OC 11.23.11

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description

Your guide to shopping, dining and entertaining in Olmsted County.

Transcript of OC 11.23.11

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2 | November 2011 | The Olmsted County Business Connection. For Advertising Information Please Call 507-288-5201.

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507.366.2833(507.366.BUFF)

www.buffandcoat.com

Offer not valid with any other offers or discounts.

Expires December 14, 2011.

A Slice of the Holidays...ALL YEAR LONG!

304 1st Ave. SW • 507.282.8669www.bilottispizza.com

Buy $100 in Gift Certificates, get a

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• Football • Baseball• Hockey

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Food Cards Fun It’s what we do!TJ Max Plaza • 1340 Salem Rd. SW

Rochester, MN • 507-280-6800

We Have THem!Just in time for the holidaysauthentic Reebok On Field Jerseys

Men’s, Women’s, and Children’s Sizes

The Olmsted County Business Connection. For Advertising Information Please Call 507-288-5201. | November 2011 | 3

Gift Cards Available!

Hair • Skin • Nails

We represent Bumble and Bumble

products.

One coupon per client. Expires 12/31/11.

507.424.33222665 Commerce Drive NW, Rochester

(West Circle Location)

www.raessalon.com

We Promise You an Experience You’ll Never Forget

$20 OFFMicro Derm or Micro PeelOne coupon per client. Expires 12/31/11.

$15 OFFAny Chemical Service

Chemical Peel, Hair Color or Perm

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Visit our website for a demo of Rotobrush cleaning!

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Commercial • Residential

Benefits you may experience from cleaning your ducts: • Fewer asthma, allergy & cold symptoms • Cleaner furniture & carpets • Fresher smelling house • Eliminates dust mites, pollen & pet dander

507.322.3843Free video inspection

with Rotobrush upgrade!

Air Duct Cleaning

Fireplace Cleaning • Chimney Cleaning Dryer Vent Cleaning

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AIR DUCT CLEANING

4 | November 2011 | The Olmsted County Business Connection. For Advertising Information Please Call 507-288-5201.

Specializing in custom fitting for

every ability!

Buy $10000 worth of gift cards and receive a $2500 Gift Card

FREE! Expires 12/31/11.

Hillcrest Shopping Center1642 Highway 52 North • 507-529-0223www.rochesterindoorgolfcenter.com

“Everything for the golfer for less, always!”

Check out our holiday gift bag!

Chinese RestaurantDine In or Take Out

Miracle Mile Shopping Center507.281.1813 or 507.281.1787

Sky Dragon Buffet

Chinese RestaurantDine In Or Take Out

Sky Dragon Buffet

Buy 1 Meal at menu price

Get 2nd half priceW/ Purchase of 2 Soft DrinksIncludes lunch, dinner or to go orders. One coupon per group. Cannot be combined with any other offers. Must present coupon. Second meal equal

or lesser value. Expires December 14, 2011.

Locally Owned Family Business

Now Three Generations of Quality Craftmanship

• Featuring Furniture made in Minnesota •

www.furniturebylogans.com • Crossroads Center, Rochester, MN • 507-282-6806

The Olmsted County Business Connection. For Advertising Information Please Call 507-288-5201. | November 2011 | 5

P r i n t i n g S o l u t i o n S

P E r F E C t g l o S S Y

507.398.9115www.perfectglossy.com

$ A group of men were think-

ing about building a place for

their kids to practice racing

Go Karts when they stum-

bled upon a business venture.

Instead of traveling to Cresco

or other places, why not have a

track right in Fillmore County

where people could race, or pay

to come see others race?

Canton already had a perfect

area located right on the edge

of town, in a spot that has

plenty of room for the track,

the pits, some bleachers, and

places for spectators to set up

their own seats. It’s right on the

highway, and seemed a good

central location. The idea for

Canton Speedway was taking

shape. According to Mike Kelly, it

has been a joint effort to turn

this idea into a reality. He has

been working together with

Tony Severson, Ben Gravos,

Brian Gjere, and others, all of

them putting money, time, and

energy into the project.

Right now their kids race

in Cresco every other Sun-

day. They plan to have Canton

Speedway run on the opposite

Sundays through the summer.

The plan is to have races be

an afternoon family event for

everyone.

“The kids can start racing at

age five,” said Kelly. “And there

are people in their mid-60s still

racing.” Go Karts come in different

shapes and sizes, as well as dif-

ferent price ranges. “You can

spend as much as you want,”

said Gravos.

