Law Library 9:00 A.M.Rock County Courthouse July 05, 2005Chair Hoime called the meeting to order with all Commissioners present.Motion by Boyenga, seconded by Jarchow, to approve the July 5, 2005, County Board agenda, declared carried on a voice vote.Motion by Wildung, seconded by Jarchow, to approve the June 21, 2005, County Board minutes and the June 13, 2005, Board of Equalization minutes, declared carried on a voice vote. Motion by Jarchow, seconded by Hoime, to approve the following items on the consent agenda, declared carried on a voice vote.1. Contact 4-05 with Keystone Treatment Center to provide Chemical Dependency Treatment services to eligible clients. Contract effective 7-1-05 to 12-31-05. 2. Amendment to Contract 108-2110-05 with Southwestern Mental Health Center to provide Emergency Crisis Line services. Amendment effective 6-1-05.3. Contract 14-1074-05 with Volunteers of America, Dakotas, to provide Chemical Dependency Treatment services to eligible clients. Contract effective 7-1-05 to 12-31-05.Mark Sehr, Engineer, requested final payment on (2) contracts: the Blue Mound Bike Trail $19,358.84 and Bridge L2148 over the Beaver Creek on CSAH 17 $239,472.00. Motion by Bakken, seconded by Wildung, to authorize final payments, declared carried on a voice vote. The Engineer presented quotes for a 15,000 cubic yard stockpile for road surfacing aggregate on the north half of the county: Henning Construction $2.90/cu. yd. and Ridell Construction $3.15/cu. yd. Motion by Boyenga, seconded by Bakken, to accept the quotes from Henning Construction, declared carried on a voice vote. Rock County was in receipt of a letter from Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) informing the County Board that the Capital Improvement Plan that was submitted will be approved in 90 days without review by the state. The County Board received notice that the State Auditor’s Office is reviewing health insurance provided by Service Cooperatives and the issues of how contractors are paid by both Blue Cross Blue Shield as well as the Service Cooperatives. Additional information is forthcoming. Gloria Rolfs, Auditor/Treasurer, presented the claims and per diems of $650.00; motion by Wildung, seconded by Jarchow, to pay the claims and per diems, declared on a unanimous vote. A complete listing of the claims is available at the Auditor/Treasurer’s office. General Revenue $ 31,010.42Family Services $ 98,390.79Road & Bridge $ 12,424.46Land Management $ 4,429.57Rural Water $ 8,344.50TOTAL $154,599.74Motion by Bakken, seconded by Boyenga, to approve the fund balance report, declared carried on a voice vote.Wendell Erickson, former Rock County Commissioner, stated that he and his wife Kathryn had attended the Capitol Centennial Garden ceremony on behalf of Rock County and that he had appreciated the opportunity to represent Rock County. The County Board was in receipt of the City of Luverne Tax Increment Financing report; no action was taken. The County Board was informed of the Regional Development Commission Annual meeting; no action was taken. The County Board discussed and commented on the joint powers agreements; motion by Wildung, seconded by Bakken, to endorse the new joint powers concept making Public Health and Community Corrections more autonomous and to continue to negotiate the final details with Nobles County, declared carried on a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Boyenga voting nay.Motion by Boyenga, seconded by Jarchow, to approve a 63-month lease for a postage machine and electronic scale at the Human Services building, declared carried on a voice vote. Motion by Jarchow, seconded by Wildung, to authorize up to $500.00 for the purchase of a refrigerator at the Courthouse, declared carried on a voice vote.The County Board was informed that a small grant had been received from Resource Conservation District for the railroad ties clean up project and that the paper work is forthcoming. Commissioner Bakken informed the County Board that he had been contacted by Gene Rozeboom of Pipestone County and he inquired as to how Rock County handled extension services as the Extension Agent position is vacant in Pipestone County. Commissioner Bakken stated that he provided a letter of response on his own behalf. With no further business to come before the County Board, meeting was declared adjourned. Ken Hoime, Chairman of the BoardATTEST:Kyle J. Oldre, Clerk to the Board(7-21)

