ISD #2184 School Board meets April 25
APRIL 25, 2002
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 2184, ROCK COUNTY, LUVERNE, MINNESOTA.
A regular meeting of the Board of Education, ISD #2184, was held in the MS/HS Library on Thursday, April 25, 2002, at 7:30 p.m.
The following members were present: Don Bryan, Colleen Deutsch, Dan Kopp, Cary Radisewitz, Bill Stegemann, and Becky Walgrave. Steve Tofteland was absent. Also present: Superintendent Vincent Schaefer, Marlene Mann, Melody Tenhoff, James Harner, Peggy Goettsch, Mary Jacobson, Louise Thorson, Dianne Headrick, Jerry Jensen, Dave Svingen, Delaine Jensen, Brad VanSanten, Abby Stone, Breanna Studer, Jessica Klein, Tracy Halfmann, Ryan Conner, Adam DeBoer, Pam Christensen, Becky Runnoe, Matt Crosby, K101/KQAD Radio, and Lori Ehde, Rock County Star Herald.

The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Don Bryan. Superintendent Schaefer announced there is an addendum to the agenda. Motion by Radisewitz, second by Stegemann to approve the agenda and addendum. Motion carried.

A presentation was given by Danielle Deragisch. She has been working as a Peer Helper teaching Spanish to several elementary classrooms.

Administrative reports were given.

Motion by Kopp, second by Deutsch, to approve the consent agenda to include the School Board minutes of April 11 and April 16, and the Student Activity Report showing the balances as of March 31, 2002. Motion carried.

Motion by Walgrave, second by Stegemann, to approve the District bills in the amount of $854,672.11. Motion carried.

Motion by Walgrave, second by Radisewitz, to approve a one-half day without pay for Elaine Klingenberg, paraprofessional. Motion carried. Motion by Kopp, second by Stegemann, to accept the retirement of Carol Haycraft as full-time Elementary secretary effective April 30, 2002. Motion carried. Motion by Walgrave, second by Deutsch, to accept the resignation of Tina Egland effective at the end of the school year Motion carried. Motion by Kopp, second by Radisewitz, to accept the retirement of David Svingen, High School LD teacher, effective at the end of the school year. Motion carried. Motion by Stegemann, second by Deutsch, to approve the contract with Stacy Gillette, Middle School Principal, for the 2002-03 and 2003-04 school years. Her base salary is $68,500. Motion carried.

It was noted that items 8.3.1, 8.3.2, and 8.3.3 were removed from the agenda. Motion by Walgrave, second by Deutsch, to adopt the following:

RESOLUTION DISCONTINUING AND REDUCING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND POSITIONS
WHEREAS, the School Board of Independent School District No. 2184 adopted a resolution on January 24, 2002, directing the administration to make recommendations for reductions in programs and positions and

WHEREAS, said recommendations have been received and considered by the school board,
BE IT RESOLVED, by the School Board of Independent School District No. 2184, as follows:

That the following programs and positions, or portions thereof, be discontinued:

1. Middle School Dean of Students
2. Early Childhood: Special Needs (.30 FTE)
Those who voted in favor of the above motion were: Bryan, Deutsch, Kopp, Radisewitz, Stegemann, and Walgrave. Those who voted against: None. Steve Tofteland was absent. Motion carried.
Motion by Stegemann, second by Kopp, to approve James Gilman with Conway, Deutsch & Schmiesing, PLLP, to conduct the annual audit of the 2001-2002 school year. Motion carried.

Motion by Walgrave, second by Deutsch, to approve the Family Community Support Treatment Agreement between Rock County and District 2184. Motion carried.

There were no committee reports. The upcoming meeting dates were reviewed.

Motion by Stegemann, second by Kopp, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried.

Dated: April 25, 2002
Rebecca Walgrave
(5-16)

By Lori Ehde
Luverne High School senior Tyler Scheidt is enjoying his final days of civilian life before launching a military career at the prestigious West Point Academy July 1.

ItÕll change his life, but it's a commitment that Scheidt is looking forward to. "It's an honor to be chosen," he said.

West Point Academy was established in New YorkÕs Hudson Valley in 1802 to train military leaders for the Army. Its "long gray line" of graduates includes generals, presidents and leaders of industry, medicine and government.

Only the brightest and best of United States high school students gain entry to the academy.

Scheidt, son of Luverne's Tony and Pat Scheidt, said West Point factored into his post-high school plans when a brochure arrived in the mail.

"I had no idea if I qualified," he said. "I just thought I'd try and see what happened."

