Stewartville plan with the exception the water park will be a separate pool from the pool/diving area. If one were to be shut down for health reasons chances are the other one could still be operational.

Council member Lorraine Hopkins said the plan has a "wow" factor and "ouch" factor when considering the facility will be used only 13 weeks of the year. Council members Mike Marti and Sheldon Torkelson said they were undecided and commented they were willing to let the public decide.

Council member Matt Nelson did say the current pool has lost an average of $55,000 over the last four years. He also suggested that sinking $1.4 million into the facility could be like throwing money away.

"The biggest ouch would be spending $1.4 million for a fix," said Mayor Tim Tjosaas. "I hope it passes with flying colors. We need it."

Maggie Fitch, who is with Just Like Home Daycare, said the new facility would be a great benefit to the daycares. "We bring 50-60 kids up there a day in the summer," she said.

Ron Unger said they get quite a few phone calls that something is not right with the pool. Also, city employee Lester Meyer is constantly up there "babying" the pool and doing some type of repair, added Unger.

City administrator Randy Lenth asked the representatives from USAquatics about the possibility of installing solar panels on the facility. They said that was possible and would come up with a scheme.

The tentative cost of a new pool is $2.8 million, consisting of 4,845 square feet of water surface with a bather capacity of 268 and the swimming pool will have 4,743 square feet of water surface with a bather capacity of 302 for a total capacity of 570.

The amenities for the aquatic center include water slides, shallow water play elements, lap lanes, an aqua climb and out of water amenities such as shade areas, sunning areas, concessions, family change rooms and locker areas. There will also be an interactive play element in the recreational pool area.

Wednesday night the council adopted a resolution calling for an election on $2.8 million in general obligation bonds to construct a new aquatic center. The special election will be Tuesday, April 3. More facts and figures as to tax impact will be available at a later date. If approved by voters tentative construction would be September of 2012.

Letter to the editor: Sports and Bullying

2012-01-10T08:48:00.000-08:00

Letter to the Editor

One senior and two juniors cut. Two sophomores moved up on the varsity boys basketball team. What message is being sent to our kids-that if you are not good enough quit or get out. Is winning really the only thing that matters?

What happened to kids participating in extracurricular activities to assist with building self-confidence and self-esteem, as well as, learning how to work as a team and give encouragement to teammates. These are skills learned that can help in the future with having good self-esteem to achieve bigger and better things that life has to offer.

The emphasis on winning is way overrated. I was told, “It is the nature of the beast,” What does this mean?? Cutting kids from teams? Don't get me wrong, winning is a good thing, but at what cost are we willing to go to accomplish this? My real concern is in the years to come (for those kids who are cut off a team). What happens to them and their self-esteem and self-confidence? Does this affect them socially, physically or emotionally?

I was embarrassed this past Friday as I sat in the audience for Kasson-Mantorville JV boy’s basketball game. At half time, the score was 38-7, K-M winning. Even at that score there were two players on the team that still had not played. Upon return to the court for the second half, K-M went on to play juniors and the sophomore starting team. The score went on and was 46-9. I noticed even the K-M crowd was quiet. I felt bad for the other team, the other parents, as I realized our team was not showing respect or sportsmanship. The game went on and on and finally with 3:31 to go in the game the final two players of the K-M were given to opportunity to shine. Does this make sense? Should K-M be proud of a win like this?

Participation in sports and other activities is not what it used to be. In fact now, kids are feeling very intimidated (bullied) by coaches and are feeling more and more reluctant to even say anything about this issue as there is a perception that the kids will pay the price if they or their family members challenge any of the new coaching ideas. Remember when you really looked up to and really respected someone as a coach? Are the kids today feeling like they have good role models in their coaches? Do they respect them?

If we do not monitor what our coaches and athletic director are doing, who is making the decisions in our children's lives that may affect them for the rest of their lives? I know some people will disagree and some agree. I want to be fair and most importantly, I want every kid that goes out for sports or other activities to benefit from adult mentoring in a way that prepares the kids for their future life. If some good comes of this then it is all worth the effort.

I made a phone call to my former coach, Molly Baum of Chatfield, who is now retired. I had the utmost respect for him in high school and even more respect after graduating. It was not until I had children in sports years later that I realized the importance of hiring a person who truly cared about how I was doing and encouraged me through my sports career.

To me a coach should encourage, discipline, build self-esteem and teach the kids to respect others. I think nowadays it has come down to only winning. Winning is the only thing that is important. We, as parents, and society have made this the main focus. Learning leadership skills and learning that hard work can help one accomplish goals should be most important.

One last thought about cutting players… We know that only 16 players can dress for playoffs. If you have 20 people on the roster dress 16 of them, sit four and if they win the game, then for the next playoff game sit the four that previously played and dress the other four that did not play. Realistically, only about eight players are going to get into a playoff game anyway unless it is a blowout. I am sure if finances were an issue the booster club could step in and help purchase additional uniforms.

I hope expressing these opinions, can only bring positive changes in our Kasson-Mantorville leadership and coaches. Please take on the challenge to teach the kids that winning isn’t everything.

A concerned parent
Mark Bernard, Mantorville

2011 Children’s Christmas Celebration Annual Holiday Concert

2012-01-02T16:56:00.000-08:00

Goodman Productions presented the 2011 Children’s Christmas Celebration, an annual holiday concert, at Kasson State Theatre in December.

Sarah Goodman Strobl, director/creator of Goodman Productions of Byron, said this was a wonderful experience performing the annual Christmas celebration concert at the State Theatre. “We auditioned children from the area who love to sing. We found so much talent and inspiration in this cast,” said Sarah.

The cast put in over 40 hours of extensive rehearsal time in preparation to perform an hour of non-stop Christmas favorites. There were soloists, duets and group numbers. The cast had over 50 costume changes, some of which had only seconds to change.

The children in the cast received professional vocal advice, theatre training the production included professional lighting and a sound system. “They gained self discipline and confidence at no cost,” said Sarah. “We wanted to make sure every child had the opportunity to perform if this was their passion.”

Sarah said the State Theatre was also very generous. They added electrical outlets so the building could handle the additional electrical needs. They even cut a doorway in the side of the stage, making an accessible entrance from backstage for the children.

Letter to the editor: Jensen

2011-12-27T10:05:00.000-08:00

Letter to the Editor

More than 400 people are killed on Minnesota roads each year and the cause behind many of these deaths is drinking and driving.

As a law enforcement officer, I have responded to a number of alcohol-related crashes. I’ve seen the results of these preventable tragedies.

In Dodge County over the last three years, alcohol-related crashes accounted for two deaths and four serious injuries. During this same period, 309 impaired drivers were arrested for DWI.

Please do your part to keep our roads safe by not drinking and driving. Whatever your plans are to celebrate this holiday season, celebrate safely-make plans for a safe and sober ride.

Remember, preventing unnecessary deaths on Minnesota roads is everyone’s responsibility. Don’t risk getting behind the wheel after drinking too much-impaired motorists will be arrested and face the consequences. Drive sober or get pulled over.

Sincerely,
Jim Jensen
Sheriff of Dodge County

Letter to the editor: $1

2011-12-21T12:23:00.000-08:00

Letter to the editor:

I read with interest Editor Randy Carlsen's comments in the December 7 issue of the DCI regarding the 1918 Kasson school open house that took place recently. He stated that "...the city should drop the price on the building to $1 to give some incentive to a developer..." I was struck by this suggestion because this is exactly what Princeton, MN did in the sale of its (would you believe 1918 high school?) It was sold to a developer who did a great job creating comfortable apartments and adding a very modern physical fitness center, indoor swimming pool and gymnasium for community use. Daily senior meals open to the community are also served there. My wife and I were very impressed when we toured the Princeton facility this past summer, so much so that I mailed this information along with a brochure to Kasson Mayor Tim Tjosaas. Princeton is a community of approximately 4,000 people located an hour north of the cities. I realize that one size doesn't fit all and that every community is different, but I found it interesting how the incentive in Princeton seems to be working.

Dick Lawrence
Brooklyn Center

Day Care Unions

2011-12-13T08:54:00.000-08:00

Shame on Governor Dayton. He has pushed home based day care centers into a corner. Eventually there will be a vote to unionize home based day care centers and the governor tried to put it to a vote, but a Ramsey County judge blocked the order until January 16. The problem is only subsidized day care center operators can vote. It would be like the teachers union having a vote on an issue and saying only the female teachers can vote, but the vote is going to affect all teachers.

The DCI is running a front page story on the subject and I called several local home based day care centers. I tried to be objective in my search, but could not find a single one that was in favor of unionizing. In fact the ones I talked to were most upset by the fact they did not have a vote.

If it's not broke don't fix it and I feel home based day care operators around here feel just that way. I know the governor is very pro-union, but take this one off the table. If there is a vote then all 11,000 home based day care centers should be voting-not just the 4,300 subsidized ones proposed to vote.

DANGER: Trouble Spot

2011-12-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

The other day I was driving past the Greenway Elevator and came to a complete stop at the stop sign. To my left were train cars, completely blocking my vision to the east. The only way I could see the main rail was to inch out on the side track, a mere few feet from the main one. If a train were coming at the exact wrong moment there is no way a person could react and stop in time.

In the last couple of days I took that route twice and each time held my breath as I inched out and looked to my left. Can parking train cars like that be legal because it's anything but safe.

When the trains go through town they do sound the whistle before an intersection, but that still is no assurance people will have time to stop. It gives me chills driving through that intersection with the blind spot. I wonder if an accident/death has to happen until someone figures out the intersection is very unsafe in this situation.

Letter to the editor:

2011-11-29T11:36:00.000-08:00

Letter To the Editor:

What Europe and America have in common Europe and the USA have many things in common, one of which noted currently is the massive debt crisis both are experiencing because of politicians who fail to learn from history. George Santayana noted that those who fail to learn from mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them. In both Europe and the United States, power-hungry politicians have been trying to buy votes with money we don’t have, taxing not only this generation but every generation in the future, guaranteeing a lower standard of living for our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. These short-sighted politicos, thinking only of the present, seem to think they can go on forever, steadily increasing the public debt, by just printing more and more money without an equal increase in goods and services, hoping to find someone to buy our consequently less and less valuable bonds. As history has repeatedly shown us, this does not work. Every society that has tried this has collapsed. A prime example is the Soviet Union. If socialism were a better systems, we would all be speaking Russian. Previously democratic civilizations and nations that have tried this have collapsed into dictatorship. Some noteworthy examples are the Greeks, the Romans, and the post World War I Weimer Republic of Germany, the latter printing so much money that its currency became virtually worthless, bankrupting the country, and the resulting in the establishment of Hitler’s Nazi (National Socialist) party dictatorship that brought on the horrors of World War II.

It is time to rid ourselves of such history-ignoring, out-of-touch-with-reality, power-mad politicians, ousting them from power, and never let them in office again.

Harold Bob Jones
Blair, OK

Four things you may not know about Salvation Army

2011-11-22T10:30:00.000-08:00

Letter To the Editor:

Four things you may not know about Salvation Army:

1) If you mail a check to the Salvation Army anywhere but to Wells Fargo in Dodge Center or to Semcac in Kasson, we do not get it; our local Salvation Army does not benefit.
2) If you give in Rochester or elsewhere, it will never help a Dodge County person.
3) Bell ringing has begun! It will be at Erdmans on Fridays and Saturdays until the last week before Christmas, when it will be every day. We need ringers! Call Marty at 634-4350 to sign up.
4) Counter kettles will be at Caseys in Mantorville, Hayfield (old 4 Corners), and West Concord, John's in Dodge Center, and Claremont Gas and Groceries. A stationery kettle will be at the Hubbell House.
Call me with any questions. Thank you for the support you give to all our helping programs!

        Sincerely,
        Marty Pogalz
        Dodge County Salvation Army Chair

Letter to the editor: Triton Facilities Referendum

2011-11-15T10:16:00.000-08:00

Letter to the Editor

One very important aspect of the Triton Facilities Referendum is for elementary classroom space. The referendum calls for 14 additional classrooms. With no rooms available, how are we going to handle the following numbers?

At the present time in kindergarten we have 109 students in five sections, which averages out to 22 students per room. This number should be under 20 for this population. Next year this number will be higher with 128 four year olds in our district. What will happen to class size?

At the present time we have 120 three year olds in the district. That is a total of almost 250 students entering school the next two years. We have well over 200 one and two year olds and that number will grow.

Also, at the present time we are using four classrooms in the high school for our fifth graders. It is planned to bring them back into the elementary wings as the HS needs the space.

Elementary specialists are working under conditions that are not conducive to learning. For example, the art specialist works from a cart traveling from classroom to classroom instead of having her own room to set up and teach from.

For those of you who have young children in school and entering in the future, this should be of great concern to you. Actually this should be of concern to all of us. I feel that on November 29th we have only one choice and that is to vote YES.

With construction costs looking to be favorable, bond interest low and the opportunity to accomplish this with our school taxes remaining at the same level as they are now, it is a great time to pass this referendum!

Roy Henderson

Additional info found at the following web site: http://www.triton.k12.mn.us/se3bin/clientschool.cgi?schoolname=school243

Triton Upgraded Theater

2011-11-10T10:27:00.000-08:00

Tonight at 7 Triton High School debuts their fall play, Harvey. It's a lighthearted story about a man (played by Jimmy Stewart in the 1950 movie) and an invisible six-foot-tall rabbit.

Imagine if Triton plays were held in an upgraded theater. Grandparents with mobility issues wouldn't have to navigate the concrete stadium steps. Everyone would enjoy more comfortable seating. Local restaurants and stores would enjoy a larger after-theater crush of customers. And the students would be performing in a venue that reflects their talents -- talents they'll draw upon in life again and again. Job interviews. Making business presentations. Even running for public office.

An upgraded theater is one component of Triton's Facilities Referendum. Supporters can't be invisible like Harvey. If you're going to the play tonight, wear your Vote YES! badge and make your presence known!

Worth Mentioning

2011-11-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

K-M Superintendent Mark Matuska started a KoMet Kommendations to recognize individuals for going above and beyond the call of duty. For example, a month ago a family was recognized for helping to pick up KMTelecom Stadium after a football game. They were not asked to do it. They just did it without expecting any compensation. At the last school board meeting three high school seniors were recognized for being National Merit Commended Scholars.

Here are a couple more situations worth noting. "DCI Distinctions" if you will. Before the HVL championship volleyball match with Stewartville junior Bre Barrett suffered what appeared to be a season-ending knee injury while warming up. The Stewartville team was very sympathetic, especially Coach Dzubay. In fact they later sent a team letter to Bre with words of encouragement.
Bre in turn sent a letter to the Stewartville Star thanking the team and coaches for their concern and support. That's how I found out about the support shown by players, coaches and Tiger fans. Stewartville has been one of the top volleyball programs in the state for many years. It goes to show that being the best can be more than showing your ability on the volleyball court. What happens off the court can also be a reflection of the quality of a team.

I strongly believe coach Hegerle has also instilled in his players the importance of showing respect for an opponent and that the way players handle themselves on the court is a reflection of what they are off the court.

My second comment is on the K-M girls soccer team. They suffered a disappointing loss to La Crescent in the section semi-final, but still set a record for wins in a season (14). What I found to be most impressive about the soccer team did not come to light until after the season was over.

The team was the recipient of the All-State Academic Silver medal. They had a team grade point average of 3.73. That is High Honors status. I did a little research and of the 17 girls on the roster 12 were on the high honor roll the fourth quarter last year and 15 of the 17 were on the fourth quarter honor roll.

So for those of you who contend athletics and brain power don't mix, check again. In fact one study showed that students out for extra-curricular activities scored an average of one grade point higher (B compared to C for example) as those not out for an activity. So apparently youth out for activities do find time to get their homework done!

A thank you to Mary

2011-10-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

Letter to the Editor

A year ago the DCI ran a front page news article on how the library had cut the hours of Mary Kramer and closed the library on Saturdays because of “budget cuts”. At a special meeting of the Kasson Public Library Board on Oct. 21, 2011; the board voted to terminate Mary Kramer’s job as the circulation librarian that she has held for 20 years. The board did not even give Mary a verbal “thank you” for the years of dedicated work for our library and they did not allow those of us in attendance to speak and say “thank you” to her. So I am writing this letter to publicly say “thank you” to Mary Kramer for her skillful work in serving our community. She has helped countless people over the years with her knowledge of books and media that cannot be replaced. The library patrons have suffered a big loss of service by her dismissal.

I wonder how Kasson can afford a new larger library that will require more staff and a larger budget when we can’t afford Mary and we can’t be open on Saturdays.

            With deep sadness,
            Clint Patterson
            Past President
            Friends of the Kasson Library

Click it or Ticket!

2011-10-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

Letter to the Editor

Click It or Ticket

Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death for people between the ages of five and 34. Crashes also cause millions of serious injuries each year. Every 10 seconds, someone is treated in an emergency department for a crash-related injury.

The simple act of buckling up is the best way to save lives and reduce injuries from crashes. In a crash, wearing a seat belt reduces your chance of being killed or seriously injured by half.

During October 14-27, law enforcement is conducting increased “click it or ticket” seat belt patrols. Officers will stop and ticket unbelted drivers or passengers. This campaign aims to increase belt use and stop preventable deaths and injuries.

Wear your seat belt on every trip, no matter how short, and insist that everyone else in the car is buckled too.

Remember, every person, every seat, every trip… “Click-It.”

Guy Kohlnhofer

2011-10-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

Letter To the Editor:

Dear Dodge County 4-H families, county commissioners, school personnel, businesses, community members, newspaper editors and friends.

It seems like only yesterday that I was sitting in the basement of the Wells Fargo Bank in Dodge Center interviewing for the position of the Dodge County 4-H Program Coordinator. I remember that I got teary eyed when they asked me why I wanted the position. I explained that 4-H had been an important part of my life and that in particular, my 4-H agent, Cindy Grass, had a huge impact on me because she believed in me, helped build my self-confidence and taught me life skills that I still use today and that I wanted to have the opportunity to be someone's "Cindy Grass."

With ongoing problems with seizures and being recently diagnosed with Lupus I cannot make a commitment to giving 100% to my job. So as you can imagine, it is with great sadness that I must tell you that it has been decided that it is in the best interest of the Dodge County 4-H Program that a permanent Program Coordinator be hired. I will remain on unpaid leave for the next two years in the hope that my health will become manageable. At which time, I can explore other opportunities at the University.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the youth, parents, adult leaders, businesses, fair board members, auction buyers, school personnel, community members, and county commissioners who have been a vital part of the growth and success of the 4-H program in Dodge County. It has been so rewarding to watch fourth graders I worked with graduate from high school, and to see some of the youth I have worked with go on to college to follow their dreams. Watching the youth who had struggled finding that one thing that they were really good at and once they found it watching the ripple effect that success had on everything they did was amazing. The support I received from the parents and adult leaders and the entire community was second to none and made it possible for me to do my job – without all of you - it would have been impossible. I wish nothing but the best for all of you. All of you were like an extended family to me. I hope that the new program coordinator will appreciate how lucky he or she is to be a part of such a great community.

My final thought is that I hope that in the nine years that I served in Dodge County, I touched the life of at least one youth, and was their "Cindy Grass" and helped them feel more confident, taught them life skills that they will use for the rest of their lives and gave them the feeling that someone in addition to their parents and teachers, believed in them.

Thanks again from the bottom of my heart!

            Sincerely,
            Diane Whalen

The Fire Departments of Kasson & Mantorville urge residents of their respective communities and rural fire districts to take steps to prevent home fires

2011-10-04T10:02:00.000-07:00

A fire at home can occur in just about any room of the house and even outdoors. While one can't account for natural disasters or other unforseen problems, there are many steps homeowners can take to prevent fires.

• Check the cords on all appliances and electronics. Replace any frayed or damaged cords or wires.

• Do not overload outlets or rely heavily on multi-plug power strips.

• Keep cords out of the reach of children and pets.

• When cooking in the kitchen, always be present while food is on the stove or in the oven. Flare-ups can occur at a moment's notice.

• Don't store items over the stove. They can fall and ignite.

• Turn pot handles so that children can't reach them and pull them over, risking burns.

• Be sure appliance vents have room to "breathe."

• Have the chimney checked and cleaned regularly.

• Use a metal or glass fireplace screen to block embers.

• Limit the use of portable space heaters around the home.

• Use extreme caution with cigarettes and ashtrays. Empty them frequently when signs of heat and burning are gone.

• Use light bulbs that are at the recommended wattage for a fixture.

• Don't place any electrical items by water in the bathroom.

• Store flammable materials in a locked metal container in the basement or garage.

• Service the furnace and hot water heater on a regular basis.

• Do not store items too close to the furnace.

• Be sure every level of the home is equipped with working smoke detectors.

• Keep one or two fire extinguishers charged and at the ready.

There will be a special guest at the Kasson Fire Department open house Wednesday, October 12 from 6-8 p.m. “Flash the Fire Dog” will be on hand. He will be a special guest of Johannes Marsland, owner of Vigilant Fire Protection of Kasson.

DCI web site poll question

2011-09-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

Last weeks poll had a great response, and wanted to share the results and comments.

Question: Would you be in favor of a referendum to take down the 1918 school in Kasson and replace it with a new public library?

A. Yes, that would be the best use of the space (34.6%)

B. No because I am not in favor of taking the school down (52.34%)

C. I'm tired of hearing about it. I don't care what they do. (13.08%)

Comments provided through the web poll:

Kelly    -
I love seeing the old elemenatry school still standing. Can't imagine Kasson without it. How sad it would be to see it missing.

Amy    -
SAVE THE SCHOOL! It has a lot potential...don't let the City of Kasson make the decision.

Sherry    -
HHmmm, I am pretty sure that there already WAS a referendum that we voted on to take down the school OR reuse the school - several years ago. Everyone was invited to vote at that time, there were no exclusions - all Kasson residents of voting age were asked to vote. The vote was in favor of tearing down the school that time. Would it do any good to have another vote?????

Kent    -
Sherry,
The Nov 2006 vote had nothing to do with tearing down the school. No where in the ballot language was the work Demolish used. The first vote was supposed to have occured in July 2006. The poorly worded language on that ballot, which did mention demolition, was deemed illegal by the MN attorney general!! Yes, an illegal ballot OKed by Kasson's city hall So a new ballot was formulated for Nov 2006. By that time the citizens were very confused. The entire process has been poorly managed by the city staff from 2006 until recently.

Kathy    -
Reuse of the school can create a couple of positives for the community as a whole>
1.) Go green-reuse-recycle...what are we communicating to the younger generation. It is OK to tear down something that is historic, and able to reuse. That anything "old" is not good, productive. Even without a current plan in place to even reuse the area. (no vote for a new library has taken place or approved). What message about "when it gets old, just get rid of it, don't repair or try to help it along so it can survive into the next generation. The memories, the majestic of the building should be considered.
2.) Teamwork: A little team work between the city, KARE, and the community this could be used for the library, senior center, meals on wheels, a live theater production center, shops, and the list can go on and on. Teen center...something this community has needed for a long time. Get the youth involved. Teacher's, bring this question to your classes, what do the youth think of this school and ideas?
3.) Tax credits, grants, we can obtain both with the reuse of a historic building. Is the city interested in this? Ask your Mayor. Why not?
4.) Jobs for the community, new life to main street. Lets get the blood line back to our main street. Keeping this building going will help with this as a whole. Bring in people from out of town to visit the area. Make this an example of what a productive town we can be, by pulling together to help other's remain in this community to do the shopping. Make us the destination of other's, not our towns people leaving to go visit other towns of interest.

Kathy    -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasson_Public_School
Information on the school available for you...

K-M Middle School honors 9/11 victims

2011-09-20T12:01:00.000-07:00

The K-M Middle School honored the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and the victims by having all 677 students make pinwheels while discussing the events of that tragic day.

Friday, September 9 a student played Reveille while head custodian, Joe richardson, a marine Corps veteran, raised the middle school flag while the entire student body stood in silence. Afterward, a group of students placed all of the pinwheels around the flagpole at the new KMTelecom Stadium for the grand opening of the stadium for the football game between K-M and Pine Island.

School Start

2011-09-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe the school population at K-M is 2,150 which I believe is an all time high. The population of the city of Kasson when my family moved to town in 1964 was under 2,000. Talk about growth and change. Another thing to note is this school population includes Mantorville kids as well. In my day we did not see the Mantorville kids (in a school hallway) until seventh grade at the junior/senior high.

That was by the way, the newest building we had having been built in 1957. The elementary buildings were both built around 1920. We had no new buildings or facilities for extra-curricular activities including athletics. For some that may still be okay but now we live in a competitive society and communities are competing for families with children due to open enrollment.

What K-M has for facilities is a big plus and a reason why the district is not having the financial struggles others may be experiencing. People may feel sorry for what a district does not have or they may be envious of what a district does have. Other communities might just wish they had the same problems as K-M when those problems stem from growth

Letter to the editor: Preservation of the Kasson School building

2011-09-06T09:13:00.000-07:00

Letter To the Editor:

I have been following with great interest the situation concerning the preservation of the Kasson School building. I have not lived in Kasson for many years, so I know that I have no say in the outcome. However, as Kasson is my home town... where I grew up, I feel that I can at least offer my opinions.

There are many reasons for saving fine old buildings such as this. We should value our heritage, and protect our history. And frankly, tearing down a building in such good shape, just to have something shiny & new, is incredibly wasteful.

