Hazardous waste collection is June 22-23Next week is your opportunity to get rid of that stuff around your house that you normally can’t get anyone to take.On Wednesday the Rock County Land Management Office will collect household hazardous waste at the Rock County Transfer Station (the old landfill site) from 11:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Magnolia city shop.Acceptable waste includes paint, aerosol cans, and hazardous household, automotive, lawn & garden, and home improvement products.On Thursday, June 23, unwanted and unusable pesticides will be collected at the transfer station.For most participants, up to 300 pounds of pesticide will be accepted without charge.Unlike the hazardous waste collection, you must register for this collection. For more information, phone 283-8862, ext. 3.Luverne Gala raised money for Children’s Miracle NetworkThe Children’s Miracle Network Gala, held at the Palace Theatre last month, raised $2,200 for their cause.That fund-raiser, combined with other events over the course of the year, brought the total raised by the Luverne Hospital’s CMN committee to more that $6,500.The Palace event was organized by Sue Sandbulte and featured opera singer Emily Lodine, a comedy routine by Dr. Don Smith, and a singing performance by Dr. Joshua Crabtree and his wife Emily.A Hee-Haw comedy routine was also performed by hospital nurses Karen Roberts and Ruth Opsata.I-90 project to begin this weekThe MnDOT project supervisor announced that the I-90 project from Luverne to Beaver Creek will start mid-week.According to Ken Janovsky, plans are in place to begin the concrete rehabilitation on three bridges, which will result in short lane closures on the westbound lanes.Later in June, the contractor’s plans include the overlay from Beaver Creek to the Rock River at Luverne on the eastbound lanes of I-90, which will result in lane restrictions and reduced speeds.The project was awarded to Buffalo Bituminous, Inc. of Buffalo for $1,499,793.Although it was originally scheduled for completion by mid-August, it’s now expected to be completed by mid-July.I’m from the DNR and I’m here to helpUnfortunately, a lot of people view the Department of Natural Resources as the agency that is really good at "just saying no."They probably do say "no" a lot, but they also have a lot of advice and assistance that can be very beneficial on various projects you want to tackle on your property.Whether a landowner is interested in establishing native grasses, restoring a wetland, planting trees and shrubs, controlling exotic species such as buck thorn, or improving water quality, a DNR private land specialist can be a valuable ally for any landowner interested in enhancing or adding wildlife habitat to their property.According to Jodi Provost, a private land specialist with the DNR, most private landowners think that if they get the DNR’s help, their land won’t be private anymore. Not so.According to Provost, over 75 percent of the land in Minnesota is privately owned and in northeast Minnesota 87 percent of the sharp-tailed grouse habitat is on private land.If you have land that you would like to improve for natural habitat, you can find out more about how the DNR can help by going to their Web site at www.dnr.state.mn.us or contact Emily Hutchins at 507-445-5841.More county road projectsThe Highway 75 project north of Luverne might be getting most of the attention, but it’s not the only project in progress.Construction of a bridge over the Beaver Creek began on Monday, June 13th.The bridge is located three-and-a-half miles east of Highway 75 on County Highway 20, also know as the state park road.Replacing the bridge is expected to cost $232,950 and will take approximately 10-12 weeks.Duininck Brothers, Inc. of Prinsburg is the contractor in charge of the replacement.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com