It will be three months before the ice is in place at the Blue Mound Ice Arena, but there’s reason for area figure skaters to be excited right now.A new piece of equipment was installed at the indoor arena last week, and it will benefit the members of the Blue Mound Figure Skating Club this winter and well into the future.It’s called a jump harness, and it will be used as a training tool at the facility by club members and their instructors.According to BMFSC skating director Mary Tilstra, the jump harness will help take Luverne’s skating program to a higher level."It’s a step we needed to take to get our kids past the next barrier," she said.The harness, which was purchased from Jump-Ease, a company based in Minneapolis, will give students an opportunity to practice difficult maneuvers without the risk of getting hurt.With volunteer technical assistance from Verlyn Van Batavia and equipment from Gacke Construction, local volunteers Steve Schneekloth and sons, Brian and Wes, and Brian McCarthy and son David, attached brackets to the ceiling of the BMIA.The brackets serve as a support system for a cable that runs the short end of the building. A pulley system is attached to the cable, and one of two harnesses will be operational from the pulley system."It actually works as a bungee cord," Tilstra said. "The skaters will be attached to the harness, and they will be able to practice their jumps and spins without the fear of slamming into the ice."As members of the Ice Skating Institute, leaders of the local skating club have seen demonstrations of the jump harness at training seminars in the past. Club member Marian Schneekloth thought a harness would be an asset to Luverne’s skating program, and she took the initiative to work out a joint venture with the Luverne Optimist Club to bring a jump harness to the BMIA. The BMFSC and the LOC will share a bill of between $6,000 to $7,000 to complete the project. The piece of safety equipment can be used one of two ways. Skaters in the upper tiers of the program attach themselves to the harness and practice their maneuvers on their own. Another option will leave the instructors in control of the harness, which will help the younger skaters in the program with the timing aspect to their routines.All of the instructors will be trained on how to use the new piece of equipment by a representative of the Jump-Ease company when the ice is in place this fall.Once their training is complete, the local instructors will have a safety tool that could make the BMIA one of the best training facilities in this part of the state."We’re the only rink in the immediate area that has a jump harness," Tilstra said. "Our kids will be able to practice their jumps and spins without the fear of injury. Not only that, the status of our rink just went up one notch."Dream Team lives!As billed in last week’s column, the Dream Team (Rick Peterson, Don Bryan, Todd Oye and myself) made an appearance at the Luverne Country Club Monday night to compete in the Million Dollar Hole in One Shootout.I’m happy to report that half the team qualified for Saturday’s semifinals by striking shots that found the 10-foot circle from 130 yards away.Team captain Peterson and Oye didn’t get the job done.Mr. Peterson’s recent string of good luck appeared to run out when his 27 attempts at the target couldn’t find the mark. Although his swing wasn’t true on Monday, he should have received a consolation prize for his efforts. If there was a way to measure the distance of the turf he dug up during his qualifying attempts, I’m sure he would have compiled enough yardage to reach the target area.Mr. Oye entered the competition with a built-in excuse. Oye carded a career-low 85 (42-43) at the Bouix De Sioux Country Club (an 18-hole course with nine holes in Wahpeton, N.D, and nine more in my home town of Breckenridge) earlier in the day. The Luverne High School football coach simply didn’t have enough good swings left to qualify for the semifinals on Monday.Mr. Bryan, a man who once registered a hole in one at the LCC, placed three balls in the intended target area.Personally, I didn’t see any of his shots land in the circle, but I’m not surprised Bryan qualified for the semifinals. You all know what they say about bankers and the hours they keep. After witnessing Mr. Bryan’s sweet swing, I’m convinced he spends as much time playing golf at the LCC as he does crunching numbers at work.Adding bite to the phrase that even a blind squirrel will find an acorn every once in a while, the world’s worst golfer was fortunate enough to advance to Saturday’s semifinals.Like Bryan, I found the target area three times with 27 chances. Although the Hardwick banker was disgusted with my club selection, I was able to roll two balls into the circle with my 7-wood and one more with a 5-wood.Sorry, Don, but everyone can’t strike an iron as crisply as you do. But, you have to admit, there’s nothing wrong with being able to finesse a ball into a 10-foot circle from 130 yards away with any club.