'Best of the best'
West Point applicants don't follow the same admissions process most colleges require. Potential enrollees are screened through Congress, which nominates students for further consideration.

This year, 10,890 students applied to Congress, and 3,994 were nominated.

Scheidt said the congressional interview process was grueling. "I was really nervous. They wanted to know everything about me," he said.

His successful interviews, plus his class rank (No. 3 out of 106 in Luverne), earned him four military service nominations.

Scheidt received West Point nominations from Rep. Mark Kennedy and Sen. Mark Dayton. He also received nominations for the Air Force Academy from Kennedy and from Sen. Paul Wellstone.

"Tyler Scheidt represents 'the best of the best' of Minnesota's young people," Dayton said in a May 2 press release announcing Scheidt's nomination.

"He has demonstrated clearly that he has what it takes to be a future national leader and handle the academic and physical rigors of West Point."

Congressman Kennedy's office issued a similar release shortly after the nomination process April 8.

"I am confident he will excel as a cadet at the Academy," Kennedy said. "America's continued security relies on quality young men and women like Tyler, stepping forward to serve in defense of their country."

Of those who were nominated, 2,321 qualified for West Point physically and academically.

When it was all said and done, 993 men (including Scheidt) and 195 women gained admittance.

Academic and physical rigors of West Point
Freshmen "plebes" are told to prepare themselves for strict, ordered living.

Scheidt wonÕt need to go school shopping because West Point cadets live in uniform - eight varieties prescribed for use on specific occasions.

When not worn, the uniforms must all face the same direction in his closet, and the brims of his hats must reach just to the edge of the shelf.

It's good thing Scheidt is a man of few words, because "plebes" in most cases donÕt speak unless spoken to.

Between classes on campus they're to march face forward and not fraternize with fellow plebes on the way.

At lunch, they're to sit straight-backed on the edge of their chairs and their forks must enter their mouths at a straight 90-degree angle.

While many college freshmen look forward to the freedoms of living away from home, Scheidt said he's ready for West Point.

"I've always liked all the order and structure of the military," he said.

Scheidt will undergo basic military training while at the same time study toward an academic degree - he plans on civil or electrical engineering.

Rewards for hard work
West Point graduates emerge as commissioned second lieutenants in the U.S. Army and serve at least five years on active duty as Army officers.

This means his leadership training will be put to use managing troops on specialized assignments around the world. "That's the coolest part," Scheidt said. "All the opportunities I'll have to go places."

As a cadet, Scheidt is considered a member of the U.S. Army and receives a full scholarship and an annual salary, from which heÕll pay for uniforms, textbooks, a personal computer and incidentals.

Scheidt will travel alone to New York when he starts at West Point July 1. "They keep telling us about the '90-second good-bye' when we get there, so we figured we'd get that out of the way at home," Scheidt said.

According to local school staff, Scheidt is the only Luverne High School student to be accepted at West Point.

Magnolia High School graduate Keith Oldre completed West Point in 1984, and Luverne High School grad Tim Winter completed the Naval Academy in 1985.

By Sara Strong
The Luverne Economic Development Authority may give a new business reason to come to Luverne.

An Edina company, Callnetics Appointment Technologies, is hoping to expand its business and made a presentation to the LEDA Tuesday.

Product inventor and company CEO, Brahm Mozayeny said, "We're anticipating that we could have a branch office in Luverne."

As with other new businesses that come to the city's attention through Community Venture Network, the city may offer Callnetics financial assistance.

The Luverne Community Economic Development Corporation, a private group, has already examined the financials of the company. The LEDA could help the Callnetics with additional tax dollars.

Callnetics
President of Callnetics, John Mosey, said the company needs about $1.5 million to continue its progress and break even in 2003.

It's already spent $3.2 million in service development, installing the systems and gaining customer contracts.

About $300,000 of the new equity will be gathered from private investors and the rest will come from banks, loan programs and possibly the city of Luverne. It hasnÕt made a proposal or asked for a certain amount from the city at this point.

Callnetics is a company that merges Internet and telephone technology to help real estate agents and potential buyers connect.

Mosey said that with patents pending on the technology, "No one's even close."

The Callnetics system is accessible to people looking for homes if they click on an icon on a real estate company's Web site to check for listings.

If the potential home buyers click on that icon, they are connected to Callnetics. They then give times available for showings, contact information and personal information.

Callnetics gets that information to the Realtor and the appointment times can be confirmed almost instantly.

Follow-up phone calls are also a part of the service and Luverne's employees would be a part of that.

