Local News Headlines – Tuesday, June 1

THE COTTONWOOD COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WILL MEET AT 9:00 THIS MORNING.  THE BOARD WILL HEAR AN UPDATE ON THE COUNTY 4-H PROGRAM.  THE WINDOM E-D-A DIRECTOR WILL REVIEW AN APPLICATION FOR A HOUSING TAX ABATEMENT FOR A NEW HOUSE IN WINDOM.  THE PLANNING AND ZONING TECHNICIAN WILL REVIEW AN APPLICATION FOR A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT.  THE BOARD WILL REVIEW A PROPOSED COOPERATIVE DRAINAGE AGREEMENT WITH THE HERON LAKE WATERSHED DISTRICT.  SEVERAL PERSONNEL MATTERS WILL BE HANDLED.  THE BOARD WILL REVIEW A JOINT-POWERS AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE COUNTIES THAT ARE SERVED BY THE RED ROCK RURAL WATER SYSTEM.  THE BOARD WILL REVIEW A MEMO OF UNDERSTANDING WITH TWO EMPLOYEE UNIONS INVOLVING A CHANGE IN WHEN SALARY INCREASES ARE AWARDED. 

 

A MEETING OF THE JACKSON COUNTY BOARD WILL BE HELD AT 9:00 THIS MORNING.  FEDERATED R-E-A WILL BE MAKING A PRESENTATION ON HIGH-SPEED BROADBAND.  THE BOARD WILL CONSIDER APPROVING AN UPDATED POLICY ON TAX ABATEMENTS.  THE POSITION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR MAY BE CHANGED FROM 32-HOURS TO 40-HOURS A WEEK AND AN OPENING MAY BE ADVERTISED.  A RESOLUTION WILL BE PRESENTED TO CONVEY THE COUNTY-OWNED PROPERTY AT SPARKS COUNTY PARK TO THE CITY OF LAKEFIELD.  A JOB DESCRIPTION WILL BE REVIEWED FOR A PART-TIME ASSISTANT TO THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR.  A REVISED JOB DESCRIPTION WILL BE REVIEWED FOR THE HUMAN RESOURCES COORDINATOR.    

 

THE MURRAY COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WILL MEET AT 8:30 THIS MORNING AT THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT BUILDING IN SLAYTON.  A PUBLIC HEARING WIL LBE HELD ON A PROPOSED STATE GRANT APPLICATION FOR A BROADBAND PROJECT IN SLAYTON.  THE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT WILL REVIEW QUOTES FOR AN APPRAISAL OF HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT PROPERTY.  THE BOARD WILL REVIEW APPLICATIONS FOR A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT AND AN INTERIM USE PERMIT.  A DISCUSSION WILL BE HELD ON IMPROVEMENTS TO SUNDQUIST COUNTY PARK ON WEST LAKE SARAH.  THE BOARD WILL REVIEW A JOINT-POWERS AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE 9 COUNTIES SERVED BY THE RED ROCK RURAL WATER SYSTEM. THE BOARD WILL REVIEW A NEW UNION CONTRACT WITH THE COUNTY JAILER-DISPATCHERS. 

 

THE WINDOM CITY COUNCIL MEETS AT 6:30 THIS EVENING AT THE CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS.   A NUMBER OF LICENSE APPLICATIONS WILL BE REVIEWED.  THE COUNCIL WILL REVIEW THE PROPOSED ROUTE FOR THE RIVERFEST PARADE.  SEVERAL DONATIONS TO THE CITY WILL BE ACCEPTED.  THE COUNCIL WILL SET A DATE FOR A PUBLIC HEARING ON AN APPLICATION FOR A RESIDENTIAL HOUSING TAX ABATEMENT.  A PUBLIC HEARING WILL BE SCHEDULED ON A PROPOSAL TO PURCHASE BODY CAMERAS FOR THE WINDOM POLICE DEPARTMENT.  A RESOLUTION WILL BE PRESENTED INVOLVING THE SALE OF PROPERTY OWNED BY NEW VISION COOP.  THE COUNCIL WILL CONSIDER A RESOLUTION TO ACCEPT FEDERAL FUNDING THROUGH THE AMERICAN RESCUE ACT. 

 

A BIKE RODEO AND GIVEAWAY IS BEING HELD TODAY AT ‘BARC’ IN WINDOM FROM 5:00 TO 7:00 THIS EVENING.  THE BIKE RODEO WILL BE HELD IN THE NORTH PARKING LOT.  BOYS AND GIRLS WIL LEARN HOW TO HANDLE A BICYCLE SAFELY AND LEARN ABOUT TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES.  CHILDREN SHOULD BRING THEIR OWN BIKE AND HELMET IF THEY HAVE ONE.  BIKES WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR USE.   ALL CHILDREN TAKING PART IN THE BIKE RODEO WILL BE ENTERED INTO A DRAWING TO GIVE AWAY ONE BOYS’ BIKE AND ONE GIRLS’ BIKE.  A BICYCLE GIVEWAY WILL HAPPEN ON 10TH STREET.  OVER 40 BICYCLES HAVE BEEN DONATED AND REFURBISHED.  THOSE BIKES WIL BE GIVEN AWAY.  THE EVENT IS SUPPORTED BY THE WINDOM KIWANIS CLUB, BARC, THE WINDOM POLICE DEPARTMENT, WINDOM AREA HEALTH AND SCHWABACH ACE HARDWARE. 

THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IS HOLDING OPEN HOUSES IN LAKEFIELD TO DISCUSS AN UPCOMING PROJECT ON HIGHWAY 86.    ON WEDNESDAY, MINN-DOT STAFF MEMBERS WILL BE SET UP OUTSIDE – WEATHER PERMITTING – AT THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY 86 AND FUNK AVENUE FROM 4:30 TO 6:00PM.  ANOTHER SESSION WILL BE HELD AT THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY 86 AND 3RD AVENUE NORTH FROM 6:00 TO 7:30PM.  ON THURSDAY, ANOTHER SESSION WILL BE HELD NEAR THE GAS STATION AT THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY 86 AND 7TH AVENUE SOUTH FROM 4:30 TO 6:00PM.   THE PROJECT WILL INCLUDE A COMPLETE RECONSTRUCTION OF HIGHWAY 86 ALONG WITH WORK ON WATER AND SEWER SYSTEMS.   

 

TRAFFIC GOING EAST ON HIGHWAY 60 WILL BE DETOURED STARTING THIS WEEK.  MINN-DOT REPORTS THAT A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT WILL BE TAKING PLACE BETWEEN MADELIA AND LAKE CRYSTAL.  WORK IS SCHEDULED TO BEGIN THIS WEEK AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE END OF THE MONTH.  EAST-BOUND TRAFFIC ON HIGHWAY 60 WILL BE DETOURED.  THE OFFICIAL DETOUR ROUTE WILL USE WATONWAN COUNTY ROAD 3, BLUE EARTH COUNTY ROAD 13, AND BLUE EARTH COUNTY ROAD 20.  THE PROJECT INVOLVES RESURFACING 9 MILES OF HIGHWAY 60.  SEVERAL CULVERTS WILL BE REPLACED AND A NEW SNOW FENCE WILL BE ADDED.  THE PROJECT HAS AN ESTIMATED COST OF JUST OVER $2.8-MILLION.  MORE DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE MINN-DOT WEBSITE.