Golda Mae Behr, 91, Steen, died Saturday, July 27, 2002, at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Services were Tuesday, July 30, at Miller Funeral Home, Sioux Falls. Burial was in Hills of Rest Memorial Park.

Golda Erwin was born to William and Azubah Erwin on May 19, 1911, in Worthington.

She married Edwin Behr on Aug. 22, 1930. After their marriage they lived in Kimbrae, Fulda and Worthington. The couple then moved to Ellsworth where they farmed. In 1953 they moved to a farm in Lowry until 1956. They sold their farm in 1956 and purchased a filling station in Lowry. The couple later lived in Benson and Pennock. In Pennock they took a position at Earl B. Olson's chicken farm. She worked at GTA Produce Co. In 1961 they moved to Garretson, S.D., and built a new house. She worked at Fecker's Produce in Pipestone. She also worked at Milbank Cheese Factory. They sold their home in Garretson and bought a home in Steen where she lived at the time of her death.

Mrs. Behr enjoyed crocheting afghans and other crafts. She collected cups and saucers, salt and pepper shakers, lighters and pens and pencils. She had 250 porcelain dolls.

Survivors include four sons and five daughters, Marriann Sudenga, Sioux Falls, Frances (Donald) Johnson, Tea, S.D., Lyland (Sonna) Behr, Luverne, Lavern Behr and Carolyn (Lennie) Garvick, all of Steen, Clifford (Helen) Behr, Ottertail, Barbara (Don) Bryant, Pierre, S.D., Phyllis (Charles) Danielson, Sioux Falls, and Ronald (Nelva) Behr, Hills; 24 grandchildren; 32 great-grandchildren; five great-great-grandchildren; 40 stepgrandchildren; 79 stepgreat-grandchildren; 36 stepgreat-great-grandchildren; and one brother, Ollie (Marvena) Erwin, Worthington.

Mrs. Behr was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, one brother, one sister, one son, two grandsons, one great-granddaughter, and one great-great-grandson.

Miller Funeral Home, Sioux Falls, was in charge of arrangements.

Gregory Scott Snyders, 41, Savage, died Friday, July 26, 2002, at his home after a 3 and one-half-year battle with melanoma skin cancer.

Services were Tuesday, July 30, at Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne. The Rev. Dell B. Sanderson officiated. Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery in Luverne.

Gregory Snyders was born to Robert and Patricia (Carpenter) Snyders on Sept. 5, 1960, in Morris. He grew up in Larchwood, Iowa, and Canton, S.D. He worked for W.W. Grainger.

He married Deb Hamann on Oct. 5, 1985, at Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne.

Mr. Snyders was an avid golfer and hunter.

Survivors include his wife, Deb Snyders, and two daughters, Rachel Snyders, 11, and Caitlyn Snyders, 8, all of Savage; his mother, Patricia Snyders, Sioux Falls, S.D.; four siblings and their spouses, Rick (Lori) Snyders, Lisa (Andy) Snyders, Scott Snyders and Holly (Mason) James, all of Sioux Falls; and his special camping buddies, Terry and Roni Hamann, Bloomington.

Mr. Snyders was preceded in death by his father and an infant brother, Christopher.

Dingmann Funeral Home, Luverne, was in charge of arrangements.

William (Bill) August Sieve, 90, Wilmont, died Thursday, July 23, 2002, at Worthington Regional Hospital, Worthington.

Services were Saturday, July 27, at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, in Wilmont. Burial was at Calvary Cemetery in Wilmont.

William Sieve was born to Clemens and Catherine (Roesner) Sieve on April 17, 1912, in Wilmont. He grew up and attended country school and Our Lady Good Counsel Church School in Wilmont. After he completed his education he worked as a hired man for area farmers until he began farming for himself.

He married Mildred Schweitzer on Feb. 12, 1945, at Ellsworth. After their marriage they purchased a farm west of Wilmont where he still lived.

Mr. Sieve was a member of Our Lady Catholic Church all of his life and a charter member of Knights of Columbus. He also served on the Larkin Township Board for many years. He enjoyed farming, bowling, dancing and visiting with family and friends.

