MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE HILLS CITY COUNCILAUGUST 8, 2006 – 6:00 P.M.Mayor Jim Jellema called the meeting to order with the following council members present: Jim Jellema, Keith Elbers, Pete Hoff, Ross Metzger, and Linus Svoboda. Employees present: Joanne Goehle, City Treasurer; Connie Wiertzema, City Clerk; and Wayne Ward, City Maintenance. Guests: Dean Goettsch-Exchange State Agency; and Lexi Moore-Hills Crescent. Motion by Metzger, seconded by Elbers to approve the minutes of July 11th. Motion carried.Motion by Elbers, seconded by Hoff to approve the July expenditures: General $11,591.06; Park $2,482.41; Fire $8,579.85; Street $3,783.50; Legion $522.36; Sewer $1,261.92; Garbage $3,267.57; Recycling $557.30; Water $4,648.52; Baseball $62.51; Softball $213.80. Motion carried.General Checking 132,439.58General Fund CD#18924, 3.55%, 6/9/05 (prev. #18614) 205,445.94General Fund CD#19056 (prev. #188764) 4.25%, 9/15/06 124,865.21Fire Truck Replacement CD#19200, 4.150%, 12/9/06 3,061.74Hills EDA Checking – Acct. #1248 3,127.44EDA CD#18870, 3.25%, 5/7/06 78,108.74EDA CD#19293 (prev. CD#19164) 4.5%, 2/14/07 35,713.74EDA CD#19165, 4.25%, 11/15/06 140,924.47#2 Fire Truck Replacement CD#19385, 4.5%, 3/24/07 5,000.00Motion by Metzger, seconded by Hoff to refund utility deposits to Robin Schuelke; Thomas Ranfranz; and Brian Steffan. Motion carried.Wayne Ward informed the Council of changes in Janis’ Medicare prescription insurance premiums, in that the premium will be paid directly from Janis’ Social Security check. Also, that Wayne’s group health insurance will increase effective October 1st; and in March of 2007 he will be eligible for Medicare insurance supplements. Fall junk pickup is scheduled for September 23rd.Discussions regarding water pressure problems at Neil Bly’s residence; and the replacement of a curb-stop for Ross Metzger.Motion by Elbers, seconded by Hoff to notify property owners of junk and/or unlicensed vehicles; also properties with vehicle parts and components. Property owners will have 30 days in which to have the vehicles or vehicle parts removed from their property, or placed inside an enclosed building. Dean Goettsch appeared at the meeting to review the City and Fire Department’s insurance policy. Motion by Elbers, seconded by Svoboda to waive the monetary limits on tort liability. Building and content insurance will increase by 6.25%. The 1977 IHC tanker truck will be removed from the policy. No other changes in the policy.Elbers informed the Council of Paul and Brenda Scott’s plans to construct a handicap accessible entry ramp to the front of their café. Elbers will request Scott’s to submit a drawing of their plans.The Council reviewed updated correspondence from Rock County Land Management pertaining to tires stacked outside, and the concern for health risks. The Council agreed to allow Rock County Land Management to monitor this matter. The Council reviewed a list of properties that were notified to cut their weeds and long grass. The Clerk was instructed to send correspondence regarding the same to additional properties.City maintenance will be instructed to maintain the weeds on the baseball field, around the American Legion building, and at Centennial Park, in the same manner in which the city park and softball field are maintained. Discussion on the ATV/golf cart ordinance was tabled. The Council approved to hire Bonnie Sundem, Karen Soehl, and Coleen Martens as election judges for the primary and general elections. Due to the primary election, the September regular meeting of the Hills City Council is rescheduled for Wednesday, September 13th at 6:00 P.M.Motion by Svoboda, seconded by Metzger, to renew the assessment contract with the Rock County Land Records Office, at the proposed increase of five percent per year, effective January 2007 through December 2009.The Council proposed the special assessment for the sidewalk replacement along Main Avenue to be at 8% interest, for a term of 10 years, with the option to pay off the balance at any time. Property owners will be invited to attend the September meeting; with the terms to be finalized at the October meeting.Motion by Hoff, seconded by Elbers to approve Scott Harris’ building permit application for a fence. Motion carried. The Council accepted Harvey Gehrke’s proposal to replace and extend the roof on the concession stand at the softball field. The only cost to the City is for materials, as Gehrke is donating his labor. The Council agreed to hire Harvey Gehrke to replace the window frames and door of the softball field concession stand, to include labor and material costs. No further business, meeting adjourned at 8:09 P.M.Connie J. WiertzemaCity Clerk(8-17)

By John RittenhouseHills-Beaver Creek High School officials found an in-county resident to take over the head coaching position of the Patriots’ volleyball program this season.Mandy (Iveland) Kor, a 2000 Luverne High School graduate, will serve as a teacher and coach at H-BC this year.Kor replaces Kala Menning, who coached the Patriots for the last 12 matches of the 2005 season after Greg Leenderts resigned as the head coach eight matches into the campaign."I’m very excited about this," Kor said last Thursday."I was a little bit nervous at first because this is a head coaching position. Then I started working with the (H-BC) girls this summer, and now I couldn’t be more excited."Although this will be Kor’s first job as a head coach, she does have prior volleyball and coaching experienced.She entered Luverne’s volleyball program as a seventh-grader and remained involved through her junior year in high school.After graduating from LHS, Kor attended the University of Minnesota-Morris, graduating from the college in 2004.Kor coached junior high basketball in Hancock