We use the word "goodbye" on a daily basis, usually to sign off on a phone conversation or when leaving someone we’ll probably see the next week. When "goodbye" means something more long-term, the word can break our hearts. In order to save our hearts, we’ve come up with other words and phrases that mean the same thing but don’t seem so permanent. Example: So long, auf Wiedersehen, see you later, toodleloo, ciao, hasta la vista baby, etc. Still, they all mean that someone is leaving. I’ve noticed recently that there are hundreds of book titles and movies with "goodbye" (or some version thereof) in the title: "The Last Goodbye," "The Long Goodbye," "The Year of Impossible Goodbyes" "Farewell to Arms," "The Farewell Symphony," "Farewell to Manzanar," "So Long," "See You Tomorrow," "So Long Joey," and "So Long, and Thanks for the Fish" It so happens that a goodbye will be said next week on July 29, April’s last day as our children’s librarian. Eight years ago she came to work at the Rock County Library. Now, eight years later, with hundreds of story hours and thousands of children’s books under her belt, the time has come to say "hasta la vista." Our library patrons won’t be anxious to say "so long" to April and her friendly and accommodating personality. The staff is reluctant to say "toodles" to April and her creativity, energy, and dedication to children’s library services. But, things change, life goes on, new paths are taken and eventually the time comes to say, "later, man." When April departs, the other librarians have vowed not to sob hysterically and bang our heads on the check out desk. We will not look back with regret. We will hold our heads high and valiantly try to go on. As much as we will miss April, we all wish her happiness and success as she embarks on her new life. I personally will not use the word "goodbye," but I do want to say: April, "see you later alligator." I know you will want to come in to say "so long" to April, and you might want to check out a good book to take your mind off things. New on the shelf this week is "Breaking Point," by Suzanne Brockman. As commander of the nation’s most elite FBI counter terrorism unit, agent Max Bhagat leads by hard-driving example: pushing himself to the limit and beyond, taking no excuses, and putting absolutely nothing ahead of his work. That includes his deep feelings for Gina Vitagliano, the woman who won his admiration and his heart with her courage under fire. But when the shocking news reaches him that Gina has been killed in a terrorist bombing, nothing can keep Max from making a full investigation and retribution his top priority.At the scene of the attack, however, Max gets an even bigger shock. Gina is still very much alive but facing a fate even worse than death. Gina has fallen into the hands of a killer who is bent on using her to bait a deadly trap. His quarry? Grady Morant, a notorious ex-Special Forces operative turned smuggler who made some very deadly enemies in the jungles of Southeast Asia ... and has been running ever since.

