Archery allowed in city limits

By Sara QuamLuverne now has an archery hunting area within the city limits.The ordinance amending city code to allow limited archery hunting was approved Tuesday night by the Luverne City Council.The archery area is south of the dam, across from the Boy Scouts camp area. It is between the dam and Interstate 90, bordered by the riverbed on the west. The 34.5-acre tract of land was purchased by the local Pheasants Forever chapter from Mike and Karen Mensen. The land was mostly in CRP, with some untillable wooded areas.Local governments will be paid payments in lieu of taxes now that it is turned over to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources as owners.The council said it would allow archery hunting in the Aquatic Management Area (similar to the more common Wildlife Management Areas) because archery hunting is close-range, usually from an elevated stand. The council felt that risk of injury to the public was minimal.The archery area was an idea started by a donation of land to Pheasants Forever by Margaret Keen. In order to get access to that donated land, Pheasants Forever purchased the Mensen property within the city limits. In other business Tuesday the council:
Introduced an ordinance that would allow the sale of city-owned property on East Main Street, formerly known as the Dunkle property.The appraised value is $21,200 and Marvin Cleppe has offered the city that amount in order to build a home and shop on that parcel. The building he intends to have constructed would be easily converted to some other business if he wanted to sell it later.The council only introduced this ordinance Tuesday and will adopt it at a later meeting. This delay in action will allow for public comment, if any, because it is the sale of public land. Cleppe will also have to be granted a conditional use permit because it is in the Downtown Zone.
Decided to be listed as the applicant for the Palace Theatre restoration grant with the Minnesota State Historical Society. Because the city is the actual owner of the building, administrator John Call is signing the application instead of Blue Mound Area Theater, the theater’s managing board. BMAT has plans to replace seating at a cost of nearly $100,000. The city of Luverne is matching any Historical Society grant up to $100,000, which BMAT says it will repay.