during her first two years at college, then served as a varsity assistant coach at the same school as a junior and senior in college.Kor’s first teaching job came during the first quarter of the 2004-05 school year at Wadena-Deer Creek before her duties called as a member of the Army National Guard’s 434th Main Support Battalion.She was deployed to Kuwait from November 2005 to August of 2006 and returned to Luverne when her stint was complete.Kor served as a substitute teacher in Luverne, Edgerton and Adrian from September through December of last year. She then worked as a part-time employee in the Luverne Elementary School office the rest of the school year.She coached basketball at the elementary school level for the Luverne Community Education last winter, and helped coach Luverne’s Junior Olympics volleyball team last spring.Along with accepting the head volleyball coaching position at H-BC, Kor will serve as the school’s freshman-senior English teacher.Mandy and her husband, Shawn, an Army National Guard recruiter, are the parents of an 11-week-old daughter, Abigail.

I really miss the beginning of the school year. I was the type of kid who loved summer, but by mid-July I was secretly aching to get back to school.I missed the structure, the friends, the activities, the work, my teachers — everything about it.In high school, activities started at the beginning of August. Marching band practice would begin and we would have two basketball practices a day, four days a week. These days were grueling. I would be exhausted by 5 p.m. and sore, very sore, but I was happy to be back in the grind.The start of August also meant the start of my pleas to go school clothes and supplies shopping. Oh how I miss picking out the perfect folders and pencils. I would stand in the school supply aisle for what seemed to Mother like hours, trying to figure out which notebook would be best for my classes. Some years I chose the kind with five subjects in one nice spiral package, other years I opted to color coordinate with my folders.Basically, I think I was a dork. No other children were bragging about their supplies or showing them off, but I would. When I would get home from the store, I would dump the bags of supplies out and spend days looking over the items I bought. I would pack and repack my backpack dozens of times in the days before school started.The best had to be getting school clothes. I was always growing, inches and inches at a time. So I inevitably needed new jeans and shoes in the fall, plus I was pretty hard on my clothes. They spent a good amount of time in balls at the bottom of my gym bag or shoved on the floor of dirty locker rooms.In August, my mother, my siblings and I would set out for new school gear. Sometimes we would travel to the cities (saving money on the tax-free clothing options), but most of the time we would hit discount stores. We usually would have two trips to get everything we needed and my mother always insisted that we go in with a plan.She was very adamant about all of the clothing matching. She wanted us to be able to mix and match our new stuff – getting what in her opinion was more bang for the buck.Most shopping trips included some tears, either because we couldn’t get something we wanted, we didn’t fit into the sale items or because the shopping had ended for the year. But the tears would quickly disappear, because when we would return home we got to play dress up. Outfit after outfit would come off the hanger or out of the bag to be tried on for the family. We would make my father check out the new digs and my mother would start adding up the savings of each item. Clearance and sale purchases were always encouraged.It was so much fun and everything looked so nice. Following the fashion show, my new clothing would get hung up and put in a special area of the closet. I wouldn’t wear any of the new items until school started. My siblings usually would put on their new stuff to show off to friends, but not me. The clothes would just hang there waiting, taunting me with their bright colors and creased seams.As the days of summer became fewer, my excitement would mount. I even remember several years where I would start my "school year" bedtime two weeks in advance. I would be in bed at 8:30, even though the sun was still out and my friends and brothers were still awake. I was just that excited for everything to start.The night before the first day of school, I wouldn’t even sleep. Again I would go to bed early, but within a few hours I would be up repacking that backpack with my supplies, perhaps making a last minute pencil or pen substitution.In college my love for the start of the school year grew even more intense. Now instead of having to buy just school supplies and clothing, you actually got to go buy your books. I love bookstores and the university bookstore is like a Mecca of greatness to me.I would wander the aisles looking for the books I needed, spend a good amount of time sifting through the used copies trying to find the cleanest version available. Oh, how I miss those days – they were expensive books, but I loved buying them.If it weren’t for my job at the Crescent, I probably wouldn’t even know when school starts and I certainly don’t have any reason to buy supplies for the new school year. I can’t remember the last time I could successfully justify a shopping trip for a new wardrobe that would mix and match.So my advice to the children of the area, enjoy these weeks. Not because they are your last before returning to the dreaded classroom, but because eventually they go away. When your school years are finished, summer will no longer be a vacation – it will be nothing more than a season.Story ideas or comments can be e-mailed to Lexi Moore at lexim@star-herald.com or called in at 962-3561.