According to Kelly, a basic

Go Kart can be found for

under $1,000, and it goes up

from there, depending on how

fancy you want it. And they

are not slow, either. Kelly’s son

Jared said they can go anywhere

from 20-60 miles per hour.

Go Kart racing is not just for

boys. Kelly said there are many

girls who race, and the oldest

person they know racing Go

Karts is a woman in her early

60’s. A lot of work has gone into

the project already, and they

still have a lot of work to do.

Kelly said the Canton City

Canton Speedway to attract

Go Karts racers to region

Schools cannot

do it alone

page 5

Technology in

my life

page 6

Spring Valley

looks at grant

surveys

page 9

Chatfield moves

ordinance

forward

page 19

For the second time in two

years, the Rushford area Cham-

ber of Commerce has hosted an

informal town-hall style Meet the

Candidates forum. The Sunday

night event, October 23, held at

the R-p High School Theater, saw

nearly 60 in attendance to hear

the details of six candidates ‘bids

for council or mayoral seats. The

Journal’s own editor-in-Chief,

Jason Sethre, served as moderator

for the event for a second time.

Two candidates will vie for

the position of Rushford’s mayor.

Chris Hallum, currently in his

first term as mayor, will face

off against former councilor Jim

Wolter. Four others are seek-

ing two four-year council terms,

including incumbent Robert

Dahl, who is running for a sec-

ond term. also seeking the posi-

tion are Roger Colbenson, who

sought council seat last election,

coming in third, former mayor

Les Ladewig, who seeks re-elec-

tion after being ousted by vot-

ers in 2009, and Valencia gad-

dis, who is seeking her first-ever

council seat. The top two of these

four will be elected.

The night’s agenda was thor-

oughly scripted by the chamber

and included an introduction and

conclusion by each candidate and

four questions for the candidates,

drawn from four categories, with

one question per category. New

this year, the candidates also

fielded two open questions from

the audience. all questions, both

written and open, were allowed

only from property tax payers

of the city and had a limited

response time from candidates.

The four selected categories

were: City’s Fiscal Budget, eco-

nomic Development, Commu-

nity Quality of Life Issues, and

Rushford Chamber

hosts “Meet the

Candidates” forum

See CANDIDATES Page 2

The county board approved the

purchase of new survey equipment

for the Highway Department at the

state contract price, $72,022.64, at

the board’s October 25 meeting.

Lead Accounting Technician

Pam Schroeder, Highway, detailed

the reasons to go with Trimble

Equipment through Frontier Preci-

sion at the state contract price. It

is the vendor and equipment the

department has worked with in

the past, so more training shouldn’t

be required, and it will be compat-

ible with current software. As this

equipment is used by 80 percent

of Minnesota counties and the Fill-

more County Survey office, infor-

mation will be interchangeable.

Trimble equipment will provide

an extended range for hard to reach

or unsafe targets, which makes it

work better in the county’s bluff

areas. Batteries are interchangeable

when recharging is needed, reduc-

New survey equipment for

the highway department

See COUNTY Page 16

Pictured above is the future location for Canton Speedway.

See GO KART Page 17

Weekly Edition M

onday, October 31, 2011 Volume 27 Issue 6

7th grade Falcons

undefeated

page 17

Canton Chatfield Fountain Harmony Lanesboro Mabel Ostrander Peterson Preston Rushford Rushford Village Spring Valley Whalan Wykoff

B K Z

B K r

B J W

DirtyMartini

Lounge

N H B o . 24!

Weekly

Specials

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Nov. 19

Book Your

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With the rising cost of fuel, as well as a vision for downtown Rochester containing a more limited number of parking spac-es for a growing number of jobs, alternative modes of transporta-tion are being explored to bring the city into the future. In April of this year, the Mid-

west High Speed Rail Alliance, a Chicago-based rail advocacy group, adjusted their vision for a proposed high speed rail line from Chicago to the Twin Cities to go through Rochester instead of along the Mississippi River as previously planned. “Our goal is to make centers of

excellence in the Midwest acces-sible to the regional, national, and international community,” said Rick Harnish, the associa-tion’s executive director. “Roch-

ester, with its first-rate medical community, is certainly one of the centers.” In the next two to three

years, the Olmsted County Rail Authority will look to begin forming a service development plan, containing the fourth fea-sibility study in the last 10 years to determine how successful a high speed rail line between Rochester and the Twin Cit-ies would be. The plan would begin with an environmental study during its first six to eight months to do a cost analysis in order to find the most advanta-geous placement of the passenger line, which would not share the corridor with freight rail. One of the reasons that the route along the Mississippi River was given up was due to a simple environ-mental observation that the hills and varying soil densities of this landscape could not support a

high-speed rail line. The rail line would be Min-nesota’s first high-speed connec-tion, traveling at speeds between