But these are not the arguments I present here against the destruction of this building. I understand that people will have differences of opinion on these issues, and may not value our history as much as I do. I’m sure that there are many current residents of Kasson who did not spend their youth in the classrooms of this building, whose fathers did not play for basketball championships in the Gym, and whose grandfathers did not sit through many what I’m sure were interminable school board meetings there. I understand that. Instead, I will argue that the destruction of this building goes against the long term economic interests of Kasson.

The City of Kasson has an opportunity. An opportunity that most cities of its size can only dream of. You have this huge, impressive, remarkably well-preserved facility in the middle of town, with so much potential. It doesn’t take a great deal of imagination to think of countless uses for this building. (Retail shops, the library, service businesses, a community center, apartments, a senior center, etc, etc). It does however require vision and the type of forward-thinking that I hope the leaders of the City of Kasson possess. Given the correct mix of public use and private investment, this building can and should be utilized for the betterment of the community. I see no reason why a proper mix of public and private use could not only pay for the continued maintenance of the building, but in addition, leases or private partnerships/investment could go a long way towards covering the costs for any public usage, such as a library, community center or other uses that would benefit the city. The building is plenty large enough to house multiple public and/or private enterprises. The city just needs the vision to realize the potential here. Yes, it would take work and short term investment by the city, but the long term returns seem obvious to me. Perhaps the city could even fund a small business incubator out of part of the building... in exchange for commitments from the successful tenants to open their businesses in Kasson... think jobs!

The leaders of the City of Kasson have an obligation. An obligation to plan for the future prosperity of it’s residents and the community. In the past 30 years, Kasson has become more and more a bedroom community for Rochester. When I was growing up, there were three new automobile dealerships in Kasson... now there are none. There were three farm implement dealers... now there is one. There were at least three grocery stores... now there is one. There were eight or nine full service gas stations or auto repair shops... now there is one or two? There were three hardware stores... now there is one. There was a men’s clothing store, a women’s clothing store and a shoe store... all gone. There was a music store... gone. A furniture store... gone. All of these businesses provided a tax base for the community, and a decent living for their owners; these businesses kept their families fed and sent their kids to school, and allowed them to spread their income within the community... which allowed the community to prosper. Now, I know there are many factors that caused these changes, and am not naive enough to think that saving and re-purposing this school building is going to magically restore all this. But I do think that this would be a good place to start. The city leaders have an obligation to consider the long term improvement of Kasson; to consider the use of this facility as an engine to kick-start Kasson’s economic future. Perhaps with the right uses and occupants, you could even get folks to drive from Rochester to Kasson to visit (as they do to Mantorville) instead of the other way around!

The City of Kasson has a choice. It can utilize a large, multi-use existing building; an extremely well-built facility that has stood for almost 100 years; that with reasonable maintenance will be in just as good shape in another 100 years. Or, it can knock it down, and build a much smaller, single-use facility. One that (due to new building costs vs available funds, and current construction techniques) I guarantee will not still be in use 50 years from now; regardless of the maintenance done. Short term, maybe you’ll save a bit of money, but if you think long term, it’s an easy choice. The existing building is the clear winner. It is my understanding that it will cost Kasson taxpayers at least $200,000 to demolish the school (and personally, I think it will be more than that). That money would be better used as funds to kick-start the process of reusing the building. Hire a professional to manage the project. Save this historical building and provide a venue for economic growth at the same time.
The leaders of the City of Kasson have a test. Will you have the vision required to see the potential here? Will you be forward-thinking and plan for what is best for Kasson long term... beyond next year? Or will you just knock down this fine building, this great potential set piece for Kasson’s future? Will you pass or fail this test? If you fail, I believe that the next generations will look back with profound disappointment... not just for the loss of a big part of Kasson’s history, but also because of the wasted opportunities for economic growth and for the public good.

Mark Patterson
Eau Claire, WI

Letter to the editor: Elementary Teacher's "Point of View"

2011-08-30T09:29:00.000-07:00

Letter To the Editor:
A former Kasson- Mantorville Elementary Teacher’s “Point of View”

Dear Citizens and Elected Officials:

My life career was being an elementary school teacher for 40 years, spending the last 25 years at the Kasson- Mantorville Elementary School located in Kasson located in Kasson.

The main philosophy of being a teacher to me was to help all of the students in my classroom to become proficient in whatever they learned so they could do whatever they chose to do with their lives.
The elementary school is like the students ‘second home’ the first being with their parents.
During my career at Kasson-Mantorville Elementary I sometimes had as many as four children from the same family in different years. Near the end of my teaching career, I began to teach children of previous students I had taught here. ‘Kids of kids’ so to speak.

There was a time in the 1960s when my students and I knew every ‘nook and cranny’ in that Kasson- Mantorville Elementary School because of what was going on in the world, we needed to go for drills to the lower level furnace room for safety’s sake. Therefore we found out about the inner bowels of the school-namely- the furnace room. This gave us an idea of how well constructed that school was.
The Kasson- Mantorville Elementary School was put on the National Historical Register in December 2007.

The watertower on the northwest corner of the school grounds was saved and is listed on the National Historical Register because interested citizens worked with getting Minnesota Historical Society (grants) plus other methods to help with incurred debts.

The historic Kasson School could also apply for federal and state grants, federal and state tax credits and interest investors to help with the rehabilitation of the historic school.
Construction of a new building on this site would not be eligible for grants and funds available to rehabilitation of a historic structure.

Recently the Library Building Committee presented to the Kasson City Council three options for a new library. Option one was to reuse the entire old school. Option two was to reuse the building but remove the second floor. Option three was to demolish the historic school. It should be noted: in the John Lauber reuse study report in 2009 there was an option to reuse part of the historic school for a new library and community center.

An important question I would like to ask: How can so few people-namely- the Kasson City Council, Kasson Library Board, and the Kasson Building Committee feel comfortable wishing to demolish the historic Kasson Elementary School which is seven years away from being 100 years old and used for 87 years, besides being listed on the National Historical Register since 2007. Some families in this community of Kasson go back generations even before or at the time the school was built in 1918.
I feel that the entire Kasson community should play a part in such a tremendous decision as the demolition of the school instead of being decided by so few.

That historic Kasson School has once been the heart of Kasson and once demolished there will be no going back to a building that has been very dear to the community.

Blanche Neseth

Letter to the editor: to the community of Kasson

2011-08-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

Letter To the Editor:

To the Community of Kasson, Minnesota-

I was raised in the community of Kasson, Minnesota. The pleasures and learning experiences of growing up in a small town in America's Upper Midwest have been happily carried with me ever since I left the area over fifty years ago. There is no question that I have a great sentimental attachment to the old Kasson, the Kasson Mantorville, Public School building. My sisters and I received most of our pre college education in this building, my mother was a substitute teacher as well as frequent declamation judge in the building, her close friend Amanda Otterness was school librarian, and our close family friend John Southworth was a major figure on the Building Staff.

But I do not wish to dwell on the sentimental aspects of preserving this beautiful old building, but rather the financial impact that its destruction could very well have on every property owner in Kasson.
During my adult life away from Kasson, I have lived in three very special and unique communities: Sausalito, California, Woodstock, New York and Greenwich Village, New York. Each of these communities has based the character and charm of its village life on its historic heritage and its wise reuse of its historical buildings. Each of these communities now has residential property value that is among the highest priced in the nation. This is directly related to the citizens of these villages honoring and preserving its historic buildings. In Greenwich Village our local library, The Jefferson Market Library, is the reuse of a Mid Nineteenth Century courthouse. It is not only a model of building reuse, but one of great historic and architectural treasures of New York City, honored, loved and photographed by people from the four corners of the earth.

Each community has faced men and corporations who have wanted to "modernize" these communities by destroying the communities’ history and replacing it with condo developments and shopping malls. Each of these communities has banded together and defeated these "modernizers" while with self satisfaction; they have sat back and watched their property increase in value. (In Greenwich Village during the current recessions we were one of the few communities in the United States where property prices actually went up as the nation's residential property values declined!)

The home you own most likely represents the largest investment your family has. With the destruction of the Kasson School building you put not only a beautiful piece of history in danger, but the security and future of your own families’ financial security.

Please unite to stop the destruction of this building. It is not only a part of Kasson History, it's also a part of Minnesota and United States History, but it's also an important part of your own financial security. Remember there in strength in unity, and only in the United States does the individual have the power to decide the destiny of the community in which they live.

Stand strong on the side financial security and respect for our history.

With kindest regards
David B. Lostegaard
212-254-1008

Biographical Note: David B. Lostegaard was raised in Kasson, Minnesota. He was graduated from Kasson Mantorville High School in 1959. He attended the University of Minnesota. Since that time he has owned and operated Grand Central Telecommunications, a national telecommunications company with offices in San Francisco, CA, Santa Fe, NM, Colorado City, CO, Minneapolis, MN, Miami, FL and Washington, DC. His work in the Off Broadway Theatre includes:
And Puppy Dog Tails (1969-Playwright), Ubu Roi and Ubu Bound in Repertory by Alfred Jarry (1973-Producer), The Women’s Representative by Sun Yu,(1974-Adapter, Producer-First play from The People’s Republic of China to be presented in the United States, American representative to Pan American Theatre Festival), Mother Courage (1975-adapted from Berthold Brecht), The Marilyn Project (1976-Playwright), About Bernard Carlton (1999-Playwright, Director), All’s Well That End’s Well by William Shakespeare (2000-Director-Production awarded Audience Favorite Award, New York International Fringe Festival), Dead End by Sidney Kingsley (2001-Director-Production awarded Audience Favorite Award, New York International Fringe Festival) and Stonewall Stories by Carol Polcovar (2006-Director-Named Year’s Best Docudrama by Playbill Magazine and New York Drama Critics Assn). He has also worked as marketing consultant to Madison Square Gardens, Radio City Music Hall, American Ballet Theatre and The New York Philharmonic, in addition to many Broadway and Off Broadway productions.

Letter to the editor: article to read

2011-08-16T08:19:00.000-07:00

Letter to the editor:

On Friday, August 12th, the Rochester Post Bulletin Editorial Staff had an excellent article in their paper concerning the Kasson Historic Elementary School and replacing it with a single story 20,000 square foot library. If you haven’t read this article please look it up and digest its contents. What happened at the Kasson City Council meeting last Wednesday evening is only preliminary and we as taxpayers still have a voice in the final decision. As stated in the Post Bulletin editorial, “in 2006 voters rejected a 3.9 million proposal to turn the old school into a library, but we don’t know if that opposition indicated voter’s desire to demolish the building or their reluctance to raise their own taxes”. The question at hand now is how much money should we invest into a brick and mortar library at a time when technology is dramatically altering people’s reading habits.

Again, let me quote the editorial article, “don’t demolish the old school until a firm decision has been made-and funding obtained for whatever structure will replace it”.
KARE is open to your comments and questions.

Lorraine Spading
KARE, Vice President

Letter To the Editor: In response to Mayors Memo 7/27/2011

2011-08-09T08:57:00.000-07:00

I was disappointed when reading the Mayor’s Memo from 7/27/2011 that Mayor Tjosaas chose to use his Memo space to, as I read it, attack the KARE organization. There are many great things going on around the town of Kasson. I feel that the Mayor’s Memo column should be informative for the residents of Kasson as well as impartial. If Mayor Tjosaas felt the need to personally defend himself, I feel a letter to the editor would have been much more appropriate.

I too have my own opinion regarding the reuse of the former Kasson elementary school. I have faithfully been following both sides of the issue; and in my estimation, it is a stately and extremely usable and useful building. One well worth saving.

I feel that in our society we are very quick to do away with anything “old”. I would love to see our community show pride in that building. I would love for our community to show our young citizens that just because something is old does not mean that it is useless. Many young people, certainly not all, are not being taught the value of doing with what you have. They are not being taught the value of “older is wiser”. This is true in many areas; buildings, literature, music, letter writing, titles (Mr. and Mrs.), etc. We want our children to respect their elders, but instead we show them that things that are old (elem. school) even if they are still useful are not necessary. A little elbow grease could make it good are new, but wouldn’t you like to have something brand new instead? Hello landfill, next stop Walmart.
Will saving the school cost more for the tax payer in the long run? I’m not sure. I feel the building will have many more money generating options than a single building built specifically for a library. I also have other reservations with a library specific building. With technology advancing at such a rapid pace (ex: the NOOK), will the public library be as much of an asset to a town in the future as it is today? I certainly hope that it will continue to be. My kids and I certainly enjoy using it. But with budget cuts and advancing technology, the question begs to be asked. What will the town do with a library specific building that may need to be downsized due to budget cuts? I am not being insensitive. I am being practical.

One last thing I would like to comment on in regards to the Mayor’s Memo: Mayor Tjosaas pointed out that he offered KARE half ownership in the building and all they would be responsible for was raising half of the remodeling expense. I feel that asking and expecting a citizens group to come up with 4 million dollars is not only outrageous but also intentionally setting them up for failure. Is the citizens group that is looking into the new swimming/aquatic center for Kasson going to be asked to fund half of the cost for the project?

I do not want to see this issue divide our town. I am proud to call Kasson my hometown. I want to see it survive and prosper. I want to see Main Street alive and utilized by its citizens. I want to see life come back to that beautiful “old” elementary school building.

Erica Gillis

What's happening around Town?

2011-08-02T11:55:00.000-07:00

Flo: Hey, Joe, Did you see all those Model “T’s” that gathered at America’s Best Value Inn in Rochester?

Joe: Yes, I did!   The annual Model T Ford Club International Tour (MTFCI) actually came through Kasson with a stop for lunch while on their way to Mantorville where they spent the rest of the day partaking in a walking tour of the historic buildings. The Opera House also put on two shows for them entitled, “Affording a Ford” or “All’s Fair in Love and War.” It was written by Sandra Hennings Miller and a Model “T” Ford was actually built and set on the stage!

Flo: How about all the good eating places at Mantorville?

Joe: The historic Hubbell House welcomed them with open arms, staying open all afternoon as well as the County Seat and the historic Old School Cafe and let’s not forget the Chocolate Shoppe for the lover of sweets in all of us.

Flo: Did they tour the antique shops? You have both the Memorabilia Antiques and the Mantorville Square, don’t you?

Joe:   You are so right and did they ever have a good time. I saw them carrying out treasures to take home plus they loved the Mantorville Art Guild and did you know Mantorville Farms sell gifts made in the USA, and that most of the items are made right there in Mantorville?

Flo: Wow! Sounds like Mantorville went all out for them. What did they see at Kasson?
Joe: They saw the Event Center and Mantorville Avenue’s tree-lined street as they traveled north through town on their way to spend the day in Mantorville.

Flo: Isn’t it a shame that Kasson has not restored their 1918 Historic School! Wouldn’t it have been nice if they could have seen a Children’s Learning Center there; maybe a new spot for the library. Can you imagine how neat it would have been for them to visit a Museum of Kasson History and the surrounding area while in the historic school? Perhaps the Kasson could have entertained them with a concert, perhaps….…a good old country western jam session?

Joe: Or what about gospel or rock?   We have a lot of musical talent in this community including the younger generation. I’d love to see them jamming with the seniors or having times where they could have an evening there just for themselves. It could open up a lot of possibilities!

Flo: Sounds like a novel idea. Say, Joe, how many Fords were in Mantorville?

Joe:   Do you realize there were 240 Model T cars carrying 500 people in that group? This year they decided to visit Rochester and tour the surrounding towns of interest.    On their list of towns was also Lanesboro.   I wanted to see the cars on the move so I waited in Chatfield and parked in front of Potter Auditorium. While waiting I had a nice tour of the auditorium.   I was told by a nice lady there that it was built in 1936, was a part of the Chatfield School, and that the newer part, that had been a grade school, has now been torn down. Now that they have received funding of a State Grant it will be renovated in different phases to be compliant with all building codes and then will be offering opportunities for future expansion as both a community and regional arts center. Of course, that will involve more fund raising.

Flo: Yes, renovation will be major adding air conditioning, replace and up-grade electrical service, stage lighting, lighting control board, and house lighting; many more interior renovations including auditorium seating, acoustical and sound system, sound control board and make it compliant with handicap accessibility. There will be some new construction as well, which will include a lobby area, rest rooms, etc. and will include a community room.

Joe: Sounds like a major undertaking, but what a wonderful addition to the already active community. I hear our own Kasson City Planner, Mike Martin, along with other Potter Committee members headed to St. Paul to hand out 201 letters clarifying the Potter Auditorium project for the House and Senate members and taking time to talk to the capital press corps, who have offices in the basement and who report for major news sources. Do you suppose he would be willing to go to bat for Kasson’s Historic School and apply for a grant for us?

Flo: Wouldn’t he have applied for a grant for the school by now if he really wanted to do that for your town of Kasson? There certainly has been plenty of time since your reuse study for that to happen.

Joe:   I still say, when the Historical School is completely renovated with all the exciting ideas KARE has come up with, Kasson could once again be the hub of Dodge County, bringing visitors to town and look at the business it could bring to our downtown merchants!

Flo: It is well documented historic buildings in operation bring in the tourists and add revenue to the area.

“What’s happening around town” by Jo and Flo is
sponsored by KARE (Kasson Alliance for Restoration).
For more information call 634-7435.
The information contained in “What’s happening around town?” does not reflect the views of the
Dodge County Independent Newspaper.

Mayor's Memo: KARE

2011-07-26T11:56:00.000-07:00

As I noted in my last Mayor Memo the “simulated conversations” taking place in the DCI in regards to the Old School need to be looked at objectively and within the context of the original document or conversation. In last week’s edition of the DCI, KARE, has liberally taken my words out of context.
The letter and offer to partner with the City was refused by KARE. I did reference a public-private partnership, however, KARE chose not to accept because, in their words, they did not want “ownership”. So, I met with two of their board members and offered to remove all ownership from the offer AND it would have still allowed them to go and get all of the grant money and do all of the fundraising they could to save the building. This was a simple 50/50 partnership in which the City would have had all of the risk. We would have owned the building; we would have maintained the building. We would be responsible for the building and its tenants. All KARE was responsible for was to fund/raise 50% of the cost to remodel. I did not feel this was unobtainable due to their repeated statements that grants and tax incentives are readily available.

So why would they refuse to work with us? Even after ownership was removed upon their concerns, why did they not wish to work with us? Why would those board representatives state they would gladly take my proposal back to the KARE Board but never get back to me with the results of their meeting? Could it be that even though they continue to state that there are all of these grants available that even they understand there is a competitive market for them? That $100,000 grants sound great and some may be higher but many are much less? And that even at $100,000 each they would need 39 grants to cover their 50% of the partnership. Just think about that - 39 grants at $100K each. Does that sound so simple and easily obtainable? Furthermore, I find it interesting that KARE rarely mentions the cost to remodel the building from the Lauber study – $7 million to $8.2 million depending on year in which the project would begin. (The cost rises each year.) You don’t see Flo or Jo “chatting” about that. On another note, I need to point out that the City Council never approved the Lauber study. We simply received the report from the consultants at their presentation. From the City Council perspective there are issues that the study did not address adequately.

I personally find it interesting that in the five years or so since the failed referendum, both the city and I have often asked KARE to come up with a plan, find a development partner, work on creative financing, basically do something to show us they actually want to do the work needed to save the building. All the fancy drawings and articles in the paper unfortunately do not do anything to forward their stated goal of saving the building -- it only distracts from the larger tasks at hand. Such as, what is best for the community as a whole? How long do we wish to continue “chatting” and delaying the work needed to turn that almost perfect setting into a larger and fully functional library?
So, residents of Kasson – how long do we wish to continue debating this issue as we watch the costs to do anything with that area rise?

While “Flo & Jo” may be “entertaining”, I encourage you as responsible residents to research the facts. As always feel free to contact myself or City Hall if you have questions.

In your service,
Mayor Tim Tjosaas
mayor@cityofkasson.com

Letter to the editor: Government Shutdown II

2011-07-19T08:44:00.000-07:00

Letter to the editor:
With the state shutdown well under way and the government officials trying to appeal to the individual voters to be reelected in the next elections, I feel as though, we the proud people of Minnesota are being somewhat ignored. We all seem to work hard to put food on the table and have a strong sense of community values. I personally have seen people around our area when the Red River comes up in the spring, to tornados ravaging cities, the people of Minnesota have come out to lend a hand to show that together we the people can climb the highest mountains, we the people have the ability to correct the wrongs.

Lately I’ve been listening to MNPR and they’ve talked about how our state government needs to budget, how they need to cur costs in order to maintain an effective government. One day I walked into the local library and the local women who work there are volunteering their time to insure a brighter future for generations to come. By insuring the people in our local community get the books they need to become knowledgeable about the world around them. ( I thought; wow, these people understand the importance of knowledge, which, in turn brings people together.) From farmers to bakers, to children to the elderly, of any race, or gender; this is a place for all people to come and benefit for the good of all. This is just one of so many other services in the state budget that doesn’t just affect one group, it affects us all. From people helping others find work, to public parks every service is a part of our American life; sure it’s easy to say we don’t need it, we could manage without it, but they’re still pieces of a whole without those services we wouldn’t be American. We could be Afghans, we could be Somalians, and we could be North Koreans; without strong public services the weak get weaker and the strong get stronger. Long has blood been spilled for the freedoms we hold so loosely today, we the American people have the ability to change, to grow, to invent, and to speak freely. As the great societies that have stood before us we ought not to make the same mistakes. We should understand that educated populations are most acceptable for the longevity of a republic. As the Greeks educated all of their citizens to make a stronger nation, so we should do the same as inventors and entrepreneurs, engineers and architects, we ought to have painters and sculptures, but it is impossible with an under educated community of citizens. The more everyone knows and understands the better we all are to stand to make a world a better place for generations to come. (Instead of passing the debit to one generation to another, our forefathers understood this well and until the early nineteen hundreds the taxes for the rich were 92%.)

Rome on the other hand at its time of destruction decided to heavily tax the masses and the rich ruled in key family units. They cut out public bath houses and educational centers, they cut out places to make and produce stable incomes. The general population became angry and the nation of such great feats came crashing down. What we have is worth fighting for, for most it’s worth dying for, but we aren’t Greeks and we’re not Romans. We are Americans we can vote and every vote counts. We must increase the taxes for the rich in times of depression, in order to push them to invest in the working classes, so you and I can keep working and we may keep the freedoms we have. The rich make their money on the backs of the poor and middle class so it is only fair for them to pay more.

If ten people were stuck on an island and one person counted and distributed the wealth to all, from the fish caught, clothes made, houses built, to the inventions, that person didn’t sweat all day working his heart out. That one person decided who got what and everyone was ok with how much he should get, just a little bit of everything. Sadly if a rich man has three hundred businesses and he’s taking a little from everyone he should stand to be highly taxed but with recent tax laws he’s not, he’s taking a majority of the wealth for himself and what was to be taxed and go back to the public as a whole is cut. Increasing the taxes on the richest Americans will force them to hide their money and most of them will be smart enough to invest it in you. If a rich man is being taxed at 32% now and the taxes go up to 72% that man will try and hide his wealth, he most likely will invest in small businesses or new inventions, and by expanding our tax revenue we can pick up and begin to grow again. Please I ask you call or email Governor Dayton to stand up and fight for what’s right, tell him Don’t Back Down.

Contact info: Email: mark.dayton@state.mn.us
        Telephone: (651) 797-1850
        Website: http://mn.gov.governor/contact-us/
Physical address: Office of the Governor
               130 State Capitol
               75 Rev. Dr. Matin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
               St. Paul, MN 55155

Your Friend,
Hallock City Councilman
Alex J. Gustafson

Letter to the editor: food fight punishment

2011-07-12T09:27:00.001-07:00

Letter to the editor:

As many of your readers are undoubtedly aware, there was a food fight at K-M high school on June 3, 2011, the last day of school. From a lunch room of dozens of participating students, 21 were identified, by staff and video surveillance, and singled out for punishment. Seven of these 21 students were issued citations by Officer Peck, in collaboration with Principal Reker and Superintendent Grant, for misdemeanor disorderly conduct and will be referred to the criminal justice system for those charges. A misdemeanor conviction requires disclosure on job applications, college applications, student loan forms and military service. Examples of other misdemeanor crimes are: DWI, driving on a suspended license, assault, and minor drug possession. The remaining 14 students received letters from Officer Peck indicating the need to complete four hours of community service with the K-M school maintenance staff before August 1st in order to avoid disorderly conduct citation and court referral.

Student athletes were subsequently called for a meeting with Activities Director Wilke, under the direction of Principal Reker and Superintendent Grant, to sign a Notice of Violation of MSHSL extra-curricular bylaw(s). Consequences for the violence range from missing two-nine athletic events and at least two weeks of school activities. This penalty is equivalent to or exceeding recommended sanctions issued for "mood altering chemical violations.''

There were no school wide warnings made to the student body regarding the consequences of the food fight which has been a recurring event at K-M High School for years. Likewise, no announcements were made to parents using the automated system about the event or its possible consequences. It is evident that the administration and staff were aware of the plans because there was a notably increased staff presence for that lunch period. Parent requests to view the surveillance video have been denied. Staff statements were taken by Officer Peck; student statements were not collected. A report is on file at the Kasson Police Department.

There were no injuries or destruction of property resulting from the food fight. Although one staff member, an excellent and well-liked teacher, was hit with food, this was undoubtedly the result of mere proximity to the activity rather than malicious intent. Staff who remained on the periphery of the lunch room avoided a similar experience.
The school board meeting scheduled for July 18, 2011 at 7:00pm at the middle school is an opportunity for parents and students to gain information and express their concerns. Superintendent Matuska is planning to be in attendance.