10 years ago (1996)"Gregg Ebert and Randy Feucht will fish in the finale of a summer’s worth of fishing tournaments this weekend. The pair will fish in Pierre, S.D., for the state championship of the U.S. Team Walleye Series." 25 years ago (1981)"Jane Sandager left Friday for an extended stay in the East. Her first stop will be in Tanzania where she will visit the Lee Sandagers. Then she will go to South Africa to see friends and spend some time with the Fraser Nortons (Joyce Sandager). She will end up in Madagascar where she will be teaching English in a seminary at Fianarantsoa, expecting to be away at least one year." 50 years ago (1956)"At a periodical barber test held in St. Paul last week, Bud Hoogeveen passed his test with flying colors and is now owner of the Hills barber shop, having taken over as of Monday morning. Bud has been working as an apprentice of D.S. Walter, long-time Hills barber who has been wanting to retire for several years."75 years ago (1931)"Last Monday afternoon at four o’clock 10 young ladies were invited to the Hills Co-operative creamery by Manager Fritz Lehmberg, and it was one hilarious time for nearly two hours.The purpose of the gathering was to show the girls a jolly time and at the same time let the young folks get better acquainted with pasteurized milk, and all had their pictures taken with each girl holding a quart bottle of milk. Fritz had secured the services of Rudy Funk to take the pictures. … The pictures will be printed in a magazine with a national circulation.Those at the doings were Elaine Nerison, Volga Lehmberg, Carol Hanson, Kathryn Herreid, Anna Mae Johnson, Genevieve Hemphill, Alice Goodwin, Adeline Nelson, Eleanor Nickel and Rossella Tuff." 100 years ago (1906)"County Attorney C. Christopherson, by the request of County Auditor Bruce, has given an opinion that women can vote for superintendent of schools at the primary election. This conflicts with the opinion of Attorney General E.T. Young but the Crescent considers it a very reasonable and just one and heartily agrees with Attorney Christopherson."

Lucy Mae Cupery, 64, Beaver Creek, died Thursday, Aug. 10, 2006, at Sioux Valley Luverne Hospice Cottage in Luverne. Funeral services were Saturday, Aug. 12, at First Presbyterian Church in Beaver Creek. Burial was in Beaver Creek Cemetery, Beaver Creek.Lucy Cupery was born to Charles and Plona (Verhey) Cupery on March 8, 1942, in Friesland, Wis. Her family moved to Beaver Creek when she was one year old. She was raised in Beaver Creek and graduated from Beaver Creek High School. Following her education she began working for Raven-Aerostar Industry in September 1967 and worked there for 39 years. She lived throughout her life with her mother in the same house where she was raised. She was diagnosed with cancer in September 2005. Ms. Cupery was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Beaver Creek. She enjoyed gardening, cooking, baking for others, crafts and walks around Beaver Creek.Survivors include her mother, Plona Cupery, Beaver Creek; and two siblings, Charlotte (Barry) Buddi, Omaha, Neb., and John (Karla) Cupery, Fort Collins, Colo. Ms. Cupery was preceded in death by her father. Hartquist Funeral Home, Engebretson Chapel, Luverne, was in charge of arrangements.