150 and 220 miles per hour. This would cut a commute between Rochester and the Twin Cities down to between 20 or 30 min-

utes. “This is a transformative proj-ect,” said Chuck Michael, project manager at ZipRail, the brand for the proposed high speed rail project. “It will change the way people look at where they live and where they work.” Rochester is very unique in

its economic and transportation

patterns. There are thousands more jobs in Rochester than there are men, women, and chil-dren. Approximately 40,000 people commute to Rochester each business day. These com-muters, along with a conserva-tive estimate of 12,000 patients a day at the Mayo Clinic, make thoughtful planning of trans-portation and infrastructure a necessity. The Mayo Clinic currently

runs 42 buses per day to trans-port employees to and from the

Twin Cities and communities surrounding Rochester. With the Clinic expecting to continue to grow, employ more people, and renew the fabric of down-town Rochester along with the arrival of the University of Min-nesota, finding a place to park all of the employees, patients, and students will be unlikely and not cost-effective. The Downtown

Master Plan, adopted by the city of Rochester in the last year, calls for even less available park-ing downtown than is presently there. “The incentive is two-fold,” said Olmsted County Commis-sioner Ken Brown. “First, we want to get people to Rochester. Second, we don’t want the cars because we can’t park them.” It is a common view that it is best to live near your place of employment. Commuters are feeling the pinch of the cost of gasoline, which has often approached $4 a gallon in recent years. When looking for a place to plan conferences, or receive medical care, one consideration

Rochester’s silver bullet?

See ZIPRAIL Page 6 Comment on this article at www.olmstedcountyjournal.com

By Nate [email protected]

Keep an open mind

PAge 4

FEMA fnding impasse means frustrationPAge 10

Law enforcement contract for Dover/EyotaPAge 15

Byron raises storm water utility feesPAge 14

Tee it upwhile you can!

PAge 17

Weekly Edition Wednesday, September 28, 2011 Volume 1 Issue 26

OLMSTED COUNTY

Byron l Chatfield l Dover l Eyota l Oronoco l Pine Island l Rochester l Stewartville

TEE OFFSpEcialS

www.olmstedcountyjournal.com

“Olmsted County’s Largest Local Newspaper With Over 62,000 Copies Distributed Every Week”

Seal-CoatingFloor Coating

Deck Maintenance

Save 10% OFFOn These Company ServicesSee Page 2 to Find Out How!

Polytek Surface Coatings

Graphic Source: www.goziprail.org

Wabasha Motel has room rates that are especially appealing to those who want some extra cash to order that special bottle of wine with dinner, or those who just want a quiet, cozy place to catch some zzzz’s without costly added frills.

Our Cabin and Downtown Flat give guests the option of staying in a more stylish, contemporary setting with kitchens to do their own cooking.

And finally, our RV Park offers guests a quiet, peaceful place to stay as they explore the many attractions of Wabasha and the surrounding area.

Places you absolutely must see and experience in & near Wabasha, Minnesota.

Wabasha Motel & RV offers today’s traveler an economical,

quiet, comfortable place to stay. Stay in one of our rooms

or bring your own!

1106 Hiawatha Dr. E.Wabasha, MN 55981

866-565-9932651-565-9932

[email protected]

1106 Hiawatha Dr. E.Wabasha, MN 55981

866-565-9932651-565-9932

[email protected]

The Mississippi River-Watch the barges & boats on the main channel and explore the scenic backwaters by canoe or kayak.The National Eagle Center-After you’ve seen the live eagles there, go out and see them in the wild!Arrowhead Bluff Museum-Indian & pioneer artifacts, wildlife exhibits, and an extensive knowledge of our Wabasha area history. The Wabasha County Historical Museum- If you want even more history, this is the place to be. L.A.R.K. Toys- Be a kid again! Buy toys, eat ice cream, and ride the carousel featuring 19 hand-carved fantasy creatures!SVJ Creative Designs- Decorate your garden or yard with elegant or fun concrete statuary.Cofffee Mill Golf- 18 holes with breathtaking views from both the clubhouse and along the course. Check out the pro shop, dine at the Chippewa Grille, and watch your favorite team on their big screen TVs!Coffee Mill Ski & Snowboard- Extra long slopes and three terrain parks. A quality ski & snowboard experience!“Under the Bridge”-FREE Summer concerts - every Friday night at 7pm.Wind Whisper West- Beautiful Japanese wedding kimonos - take one of these pieces of fine art home with you!