As a parent of two high school students, this letter is submitted for publication with significant reservations about future prejudice.

Respectfully,
Polly Lewis

Letter to the editor: Peter Grant

2011-07-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

Letter to the Editor:

As I complete my last few days at KM, I want to make sure I thank the many people of the community for their great support of the District. The KM School District is a recipient of many people who provide support with their finances, volunteerism, great kids, and attendance to the many of the events the schools put on.

I have enjoyed my six years working with so many great employees and members of the community. Working alongside individuals who are dedicated to the education of our youth is the reason why I have been in education for 34 years. KM has wonderful teachers, secretaries, custodians, bus drivers and assistants. All of these people help make possible the successful efforts to educate our students and provide for them great facilities and opportunities to succeed in the and out of the classroom.

The last few months the District has had to deal with some controversy. An article in the DCI the week of June 27 mentioned the results of an investigation due to accusations made by some former employees. It is the second investigation since 2004 with similar claims of wrong doing. And the result of the investigation produced the same results – the District and administration have performed within the boundaries of its policies and conducted appropriate actions addressing personnel issues or complaints.
Public employees have an entitlement to due process when accusations of harassment or if job performance issues invoke termination procedures. Those entitlements are in state statute. However, once the results of the investigation or a hearing officer’s determination for termination have been divulged, and the outcome is not in favor of the complainant or employee, that entitlements ends. Then it is time to move on and accept the outcome. The employer needs to move on as well as the individual. The outcome should not be considered successful or a failure upon the personal perspective of the employer or individual. Independent investigations and hearings serve the purpose of finding the facts and making a decision. Those decisions need to be respected for what they are.

The KM School District is a very good District. Those who serve on the School Board provide great service to the students, parents, staff and members of the community. It is a thankless service. The present times we are seeing in education make serving on a school board very difficult. It is critical these people are supported for the decisions they make which are in the best interests of the District. At times it may not be easy to give that support, but it must be done.

District 204 has a great future ahead. Be sure to take pride in what is being accomplished. If you look throughout the state, the KM School District is one of a handful that is showing growth, producing outstanding student achievement results and managing it finances in great fashion. Yes, there will be challenges, but those should be looked at ways to improve and not obstacles.

Peter Grant

The call is clear!

2011-06-28T10:22:00.000-07:00

• By Senator Asst. Majority Leader Dave Senjem, District 29
serving Dodge & Northwestern Olmsted counties

Dear Friends,

The call is clear! It’s time to get this budget completed. A state shutdown is the absolute worst case-scenario, and no one wants to see that occur. We are working day in and day out to engage the Governor and find consensus on the state budget. I am just as concerned as each and every one of you about the negative implications on state workers and many others who depend on state funding, if an agreement is not reached.

The truth is, only Governor Dayton has the power to call a “game saving” special session. He has been asked many times to call us back, which at the very least would enable us to pass a “lights-on” bill to avoid a shutdown and continue negotiations. As of today, with only six days until July 1st time is running out. What is also true is that multiple offers have been presented to the Governor on the budget.

These include meeting 100% of his Education funding requests and moving $200 million in tax relief proposals to other spending areas of the budget. So far, there has been no interest in talking about passing these bills and moving forward on the rest. Make no mistake about it, a government shutdown would represent a terrible failure of the system. We passed and presented the governor with a balanced budget that lives within our means and provides a ground work for future job growth and a new prosperity.
The governor’s proposed tax increase is both unnecessary and counterproductive to future economic growth and prosperity. Our focus needs to be on things we can agree on and I am committed to negotiating with the Governor and finding common ground. I remain confident that it will be found. Keep the faith!

In the unlikely, inexcusable and unfortunate event of a government shutdown, I will not be accepting a salary and per diem. With over 30,000 state workers out of work and countless other Minnesotans negatively affected by a shutdown it would be incredibly inappropriate for me to be paid albeit, rest assured my work on behalf of our state and its people will not diminish.

I welcome citizens to contact me by phone (1-888-509-1290) or email (sen.david.senjem@senate.mn) with opinions on the budget crisis or other matters of concern. Thank you so very much for the very special opportunity to serve you in the Minnesota Senate.

Kasson-Mantorville School Investigative Report

2011-06-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

On January 3, 2011, five former employees of the Kasson-Mantorville school district spoke during the open forum time of the regular school board meeting. All of the five former employees communicated concerns regarding the recent termination of a school district employee.

On February 15, 2011, the school district received two written complaints. The first complaint alleged that a current School District administrator was engaged in harassment towards a former School District employee(s) and member(s) of the community. The second complaint alleged that the school board was failing to follow its policy of investigating complaints and misinterpreting the Minnesota Data Practices Act.

Additional violations were alleged during the course of the investigation and these allegations were investigated also.

The school board appointed the law firm of Reppe Law, PLLC to investigate the matter and make a report to the school board. Interviews of witnesses were conducted by Jonathan K. Reppe. Neither the investigator nor the law firm had any personal or professional relationships with the complainants, the school board, or the administration of the Kasson-Mantorville school district.
Witness interviews were conducted at the convenience of witnesses. As a result, the investigation has taken approximately three months. The investigator interviewed approximately twelve witnesses seeking information relating to the complainants' allegations. The list of witnesses was provided to the investigating attorney by the complainants and school district administration. Additional witnesses were identified during the course of interviews of the original list of witnesses. Those persons interviewed included members of the school district administration, former employees, and citizens.
The investigating attorney was not limited in any way by the school district in terms of witnesses to be interviewed or the manner in which the investigation was conducted. Rather, the investigating attorney was given free reign in proceeding with the investigation, and all interested parties were cooperative in meeting with investigators in providing their testimony. Some of the interviews were conducted in person at witnesses' homes and some were conducted by telephone at convenient times for the witnesses. The last interview was concluded on June 10, 2011 at 10:00 a.m.
The investigation was concluded on June 14, 2011.

School District Policies

The following recitation of School District Policies is not a full listing of School District Policies but only a citation of the pertinent sections of the policies at issue in the instant matter.

413 HARASSMENT AND VIOLENCE

I. PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to maintain a learning and working environment that is free from religious, disability, gender, racial or sexual harassment and violence. The school district prohibits any form of religious, racial or sexual harassment and violence.

II. GENERAL STATEMENT OF POLICY

A. It shall be a violation of this policy for any pupil, teacher, administrator or other school personnel of the school district to harass a pupil, teacher, administrator or other school personnel through conduct or communication of a sexual nature or regarding religion and race as defined by this policy. (For purposes of this policy, school personnel include school board members, school employees, agents, volunteers, contractors or persons subject to the supervision and control of the district.)

B.   It shall be a violation of this policy for any pupil, teacher, administrator or other school personnel of the school district to inflict, threaten to inflict, or attempt to inflict religious, disability, gender, racial or sexual violence upon any pupil, teacher, administrator or other school personnel.

C. The school district will act to investigate all complaints, either formal or informal, verbal or written, of religious, disability, gender, racial or sexual harassment or violence, and to discipline or take appropriate action against any pupil, teacher, administrator or other school personnel who is found to have violated this policy.

514 BULLYING PROHIBITION POLICY

I. PURPOSE

A safe and civil environment is needed for students to learn and attain high academic standards and to promote healthy human relationships. Bullying, like other violent or disruptive behavior, is conduct that interferes with students' ability to learn and teachers ability to educate students in a safe environment. The school district cannot monitor the activities of students at all times and eliminate all incidents of bullying between students, particularly when students are not under the direct supervision of school personnel.

However, to the extent such conduct affects the educational environment of the school district and the rights and welfare of its students and is within the control of the school district in its normal operations, it is the school district's intent to prevent bullying and to take action to investigate, respond, remediate, and discipline those acts of bullying which have not been successfully prevented. The purpose of this policy is to assist the school district in its goal of preventing and responding to acts of bullying, intimidation, violence, and other similar disruptive behavior.

II. GENERAL STATEMENT OF POLICY

A. An act of bullying, by either an individual student or a group of students, is expressly prohibited on school district property or at school-related functions. This policy applies not only to students who directly engage in an act of bullying but also to students who, by their indirect behavior, condone or support another student's act of bullying. This policy also applies to any student whose conduct at any time or in any place constitutes bullying that interferes with or obstructs the mission or operations of the school district or the safety or welfare of the student, other students, or employees. The misuse of technology including, but not limited to, teasing, intimidating, defaming, threatening, or terrorizing another student, teacher, administrator, volunteer, contractor, or other employee of the school district by sending or posting e-mail messages, instant messages, text messages, digital pictures or images, or Web site postings, including blogs, also may constitute an act of bullying regardless of whether such acts are committed on or off school district property and/or with or without the use of school district resources.

B. No teacher, administrator, volunteer, contractor, or other employee of the school district shall permit, condone, or tolerate bullying.

C. Apparent permission or consent by a student being bullied does not lessen the

D. Retaliation against a victim, good faith reporter, or a witness of bullying is prohibited.

E. False accusations or reports of bullying against another student are prohibited.

F. A person who engages in an act of bullying, reprisal, or false reporting of bullying or permits, condones, or tolerates bullying shall be subject to discipline for that act in accordance with school district's policies and procedures. The school district may take into account the following factors:
1. The developmental and maturity levels of the parties involved;
2. The levels of harm, surrounding circumstances, and nature of the behavior;
3. Past incidences or past or continuing patterns of behavior;
4. The relationship between the parties involved; and
5. The context in which the alleged incidents occurred.

Consequences for students who commit prohibited acts of bullying may range from positive behavioral interventions up to and including suspension and/or expulsion. Consequences for employees who permit, condone, or tolerate bullying or engage in an act of reprisal or intentional false reporting of bullying may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination or discharge. Consequences for other individuals engaging in prohibited acts of bullying may include, but not be limited to, exclusion from school district property and events and/or termination of services and/or contracts.

G. The school district will act to investigate all complaints of bullying and will discipline or take appropriate action against any student, teacher, administrator, volunteer, contractor, or other employee of the school district who is found to have violated this policy.

III. DEFINITIONS

For purposes of this policy, the definitions included in this section apply.

A. "Bullying" means any written or verbal expression, physical act or gesture, or pattern thereof, by a student that is intended to cause or is perceived as causing distress to one or more students and which substantially interferes with another student's or students' educational benefits, opportunities, or performance. Bullying includes, but is not limited to. conduct by a student against another student that a reasonable person under the circumstances knows or should know has the effect of:
1. harming a student;
2. damaging a student's property;
3. placing a student in reasonable fear of harm to his or her person or property; or
4. creating a hostile educational environment for a student.

B. "Immediately" means as soon as possible but in no event longer than 24 hours.

C. "On school district property or at school-related functions" means all school district buildings, school grounds, and school property or property immediately adjacent to school grounds, school bus stops, school buses, school vehicles, school contracted vehicles, or any other vehicles approved for school district purposes, the area of entrance or departure from school grounds, premises, or events, and all school-related functions, school-sponsored activities, events, or trips. School district property also may mean a student's walking route to or from school for purposes of attending school or school- related functions, activities, or events. While prohibiting bullying at these locations and events, the school district does not represent that it will provide supervision or assume liability at these locations and events.

IV. REPORTING PROCEDURE

A. Any person who believes he or she has been the victim of bullying or any person with knowledge or belief of conduct that may constitute bullying shall report the alleged acts immediately to an appropriate school district official designated by this policy. A student may report bullying anonymously. However, the school district's ability to take action against an alleged perpetrator based solely on an anonymous report may be limited.

B. The school district encourages the reporting party or complainant to use the report form available from the principal of each building or available from the school district office, but oral reports shall be considered complaints as well.

C. The building principal or the principal's designee or the building supervisor is the person responsible for receiving reports of bullying at the building leveL Any person may report bullying directly to a school district human rights officer or the superintendent.

D. A teacher, school administrator, volunteer, contractor, or other school employee shall he particularly alert to possible situations, circumstances, or events that might include bullying. Any such person who receives a report of, observes, or has other knowledge or belief of conduct that may constitute bullying shall inform the building principal immediately.

E. Reports of bullying are classified as private educational and/or personnel data and/or confidential investigative data and will not be disclosed except as permitted by law.

F. Submission of a good faith complaint or report of bullying will not affect the complainant's or reporter's future employment, grades, or work assignments, or educational or work environment.

G. The school district will respect the privacy of the complainant(s), the individuals) against whom the complaint is filed, and the witnesses as much as possible, consistent with the school district's obligation to investigate, take appropriate action, and comply with any legal disclosure obligations.

V. SCHOOL DISTRICT ACTION

A. Upon receipt of a complaint or report of bullying, the school district shall undertake or authorize an investigation by school district officials or a third party designated by the school district.

B. The school district may take immediate steps, at its discretion, to protect the complainant, reporter, students, or others pending completion of an investigation of bullying, consistent with applicable law.

C. Upon completion of the investigation, the school district will take appropriate action.
Such action may include, but is not limited to, warning, suspension, exclusion, expulsion, transfer, remediation, termination, or discharge. Disciplinary consequences will be sufficiently severe to try to deter violations and to appropriately discipline prohibited behavior. School district action taken for violation of this policy will be consistent with the requirements of applicable collective bargaining agreements; applicable statutory authority, including the Minnesota Pupil Fair Dismissal Act; school district policies; and regulations.

D. The school district is not authorized to disclose to a victim private educational or personnel data regarding an alleged perpetrator who is a student or employee of the school district. School officials will notify the parent(s) or guardian(s) of students involved in a bullying incident and the remedial action taken, to the extent permitted by law, based on a confirmed report.

VI. REPRISAL

The school district will discipline or take appropriate action against any student, teacher, administrator, volunteer, contractor, or other employee of the school district who retaliates against any person who makes a good faith report of alleged bullying or against any person who testifies, assists, or participates in an investigation, or against any person who testifies, assists, or participates in a proceeding or hearing relating to such bullying. Retaliation includes, but is not limited to, any form of intimidation, harassment, or intentional disparate treatment.

VII. TRAINING AND EDUCATION

A. The school district annually will provide information and any applicable training to school district staff regarding this policy.

B. The school district annually will provide education and information to students regarding bullying, including information regarding this school district policy prohibiting bullying, the harmful effects of bullying, and other applicable initiatives to prevent bullying.

C. The administration of the school district is directed to implement programs and other initiatives to prevent bullying, to respond to bullying in a manner that does not stigmatize the victim, and to make resources or referrals to resources available to victims of bullying.

D. The school district may implement violence prevention and character development education programs to prevent and reduce policy violations. Such programs may offer instruction on character education including, but not limited to, character qualities such as attentiveness, truthfulness, respect for authority, diligence, gratefulness, sell-discipline, patience, forgiveness, respect for others, peacemaking, and resourcefulness.

VIII. NOTICE
The school district will give annual notice of this policy to students, parents or guardians, and staff, and this policy shall appear in the student handbook.

206.1DM COMPLAINT PROCEDURE FOR INVESTIGATING AND REVIEWING COMPAINTS MADE BY STUDENTS, EMPLOYEES, PARENTS, AND OTHER PERSONS
PURPOSE

The school district takes seriously all concerns or complaints voiced by students, employees, parents or other persons. At the same time, the school board recognizes the importance of conducting neutral, orderly and efficient investigations, or follow-ups and the need to communicate to a complaining party what determinations are made regarding the complaint.
The purpose of this policy is to provide procedures to assure an orderly follow-up, investigation and review regarding complaints voiced by students, employees, parents or other members of the public, as well as to protect the due process and privacy rights of individuals under the law. If a specific complaint procedure is provided within any other policy of the school district, the specific procedure shall be followed in reference to such a complaint. If a specific complaint procedure is not provided, the purpose of this policy is to provide a procedure that may be used.

II GENERAL STATEMENT OF POLICY

A.   Students, parents, employees or other persons may report concerns or complaints to the school district. While written reports are encouraged, a complaint may be made orally. Any employee receiving an oral report must reduce the complaint to writing. The employee receiving the complaint must forward the written complaint to the employee's principal, immediate supervisor and the superintendent.

B.   Any complaining party may forward a complaint directly to the superintendent or school board without the need to present the information to the building administrator or school employee directly involved in the concern. If the building administrator is the subject of the complaint, the written complaint must be forwarded directly to the Superintendent or the school board without the need to present the information to the building administrator.

C.   The superintendent shall make an initial determination as to the seriousness of the complaint and shall determine the nature and scope of the investigation or follow-up procedures and designate the person responsible for the investigation or follow-up relating to the complaint. The designated investigator shall ascertain details concerning the complaint and respond promptly to the superintendent concerning the status or outcome of the matter.

D. The superintendent or the superintendent's designee shall respond in writing to the complaining party concerning the outcome of the investigation or follow-up, including any appropriate action or corrective measure that was taken. The response to the complaining party shall be consistent with the rights of others pursuant to the applicable provisions of Minnesota Statutes Chapter 13 (Minnesota Government Data Practices Act)or other law.

E. In the event that the complaining party is dissatisfied with the outcome of the investigation or follow-up, including the action or corrective measure taken the complaining party may file a request for review of the complaint to the complaint review committee. The request for a review shall be in writing, shall detail the areas of dissatisfaction and must be delivered to the school district within twenty calendar days of the date the school district issued its initial response.

F. The complaint review committee shall serve as an advisory committee to the school board. The committee will be comprised of three school board members and a member of the school district leadership team, none of whom have a direct involvement with the complaint. The school board members will be appointed by the school board chair, and the leadership team member will be appointed by the superintendent. The complaint review committee shall meet twice a year to review complaints. However, at the committee's discretion or the school board's direction, the committee may convene whenever necessary.

G.   The complaint review committee shall review the action taken by the school district and determine whether additional action is needed. The committee's decision regarding the review of the complaint shall he communicated to the complaining party in writing and shall be consistent with the rights of others pursuant to the applicable provision of Minnesota Statutes Chapter 13 (Minnesota Government Data Practices Act) or other law.

H. The decision of the complaint review board may be reviewed by the school board in its discretion. A request for school board review of a decision of the complaint review committee shall be submitted to the school board chair, in writing, within twenty days of the date of the decision of the committee. The school board shall notify the complaining party of its decision to review or not review the decision of the complaint review board in writing.

Discussion

There are three categories of allegations contained in the complaints.
The first category of complaints alleges a violation of school district policy by a school district administrator.

The second category of complaints contains allegations that school district administrators and the school board are violating school district policy by failing to follow-up or investigate citizen complaints.

The third category of complaints contains allegations that the school district is misinterpreting the Minnesota data practices act and/or violating the act.
It is the intention of the investigator to address each of these allegations specifically with
the following preface.

A. Five former employees spoke during the open forum session at the regular January 3, 2011 school board meeting. Many of the concerns raised by the former employees were addressed an investigation conducted in 2004. It is clear that many residual issues still remain.

B. Several of the witnesses had very strong and sincere views of school district
administrator wrongdoing. Witness comments can be categorized into two areas. First, issues that have been previously addressed by the 2004 investigation. Second, issues focusing on administration style or management rather than misconduct or violations of school district policy.

Allegation One

A. Allegation One: Violation of the school districts harassment policy.
1. The complainant alleged that the school district superintendent. Peter Grant, violated the school district's harassment policy.
2. Incident 1. Facts as provided by witness(s): Mr. Grant telephoned a public agency administrator and informed the administrator that one of his employees was using her computer and e-mail to send political messages.
3. The public agency contacted by Mr. Grant has an employee policy that prohibits employees from using the employer's computers or e-mail to communicate political messages.
4. The complainant acknowledged that she violated the public agency's employment policy.
5. Mr. Grant acknowledged e-mailing an administrator of a public agency regarding an e-mail that was forwarded to Mr. Grant. Mr. Grant identified two public agency employees who were using their e-mail to forward political speech regarding an upcoming Kasson-Mantorville school district referendum.
6. Witness(s) did not report that they believed that Mr. Grant's actions were motivated by employee's gender, religion, or race.
7. Incident 2. Witness alleged an incident of harassment of an employee during her employment. The employee voluntarily resigned in 2007. Facts as provided by witness(s). Employee had experienced a high level of anxiety and stress working at the high school. Employee stated that she was physically ill due to the stress and anxiety. Superintendent Peter Grant scheduled a meeting with Employee and other administrators. Employee stated that she left work because she felt physically ill. Witness(s) stated that
Mr. Grant called employee's husband at home to verify that employee was at her residence.
8. Mr. Grant acknowledged calling the employee's residence. Mr. Grant indicated that he called the employee's residence to speak with employee about her absence from a scheduled meeting. Mr. Grant reported that he did not intend speak with employee's husband but did so when informed that employee was not available. Witness(s) did not report that they believed that Mr. Grant's actions were motivated by employee's gender, religion, or race.
9. Incident 3. Witness alleged an incident of harassment of an employee during her employment. Employee requested adjustment of her schedule amongst High School and Middle School to move to a full time position rather than a non-full-time position.
10. Mr. Grant acknowledged that after speaking with the separate school administrators that they agreed that the employee request for full-time status did not align with the needs of the School District. Witness(s) did not report that they believed that Mr. Grant's actions were motivated by employee's gender, religion, or race.
11. Incident 4. Witness alleged an incident of harassment of an employee during her employment. Employee's responsibilities and duties were modified. Employee's performance was questioned.
12. Mr. Grant acknowledged that there were concerns regarding employees performance and attitude after she was denied a move to a full-time position. A meeting was scheduled to address the employee's concerns but never conducted due to employees resignation. Witness(s) did not report that they believed that Mr. Grant's actions were motivated by employee's gender, religion, or race.
13. Incident 5. Witness alleged an incident of harassment of an employee during her employment. Witness alleged that Mr. Grant requested to meet with employee after employee wrote an editorial to a newspaper. Witness never met with Mr. Grant but was told the purpose of the meeting was to discuss School Board Member concerns regarding the content of the editorial. Witness reported that an email discussion was conducted with Mr. Grant.
14. Incident 6. Witness alleged that during a conversation with Mr. Grant. Mr. Grant continually referred to employee by the wrong name. Witness(s) did not report that they believed that Mr. Grant's actions were motivated by employee's gender, religion, or race.
15. Incident 7. Witness(s) alleged multiple incidents of harassment and bullying by students against another student and the failure of the School District Administrators to address the issue.
16. Incident 8. Witness(s) alleged gender discrimination of an employee while employed at the School District.
17. Incident 9. Witness(s) alleged violations of medical procedures and regulations for School Nurses and the failure of School District Administration to respond.
18. Incident 10. Witness(s) alleged that former School District Administrator or current School District Administrator contacted another School District and reported that former employee was a "trouble maker”.

Finding

Allegation One

A. Violation of the school districts Harassment policy.

Incident One

1. The school districts harassment policy does not cover incident number one. Under the general statement of the policy, individuals who are protected under the policy are limited to pupils, teachers, administrators, and other school personnel. At the time of incident number one, the complainant was no longer an employee of the school district.

2. The acts described by complainant in incident number one are not covered under the harassment policy. The harassment policy defines harassment based on religion, race, sexual harassment, and violence. Superintendent Peter Grant notified an administrator in a public agency of inappropriate activities by public agency employees. Superintendent Grant's actions cannot be described as harassment. In addition, Mr. Grant's actions cannot be viewed as inappropriate. Reporting a violation of a public agency's policies is within the scope of responsibility of any individual citizen. Mr. Grant's position as a Superintendent of a School District does not prevent him from acting as a normal citizen outside of the responsibilities of his position.

Incident Two

3. The acts described by witness(s) in incident number two are not covered under the harassment policy. The harassment policy defines harassment based on religion, race, sexual harassment, and violence. Complainant did not report that she believed that Mr. Grant's actions were motivated by complainant's gender, religion, or race. It is not uncommon for managers to follow-up on an employee who has left work and missed a meeting due to illness. In addition, the action cannot be defined as inappropriate. Calling an employee at home after leaving work during the work day, is a duty within the normal scope of responsibilities, for a School District Administrator.

Incident Three

4. The acts described by witness(s) in incident number three are not covered under the harassment policy. The harassment policy defines harassment based on religion, race, sexual harassment, and violence. Complainant did not report that he/she believed that Mr. Grant's actions were motivated by complainant's gender, religion, or race. It is not. uncommon for managers to deny an employee's request to modify their work hours either by increasing the hours or decreasing the hours. The decision to grant an employee full-time status is in the purview of management responsibilities. Employees may disagree with the decision and question the logic of the decision but never-the-less, the decision is
a management decision. Furthermore, Public Employees are afforded numerous employment rights by statute and by contract. The complainant had the right to grieve any perceived negative employment action or alleged violation of her contract rights but did not do so. In addition, the actions of Mr. Grant as reported, fall into the normal duties and responsibilities of a School District Administrator and cannot be defined as inappropriate.

Incident Four

5. The acts described by witness(s) in incident number four are not covered under the harassment policy. The harassment policy defines harassment based on religion, race, sexual harassment, and violence. Complainant did not report that he/she believed that Mr. Grant's actions were motivated by complainant's gender, religion, or race. It is not uncommon for managers to adjust or modify an employee's work duties and responsibilities. Public Employees are afforded numerous employment rights by statute and by contract. The complainant had the right to grieve any perceived negative
employment action or alleged violation of her contract rights but did not do so. In addition, the actions of Mr. Grant as reported, fall into the normal duties and responsibilities of a School District Administrator and cannot be defined as inappropriate.

