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‘BEST DANCER’: Mahtomedi grad chases California dream PAGE 10
Four Acre Farm: Provides unique lifestyle for Hugo family BY SHANNON GRANHOLM MANAGING EDITOR
“It’s been an amazing journey,” said Hugo resident Aaron Zellmer, noting that this December will mark five years since the Zellmer family began operating Four Acre Farm, their lifestyle farm in Hugo. Aaron was born in Hawaii but moved often because he grew up in a military family. After graduating from Fridley High School, he enlisted in the Air Force for four years. He eventually moved back to Minnesota — specifically, to Lino Lakes — where he met the
love of his life, Kelly. She had grown up on a farm in Hugo and, she says, “was itching to get back to farm life” once they started having children. “We wanted our kids to experience something unique and different that most kids don’t get to experience,” Kelly explained. While residing in Brooklyn Park, the family would often visit and help with Kelly’s family farm. The children sold the harvested produce at a barn stand in their driveway. While driving through Hugo, the Zellmers spotted a home and fell in love. The only prob-
lem: it wasn’t on the market. Aaron and Kelly wrote a letter to the homeowners years before they purchased the home, letting them know about their vision for the property. “We told them about our intentions,” Aaron said. “We are actually still really great friends with them.” The name Four Acre Farm pays homage to the couple’s four children: Lillias, 10, Theodore, 6, Genevieve, 8, and Wendell, 3. SEE FOUR ACRE FARM, PAGE 2
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Four Acre Farm, located between County Road 7 and 125th Street in Hugo, pays homage to Aaron and Kelly Zellmer’s four children — Lillias, Theodore, Genevieve and Wendell.
City of Hugo ‘streamlines’ fence approval process BY SHANNON GRANHOLM MANAGING EDITOR
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Main Street Market wraps up summer season Attendees at a Centerville Main Street Market grab a bite to eat from local food trucks. The market also features local artisans and live music. The last Main Street Market and Bald Eagle Waterski Show of the summer will be Thursday, Aug. 21.
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HUGO — City staff are hoping that some recent changes to its fence approval process will make things a bit easier for residents. “Right now, there are some processes outlined in city code for approving fences that really have not been practiced administratively at the city for some time, if ever,” explained Associate Planner Max Gort. Current city code states that homeowners who want to install a fence must receive a permit through the city’s building department. If the fence is located within a drainage and utility easement, the homeowner is also required to get a conditional use permit. Gort explained that the city of Hugo has not issued fence permits for some time. If a fence sits over a drainage and utility easement, he said, it requires an encroachment agreement. “An encroachment agreement is much less intensive than a conditional use permit,” Gort said. “The process for requesting an encroachment agreement is pretty time-consuming for applicants, mainly because it is based around the schedule for City Council meetings.” SEE FENCE APPROVAL, PAGE 8
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