County dive team is a cooperative gem
In Chisago County an underwater emergency will trigger the call-out of a hybrid group. They hail from a number of area fire departments and are all first responders, who have seen a need for their skills. With the support of their departments, they’ve built their own Unit. The Dive Team goes out on frozen waters, in fast-moving rivers and even water filled ditches. When an underwater submersible vessel failure that proved fatal, shook the world recently; you can bet there local dive team members had more than a passing interest in that turn of events. Chisago County Dive Team members agonized with what searchers were going through responding to that ill fated, heart-stopping excursion to view the Titanic
Franconia internet system enhanced funding is approved
Another chunk of broadband enhancement financial aid was approved by the County Board last week. The commissioners have divided up the millions of dollars in economic recovery funds the county received, for certain uses and a pot of about $2 million was established for helping to install costly equipment in “under served” internet areas. The plan was that local governing units would work with broadband providers for local projects.
Taylors Falls Council OK’s cabinet shop; 6 p.m. start
The former industrial use building, in Taylors Falls on Chisago Street, just a block or so out of downtown, heading north on #16 along the river, has found a new life. The Taylors Falls City Council approved a Conditional Use Permit for Lakes Area Cabinets to set up shop. Owners MaryAnn and Shawn Morley say the business has outgrown a pole building they’ve been using for over a dozen years in Chisago City, and this structure fits their needs ideally.
Stacy store changes hands after 52 years
Anyone with an imagination would be forgiven for describing the interior of Stacy Do It Best Hardware Store as giving off a church vibe; with its hypnotically long center aisle leading past a symmetrical, but mind-boggling, display of merchandize. A small office space, off to your left, is where timecards were tabulated, orders finalized and the day’s deposits created. So efficiently-sized it requires a visitor to turn sideways to seat themself at the one desk. Dark plywood-covered walls are the backdrop for multiple plaques recognizing the store’s sales records for Stihl, Snapper, Polaris, Husqvarna and other brands. And the obligatory trophy walleye mount guards the door.
North Branch Police searching for vandal in disturbing graffiti case
A disturbing message appeared spray painted on a residential garage door early this week, and North Branch authorities are looking for leads.
Wyoming P.D. to get car cams
The City of Wyoming is quickly finding ways to utilize the legislative aid going out to cities and counties for public safety expenses. (See listing below.) The council agreed unanimously to direct staff to develop a contract activating a Reserve Cadet Officer program.
Lindstrom bans public cannabis use, Akerson project gets green light
The use of cannabis products in public spaces in Lindstrom was banned last week, by a unanimous vote of the city council (Council member Krueger attending via Internet.) The parks ordinance Chapter 130 is now amended to include cannabis of all shapes and forms. Signage will be posted in obvious locations. The violation is a petty misdemeanor and subject to a fine but does not carry jail time.
Water & Light considers hiring chairman for ballot marketing campaign
The chair of the North Branch Water & Light utility commission last week was awarded the job of developing a visual theme and messaging package for the upcoming municipal utility referendum. The proposal was the only professional services offer sought or received by the utility commission.
Postcard survey; return and express your preference on County Fair site relocation
Postcards mailed to over 2,300 addresses in the immediate Rush City area, seeking feedback on redeveloping the county fairgrounds, are beginning to be returned with responses.
East Central Regional Library budgetary needs explained explained
The library system is seeking a four percent increase in its budget for 2024 mostly to accommodate usage growth. Data for the system show 32 percent of Chisago County residents are in possession of a library card. Other member counties are as low as seven percent. The number two county is Isanti with 22 percent of its residents attached to a library card.
Farm Family of the Year is two-generational
The May Family has side-by-side farmsteads south of Rush City; one that they settled in the mid-1980s and the smaller one was established by son Jason soon after he finished schooling.
North Branch joins other local cities in conserving water
The City of North Branch has adopted a drought response and is restricting outdoor water use and encourages residents to conserve indoor water consumption too.
Ki-Chi-Saga Days Grand Marshal is Donna Colberg
It’s been a while, but there was a time when the Chisago Lakes area enjoyed the benefits of a number of very civic-minded lady entrepreneurs. Shining examples of leadership emanated from the female head of the plastics manufacturing enterprise in Lindstrom, a female was calling the shots at Corey Oil Company, while down the highway the Rainbow Cafe, a community hub, had a woman at the lead. And in Chisago City Donna Colberg was behind the curtain of many town doings, alongside her husband, running Chisago Lakes Distributing and leaving her imprint on town history.
North Branch classifies cannabis in public places as on par with alcohol, tobacco
North Branch’s public spaces are not where you want to go to enjoy your recreational cannabis. The city council last week agreed to include all cannabis products, and this means edibles too, in city ordinance outlawing certain activities in parks, trails, public shelters. etc.