Incident Five

6. The acts described by witness(s) in incident number five are not covered under the harassment policy. The harassment policy defines harassment based on religion, race, sexual harassment, and violence. Complainant did not report that he/she believed that Mr. Grant's actions were motivated by complainant's gender, religion, or race. Mr. Grant's request to meet with an employee regarding an editorial the employee wrote to a local newspaper. The editorial addressed issues about the School District. Mr. Grant's request to talk to the employee about the editorial cannot be defined as inappropriate. A meeting between management and an employee cannot be assumed to be disciplinary in nature. Mr. Grant's request for a meeting and communication to the employee, that School Board Members voiced concern about the editorial, are legitimate administrative duties and cannot be defined as inappropriate.

Incident Six

7. The acts described by witness(s) in incident number six are not covered under the harassment policy. The harassment policy defines harassment based on religion, race, sexual harassment, and violence. Complainant did not report that he/she believed that Mr. Grant's actions were motivated by complainant's gender, religion, or race. The complainant indicated that they did not believe that Mr. Grant was calling them by the wrong name on purpose but due to lack of familiarity. The complainant's first and last name may easily be confused by an individual who is not familiar with the complainant. Mr. Grant's actions are excusable as unintentional.

Incident Seven

8. The acts described by witness(s) in incident number seven are covered under the harassment policy. However, the complainant forwarded her/his complaint to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. The Department of Human Rights has investigated the complaint and the complainant has provided documentation to the investigator in this matter. Any determination regarding Incident Seven is outside the scope of this particular investigation.

Incident Eight

9. The acts described by witness(s) in incident number eight are covered under the harassment policy. However, the complainant filed a complaint with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. Documentation regarding the complainant's Minnesota Department of Human Right's file was provided to the investigator. The Minnesota Department of Human Right made a finding of no probable cause regarding the allegation of harassment due to gender or discrimination due to gender. 1 he Minnesota Department of Human Rights found that the School District Administrator's actions were
in the nature of legitimate management duties. The current investigation has found no additional evidence to refute the findings of the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.
Additionally, at least one complainant had further opportunity to report alleged harassment and violations of School District Policy during the employment grievance and arbitration process. That arbitration decision was provided for review. The arbitrator found no harassment nor violations of School District policy. The current investigation has found no additional evidence to refute the findings of the Arbitrator.

Incident Nine

10. The acts described by witness(s) in incident number nine are not covered under the harassment policy. The harassment policy defines harassment based on religion, race, sexual harassment, and violence. Complainant did not report that he/she believed that Mr. Grant's actions were motivated by complainant's gender, religion, or race. Witness (s) acknowledged that School District Administrators responded and took action regarding their concerns. However, complainant and witness(s) were not satisfied with the nature of the response by School District Administrators. Complainant(s) filed a complaint with the Minnesota Board of Nursing. Any investigation conducted or determination made by the Minnesota Board of Nursing is outside of the authority or scope of the current investigation.

Incident Ten
The acts described by witness(s) in incident number ten are not covered under the harassment policy. The harassment policy defines harassment based on religion, race, sexual harassment, and violence. Complainant did not report that he/she believed that School District Administrators actions were motivated by complainant's gender, religion, or race. In addition, there is no evidence from either complainant or witnesses that any School District Administrator actually made contact with another School District in any manner regarding the former employee.
Allegation Two

B: Violation of the school districts bullying prohibition policy.
1. Complainant claims that incidents one through six and eight, nine and ten also violate the school districts bullying prohibition policy.
Finding
1. The stated purpose of the bullying prohibition policy is to attain a "safe and civil environment for students". The intent of the policy is clearly to protect students. The policy is not intended to protect other parties.
2. The bullying prohibition policy does not apply to incidents one through six and eight, nine and ten
3. In addition, the actions complained of in the incidents cannot be viewed as inappropriate under the circumstances of Mr. Grant's duties as a School District Administrator.
Allegation Three

C. Allegation three: failure of School District to follow complaint procedure.

1. The complainant alleged that the school district failed to follow the complaint procedure policy because no one from the district responded to concerns raised by five former employees at the school board meeting of January 3, 2011.
2. Two of the five former employees who spoke during the open forum of the January 3, 2011, school board meeting reported that they had requested to be contacted about their complaint. Neither individual was contacted by the school district.
Finding

1. The school district is in compliance with the complaint procedure. Initiating and contracting for the present investigation provides compliance with the school district's complaint procedure.
2. The complainant and other witnesses could not provide specific circumstances in which school district administration had failed to conduct or respond to complaints.

Allegation Four

D. Allegation Four: Complainant alleges that the school district is misinterpreting the Minnesota data practices act.

1. Complainant alleges that citizens speaking during the open forum of school hoard meetings are not allowed to comment or speak regarding employee issues specifically in connection with a particular employee.

2. Complainant could not provide any specific incidents.
Finding

1. The Minnesota data practices act prohibits school districts from providing confidential information to the public. There is no restriction on citizens making complaints or providing information to the school district in a public forum. However, the School District has a legitimate concern that they may incur liability to creating a forum in which the Data Practices Act could be violated. The school district should clearly communicate the requirements of the Minnesota data practices act. School board members and administrators are prohibited from responding publicly to these open forum comments.
Residual issues

1. Residual issues from 2004 citizen petition and investigation: Many of the witnesses contacted commented about experiences and issues that either arose prior to 2004 or were similar in nature to issues investigated in 2004. The witnesses, who were former employees, communicated continued hard feelings towards the high school administration. Several issues were reported that are frankly beyond the nature of this investigation. This investigation was initiated on the basis of allegations of misconduct. Many of the comments by witnesses were described as leadership issues, management issues, and perceived lack of community participation. Several of the former employees indicated that they had never received an exit interview. Many of the witnesses indicated that they perceived a management problem at the high school because of a high turnover rate of staff secretaries and school nurses. One former employee reported that the school district has utilized the management consultants in the past.

Recommendations
A. Address residual issues from 2004 investigation by creating opportunities between the School District and members of the community to develop working relationships rather than adversarial relationships.
1. Community members (witnesses) restated that the only opportunity for feedback was the school district open forum. Participation in less public communication may lead to greater community satisfaction Create alternative, less formal opportunities for community feedback.
2. Encourage community member participation on advisory committees.
B. Educate public on restrictions of Minnesota Data Practices Act and provide alternative to public to provide information on employee issues.
1. Create a notice to School Board Meeting public forum speakers regarding the Minnesota Data Practices Act and an alternative complaint procedure.
C. Modify complaint process to provide recommended timelines to provide feedback to complainant. Notifying parties that the complaint is being investigated is a requirement of a effective complaint procedure.
D. Notify witness(s) and complainant of completion of investigation and provide copy of public report.
E. Modify complaint process to provide alternative complaint procedures. If the complainant is complaining about school district administration, assign a School Board Designee.
F. Provide training to School Board Members regarding complaint process. It is recognized that School Board members often are approached in public regarding School District issues. At times comments from citizens are indistinguishable as statement or requests to investigate.
G. Make exit interviews a practice within the district.

Above the Law

2011-06-14T10:12:00.000-07:00

Politicians in Washington have too much power. They have so much in fact that some of them feel they can be above the law. The latest is Rep. Anthony Weiner, New York, who first denied and then admitted to having sexual exchanges on the Internet with at least a half dozen men.

There have been many others. News came out about Senator John Edwards who fathered the child of a mistress and tried to pay hush money. Then there is California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger who admitted fathering the child of a former household staff member.

The accused feel there should be a separation of personal and professional behavior. Thus, Rep. Weiner does not intend to resign because what happened does not affect his professional status in representing the people of his district. I beg to differ. A politician at this level is judged on his personal and professional life. For that reason an Anthony Weiner should not be in office.

Typically, they deny allegations. At first the U.S. Rep. said someone must have hacked into his Twitter feed. When more questions started coming his way he admitted to the inappropriate online relationship.
Number one, do politicians at this level feel they are above the law? And two, how do they think they can get away with something like that?

President Clinton lied, admitted guilt, fought the system and basically won. He became one of our most popular presidents and was elected to two terms. What does that have to say about public perception?
We live in a society today where public indecency may not affect a politician’s popularity with constituents. That's sad when people like that get re-elected.

This is not a Democrat or Republican issue either. In this case inappropriate sexual behavior crosses party lines. If only the two parties could do that when it comes to key issues like balancing the budget or health care!

Letter to the editor: Improvements needed

2011-06-07T09:59:00.000-07:00

Letter To the Editor:

I’m thinking of improvements that will eventually be needed with the Kasson swimming pool.
Let’s see; the limestone entrance was built by the WPA (Work Progress Administration Project) in 1938.
No doubt the plaque and several blocks of limestone will be saved and stored in a shed. I can see the rest being used to construct beautiful limestone fire pits in someones’ backyard.

I salute the people of Mantorville, West Concord and Wasioja, MN for having the fortitude to preserve their heritage.

What legacy will we have in Kasson, MN?

“The rear end of Dodge County”

Maggie Lien

Letter to the editor: library location

2011-05-31T10:16:00.000-07:00

Letter To the Editor:

I know there have been some misunderstandings and confusion about the library and the old elementary school in Kasson, and I would like to do my part in clearing them up. As a note, I am neither a member of the library building committee, nor a member of the KARE organization, but a member of the Kasson-Mantorville community and a library employee and I have some understanding of the discussions that are going around regarding the future of the library.

First, we do need a larger library. We have a smaller facility than communities half our size and we have been making the best of a building that was designated as a “temporary location” nearly 20 years ago. Our shelves of books and movies are overflowing, and we have to withdraw perfectly good items simply because we don’t have room for them. Last year we had over 600 kids sign up for our summer-long reading program, and often had 60+ kids come for storytime. There was barely room for them to all sit. We have to limit or scale back planned events both for kids and adults simply because we don’t have space for them.

The City of Kasson selected the site of the old elementary school as a perfect spot for a larger library. It is centrally located and has enough space for both a building and for parking. The library building committee has been meeting with an architect for months to discuss different options for such a facility, including using the old school as it stands or constructing a new facility.

The old school is a nice-looking building from the exterior. But, as any building that has stood vacant for years, has problems. The interior is growing mold. It is full of asbestos, and water leaks have caused the floors to buckle. It has been used for police training, and garbage has been left inside.

The other issue with the school is that it does not have an ideal floor plan for a library. There are three separate parts to the school, and two levels. This means an elevator would need to be installed (at additional cost) and the hiring of more staff to keep an eye on each section of the building. Though we do need a larger facility, a city of Kasson’s size does not have the funds to rehabilitate a building in poor condition, plus maintain it with utilities and extra staffing.

The library building committee is continuing to work through the process of presenting to the city their recommendation for a library facility. One option would be to reclaim and use elements of the old school in a new building. Another option would be to use green building techniques to minimize the financial impact on our community and the carbon impact on our world. Again, this is an ongoing process, so nothing final has been decided.

Personally, as a library lover, a reader, and a parent (as well as an employee), I would rather have the city of Kasson create a new, larger, functional library that mimics and pays homage to the historic school, rather than spend more dollars in trying to rehab a nice-looking, but asbestos-filled, functionally awkward building that will end up costing the taxpayers more in the end.

Ingvild Herfindahl

Letter to the editor: tour cancelled

2011-05-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

Letter to the Editor:

I would like to know who the person was that was to have the 1918 Kasson School open for people to tour on Saturday, May 21st from 1:30-3:00 p.m. One graduate and family drove a great distance to tour the building. Two left another event early so two could tour the school.

There were also handouts passed out of examples of what had been done with other school buildings.

Lois Nash

What's happening around Town?

2011-05-17T12:22:00.000-07:00

Flo: Hey Joe, I hear you grew up in this town and while driving around Kasson, I saw a very interesting building on 3rd Avenue. What can you tell me about it?

Joe: Ah! You must be talking about the Tripartite (the three in one) brick building that for 40 years was home to school children from 1st to 12th grades, and for another 47 years still part of the educational system. Why, what caught your eye?

Flo: I liked its style with its Renaissance Villa look and the brick trimmed with Terra Cotta, and then there's the main entrance with that kind of: neo-classical revival-style design that just sets it off, inviting you to come in and sit a spell. Plus that very impressive Water Tower nearby that seems to say, "we belong together." It appears to me that once upon a time, it was the hub of the city activity, with families traveling in and out and children playing on the school grounds, laughing and enjoying the day. It looks like it is sitting empty now. Could it not be refurbished and used once again?

Joe: Well, I am told that after a reuse study was done, it was deemed in relatively good condition and structurally sound. Interior spaces for the most part are large with the load bearing walls lining the corridors and partition walls can be expanded to accommodate other size of rooms as needed. Windows are large enough to filter in natural light and with window upgrades could meet the "green" energy specs. They tell me existing high ceilings, vertical chases, extensive tunnel systems, and connected ducts to rooftop vents, will allow ease in updating the electrical and heating needs of today and would you believe, it has sky lights? It also sits on the highest point in the city!

Flo: I like the idea with its three distinct, separate buildings that it could be utilized for many different functions, and could be developed one building at a time as funding becomes available. What, are the needs and wants of the city families?

Joe; I hear they would like to have a community center- Space to socialize with friends and family and hold community activities. I know for a fact the public library needs more room and wouldn't it be neat to have a children's activity center? I could even see a historical room within the complex which could house school and city memorabilia and could include city, school and library minutes where folks could wander in, read, and get caught up on the activities happening in our community.

Flo: Gee, there looks like with three different buildings, it could house all of that, and I like the idea that it is connected by corridors so one can go from one unit to the other without having to go outside. If I lived in this town, I would enjoy having a coffee shop inside where I could sit and visit or read a book before I head off for home or in the winter months could use the corridors for a strenuous walk from one end to the other, and winters do get long here in Minnesota. Well, gotta' go, but keep me undated on what is happening to that beautiful town square!

Garage Sales

2011-05-10T13:28:00.000-07:00

I think K-M must have a pretty good reputation for garage sales. There are some very dedicated people out there who have sales year after year with repeat customers. Many times those same people like to go to garage sales. The Kasson Chamber of Commerce has sponsored Garage Sale Days for many years and it serves as great motivation for people to clear out and organize their homes.

Here's wishing for sunny skies and pleasant temps on May 13th and 14th for Kasson City Wide Garage Sales.

Royal Wedding

2011-05-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

I know the royal wedding is a big deal-to some people. I am not in that "some" category. I refused to watch the major network nightly news the last few days leading up to the wedding because that was three-fourths of the nightly news.

The last straw was when I received a list of royal recipes for people having a royal wedding party of their own. Would you believe a wedding cake martini, royal romance, little princess cocktail and bridesmaid cooler? I eliminated that email instantly.

Prince William and Kate Middleton look like the perfect couple. In the public eye Prince Charles and Lady Diana looked like the perfect couple too, and look what happened to their marriage.
The people of England don't seem to mind what a wedding of this magnitude is costing them either. The estimate is $32 million whereby the average "over the top" U.S. wedding is $27,000 and a celebrity wedding up to $5 million.

With a daughter getting married this summer I should feel good about what we are spending. The royal wedding cake is $80,000, flowers $800,000 (How would you like to own the flower shop that got that order?) and the wedding gown $434,000. But wait, rumor has it that the Middleton's paid for the wedding gown. How generous!

Enough already. As you might guess most of us will be glad when it's over and by the time you read this it will be history. Thank goodness!

Letter to the editor: Dear Mantorville Community

2011-04-26T08:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Mantorville Community,

In 2008 strengths and weaknesses of the community were put into a Comprehensive Plan for Mantorville. 36 strengths were identified and 19 challenges were shared. These were put into the comprehensive plan and some items were addressed since then, others are still being looked at.
The future will be affected by this feedback. The EDA, Park Board, City Council, and other organizations in the community can use this feedback to set priorities for the future.
Please consider giving feedback to the city by stopping by the City Office or emailing your comments to Let your city leaders know, (1) what makes Mantorville a great place to live and (2) what are the challenges you hope can be addressed.
If you wish to see the draft comprehensive plan look at the mantorville.com website under Agendas and Minutes and City Council Packets 2011 or contact the City Office.

Thank you,
Andrew Galbus
Mantorville, MN

COMMUNITY STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES
The purpose of discussions was to establish a series of goals, policies, and initiatives to assist in addressing challenges identified in previous activities, and to support and reinforce the identified community strengths. Below Is a list of the community assets and challenges, compiled by the Comprehensive Planning Committee, at the October 5,2006 meeting.

Community Strengths:
"What makes Mantorville a great place to live?"

Responses:
1. Convenient to Rochester
2. Close to large city amenities
3. Access to I-90 & 52
4. Safe
5. Pretty
6. Quality schools
7. Midwest values
8. Dining
9. Theater
10. County seat
11. Proximity to Twin Cities
12. Zumbro River
13. Character
14. Not "cookie cutter"
15. Downtown on National Register
16. Lack of franchised businesses
17. Eco-tourism
18. Camping
19. Not on rail line (DM & E)
20. Friendly
21. Small town feel
22. Historic charm
23. Postmaster
24. Affordable price of real estate
25. Low taxes
26. Golfing
27. Trail
28. Oxbow Park
29. Artists
30. Farmers' market
31. Community festivals
32. Picturesque
33. Antiques and crafts
34. Museums
35. Not a dry county
36. Consensus on planned growth

Community Challenges:

Responses:
1. No grocery
2. Poor infrastructure
3. Lack of planning
4. High utility rates
5. High taxes
6. Flooding/drainage problems
7. Shoreline in the park
8. Leadership
9. Lack of local employment
10. Lack of conveniences (shopping)
11. Lack of affordable rental housing
12. Poor quality of existing affordable housing
13. Limited senior housing
14. At risk of losing school
15. Over-crowded school
16. School facility
17. Governmental ownership of prime real estate
18. Need for underground utilities in the downtown
19. Need for streetscaping

At the conclusion of the strengths/challenges discussion, committee members indicated the topics they felt needed to be addressed within the plan. As a part of this process, a survey was sent to each of the committee members, asking them to rank each topic as to importance. Determined through that process the following topics to be addressed were (not in any order of priority):

1. Future Infrastructure Improvements - Identification of future improvements required in Mantorville. (water system, sanitary/storm sewer transportation, community facilities)
2. Land Use - An examination of existing land use and the preparation of a future land use map to guide the future development of Mantorville.
3. Annexation Plan - An examination of growth patterns and the identification of property will likely require annexation in the next 10 to 15 years.
4. Financial Impacts - Discuss the cost and impacts of new initiatives included in the comprehensive plan to tax and rate payers.
5. Downtown -Review existing conditions and establish goals for the Central Business District (CBD) including land use, economic development, preservation, infrastructure, etc.
6. Historic Preservation - Discuss past practices and accomplishments of local preservation efforts, and establish future goals.
7. Parks & Recreation - Parks, trails, recreation facilities, etc.
8. Coordination with Kasson - Establish specific plans for community growth coordinated with Kasson's future planning,
9. Community Identity - Establish a community identity, for the purpose of guiding future growth and economic development activities.

Letter to the editor: youth today

2011-04-19T10:30:00.000-07:00

Letter to the Editor:

I volunteered to help with the Red Cross Blood Bank at the Holy Family Church. During my shift most of the donors were young high school students.

It’s been many years since I’ve interacted with these young people. It was like taking me down memory lane with what I remember of our K-M class of 1956.

After donating blood it’s required to sit at a table and eat a snack and drink a beverage.
What a joy it was to listen to these young people interact with each other. Two young men told how they will join the Marine Corp. after graduation. Two students told how and where they had their hair colored. One young women came all the way from Spring Valley,MN.

Isn’t it a shame that most of what we hear and read about young people is usually on the negative side.
To these young people I say; ‘thank you’ for restoring my faith in the younger generation.

        Sincerely,
        Maggie Lien

Letter to the editor: Government Shutdown

2011-04-12T13:30:00.000-07:00

Letter to the Editor:

On October 1, 2010, the United States Congress failed to pass a federal budget. Since then, it has passed seven stopgap funding bills, causing all federal agencies and departments to operate at the previous years’ budget levels. As a soldier in the United States Army, the gross negligence of our elected officials affects me more than most. It is imperative to note, however, that a government shutdown would affect all of us, and bring the most important elements of our economy to a halt. Small business loans would cease to be processed; tax returns would sit on a desk in Washington--your return wouldn’t be in the mail, or in your pocket, but in the Treasury of a government that can’t or won’t find a responsible way to spend it.

For members of our Armed Forces (myself included), we would be ordered to work without pay; bills and debts, time and energy be damned, while those same senators and representatives--who can’t find the intestinal fortitude to pay us and help you-- earn ( at a minimum) $174,000 a year, budget or not. On the other hand, I make $22,993 annually, on the expectation that I fight and die, if necessary, to protect the Constitution and the land and people it governs.

It disgusts me to think that you could find no group more willing to profess their undying admiration for “ the men and women in uniform” than those people working within the Beltway, and yet they are too caught up in their petty games and self-aggrandizing politicking to see that we even get paid on time.
I have a solution to the aforementioned game-playing, and it isn’t a creative, or even a new one; if Congress and the President fail to pass a balanced budget, they forfeit their salary and yearly COLA; why pay them for a job they’re not doing, when they can’t even pay us for a job we are?

Call Sen. Klobuchar (202-224-3244), call Sen. Franken (202-224-5641), and call Rep. Walz (202-225-2472). Tell them to do the job they’re still getting paid to do, and pass a reasonable budget. We’re still doing our jobs, and if they don’t act soon, we’ll be doing it on our own dime. Our country’s future and security are too important to be used as political pawns.

        Very Respectfully,
        SPC(P) Cody Pogalz
        United States Army

Play Ball

2011-04-05T09:57:00.001-07:00

The average baseball player started the season making $3.3 million. The highest paid player, Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees, will make a paltry $32 million this year. Joe Mauer of the Twins, in the first year of his eight year, $184 million contract, will earn $23 million.

I had one person tell me he would to be content to watch the Twins on television this season because he could not afford to attend a game. I considered going to a couple of Twins games last year as a “mini vacation”. One family trip to a game was nearly $500 including concessions and buying seven tickets through a broker because there were no tickets available through club sales. I remember as a child taking annual weekly summer family vacations and I have to believe a few of those were $500 (remember, that is for a week).

I have found purchasing tickets for the second season is tougher than the opening season of Target Field last year. With dates I am able to go only standing room tickets ($23 each) are available. The other option is to buy through a ticket service and the only tickets available are on the third deck at a price considerably higher than regular Twins pricing.

I like to see the Twins be competitive and that they are drawing crowds. However, it's getting tougher to justify spending $300-$400 for a family of five to go to a game. That's spendy for a one day summer vacation!

KM School Nurse Terminated

2011-03-31T12:22:00.000-07:00

Following is the complete document on the findings of facts leading to the termination of K-M school nurse June Halverson. Termination was made official last Monday night at a special meeting of the school board. The vote was unanimous.

IN RE; Proposed Immediate Termination of Probationary Teacher June Halverson from Independent School District No. 204, Kasson-Mantorville

HEARING OFFICER'S FINDINGS OF FACT, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION
APPEARANCES

For Independent School District No. 204
Margaret A. Skelton, Attorney, Ratwik, Roszak, Maloney, PA., Minneapolis, MN Tessa S. Kowalski, Attorney, Ratwik, Roszak & Maloney, P.A., Minneapolis, MN Peter Grant, Superintendent Candy Ellingworth, School Board Chair

For June Halverson
Meg Luger-Nikolai, Attorney; Education Minnesota, St. Paul, MN Amie Krisnik, Attorney, Education Minnesota, St. Paul, MN June Halverson, Probationary Teacher Friend of June Halverson
"WHEREAS, a hearing on the proposed immediate discharge of June Halverson from her position as a probationary teacher at Independent School DistrictNo. 204 (hereinafter referred to as the "School District") was held on March 4, 2011, at 1:00 p.m. in the Kasson-Mantorville High School conference room at 101 16th Street NE, Kasson, Minnesota. WHEREAS, the School District employed the undersigned Independent Hearing Officer, Steven R. Rutzick, to conduct the hearing and submit proposed Findings of Fact, Conclusions, and a Recommendation to the School Board of Independent School DistrictNo. 204 (hereinafter referred to as the "School Board"); and WHEREAS, the hearing was conducted according to Minnesota Statutes, Section 122A.40, subdivision 5, and testimony was given under oath administered by the Independent Hearing Officer; and pursuant to the request of June Halverson, the hearing was open to the public, except for testimony related to the private educational / medical data of a student; and 'WHEREAS, having heard the testimony of a parent. Superintendent Peter Grant, and June Halverson and reviewed the fourteen (14) exhibits of -the school district and fifty (50) exhibits in the notebook of June Halverson as well as the oral arguments by the School District's attorney, Margaret A. Skelton and June Halverson's attorney, Meg Luger-Nikolai, the Independent Hearing Officer hereby makes the following Findings of Fact, Conclusions and-Recommendation to the School Board.

FINDINGS OF FACT
1. June Halverson began her employment with the School District as a School Nurse on September 7, 2010, Ex.4

2. On , a student presented in the school nurse's office with chest pain. June Halverson's comments in her Health Office Visit Report state that the student had "chest pain" and that the "upper right side of chest pain increases when lying down." Ms. Halverson also noted that the student had an irregular heart rate and noted a heart murmur. Ex. 11. In addition, the student's blood pressure was elevated, Ex. B.

3. Ms. Halverson testified that she had never met the student before that day, , . While the parent testified that the student , Ms. Halverson testified that she was not aware of Ms. Halverson further testified that when she looked up the student's medical hi.story, she noted that it had not been updated in two years.