Survivors include his wife, Mildred Sieve, Wilmont; two daughters, Mary (Rod) Scheidt, Adrian, and Colleen (Clyde) Starner, Higginsville, Mo.; eight grandchildren, Kim (Dan) Brown, Jennifer Scheidt, Natalie Scheidt, Minneapolis, Saundra (Scott) Snobl, Canby, Casey Scheidt, Eden Prairie, Andy (Nita) Starner, Carita (Paul) Trent, and Joe Starner, Higginsville; five great-grandchildren, Preston Snobl, Nicole, Hayley and Rachel Starner and Brooke Trent; and two brothers, Clem Sieve, Wilmont, and Carl Sieve, Alexandria.

Mr. Sieve was preceded in death by his parents, one grandson, Craig Scheidt, six brothers, George, Louie, August, Leonard, Larry and Vic, two sisters, Rose Heinrich and Chris Yates.

Dingmann Funeral Home, Wilmont, was in charge of arrangements.

By Lori Ehde
Tri-State Insurance, a company that's been in Luverne for nearly 100 years, is staying in Luverne after all.

Now known as Continental Western Group Tri-State Region, it was about to move to Sioux Falls following reorganization of its parent company, W.R. Berkley Corp., Greenwich, Conn.

After four years of informing his employees of corporate downsizing and leaving Luverne, regional manager Curt Bloemendaal, was glad to deliver good news last week.

"It was very, very positive ... There was applause," he said of Friday's employee reaction. "It was a fun announcement to make."

The city of Luverne had been unsuccessful in its efforts to keep Continental Western Group in Luverne, but when Berkley Corporation announced last fall that Berkley Information Services would also leave Luverne, efforts resumed to keep those jobs in town.

CWG and BIS generated a combined annual payroll of more than $5 million, and the loss would have been a major setback to the local economy.

Now known as Berkley Technology Services, about half its employees have already moved to a Sioux Falls office, which it is sub-leasing from CWG.

Those 30 BTS employees will remain in Sioux Falls, and 30 will end up staying in the Luverne office, which Berkley Corp. has been leasing from the city of Luverne.

"I think it's wonderful," said BTS president Joel Christensen. "It's great for the employees, and it's great for Luverne. There was a lot of joy."

Goal is to complete BTS addition by Jan. 1
The announcement followed signatures on letter of intent Thursday, July 25, by W.R. Berkley executives and the Rock County Development Corporation.

RCDC, a private organization of local business representatives, initiated negotiations, led primarily by Chairman Greg Burger and Vice Chairman Don Klosterbuer.

Local developer Virgil Christensen, who built the BTS building, assisted in the process.

In a special meeting Wednesday, the public body of Luverne Economic Development Authority approved RCDC's recommendation, putting the wheels in motion for construction.

The 10-year lease on the BTS building was due to expire in December 2004, but according to Wednesday's agreement, Berkley Corp. will sign another 10-year lease on the building contingent on the following conditions:

LEDA will add 8,500 square feet to the existing 20,000-square-foot BTS structure.
CWG employees will move into the BTS building. There are about 100 CWG employees, including 20 who will move back to the Luverne location from Sioux Falls.
Berkley Corp. will donate the vacated Tri-State building to the city. The 30,000-square-foot building is worth roughly $1 million.
The agreement was signed contingent on the City CouncilÕs approval of $700,000 in financing at their Aug. 13 meeting.

"It's a neat deal. I'm excited about it," said City Administrator Matt Hylen.

"They're getting a good deal, but weÕre going to get a good deal. The tax payers are getting a good deal."

The city still owes about $900,000 on the current BTS building. Hylen said lease payments on the building will cover those costs in addition to maintenance on the 33,000-square-foot Tri-State building.

Berkley will make lease payments of $10,000 per month, and at the end of 10 years will have the opportunity to purchase the building for $650,000 or extend the lease for five years at $10,000 per month.

The Tri-State property generated nearly $47,000 for local tax coffers last year.

Ideally, Hylen said, the city will recruit another business to occupy the building, or, he said, there'd be an option to have several smaller businesses occupy the office space.

Border city legislation, which allows tax breaks to new businesses in Minnesota border towns, did not apply in this deal, but the LEDA leaders hope it will work to attract new businesses to the vacated Tri-State building.

Hylen said negotiations have been "fast and furious," in the past three months, since the Sioux Falls lease is up Jan. 1, and no arrangements were in place for new office space.

According to Berkley spokesman Gene Ballard, the corporation had been evaluating the situation and ended up doing what would retain the most workforce.

