At their first meeting of the new year, Luverne City Council members approved resolutions related to the development of the city’s newest residential development, the Lopau Addition.
The infrastructure improvements, including streets, water, wastewater and storm sewer, are estimated to cost $2.1 million.
The addition will accommodate 24 residential lots. Nineteen lots will be designated for single-family homes and five will be multi-family lots for twin homes (10 units on the north end).
 DGR is directed to prepare final plans and specifications for the improvements to be funded by issuing general obligation improvement bonds that will be paid for by the proceeds of the lot sales.
The council discussed recent interest rate hikes and their potential effect on bond sales.
“We’ve refinanced a lot of bonds in the past 20 years and saved a lot of money on lower interest rates,” said Mayor Pat Baustian.
“I would anticipate that that would also happen again when these bonds are sold. We’ll be looking in the next three to five years to lower interest rates as well.”
He said the higher interest rates won’t jeopardize the project, and the council discussed that despite unusually low interest rates in 2019 and 2021, the current rates are still lower than average.
City Council members approved a resolution at their Jan. 10 meeting to order the Lopau Addition improvements and direct DGR to prepare the plans and specifications.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the council approved a resolution ordering the advertisement for bids for the Lopau Addition project.
The bid letting date is scheduled for Feb. 7 at 11 a.m. in Luverne City Hall. The bid tabulation will be considered by the Council at the Feb. 14, 2023, meeting.
 
Pool and fitness center
In other business at Tuesday’s meeting, the council heard an update about the recently improved pool and fitness center.
City Administrator Jill Wolf reported that 60 new memberships were sold in December, but that staff have also noticed “tailgating.”
This means keyholders are bringing with them non-members to work out with them during after hours, and the violations are seen on security cameras.
The council directed fitness center staff to offer coupons for members to bring guests with them to encourage more paid memberships.
In other pool and fitness center news, the pool was closed Jan. 16-17 in order to regrout tile in some low areas of the locker rooms and pool deck. The fitness areas of the facility remained open.
 
Adopt a fire hydrant
Residents are encouraged to use the city’s Beacon map to locate fire hydrants in order to help keep them cleared of snow.
On the city’s website, cityofluverne.org, the home page provides a link to the map that indicate hydrants as red dots.
Residents can hold their cursers over each one to see if it’s been “adopted” or if it remains open for adoption.
The hydrants not spoken for may need residents’ help to keep snow shoveled away from them in order to keep them clear for fire emergencies.
 
Generations subsidy
Luverne City Council members agreed to increase their annual subsidy to Generations from $5,000 per year to $7,500 per year.
Mayor Baustian recommended the increase due to increased costs of operation in their new facility, the former Grand Prairie Events building.
“Their new utilities bills are higher due to more gas use and increased square footage,” he said.
“It’s probably long overdue and we’ve overlooked it in previous years … It’s been over 10 years since we’ve increased the subsidy.”
He remarked that Generations has been beneficial for the community with increased senior programming and thousands of meals served in the facility and also delivered to area communities in and around Rock County.
“We’re very fortunate to have them in our community,” Baustian said.