Mosey said the system takes away the anonymity of people browsing Web sites for homes. The information is only taken as a user gives it, but Mosey said the data is valuable to the Realtors who use it to find homes for buyers.

Some people have included information about being pre-qualified for loans, number of bedrooms or bathrooms needed or location preferences.

Getting noticed
Callnetics has just signed large contracts to appear on real estate Web sites and Mosey has meetings scheduled this week at the National Association of Realtors conference.

He hopes to repeat what's happened in Canada. There, Callnetics' link is a part of the national real estate broker listings.

Mosey expects that starting on that broad base will encourage individual companies to sign on. Montreal and Toronto have made commitments to Callnetics for services within their Realtor associations.

Fees to Realtors are collected based on a small fee for each listing that Callnetics manages.

In the Edina area where it operates now, Callnetics made 34 appointments by 8:30 one Saturday morning.

Mozayeny said that's notable because most offices arenÕt open before 9 a.m. Saturdays and they were able to confirm appointments that may have been missed without Callnetics' services.

Holidays and weekends are open for business as well. The Callnetics employees can contact real estate agents by phone, e-mail or fax to set up appointments that customers might otherwise miss.

The call center that could be in Luverne would employ about 18 to 20 people within three years, but would need three people to start.

After the technology and employee base becomes more experienced, Mozayeny expects that confirming medical and dental appointments could be a part of the company's services.

For more information on the company visit www.Callnetics.com.

By Lori Ehde
President George W. Bush signed into law this week a bill that will dictate major farming decisions for the next six years.

The 2002 Farm Bill, like many of its predecessors, has a combination of good and bad attributes, according to Rock County Farm Service Agency Director Roger Carlson.

On the positive side, the new bill gives farmers more options, but the benefits will go to those who take the time to study them.

"It's going to be hard for them to make so many decisions, because theyÕll have to analyze the information," Carlson said.

This makes the process more complicated, but the end result, he said, will be a farm bill tailored to optimize individual operations.

For example, the new bill allows farmers to use current crop information as a basis for their application, or they can use an average of the past four years, depending on which best suits them.

"It will mean more payments in the hands of farmers, and that's a positive thing," Carlson said.

"Everybody's going to be getting more, mostly because crop prices have been so depressed in the past four years."

Rep. Mark Kennedy attended the Farm Bill Signing Ceremony at the White House. "I was happy to witness President Bush signing such an important bill," Kennedy said. "This is a good day for Minnesota farmers."

Kennedy said the "Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002" strengthens the safety net for farmers and invests in programs so farmers can ultimately get payments out of the marketplace and not from the government.

"This is not a perfect bill," Kennedy said. "But it is a bill that strikes a difficult balance between commodity support and conservation."

Carlson said he and his staff in Luverne are busy figuring individual crop base information for the past four years for producers to use in their decisions.

Another notable change in the new bill is the loan rate structure. Carlson said loan rates for corn and most other crops will increase, but it will decrease for soybeans.

The important thing, Carlson said, is that farmers start their homework now.

"If they make the best decision on their basis prior to signup, it will help them in the long run," he said. "Because it is a six-year farm bill."

Arriving at the best decision in the FSA Office at signup time, he said will require some research by the farmers ahead of time.

He said heÕs happy to assist farmers, but he encourages them to also lean on the Rock County Extension Office and to read up on the 2002 Farm Bill.

He highly recommends the Web site www.agweb.com. "I was advised by our state office to get our information from that Web site," he said.

He said he's still researching the details himself, and will get information, such as the dates for the sign-up period, to local farmers as it comes to him.

The phone number for the Rock County FSA is 283-8685 ext. 2, and the phone number for the Rock County Extension Office is the same number, ext. 4.

By Lori Ehde
Agri-Energy Ethanol Plant is about to install its $1.5 million thermal oxidizer, but that may not prevent the EPA from levying fines for past sins of emission.

According to Agri-Energy manager Rick Serie, the Luverne plant has always kept its emissions well within compliance of Minnesota Pollution Control Agency standards.

But new EPA test methods show ethanol plants have been emitting more volatile organic compounds than first thought.

Among the newly-identified VOCs are formaldehyde and acetic acid, both carcinogens.

While the Minnesota Department of Health says the levels of emissions are too low to pose health risks, the new test methods show most ethanol plants, including Luverne's, have been out of compliance.

"The way the law reads, we're responsible for both known and unknown pollutants," Serie said.

Installation of the new thermal oxidizer will address all concerns by burning emissions before they leave the plant.

Still, the EPA will likely hold plants accountable for previous compliance issues.