"We have a high-quality group of people, and keeping them was always our preference if we could get the building situation figured out," Ballard said, "We were very happy we could find a way to make that happen."

Last year at this time BTS had 114 employees and CWG listed 147, including traveling employees and those in Sioux Falls.

The expanded BTS building will house fewer than 130 people in the combined workforce.

Ballard said one of the company goals was to put all the Berkley employees under one roof, and this accomplishes that, plus allows space for additional employees.

"The property casualty business has been growing steadily in the past 12 to 18 months, particularly in commercial lines," Ballard said.

The construction schedule will be "aggressive," Hylen said, with the goal to get exterior work done before winter, and the interior completed early next year.

Raphael "Ray" J. Pick, 79, Kenneth, died Monday, July 29, 2002, at Sioux Valley Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Services were Thursday, Aug. 1, at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Lismore. The Rev. Gerald Kosse and Roxanne Kemper officiated. Burial was at St. Anthony Catholic Cemetery in Lismore.

Raphael Pick was born to Joseph and Elizabeth (Reker) Pick on Sept. 4, 1922, in Lismore. He attended school at St. Kilian. He farmed with his family and worked in an airplane factory in Buffalo, N.Y., during World War II.

He married Margaret Ann Gleis on June 19, 1945, at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Lismore. After their marriage, the couple farmed north of Lismore. In March 1957 they moved north of Kenneth where they farmed until 1986. They owned the Kenneth Bar from 1980 to 1992 until they retired in Kenneth.

Survivors include his wife, Margaret A. Pick, Kenneth; five children and their spouses, Gerald "Jerry" (Margaret) Pick, Dale (Lori) Pick, all of Luverne, Dennis (Deanna) Pick, Kenneth, Linda (Gerald) Schmuck, Gulfport, Miss., and Diane and Dennis Strassburg, Magnolia; 14 grandchildren; and four great-granddaughters.

Mr. Pick was preceded in death by his parents, eight brothers, Michael, Arnold, Ernest, Isadore, Urban, Magnus, Leonard and Joseph, four sisters, Cecilia, Eleanora Loosbrock, Lucy Hebig and Mildred Pick.

Dingmann Funeral Home, Adrian, was in charge of arrangements.

By Sara Strong
The Rock County Pool Commission Tuesday voted to recommend a second round of requests for proposals to lease, purchase or manage the Pool and Fitness Center.

The request for proposals earlier this year got no feedback, but Sioux Valley Hospitals and Health System asked for an extension to submit a proposal after the deadline.

The Commission hopes this new round of advertising will get more response.

The Rock County Board of Commissioners and the Luverne City Council, as joint owners of the facility, will act on the recommendation.

Luverne City Administrator Matt Hylen objected to advertising again for RFPs because he said the process has dragged on long enough, and interested parties either backed out or missed the deadline.

He said employee morale is slipping because they see their jobs are in question. Hylen said, "It's hard to run a staff with their futures in jeopardy."

Indoor water park?
As the Pool Commission continues exploring options for selling or leasing the facility, it - at the same meeting - discussed a major expansion project in the future.

Pool and Fitness Center Director Darrell Huiskes and Manager Carol Wessels proposed an indoor water park project to the Commission, which as a body said it supported the project as a concept.

The added water park would be a zero-depth to 4-foot-deep pool with slides and would be open year round. The regular pool, open for lap swimming, aerobics and swimming lessons, would still be a part of the facility.

Any sincere planning for the Pool and Fitness Center expansion is on hold until the new round of RFPs are returned, if at all.

The Commission favors the project, because profits from it could make the Pool and Fitness Center self supporting and will no longer require annual county and city contributions.

A preliminary estimate has the county and city each contributing $85,000 in 2003 to the Pool and Fitness Center's budget. Their contribution in 2002 was $72,118.

The Commission directed Huiskes and Wessels to research options to fund the $1.3 million project, but didn't commit to it.

The Commission discussed the possibility of bonding for that amount and putting it to a vote for public approval.

Huiskes said he was very confident that an expansion would allow a $100,000 payback annually after the first full year of operation.

Area outdoor water parks are busy with a steady stream of customers when they're open three months of the year. With Luverne's pool open year-round, its typical 75 users a day could be multiplied and so could the cash flow.

Huiskes said, "The only thing we can offer now is water."