The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group that began in the January 7, 1943, issue of the Rock County Star Herald. Members of this group consist of persons of age 75 and older.
The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on July 29, 1943.
A lone, dim light, shining in the inky darkness, served as a beacon to direct an ox-drawn wagon and its four weary occupants toward shelter.
As glad to hear his father say that “this was a good a place to stop as any” was a 15-year-old boy Theodore Lamke. He, his father, a brother and sister, had ridden all the previous night and part of the day in a freight car from LaCrosse, Wis., to Edgerton. There they had unloaded their belongings, set up the wagon, yoked the oxen and started their trip from Edgerton to the Julius Zellmer farm, southwest of Luverne.
The wagon creaked slowly along until dark, and then the elder Mr. Lemke began to look for a place to spend the night. Finally he saw a small light in a settler’s home, a short distance north of lower Mound lake. The owner, whose name was Lynch, was glad to keep them for the night, so all got out of the wagon, had a bite to eat and went to bed. That was Mr. Lemke’s first night in Minnesota.
Mr. Lemke, his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ferdinand Lemke, and his brothers and sisters came to the United States in 1875. Mr. Lemke was born in Germany, Sept. 8, 1864, and was going on 11 when they set out for this country.
He remembers the trip on the ocean well, mainly because of the excitement that he experienced. One night, the ship crashed into a huge ice floe. The mishap frightened the passengers to the point where some of the women were almost hysterical. The following morning, they looked out over the water and could see huge icebergs in the distance. Had they hit them, considerable damage would have been done to the ship, and it was possible that it would even have sunk.
It was a glorious sight, Mr. Lemke said, when New York harbor came into sight. Coming from a rural community, they were glad to set foot on Mother Earth once more. They came by train to LaCrosse, Wis., and lived near that city for five years. There Mr. Lemke attended school when he didn’t have to work.
One of the jobs he had while living in Wisconsin was helping his father clear timber from the land. Oftentimes, he helped his father cut corn wood and trimmed newly fallen trees.
Repeated requests by Julius Zellmer, a relative of the Lemke’s that they should come to Rock county and get some of the free land caused them to decide to come west. It was a busy time getting ready for the trip, Mr. Lemke recalls. They were busy all one day, moving their four oxen and what other property they had from Salem, 20 miles away, to LaCrosse. Their car was one of 16 “immigrant” cars in the train that brought them to Edgerton.
The first year the family was in Rock county, they lived at the south edge of the Mounds. Their neighbors helped them by letting them have a couple of hogs to raise, and they managed to get along until fall. Mr. Lemke states that he and his brother cultivated corn with one ox, and did other hard work that year.
They helped with the harvesting at the Zellmer farm, where they were using one of the Marsh harvesters, the binder that used wire to tie the bundles. Mr. Zellmer had horses, and they were having difficulty to pull the machine. Mr. Lemke offered the use of his four oxen, and they pulled it with comparative ease, but there was one drawback. They had to be led around the field as they could not be guided in any other way.
This will be continued in next week’s edition of the Star Herald.
 
         Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

LSS meals at Generations
 
Monday, Feb. 6: Pepper steak, potatoes, stewed tomatoes, dinner roll, dessert.
Half-Price Day sponsored by Christian Reformed Church.
Tuesday, Feb. 7: Biscuits and sausage gravy, roasted potatoes, cinnamon apple slices, dessert.
Wednesday, Feb. 8: Orange chicken, rice pilaf, peas and carrots, peaches, bread.
Thursday, Feb. 9: Sloppy Joe on a bun, potato wedges, vegetarian baked beans, banana or fresh fruit, cookie.
Half-Price Day sponsored by Grace Lutheran Church.
Friday, Feb. 10: Baked fish, cheesy potatoes, broccoli florets, pears, gelatin with whipped topping.
LSS Dining offers well-balanced and affordable meals in a community atmosphere.
Call Pam Franken at 283-9846, extension 11 to reserve one day prior, to arrange to pick up a dinner or for home-delivered meals.
Gift certificates are available at the meal site or online at www.lssmn.org/nutrition.

10 years ago (2013)
•The Luverne Hockey Association is celebrating the completion of its major remodeling project at the Blue Mound Ice Arena.
Fundraising began nearly a year ago, with a great deal of support coming from local corporate sponsors. Those contributors were honored Tuesday night during a Cardinal varsity hockey game.
The $750,000 project features a two-story 112-by-32-foot addition connected to the north side of the existing rink.
The concession stand is expanded to meet code and provide more serving space for food items and more seating for diners.
A hockey dryland training room allows for off-ice workouts for stick handling, plyometrics and cardiovascular work.
Two handicap-accessible restrooms were added off the lobby.
 
25 years ago (1998)
•The dwindling town of Kenneth took another blow last week when customers received word the Kenneth branch of the State Bank of Edgerton will close this spring.
Larry Brouwer, president and CEO of the State Bank of Edgerton, sent letters to all the Kenneth customers explaining the decision was driven by high costs of operation. “I can’t justify having two people there for the hours required to serve people in a community that size,” he told the Star Herald Monday.
The State Bank of Edgerton purchased the Kenneth bank on March 1, 1993. At the time, Brouwer said he decided to purchase the Kenneth bank to insure it stayed open for the people in that community. “I knew if we didn’t buy it, someone else was going to buy it and close it down,” Brouwer said.
 
