20 years ago

SOUTH WASHINGTON COUNTY BULLETIN May 15, 2002 Ashland Inc. told to pay $7 million in damages New concrete poured for a playground at Pine Hill Elementary School Cottage Grove boat launch plan given preliminary approval by the Washington County 30 years ago SOUTH WASHINGTON COUNTY BULLETIN June 10, 1992 Contained in an unsigned editorial was the news that there had been eight candidates for two seats on the ISD 833 school board. While the column expressed thanks to the candidates, it gently chided voters, as only seven percent of district stakeholders had bothered to turn out.

What that meant, the paper said, was that “29,188 others stayed home.” With parents concerned about Outcomes Based Education as the new buzzword, the editorial encouraged parents to make complaints known where it mattered—at the ballot box.

Over in the letters to the editor section, meanwhile, students were engaged, with Suzy Wood of Park High questioning the wisdom of compost fees as discouraging the use of same, while Corey Donovan of Park High wrote to “leave the coaches alone”with regard to sports.

“What they don’t understand is that Coach Moening isn’t getting paid to make each individual a superstar,” Donovan wrote, as he pleaded from the athlete’s standpoint that coaches be allowed to do their job, that being to produce a winning team.

Writing just below, Park High student Laura Maais said that Cottage Grove had once provided recycling bins to its residents, but that she didn’t think enough people were using these.

Chiming in for grades, meanwhile, Bessy Gardner said that Advanced Placement classes should be on a weighted grade scale due to their more challenging nature.

Closing out the school related letters to the editor for June 10, Susanna Meyer of Woodbury thanked those who voted for her on May 19 and said a broad base of supporters was essential to a successful campaign, also noting that “most of us would not stay involved if we did not know that we are making a difference” in the school environment, and that students depended on schools having that same broad support.

June 4, 1992 Coming in for news the first week of June some 30 years ago were traffic jams on Highway 61, brought up at the Cottage Grove chamber meeting, with the chamber inviting a Newport city council member and one “concerned businessman” of the Wakota Bridge Coalition, with road construction then taking up local newsprint space. Few answers were known as of June 4, 1992 on the construction.

In sports news meanwhile, Park had scored a trip to State in softball, while graduation was to be on Friday. Jason Boon was the valedictorian for the Class of 1992 at Park, while the end of school wasn’t something everyone might have celebrated.

The South Washington County Food Shelf had closed, with a long summer predicted for those whose families could have trouble keeping the fridge stocked. Closing out the review from June 4, 1992, was a letter by Joanna Mortenson of Park High, who said that the River Acres neighborhood needed better fire protection services.

40 years ago THE WASHINGTON COUNTY BULLETIN June 3, 1982 Defending itself from a photographer’s charge the week prior, ISD 833 denied that its bidding was rigged.

The photographer, Karen O’ Malley, had claimed from May 27 that despite having the lowest bid the contract had gone to someone else.

The district said that it wasn’t generally the policy to give the bid to the lowest bidder, though it had been done in the past, and that photos had to meet three criteria. O’ Malley’s bid, the district said, had listed as options things that were required for a student’s picture to appear in the yearbook, such as airbrushing and spotting.

“These are not options but additional charges,” finance director Bill Moore said at the time of the way the bid had been structured, with O’Malley steadfastly disagreeing.

Meanwhile, it was reported that the National Guard would likely purchase the Grove school building, with the district having determined that the Guard “would be the best tenant.” A July 1 turnover was planned, with the county in turn facing a decision on whether to buy or lease an 18,000 square foot portion of the building. The Guard, taking up 14,000 square feet, would only use the space on weekends, it was made known, while the county sought to house a Developmental Learning Center along with various law and service-related offices at the building.

50 years ago THE WASHINGTON COUNTY BULLETIN May 25, 1972 Staying in the week of May 25 for the present some 50 years ago, Woodbury had reviewed and rejected the county’s uniform street naming system, the result it was said of some five years of work on the county’s part.

Among the reasons that Woodbury rejected the plan, it couldn’t be missed that a total of 300 people had attended a public hearing on May 18 at Woodbury Junior High. At that meeting, county employees Don Pipper and Roger Harris had outlined the plan and said the county had officially adopted it in 1967.

Among the reasons given for a uniform street naming system, meanwhile, was the reduction of emergency vehicle service to individual properties, avoiding a loss of time in mail delivery and reducing the searching for addresses by moving vehicles and delivery services. Also among the reasons was “to improve the maintenance of legal documents,” and to “eliminate duplicate addresses.” Several organizations had made contributions to the plan, including the South Washington County Planning Commission, Metropolitan Planning Commission, Midwest Planning and Research, Cottage Grove Town Board, Cottage Grove Planning Commission, Dakota County officials, the U.S. Postal Service, and the Washington County Planning Advisory Commission.

The address system was noted to be in a grid, with the state capitol among the “origin points” of the grid. The main problem with the current system, Pipper said, was curvilinear street patterns, while those in opposition came prepared to be heard, some 450 signatures on a petition.

Among those opposing the adoption of the grid pattern, was Dennis Nelson of Foxburo Lane, who spoke for others when he pointed out that avenues like Steepleview Road had been “named for one of Minnesota’s oldest churches,” and also predicted that problems would occur with mail, while the need to change addresses on driver’s licenses was also touched on by Garret Wright, also of Foxburo Lane. Following the vote Woodbury’s streets remained as they had been— for the present.

136 years ago ECHO DE L’OUEST (Western Echo) June 3, 1886 Born in this city (Minneapolis) on May 31 to Madame Alexandre Tuscany, a son.

Just across Spring Lake in Dakota County… 164 years ago EMIGRANT AID JOURNAL City of Nininger, Dakota County, Minnesota Territory April 14, 1858 Meeting to vote taxes On Friday, the 9th inst., the taxable inhabitants of this town were convened at Tremont Hall, pursuant to the provisions of the Charter, for the purchase of voting an appropriation of money to enable the Town Council to carry out their plan for the improvements of the town.

I. Donnelly, Esq., President of the Council, then stated the law under which they were voting only permitted an assessment on the property within their corporate limits, of one percent, to be taken from the valuation last made and found on the books of the County Commissioners.

City Scrip.

So far the scrip issued by our Council has maintained its par value. Some of our citizens, are, however, casting doubts, not upon its present but its future value. They allege that it will, in two or three months, largely depreciate. We have a few words to say on this subject.

In the first place, it must be remembered that in consequence of the absence of any State banks in Minnesota, our currency everywhere, from the Iowa line to Sauk Rapids, is in a most deranged condition. We heard the other day a banker express his conviction that there was not over ten thousand dollars currency in St. Paul. The vacuum is filled by County Scrip, Town Scrip, endorsed bogus bank notes, and personal credit. Not having the best thing, the people are compelled to make the next best; for lack of gold and silver, and Eastern bank bills, they necessarily fall back on all manner of substitutes. We need not explain, in detail, the manner , in which the State has been thus drained; it is sufficient that such is the case.

There being no money to be had, the question arises, which of the substitutes offered is the best… Public Laws of Nininger Ordinance No. 1 An Ordinance to regulate the width of sidewalks in the Town of Nininger Ordinance No. 2 An ordinance to prevent hogs from running at large in the Town of Nininger Ordinance No. 3 An ordinance to license and regulate taverns, etc., in the Town of Nininger All passed on April 10, 1858