News

Swift County is organizing a tour of the Prairie Correctional Facility for Wednesday, April 24, that would include state legislators, the commissioner of the state Department of Corrections, area county commissioners as well as the prison’s owners, CoreCivic.

It would be intended to show the state that the 1,640-bed Prairie Correctional Facility (PCF) in Appleton that once employed 350 people from 24 surrounding counties should be used by the state to meet future prison needs. When it was at full occupancy, the prison generated an estimated $15.2 million annually in economic vitality for the region.

Though it has sat empty for nine years, the prison is ready to house prisoners. CoreCivic has kept a minimal maintenance staff in place and invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in its upkeep.

Since it reached its peak of 17.5 feet March 24, the Chippewa River has fallen 4 feet allowing water that was once encroaching on the Hawleywood Addition of Benson to drain away.

Flood concerns were considerably reduced as the area saw more than two weeks of temperatures that warmed during the day to between 32 and 57 degrees, then saw evening lows fall below freezing again, slowing the snowmelt.

It also helped that there has been no precipitation since March 14.

It was just 10 days ago that three excavators were working to free ice jams at the Burlington Northern Sante Fe railroad bridge over the Chippewa River south of Minnesota Highway 9. Ice floes were lodging against the bridge pylons, creating a dam that caused river levels to rise to the north of the bridge.

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

Brightmark Energy CEO Bob Powell was in Benson for a couple days last week meeting with city staff and a group of area business people as the California company’s plans for development of the former Benson Power (Fibrominn) site progress.

Brightmark Energy (BME) is pursuing the possible construction of an anaerobic digestion facility that would break down dairy manure into methane gases from which renewable natural gas is then created. Other sources of biomass could include poultry manure, sugar beet waste, and other products.

Its initial investment is estimated at around $50 million with the potential for an additional $150 million if it expands to a second phase.

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

Swift County-Benson Health Services will pursue possible affiliation with CentraCare Health of St. Cloud, Carris Health of Willmar, or both with a final decision set for the May 23 governing board meeting. Carris also has a relationship with CentraCare.

If it follows through with affiliation, it means the end of SCBHS operating as an independent medical facility with a substantially reduced role for its governing board. The board now has three members appointed by the City of Benson, six Swift County Board of Commissioners, and one by the medical staff.

It made the decision Monday night based on the recommendation of a committee made up of staff and board members that looked into the pros and cons of remaining independent, remaining independent with substantial investment from the county and city, or affiliating with a regional healthcare organization.

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

Facing an estimated general fund deficit of $631,900 in the 2019-2020 school year budget, the District 777 Board of Education made a series of painful cuts at its March 18 meeting.

Those cuts will affect the classes offered to students in Benson Public Schools, the number of faculty on staff, custodial services, the bus for summer marching band trips, and even the amount of paper the schools use.

Based on current state funding and local tax revenues, the school district estimates its general fund operating income for the 2019-2020 school year at $9,350,700 with expenses of $9,982,600 - a deficit of $631,900.

It is the general fund that accounts for faculty salaries, the courses offered, and the general operations of the school district.

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

Just in case all the right elements came together to create a flood threat to the Benson community, the city council took at tour of the vulnerable areas March 18. City Manager Rob Wolfington laid out options for fighting a flood, depending on how severe it became, and sought council direction on the steps to implement.

Over the weekend, two of the three ingredients came together to cause the Chippewa River to rise rapidly – warm temperatures melting the heavy and moisture-laden snow pack, and the river ice breaking up, then lodging against the pylons of the Burlington Northern Sante Fe railroad bridge. The third feared ingredient, rain, stayed to the south.

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

Though it has the authority to put its $10 wheelage tax on cruise control, not having to review its implementation annually, that is not the easy path Swift County Board of Commissioners has decided to follow.

At the March 5 county board meeting, Commissioner Eric Rudningen, District 5-Kerkhoven, said he likes to revisit the wheelage tax each year so that “the public and commissioners are aware that it is there rather than being approved once and forgotten about.”

There might be more controversy for commissioners when they bring it up every year, but Rudningen said he could accept that. “When we make choices, whether it is who we send to the Legislature or how we back certain things, that directly affects what we are able to do out here in the county,” he said.

School board sympathizes, but says lack of funds and $26.3 building project a priority

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

A large contingent of Benson-Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg parents, coaches and gymnasts showed up at last Tuesday night’s District 777 Board of Education meeting seeking answers on when they will get a new facility.

“We were here months ago with our concerns after the option of using the civic center closed down,” Varsity Coach Kathy Ahrdnt said. “You promised that you would continue to work on it. We are here tonight to continue the discussion, to see where you are and to see if there is a timeline so we can move forward.”

The gymnastics program needs a safe place for its gymnasts to practice and compete, Ahrdnt said. The Benson Armory is too cramped to safely compete and practice, the school board has been told for several years.

June 30 is SWCD’s ‘unofficial’ deadline for compliance

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

Swift County landowners are now 93 percent compliant with the Minnesota buffer law, Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) Manager Andy Albertson told county commissioners at their meeting Feb. 19.

State law required buffers of at least 30 feet wide, and an average of 50 feet wide, to be installed along the state’s public streams, rivers, lakes, and wetlands by Nov. 1. Starting Nov. 1, 2018, 16.5-foot buffers must be installed on public ditches.

These buffers are intended to help filter out phosphorus, nitrogen and sediment that run off the land.

“There is a list that has been developed of landowners we haven’t heard from, or that we have heard from and we are waiting to follow up with to see if they were able to get their buffers seeded,” he said.

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News
 

It appeared to be a relatively routine action, but proved to be anything but that.

Five Benson Public School teachers had applied for early retirement and requested a $15,000 payment to go toward their health insurance.

The five were: Peggy Bausman, high school business teacher; Shelly Mikkelson, school choir instructor; Ruth Ahrndt, high school science teacher; Jon Ahrndt, elementary teacher; and Don Brehmer, high school trades class teacher.

Early retirement requests are governed by state statute rather than the teacher’s union master agreement, Supt. Dennis Laumeyer explained. The board had three choices with the requests. It could deny them, approve them, or counter offer with a lower amount. The requests for early retirement had to be submitted, or withdrawn, by Feb. 1.