Rock County Highway Dept. 
accepts proposals until June 5
NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
S.P. 067-601-014
Sealed Proposals will be received by the Rock County Highway Department in Luverne, Minnesota, until 11:00 A.M. on Monday, June 5, 2023.
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, 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 363A.08 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 363A.36 Certificates of Compliance for Public Contracts, and 363A.37 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 have employed more than 40 full-time employees in any state, on any single working day during the previous 12 months, you must have a compliance certificate issued by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights to bid on any job in this advertisement. Please contact the Department of Human Rights immediately if you need 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 363A.36 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 363A.36 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 363A.36 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 363A.36, Subd. 2 and 3)."
A minimum goal of 1.9 % Good Faith Effort to be subcontracted to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises.
Construction of Bridge 67576, a 140’ Concrete Slab Span. The project is located in Kanaranzi Township, 1.6 Miles East of CSAH 3 on CSAH 1 over Kanaranzi Creek.   
The Major Quantities of Work are: 194 Cu. Yd. Structural Concrete; 4,892 Sq. Ft. of Bridge Slab Concrete; 332 Lin. Ft. of Type S (TL-4) Railing Concrete; 98,050 Pounds of Reinforcement Bars (Epoxy Coated); 590 Cu. Yds. Random Rip Rap (Class IV); 480 Lin. Ft. 12” C-I-P Piling; 2 – 12” C-I-P Test Piles 70 Ft. Long;  840 Lin. Ft. 16” C-I-P Piling; 2- 16” C-I-P Test Piles 80 Ft. Long & Approach Work.
Plans, specifications and proposals may be viewed and downloaded on Quest at www.questcdn.com and at the Rock County Highway Department website, www.co.rock.mn.us/highway .  Questions may be directed to the office of the Rock County Highway Engineer, 1120 North Blue Mound Avenue, P.O. Box 808, Luverne, MN 56156-0808 / (507) 283 - 5010.
The non-refundable cost for Plans and one proposal will be $50.00.
Bids must be accompanied by a certified check or corporate surety bond drawn in favor of the Rock County Treasurer in the amount of at least five percent (5%) of the proposal.
Sealed bids shall be clearly marked “PROJECT NO. SP 067-601-014.
The Board of Rock County Commissioners reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to waive any defects therein.
Rock County is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
Mark R. Sehr, P.E.
Rock County Highway Engineer
(05-11, 05-18, 05-25)

Rock County Planning and
 Zoning hearing set for May 22
Notice of Public Hearing for Conditional Use Permit
Henningsen Construction
Pursuant to the Rock County Zoning Ordinance, notice is hereby given by the
Rock County Planning and Zoning Commission that a public hearing will be held at the Rock County Law Enforcement Center located at 1000 North Blue Mound Avenue, Luverne, Minnesota at 7:00 p.m Monday, May 22, 2023. The purpose of this hearing is to rule on the application for Conditional Use Permit for the following:
 
Applicant: Henningsen Construction
Property Owner: F & S Farms
Location: SW 1/4 of Section 36 of Clinton Township, T101N, R45W, 
Rock County, Minnesota
  Conditional Use: Placement and operation of a temporary hot mix 
asphalt plant 
Zoning District: A-2, General Agriculture        
 
All persons interested may appear and be heard at said time and place, or submit views in writing or by representative.
 
Date: May 11, 2023
 
By Order of the Rock County Planning and Zoning Commission
Eric Hartman, Zoning Administrator
311 W. Gabrielson Road
Luverne, MN 56156
507-283-8862
(05-11, 05-18)

Notice of hearing for variance 
request for Bonestroos
Notice of Public Hearing for Variance Request
for Mitch and Erwin Bonestroo
Close Proximity Owners and Local Officials of the Rock County Board of Adjustment
Notice is hereby given that the Rock County Board of Adjustment will hold a public hearing on Monday, May 22, at the Rock County Law Enforcement Center, 1000 North Blue Mound Avenue, Luverne, Minnesota, at 7:05 p.m. to act on the following application:
A request for a variance to allow the placement of a new non-farm dwelling to be located less than one-quarter mile from an existing feedlot, with the dwelling to be located on a 6.99 acre tract located in the W 1/2 of the SE 1/4 of Section 32 of Clinton Township, T101N, R45W of Rock County, Minnesota. Said property is owned by Erwin and Janet Bonestroo. The proposed dwelling would encroach upon the required setback from the nearest feedlot as allowed in the Rock County Zoning Ordinance.
The property described is zoned A-2, General Agriculture.  All persons interested may appear and by heard at said time and place, or submit views in writing or by representative.
Dated: May 11, 2023
By Order of the Rock County Board of Adjustment
Eric Hartman, Zoning Administrator
311 W. Gabrielson Road
Luverne, MN 56156
507-283-8862
(05-11, 05-18)

