News

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher

With the Minnesota Legislature’s passage of a bonding bill that includes $9.4 million for a proposed Montevideo Regional Veterans Home the 11-year-old journey to get the facility built is closer to becoming a reality.

Still, it will likely take another four years before construction can begin on the $44 million, 70-bed facility that would provide nearby veterans a health facility.

Another $5 million in financing is pledged toward the project with $3 million from Chippewa County and $650,000 from the City of Montevideo and its economic development organizations.

Swift County has promised $50,000 toward the project, as have Yellow Medicine and Lac qui Parle counties.

The City of Montevideo is also donating 13.5 acres of land valued at $707,850.

The City of Benson passed a resolution supporting the construction of the facility, but did not pledge any funds.

Thunderstorms forming and reforming over South Dakota, then making their way through western Minnesota during the morning and early afternoon Monday, brought just over 3 inches of rain to the Benson area.

Monday’s rainfall was 3.1 inches and brought June’s total to 4.4 inches, one hundredth of an inch over the month’s average of 4.39 inches. It is only June12.

Sunday the Chippewa River level as monitored at the U.S. Highway 12 bridge west of Benson had fallen to 8.48 feet. By Tuesday morning it was up to 11.75 feet – a rise of 3.27 feet. The volume of water flowing down the Chippewa had more than tripled from 0.444 cubic feet per second to 1.62 cubic feet per second.

The heavy rainfall closed the back nine of the Benson Golf Course due to standing water, postponing Tuesday’s men’s league play this week.

Minnesota’s Supreme Court ruled June 6 that the contract for corn supply between the Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company (CVEC) and Glacial Plains Cooperative (GPC) is not of perpetual duration, overturning an earlier ruling from both the 8th Judicial District Court and state Court of Appeals.

It has remanded the case to the district court to now determine what is a “reasonable” amount of time for notice to end the grain handling contract.

“CVEC argues that given the 20-year length of the contractual relationship thus far, ‘as a matter of law’ the contract must have already lasted a reasonable time. We disagree,” the Court stated in its findings.

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher

This story starts with a quarter at the Benson Bakery, an old jukebox, and a child’s memory of great times growing up in the city.

“When I was a kid here in Benson more than just a few of us would go the bakery like big shots and order something and turn the jukebox on,” Kenny Amundson recalls. “You didn’t see the jukebox because it was in the basement. But we could put a quarter in the slot (of the player) on the wall and get three songs. I really remember that.”

Born at the Swift County-Benson Hospital in 1945, Amundson lived on a farm between Clontarf and Hancock. When he was five the family moved to Benson and when he was 14 years old, the Amundsons moved to the Twin Cities.

Last Friday Benson was scheduled to get its first $4 million payment from the settlement with Xcel Energy and the Minnesota Legislature that will lead to the closing of Benson Power, LLC, later this summer.

The payment is to be followed by $6 million payments in 2019 and 2020, with a final $3 million payment coming in 2021, bringing the total to $20 million.

However, City Manager Rob Wolfington told the Benson council Monday night that there are two hurdles still to clear before the payments can start.

First, the North Dakota Public Utilities Commission has to give its approval of the purchase and closure of the 55-megawatt biomass power plant in Benson.

A work session of the North Dakota PUC was set for June 11, at which time it was going to determine whether or not it would conduct a public hearing to listen to appeals by workers at Laurentian Energy Authority (LEA) and suppliers working with Benson Power.

Last year five residents of Benson bought and installed above ground pools in their backyards thinking they would provide a place to cool off on a hot summer’s day and be great for kids to play in as well.

There was just one problem with all the pools – their installation didn’t comply with the Benson city ordinance. If the residents couldn’t comply with the law, they had to remove the pools.

Now, two more cases of people putting in backyard above ground pools have come up this spring. And, again, those installing them were not aware that the city had a law governing their use, City Manager Rob Wolfington told the Benson City Council at its meeting Monday night.

Pictured is Veteran Conrad Urke was honored as the “special veteran” in this year’s Memorial Day parade and service at the Benson City Cemetery.

Are we looking at a repeat of 1988?

Only one other time since the City of Benson started recording daily temperature records in 1953 has there been a May with more than three high temperatures in the 90s.

It was 1988, which saw six days in May with highs ranging from 90 to 94 degrees. They were the first of what would be 48 days of 90 or higher temperatures, including 11 days with highs reaching between 100 to 104 degrees that summer.

May 2018 has nearly equaled 1988’s mark with five consecutive days reaching into the 90 degrees – May 24 to May 28. The forecast for Tuesday was a high near 90, which would make it six, tying 1988. Whether or not this month was an anomaly, or if it signals a repeat of 1988 is a story that will play out in the coming months.

Swift County is backing the purchase of land for the Appleton Off-Highway Vehicle Park (OHV) with a $50,000 commitment. The action was approved by the board of commissioners at its meeting, Tuesday, May 15.

While the county has approved the funding, the motion was simply to indicate an “intent to buy” the additional land on the part county at this time.

Appleton’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) has committed $20,000 toward facilitating the purchase of the land and the Appleton Project $30,000. However, their commitment was dependent on Swift County reimbursing the Appleton Project and the EDA at a future date.

Three people have filed for the remaining 16 months in an open seat on the Benson City Council. Lynn Jacobson and Don Lenz are filing for the council for the first time. Larry Smith sought election to the council in 2015, in a special council election in 2016, and the city’s 2017 election, but lost each time.

The open seat was vacated Jan. 2 when Terri Collins was sworn in as Benson’s new mayor. The council chose to leave the seat open, filling it with a special election rather than appoint someone to fill the vacancy.

The special election will take place Tuesday, Aug. 14, which is also the date of the state’s primary election and the date set for the District 777 building levy referendum. The state’s general election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 5. Whoever is elected to the city council will join Mayor Collins and Council Members Mark Schreck, Lucas Olson and Jack Evenson. The person will serve from late August to Dec. 31, 2019.