The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on August 11, 1916. BIG ANNUAL ROYALTY FOR PATENT RIGHTSL.A McDowell Disposes of His Patent Rights in M. C. D. Spark Plug to Sioux City Firm$12,000 ANNUALLY FOR LIFE OF PATENT PAIDPurchasers are Coleman-Johnson Company, who Plan Big Increase in Sale of The Plugs.Under the terms of a deal consummated Friday, L.A. McDowell, of this city, disposed of the exclusive rights to manufacture and sell the M. C. D. spark plug in the United States to the Coleman-Johnson Brokerage Co., of Sioux City. The terms of the sale provide that the minimum amount of royalty that Mr. McDowell is to receive is $12,000 a year for the period covered by the patents on the invention. Mr. McDowell invented the spark plugs about five years ago, and since placing them on the market shortly thereafter has enjoyed a large demand for them, but considerable difficulty has been encountered in securing their manufacture in large enough quantities. The Coleman-Johnson company is now negotiating with the Campbell Motor Co., of Minneapolis, for the manufacture of the device, and under the arrangement being made this company guarantees to furnish the spark plugs in sufficient quantity to meet all demands. The Coleman-Johnson company is already promoting the sale of the plugs on an extensive scale, and according to word received Tuesday had secured orders for 15,000 of them from retail dealers.Donations to the Rock County Historical Endowment Fund can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, P.O. Box 741, Luverne, MN 56156.Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

Maybe it’s a compliment to be taken for granted. If that’s true, then city of Luverne residents are giving their local government a huge pat on the back year after year.Even in times of scary budget cuts, not many people showed concern that leaders would find a way to make it work.That was one thing I came away thinking after the special Luverne City Council visioning session Monday. While this Council didn’t establish everything that makes our city great to live in, the Council is dedicated to keeping the positive things we have.Consider all the things we take for granted the city will provide us: oFall leaf pick-up — Curbside vacuuming of raked leaves is above what I’d ever expect.oJunk days — We can get rid of things that don’t fit in our dumpsters. I don’t have to try to make a trip to the landfill with whatever I can fit in my Stratus.oGarbage and recycling — Other than the stable curbside service, having city-provided dumpsters is one part of this program that is nice, too. That means neighborhoods look tidy on garbage day without aluminum and various colored plastic bins lining the streets. oEvent help — The city of Luverne provides help and doesn’t get paid for special event work like Relay for Life and Hot Dog Night.I think city residents can be compared to spoiled children who finally realize how good we have it when we spend time in other cities — whether the cities are our size or not.We assume projects, such as the electric line burying or constant work to keep and draw businesses, will always be here.Those are things the city government doesn’t have to do, but does.Next up for this Council and city staff are things like: hiring an administrator, improving relationships with other governmental units, developing a campground and finding a use for the old hospital.Special meetings like the one Monday night keep the Council unified and help residents to look forward as well.

During the month of July 2005, Southwestern Minnesota Opportunity Council Inc. (SMOC) observes its 40th year of providing opportunities to the people and communities of Nobles, Rock, Pipestone and Murray Counties. Over the past 40 years SMOC has a proud history of providing services and opportunities in southwest Minnesota that net measurable outcomes for residents who want to become self-sufficient and contributing members of their communities. During this time, SMOC has forged lasting and mutually beneficial working partnerships with public and private organizations across our four county service area, such as county and city units of government, businesses, service organizations and other nonprofits. These partnerships are built on the principles of maximizing resources and limiting duplication of effort while providing opportunities to area residents. Additionally, SMOC has contributed to the economic development of the area as we engage numerous partners in the delivery of our services. Vendors and contractors of varied interests have assisted us and benefited from our work over the years.These combined efforts have produced many positive outcomes for our residents and their communities over these 40 years. Thousands of homes have been weatherized and rehabilitated which has reduced the blight and loss of housing stock in our communities. Our Head Start program has prepared thousands of children for K-12. SMOC Family Planning has served the health care needs of thousands of patients. SMOC Childcare Resource & Referral has assisted thousands of parents in finding childcare for their children, and has provided assistance to many childcare providers in improving their practices. The Energy Assistance Program has provided much needed help to so many who struggle to keep their families warm during our harsh winters. Transportation, emergency assistance and other programs have helped many families meet their most basic of needs over the years.Our success and longevity would not be possible without the support and help we receive from everyone in southwest Minnesota. SMOC will observe this occasion with a public open house from 2 to 5 p.m. on Monday, July 25, at its Worthington office. Program booths will be setup and staffed to answer your questions. Join us that day for refreshments and cake as we observe 40 years of "strengthening our people and communities."Neal W. StefflExecutive Director