Sixteen youngsters gathered Saturday at Rez Park to take in the contest along with some 10 parents. Cody Fox of New Ulm presented the Minniaqua Program sponsored by the State along with the Sports Boosters which includes members from Beaver Creek, Hills and Steen. Cody explained to the kids the different kinds of fish. The kids tried their luck at pulling them in and caught small crappies, perch and bullheads which were mostly turned back into the water. A good time was had by all.Mae Top and Fae Aukes visited their cousins, Kenneth and Frances Lutz, in Sioux Falls Wednesday. Friday Fae left to visit friends in the Wheaton area. Wilmer and Betty Elbers attended the Boeve family gathering Saturday afternoon at Pipestone City Park. In the evening they attended the 50th wedding anniversary of Henry and Marlys Van Aartsen at Okoboji, Iowa.Chuck and Rheta DeBoer enjoyed dinner together Sunday with Jeremy and Rachel Van Beek of Doon, Iowa. Last week Chuck and Rheta spent the week in Rapid City, Iowa, with their daughter and husband, the Rev. David and Bonnie Fragery and family.Edyth and Don Briggs left for Springfield, Ill., on Aug. 3. Along the way they made stops in Marshalltown, Cedar Rapids and Dubuque, Iowa, and Galena and Moline, Ill., before reaching Springfield. They attended the Grand Session of the Universal Craftsman Council of Engineers. On Wednesday, Aug. 9, they had tours of the new Lincoln Museum, the Lincoln home, and the old State Capital Building. Thursday Don was installed as the Grand Chaplain of the group for the ensuing year. They returned home Friday, Aug. 11. Stacey Bommersbach and girls of Detroit, Mich., and Kent Kolsrud and girls of Sioux Falls brought noon lunch Wednesday to the home of Alice Kolsrud and enjoyed their meal together.Maxine Lorence and Janet Slater, Minneapolis, came Friday to spend until Saturday in the home of their aunt, Evelyn Rogness. Friday they helped Evelyn celebrate her 92nd birthday.The John Sandager family of Colorado Springs, Colo., the Jim Sandager family of West Des Moines, Iowa, the Mark Sandager family of Hills, the Daryl and Jane Schubert family and Fran Sandager spent all of last week vacationing at Lake Ida near Alexandria.Alan and Bonnie Leenderts and Tracie Brower and children visited in the Aric Leenderts home at Rosemount. Saturday they went to Thomas Train at Stillwater.

Once again Steen is on the map for its superior softball team. This past weekend the Steen fast pitch softball team played the national tourney for bragging rights and walked away with 4th place out of 33 teams.They played both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday started out a little rough as they lost their first game 7-1. The second game they started out behind 4-0 but held their own and pulled off the win 12-4. The third game was 9-2 in favor of Steen and just enough to move them onto the next round on Sunday.The day started early for the Steen team on Sunday morning as they began play at 8 a.m. and played 5 games back to back until 5:30 p.m. We would like to congratulate the Steen softball team on their wonderful season!The Steen team would like to invite everyone out to the Labor Day tournament held at the Steen Ball Field. It should be a great weekend of non-stop softball.Monday evening marked the opening of the Steen Back-to-School Sale. The Steen City Hall buzzed as many area families and Steen residents made their way to check out the great back to school deals. The kids enjoyed the free pop and popcorn as moms and dads rummaged through the countless pieces of clothing. A thank you to all those who helped by donating clothing items and to the ladies who organized the clothing! A reminder that the sale runs yet today and Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.In other Steen city news, applications for the mayor’s race and two city council seats are being taken until Sept. 2. If you wish to run for any of these positions, submit your name to Robert Sandbulte along with $2. You must be 18 years of age and a Steen resident to run.Last Thursday afternoon Jonny and Marlys Hovland of Rapid City visited Melvin and Jo Ann Paulsen. They all had dinner together in Brandon before they went their separate ways.Friday John Sandbulte moved to Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, where he will be attending school and playing football; practices started this Monday. He also officially signed with the National Guard last Wednesday and will be doing drills once a month and going through basic training camp next summer.Dana Beyenhof, a National Guard member, will return home from basic training this weekend after spending his summer in Fort Sill, Okla.Sunday afternoon Jo and Joyce Aykens headed to Orange City where they had dinner with Paul and Carol, Andrea; Susan Veldkamp, Vince and Laurie Kurtz and their two little girls. They had a wonderful time together and visited late into the afternoon.We want to wish Jette Jess a happy birthday as she turned another year older on Tuesday. She had an unexpected birthday surprise as she was taken by ambulance to the Luverne hospital after falling out of a tree house. Everything checked out all right, and she was able to go right home! It’s a birthday she will not soon forget.In Hospital News:Marlene De Yager was returned home last Wednesday after she had surgery at the Sioux Valley Luverne Hospital on Monday. She is doing much better and glad to be home.Cole Angelo of Steen had same day eye surgery on Tuesday morning at the Sioux Valley hospital to fix two nerves in his right eye. All went well and he’ll be back to normal very soon.In Church News:Wednesday evening the ladies of the Steen Reformed Church threw Melody Dengler a baby shower in celebration of the birth of Addiline Faith Dengler.Tonight forty members of the Steen church will serve at the Banquet in Sioux Falls.A reminder that next week Wednesday is the Steen Summer Carnival. Plenty of games, food and fun for everyone! See you there!If you have anything that you would like to have placed in the Steen News, contact Brian Dengler @ 855-2232 or by e-mail @ knowgrowshow@hotmail.com.