4. Ms. Halverson did not contact the student's parent to inform the parent of the student's visit to the nurse's office, the student's report of chest pain or her findings associated with the student's irregular heart rate, heart murmur and elevated blood pressure or to update the student's medical history,

5. Ms, Halverson released the student back to class. She testified that the student told her he had a physical therapy appointment either later that day (Friday) or Monday. Ms. Halverson testified that she told the student to report the pain to his physical therapist. However, Ms. Halverson did not call the parent to let the parent know of her recommendation that the student follow up with his medical provider.

6 When asked during the hearing if she thought it would have been a good idea to contact the student's parent and speak with her regarding her son's medical issues; Ms, Halverson responded, "[n]o,"

7. The parent only learned of her son's medical- issue when her son texted her a message. The parent testified that she copied, the student's text verbatim which stated:
I am having chest pain and they said my heart rate is 142 over 80 and when they listened to my heart they said I have an irregularity so I have no clue what that means.

8. The parent testified that she was concerned about this text message because she did not know where her son would have received a detailed medical information regarding his heart rate or who would have told him that his heart had an "irregularity."

9. Before the parent could respond, the student called the parent. The parent testified that the student's reports of chest pain were a "red flag" for the parent. The parent testified that the student has a high tolerance for pain and rarely complains about pain, even to her. It was a "red flag" for the parent when her son told her that he went to see the school nurse because of chest pain, as based on the parent's experience with her son, it, meant that the student's pain was quite bad.

10. While Ms. Halverson testified that the student ranked bis pain at a 2 or 3 out of 10 in the nurses office, she also acknowledged that she was not aware the student . The information regarding to the student's reported pain in the nurse's office is not documented in Ms. Halverson's Health Office Visit report. During her testimony at the hearing, Ms. Halverson stated that the chest pain was really coming from his neck. This was not documented in the Health Office Visit Report.

12. The parent provided the student's medical record from Mayo Clinic which characterize the student's pain as "[c]hest pain or discomfort," "[s]evere, crushing, chest pain indicating a high risk of sudden, death; requiring emergent intervention." Ex, 8, The plan of action was .noted as "[a]mbulance now." Ex. 8.

13. The medical record from Mayo Clinic states that the student stated his pain was 7/10 a few moments ago, now rating 4/10. The student described the pain to Mayo Clinic as a "weight" on his chest and while the student denied shortness of breath, he stated it was harder to take a deep breath. Ex. 8.

14. While the student and parent were still on the phone, the student's doctor's office called with: results of the student's medical tests from the previous week. The student and his parent then spoke with the student's doctor's office regarding the student's chest pain. Ex. 8. The student's primary care provider also told the student to go to the emergency room by ambulance. Ex. 8,

15. The parent told the student to return to the nurse's office so the parent could speak with the nurse on the student's cell phone. The parent informed Ms. Halverson that both the Mayo Nurse line and her son's primary care provider had advised that her son go to the emergency room by ambulance. Ex. 8.

16. The mother testified that during the telephone conversation, Ms. Halverson denied that the student needed an ambulance and responded by saying that the student needed an updated chart. Ex. 8.

17. According to the parent, at this point, the parent stated that they needed to be taking care of the student and asked June Halverson if she would call the ambulance or if she [the parent] had to call the ambulance. Ex. 8. June Halverson told the parent to call the ambulance, after which, the parent did and her son was taken to the emergency room. Ex. 8

18. Three days after this incident, on the parent sent an email to Principal Jerry Reker, the email stated in relevant part: ...I want to express my extreme concern over the way things happened on Friday. I received the following email from on Friday: I am having chest pain and they said my heart rate is 142 over 80 and when they listened to my heart they said I have an irregularity so I have no clue what that means. Before I could respond, he called me. I connected him with Ask Mayo Nurse line. Through their evaluation, he was advised to go to the ER by ambulance. While we were on the phone with them, I received a call from his primary care doctor's office with test results from the day before. As I explained the current issue to them, they wanted to speak with I connected him. with his primary care providers' nurse triage staff and they too insisted that he go to the ER by ambulance. I kept on his phone and told him to go back to the nurses' office. When I was able to speak with the nurse, I told her what we were advised to do. She said "no, no, no. He's fine, he's walking and talking." I told her we were told by two triage nurses to bring him in. She stated that he only had on his medical chart and I stated there were other issues — as clearly there is something else going on- and she said that we needed to update his chart. I told her that there was not time to update his chart, we need to be taking care of him. I asked if she would call the ambulance or if I had to and she told me to. As you know, I did, blood pressure in the ambulance was 172/108 with heart rate of 120.
I understand that the nurse at school is the first line of triage but 1 want to make it known that when we communicate with health, care providers and are instructed to take action, I don't appreciate the school nurse counteracting that advise... Ex. :8.

19. Superintendent Grant testified that the parent relayed the same information (as set forth in the - email to Principal Reker) to him when he spoke to the parent after the; , incident.

20. June Halverson testified that Principal Jay Reker forwarded the parent's email to her. Ms. Halverson admitted that she sent the following email responding to Principal Jay Reker. The email states in relevant part: ...But" the situation did not call for an ambulance. When you have a student communicating symptoms, they can be very skewed. His blood pressure was elevated but not dangerously so. He was anxious and pacing that can elevate both heart rate and blood pressure...If she was not willing to share "underlying" illness which would have altered my decision (if he had cancer or heart valve) than I cannot make an informed decision without all the necessary information. But like in sales, the customer is always right so if she wants to call the ambulance that is her choice. If his B/P was up In the ambulance it was probably due to all the stress and anxiety. This is the fight or flight autonomic nervous system reaction. But I am not going to give the parents a $750 ambulance fee when the situation did not warrant it. That is why I told her that if she wanted to call an ambulance she can.,. Ex. 8.

21. At the hearing, June Halverson admitted that she did not call an ambulance for the student. However, she testified that she did not refuse to call the ambulance and that the mother of the student had already called the ambulance before she spoke with the parent.

22. June Halverson's testimony that the parent of the student told her at the outset of their telephone conversation that she had already called an ambulance for her son is called into question. This testimony is inconsistent with Ms. Halverson's own e-mail where she clearly states "that is why I told her if she wanted to call an ambulance she can." Ms. Halverson's testimony is also inconsistent with the parent's testimony and email to Principal Jerry Reker, only three days after the incident; and the information the parent gave verbally to Superintendent Grant. See above Findings.

23. Ms. Halverson admitted during the hearing that the student's primary medical care provider would have more information regarding the student's medical history than she had at the school nurse's office

24. By telling the parent that the student did not need an ambulance, after the parent initially relayed the primary care provider's instructions to send the student to the emergency room by ambulance, and by telling the parent to call an ambulance if she wanted one, June Halverson, in effect, refused to call an ambulance contrary to the instructions of the parent and student's medical providers on

25. Superintendent Peter Grant testified that June Halversons actions placed the District at risk for substantial liability. If the student had a serious medical issue, after the student was sent back to class or after Ms. Halverson failed to call the ambulance, the school would have been liable for her actions.

26. Superintendent Grant testified that calling the ambulance for a student does not cost the school district any money as the ambulance is paid for by the parent of the student's insurer.. Superintendent Grant also testified that if the parent or medical provider requests an ambulance for a student, the school nurse should call the ambulance.

27. ' testified about an incident where, in her position as school nurse, she did not call an ambulance for a student when the parent asked her to do so. This incident is not comparable to the incident with June Halverson because believed she was following the primary care provider's instructions by not calling the ambulance, testified that she did not call the ambulance because she was following the student's care plan, which had been developed by the student's medical provider. Further, after the incident, the parent did not complain to the school district that the incident was handled inappropriately. Even without the parental complaint, testified that she was verbally reprimanded by Principal Reker for failing to follow the parent's instructions. At the time of the incident, was not a probationary. employee, but was tenured

28. There is no evidence that any other staff member had an incident comparable to June Halverson's incident on

29. Superintendent Grant testified that soon after Ms. Halverson was hired in September 2010, Ms. Halverson had problems with On October 13, 2010, only a few weeks after working at the School District, Superintendent Peter Grant met with June Halverson and to give verbal recommendations on how to communicate better, specifically, that June Halverson and were to meet in person to discuss issues instead of communicating through e-mail. See Ex. 6. Ms. Halverson testified that were difficult to deal with and were conspiring to get her fired.

30. Superintendent Grant testified that during for students, Ms. Halverson used poor judgment in publicly reprimanding in the presence of others in an antagonistic and aggressive manner. As a result, she received a Letter of Directives on October 18, 2010, directing her to improve her professional relationships with Ex; 5.

31. One of the seven directives in the October I8th Letter of Directives directed June Halverson to build positive relationships with Ex. 5.

32. A second directive in the October 18th Letter of Directives directed June Halverson to provide a welcoming environment to . and avoid confrontation in the presence of volunteers, parents, students, and employees of the School District. Ex. 5.-

33. Less than one month later, on November 9,2010, Superintendent Grant once again met with June Halverson to discuss her inappropriate communication with , Kasson- Mantorville Education Minnesota Co-Presidents John Vossen and Heidi Diercks and Education Minnesota representative Jeff Hyma were present at this meeting. Superintendent Grant.1 reminded June Halverson of the October 18th Letter of Directives and reiterated the specific directives. See- Ex. 6. Superintendent Grant again told June Halverson to communicate issues in person with and to stop e-mail communications in order to eliminate the negative perceptions and intonations in the e-mail communications, See Ex. 6.

34. On December 2, 2010, June Halverson received a Letter of Reprimand for violating the October 18th Letter of Directives by emailing, in an antagonistic fashion, with . See Ex. 6. Superintendent Grant again directed her to improve her professional relationships with ' . Ex. 6. The December 2nd Letter of Reprimand informed June Halverson that all the directives she was previously given would remain in effect. Ex. 6.

35. At this point, June Halverson had only been employed with the School District for approximately three months and received two letters directing her to improve her performance. Superintendent Grant, testified that it is extremely uncommon for School District employees to receive two letters in their personnel file in less than three months of work.

36, On December 29, 2010, June Halverson contacted four former employees of the School District to request their assistance in gathering negative information about Ex. 9. In her email, she requests that they "say something about how I treated parents and students, ; general attitude of being superior, rude, boundaries, etc. this shows 'deliberate indifferences to the situation." Ex. 9. June Halverson then stated that with -"'it is simply that refuses to communicate and does things her own way which, puts the students at .risk," Ex. 9.

37. , testified that in this December 29, 2:010, e-mail, June Halverson was asking her for any "negative information" that had on . testified that June Halverson asked, her if there were other people who would be willing to share similar information, testified that in this December 29,2010, e-mail, June Halverson was asking her for anything she knew about the "personalities" of June Halverson's Sg,

38. June Halverson testified that she was attempting to gather negative statements about to support a whistleblower lawsuit she plans to bring against the School District.

39. Even is these statements were gathered to support a whistleblower claim against the School District, June Halverson's conduct in requesting negative information from four former employees about still violated the October 18th directives of the school district to build positive relationships with . and to provide them with a welcoming environment.

40. In that same December 29, 2010, e-mail, June Halverson shared private student data with people outside the District who did not have a legitimate educational interest in the student data. Ex. 9. June Halverson shared details surrounding a bullying incident involving two students of the School District, including student names and the facts of the incident. Ex. 9. None of the former School District employees to whom June Halverson sent this information had any legitimate educational interest in the student data. When asked if she thought it was a good idea to put student names, including first and last, in e-mail communications to people outside the School District, June Halverson merely responded that the names were "common names."

41. On January 3,2011; June Halverson attended a School Board meeting. At that meeting, June Halverson, directly or indirectly, made a December 8,2010; letter, written to Superintendent .Grant "by her attorney, available to school district employees and the media. Ex. 10,

42. The December 8, 2010, letter is five pages long and names both of Ms. Halverson'? The letter contains numerous allegations including, but not limited to, that Ex. 10. It was inappropriate for Ms. Halverson to make her lawyers letter available to anyone but school board members.

43. It was undisputed that in addition to school board members, Superintendent Grant's secretary, the business manager, and to the editor of the Dodge County Independent, a local newspaper; were given copies of the letter. There was conflicting testimony regarding whether extra copies of this latter were also left for members of the public to take.

44. Ms. Halverson testified that the school district employees that received the December 8, 2010, letter were ex officio members of the school board, but did not provide any further evidence regarding this assertion.

45. On the morning after the December 8,2010, letter was distributed, . about whom negative statements were made in the letter, approached Superintendent Grant, distraught by the letter. She expressed concern about , her reputation, and the effect of the letter on her family in the community. Superintendent Grant testified that the distribution of this letter disrupted the function of the and that the was "in chaos." The found in "impossible" to work with Ms. Halverson after reading the statements in the letter.

46. Ms, Halverson's conduct, in either directly or indirectly allowing this letter, containing negative statements about to be distributed to school district employees and especially the media, on January 3, 2011, violated the directive to build positive relationships with' and the directive to provide them with a welcoming environment.

47. Ms. Halverson testified that her proposed termination was in retaliation for complaints she made to the Board of Nursing on or about October 2010.

48. Superintendent Grant testified that the Board of Nursing complaint did not factor into the proposed discharge and that the basis for the discharge is fully set forth in the Notice of Proposed Discharge. Ex. I, Superintendent Grant further testified that he was not aware of any complaint to the Board of Nursing until receipt of the December 8,2010, letter from Ms. Halverson's attorney. The Board of Nursing did not contact the school district until January 2011 when it requested information from the school district. Since that date; the district has not heard anything further from the Board of Nursing.

49. On February 7,2011, the School Board Chair sent a letter to June Halverson indicating that the School Board would be proposing June Halverson's immediate discharge from employment with the School District. Ex. 1. The letter informed June Halverson of the right to a hearing before final action was taken on the proposed discharge Ex.. 1.

50. The factual grounds for Ms. Halverson's proposed discharge included that the inappropriately defied the instructions of a parent, the student's primary care doctor's office and another medical professional by not calling an ambulance for a student; she released private educational data without proper authorization; and she engaged in insubordination by publicizing negative comments regarding in violation of directives given to her. Ex. 1; Ex. 2.

51. Ms. Halverson's timely requested a hearing on the Board's proposal to terminate her probationary employment. Ex.3.

CONCLUSIONS

1. June Halverson. is classified as a teacher under Minnesota Statutes, Section 122A.40, because, as a School Nurse, she is a professional employee required to hold a license from the state department. Minn. Stat. §§ 122A.15, Subd. 1; 122A.40, subd. 1,

2. June Halverson's employment with the School District is probationary under Minnesota Statutes, Section 122A.40, because she is in her first year of employment with the School 1- District. Mimi. Stat. § 122A.40, subd. 5.

3. The School District fulfilled the procedural requirements of Minn. Stat, § 122A.40, subd. 5, for discharging probationary teachers by notifying June Halverson of the time and place of the hearing regarding her proposed discharge and providing her an opportunity to be beard in. defense against discharge.

4. Probationary teachers may be removed for "cause, effective immediately, under section 122A.44." Minn. Stat. § 122A.40, subd. 5. Minnesota Statutes, Section 122A.44, states that the "board must employ and contract with necessary qualified teachers and discharge the same cause." Minn. Stat. § 12A.44, subd. 1. As used in Minnesota Statutes, Sections 122A.40 and 122A.44, the term "cause" is undefined.

5. The School District presented credible evidence that June Halverson knowingly made an uninformed decision that placed a student at risk of substantial harm when she released the student from her care on , after he reported to her with chest pains and her evaluation revealed irregular heartbeat, a heart murmur and elevated blood pressure,

6. The School District presented credible evidence that June Halverson knowingly made an uninformed decision that place the student at risk of substantial harm when she decided not to contact the student's parent to gather up-to-date medical information and to inform the parent of the student's reports of chest pain, his irregular heart beat and elevated blood pressure.

7. While June Halverson believed the situation did not call for an ambulance, her belief was admittedly uninformed. June Halverson admitted she did not know the student, did not know that the student's medical history, including the fact that he , and admitted that she was aware that the student's medical chart in the school nurse's office l").ad not been updated for two years. According to her own email, without the necessary information, she "cannot make an informed decision." See Ex. 8.

8. The School District presented credible evidence that June Halverson's failure to call an ambulance contrary to the instruction of the student's parent, the student's primary care provider and another medical professional placed the student, at risk of substantial harm, placed the District at risk of substantial liability and constitutes "cause" for June Halverscn' s immediate discharge as a probationary teacher with the School District,

9. The School District presented credible evidence that June Halverson released private educational data without proper authorization.

10. The School District presented credible evidence that June Halverson contacted people outside the School District and requested their assistance in gathering negative information about personalities. June Halverson's conduct violated the directive to build positive relationships with - and the directive to provide them with a welcoming environment.

11. The School District presented credible evidence that June Halverson, whether directly or indirectly, made a December 8, 2010, letter, which included disparaging statements about ,, available to School District employees and a member of the media. While Ms. Halverson testified that the superintendent's secretary and business manager are ex officio members of the school board, there is no factual or legal support for this assertion. Minnesota law, including Minnesota Statutes Section 123B14, only provides that "a superintendent shall be ex officio member of the board." Minn. Stat. § 123B.14. June Halverson's conduct violated the directive to build positive relationships with; and the directive to provide them with a welcoming environment.

12. The School District presented credible evidence that June Halverson's direct or indirect, dissemination of the December 8, 2010 letter from her attorney, resulted in significant disruption of the functioning of the

13. June Halverson's conduct of releasing educational data to outside individuals and insubordination, including requesting assistance from former employees to gather negative information about and in making the December 8, 2010, letter, containing negative statements related to ., available to others and resulting in significant disruption to the , constitutes "cause" for her immediate discharge as a probationary teacher with the School District.

14. While Ms. Halverson asserts that the school, district's proposed discharge is retaliation based on her reports to the Board of Nursing, this allegation is not supported by the record. The issue regarding Ms. Halverson's failure to appropriately treat a student in the nurse's office was brought forward by the students parent. There is no evidence in the record that the parent" s report was motivated by anything other than the parent's strong belief that the school nurse acted inappropriately in the treatment of her son.

15. Further, Ms. Halverson does not deny the factual allegations raised against her. She does not deny that students are named in her December 29,2010, email sent to individuals who do not work for the school district. She does not deny that she sent the December 29, 2010, email to four former employees seeking information regarding personalities. She also does not deny that the December 8, 2010, letter from her attorney was distributed to the superintendent's secretary; the business manager and a member of the media. By her own admissions, the school district did not fabricate the allegations against her. Instead of evidence of retaliation, the record reflects that the cumulative effect of Ms. Halverson's conduct during only four months of employment resulted in the school board's decision to propose immediate termination of her probationary employment.

RECOMMENDATION
Based upon the Findings of Fact and Conclusions set forth above, the undersigned Independent Hearing Officer recommends that June Halverson be immediately discharged from her position as a probationary teacher pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 122A.40, subd, 5.

Letter to the editor: mayor and deputy accused of driving under the influence

2011-03-30T06:59:00.000-07:00

Letter to the Editor:

Concerning the Dodge County problem of a mayor and deputy accused of driving under the influence, might I ask three questions.

1) Will the accused, if convicted, be treated like any ordinary citizen with a hefty fine, loss of drivers license for a given period of time, and then be forced to pay for and attend both a mental evaluation, and a sort of reform school for drinking drivers?

2) Might he be granted a permit to drive both to, from and while at work? Or might the sheriff provide him with a designated driver?

3) With both a new judge and sheriff presiding in the county, will the old saying, “ a new broom sweeps clean” be found to be a truism or just another old saw?

Yours, (with tongue in cheek)
Ted Tendick

Letter to the editor: Go Green

2011-03-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

Letter to the Editor:

City Councilman Michael Marti expressed his opinion about the Green Step Cities Program in a Letter to the Editor in the March 9, 2011 DCI. I am writing to thank Mr. Marti for sharing his views publicly with the citizens who elected him. It is a very rare event in Kasson to have a council member step up and share his opinions publicly. I agree with Mr. Marti. The Green Step Program will indeed be a burden to Kasson's citizens. For example, the program requires the Council to appoint a "Green Step Coordinator" which will further burden an already busy city staff and accomplish nothing that the green-minded city staff does not already do. It takes a lot of nerve to recognize this program for what it is and vote against it.

Thank you to Mr. Marti.

Mr. Marti expressed concern in his letter that Kasson's citizens are not participating in city government. That will not change Mr. Marti until you take steps to improve communication. There are a number of ways to improve participation. For example:

1. Why can't interested citizens sign up for an email distribution list to have City Council Agendas emailed to them prior to the meetings? Ditto with the council minutes?

2. The Mayor's Memo should be changed to a Councilperson's Memo. Each Councilperson should take turns writing it and therefore sharing their views with the citizens of Kasson. Alternatively run both a Mayor's Memo and a Councilperson's Memo column.

3. Staff a booth with council members at the Dodge County Fair, Festival in the Park etc. Get out there so citizens can interact with you.

Thank you again Michael for your Letter to the Editor. The citizens of Kasson look forward to reading more of your letters in addition to perhaps seeing you in the city’s Fair booth.

Thank you,
Kenton Spading

Letter to the editor: CWD - HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?

2011-03-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

Laboratory research shows that prion contaminated soils remain infected for many years. Information collected from articles, meetings, and doing our own research, has convinced us that the Elk Run property is not being dealt with sufficiently.

Since 2009 after CWD was found, these lands have been allowed to be tilled, planted, and harvested. Excavation including installation of water and sewer lines has been done. Delivery trucks, tractors, equipment and other machinery have come and gone unknowingly transporting contaminated soils from job to job, and farm to farm. Grazing cattle have moved in and out. Wild deer have accessed breached fencing. Where will be their final destination? Are all these locations now contaminated with prions? The required soil removal at ER has dropped from 9 inches down to 2 inches. Also, take into consideration erosion from snow melt and rain run-off, is this adequate to ensure minimal risk? Coming from a farming background, common sense tells us otherwise. We believe these allowed activities are putting other areas at risk.

Being landowners and hunters within 2 miles of the location of the infected deer, we are extremely concerned. We are experiencing the devastating effects of this disease first hand. It's time for all landowners and deer hunters to be aware of the continued risks. Stand up and start asking the right questions. After reviewing research from other infected states, this terrible disease will spread. Is the extreme culling of the wild deer herd the answer, or will it all be in vain?!

Gary and Mary Anderson
Pine Island, MN

Letter to the editor: Huppler

2011-03-08T12:42:00.000-08:00

Letter To the Editor:

I have an opinion,,, about opinions. I like them! "Metropolitan" newspapers pick and choose their editorials, so you never know if the flavor of the letters is guided by the editorial staff. To its great credit, this paper will print whatever the people have to say, as long as a letter is clean, signed and not derogatory. Each week I look forward to the editorial section of the paper - to see what other people think about things. I don't always agree with them, but I respect their opinions and their right to try to change mine. As much as I like reading them, I thought I would offer a few opinions of my own:

It is my opinion that:

- American politicians have a massive problem with short term memory loss - blaming the current administration for sins of the past. But then, it doesn’t matter who is in power: It is always easier to say, “It’s their fault” than it is to say, “Let’s work together to fix it.”

- the best way to move backward is to hold your position. Our political attitude of “My way or no way” prevents us from moving anywhere, while the rest of the world moves forward. This is exemplified in our neighbor state, with a governor who is absolutely rigid and a set of union leaders who are absolutely rigid

- even when the leaders in the Wisconsin Senate suggested a compromise (perhaps for the first time this millennium!)

- the local stadium project was a good plan. However, the time for that plan is not now. The vote on the bond issue left a clear message from the community that it is time for the School Board to stand up and say, “We will take care of the safety issues on the football field, refund donations that would have paid for a fraction of the larger project, and channel any remaining funds into the refurbishing needs of the high school.”

- we have a pretty darn good school system, with dedicated staff and strong community support of the teachers and programs. I think that the Board and senior administration need to demonstrate that they, too, hold the staff and programs in high esteem, both in written word and in actions.

- the county and city efforts for establishing bicycle paths are commendable, but if people keep saying, “not in my back yard,” we won’t make progress until someone’s child is killed in a car-bicycle accident.

- when a sermon repeats a message for the third time, it is time for the sermon to conclude.

- when an editorial reaches half of a newspaper column, it is time for the editorial to conclude (so I hope I’m close!)

It is my opinion (No, I think there is sufficient evidence to call it a fact.) that I am extremely fortunate to live in a country where I am allowed to have all of these opinions; where an individual can share views with his or her fellow citizens, without fear of retribution. No doubt there are many whose opinions differ from mine, but I hope we can all agree on this last one.

Karl Huppler

Dog park proposed in Dodge County

2011-03-01T08:45:00.000-08:00

That’s the hope of a committee of Mantorville residents interested in seeing a dog park open in Dodge County. Committee members are currently meeting monthly, researching options and soliciting feedback.

As a first step, the committee is actively working to gauge the public’s interest in a dog park through surveys available at Carriage House Animal Hospital in Kasson and Dodge Center, K-M Regional Veterinary Hospital & Surgical Center in Kasson, Wings of a Dove Ranch Dog Boarding & Grooming in Kasson and West Concord, and Rosie’s Pampered Puppies Grooming in Kasson. Committee members will also be handing out surveys at Erdman’s County Market in Kasson, John’s SuperValue Foods in Dodge Center, Kasson Hardware Hank Rental & Gifts, and Runnell’s Hardware Hank in Dodge Center. Committee members will also be offering surveys and answering questions at the Dodge County Business Expo on March 26 at Triton High School.

