Ahrendt Brothers apply for feedlot expansion permit
PUBLIC NOTICE
In Accordance with amended
Minnesota State Statutes 116.07, Subdivision 7a

Minnesota Statutes require that "a person who applies to the pollution control agency or the county board for a permit to construct or expand a feedlot with the capacity of 500 animal units or more shall, not more than ten business days after the application is submitted, provide notice to each resident and owner of real property within 5000 feet of the perimeter of the proposed feedlot. The notice may be delivered by first class mail, in person or by the publication in a newspaper of general circulation within the affected area and must include information on the type of livestock and the proposed capacity of the feedlot. Notification under this subdivision is satisfied under an equal or greater notification requirement of a county conditional use permit"

Date: 07/26/02

I Ahrendt Brothers do hereby give notice that I have applied for an animal feedlot permit for constructing an expansion to my existing feedlot. The construction will consist of a 100' X 280' total confinement barn, to house 600 head of beef cattle equivalent to 600 animal units. If a pit is included in this permit application it will be designed by a professional engineer and will be inspected during construction. This will be an expansion to an existing feedlot containing 320 head of slaughter beef cattle equivalent to 900 total animal units.

The feedlot is located in the NW 1/4 of section 14 in Mound Township of Rock County.

Nearest State, County or Township road: State Highway 75

Construction Location: From the intersection of State Highway 75 and County Road 20, 1 mile North and 1/4 mile East.
(8-8)

By Lori Ehde
More than 700 people attended the funeral of Nicholas Jay Mann, who died in a welding accident at Cor-Tech Manufacturing last week.

Nick, 26, was killed instantly Wednesday, July 31, when a tire he was working on at Cor-Tech Manufacturing, Luverne, exploded at about 2 p.m.

The force of the explosion sent the rim careening through the roof of the shop, delivering a fatal blow to Nick's head on the way.

According to co-worker Jamie Stratton, Cor-Tech Manufacturing has been closed all week and will re-open for business Monday.

He said even the Cor-Tech employees don't know exactly what went wrong in the accident that also injured customer John Teune, Steen.

Teune, who was treated and released at Luverne Community Hospital, had brought a cracked rim to Cor-Tech with the tire already taken off. After it was welded, a local co-op put the tire back on.

Teune later brought the tire back to Cor-Tech after finding it was still leaking air, so Nick worked on the wheel with the tire inflated on the rim.

Stratton said it was not an older split rim that has become known for causing "widow maker" accidents.

It has been confirmed there were no additives in the tire that may have caused the explosion. The tire was larger than a car tire, but it wasn't a tractor tire.

'It wasn't
anybody's fault'
Nick's father, Rich Mann, has spoken frequently with shop owner Corey Stratton since the accident and they've been unable to determine what went wrong.

"It was important to him, too, to know what happened," Rich said Tuesday.

"My biggest concern is that nobody puts any blame on anybody else. It wasn't anybody's fault. It was an accident. It was fate - or God's plan - however you want to look at it."

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident.

Cor-Tech opened nearly 10 years ago on Gabrielson Drive for the purpose of repairing farm equipment and custom manufacturing parts for people and businesses.

The business employed nine people, counting Nick, and has a reputation for manufacturing unique equipment for specialized industries.

For example, Cor-Tech designs and manufactures the City of Luverne's trailers that are used to collect residential recyclables.

Love for old vehicles
The funeral Sunday afternoon reflected Nick's talent for welding, engine repair and his love for old vehicles.

For example, Nick had planned to restore a 1946 Hudson pickup given to him by his uncle, Rod Twito. So the casket was transported to Maplewood Cemetery in the bed of that pickup, with Rich and Nick's wife, Angie, riding along.

Pallbearers rode to the funeral in a Chevy pickup, "Ol' Bessie," which Nick and his good friend, Rob Wenzel, enjoyed many good times with.

In a tribute to her grandson at the funeral, Betty Mann said, "He took apart anything he could find and put it back together again just to see if he could." (Her tribute is reprinted in this edition of the Star Herald.)

Nick had played a role in the racing career of his brother, Anthony Mann, serving occasionally as a pit crew member.

That was another theme at the funeral, with friends and family members donning Anthony Mann racing shirts to the services.

Anthony placed fourth in Friday night's race at Rapid Speedway, Rock Rapids, passing a car on the last lap. Rich said, "It was a move that Nick would have said, ÔNice job, Helmsley.'"

On the race car door, over the No. 20, were the words, "In memory of my No. 1 fan, Nick."

The "i" in Nick's name on the rear was dotted with a halo, and the letters were flanked by angel wings.

Rich said supporters at the event raised a large amount of money in memorials for Nick.

Angie said local support has been overwhelming.

"You can't say thank you enough for all the support weÕve been shown the past few days," she said Monday.