Taylors Falls wades into four hour meeting
The City of Taylors Falls one year ago placed a moratorium on low dose, hemp derived products being sold in town. With the moratorium scheduled to expire August 13 2023— the council Monday Aug. 14 was poised to take action adopting a new ordinance specific to low dose, hemp derived products.
North Branch School Board gets end-of-summer update
The work doesn’t stop over the summer months for many in school district administration positions, including the superintendent.
Budget discussions conclude Lindstrom fire hall not to completion point yet
The Lindstrom Council met last week for a special budgeting workshop session and the agenda included an agreement amending terms with the contractor on the fire hall project.
Wyoming City Council briefs...
As a city with a population in excess of 1,000 persons, the City of Wyoming has been included in a statewide drought response order. Council voted last week that citizens on city water must not use water on their lawns, etc. until further notice. People with private wells are not impacted.
Franconia request for internet tabled for fund use specifics
Due to what county commissioners felt was an incomplete application —Franconia Township will not receive the $200,000 sought from the county to provide enhanced Internet service in certain township areas. A cooperative broadband installation using wireless technology was proposed in partnership with Hometown Internet.
Taylors Falls hearing August 14 to clarify hemp businesses
Amidst the turmoil happening in Taylors Falls in the fall of 2022; with the clerk in the throes of a prolonged departure, a breach of data investigation underway, uncertainty of anyone seeking re-election, and unpredictable staff loss— Taylors Falls city council put a halt on hemp derived product sales, that was totally forgotten. The council adopted the moratorium for one year effective when it was published, as of August 2002. This moratorium expires in August 2023, but there’s a related problem the mostly new council is wrestling with. A business opened that appears to have happened in violation of the moratorium.
Jail demo soon, more docks for Center City
The planned demolition of the old county jail officially got off to a soft start as the monument on the jail site, that identified the private company formerly located there, was moved across the street. The marker was shifted to a private residential parcel and Center City council heard last week the property owners are happy to be part of the marker preservation.
North Branch Council starts 2024 budget-setting debate
They say the longest journey begins with the first steps, and North Branch Council met in a workshop session recently to start their budget journey for setting next year’s property taxes.
Lindstrom, Wyoming have active water use restrictions in place
The larger cities in the readership area are activating various water use restrictions, due to Chisago County being included in a drought response area alert from the Department of Natural Resources. The restrictions are basically applied to cities of 1,000 population and over.
No-go on referendum education, yet
The North Branch Water & Light Commission July 19 lightly grazed the topic of fashioning a campaign to educate the public on the November utility referendum. Members took no direct action to start any outreach. The City of North Branch is prohibited from being involved in a ballot promotion but the utility may pursue mailings, videos, digital propaganda etc. The consensus was to review the role of the utility more, in the commission’s August meeting.
North Branch will not get funds for culvert blowout
When is a culvert under a city street part of a public ditch system, and when is it part of city infrastructure? This was the quandary at the heart of a quest by the City of North Branch for $78,000 from the Chisago County Ditch Authority.
Public outreach to combat fraud all part of Sheriff’s workday
Chisago County Sheriff Brandon Thyen doesn’t have to visit senior citizen communities and spread the word about how not to become a victim of fraud; but he does it because knowledge is power.
Lindstrom Council asks advisors to bring model ordinance language on marijuana issues to next meeting
The Lindstrom municipal law firm sent their marijuana statute specialist to the Lindstrom City Council meeting last week to have “the talk” that many other cities have had.
North Branch sets utility vote for Nov. 7
There will be a referendum for North Branch citizens to vote on dissolving the municipal utility commission Water & Light, and making the water systems fully a city enterprise.
Center City sees revitalization
Center City is undergoing a level of revival with plans approved by council for re-use and improvements at the old Grand Avenue motel site, and rehab efforts beginning to take obvious shape at the 100-year-old big brick structure on main street. Owner Kevin Kirvida told council he acquired this building about three years ago and most of what he’s been doing has been related to structural integrity. Tuckpointing, new windows and cleaning of the exterior are moving along, but council was approached about tapping into municipal sewer.
In pursuit of North Branch’s housing history
Have you ever driven or walked past a cool old house and wondered what its story is? Who lived there? Who built it? What did members of the founding household do for a living, where did they come from? Well, Kyle Johnson of North Branch has wondered about those thing, and decided to put his musings into action.
Police commission members put expenses for funding lobbyist in budget; half still question new facility
Two newly-seated members of the four-person Lakes Area Police Commission representing the City of Lindstrom tried to put the brakes on budgeting for keeping a new police facility on track; but ultimately the lobbyist expense and funding for temporary measures to maintain functionality in the old police space, were approved.
Injured man recovering after seamless rescue effort in Franconia
Training, preparation, special equipment and teamwork all came together seamlessly, in the successful rescue July 19 of a 74-year-old male who was injured when he fell off a bluff while walking his property just south of the Osceola Bridge, on the Minnesota side of the St. Croix River.