Everyone who completes a survey will be entered in drawings for one of two gift baskets with prizes from the businesses where the surveys are available. Winners will be drawn at the committee’s April meeting.

Committee members can also be contacted through their Facebook page, keyword search K-M Area Dog Park.

“We feel that a dog park would be a great addition to Dodge County,” said dog park committee member Bryce Gunderson. “We see many people who are already active with their dogs every day in our area. A dog park would provide one more way for people to interact with and socialize their dogs, as well as get to know other dog owners in the area.”

Mantorville resident Stephanie Vaughan walks her dogs, Majo, right, a Japanese mastiff, and Gaag, a Saint Bernard, near Riverside Park. A committee has been formed to evaluate interest in a dog park that would serve Kasson, Mantorville and Dodge Center. Submitted photo by Don Vaughan.

Letter to the editor: former school employee

2011-02-22T09:13:00.000-08:00

Letter To the Editor:

This letter is in response to numerous letters and articles submitted to the DCI regarding the bullying issue that is plaguing the KM School District, I have kept still til now....but the more I read of courageous and concerned former district employees coming forward, the more I feel led to come forward also and, stand with them. You see, I too am a "survivor" of "the good ol boys" tribe of bullies. I worked for the District as a para in the middle school for almost four years....I know that doesn't seem like a long time, but trust me, those years seem like a lifetime when you endure the kind of poor treatment that I, as well as many others, received from our administration. I also hope that by my letter, joined with the others who have already written in, that those other silent voices will also speak up and share their stories.....there are many more out there. I won't bore you with the long version of my story....but I will tell you that I claimed Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2010 as my day of freedom. After resigning, I made a couple of visits to the middle school...two visits in a two week period to be exact. While there, I did not disrupt classrooms, but did greet students, who were under my care during my years as an employee, while they were having lunch or passing me in the hallway. As I was leaving after the second visit, I was stopped and told by Alan Hodge that I couldn't be there.....that seemed really odd to me considering that I am a parent of a student in this building......so I went to Peter Grant. Mr. Grant informed me that Mr. Hodge was right in telling me that I couldn't be there....he went on to tell me that I had to limit my visits to once a month or once every other month, and that I was being a nuisance.....yes....you read that right. In the student handbook, it clearly states that parents, as long as they sign in and wear a visitor’s badge, are welcome anytime. I guess this isn't the case anymore. As a parent, this concerns me, not that I don't have trust or respect for our teachers and support staff (who by the way are wonderful and dedicated professionals with our students’ best interests truly at heart), but because a healthy parent/teacher team effort is crucial in a student's education. One would think that instead of limiting our parental visits to school, that we would be encouraged to visit as often as we can. After my visit with Mr. Grant, I took my story to a school board member. He seemed surprised at the time about what I told him and said that how I was treated didn't seem right, he would investigate it and get back to me.....weeks went by with no follow up. A few more months went by before I saw this school board member out in the public sector and asked him about what he found out.....funny....you would have sworn I had a deadly contagious disease because he power walked away from me so fast, that all I could see was nothing but air under his feet and a vapor trail behind him as he mumbled something inaudible under his breath........... He didn't even wait long enough for me to tell him that he left his spine back in the High School Music Room where the board holds its meetings. (I think that the board members are required to check their spines at the door or whenever Mr. Grant is around....and tie on their puppet strings.) For many of us, Peter's puppet show stopped being funny long ago.

Seriously now.....The board has asked the public for funds to provide some remodeling projects to our District's facilities...The last referendum failed miserably, Kasson/Mantorville residents spoke loud and clear.....and I think that before the school board worries about remodeling any of our facilities that they need to look at remodeling our administration....if they are unable to accomplish that, then I am sure the public will be looking into remodeling our school board.....tax free.

Silent no more,
Sheri Lorentz

Letter to the editor: school bond referundum

2011-02-15T07:41:00.000-08:00

Letter To the Editor:

Poor leadership. Unethical and unlawful behavior. Lack of critical thinking skills. Fiscal irresponsibility.   These are thoughts that first come to my mind when I think about some of KM’s school administrators and some members of our KM school board. I hold onto the hope that a few of the new school board members will work to clean up the mess our past school board has left behind. However, I know only too well that it may take more than a few new people on the board to make things happen and bring about positive change.

Last week I read Dan Root’s letter to you describing his wife being bullied by school administrators and how, after a 20 year career at KM felt she was being harassed to the point where she needed to resign. I just want your readers to know that her incident was not an isolated one. You see, almost seven years ago my wife, a high school counselor, also experienced horrific harassment and unethical behaviors from those who were suppose to be leading our school just because she was doing her job in an ethical and lawful manner (as did several other employees before her). The K-M community came out to support my wife through petitions, calls/letters to the school board and local news, and the students organized efforts to demonstrate with signs along the school sidewalk to get her contract renewed. The worst part is that my wife (and others since), have tried to get the school board to sit down to view their evidence of corrupt leadership to no avail. Even after all the evidence and public outcry, members of the school board never questioned the administrators. They failed to utilize any critical thinking skills whatsoever.

Critical thinking is defined as: “clarifying goals, examining assumptions, discerning hidden values, evaluating evidence, accomplishes actions, and assesses conclusions.” Because the school board fails to question and examine our administrators’ actions at times, many good professionals over the years have been victimized and their professional careers damaged by their experiences at K-M. This is like a bleeding wound that won’t stop. This has led to a toxic work environment with low staff morale. (The low staff morale was mentioned by a board member pertaining to a staff survey at the February 8, 2011 meeting). When I hear veteran teachers say they try to fly under the radar to avoid attention from their administrator(s) I know we have a problem in our district. Low staff morale effects how our teachers teach. There is no doubt this trickles down to our children’s education. Right now many of the staff at KM follow our building administrators because they HAVE to, not because they want to. We need administrators in our school district who are leaders; administrators who our staff WANT to follow through respect and trust. Only then will our teachers work to their full potential while experiencing more job satisfaction.

If bullying and harassment isn’t being addressed at the higher level at KM, how can we expect it to be addressed with our kids?! Much damage has been done. The district faces potential lawsuits from not just employees who have been mistreated, but now they are facing upset parents who are trying to protect their children because the school leadership didn’t take the bullying problem seriously.   Other school districts including Triton and Byron have been proactive in this area and are way ahead of KM. Is the general public even aware of previous litigation the district has faced or the money that has been spent to do damage control because of the actions of our district leaders (almost $30,000 in attorney fees in my wife’s situation alone and she didn’t even sue)! How much has this cost us taxpayers so far? How much more will it cost in the future? The pattern of bullying and harassment exhibited by our school administrators have been going on for years because past school boards have failed to address it.

Since my wife left the school district, she shared with the school board in the spring of 2004 and more recently this January - a “General Harassment” policy and asked them to adopt it. This general harassment policy was taken from and mirrors the General Harassment policy adopted by the State of Minnesota that covers close to 40,000 state employees. Many other private companies have also adopted harassment policies similar to this. This policy spells out what harassment is and is not (just because your disciplined you can’t claim harassment, there’s a difference). It also spells out how to report the harassment, how to investigate it objectively, and how one will be held accountable if they are indeed harassing a fellow employee or subordinate. This could easily be amended to include bullying by students as well. To date the KM board has NOT adopted a policy like this. Adopting a policy like this for our district will ensure some accountability – that is if the school board is providing the oversight like they should. That accountability will go a long way in dealing with harassment in our schools. It would also expose the KM district to huge liability if some of our administrators don’t correct their behavior. The wound is still bleeding and the school board is going through a lot of Band-Aids! Here’s a thought. Let’s deal with the problem and treat the wound effectively. The board should stop the bleeding by taking corrective action with our administrators.

Thankfully, the recent referendum vote failed by an almost 3 to 1 margin. It showed that the KM community had enough critical thinking skills and financial sense to see what this referendum was for - what it was, a WANT and not a NEED. The distorted need for a “high school redesign” was clearly seen by the taxpayers and even our high school students as misuse of our tax dollars. I would like to take it to the next level and challenge the school board to take the message they are hearing from the public and reconsider the TURF stadium project! The board needs to stop buying into the superintendent’s rationale of building a turf field as a selling point to bring families to KM. It’s like “build the field and they will come.” This argument isn’t just a “Field of Dreams,” it’s absolutely ridiculous! Will luxuries like “a turf field” bring families in or will a school’s reputation of academic excellence with a balance of athletics, music, art, theatre, and an all day kindergarten program bring families in? I’d rather be known for the later. I’ve heard the argument that the field may bring in revenue to cover the cost. There is no evidence of us regaining the cost in our rural community. A twin cities suburb has a turf field. However, they are in a much richer tax base with a much larger metro population around them to use the field. It’s comparing apples to oranges. Also, turf fields are very hard on an athlete. Many athletes suffer from a higher proportion of knee and ankle injuries, get bad carpet burns from the turf and some suffer from staph infection as a result of the germs and bacteria that grow on turf. Many college programs are switching back to grass for safety and health reasons. No ground has been broken and no money spent yet – the board needs to go back and CANCEL that project and use those funds to fix the leaking elementary roof!   The superintendant is also proposing a wage freeze for our staff for the next two years while we propose adding this expensive turf field. Again, it’s a WANT not a NEED. In the middle of a recession, let’s keep our priorities straight!

In case the general public is not aware, consider what we are spending on administrators per year in our district and ask yourself if we are getting our money’s worth.
•Superintendent WAGE: $123,670 BENEFITS: $49,841
•Building Principals HS WAGE: $104,243 BENEFITS: $41,009; MS WAGE: $93,511 BENEFITS: $34,914; ELEM WAGE: $95,000 BENEFITS: $37,147
•Special Education Director WAGE: $71,907 BENEFITS: $11,945
•Curriculum/Testing Coordinator WAGE: $69,723; BENEFITS: $19,974
•Business Manager WAGE: $79,979; BENEFITS: $42,291

And by the way – did the superintendent use a personal day to lobby at the capitol for teacher salary freezes on behalf of this professional association or did us taxpayers pay for that too? I didn’t see or hear of any lobbying for superintendents’ salary freezes.

In spite of our poor leadership, our KM schools are great because of the rank and file teachers, support staff, and our kids and our families. Yet our district could be so much better. It could be a much more enjoyable place to work, teach in, and attend if all our administrators were ethical and led through professional relationships based on trust and respect. The potential is there, we just have to have people on the board who are willing to ask tough questions and make hard decisions. I realize being on the school board is very hard work and offers little to no pay. However, if you run for that office you should to be courageous enough to think critically, do what is right, and be competent. Anything less is a disservice to the public and most importantly our kids.

I recently spoke to one of the newly elected board members who were willing to listen and even asked for my feedback. The board member recognized that we do have some major issues to address and seemed very intent on tackling these problems to improve our school district. This board member also mentioned that there are also a few other members who share these views. This was a breath of fresh air. I would like to commend these board members for their willingness to do what is ethical and right.

At this time I am announcing, in advance, my candidacy for the next school board election in 2012. I am also looking for several principled, hard working people to run with me to effect real and positive change in our school district. I will be running for the board with an emphasis on ethical behavior, critical thinking, positive and strong leadership, transparency to the public, and fiscal responsibility. I will work toward creating and maintaining a better work environment for ALL staff. Harassment in the schools should not be tolerated. In our current economic situation, financial decisions should be vetted thoroughly and well thought out based on want vs. need, and return on investment.   If anyone is interested in running with me or would like to talk about how we can work together to effect change, I would like to hear from them. Please email me at: kometforchange@gmail.com

Respectfully,
Eric Bormann
Mantorville

Letter to the editor: prom and schedules

2011-02-08T09:43:00.000-08:00

Letter To the Editor:
With respect of all who are involved in prom and post-prom planning, we want to apologize for this information seemingly not being known until now. We feel that it is necessary that the correct information, and not rumor, be published since this has now become a public issue. We have created a Q & A to help others understand our thought process during a meeting that was held at the school in September, 2010. As you read this, we hope you will notice the amount of thought that had been put into the decision made last September to keep prom on May 14th, 2011.

Q: Who scheduled prom?
A: May 10th, 2010 the event coordinator at the Rochester Athletic Club (RAC) called a co-chair of post-prom asking if K-M was going to have prom the second weekend in May of 2011. Please note that events such as this must be scheduled and the sites booked a year in advance. The co-chair called the school and asked for the date of K-M’s prom in 2011 and was told it was May 14th. Since the prom date had already been set by the school, the RAC was then reserved for KM for that same day, May 14th, 2011. Of note, K-M’s prom/post-prom date was set in May of 2010, four months prior to the HVL conference track date being set. After the annual HVL meeting held in September, it was brought to our attention by a track parent that the conference track meet and K-M’s prom were on the same day. Also of note, this year is the second year the HVL conference track meet is scheduled as a one day event on a Saturday. Last year, 2010, the HVL conference track meet was held on the third Saturday in May, the 15th. 2011’s date was scheduled and approved at the Annual HVL meeting in September of 2010.

Q: When did K-M start doing a post-prom party?
A: In 1987, post-prom was started by a group of community members led by Janice Borgstrom-Durst. For the past several years it has been held at the RAC. Students have been surveyed to see if they wanted to have post prom at a different location and the answer has always been overwhelmingly “no”. Since then, the importance of having prom and post-prom together, for the safety of our students, has been a priority.

Q: When did prom 2011 become an issue?
A: In September, numerous emails were sent out amongst parents stating their concerns that the HVL conference meet was the same day as KM’s prom. This was brought to our attention and the decision was made to promptly hold a meeting to see what the options were. As this information got out, we were also approached by parents of other student athletes who were concerned that prom would be changed at the request of one sport when that hadn’t been done in the past. The meeting was held in September with members of prom committee, post-prom committee and school leadership. The idea of changing the date was debated.

The limitations were:
·$500 non-refundable deposit
·The location of prom and post-prom were set
·The DJ was already scheduled
·Other available dates for post-prom at the RAC were April 2nd and 9th and May 28th.

1. May 28th was considered to be too late in the school year, may conflict with state events for many sports and it was too close to the end of school and graduation.
2. The dates in April were a concern because of Easter involvement in future years (RAC is not available Easter weekend). The April dates that were available for the post prom party at the RAC were not available at any of the locations to hold the prom dance.
3. The post prom committee offered to not have a post-prom party this year so prom could be moved to any other date that a place was available. Because of student feedback from past years and for the safety of our students, it was felt having a post-prom party was important.
4. Last year the first weekend in April was an ice storm and prom likely would have been canceled had it been scheduled that weekend in 2010. Some people have said it is no big deal if it is a little colder in April, we have also had just as many students say they would not want prom that early.
· Section speech, Solo and Ensemble Regional Music Contest (affected a large numbers of students), State High School League Art Contest and Show in Rochester (has been a conflict every year except last year), State High School Congressional Art Show and Contest (students have come in their prom dress/tux to pick up their awards.), softball, baseball and track have all had events scheduled on prom in the past and the prom date has never been changed. How do you prioritize when prom should and shouldn’t be changed? Should we base it on the number of students it affects? Should we base it on the importance of the event (section vs conference vs state). So out of fairness to all students, we decided it was best to leave as is.

Q: Why not hold prom at the School?
A: The cost of lowering the ceilings and decorating the school is more expensive than holding prom at a rented site and the funds are just not there. Also, volunteers to make an event happen at the school do not match the manpower needed.

Q: Has there ever been other requests to change the date of prom?
A: Yes, area businesses have approached the school and asked for the date to be changed to a day other than Mother’s Day weekend (traditionally the second weekend in May) because it is one of their busiest weekends and student employees were not available to work because of prom. So a group of eight plus parents went to the REC Center and YMCA and discovered they are not large enough to accommodate the number of KM students and their guests, although we are very happy to have that problem! Other considerations were the fire hall or the school but the event would have been more expensive to decorate and rent games and activities than to have it at the RAC. For the same considerations as above, it was felt the second weekend in May still was best for all KM students. Another important point of discussion was that the community support of prom and post-prom is absolutely necessary and how could we decide that a sport is more important than a local business request?

Q: How many kids attended prom and post-prom in 2010?
A: Approximately 276 students attended prom and 240 attended post-prom. There are approximately 40 track participants for 2011 so we felt there were still 140 KM junior and senior students (does not include guests) that we needed to be considerate of.

Q: Will the HVL conference track meet always be the second weekend in May?
A: We discussed this at length at the September meeting and it was brought to our attention that the change to an all day Saturday event may not even work and that there may not even be an HVL conference in the upcoming years as things may be restructured. So the future of the HVL conference track meet on the 2nd Saturday of May is unknown. Since this issue has resurfaced in the past couple of weeks, an email had been sent to the HVL coordinator who responded that it is set for this year only and the 2012 date will be discussed at the annual HVL planning meeting in September of 2011, and a proposal can/will be made for the track meet not to be the 2nd weekend in May 2012. Only one year is set, it is not set for the next nine years!

Q: Can’t the tradition of having prom on the second weekend of May be changed?
A: The tradition is not the date of prom but having a prom and post-prom together. This is important not only for the safety of our students but having it at the RAC is their request and after all, isn’t this about the students? By all means, yes, changing the date can be considered. But because of the above information, we do not feel it is possible to change the 2011 prom date.

Q: What did the group who met in September do to assure no track participant would miss the prom events?
Answer:
1. The K-M Athletic Director went to an HVL meeting and explained the K-M prom dilemma and asked to have the track meet start one hour earlier. This was unanimously supported.
2. We discussed the fact that track participants who want to attend prom can leave the track meet (held in Hayfield) after their track event is over.
3. Possibly a bus could bring track students back or they could ride back with parents.
4. The Grand March will be held later in the evening to allow the track participants to be involved.
5. Allowing those in track to enter the dance beyond the lock down time if necessary.
6. Those who choose to participate in extracurricular activities are always at risk of experiencing conflicts. We discussed that not everyone would have the entire day to have their hair, make up and nails done but feel the importance of prom is as the meaning states in the dictionary, “A student formal dance in celebration of graduation”. All of this conflict is taking away from the purpose that prom should serve: one last chance to all be together before the seniors graduate. Every student will have the chance to participate in prom.

Other thoughts:
·More and more schools are choosing the RAC to have post-prom parties because there is more to offer and it is less expensive. Of note, the school who uses the RAC on a certain date is offered that same date the following year. The second weekend in May is reserved for KM until we give it up!
·If K-M prom is held in early April and it falls on Easter (which will happen again in 2015 and would have happened in 2010 ), we would not have the RAC available which then could potentially mean we do not have a date “reserved” the following year to host post-prom. Again, students are saying they want a post-prom and they want it at the RAC.

We want to thank Janice Borgstrom-Durst for being the founder of K-M’s post prom party and her support and request to be included in this letter. Janice was contacted and was made aware of the facts above and said she wished she would have had those facts prior to submitting her letter to the editor in the DCI on 1/26/11.

We can assure you; none of us were intentionally trying to discriminate against any track athletes but were trying to make the best decisions for the KM student body as a whole. For those students who have to decide, either this year or in future years, between spending all day getting ready for prom or participating in their sport, as parents, we can help them learn how to evaluate and prioritize choices. This will be a life skill as it is very likely this won’t be the last difficult decision they will have to make in their lives.

Most importantly, we want to thank the support of our community for the funds and gifts donated and for supporting our past Fiesta Dinners, this year’s dinner will be held on March 20th. Please save the date and we hope to see you there!

Addendum: Since this all resurfaced again in the last couple of weeks, all of the work that was done back in September was looked at again, calls were made and the limitations of time and the reasons previously listed in the above letter still hold true, therefore, 2011 prom/post-prom will remain on May 14th, 2011. Let’s please be respectful of everyone’s effort in this matter.

Respectfully submitted, KM prom, post-prom and School Leadership
Cindy Nelson
Lisa Mundy

Letter to the editor: school referendum

2011-02-01T10:42:00.001-08:00

Letter To the Editor:

It’s been called a BOND issue, school improvement, redesign project and an upgrade project. What it REALLY is... It is a 21 year mortgage (debt) on every parcel of real estate in the K-M School District. This debt, IF PASSED, would just be added to other levies, debts and mortgages already in place for the school district, the county and the state. We in the private sector have already lost most of our retirement and the children’s inheritance.

A NEW ENTRANCE, another GYM that seats 1600 and a NEW FITNESS CENTER. Oh yes, ARTIFICIAL TURF too. How can these highly educated, captains of finance even think of proposing such crap to the public in the name of EDUCATION.

VOTE NO!

Jerry Snow
Kasson

Letter to the editor: school board

2011-01-26T07:03:00.000-08:00

Letter to the editor:

I’m a tireless supporter of our K-M school system. It’s the core of our community and our future. I encourage everyone in this community to support the school in every way that they can. We need to ask tough questions, listen carefully, and then apply common sense.

I have learned...by going to school board meetings... the board is not willing to do business openly, or to accept public input. I attended a particular meeting where they made major budget reductions, eliminated a music teacher and changed the requirements for the school nurse, essentially dismissing the nurse. The nurse issue was strategically buried in the budget and even she wasn't aware of it. The other issues were only allowed five comments, for a limited time period, followed by a vote. No questions were answered, the only reply given...after the board adjourned, was that the brevity was necessary in order to avoid taking up too much of the board's time.

I heard about the dismissal of our long time athletic director/dean of students. I visited the superintendent and a board member. The most definitive answer that I got was "We can do better/' Their "better" was to replace the single employee with two separate employees (they had previously eliminated a teacher for budget reasons). The A.D. recently didn't even know that a team was not school affiliated and renting the gym...he ran them off. Our past AD/DS held both positions necessary to have solved the upcoming prom/HVL problem, and I believe he would have foreseen and solved it before it even became an issue. Where is the "better"?

Four nurses, who had all been employed by our school system, came to a board meeting to explain that they all felt bullied by the administration. The superintendent reportedly replied something to the effect that they didn't have a definition of bullying to work with. We are a school system...surely there is a dictionary somewhere! It should never be up to the person accused of bullying to define bullying!
At the last parent teacher conference I was appalled that there are no longer report cards available due to a "paperless" program. The women at the door each had a laptop computer to retrieve the information needed to send us to find the teachers. ($ paper vs. $ two computers?) Teachers no longer had the printout of my child's assignments and grades, so we were not able to discuss any of the important aspects of my child's work that help us to review her progress, to solve problems and identify strengths. I left in frustration while my wife continued to visit teachers. She says that several teachers told her they were also very frustrated and weren't being listened to.

In the newspaper, I learned the naming rights to our athletic field were sold in exchange for a price in excess of a half million dollars. The income from selling the name of OUR athletic field went not to our staff, nor to our building. Rather, it is designated, along with a sizable contribution from our school funds, to install a previously unidentified need-artificial turf!!! I wonder how much good this contribution could have done for the school in some other application, what the future upkeep, repair and replacement cost will be. All to replace that wonderful natural turf that we have carefully developed and which is perfectly satisfactory at any other school where we compete. The superintendent reportedly plans to raise money with the new field. It is going to take a lot of money to replace more than half million dollars in addition to our tax contribution that we could have invested in our PRIMARY business...education. I am an unwilling investor in a business endeavor that I never even knew about. I don't believe in it.

At the newspaper office I reviewed many past superintendent articles and school board minutes. The latest date that I could find in the articles was 2013. Some years ago we built a new elementary school to meet our needs as far into the future as we could project. But it was also built with a plan farther into the future. That building was originally designed to be much bigger than we built, then it was scaled back, rooms were eliminated, but the utilities were kept the same because someday we would need the additional space. When we moved the kindergarten program, the school had been built to accept the addition. We outgrew the classrooms and pulled out those original plans, added those rooms, and continued with a proven plan that was good and full of foresight. The pod design has often been touted as a great design that has served us well.

We hired/elected new leaders but they didn't learn from that great success story. We built a middle school to meet our current needs. Although it is a spectacular building that serves us well now, I have never heard of any plan for when our enrollment exceeds the capacity of this building. I believe that we outgrew the elementary school before the first eight years had passed! Have we followed our leaders down a short sighted path?

I have attended meetings and listened, tried to speak with our administrators, listened to our teachers, and talked to students, both present and past. I have reviewed the information, and thought about the things that I observed and heard. I concluded that our present need is to make a comprehensive plan far into the future. It is completely reasonable to see a plan made to take us at least forty years into the future. That plan could be modified as needed in the future, but for us to continue investing in building modifications and staffing changes without such a plan in place is often wasteful (we just spent a lot of money to rebuild the high school offices, create a secure entry system and reconstruct the visitor parking lot. The paint is barely dry, and they want to move it all to the other side of the building). To have our school directed by a long string of superintendents that come to town, pursue an agenda, and then leave in a few years (we will be paying the health insurance for the last one, for some time to come). To have them directed by a group of people from our community who serve with the best of intentions, but come and go as priorities and elections determine, and who usually have limited or no experience as an educator. When THOSE people run our district THEIR way, often ignoring the public and the teaching staff who have made this school what it is through their lifetime devotion, and when the teachers are so intimidated that they can't even use a piece of paper. It is time to stop the train. Stop it right now, right here, and don't move anywhere until we solve our problems and make a GOOD plan that is supported by the teachers and the community.

The day has come when we need to listen to the voice of experience...the teachers, and to train our superintendent and our school board in the direction that we want them to manage OUR business. After these problems are all solved, there will be ample time to make any needed changes to our facilities. This is the time to vote a resounding "NO!" To finally get the attention of the people who need to learn to listen to the real professionals who devote their lives to our business, and to us-the owners.

