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HUNT FOR THE GOLDEN SPIKE: Clues explained PAGE 5
Hugo couple stumbles upon Golden Spike
Development proposes 90 housing units BY MADELINE DOLBY QUAD EDITOR
Twin Cities Land Holding is proposing a residential development in the southwest quadrant of 20th Avenue S. and Cedar Avenue in Lino Lakes. The city of Centerville is to the west of the development. The development site contains three parcels totaling approximately 25 gross acres. It is being called the Nelson Rehbein Property. The 11-acre Nelson parcel contains existing and accessory structures. The 14-acre Rehbein
BY CJ WRZESIEN PRESS INTERN
HUGO — Peggy and Scott Erhardt were on their usual walk around Arcand Park with their two grandsons Archie and Grayson Tarvo when they noticed a plastic tent spike lying along the path. “I looked down and there was a tent stake,” Peggy Erhardt said. “So I threw it in the bottom of the stroller.” The couple were more or less unfamiliar with the Golden Spike contest, but figured it must be part of Hugo Good Neighbor Days. A passerby informed them shortly after that they had found the Golden Spike. Erhardt’s initial reaction to finding out she had stumbled across the spike: “‘Well, what does that mean?’” she said she’d asked. “‘What did I win?’ She goes, ‘a lot of money.’” MADELINE DOLBY | PRESS PUBLICATIONS The Citizen kicked off the Archie Tarvo (left) and Hunt for the Golden Spike in Peggy Erhardt (right) 2006 for the Hugo Lions Club are the winners of the 2025 Hugo Good Neigh- Good Neighbor Days celebration as a tribute to the Hugo bor Days Golden Spike Centennial Celebration that contest. same year. For the very first hunt, the spike was an actual railroad spike painted gold to mark Hugo’s founding as a railroad town. In subsequent years, plastic tent stakes have been used. Prior to finding the Golden Spike, the Erhardts had no idea there were even clues to finding the Spike. Now they were surrounded by 20 or 30 people looking around the path for the Spike that they had already placed in the bottom of their stroller. For the past five years, the couple have been walking the trail at Arcand Park. Three times a week they walk the path, and have been doing so since Archie and Grayson were babies. It’s not uncommon for them to find strange objects like the Spike lying on the side of the path. Whenever they do, they toss them in the bottom of the stroller and eventually put them in the trash. “Whenever we find something that doesn’t belong, we just throw it in there and throw it away when we get home,” Erhardt said. On top of finding the Golden Spike, the couple are also celebrating their 44th wedding anniversary. They are planning a weekend trip up to their cabin to celebrate. “It’s very exciting,” Erhardt said. “It’s really made our day special.” Before they had found Spike, the Erhardts had no idea what the Golden Spike was, or even that there were clues leading to it. Now the Hugo residents say that they will be on the lookout for it in the coming years.
parcels have been used for agricultural purposes. A 30-foot-wide powerline easement exists along the west lot lines. Wetlands and floodplains exist on site. City Planner Katie Larsen said the concept plan shows that the development would consist of 38 single-family homes on 60-footwide lots and 52 townhomes for a total of 90 housing units. According to the staff report presented to the Lino Lakes Planning and Zoning Board, the total open space is approximately 9.9 acres, or 40%. The site is medium density. For medium density, the city requires
4 to 6 units per net acre. The proposed development has a density of 4.52, which is within the range required. According to Larsen, the developer is looking for flexibility in the length of the proposed public street cul-de-sac, length of private drives that lead to the townhome areas, private street widths, corner lot setbacks, townhome base lot sizes, townhome garage sizes and townhome setbacks.
Fridays with Firefighters kicks off in Hugo
CONTRIBUTED
The Hugo Fire Department will kick off Fridays with Firefighters from 10 a.m. to noon Friday, June 13 at the Fire Station, located at 5323 140th St. N. Other Fridays with Firefighters are scheduled for the same time on Friday, July 11 and Friday, Aug. 8.
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SEE, REHBEIN DEVELOPMENT, PAGE 7