Prairie Expo sale finalWorthington-based Prairie Holdings Group signed the final documents Thursday which, when state approved, will give them ownership of the big red barn-like structure on I-90, known as the Prairie Expo building.Prairie Holdings provides business services to Prairie Livestock Supply, Veterinary Medical Center, Newport Laboratories, Lime Creek Ag Services, Precision Nutrition Inc. ProPig.com, Pro Cattle, Tlc2 and Buffalo Ridge Pork.The move will bring five satellite offices into one location, according to Wayne Freese, Prairie Holdings CEO.The Prairie Expo facility, which originally cost $7,000,000, was purchased by Prairie Holdings for $400,000.In addition, the company agreed to make an additional $1.9 million investment in the property, which includes a $600,000 addition and 15 years of interest and 20 years of taxes.The state agreed to forgive $3.69 million of the original $5.5 million bonds in exchange for receiving all of the property taxes on the building and the surrounding 31 acres. Nobles County, the city of Worthington and the school district also agreed to abate taxes for up to 20 years, until the aggregate taxes total $600,000.The Prairie Expo building was originally built to help promote tourism in Southwest Minnesota, and the group solicited funds from local government bodies.Luverne donated $25,000 to the project and Rock County gave them an additional $5,000.Pipestone-Jasper school buildings sold on e-BayThe former Jasper and Pipestone school buildings have a new owner, thanks to a sale on e-Bay.For the sum of $2, Dick Haase became the owner of both of the former educational facilities, with a total square footage of 260,000.Haase, 70, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune he plans to fill the space with enough residents and businesses to make the remodeling financially viable.His focus, according to the article, will be on assisted and independent living for people 55 and older, and to provide them with recreation, business and health services.Converting old school buildings to new uses is an increasingly popular trend, because of the high cost of demolition.Pipestone Central, which was built in 1917, has 200,000 square feet and has been added onto six times.The Pipestone School Board agreed to the sale last month and approved the sale of the Jasper school in June.Early last year, the board received an offer from an Orthodox Jewish school in St. Paul, but rejected it.Other inquiries included converting the buildings into a movie production facility, indoor skate park and a place to hold paint ball wars.Today is Food Check-Out DayThe Farm Bureau wants you to know how affordable food is in America.According to the group, between Jan. 1 and Feb. 5, the average American will have earned enough income to pay for his or her family’s entire food supply for 2004.Because of that, Farm Bureau Foundation is designating Feb. 5 as Farm Bureau’s Food Check-Out Day.To help celebrate the day locally, the Farm Bureau will have a display set up at Glen’s Food Center in Luverne, to hand out information as well as accept donations for the Rock County Food Shelf.Volunteers from the Luverne FFA Chapter will man the booth from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com