Your names are forgotten but not your good deed. Thank you to the lovely couple in the Jeep from Luverne who were so willing to help us get our van out of the mud at the Siouxland Renaissance Festival. Your kindness and perseverance is to be commended!The damsels in distress in Sioux FallsKristen Lueth

Sunday, July 17, through Saturday, July 23, will be observed nationally as Probation, Parole and Community Supervision Week. For more than 100 years, officers have been supervising offenders to make our communities a safer place to live. These unsung heroes dedicated their lives to serving crime victims and holding offenders accountable for the wrong they have committed to our families, friends, and our communities. It is through their care, their concern, and unselfish commitment to public safety that our communities are a safer place for our families.At the end of 2003 there were more than 4.8 million adults and more than 600,000 juveniles being supervised in our communities by these officers. They are responsible for more than two-thirds of the nation’s offenders under supervision or custody, yet they receive only one-third of the money allocated for custody and supervision of these offenders. The challenges they face are tremendous, yet they continue to make a difference. They make a difference thorough mentoring, interventions, rewards and sanctions, treatment, partnerships with other agencies and community groups, and by assisting offenders in their efforts toward leading a law-abiding lifestyle. They are professionals who constantly acquire knowledge of what motivates offenders and apply that knowledge in the most effective way possible. The work they do has become multifaceted — their work goes beyond supervision and surveillance of offenders — it has expanded to include working with victims in a much more involved capacity to ensure that restorative justice principles are addressed. All of this is done in an effort to ensure the highest level of public safety. Since the days of John Augustus, the "Father of Probation" who started probation in 1841, the atmosphere in which these dedicated professionals work has become more violent. The rise in the number of offenders under community supervision the impact of drugs, the availability and use of weapons and the increase of violent behavior contribute to the danger these officers face each day. During this week, honor and recognize the work these professionals do for us each and every day of the year. Rock/Nobles Community Corrections Executive BoardDon Basche Mike Harmon Jane WildungDavid BensonKenneth HoimeMike Winkels

How have you been spending the warm, lazy afternoons of summer? I ask because the pace of summer visitors coming into our museums has shown little momentum. Both the Rock County History Museum or the Hinkly House are air conditioned, and both have seen major improvements in recent months and years. When the Masonic Temple officials offered us space in their building (at 123 N. Freeman Ave., not the Carnegie 205 N. Freeman), we were able to transfer everything connected to Rock County’s history there. Look for the green banner with white letters, Rock County Historical Museum, over the white doors. Items appropriate to a Victorian home are now displayed to recall how the 113-year-old house looked when the family lived in it. Restoration, one room at a time, began in 1991, with plastering of cracks, steaming off as many as seven layers of wallpaper, to be replaced with carefully researched wall coverings with credits to Diane Jauert. When the wallpaper in the foyer was extended to the upstairs hall, and spaces there opened after 1996, the six rooms came to new life. On first floor the kitchen was remedied, and, lastly, the library was beautified in 2002. Ask yourself if your last visit to the Hinkly House fits into the last five years. It is a disappointment when people don’t come to view the improvements. However, visiting this museum goes beyond its aesthetics. It preserves the artifacts and heritage of life in Rock County, only 20 years after Luverne was founded. Like my grandparents, early families embodied values of hard work, honesty, steadfastness, and optimism. Nothing seemed impossible, when directed by faith, initiative and foresight. I urge you to visit each of our three museums on a rotational basis. The barn, an asset to our agri-business community, will be open during the Rock County Fair.The Rock County Museum holds a concentration of printed information, detailing our city/county history. The makers of the World War II documentary have cited our source material the best of the four cities they have selected. Visitors who go there searching for specific information admit to finding so much of interest, you could spend a week or more there. The summer schedule continues to be from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday afternoons. However, do not hesitate to request other days or hours. Just call me at 283-9849 stating which Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday afternoon you plan to come. Guides on our staffing schedule want to be busy versus experiencing no-show days. Numbers of visitors living in Luverne is unexplainably low. Each year I’m asked to tally statistics on how many visit from Luverne compared with other cities; from Rock County compared with other Minnesota counties; or from Minnesota compared with other states. Totals are in decline, also. In the Newsletter of 1980 nearly 1,100 signed the register, but in the late 1990’s annual averages are 800 to 900. I’m concerned about losing our goal of "Continuing to Remember and Offering Inspiration for Our Future."Sr. Mariella Hinkly,Luverne