62 Years Ago

THE REPORTER

Serving St. Paul Park, Newport, Thompson Grove, and Woodbury Hts.

December 18, 1959 Boy Nearly Drowns In Unfenced Drain Pond Thompson Grove – Danger- thin ice! An 8-year-old youngster nearly lost his life Tuesday afternoon when he fell through the ice on the infamous Thompson Grove drainage pond. He is Mike Hayes, son of Mrs. and Mrs. Thomas Hayes of…Ilex.

Credited with saving the boys life are Mrs. Pat Baker of…Birch, and Mrs. Duane Barnett of…Cherry. Mrs. Baker was alerted to the situation when an unidentified boy pounded on her door, screaming, “There’s someone drowning.”

She ran from her home coatless and yelled for a neighbor woman Mrs. Duane Barnette…to join her.M Mrs. Barnette grabbed a broom and the pair rushed to the pond which lies east of the Grove next to the Milwaukee railroad tracks.

Mike was hanging on the ice by his elbows. Some construction workers appeared on the scene and together the women and workers using the broom managed to pull the boy from the icy water.

He was taken to the Baker home and his parents were called. Mrs. Baker changed the boy’s clothes and kept him warm. She said he was literally blue with cold. About an hour after the incident, Mrs. Baker said, “I’m still trembling!”

Constable Ray Nelson says he’ll draw up some THIN ICE signs and post them.

TGHA’ers have a captain in each block and the community can be contacted in less than half-an-hour. It has been recommended that each block captain visit neighborhood families and inform them of the thin ice.

Normally during the cold spells, the pond is a site of fun for ice skaters. However, a siege of warm weather apparently weakened the ice in many spots.

Several families feel the pond should be fenced in a manner similar to fenced drainage ponds in other communities. A gate could be left unlocked when the ice is sufficiently strong. It would keep little tykes from entering the area when the ice is bad, or during the warm months., when there would be a strong temptation to play around the shore of the pond.

Park-Inver Grove Keep Old Span After 8 Month Fight 2 Counties Agree to Pay Rent THIS AREA – At least eight months of battle ended last week Tuesday with Washington and Dakota County board officials deciding in special session at Hastings to rent the old Rock Island highway deck at the Park and Inver Grove. They’ll pay $8,000 for the privilege of allowing traffic to cross the river at that point. State aid will come to about 42 per cent of the rental cost.

Park businessmen especially were overjoyed to hear the bridge would be kept open. They maintained during many long sessions with Washington County board members that closing the span would seriously affect their business receipts.

Civic leaders such as Park Mayor William Fastner and Insurance man Al Wilkie felt that the bridge would assume its true value in years to come as a mushrooming population zoomed to its peak.

Industrial people such as Northwest Refining officials were concerned with extra miles their tankers would have to drive with a crossing only at Newport-South St. Paul.

County commissioners were grossly concerned with possible upkeep costs. Last year the state spent $13,000 alone for rest ripping surface boards. It would cost $75,000 to restrain the whole bridge.

The average maintenance price hit about $13,000, but commissioners say this is high and probably includes state administrative costs that would not be paid at the county level.

Park Officials View $80,000 Water Tank St. Paul Park – Village officials are considering the possibilities of becoming a class 7 community as ranked by the Fire Underwriters Inspection Bureau.

The Park currently holds a class 8 rank. A class-7 rating could reduce commercial and industrial insurance costs as much as 30 per cent.

Once recommendation comes from Consulting Engineer Edward Kioshel of the firm of Bettenburg, Townsend, Stolte and Comb. He calls for additional water storage.

In communication to the council, Kishel suggested a site at Lincoln Avenue and 13th Street. He said it would work out as far as grade, line pressure and balance is concerened.

It would be a tank on stilts holding 300,000 gallons of water and would be about 10 to 25 feet higher than the storage tank in Thompson Grove. It would cost about $80,000 He said the tank would also benefit the Park during summer dry spells.

December 4, 1959

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