News

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

Swift County, the City of Benson and the governing board of Swift County-Benson Health Services will conduct a joint meeting Monday on refinancing for the healthcare facility’s debt.

It has been estimated that with county and city stepping into help with refinancing bond and loan debt at lower interest rate, that SCBHS could save nearly $300,000 annually and $5 million over the life of its debt payments.

Where and how that meeting will take place has been changing as the three public bodies try comply with social distancing mandates from the state government as well as comply with the Minnesota Open Meeting law...

For more on this story, and to keep up on all the latest in area sports, subscribe to the Swift County Monitor-News print edition or our PDF internet edition. Call 320-843-4111 and you can get all the local news and sports delivered to you!

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

A deal that could save Swift County-Benson Health Services $300,000 annually in interest payments may be nearing agreement.

Benson City Manager Rob Wolfington, Swift County Administrator Kelsey Baker, and Co-CEOs of SCBHS Dan Enderson and Melissa McGinty Thompson have met 10 to 12 times recently to try come up with the right mix of city and county financial assistance.

It has been estimated that by the city and council buying down the debt of SCBHS would allow it to substantially reduce the interest it is paying saving it an estimated $5 million in the coming years. That money could be used to solidify its financial position as well as for capital improvements.

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

After having debated what to do with the GROW building on Atlantic Avenue in Benson since September 2017, the Swift County Board of Commissioners reached a decision at its March 3 meeting.

It voted unanimously to work with Prairie 5 Community Action on moving its Swift County Outreach Office from east U.S. Highway 12 to the building on Atlantic Avenue downtown Benson. The building is the former Lewis Drug building...

For more on this story, and to keep up on all the latest in area sports, subscribe to the Swift County Monitor-News print edition or our PDF internet edition. Call 320-843-4111 and you can get all the local news and sports delivered to you!

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

Editor’s note: This story is written with information from the Swift County Board of Commissioners March 3 meeting and from Minnesota Public Radio.

Countryside Public Health is reaching out to schools, local governments, emergency management teams, human services agencies and health care providers throughout its five-county area as concern about the spread of the coronavirus grows.

Countryside provides public health services to residents of Swift, Chippewa, Yellow Medicine, Lac qui Parle and Big Stone counties. It will be at the forefront of a coronavirus outbreak should the area start seeing cases...

For more on this story, and to keep up on all the latest in area sports, subscribe to the Swift County Monitor-News print edition or our PDF internet edition. Call 320-843-4111 and you can get all the local news and sports delivered to you!

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

The potential options for Swift County and the City of Benson providing financial assistance to Swift County -Benson Health Services to potentially save it $300,000 in annual interest payments is an evolving story.

March 2 the SCBHS governing board, the city council, and county board met in a joint special meeting to discuss financing options for SCBHS and the debt associated with the construction of Scandi Haven Village. County commissioners also discussed the issues at length at their March 3 meeting.

Since then, City Manager Rob Wolfington, County Administrator Kelsey Baker and SCBHS Chief Financial Officer and Co-Administrator Dan Enderson have had multiple meetings on new proposals....

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

Only 11 people showed up Tuesday evening, Feb. 25, for the first public meeting on the proposed $1.5 District 777 levy to build new activities building. The primary occupant of the new facility will be the joint Benson High School and Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg High School gymnastics program.

The school board is asking voters to approve a $1.5 million bond levy April 14 to pay for a new multi-purpose activity space, Supt. Dennis Laumeyer told those who showed up. Absentee balloting on the levy has already started...

For more on this story, and to keep up on all the latest in area sports, subscribe to the Swift County Monitor-News print edition or our PDF internet edition. Call 320-843-4111 and you can get all the local news and sports delivered to you!

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

While there are currently no cases of Coronavirus (Covid19) in Minnesota, now is the time to prepare for a possible outbreak, Countryside Public Health’s Gloria Tobias stresses.

Tobias is the Disease Prevention & Control Coordinator, and the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, for Countryside. Countryside provides public health services to residents of Swift, Chippewa, Yellow Medicine, Lac qui Parle and Big Stone counties. It will be at the forefront of a coronavirus outbreak should the area start seeing cases...

For more on this story, and to keep up on all the latest in area sports, subscribe to the Swift County Monitor-News print edition or our PDF internet edition. Call 320-843-4111 and you can get all the local news and sports delivered to you!

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

Swift County-Benson Health Services unanimously passed a resolution Monday night seeking financial backing that could save it $300,000 in interest payments annually. In all, the interest savings could come to $5 million over the terms of the debt financing.

Those funds could be used to address the need for building and equipment upgrades, the governing board says.

SCBHS is seeking $9.227 million in county general obligation bond backing for the sale of revenue bonds to refinance debt that is currently paying interest rates between 5.49 to 6.24 percent. It is seeking $1.3 million from the City of Benson for capital improvements over the next two years...

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

Stony Ridge Foods is looking to purchase the former Glacial Plains Cooperative (GPC) tire and auto shop on east U.S. Highway 12. It sits just across to the north of their facilities on U.S. 12.

Owners Jeena Hughes, and Joe and Jessica Wrobleski, plan to add additional storage space with the construction of the new bins on the site as well as installation of a new bagging operations.

To help them proceed with their proposed expansion, the Benson Economic Development Authority (EDA) unanimously approved a $100,000 loan. The loan would be for 10 years at 4 percent interest. It is also contingent on other financing falling in line and a zoning change for the property getting approval.