Wyoming Council looks at 72 unit building
A proposal for a 72 unit apartment building in Wyoming got a thumbs-up from city council, with member Dennis Schilling absent last week. In a re-scheduled July 4th council session held July 5, the ReuterWalton housing development group sought a resolution in support of the apartment project, as part of an extensive tax credits application that goes to the MN housing finance agency. The annual state allocation for developments has a late July deadline, with winning projects announced at the end of 2023. If all goes as planned the project will be constructed October 2024 into later in 2025.
Legislative session recap paints productive picture
It took some time to comb through the outcomes of the busy legislative session that ended in May. Judging from what has been presented by the Minnesota Inter County Association to the County Board and by the Association of MN Counties or AMC— the session was “historic” and in a good way. The high note is that the legislature finished its work on time and lawmakers did not need a “special session” for the first time since 2013.
Marijuana would-be retailers making their hopes known
The war of the marijuana dispensaries has begun in Taylors Falls.
Chisago County board briefs...
In action last week the Chisago County Board: ~ Set a public hearing to consider a request from the City of North Branch looking for assistance in paying for work done in the city along public ditch #7. The county commissioners must convene as the “Ditch Authority” to spend money out of ditch revenues. The hearing is at the county government center at 6:30 p.m. July 19.
Taylors Falls leaving lot downtown on the market, for now
In other business (besides lengthy discussions about the future of cannabis shops in town, ) the Taylors Falls City Council:
New P.D. gets little support in council budget workshop
It started as a budget-setting workshop for Lindstrom City Council, in the early stages of writing next year’s property tax levy. But last week’s informal discussions veered into a vote of no confidence for the long-sought new public safety facility.
Improvements at county facility designed to boost recycling efforts; open to the public
In creating a disposal facility and recycling program for small generators who normally may have thrown unwanted products in their household trash—Chisago County was an innovator in 2000. Research was showing over 20 years ago that paints, solvents, cleaners and waste yard chemicals were polluting the environment even in small amounts.
Wyoming Council meets; holds memorial groundbreaking
The city of Wyoming won’t be seeing a couple of apartment buildings go up on the freeway side of Heims Lake— but there will be a new building toward the east side of the city on Hwy. 8.
County names opioid advisory group; meeting schedule set
A cross section of the county has stepped forward to serve on an advisory council that will decide over the next two years how to spend money distributed through settlements in lawsuits, alleging opioid over-prescription and flawed narcotics marketing. The corporate entities involved in this monetary settlement were Johnson & Johnson, McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen.
Fire hall new finish date set for August
The plan was to try and get the new Lindstrom Fire Station open in time for 2023 Karl Oskar Days...but in last week’s project update Lindstrom Council was advised not to expect a move in date until August.
Highway 8 thank yous
The fellowship hall at Lord of Lakes Church was filled with various local public safety and elected officials, state lawmakers, and others who came together last week for a coffee and cookie reception and an update on Highway 8.
Health ranking for county improved
The national “County Health Rankings” are released by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, around this time each year. As a program supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the rankings use comparable data on factors related to human health, for ranking counties from best to worst.
County board updates priorities in budget workshop
When politicians vote to spend money, they are expressing priorities. An example of the balancing act required to navigate the county budget was the discussion at the last Budget and Finance Committee of the whole County Board.
Water and Light reviews referendum scheduling
There were just three of the five Water & Light commissioners at the June 7 meeting in North Branch and discussion yielded little direction deciding the life expectancy of the utility.
North Branch council wrestles with newest work holiday
North Branch City Council met in a special closed session prior to last week’s regular council meeting for a confidential discussion of the Juneteenth holiday. The city was taking some heat for not “recognizing” the newly-declared national and state employee holiday. A grievance was filed with the union representing North Branch staff; alleging they were being deprived of contractual rights not having this holiday added to their normal holiday pay/hours.
Wyoming Police make arrest in June 22 pedestrian fatality
Wyoming Police are not yet identifying the 51-year old female pedestrian who was struck by a vehicle and died Thursday night about 10:25 p.m. Police say preliminary information is that the victim, who is from St. Paul, and the suspect, a 37 year old male from Wyoming, believed to have been operating the vehicle that struck her, were involved in a domestic incident earlier in the day. Authorities apprehended the suspect after he called to meet with police officers at his residence.
Last of local PFAS testing
The Minnesota Health Department has been overseeing testing for PFAS chemicals in community water systems for years, and Center City was recently reminded that its system is one of a few that haven’t been sampled for these “forever chemicals.” The city council had the testing issue on the agenda last week and opted to table it for more information. (Council member Ryan Pease absent.)
Midco broadband build-out gets boost
The City of Wyoming and Chisago Lake Township were granted funds last week from the county’s $10.9 million total Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery (ARPA) monies to enhance Internet in those two areas.