Jim Brumfield
Kasson

Letter to the editor: school funds

2011-01-18T07:30:00.000-08:00

Letter to the Editor

I am confused…no, I am disappointed…actually, I am upset and have been since 2007.

On Tuesday April 24, 2007 Independent School District 204 (K-M) held a special election authorizing the issue of general obligation bonds in the amount of $5.2 million for the acquisition and betterment of school facilities, including improvements to the elementary school and junior-senior high school. The issue passed.

Perhaps you will remember that the purpose of the election was to add classrooms to the elementary school, make improvements to the science rooms at the junior-senior high school and perform some deferred maintenance to our schools.

Let’s look at the issue of the science classroom improvements. One month before the election, on March 21, 2007, Mr. Grant in his “K-M Update” column wrote; “The science classroom plan is being planned with flexibility for new classrooms or renovated ones dependent on the success of the middle school vote. If the middle school plan does not get public approval, the dollars assigned for the renovation will be used for additional science classrooms. A new middle school would allow present middle school classrooms to be utilized for new science room spaces.” [The middle school referendum was held June 19 and also passed.]

Again in his “K-M Update” on April 4, 2007 Mr. Grant wrote; “The School Board proposes to modernize the present science classrooms and add new science classrooms. The degree to which that occurs will depend on whether a new middle school will be approved on June 19. If a new middle school is approved by the voters, the classrooms in the middle school wing will be converted to new science classrooms. The present science classrooms would then be renovated for regular classroom use. If the middle school is not approved, the need for more science classrooms will be accomplished by adding new science classrooms to the high school site and modernizing some of the present science rooms and renovating others for additional classroom use.”

The language on the printed election ballot was necessarily brief. However, as I read the aforementioned information before the April 24, 2007 referendum, I assumed that information presented by the District Superintendent in a formal “K-M Update” column printed in the official district newspaper would be an accurate “official” use of approved taxpayer dollars.

Later that year in Mr. Grant’s performance evaluation by the Board, it was stated; “The board was in general agreement the K-M superintendent did an outstanding job in being the primary spokesperson to the public for the two recent successful bond referendums. Ellingworth said she felt Mr. Grant exceeded his expectations in working with the public and community on the bond referendums and was also outstanding in board relations. Board member Mark Packard said he believed Grant had a lot of credibility with the public, which was a factor in passing the referendums.” This evaluation confirms to me that Mr. Grant’s columns were an accurate representation of the board’s official stated use of the referendum dollars.

On June 19, 2007 the Independent School District 204 (K-M) voters approved the middle school referendum. You can imagine my surprise when the six new classrooms appeared on the west end of the junior-senior high school. To me that borders on misappropriation of taxpayer approved dollars, ethically at least.

On February 8, 2011 the board will be asking for $8.975 million to upgrade the high school. Some of the upgrades planned are upgrades to the old middle school wing. Voters, in my opinion, had already approved money for upgrades to this wing in 2007. A large portion of the 2007 referendum funds appear to have been diverted to build new classrooms rather than to renovate the existing wing contrary to published intentions.

Is there any integrity in our district? Is there any accountability in our district? I intend to VOTE NO on any upcoming bond election, and I urge others to also VOTE NO, until there is better accountability of how our tax dollars are spent.

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
If your inclination is to vote NO like me, I suggest you make it a priority to get out to the high school on February 8, and make your vote count. Historically special elections (referendums) do not get the number of voters participating as do general elections. Many times, I believe, this results in a predicted outcome. Perhaps this is another indication of our district administration’s integrity.

                    Jerry Berg
                    Kasson

K-M High School Design shows remodeling, new construction

2011-01-11T11:25:00.000-08:00

This graphic shows the areas of the high school that would be remodeled and where the new construction would be located if the proposed $8.9 million bond referendum is approved by the voters of K-M School District #204. All of the work would be done on the north and east side of the buildings.

A majority of the project will include a food service area, new and remodeled, kitchen and serving area and storage/receiving at a cost of $1.9 million. The kitchen/cafeteria area will be where the shop and ag rooms are currently located.

The ag and wood labs and vocational rooms would be relocated to an area that was the K-M Middle School. Some of that will be new construction and middle school classrooms will be converted into labs.
The district will receive $6 million in aid for the project and the other $3 million comes in the form of tax impact from the district residents.

For an individual owning a $150,000 home the estimated annual tax increase for 21 years is $50 per year. For a $350,000 home the impact is approximately $117.

For commercial property valued at $200,000 the tax impact is estimated at $108. For ag property valued at $200,000 the impact is $58. For an individual owning homestead ag property valued at $800,000 the estimate is an increase of $158.

The district intends to hold informational meetings in the future. The special election will take place Tuesday, February 11 at the K-M High School.

The K-M School master plan was done by HSR Associates, Inc. of LaCrosse. The light blue is remodeling and dark blue is new construction. The red line shows where the remodeling and new construction takes place.

Diet Time

2011-01-11T09:36:00.000-08:00

This is the time of the year when the weight loss and fitness places go crazy. After all, who didn't consume more food and treats over the holiday?

I was raised to clean my plate and it's not very often I leave the table with food on my plate. Whatever size portion I get in a restaurant, it's gone. At least that's the way it use to be.

The older we get the less we eat. It's that way for me anyway and perhaps that is because we are not as active. I eat more slowly and am not at all shy about requesting a take home box.

I tend to shy away from buffets because I feel obligated to get my money's worth. I can't do that any more either, especially for a noon meal. Fill me up at noon and a half hour nap is a necessity before being able to accomplish anything the rest of the afternoon.

Some of these companies advertising for weight loss on the radio and television try to make the concept technical and make a person buy the expensive food they sell to boot. I think there are two key ingredients: Change eating habits and exercise! Then you have to deal with the mind over matter issue.

Kasson-Mantorville residents should be the healthiest around. We have two quality workout places in Xtreme Fitness and Anytime Fitness plus Community Education offers many fitness activities. During the warmer months we have the walking/biking trails. I would look into one of these before ever calling on Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem. Then you have the Adkins diet, South Beach Diet and soup diet. The list goes on. Beware of any scheme for losing weight that has the word "diet" in it. Watching your diet is more sensible.

Stick with the local offerings and local people who are interested in a healthier you. Don' let those commercials get you down.

DCI needs YOUR input

2011-01-04T12:43:00.000-08:00

It's time for some input from YOU! The DCI is curious as to what you would like to see more of or less of in the paper and the shopper.

Have suggestions? Please share them with us...

Some examples for feedback may be...

* A weekly featured photo from a local student
* A weekly story provided by a local student, parent, or individual
* A special section committed to.....

All ideas and suggestions are welcome! Just leave a comment on the blog or send an email to dci@kmtel.com

Do you subscribe to the paper? If not, what would make you more likely to purchase a subscription?

Wasteful

2010-12-28T09:30:00.000-08:00

As we near the end of another year we need to be reminded that we are not out of the woods yet. There are a few signs the economy is making an upward turn, but there are still millions of people out of work and the housing market is far from a rebound.

I did hear that consumers are spending more this holiday season, up a few dollars per person from last year. Every little bit helps. The problem is it's going to take a big surge for our economy to take a turn in a more noticeable direction.

Most of us have had to make sacrifices and cut back where we can. However, the biggest debt problem is with our government and they don't seem to care much. Spending continues at a record rate and some of that spending is very wasteful. By the way our national debt is fast approaching $14 trillion dollars. I can't even put a number like that in proper perspective.

Here are a few wasteful examples:

• The city of Las Vegas received a federal grant for $1.8 million to build a neon boneyard park and museum made up of old Las Vegas neon signs. Over 150 signs have been collected so far.

• We are contributing $615,000 so the Grateful Dead can construct a building for the band’s memorabilia and make the so called museum free to the public. Free and yet taxpayers are donating $615,000!

• The energy bill for the Department of Energy was $190 million last year. Millions are said to be wasted because lights could be turned off at specific times. More efficient technology could be used. Yet the DOE polices taxpayers' use of energy and wasteful spending.

• Poetry in our nation’s zoos? A federal grant program has taken millions of dollars from public funds to give to zoos throughout the country to make signs with poetry and place them throughout the zoos.

• The U.S. government, Bureau of Land Management, spent $64 million on land and built a state of the art gun range. Although billed a huge tourist attraction in Nevada, last year the park brought in $430,000 and the cost to operate it was $1.3 million.

• The IRS paid out $112 million in fraudulent tax refunds to prisoners. The problem was identified five years ago and the fraudulent claims continue to rise.

• The National Science Foundation, supported with government funding, spent $250,000 on a study to see how Americans use the internet to find love. It was said the research could highlight important developments in American society.

• Denali National Park in Alaska is getting an upgrade-or at least the restrooms will. A total of 36 toilets will be replaced at a cost of $41,000 each. Let's hope there are remodeling costs included and this is not just the cost of the toilet.

• A $441,380 study revealed that college students drink more alcoholic beverages when traveling abroad. Students traveling to Australia, New Zealand and European countries tend to drink more than students traveling to other parts of the world. What does that all prove? You got me!

• The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) used the services of two ATF agents for several months to unravel a 2,500 year old mummy. They were able to determine the mummy was between 45-55 years old at the time of death, 5'5" tall and wore a size 7 shoe. The cost was $20,000 in taxpayer money and we're still not sure what those facts are suppose to tell us.

• The National Institute of Health spent $442 million to study male prostitutes in Vietnam. The study centers on HIV and the impact it has on the males.

• Here's another one close to home. The Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley received $609,160 in federal funding to create a wolf video game called Wolfquest. The supposed purpose of the game is to help people understand wolf conservation issues in real life.

• A parachute museum will cost taxpayers $65,000, $4,168,766 will be spent to study the sexual behavior of a special breed of monkey and thanks to a federal grant a Tennessee library spent $5,000 to host a series of video game parties.

• A conservation commission in Vermont received $150,000 in federal grant money to build a critter crossing. The crossing will save the lives of thousands of migrating salamanders that would otherwise be slaughtered by vehicle traffic.

• When Highway 14 was being extended from Kasson to Dodge Center there was a holdup and additional expense due to a concern for a wood turtle just west of Dodge Center. The size of the bridge had to be altered to the tune of about $750,000 and it cost time for the study to be done. So don't say wasteful spending can't happen here too!

We could say that being wasteful for our federal government at $100,000 to $200,000 per project is a drop in he bucket. It's basically pennies when you consider the deficit.

In some ways we may be better off not knowing how wasteful government spending can be. If the federal government awards $1.5 million for a museum honoring a bluegrass singer (Earl Scruggs) in North Carolina, let them build it. I don't need to know about it.

Shut In

2010-12-21T09:42:00.000-08:00

A week ago Sunday (December 12) I had a feeling that I had not been experienced. It was like I was closed in.

For the first time in the 22 years we have lived in our rural Mantorville development I could not get out. We were stuck. The road was too full of snow for even a four wheel drive to get out. I could have possibly taken the snow blower and blown a two wheel path to the end of the turn around in the cul-de-sac and reached a trail that had been made by another vehicle. But why? I did not have to be anywhere. Church and every other activity scheduled was cancelled.

The plow came through about mid afternoon and we were free again. Even though I did not have to be anywhere there was that trapped feeling. It was because of the fact I could not get out that bothered me-even though I did not have any place to be.

I don't know about you, but I do not like being confined. If I had been at home and the roads were open it would not have bothered me. It was the fact I could not leave that was the problem. Could this be a phobia?

Lette to the editor: Wallin

2010-12-14T07:28:00.000-08:00

Letter to the editor:

People who are not rich voted for Republicans because they want the rich to get richer? Because they need more super rich Americans to be proud of? If we tax the rich at higher rates, will they decide they would rather be poor? How silly, but I heard a Republican Senator say that. The Republicans as a block have vowed to stop all legislation if the Bush tax cuts for the rich are not retained. That would add 900 billion to the National Debt, more than the bailouts and saving GM combined, but that doesn’t matter to the hypocritical Republicans who have feigned concern about the debt up to now.

Or did people vote Republican because they listen to the unprecedented political propaganda of Fox “news”, The Limbaugh insanity, and Republican politicians and they don’t have enough common sense or knowledge to realize when they’re duped? Are they Republican voters because they were raised Republican-as if it were a religion? It is baffling when people vote against their own self interests. And generally, these are Republican voters.

To extend the Bush tax cuts for the very rich any farther is stupidity. Obama just proposed doing that in a compromise with Republicans so they would also vote for an unemployment benefits extension for the recently unemployed. This has brought the wrath of his own party onto him, and likely a protracted fight between the parties-one to help the super rich, the other to help the unemployed and destitute. Amazing.
All Republican politicos, Fox and Limbaugh (the rich) propaganda keeps telling us that jobs are created with those tax cuts. That’s not the case. The rich save it while the unemployed spend it to live, pumping the economy more. Spending circulates and multiplies. The 9 years of Bush tax cuts for the rich hasn’t created jobs. We still have around 10% unemployment.

In spite of continual Republican opposition and the vicious and disgusting name calling and lies directed at a president by Republicans: Obama is not a citizen, he’s a socialist, a Marxist, a Communist, a Muslim, a terrorist, a liar, Hitler - it goes on and on, Obama is still an optimist trying to tolerate and work with Republicans way beyond what any normal person could do-and now to the dismay of his own party.
One wonders when if ever he will have had enough and will fight the low life opposition he will always face. The Republicans, and tea partiers especially, use those underhanded tactics to bring out the latent racism that dwells inside most older and many young white people to ease their willingness to believe the ridiculous of Obama aided by the incessant attacks by Fox (34 warships and 200 million per day India Trip??)

Fox is a political propaganda machine owned and run by Australian right wing billionaire, Rupert Murdoch, who because of his Fox empire propaganda has more influence in American elections than any other group of Americans.

Gary Wallin

Letter to the editor: Giving Thanks

2010-12-07T09:59:00.000-08:00

Letter to The Editor

Kasson Citizens,

This is the season for Thanks Giving. Let’s take a moment to give thanks.
The DCI recently reported (11/24/2010, City of Kasson Looking to Trim Budget) that the City of Kasson’s budget shortfall continues. Mayor Tjosaas has also mentioned the issue in numerous Mayor’s Memos. The citizens of Kasson are thankful for the City Council maintaining vigilance on this issue and for continuing to take appropriate actions to streamline city government and eliminate unnecessary spending.

The council’s decision to not demolish the historic 1918 school and instead partner with the Kasson Alliance for Restoration (KARE) to fund the Historic Properties Reuse Study saved the taxpayers nearly $250,000 (over one quarter of a million dollars). Kasson’s citizens are thankful that the City Council entered into a partnership with KARE (www.KassonAlliance.org) related to reusing the historic 1918 Kasson Public School. In addition Kasson’s citizens are thankful that the City Council did not add millions of tons of demolition material and an important and irreplaceable historic Kasson icon to a landfill.

Thank you to John Lauber’s team for conducting a very thorough analysis of the historic school and for presenting many viable reuse options and funding mechanisms to the City Council and Kasson’s taxpayers (http://kassonschoolreuse.net/).

Thank you to KARE’s volunteers for cleaning the inside of the historic school and to Pennie Eisenbeis for organizing the community education class that installed attractive window facades on the school.

Thank you to KARE for paying 100 percent of the cost to install downspouts on the school to funnel water away from the foundation (as recommended by Lauber’s team).

Thank you to the City Council for recently adopting Mr. Lauber’s recommendation to not pile snow on the school’s playground thus eliminating that water source in addition to the ugly eye sore it presented to the surrounding community.

Thank you to the Minnesota Historical Society for voting unanimously to nominate the school to the National Register of Historic Places and for the National Park Service for placing the school on the registry in Dec. 2007.

Thank you to KARE’s members and supporting businesses for continuing to be an advocate for Kasson’s history and therefore its future.

And finally thank you to Kasson’s citizens for voting overwhelmingly (58% of you) in April 2010, in the council-supported survey, to adaptively reuse the historic school. Your vision and support will insure that the school building continues to serve Kasson and the surrounding area’s present and future generations.

Happy Holidays,
Kenton Spading

Letter to the editor: Happy Meals

2010-12-01T06:04:00.000-08:00

Letter To the Editor: In Response to the McDonald’s Happy Meal toy ban

When I heard of San Francisco’s ban on toys in McDonald’s Happy Meals, I was overjoyed. For years, I, the mother of two small children, have lamented the waste of money and petroleum used to make these toys. The comment in the earlier editorial (Wed. Nov. 17th) about the toys being a memory maker for children, I believe, is incorrect. I would argue that the majority of today’s children cannot even recall their last Happy Meal toy. Notice I wrote the majority of TODAY’S children. I would also argue that if asked half of the parents who buy the Happy Meals either don’t care or would rather there not be a toy inside. Hey, but it’s free. Free is always good, right? I would urge you to take a different approach.

If the toy is lucky enough to hold the child’s interest for more than two days, where does it end up after that? Salvation Army doesn’t want it, I’ve asked. They aren’t good sellers at garage sales, even if they are FREE. They are not made from recyclable plastic. Where do they end up? In the landfill where they do not decompose.

I am not saying that taking the toy out of Happy Meals will cause people to make better dietary judgements. We all know that french fries are not part of a healthy diet, but we buy them anyway. I am also not asking anyone to deprive their children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews of anything, especially not a happy memory. However, I am asking that you consider making an earth friendly, humanity minded decision by asking the cashier to NOT give you a toy the next time you order a Happy Meal. Enjoy the meal; skip the toy. Explain to your children why you have done this. What a valuable lesson to teach. And after all, what the kids really want is the time spent with someone they love........and of course, the french fries.

Erica Gillis

Bullying

2010-11-23T17:15:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago Superintendent Peter Grant featured the subject of bullying in his column. I also receive the monthly magazine, Minnesota Educator published by Education Minnesota. An article by Dr. Walter Roberts, a professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato was featured. His column was titled, "Adults must confront epidemic of bullying".

Then FCCLA officers gave a presentation on their organization and some of the activities they have conducted. They also talked about ongoing goals and one of them was stopping the violence and dealing with bullying. "We know there is a problem and we feel there is a way we can help," said FCCLA vice-president Jake Hauschild.

Today one in seven 11 to 15 year olds say they have bullied or been bullied. That is a high percentage when you think of a middle school full of 680 students.

At the Monday night board meeting a student, parent, grandparent and friend discussed the problem with bullying at the K-M schools. In my 30 years of covering school board meetings I have never seen the school board members' faces look so serious. You could have heard a pin drop when the family spoke.
Up until this year I myself have not heard a great deal about bullying, including personal stories, but I am not in a position where I am eager to cause trouble for people-and believe me I could!

Evidence of bullying has been seen for years and years. When I was in school the buses picked up students after school in the parking lot adjacent to the shop/ag rooms. There were fights every day between the time school was released and students loaded on to the buses.

Today bullying is much more than fighting. Probably the most cruel is verbal and kids in fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade can attest to its prevalence.

I can't help think about what Mr. Grant reiterated about bullying. We can be born with a certain amount of athletic or academic ability, but he said bullying is a learned behavior. It's everywhere-media, movies, politics, television and unfortunately the American family and home.

Does K-M have a problem any different than other schools? Probably not.

Too bad it had to get to the point where family members had to come to a school board meeting. I know staff and administration have addressed the problem. I don't know how much the K-M School Board knew about the concern, but those seven serious faces up there gave full attention to the individuals speaking during the public input portion of the board meeting.

Ben Carson wrote a book called, "Thinking Big". One of his quotes is, "We get out of life what we put into it.The way we treat others is the way we ourselves get treated." As adults we need to insure our youth are not exposed to bullying in any form.

Reward offered!

2010-11-16T09:10:00.001-08:00

Mantorville city councilman Chuck Bradford has offered a $100 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of person or persons who shot three holes in the “Historic Mantorville Welcomes You” sign on the north edge of town.

Three .22 caliber bullet holes were found in the sign. Bradford said anyone with information on the shooting should contact the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office at 635-6200. Callers names will be held in strict confidence.

Letter to the editor: A different view

2010-11-11T06:32:00.000-08:00

Letter To the Editor:

I would like to take this opportunity to present a “slightly” different view of the conclusions reached by the author of the article on the K-M LaCrescent football played on October 20th in LaCrescent. The author makes two statements in the article that maybe all people would not agree with. The first statement was that “The officials took the game away from the players on this night by calling too many penalties”. The second statement was “The officials were at least fair, as both teams had about the same number of penalties”.

I would discuss the first statement by saying I would not believe that there would be any official in high school football, any official in college football, or in the NFL that would state that there becomes a time in the game where too many penalties are called. I would further add that there would not be a supervisor of high school officials, or college officials, or professional officials that would agree with that statement any where in the United States. I can not say the same for a fan in the stands, a parent or grandparent, or maybe a sport’s writer on occasion who maybe would not agree.
I have never hear of some number where any official at any level has come up with in this area. To say that less penalties means a better game officiated would be completely absurd. I do not care what sport that you are discussing, penalties in football, fouls in basketball, etc. ARE NOT DETERMINED BY ANY OFFICIAL.

All penalties, fouls, etc. in sports are ALL DETERMINED by a player who lacks discipline in five areas, and all officials and coaches would agree, and they all spend time in all sports working with the athletes in these areas. 1. Lack of fundamentals, 2. Lack of quickness, 3. Lack of strength, 4. Lack of preparation, 5. Lack of concentration. All rule books in all sports are from 65-80 some pages, and the entire book focuses on only two areas of the game. One is the safety of the player, and the second is providing a balance between the player on offense and defense. That is the bottom line!

The second statement is that the number of penalties and fouls, etc. in each game should be about the same. No official at the high school, college or professional level would ever make such a “ridiculous” statement. If this would be the case, all officials would be checking the charts and books after each quarter to see that they are about the same on both teams each game. Games at all levels in all sports are played by players of different ability and a different level of “energy” on most nights.

I could write books on various examples of vast differences that take place in every contest at all levels every day of the year, and 99% of the people do not worry about the same penalties, the same fouls, the same points being equal for each team on any given night. I could share a moment in athletic competition that just took place a couple of days ago to make my point. Two of the best pitchers in the world were pitching for the same team the other night, and their team was playing in the World Series, and behind the plate was an umpire that is considered one of the two best umpires in the world for his plate work. Guess what happened on this night, the two outstanding pitchers proceeded to throw 15 straight pitches out of the strike zone and the other team plated three runs to put the game out of reach in this inning.
Does anyone think the umpire is going to worry about calling about 10-15 pitches out of the strike zone on the other team in the next inning. No, the two pitchers failed for one or two reasons mentioned earlier in this article. It does not make any difference at what level of game that is being played on what infractions must be called by the official, but what level the player is performing at. Excuses are easy to make, admitting that you were the person who made it is the difficult thing to do.

Unless I be accused of believing that officials at all levels are error free, I would share the following facts with you. I will take football for example as it was the one sport mentioned in the DCI, but this can apply in about the same percentage in all sports at all levels today.

The former head of officials in the NFL is from Plainview and we played our high school and college ball about the same time and we became good friends. He shared with me that on the average NFL game each day and night, there are just a shade more than three mistakes made by the officials. This is in spite of millions of dollars of replay cameras, etc. and challenges of controversial plays and with out a doubt the BEST football officials in the world. They make mistakes in the NFL and most teams are told each week of the calls that they missed in their game, although it is not to be made public.

I can only speak for college football at the Division One Level, as other levels do not have the replay cameras, etc. The latest figures released from most of the D-1 conferences, even with replay equipment, and review of controversial plays, the second best officials in the world miss almost five calls each week in each game. Now let us take the average high school football official under the lights on a Friday night. I am not going to give an answer on that one, but it is definitely more than it is in the NFL and D-1 college football, and most of these officials are never going to work in college or professional football.
I conclude by asking you as you watch high school contests in all sports in the future, remember that official loves the game as much as you do and he is probably going to make as many mistakes as any of the players do on this night, and probably feels as bad as any of the players do when they miscue, but 99% of the time he is giving his best on this night for high school athletics.

Jerry Raddatz

South Vietnam to Kasson

2010-11-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I met a gentleman who just opened a business in Kasson. In talking to him at length I think that most of us American born citizens take a great deal for granted.

Vu 'Johnny' Huynh was born in South Vietnam and his father was a Navy captain for the South Vietnamese Navy. For those of you not familiar with the Vietnam War, South Vietnam was our ally.

This was a messy war that started in the 60's. I would have to say it was the most controversial fight ever for freedom that involved the United States. Iraq and Afghanistan don't come close for two reasons. For many years there were no plans to end the war in Vietnam. Two, support for the American soldier was not what we see today for those serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In 1975 came the fall of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam taken by the North Vietnamese. For the United States this war was all about stopping the expansion of communism into South Vietnam.

After the fall of Saigon Johnny's father was placed in what the North Vietnamese called a "re-education camp". This was a kind term for prison, where Johnny's father spent the next 11 years.

After graduating from high school Johnny's goal was to become a barber. He eventually did open his own shop. The only problem was the police would come around and check on his business, demanding money, depending upon how much he made for the week. In other words police protection money had to be paid on the spot based on how good a week he had.
Senator John McCain, a war veteran who spent time in a Vietnam prison of war camp, was instrumental in the release of the South Vietnamese soldiers, including Johnny's father. The family was also given the opportunity to obtain visas and move to the United States, which they did.

Call it an opportunity of a lifetime, when Johnny and his parents, along with two sisters and a brother, moved to Rochester to start a new life. They took advantage of that opportunity for freedom, not expecting any handouts.