She said she plans to continue wearing her ribbon - one of 400 that a group of friends assembled and distributed in Nick's memory.

The ribbons were green, purple, orange and black to signify Nick's enthusiasm for Arctic Cat snowmobiles.

Nick, son of Rich and JoLeah Mann, grew up in Luverne and graduated from Luverne High School in 1994.

By Sara Strong
The Rock County Board Tuesday passed a resolution supporting the theory of a waste-to-energy trash burning facility in Lamberton, which is in Redwood County.

The project is essentially an economic development opportunity for Redwood County and its immediate neighbors, but Redwood County Commissioner Brian Kletscher said it will impact on the entire region.

The facility would burn municipal solid waste rather than burying it in the landfill. It eliminates ground contamination and the energy from burning can be captured to create energy.

The project is just in the beginning stages and organizers are starting to look for funding and are commissioning a feasibility study. If all goes as planned, it could take five years before a facility is operating.

Kletscher said he felt regional support could make a difference in grants or state funding to get the $22 million to $26 million facility underway.

The impact on Rock County could come in the form of slightly increased tipping fees. Project planners estimate that fees could exceed the $45 per ton that the county pays to deposit landfill material at the Lyon County landfill.

Lyon County supports this waste to power project because the state's furthering restrictions on landfills make them difficult to permit.

Rock County Board Chair Jane Wildung said public support for the project will come down to immediate economic impact on the county budget.

She said constituents will like the concept of environmentalism, but if the countyÕs fees see marked increases, people will object.

Presenters to the county board sited economic advantages to reducing landfill usage. Liability for environmental problems is a costly venture, where the burning facilities are shown to be an environmental advantage.

Southwest and south central Minnesota generate 750 tons of municipal solid waste, or garbage, a day. That doesnÕt count individual dumps owned by farmers or demolition material buried in landfills.

The immediate southwest region produces 250 tons a day. The proposed burning facility would burn up to 200 tons a day so the need for landfills would still exist, but on a limited basis.

Farmers may see state burning restrictions and contribute more to the garbage total in the future and with increased individual garbage production, Kletscher said the need for the facility is conservative.

Environmental impacts are the primary purpose for building these burning facilities, of which the state of Minnesota has 13. The energy created is considered renewable and reduces the need for other fossil fuels.

The state is now studying using ash leftover from the garbage burns as a roadway material.

It reduces methane gas release from decomposing waste. Methane gas has been associated with global warming. These environmental concerns, combined with the almost elimination of ground contamination prompted the Rock County Board to support the concept.

The board's support of the facility was not a financial commitment. Board members indicated that financial requests would be difficult for them to support.

By Jolene Farley
Rock County officials will meet today to assess crop damage caused by a lack of rain in the region.

The purpose of the meeting is to decide whether an application for disaster declaration is necessary, according to Roger Carlson, director of Rock County's Farm Service Agency.

"There is certainly some crop loss in the county," Carlson said. "The question is how much, and whether we are eligible for a disaster declaration."

A disaster declaration is typically issued if there is 30 to 35 percent crop loss in the county.

"It looks like it is about as bad in this county as any year of drought I've seen here," Carlson said.

Rainfall in Rock County has been below normal for the last five months, according to Carlson. Rainfall totals are reported from five locations in Rock County to the Soil and Water Conservation Agency. The numbers are averaged together for monthly totals.

This year, Rock County received 1.37 inches of rain in March, 2.32 inches in April, 1.8 inches in May and 1.8 inches in June this year.

In a normal year, Rock County would receive 1.95 inches of rain in March, 2.58 inches in April, 3.12 inches in May and 3.9 inches in June.

Totals for July haven't been reported yet, but the normal rainfall for the month is 3.66 inches. Carlson knows rainfall in the county for July was below normal.

"I'd be surprised if we had 2 inches (of rain) in July," he said. "I think it's going to be between one and two inches."

If rain falls in the next week or so, it will benefit the soybeans, but July is a more crucial month than August for corn, so corn yield may already be severely affected.

Beaver Creek farmer Jim Willers said it might take a week or two to determine how his crops will fare in Rock County, but the outlook isn't good.

"They are slowly deteriorating a little every day," he said. "The northern part of Rock County is drier than the southern part. The lighter soils are already burned."

About 250 acres Willers farms in Pipestone County received about an inch of rain from Sunday's storm. However, some corn on those acres was already too far gone before the storm, according to Willers.

Rain could save 180 acres of soybeans he has planted in northern Rock County.

Carlson, Rock County Emergency Coordinator Kyle Oldre, Natural Resources and Conservation Services representative Dave Rose and a representative from the Rock County Extension office will attend today's meeting.

They will present their findings to the Rock County Commissioners during their regular County Board meeting Tuesday.

By Sara Strong
Subsidized housing isn't new to Rock County, but giving tenants a choice on their location could be.

