County announces Main Street projectRock County Engineer Mark Sehr announced this week a reconditioning project for Luverne’s Main Street.The reconstruction will run from Highway 75 to Blue Mound Avenue and will be completed during the 2005 construction season.According to Sehr, the project will include the removal of four inches of bituminous asphalt to the underlying concrete pavement, repair of any severely deteriorated concrete pavement area and replacement of some concrete curb and gutter where it has either deteriorated or sunk.Sehr said Main Street would not be closed during the project although there will be times when parking and traffic flow will be restricted.The Main Street project will not begin until after the Highway 75 project adjacent to the new Luverne Sioux Valley Hospital is open to traffic.That project is expected to begin in mid-May, putting the start of the Main Street makeover at approximately the end of July or early August.The reconditioning is expected to take approximately four to six weeks.Although the official detour for the Highway 75 project will go to the west of Luverne, it is expected that much of the local traffic will probably go east to Blue Mound Avenue and down to Main Street, so having them both torn up at the same time is a problem the county would like to avoid.CSFP to begin in DecemberA new program called Commodity Supplemental Food Program is scheduled to begin in Rock County this month.Government commodity supplemental food packages will be distributed to pre-registered, income-eligible pregnant or post-partum women, children up to age 6 and seniors.The program is administered by Second Harvest Heartland in St. Paul and you must call there to pre-register.The first distribution is scheduled for Dec.22 from 3 to 4 p.m. at the American Legion in Luverne.Deadline for sign up is Dec. 13.Corn, beans and poplar trees?Could poplar trees soon be added to the list of crops local landowners make a living from?Starting Dec. 1 Minnesota landowners can tap into a new low-interest loan program offering help to those interested in growing short-rotation woody crops such as poplar trees for harvest.The program will be called Agroforestry Advance Loan Fund (AALF).The new revolving loan program is designed to deliver the environmental and economic benefits of poplar trees and other perennial cover crops or alternative crops.According to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the new revolving loan program is designed to deliver the environmental and economic benefits of poplar trees and other perennial cover crops or alternative crops.According to the Department of Agriculture the interest in poplar trees has increased because they can be used for energy production in as little as five years and they can be used for paper, pulp, fiber or wood production in ten to fifteen years.The trees also provide environmental benefits such as reduced soil erosion and improved water and air quality.For more information on the program phone 320-253-4380 or at www.mda.state.mn.usYouth Services looking for help with their Angel TreeSouthwest Youth Services in Magnolia, formerly know as Pinnacle, has set up an Angel Tree for the youth in their facility.Southwest Youth Services in a press release said, "Even though these young people may have made some poor choices, they still need people in their lives who care about them. So, if you are interested in being a part of their holiday season, please stop by and pick an angel gift off the tree."For more information phone 507-283-4425.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com