Kwik Trip assumes name
Minnesota secretary of state 
Certificate of assumed name
MINNESOTA STATUTES, CHAPTER 333
The filing of an assumed name does not provide a user with exclusive rights to that name. The filing is required for consumer protection in order to enable consumers to be able to identify the true ownership of a business.
ASSUMED NAME: Kwik Trip #1261
PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS:
825 S. Kniss Ave., Luverne, MN 56156 USA
NAMEHOLDER(S):
Name: Kwik Trip, Inc.
Address: 1626 Oak Street, PO Box 2107, La Crosse, WI 54602 USA
If you submit an attachment, it will be incorporated into this document. If the attachment conflicts with the information specifically set forth in this document, this document supersedes the data referenced in the attachment.
By typing my name, I, the undersigned, certify that I am signing this document as the person whose signature is required, or as agent of the person(s) whose signature would be required who has authorized me to sign this document on his/her behalf, or in both capacities. I further certify that I have completed all required fields, and that the information in this document is true and correct and in compliance with the applicable chapter of Minnesota Statutes. I understand that by signing this document I am subject to the penalties of perjury as set forth in Section 609.48 as if I had signed this document under oath. 
Signature: /s/ Scott P. Zietlow, President
EMAIL ADDRESS FOR OFFICIAL NOTICES: moliver@kwiktrip.com
(05-11, 05-18)

Luverne Elementary School’s annual Cardinal Dash raised $12,330 for the booster club, Parents, Partners In Education, according to the announcement Wednesday afternoon, May 3, on the Luverne High School football field. PPIE has moved from selling merchandise and frozen food to promoting physical well-being and sportsmanship through the Cardinal Dash. The dash features half- and two-mile runs and a grade level tug of war challenge. PPIE uses the funds for enhanced learning activities including swimming lessons, special guest visits, kindness retreat and track and field days. This is the event’s eighth year in which parents and guests were invited to join in the run and watch the tug-of-war competitions.

Blue Mounds State Park naturalist Tiffany Muellner will lead hikers on a “Wildlife Mamas and Babies Hike” Saturday morning, beginning at the park’s picnic area.
The hike begins at 9 a.m.
“It’s one of those programs that’s really going to vary,” Muellner said.
Center to the hike will be viewing more than a dozen bison babies and the rest of the herd.
The hike could be long or short, depending on where the herd is in the large pasture area.
“Wherever the bison are, we are going to walk to them,” she said. “We’ll see how close we can get to them.”
Along the way, periodic stops will lead to discussions about the challenges wildlife have raising their young on the prairie.
The main focus will be about the bison calves and how they are raised to adulthood at the park.
“I’ve allotted two hours for the hike,” she said.
Depending on questions, the hike could be shorter or longer than planned.

Members of the Luverne High School FFA Chapter teamed up to present 10 safety demonstrations on the school campus Wednesday morning, May 3, during the chapter’s annual Farm Safety Day. “A lot of kids don’t have the experience of what could go wrong when they’re around farm equipment and animals,” said Chapter President JT Remme. To illustrate the dangers, the FFA members dropped a small soybean stubble bale into a bale shredder. “This is a nightmare scenario,” Remme told the fourth-graders. No one knew Billy the Bale was inside the shredder and the key was left in the tractor. In addition to the bale shredder, FFA students demonstrated the dangers around a semitrailer, grain wagon, hay rake, skid loader, livestock trailer, silage chopper, manure spreader, drone and farm animals (pig, chickens, a calf and two donkeys).