Water parks and added equipment in water are increasingly popular in public and hotel pools.

Huiskes reminded the commission that the priority on pool surveys sent out in 2001 was a child-friendly water park.

Currently, 40 percent of the pool users are from outside the county, so Huiskes said a water park might draw even more traffic to Luverne and be a benefit to the entire community.

Just admission to the water park, Wild Water West in Sioux Falls, S.D., is $45 for a family of four. Visitors usually spend more by purchasing concessions.

In other budget discussion Tuesday, the Commission also decided to recommend $30,000 in new fitness equipment purchases in 2003; increased allotment to a capital improvement fund, that could help if an addition is added, to $15,000; and increased advertising budget to $7,500 to increase use by advertising monthly specials, child care availability or other features of the Pool and Fitness Center.

By John Rittenhouse
All signs indicate there will be a big field for the Rock County Fair's Enduro Race Saturday.

A mainstay in the fair's grandstand lineup for a number of years, the Enduro Race always turns into one of the festival's top attractions.

Local participation in the race seems to draw a lot of families, friends and neighbors of the drivers to the track, and that should be the case on Saturday.

According to Burdette Braun, who had compiled 40 entries as of Tuesday, more than one-half of the pre-registered cars belong to Rock County drivers.

With more entries expected before Saturday's race, Braun believes the field will be expanded.

"There's still time to get more entries this week, and if drivers bring a car before the gates close at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, and the car passes our specs, we'll take them," he said.

As of Monday, the 2001 Enduro Race champion had not registered a car for Saturday's competition. Luverne's Nick Mann completed 200 laps before the race's two-hour time limit elapsed last summer, giving him his first Rock County Fair title.

Rock Rapids, Iowa, driver Terry Dieren, who finished second to Mann last season, will be back on the track.

Two Rock County drivers and another from nearby Edgerton who placed in the top-10 last season have pre-registered for Saturday's race.

Luverne's Travis Van Santen and Magnolia's Jason DeBeer, who placed fourth and seventh respectively in 2001, are back in the field. So is Edgerton's Owen Tinklenberg, who placed fifth in last year's event.

Other Luverne drivers who have pre-registered for Saturday’s race include Brian Remme, Perry Schneekloth, Chad Oye, Josh Sandbulte, Josh DeKam, Brian Boll, Greg Vande Velde, Adam Kinsinger, Brent Schepel, Brian Schneekloth and Shane Hoya.

Hills will be represented by Matt Hoffenkamp, Beaver Creek by Matt Sandbulte and Hardwick's Mark Brockberg has thrown his hat into the ring.

The 2002 version of the event is sponsored by the Rock County Corn and Soybean Growers Association, and Agri-Energy. Race time is 7 p.m.

By John Rittenhouse
Luverne’s Grace Miller may be bruised, but she remains unbowed.

Never mind the fact that a foul ball hit the 81-year-old Miller in the face at a Minnesota Twins-Toronto Blue Jays' baseball game in Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis Sunday.

In the mind of Miller, it was a freak accident that just happened. And she insists the incident didn’t taint the memorable time she had taking in her first Twins game at the Metrodome.

"It was very exciting for me," Miller said. "I'm a really big sports fan. I've been a Twins' fan for a long time, and I enjoy watching the Vikings, too. My son (Terry Severson, of Rochester) was bringing me to my first Twins game in the Metrodome Sunday, and I was very excited."

Miller and her son were two of 30,554 fans to entered the Dome on Sunday to see if the Twins could sweep a three-game series with the Blue Jays.

They took their seats, four rows behind the home team's dugout located on the third-base line of the field. They were treated early to a 1-0 Twins’ lead when Corey Koskie delivered an RBI double in the home half of the first inning.

The Twins were batting in the bottom of the fourth when fate pulled an ugly trick on Miller.

With Minnesota's All-Star catcher at the plate, left-handed hitting A.J. Pierzynski lined a foul ball that caught Miller flush on her left cheek.

"Pierzynski hit a foul ball, and it happened to come our way. Neither I or my son saw the ball coming, and it glanced into my left cheek," Miller recalled.

Metrodome medical personnel quickly reached the scene, and they carried Miller by stretcher to an emergency area in the Dome's concourse.