The agency may fine all plants found to be over the limit with new test methods, even though previous tests showed they were in compliance.

"We've always been in compliance according to their tests," Serie said. "Now they've changed the test, and we hear that we'll have to pay possible penalties for emissions nobody - not even the agency - knew about."

Serie doesn't know how much Agri-Energy will have to pay, if anything.

Ongoing effort
He said the emissions issue is discouraging because the plant has always gone above and beyond EPA requirements in order to address odor concerns.

"We want to be a good neighbor," he said.

After spending nearly $340,000 on a dryer scrubber and a 175-foot stack, it was determined a better way to eliminate odor would be to install a thermal oxidizer.

It will end a three-year campaign by local members of the Concerned Citizens for Quality of Life to stop ethanol odor in Luverne.

"We're just ecstatic," said Karen Van Wettering of CCQL. "They say it eliminates odor 99.5 percent. There will no longer be a plume. It's very good news."

An MDH study concluded that while "people near the plant could be exposed to VOCs through the air, the levels of these contaminants measured at the site did not exceed" limits set by the state.

The department has, however, committed to an ongoing study of possible health risks of ethanol plant emissions.

"If there's a health concern, I want to be the first to know about it," Serie said. "I work there and live in this community, too."

Oxidizing by July 1
Agri-Energy completed its permitting process for the oxidizer and boiler last week, and blue prints are drawn for construction.

"It's a huge project. It'll require two additions, one for the electrical panel and one to house the boiler."

The oxidizer for Luverne comes from MMT Environmental, a Minneapolis company, and the boiler comes from Victory Energy, Owasso, Okla.

Both should be operating as soon as July 1.

The stack will remain, but it may be shortened so the plant won't have to maintain the aviation light at the top. The steam plume coming out of the stack will be eliminated under most weather conditions by the oxidizer.

Learning curve
Serie said the ethanol industry and everyone involved are still learning, and Agri-Energy is among the early plants establishing a framework for future operation.

When ethanol plants were first built, they were categorized with chemical manufacturing plants and held to tighter restrictions that applied only to very large plants under the Clean Air Act of 1977.

"In 1977, there were no ethanol plants, so they're having a hard time figuring out where to put us," he said.

"Our emissions are closer to what a whiskey plant would be, but instead, we're put into a category with the likes of Dow chemical."

Whiskey plants, which have a nearly identical process to ethanol plants, are subject to less stringent requirements under EPA's interpretation of the Clean Air Act.

Serie is working with the Minnesota Coalition of Ethanol Plants to deal with the EPA and figure out how to best categorize ethanol plants and address the new emissions.

Agri-Energy started production in 1998. It now employs 29 people full-time with an annual payroll of more than $1 million.

It processes 7 million bushels of corn per year and produces more than 20 million gallons of ethanol annually.

Dorothea Bierkamp, 85, Luverne, died Saturday, May 18 at Clarksville, TN. Visitation will be Thursday, May 23 from 2 to 8 p.m. with the family present from 6 to 8 p.m. at Dingmann Funeral HOme. Services will be Friday, May 24 at 10 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church, Luverne, with Rev. John Pehrson officiating. Burial will be in Maplewood Cemetery.

Agri-Energy Ethanol Plant is about to install its $1.5 million thermal oxidizer, but that may not prevent the EPA from levying fines for past sins of emission. Story inside.

Photo by Sara Quam

The first-grade class of Patsy Amborn and Lisa Lundgren is the Luverne Elementary featured Class of the Week. Pictured are (front row, from left) Cody Raddle, Blade Fry, Katelyn Hart, Emily Robinson, (second row) Savana Bremer, Cole DeSplinter, Jessica Brown, Alexandra Stanley, Mannuel Olson, Connor Kunkel, (third row) Montana McClure, Jordan Almond, McKenzie Sprecher, Alyssa Teunissen, Matthew Duerr, (back) Lundgren and Amborn. Not pictured are Bethany Hup, Casey VanEngelenhoven and Janet Nath.

These first-graders have been busy writing and illustrating their own books for our Author's Tea which will be held near the end of May. They are looking forward to the first-grade class trip to the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls on May 29.

Photo by Lori Ehde

Gloria Johnson, 74, died Monday, May 20 at the Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center, Luverne. Visitation will be Tuesday, May 21 from 2 to 8 p.m. with the family present form 6 to 8 p.m. at Dingmann Funeral Home. Services will be Wednesday, May 22 at 10:30 a.m. at Dingmann Funeral Chapel, Luverne, with Rev. Bart Fletcher officiating. Burial will be in Luverne Memorial Gardens.