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2803 Clearwater Rd. • St. Cloud, MN Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Number 23 • Volume 134
Freeport lowers residential speed limit to 20 mph
PHOTO BY CAROL MOORMAN
Cliff Borgerding displays a walking stick he made that has the towns along the Lake Wobegon Trail carved on it as he stands on the trail June 2 in Avon. In the close to 20 years he has been a member of the trail association, he has seen economic opportunities grow in communities like Avon, which has a well-used park the trail runs through.
Melrose researching policing options ... pg. 3 Hiltner happy to carry on legacy ... pg. 7 ‘A Team’ has first baby boy in 2017 ... pg. 16 Gymnasts scoring with the best ... pg. 10
ATKINSON TO TALK ABOUT SPACE MISSIONS BOOK AT MELROSE LIBRARY
pg. 6
To improve sightline, one parking stall removed on main street BY CAROL MOORMAN STAFF WRITER
The speed limit on all city-owned residential streets in Freeport is now 20 mph and 10 mph in alleys. The speed limit on county roads running through town remains at 30 mph. Council members, during their May 30 meeting, approved an ordinance amendment changing the residential streets’ speed limit from 30 mph to 20 mph as a way to slow down traffic in town. During the public forum at the meeting, residents voiced concerns about speeders in town as a safety issue. Steve Heimsoth said he Borgerding sees has seen vehicles traveling at a high speed by his house, Lake Wobegon Trail economic and he was concerned about opportunities take shape young children getting hurt. Matt Worms asked the council BY CAROL MOORMAN | STAFF WRITER how they plan to enforce the new speed limit. He suggested fter more than 20 years, Cliff Borgcontracting with the Stearns erding is starting to see the vision for As the sun was starting to rise Monday, Commercial County Sheriff’s Department the Lake Wobegon Trail take shape. Contractors Company workers from Melrose were infor a few months during sum“There is such an economic opportuniside Lisa’sNo Ondecision Main building working on securing mer the months. was ty along the trail,” he said June 1 wearing a the west PHOTO BY CAROL MOORMAN made onwall. this idea. T-shirt with Lake Wobegon Trail on the front. “It’s about celebrating small towns, the connections. The stories of Lake Wobegon that Speed limit page 4 Garrison Keillor came up with are classic
400 Block update
Celebrating small town communities A
COMMUNITY COVERAGE 127 YEARS
Stearns County stories about Stearns County people. Local businesses in communities along the trail are seeing the benefits of the trail coming through their communities, he said, citing Art in Motion and the BOHO Café in Holdingford, Bad Habit Brewing Company in St. Joseph, Oak Station Coffee and Cone in Freeport, The Outpost Mercantile in Sauk Centre and Jordie’s Trailside Café in Bowlus. If anyone knows about small town life, it is Borgerding, who grew up in Freeport and is a 1969 graduate of Melrose High School, lived in St. Joseph, and currently he and wife Lindacall Avon home. He is a history buff, whether about his family or communities.
He laughs when asked how the Lake Wobegon Trail came to be. For him, it goes back to the 1970s when he worked in St. Cloud, with employees traveling from Stearns County communities, like Osakis, Sauk Centre, Melrose, Freeport, all towns along Interstate 94 running parallel with the railroad. He always thought the railroad should have put buses on the Burlington Northern Railroad tracks to transport these people, but they never did, and he called it a “missed opportunity.” At the time, Borgerding was a St. Joseph Jaycees member, a club that was instrumental in building the Millstream Park system.
Trail page 3
Hooking youth on the outdoors
PHOTOS BY HERMAN LENSING
Brea (from left), Abby, Todd and Emily Rakotz fish as a family June 3 during the Freeport Family Fishing tournament on Kings Lake in rural Freeport. One-hundredsixteen youth participated in the event.
Freeport Family Fishing celebrates 25 years
Melrose American Legion/VFW Honor Guard members Gary Sunderman (from front), Dick Koll and Joe Wilwerding carry the flag across the pier June 3 at the start of the Freeport Family Fishing tournament at Kings Lake in rural Freeport. It was the first time the honor guard presented the colors at the event.
BY HERMAN LENSING | STAFF WRITER
One-hundred-sixteen youth got a taste of fishing June 3, some maybe even got hooked, on this sunny Saturday. It was the Freeport Family Fishing tournament on Kings Lake in rural Freeport. “This will be the 25th tournament,” FFF Committee President Rick Hoeschen said May 31 at Larry and Elaine Beuning’s home in Freeport. “We actually started 26 years ago, but we had one year off because of COVID.”
Hudson Terres displays the only walleye caught and registered June 3 during the Freeport Family Fishing tournament on Kings Lake in rural Freeport. He caught the fish shortly after he started fishing.
Fishing page 2
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PUBLIC NOTICES City of Melrose Ad for Bids ..................................................... pg. 7 City of Freeport Ord. No. 2023-02 .......................................... pg. 7 Notice of application for Feedlot Permit ................................ pg. 7
BIRTHS page 3 Arlo Olson Blake Robert VanDrehle
OBITUARIES page 4 Edwin C. Duclos Thomas A. Guenther Michael E. Kortan Angeline L. Nierenhausen Dale L. Wegleitner
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