"They put an ice pack and a bandage on my face. They wanted me to go to an area hospital for x-rays, but I didn’t see the need. I could tell there were no broken bones, and I told them I wanted to go back down and watch the game. I only missed one inning," she said.

Miller ended up being showered with gifts and applause when she bravely returned to her seat.

The security escort who walked with Miller down the steps to her seat stopped a vendor and told him to give Miller a Twins’ visor. The vendor did.

As she worked her way down the steps toward her seat, she received a standing ovation offered by a large number of fans who recognized her return to the area.

Since she was unable to recover the ball that struck her on the cheek, Miller was given a ball autographed by Twins' designated hitter David Ortiz, and another one from a little girl in Miller's seating area who thought she deserved it.

Miller was touched by the gifts she received, and was tickled by the fact that the Twins went on to win the game by a 4-0 margin.

"I was very lucky and thankful things turned out the way they did," she said. "The ball could have hit me on the temple, or it could have broken my glasses and shattered into my eye. I was very fortunate, and they treated me very well.

"I won't let this incident stop me from going back to another game in the Dome. I really would like to go up there and see the Vikings, too."

Rock County recreational trail bids set for Aug. 15
ROCK COUNTY, MN
MULTI-PURPOSE RECREATIONAL TRAIL
CLOSING DATE Ñ AUGUST 15, 2002
NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
Sealed bids will be received until 1:00 P.M. on Thursday August 15, 2002 by Mark Sehr, County Engineer, at the Rock County Highway Building, 1120 North Blue Mound Ave., Luverne, MN 56156 on behalf of the Commissioner of Transportation as agent for said County for construction of the county project listed below. Proposals will be opened and read publicly by the Commissioner of Transportation or his representative at the Rock County Highway Building, Luverne, MN immediately after the hour set for receiving bids. Bids will be awarded on August 20, at the regular Board of Commissioners Meeting.

Minimum wage rates to be paid by the Contractors have been predetermined and are subject to the Work Hours Act of 1962, P.L. 87-581 and implementing regulations.

READ CAREFULLY THE WAGE SCALES AND DIVISION A OF THE SPECIAL PROVISIONS AS THEY AFFECT THIS/THESE PROJECT/PROJECTS.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation hereby notifies all bidders: in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Act), as amended and Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Subtitle A Part 21, Non-discrimination in Federally-assisted programs of the Department of Transportation, it will affirmatively assure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded maximum opportunity to participate and/or to submit bids in response to this invitation, and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, disability, age, religion, sex or national origin in consideration for an award.

in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended, and Title 23, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 230 Subpart A-Equal Employment Opportunity on Federal and Federal-Aid Construction Contracts (including supportive services), it will affirmatively assure increased participation of minority groups and disadvantaged persons and women in all phases of the highway construction industry, and that on any project constructed pursuant to this advertisement equal employment opportunity will be provided to all persons without regard to their race, color, disability, age, religion, sex or national origin;

in accordance with the Minnesota Human Rights Act, Minnesota Statute 363.03 Unfair discriminatory Practices, it will affirmatively assure that on any project constructed pursuant to this advertisement equal employment opportunity will be offered to all persons without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, membership or activity in a local commission, disability, sexual orientation or age;

in accordance with the Minnesota Human Rights Act, Minnesota Statute 363.073 Certificate of Compliance for Public Contracts, and 363.074 Rules for Certificates of Compliance, it will assure that appropriate parties to any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement possess valid Certificates of Compliance.

If you are not a current holder of a compliance certificate issued by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and intend to bid on any job in this advertisement you must contact the Department of Human Rights immediately for assistance in obtaining a certificate.

The following notice from the Minnesota Department of Human Rights applies to all contractors:

"It is hereby agreed between the parties that Minnesota Statute, section 363.073 and Minnesota Rules parts 5000.3400 to 5000.3600 are incorporated into any contract between these parties based on this specification or any modification of it. A copy of Minnesota Statute 363.073 and Minnesota Rules, parts 5000.3400 to 5000.3600 is available upon request from the contracting agency."

"It is hereby agreed between the parties that this agency will require affirmative action requirements be met by contractors in relation to Minnesota Statute 363.073 and Minnesota Rules 5000.3600. Failure by a contractor to implement an affirmative action plan or make a good faith effort shall result in revocation of its certificate or revocation of the contract (Minnesota Statute 363.073, Subd. 2 and 3)."