BIG SAVINGS

Until December 31, 2011, buy any product from Perfect Glossy and take

20% of purchase price

to use toward an advertisement in the

Fillmore County Journal or Olmsted County Journal.

Advertisement must run by March 31, 2012.

Attention: Business ownersMaximize Your Advertising!

Call Dan today to arrange a one-on-one consultation

507.398.9115

PoliticiansGrocery StoresLive Theatre Productions

One favorable price includes complete layout, design, printing and shipping! No surprise costs.

We have helped many organizationsChurchesRestaurantsHotels & MotelsCampgrounds

MunicipalitiesAssisted Living Centers Indoor & Outdoor Recreation

6 | November 2011 | The Olmsted County Business Connection. For Advertising Information Please Call 507-288-5201.

2 Rooms & Hallway$89

• Pre-Spotter Included• 180 sq. ft. per room

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3 Rooms & Hallway$115

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How Clean Are Your Carpets This Holiday Season?

Organic Carpet CleaningUpholstery Cleaning • Window Cleaning

Commercial & Residential

Contact SMG Web Design for more information

507-765-2704 or 877-282-0647

www.smgwebdesign.com

Only 12.8% of all

Rochester businesses have a website.

That means 87.2% of all Rochester businesses don’t have a website.

Let us help!

The Preferred Package•Domain registration•Hosting services•Website design•Unlimited e-mail accounts•Website updates included•Search engine optimization•Website analytics reports•Social media guidance -Facebook, YouTube, MySpace and more•TackleBox -user-friendly management tool•Website features include: -blogging, video, photo galleries, slideshows, e-commerce and more!•Free debut of website

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The Preferred Package•Domain registration•Hosting services•Website design•Unlimited e-mail accounts•Website updates included•Search engine optimization•Website analytics reports•Social media guidance -Facebook, YouTube, MySpace & more•Website features include: -blogging, video, photo galleries, slideshows, e-commerce and more!•Free debut of website in the Olmsted County Journal

Contact SMG Web Design for more information

507-765-2704 or 877-282-0647

www.smgwebdesign.com

Only 12.8% of all

Rochester businesses have a website.

That means 87.2% of all Rochester businesses don’t have a website.

Let us help!

The Preferred Package•Domain registration•Hosting services•Website design•Unlimited e-mail accounts•Website updates included•Search engine optimization•Website analytics reports•Social media guidance -Facebook, YouTube, MySpace and more•TackleBox -user-friendly management tool•Website features include: -blogging, video, photo galleries, slideshows, e-commerce and more!•Free debut of website

All of this for as low as $500/year

Now Offering ~ Social Media Management•Setup and social media site management to reach your target audience•Including the top social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Myspace and more!

SMGDesignW

eb

Only 12.8% of all

Olmsted County businesses have a website.

That means 87.2% of all Olmsted County businesses

don’t have a website.

Let us help!

Contact SMG Web Design for more information

507-765-2704 or 877-282-0647

www.smgwebdesign.com

The Olmsted County Business Connection. For Advertising Information Please Call 507-288-5201. | November 2011 | 7

1203 2nd Street SW (Across from St. Mary’s)282-6572 • www.canadianhonker.com

Flown straight from Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba.

We prepare it 3 different ways....Parmesan Encrusted, Broiled

and Batter Fried.

Stop in and try this 10 year tradition

For a limited timeCanadian Honker will be offering

Fresh Canadian Walleye

Served 11am-10pm 7 days a week

2950 41st St. NW • 507-252-5000

Ashley’sor shop www.myashleys.com

May not be combined with other offers including coupons and promotional merchandise. Not valid on Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments, gift card purchases, postage stamps, past purchases, Vera Bradley, Chamilia and Miche Bag. No

photo copies. Coupon good November 25-27, 2011.

40% OFF One Item

www.olmstedcountyjournal.com/the-oc

Reach 64,000 Households with

ONE AD

For advertising information please call 507-288-5201