Luverne City Council members are pursuing an investigation into what’s causing brown discoloration on houses in Luverne.
At Tuesday night’s meeting, the council authorized the mayor and city administrator to sign a contract with Braun Intertec Corporation, Sioux Falls.
The firm will assist the city with the “determining and source of an unknown substance that causes staining on personal property within the city.”
The stains have been a problem for nearly 15 years, but answers have been out of reach. Now, city building inspector Chad McClure is hoping for results.
“The MPCA and the EPA haven’t been able to definitively determine what is causing the yellow staining on citizens’ private property,” he said.
“We are continuing to encounter episodes of the staining and feel like we need to continue down the path of finding a resolution for the people in the community.”
He said he and the city were directed to seek help from Braun Intertec as a third-party firm.
“It is our understanding that they will start their investigative process through a fresh set of eyes, looking at all possible explanations, whether that is an environmental or climatic phenomenon, some sort of industrial emission or a combination of several factors,” McClure said. “We are hopeful that their expertise will provide us with the answers needed to move forward with a resolution.”
In 2018 the Minnesota Department of Health analyzed a sample of the substance that discolored dozens of homes and properties in Luverne’s western neighborhoods.
The lab results were “unable to detect hazardous compounds,” so residents were told they need not fear for their health.
The sample tested was scraped from a porch railing and trim from a home in the neighborhood near The Lake where the discoloration was most prevalent.
Lab results didn’t point to a source of the discoloration, however, which left an unclear path going forward for residents.
At first, they spent time scrubbing their homes and white trim, only to have the stains show up the following year. But many have given up and simply painted their houses a darker color that doesn’t show the contamination as clearly.
Without a source, McClure was unable to help residents, but now he’s hoping to find more answers.
According to council discussion, the fee for Braun Intertec services is not to exceed $15,000.

The majority of precincts in Rock County want to keep mail ballots as a voting option, but Rock County commissioners are still considering a return to polling places.
They tabled a decision at their May 2 meeting after lengthy discussion.
After the November 2022 election, county auditor Ashley Kurtz informed commissioners about anonymous calls that left her election workers concerned for their safety.
Since then, she and the commissioners proposed to township supervisors a return to all in-person voting and eliminating mail ballot precincts.
Currently, 18 out of the 24 precincts in Rock County vote by mail, an option that was first available in 2006.
Commissioners are following a proposed Election Worker Protection Act, introduced in the state Legislature earlier this year, for possible guidance.
The protection act prohibits (with enhanced penalties) certain types of threats, harms and intimidation that involve threats of harm to poll watchers, election officials and election agents.
The Minnesota Legislature is in session through May 22.
 
 
Most local precincts want mail ballot
“All 10 of my precincts want to keep the mail ballot option,” said Commissioner Gary Overgaard. “Every one of them wants to do the mail ballot process with the understanding of the issues. Just because of a few people, we shouldn’t change what the majority of the people wish to maintain.”
They cited cost savings, time savings and increased voter participation as reasons to continue using mail ballots for elections.
Overgaard represents District 1, which includes the townships of Battle Plain, Denver, Magnolia, Mound, Vienna and Rose Dell and the cities of Kenneth, Hardwick, Magnolia and part of Jasper.
He said he met with representatives from each of his precincts as well as took phone calls to discuss the anonymous, harassing phone calls the auditor’s office received concerning the validity of the 2022 general election.
Each representative had a similar message for those who make anonymous accusations of fraud but offer no valid proof.
“We’ve got to tell these people, if they have an issue, they have to come in front of us and talk to us in person, with your name, plus what your gripe is and we will deal with it,” Overgaard said.
District 3 Commissioner Greg Burger represents Clinton, Kanaranzi and a portion of Luverne (who have two precincts) townships along with the city of Steen.
“The township people were unanimously in favor of going back to in-person,” Burger said.
“Actually Clinton (Township) was going to talk with Steen city and they were in favor of going back to in-person voting if they could get some help buying the (voting) machines.”
Stan Williamson represents District 2, which has three mail ballot districts: Springwater and Beaver Creek townships and the city of Beaver Creek.
He said Springwater Township representatives were in favor of continuing as a mail ballot district while Beaver Creek and the city of Beaver Creek were favorable to either option.
 
‘Something needs
to be done’
Auditor Kurtz pointed to her staff, who were in attendance at the May 2 commissioners meeting, as the reason safeguards need to be put into place.
She is also worried about her own family.
“It’s hard to explain — I get emotional every time I talk about it — I had voters contacting my family, and I know you can’t stop that, but something has to be done,” she said.
“I don’t even know if changing mail ballot to polling places is even going to change the issue, but we don’t feel safe.”
Commissioners discussed implementing various options such as new protocols to handle anonymous phone calls, more courthouse safety measures, and informing law enforcement of those making threats.