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Wednesday, August 23, 2023
4 vying for open Melrose School Board position
Number 34 • Volume 134
Special significance for service 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
Special election Nov. 7 at Avon Post Office Melrose City Center BY CAROL MOORMAN STAFF WRITER
rededicated to Plantenberg
BY MIKE KOSIK The names of four STAFF WRITER candidates to fill one open Melrose Area ords praisSchool Board position ing Kort will be on the Nov. 7 Plantenspecial election ballot. berg’s love of family, Keith Fischer, of friends and country were Freeport; and Eric Seheard at the rededication anger, Alan Schulzetenof the Avon Post Office in berg and Allen Wieling, his name Aug. 17. all of Melrose, filed by “He was a friend to the Aug. 15 deadline. everybody,” said Jeff The position opened Manthe, Avon mayor, up when first term school during the ceremony in board director Becky front of the Avon Post Klassen moved out of Office. the Melrose School Chief Warrant Officer District and the board accepted her resignation. Candidate Kort Miller Plantenberg, 28, a The winner of the member of the Minnesota election will fill out National Guard, lost his life Klassen’s term, which Dec. 5, 2019, near Kimball ends Jan. 6, 2025. As the sun was starting toinrise Monday, accident. Commercial a helicopter Melrose School DisContractors Company workers from Melrose Also perishing in thewere crashintrict the residents side Lisa’scan Onvote Main building working on securing were James A Rogers, 28, from 7 a.m. the west wall.to 8 p.m., PHOTO BY CAROL of Winsted, and MOORMAN Charles P. Nov. 7, at the Melrose Nord, 30, of Perham. City Center, 225 First Plantenberg, the son of St., NE, Melrose, the Steve and Laura Plantenonly voting precinct.
W 400 Block update
COMMUNITY COVERAGE 127 YEARS
PHOTO BY MIKE KOSIK
Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach (front, from left), Laura and Steve Plantenberg, Congressman Tom Emmer, Avon Postmaster Joseph Velazquez, Post Office District Representative Brian Perron and Minnesota-North Dakota District Workforce Operations Planning Specialist Rachel Christensen; (back, from left) Minnesota–North Dakota District Manager Angela Bye and Manager Post Office Operations Amy Longshore gather around the plaque rededicating the Avon Post Office to Kort Plantenberg Aug. 17 in Avon. It takes an act of Congress and the signature of the President of the United States to make it happen.
berg, grew up and lived in Avon and was a graduate of Albany Area High School. Manthe, who is a parttime employee at the Avon
Post Office, said his daughter, Molly, graduated from high school with Plantenberg in 2009. “She was devastated,
Tour advocates for rural Minnesota projects a piece of farm equipment, and they experienced what it was like meeting vehicles. “As we were coming up over the bridge Chris (Middendorf) was coming BY CAROL MOORMAN over the bridge driving a STAFF WRITER tractor, and you could hear a gasp (from senators),” Eveslage said later that A bus carrying Senday. ate Capital Investment While still on the Committee members bus he invited committee Aug. 15 took a left off members to return in about of Interstate 94 travelsix weeks at harvest time ing south over the bridge for farmers, when there in Freeport. It was their first is more agriculture-based stop on a three-day northtraffic on the bridge. west Minnesota tour of Minutes later Eveslage potential 2024 bonding bill led a walking tour over the projects. bridge talking with Sen. They were in Freeport Sandy Pappas, committee to tour the bridge which chair. is slated for replacement “It helped to be there due to safety and sightline in person and be on the bus concerns. The proposed and walk across the road project would improve the and see how dangerous crossing, which is dangerthe road is because of the ous for pedestrians, vehilow visibility. I can see the cles, bicyclists and anyone PHOTO SUBMITTED danger for pedestrians, chilmoving farming equipment Sen. Sandy Pappas, State Capital Investment Committee chair, dren, bicyclists,” Pappas over County Road 11. walks with Freeport Mayor Mike Eveslage on the bridge over said Aug. 16. Freeport Mayor Mike Interstate 94 in Freeport Aug. 15. It was the committee’s first Eveslage and city clerk/ stop on a three-day bonding tour. treasurer Jon Nelson traveled to Albany to board the narrow bridge in Freethe bus so Eveslage could for a new bridge. port about the same time as explain to senators the need The bus traveled over Bridge page 3
Senate committee stops in Freeport to check out bridge
ST R
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PUBLIC NOTICES City of Melrose Advertisement for Bids................................... pg. 8 City of Freeport Advertisement for Bids.................................. pg. 7 Probate Notice - Schmiesing .................................................. pg. 8 City of Melrose Ord. No. 08-17-2023 ...................................... pg. 8 Albany School Reg. Board Meeting, Aug. 9............................. pg. 8 Albany Area Schools Work Session Agenda ............................ pg. 8 City of Avon Notice of Public Hearing ..................................... pg. 8 City of Albany Notice of Job Opening...................................... pg. 8 Melrose Area School Sealed Bids Notice ................................. pg. 7
as was I, as was everybody out his life and finally ended gathered here today and up as a soldier, a proud with so many in our whole soldier to our nation.” area,” Manthe said about his death. “He served throughPost office page 3
Albany council ponders administrator job description City leaders concerned about potential applicant pool BY TIM HENNAGIR | STAFF WRITER
Albany council members have taken a second look at a position description for a new city administrator. A critical portion of an Aug. 16 discussion of the description involved a single word and two requirements. Current interest in the post left city leaders wondering if the word “or” should remain in the Education and/or Experience section of a revised description. During their Aug. 2 meeting, council members also discussed the need for a four-year college degree with interim city administrator Tom Schneider. “The past description was a little ambiguous,” Schneider said. “I talked to city attorney Susan Dege, and after getting council direction she thought we should open this up for a wider search.” Schneider said the city had two candidates who submitted applications and had some related work experience, but they didn’t meet the four-year college degree requirement that was advertised. “There seemed to be a lot of emphasis on degrees listed in the job description,” he said. “We cleaned that language up.” Schneider also reported during the Aug. 16 council meeting at Albany City Hall a council committee will review candidates. Since the council’s Aug. 2 meeting, Schneider said he’s had individuals approach him with interest in the position. He told the council there’s interest in finding someone local, an option Mayor Tom Kasner prefers. “The word ‘or’ should be left in the job description,” Kasner said. “A person with a four-year degree might be gone from Albany in two years. I believe that’s probably what’s going to happen.”
Council page 4 OBITUARIES page 4 Robert H. Hock Valerian Luetmer Kathleen M. Poepping Anna Mae C. Schneider
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