Current income-based housing is site specific, such as the Blue Mound Towers and Rock Manor apartments, in which qualifying tenants pay 30 percent of their income toward rent and the rest is subsidized.

Members of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority of Worthington asked the Rock County Board of Commissioners Tuesday to grant it the authority to administer a Section 8 housing program in Rock County.

Section 8 allows qualifying renters to use vouchers and choose their location, provided the rental home or complex is a qualifying Section 8 participant.

To qualify, certain inspections and building codes must be met.

The Luverne Housing and Redevelopment Authority will also consider this request.

Section 8 has been looked on favorably by some landlords and apartment managers because they can be guaranteed at least a majority of the rent due to the subsidy, whereas negligent tenants or vacancies are less consistent.

In the past, Luverne's current income-based rental units opposed Rock County opening Section 8 because they feared losing tenants to other apartment complexes if tenants were given a choice.

The Rock County Board tabled action until its next meeting because one commissioner, Bob Jarchow, wasn't at the meeting.

April Bruhn helps her son, Lane, pick out just one duck on the midway at the Rock County Fair in Luverne this past weekend.

Photo by Lori Ehde

Jonathan Kruger (left), Dominic Fletcher and Jimmy Fletcher prepare for a fling on the Scrambler Friday on the fair midway.

By Lori Ehde
Cool, comfortable weather stole the show Thursday and Friday during the 2002 version of Rock County's Fair.

"It was great," said Fair Board secretary Isaac DeBoer. "Our advance ticket sales for the midway were the best we've had in five years. Overall we had good attendance, and a lot of that probably had to do with the weather."

There's no way to measure attendance on the midway or in the barns, but the 4-H food stand reported exceptional sales this year.

DeBoer didnÕt speak as favorably of Saturday's weather, which was hot and sticky during the day, and then rained out the Enduro Race after only a few laps.

He said it was disappointing for the drivers and fans, but the rain was good for local drought-plagued soil, and he said the event is rescheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday with free admission.

About 560 showed up for the Enduro Race Saturday, and about 400 attended the Kory and the Fireflies performance Friday night.

DeBoer said the real treat of the grandstand events this year was Thursday night's Rock County Amateur Talent Contest.

The event drew 25 acts involving 100 different people and attracted 575 to the stands.

"That went very, very well," DeBoer said. "Jane Wildung was very good to help the Fair Board get that organized."

Results of that competition, as well as results from 4-H competition, Open Class competition, the new Outstanding Senior Citizens and more on other pages of this week's Star Herald.

Bethany Ann Feit, 12, rural Rushmore, died Wednesday, July 31, 2002, as a result of an automobile accident.

A memorial mass was Saturday, Aug. 3, at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church in Wilmont. The Rev. Gerald Kosse officiated. Burial of the cremains was at Calvary Cemetery in Wilmont.

Bethany Feit was born to David and Crystal (Kruger) Feit on Jan. 12, 1990, in Worthington. She attended Adrian School and had completed the sixth grade.

Bethany was a member of Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church in Wilmont where she was a mass server. She played in the band for two years and had just been chosen as a cheerleader for girls' basketball. She was an excellent gardener. She enjoyed camping, swimming, reading, shopping and her cat, Tiger.

Survivors include her parents, David and Chris Feit, rural Rushmore, one brother, Justin Feit, rural Rushmore; maternal grandparents, Jack and Shirley Kruger, Reading; paternal grandmother, Evelyn Feit, Luverne; and many uncles, aunts, cousins and friends.

Bethany was preceded in death by her grandfather, Eugene Feit, and an uncle, Steve Feit.

Dingmann Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Wilmont, was in charge of arrangements.

By John Rittenhouse
Like most weekends, Luverne's Anthony Mann raced his sportsman class car at Rapid Speedway, Rock Rapids, Iowa, Friday night.

This time, however, was different.

Two days after losing his older brother, Nick, to a welding accident at Cor-Tech Manufacturing, Anthony Mann entered the driver's seat in car No. 20 with a heavy heart.

Nick Mann had worked as a member of Anthony's pit crew in the past, and the car had words and symbols recognizing Nick as being his brother's No. 1 fan.

Before the night was through, Anthony raced as well as he could in an emotional situation. He has posted feature wins in the past, and probably will again in the future, but his fourth-place performance in Friday's feature event will be one race Anthony will never forget.

Mann was joined by a number of other area drivers at Rapid Speedway Friday.

Luverne High School graduate Scott Overgaard also competed in the sportsman class, placing second in the feature.

Magnolia's Josh Klay posted a win in a heat race of the hobby stock class before driving his way to a third-place finish in the feature event.

Kanaranzi's Colter Deutsch also mixed it up in the hobby stock class, placing fourth in the feature race.

Hills-Beaver Creek High School graduate Darren Korthals and Adrian's Mark DeBoer placed second and third respectively in the late model street stock feature.