From South Vietnam, to Rochester and now Kasson, where Johnny opened his own barber shop two weeks ago. Johnny's English is good and after a short conversation it's apparent he is an intelligent individual who appreciates many of the opportunities we take for granted. Hopefully there will be enough business for all the shops in town, including Johnny's. It would be great to see people support a man who has come so far, working to create a successful business in Kasson.

Wouldn't it be great to see his business success grow to the point where he could move his wife and two children here and
send them through our school system? I think Johnny would like that because he does favor the small town.

Once you meet Vu 'Johnny' Huynh I know you will be impressed with his personality and determination to succeed as a businessman and United States citizen.

Letter to the editor: Sheriff

2010-10-28T07:08:00.000-07:00

Letter To the Editor:

I recently moved back to Dodge County, living the past 16 years in South Dakota, and I was most interested in the Sheriff’s race. Having worked in the Dodge County Auditor’s office many years I was familiar with Jim Jensen and Jim Trihey, both very nice men. I therefore had no idea who I would vote for-that is until Marigold Days when I was handed some slanderous information on one of the candidates and was told by the campaign person when I asked him did the candidate he represented endorse this and he answered yes he did. I could not believe it. This looked to be a desperate attempt to get some one elected. If you cannot run on your record and own accomplishments then don’t try cheap shots at your opponent. I am going to vote for Jim Trihey, not because of the blatant attempt to discredit him but because of his shown leadership, knowledge, ability and most of all experience. Having worked with Ernie Vanderhyde, Bill Weber and Gary Thompson, their confidence in Jim Trihey by promoting him to the position he now holds is a great endorsement for me. I believe Jim Trihey’s current position as acting sheriff will make him the most effective and excellent sheriff.

Rose Carlson
Kasson, MN

Letter to the editor: uncover the covered up

2010-10-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

Letter To the Editor:

Citizens of Dodge County. I have done my best to uncover the covered up. I have spent hours on the phone, at the computer and talking to people to get information out to the public that was previously unknown to most. I have done this, because it was the right thing to do. I once again must state that I am supporting Jim Jensen for Dodge County Sheriff.

I have had the pleasure over the past few months of getting to know him much better. He has taught me so much about patience, perserverance, and tolerance. About turning the other cheek when people start the nastiest of lies, shaking it off, and being content with the truth. He has showed courage and commitment to the people of Dodge County for over 31 years. He is the best man for Sheriff.

This election is so much bigger than the past, and I am speaking about the national level. Our country is at a major cross roads. We need leaders that have strong dedication to family values and morals. If they can’t even be faithful to their own family, how can they be faithful to yours or mine. Thank you to everyone who has voiced their opinions and concerns. You are what makes America great. Remember to VOTE on Nov 2nd. Its the AMERICAN thing to do.

Nathan Nord

Letter to the editor:Was the KM School Board decision to improve the football field a good decision?

2010-10-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

Letter To the Editor:

Was the KM School Board decision to improve the football field a good decision?

The KM school board made a decision to invest over a million dollars to improve the football field. Other than that it would be nice to have, there was little or no information on how or why the school board made the decision. My view is that the KM school board should have provided information as why they made this versus some other more basic needs of the school district. Below are some questions that I think the KM school board should provide answers for the KM school tax payers. If you have similar thoughts please contact a KM school board member.

•What other projects were considered for use of the money used on the football field project and what were the deciding factors in picking the football field project? Wouldn’t the retrofit of the current unused classrooms be a candidate for the money used on the football field?

•What is the impact to the yearly school operating budget due to increases in the operating and maintenance cost over the old football field, and how does this change over the next 10 to 20 years?

•There is an implied school tax increase if the money spent on the football field improvement could have been used for other maintenance improvement that would have decreased the need for another bond referendum.

One has to wonder if the school board strategy of spending over a million dollars on superfluous needs in 2010, and then floating a multimillion dollar bond referendum for more basic needs in 2011 or 2012 will work in the worst economical times since the Great Depression.

Jerry Harris
Mantorville

Letter to the editor: Break in at American Legion

2010-10-13T07:56:00.000-07:00

Letter To the Editor:

To the person or persons who broke into the Kasson American Legion;

We have one question for you: What did the Legion ever do to you?

The Kasson Legion has donated money and services to hundreds, if not thousands of people in this community for many, many years and your theft and destruction of our property has set those donations back quite far. The money you stole could have gone to Dollars for Scholars or sent a child to camp and the money that we now have to pay out for repairing what you destroyed could have helped with several youth or community projects or helped a family in need.

To what charity will you be donating that money?

Kasson American Legion Post 333

New Stadium-KM

2010-10-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

The rumor has turned out to be true. The last couple of weeks I have had people stop me on the street and ask if it was true that the K-M School District was going to install an artificial surface to replace the grass on the competition field.

I have talked to many people who have questioned the move of spending $1.1 million for the transformation of the field and construction of new bleachers for the home crowd, restrooms, press box and concession stand. The first words people say is the money should be used for classrooms, books-educational needs. The problem is money has been set aside for facilities and grounds and the money has to be used for that purpose.

Superintendent Peter Grant has said no NEW tax dollars will be used to finance the project. Of course the $700,000 committed by the district from facilities and grounds are tax dollars. However, the stadium will not create new tax debt. The remaining $365,000 is to be collected through fundraising, of which nearly $100,000 has already been committed.

A month ago I kiddingly said KMTelecom Field had a nice ring to it (no pun intended). As it turns out the field will be KMTelecom Stadium as a result of a 15-year $72,000 agreement between KMTelecom and the K-M School District.

There are people who will call such a project wasteful spending. If you read a related article in this week's edition of the DCI there is an explanation as to why the field is being rebuilt. I also feel there is justification for the project and support the move. With KMTelecom Stadium K-M is moving to another level, raising the bar for schools of this size in SE Minnesota.

The present grass field will be difficult to maintain when weather conditions deteriorate as we get further into fall. Last year was a prime example of what can happen to a field that is unable to recover late in the season from the elements, especially when you have boys and girls soccer and football co-existing on the same surface.

I am also looking at it from a selfish standpoint, walking the sidelines and taking pictures. The new stadium in Rochester is a treat for covering athletic events because of the artificial surface. It also benefits fans and athletes.

I am standing behind the school district and their decision to build KMTelecom Stadium. Nay sayers are entitled to their opinion, but I think the stadium will be a good investment in athletics and our youth. Like they said in the movie Field of Dreams, "Build It and They Will Come". It's going to happen!

Letter to the Editor : 1918 Kasson Public School

2010-09-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

Letter to the Editor

Citizens of Kasson and Surrounding Areas,
The Historic 1918 Kasson Pubic School is calling out to you. It has served Kasson for over 90 years and it will continue to serve for an equal number of years and more providing space, shelter and functionality. That obvious and visible role is in partnership with its representation of the history and social fabric of Kasson, Dodge County and the School District. That is true regardless of where you were born or where you went to school- This historic landmark belongs to you regardless of your origin in the same manner that Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA belongs to you. It deserves no less of your attention and advocacy.

The school was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 6, 2007. During the Minnesota Historical Society Review Board Meeting on October 16, 2007 board member and historian Dave Ebnet commented:

"Local history is as important as national history due to the fact that it occurs where people are living and spending their day-to-day lives so it is very important to recognize it."

Respectively Yours,
Kenton Spading

Bed Bugs

2010-09-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

Most middle agers and older have heard the old saying, "Don't let the bed bugs bite. If they bite, squeeze them tight so they don't bite tomorrow night." Well, apparently the bedbug is making a comeback in Minnesota, the reason being their ability to travel in the climate we have had.

The bedbug prefers being inside and hangs out where people sleep-thus the name bedbug. I read the article released by the state on the bedbug and by the time I was done I was literally scratching my head.

Look one of those little guys up on the Web some time and see what they look like. I would not want one on me in bed or anywhere else. As I went to bed last night I started thinking about those darn creatures and started itching again.

What really got to me is the fact the bedbug can feed on a human unnoticed. A comeback in bedbugs is not a good sign. I bet you are itching now too!

Driving To School

2010-09-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

After taking my son to school the first day I drove through the high school parking lot after the day started. The parking lot was three fourths full.

I remember when I was in school, there were maybe one-fifth that number of student vehicles in the lot. Of course the school population was lower.

In that day it was mostly seniors who drove to school. Very few underclassmen had the privilege to drive a vehicle. The exception were the kids who had after school extra-curricular activities.

In an archived Dodge County Independent Newspaper I found an article about Principal Harold Haugo encouraging parents not to allow their teenagers to drive to school. Haugo, a teacher, principal and counselor, said there were studies that showed kids who drove to school did not have the same academic success as those who did not drive to school.

I wonder what the academic success of students is for those who walk to school, take the bus or are given a ride by a parent? Now there's a study for someone to do.

Letter to the Editor : I’ll give Republicans credit for an illegal, immoral invasion of lies

2010-09-07T09:52:00.000-07:00

Letter To the Editor:

Republicans want credit for Iraq?
Sure-I’ll give Republicans credit for an illegal, immoral invasion of lies:
Saddam was behind 9/11, he was developing atomic and chemical and biological weapons-WMDs, he ran
Al Qaeda terrorist training camps.

I’ll give Republicans credit for murdering and dismembering a few hundred thousand innocent people including the suffering and life long handicaps of tens of thousands of children, for making 3 million more homeless and destitute, for creating revengeful Al Qaeda terrorists where there were none, for sending tens of thousands of Americans to kill and be killed for nothing-oh-that’s right, they did get one bad guy.
I’ll give Republicans credit for spending a trillion dollars to do this all, to humiliate and torture Muslim prisoners DIRECTED FROM THE BUSH/CHENEY WHITE HOUSE to insure that the entire Muslim world would now listen to the “hate America” propaganda from their most extreme and violent fanatics who have recruited many more of their kind.

Yes, thank you Republicans for a future of religious terror and war. I would reward you all with a lifetime in prison at hard labor in Iraq.

Gary Wallin, Mantorville

Letter to the Editor: Festival in the Park

2010-08-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

Letter To the Editor:

On behalf of the Festival in the Park Volunteer Committee I would like to thank all involved for their contributions, time and energy, because of you this year’s Festival was a tremendous success. Our park looked great and there were several comments from people visiting that we are fortunate to have such a gathering place. Again this year our local youth came out in large numbers. It is great to see so many participating in the free activities. I emphasize free because one of the goals for all the years of the Festival has been to provide activities free of charge. Any child can participate by being there! Adults you aren’t left out either, you can belly flop by just giving us a call before we call you.

The volunteer committee spends many hours getting ready for the Festival each year; it couldn’t be done without their commitment. We have finished wrapping up the 2010 event and are hard at work getting ready for the 2011 Festival to be held August 11-14. If you would like to get involved, even for just an hour, please give us a call.

To everyone who donated cash and merchandise, thank you. It takes about $20,000 to put on the event and it is all donated by local merchants and residents. Watch for our fundraisers throughout the year, we will again be doing a pancake breakfast in January and new for this year will be a chili cook-off in October, scheduled for Sunday, October 17th. Watch the DCI for more details.

Chris McKern
Co-Chair

Letter To the Editor: In response to the letter regarding the Dodge County Sheriff

2010-08-24T10:28:00.000-07:00

Letter To the Editor:

In response to the letter regarding the Dodge County Sheriff.

Allegations are something most law enforcement officers live with their entire career. Investigations are conducted for even the most frivolous of complaints. Some investigations are short and others are lengthy.
Some investigations result in finding no proof of wrong doing. Others may find some wrong doing or unprofessional behavior. While yet others may show serious wrong doing or even criminal behavior.
Law Enforcement conducts the same type of investigation on a complaint regardless who it involves.

Usually a department will not investigate allegations against someone within their own agency. An outside agency conducts the investigation in order to avoid any favoritism or protecting of a friend/co-worker.
Outside investigations cost more. After all the outside investigators have to travel to conduct interviews, etc. The investigators have to set aside their own work in order to deal with allegations from another county.

If no charges are filed, or no misconduct is found the investigation is closed. There is no need to publicly admonish a individual as nothing was done that was considered wrong.

If charges are determined to be warranted or serious administrative action need be taken - then it becomes a matter of Public Record.

If every allegation or complaint against every citizen were made a matter of Public Record, how much unwarranted humiliation, distrust, and other issues would develop within a community?

Now multiply that distrust for law enforcement officers if the same rules applied, even though most if not all allegations were found to be false or without merit.

Someone once said, "A man who makes no mistakes... is a man who is doing nothing." Officers or officials who have no complaints against them are not doing their job.
Criminals or those being charged with a crime after an investigation is completed are seldom happy with the officers arresting them... the lawyer representing them... the prosecutor... or the judge determining guilt or innocents!

Allegations are easily made... Yet often hard to prove... but more times than not, "Impossible to live down especially when exonerated".

Dave Elliott
Dodge Center
Retired Law Enforcement
507-951-9571

Relay For Life

2010-08-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

What an accomplishment. The Dodge County Relay For Life raised $182,500 two weeks ago. That is $10,000 more than the record set last year.

For 2009 the Dodge County Relay For Life was a national per capita award winner. For counties with a population of 20,000-25,000 Dodge ranked fifth nationally. The per capita amount received was $8.38 for every man, woman and child in the county.

Last year Olmsted County raised $178,000 and their population is six times the size of Dodge.
When our economic downturn started in 2006 the Relay brought in $139,700. In 2007 the numbers jumped to $149,000, then $157,000, $172,500 and now $182,500 in an economy that is struggling.

Even in difficult times people in our local communities find a way to support this fantastic cause.

Unfortunately there is so much support because people are affected by cancer in so many different ways.
A survivors reception was held at the Relay before the other activities started. My mother and a friend were standing in that food line. My mother's friend looked back to my mother and said, "A year ago who would have ever thought we would be in this line?"

Isn't that so true. We never know who is benefitting from money raised from events like the Dodge County Relay For Life donations go to research, education and patient care.

I am not about singling out individuals, but chairperson Aleta Abbott of Kasson has been the guiding force of this ship that continues to gain momentum. I'm not sure I will be around to see the cure for cancer, but I have been around long enough to see that the number of survivors continues to grow at a higher rate than those who lose that battle!

Leading the "Hunting For A Cure" Team at the Relay for Life are Russ Anderson and brother-in-law Jim Struck, Cleveland, MN. Team leader is his wife, Lisa Anderson walking with daughters Jenna and Jaime Anderson and Christy Leopold of Hudson, WI. They were the third highest fundraising team at $7,965. Russ Anderson is quite the sportsman/hunter so thus the "Hunting For A Cure" theme. Lisa is a cancer survivor. Photo by Wayne Hendrickson.

Letter to the editor: Administrative leave in past for Trihey

2010-08-10T11:42:00.000-07:00

Letter to the editor:
To my fellow citizens of Dodge County:

This election year is very important. There are many issues that must be resolved to get our great country heading in the right direction. I have to admit, I have taken a much greater interest in these elections than those of the past. In doing so, I have discovered one thing on a local level, that to me, was a little disturbing. Last fall, there was an incident reported to the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department that involved our Sheriff, Jim Trihey. This resulted in Sheriff Trihey being put on administrative leave for a period of time, which if my memory serves correctly, was in the news briefly. Also, there was never an explanation to the citizens of ‘why’ this action was taken. It seems a little odd that a sheriff would be put on leave for any reason at all. As I have further looked into this issue, I have discovered that Dodge County has hired an outside investigator or attorney to investigate Sheriff Trihey’s involvement in this incident. This cost the taxpayers of Dodge County over $22,000! This is very troubling to me since I have lived in Dodge County all of my life, and never once, that I can recall, has a sheriff been the focus of an investigation. Also, if I may point out, he was never elected sheriff but was appointed by the county board after a recommendation by a retiring sheriff around a year ago. Which is also troubling to me since only being there a short period of time, this much attention has been brought to the sheriff’s department as a whole.

This has raised more questions in my mind about this whole incident. What other expenses were incurred by taxpayers during this investigation? How much did it cost us to pay a sheriff that was ‘put’ on leave? How about the salaries of the other county officials that were working on the investigation? I feel it is very important for the citizens of Dodge County to know ‘who’ is leading our distinguished Sheriff’s Department. This raised another question; why aren’t we, the taxpayers, allowed to know what the investigation was about? I believe we have every right to know what is going on in our ‘own’ sheriff’s department, especially when it comes to the man who is suppose to be leading it.

Concerned citizen of Dodge County,
Dalen Maxson

Letter to the editor: Wind Project

2010-08-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

Letter To the Editor:

The public hearing for the National Wind/AWA Goodhue Wind Project was held this past week in Goodhue, MN. One session on July 21 was scheduled. However, due to the number of people who chose to speak at this public hearing, Administrative Law Judge Eric Lipman extended the public hearing to July 22. These sessions ran long (3 PM-10:30 PM) on both days. I am guessing that approximately 100 people got up to comment, most of which opposed this wind project and others slated for Goodhue County.

At this public hearing, it was noted that the two-mile wind buffers requested by the City of Zumbrota and the City of Goodhue likely will NOT be honored by the wind farm developers. Both cities have requested these wind buffers to allow for future economic expansion and long-term plans. Both cities have invested taxpayers' monies--Goodhue to create residential housing and Zumbrota to extend sewer and water to the west side of U.S. Highway 52 and nearby land for development.

Earlier this year in April, the City of Zumbrota City Council voted 3-2 (Bauer and Hinderaker voted yes) to allow National Wind/AWA Goodhue Wind to encroach on the two-mile wind buffer near Zumbrota. City Council members Nygaard, Grothe, and Borgschatz voted the request down. Unfortunately, National Wind/AWA Goodhue Wind doesn't take "no" for an answer. There are multiple wind turbines (4 inside the wind buffer and 7 very near the wind buffer) sited in or near Zumbrota on the preliminary municipal wind buffer map submitted by National Wind/AWA Goodhue Wind, LLC.

Leia Ryan, a member of the Goodhue City Council, was quoted, "We (Goodhue) could be landlocked, and that's where cities begin to die off."

To speak with someone on the street, most people think the wind turbines are a good thing as they will provide clean, "green" electricity that will lower our electricity rates. This is not true. The wind does NOT blow all the time. When the wind turbines are not spinning and producing electricity, it is required to have a backup coal-fired plant or a natural gas-fired plant. These plants cannot be turned on and off like a light switch. These plants need to remain running to fill in the gaps when the wind does not blow. So, in essence, you are keeping the backup running at all times in case the wind turbines cannot provide the electricity.

If National Wind/AWA Goodhue Wind is NOT listening, I hope you are! There is still time to voice your opinion. Even if you are not in the footprint of this wind farm project, you may write via e-mail or U.S. postal mail your comments by August 6, 2010, 4:30 PM. That is the cutoff when it must arrive--not postdated:

Eric Lipman
Office of Administrative Hearings
P.O. Box 64620
St. Paul, MN 55164-0620
or eric.lipman@state.mn.us
Please refer to: AWA Goodhue Wind--Certificate of Need and Siting Docket, PUC Certificate of Need Docket: IP-6701/CN-09-1186 and PUC Siting Docket: IP-6701/WS-08-1233.
Please take the time to write. One voice can become many.
Barbara A. Stussy
14884 420th Street
Zumbrota, MN 55992
507-732-5115
barbstussy@hcinet.net

Letter to the editor: Veterans Memorial Park

2010-07-27T11:39:00.000-07:00

Letter to the editor :

I have lived in this community over 40 years and have seen so many changes. Some are positive ones. One change I have observed in the last few years is the dilapidation of our swimming pool in “Veterans Memorial Park”.

Our north park is so lovely and has so many wonderful features to it but the pool has something to be desired. I have always thought that the center focus of the park was the pool. It has always centered around family picnics, swimming lessons, adult swim and the everyday swimming schedule, not to mention the play ground, volleyball court and the baseball diamonds. But is our park being used enough?

I am very interested in starting a task force with a search and discovery committee to investigate the raising of funds/ and or grants to revitalize our community swimming pool. We need a new one.

In a community as large as Kasson we need to always look for improvements. The swimming pool is one.
My mother was instrumental in the “renaming” of “Veterans Memorial Park” This was one of her projects when she was American Legion Auxiliary President. I know that she would agree.

St. Charles’ community developed and built a new pool with the help of the residents who took up the torch and made it happen. Many people from Rochester go there to swim.

Many people from Kasson go to Dodge Center’s new pool to swim. Why should we accept that?
We are a large enough city that we should be supporting our own recreation for our children and our adults.

I am asking for volunteers that would like to be on this committee to call me at 634-4472 if they are interested in this endeavor.

Let’s make this a community goal. We can do this.

Sue Harwood

As seen in the picture above, during Kasson Festival in the Park, the pool is also a place for fun contests and activities during the Festival.

Letter to the editor: Relay for Life

2010-07-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

Letter to the editor :

The purpose of this letter is to address statements made in the article dated July 7th titled "Mantorville City Council Agenda Varied."
First the comments made by Council woman Schmidt; in general the statements would appear to be somewhat exaggerated or assumptive. To quote "There was trash and puking on peoples lawns. There was a trailer on the Relay lot and I guess they stayed and left their bikes over night You guess? As a City Council Member wouldn't it seem the best approach is not to but to seek answers? Here are some answers:
1) Regarding trash - the clean-up committee spent at least 2 hours cleaning up after the event. There would have been very minimal amounts of trash that did not get picked up.
2) The trailer was provided for two out-of-state couples to stay the night.
In addition it was stated, "At 7:30 a.m. Sunday morning, the riders started up their motorcycles, revved the engines and left town. How many citizens here own motorcycles? The rumble of a motorcycle can be heard any day of the week. Can two bikes leaving town at 7:30 a.m. be that unusual?
The Relay Lot is a common place for many of the activities that occur in Mantorville. Maybe a gentle reminder that the use of the Relay Lot has been provided for other community activities free of charge. A single camper parked on that lot is much less intrusive than many of the other activities that occur there. That lot is our "gathering place".
The questions about what time to end an event and what type of music/lyrics should be played is a difficult topic to address. It would seem appropriate that the lyrics be PG in nature, however that does not mean all citizens will agree to the type of music being played. Variety is the spice of life. There are several outdoor events that occur in Mantorville to name a few; Beetles Bash, Marigold Days, Old Tyme Days, and the Rendezvous. Do all citizens enjoy the sound of cannons being blasted at 8:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning? No, however, as a community people here should take pride in the variety of activities that occur and be supportive of all events even if they are not their "cup of tea". Some activities will begin earlier in the day than some may prefer and some may end later in the day than what others will prefer. Just think about the number of people that are drawn into this town because of the activities that occur here. This fund-raiser brought in many out-of-town people that spent money in Mantorville, not just at the Saloon. This is good for business and in turn is good for the community.
The sheriffs department was present during most of the evening. Had there been a need for crowd control law enforcement was there to handle it. There was also a designated driver for anyone who should not have driven home that night. Much organization was put into this event in order to make it fun and safe for everyone.
To address the comments made by Mayor Nash... "The city needs to meet with the fund raiser and someone from the (Mantorville) Saloon. They have a whole year to modify their plan and eliminate some of the problems. The complaints are valid and preventable." This event took place June 19th and to date no attempts have been made to speak with the coordinator or the Saloon. Wouldn't it seem reasonable for that conversation to take place prior to making those statements? How about addressing the issues and stating the resolution versus making statements without talking to the individuals? Had someone taken the time to talk with the Saloon or the coordinator it would have been known that the stage had been set-up inside the saloon, but the band set-up outside and insisted on playing there. The issues could have been resolved by now. The statements in this article should not have been made without speaking to the coordinator and the Saloon.
The following statement is one that truly is out of line. "They need to make a living too but not at the inconvenience of most citizens." This event is not about "making a living". It is a fundraiser in honor of a life long resident ofMantorville who lost her battle to pancreatic cancer. Last year about $2200.00 was raised for the American Cancer Society and $1340 to purchase a swing set. A little boy in Kasson has been enjoying having that swing set for the past year. This year about $ 2500.00 was raised for the American Cancer Society. Granted it may appear the Saloon had opportunity for financial gain from this event, it did however put money into supporting it.
Finally the statement... "inconvenience of most citizens" Many citizens were there having a good time. "Most citizens" seems a bit exaggerated. The "inconvenience" is much like how other citizens feel when activities go on that do not appeal to them. We have a block or two closed down for some events, to me that is an inconvenience. But, it is for a community activity, so I say, "It is all good". Lets be out there interacting with each other and having fun! We can set some parameters on the time when events should start and end. The bands that perform can also be told to use appropriate language. Shouldn't these two items be the real issues here?
Just remember, business can give back to the community when the business has the income to do so. Drawing additional people to town does benefit the community.
Mantorville is one of the most active little communities in this state. It is amazing the diversity of activities in which one can participate. A lot is to be said for a community that rallies together for a good cause. I hope you all can keep that frame of thought in mind when making decisions regarding future events in this fine town.

Sherry Thoren

Standing Room only

2010-07-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

Irish airline carrier Ryanair is looking at standing room only on the airline for as little as $6 a flight. They are looking at taking out 10 rows of seats for standing room only and the other 15 rows on select flights.
I would have only two problems with that. Number one, I would hope it is a short flight. Number two, It better be a smooth flight with no turbulence. It could be like a stand-up amusement ride at Valley Fair (if they have such a thing) or riding a packed light rail train after a Twins game.
I presume you would not have to listen to the "fasten seat belt" instructions by the flight crew either. So much for safety concerns. Let's save a buck.
Just think! If a one way airline flight is $6, that would be about the same price as an inflight can of beer. Quite a comparison, right?