How often has each of us seen something happen while with another person and, much to our disappointment, we each come away from the event with a different recollection? The total effect of our life experiences creates in each of us a lens through which we observe what goes on around us. This lens focuses our attention on particular aspects of what we see. Society passes principles and values to future generations through customs, traditions and rituals that mold this lens through which we view our lives and shape our opinions. Throughout history, cultures have passed their family values to future generations by these means.I was raised with humor and that is probably why I see everything through a lens with a googlie eyeball on a spring with a big fake nose attached. Traditions pass from generation to generation, with each one adding their own special touch or enhancement. Family traditions are proven to establish and reinforce a strong sense of identity in your children. They can convey humor and yet instill qualities you value. I feel that a lot of problems with the youth of today are that families are too busy to share, continue or start traditions. Some of these customs are a creature of a different breed that you need to be in the family to understand but they are important nonetheless. Think back to a story or memory that your grandparents told you. Pass it along, no matter how trivial it may seem. That is how traditions start. There is no time like the present. On my dad’s side of the family, the Sebesta side (yes, weatherman Jerrid on KDLT is my cousin), there is a story that has passed from age to age. My children know it like the backs of their hands and I cannot wait for the day when our grandson, Gage, is old enough to recount it to him. I can remember, like it was yesterday, my Grandpa Tweed telling me this story. It is a very precious memory for me and today I would like to share it with you. Feel free to use it as you see fit. Maybe it can start a new tradition in your family.Why Dogs Sniff Other Dogs’ Tails: It seems one day, long ago, God decided to throw a party for all the dogs in the world to thank them for their loyal spirits and for being man’s best friend. God wanted this to be a nice party. He got to thinking of how dog tails have a way of wagging wildly at happy occasions and drinks could be spilled. Some of the tails were quite long and, as this was before cropping caught on, every dog had one. Also, dogs are not known for being sweet smelling. He decided that all dogs should check their tails at the door, much like how humans check their coats at a fancy party. A wall was equipped with tail hanging hooks and as the dogs came in, their tails were hung in no particular order. So this marvelous party was going on for all the canines and they were all there. Even dogs are smart enough to know that when God invites you to a party, you go.The festivity was in full swing, the music was playing, and the dogs were dancing. Everyone was having a wonderful time. All of a sudden someone came running from the kitchen and hollered ‘FIRE’! Mayhem broke out!Dogs were running everywhere! In the panic, as they all ran out the door, they each just grabbed any old tail off the wall. To this day they are looking for their own.Start a tradition today; don’t wait!Share your stories and close the gate. Story ideas or comments can be e-mailed to me at Nancy861@msn.com or please call me at 962-3411.

By Lori EhdeCaring for feet and toenails is a necessary part of personal health and hygiene, but for some people it can be difficult to tend to those lower extremities.Nurses at Sioux Valley Medical Center, Luverne, have noticed a need for foot and toenail services and are planning to start offering a "foot clinic" on a regular basis."There’s such a need for it," said RN Jamie Reisdorfer. "As people get older, their toenails get mycotic — or really thick — and are difficult to cut."She attended an inservice and clinicals two weeks ago on foot care so that she’s able to offer the specialized service.All nurses can trim toenails, but the certification will allow Reisdorfer and another nurse to offer more specialized care, "intermediate foot care," that can include nippers and a Dremmel tool.The clinic will include foot care education, assessment and toenail cutting."It targets our elderly population," Reisdorfer said. "It is especially helpful to the population that struggles trimming toenails due to their own health, trouble in reaching toes, or toenails that are too thick. We have been trained to cut the thick toenails. … There is a tremendous need for this."Most insurance companies do not cover the service, but Reisdorfer said most people are happy to pay the $25 fee for the foot care."You’ll pay $35 or more for a pedicure, so it’s not out of line," Reisdorfer said. "And we’re offering education besides."