50 years ago (1973)
•Upset minded Magnolia nearly pulled it off Friday, but the Hills-Beaver Creek Patriots had other ideas and after trailing by nine points at the half, came back to win, 45-43.
The win gave the Patriots a slim grip on second place in the Tri-County Conference while Magnolia remained in the fourth spot by one game.
Donley Bosch led the Patriot comeback with 20 points with the Patriots taking advantage of the Bulldogs’ poor night at the charity line, only 5 for 13.
Dough Eeten’s 15 tallies led the Bulldog scoring attack as Magnolia outshot H-BC from the field, 35 to 30 per cent.
Magnolia’s Lyle Sathre and Paul Lais hauled in eight and nine rebounds respectively adding to the Patriots’ woes for the evening.
 
75 years ago (1948)
•Old furniture is taking on a new appearance in a number of Rock county homes as the result of the great deal of interest taken in furniture upholstering.
Miss Ida Amundson, county home demonstration agent, said this week that the first series of training meetings in upholstering furniture have been held in the county for leaders of the various women’s extension groups. Several projects have been started to be completed in follow-up meetings this month, Miss Amundson reports. Group members too, have reported good beginnings of work on their furniture.
In all, there are 21 groups in the county, and two leaders from each group attended the leaders’ meetings to receive instructions on how the work is to be done.
 
100 years ago (1923)
•The proposed selection of the Blue Mound cliff surroundings as a location for a Rock county state park was the main topic of discussion at the Monday noon luncheon of the Luverne Kiwanis club. As stated in previous issues of the Herald, State Auditor Ray P. Chase, during a tour of inspection here last summer became most favorably impressed with this picturesque bit of scenery as a site for a state park, and has recommended to the legislature that it be acquired for such purposes.
With the opinion that the creation of a state park here would be a beneficial project for Luverne and Rock county, the Luverne Kiwanis club has decided to back the movement to the fullest extent. As a preliminary action in this matter, two members of the club, E. H. Canfield, Esq. and J. E. Treat, were appointed to draw up a resolution showing the club’s hearty approval of the project and the copies be sent to Senator Cashel, Representative J. N. Jacobsen, and State Auditor Chase. It is reported that Mr. Cashel favors the movement as much as does Mr. Chase.

Cornie Van Lant, 93, rural Chandler, died Friday, Jan. 27, 2023, at the Edgebrook Care Center in Edgerton.
Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, at the Bethel Reformed Church in Leota. A funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 3, at the Bethel Reformed Church in Leota. A private family burial will take place at a later date at the Leota Community Cemetery.
Cornie Van Lant was born Oct. 8, 1929, in Moulton Township, rural Chandler, to John Sr. and Frieda (Halbersma) Van Lant. He attended country school.
Cornie married Jeane De Jong on Sept.  28, 1950, at the Bethel Reformed Church in Leota. The couple farmed near Chandler.
Cornie continued to farm until October of 2022, when he became a resident of the Edgebrook Care Center. He also worked at Roelofs Implement in Edgerton and the Pipestone Sale Barn.  He served on the Moulton Township Board for over 32 years.
He was a member of the Bethel Reformed Church in Leota. He enjoyed camping and spending time with his family.
Cornie is survived by his four children, Verna (Warren) Netjes of Andover, Brad (Deb) Van Lant of Linn Creek, Missouri, Brenda (Dwayne) Vander Vliet of Luverne, and Diane Irish (friend David Van Den Berg) of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; 13 grandchildren, Tammy, Kari, Sherri, Vicki, Michael, Jackie, Tyler, David, Cory, Brett, Amber, Ashley and Adam; 13 great-grandchildren; and three sisters, Fran Anker of Luverne, Elsie Ver Hey of Edgerton, and Rose (Art) Bleyenberg of Edgerton.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Jeane, on March 1, 2017; a daughter, Joyce Shultis; two brothers, John Jr. and Lawrence Van Lant; and seven sisters, Eva, Henrietta, Lillian, Edna, Alberta, Janet and Nellie.
Arrangements are provided by Dingmann Funeral Home, dingmannandsons.com, and the Leota Burial Association.
(0202 F)

Judith “Judy” Kass, 77, Windom, died Friday, Jan. 20, 2023, at the Good Samaritan Society in Windom.
A funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 10, with visitation one hour prior to the service, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Windom. Interment will be at a later date at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Dundee.
Judith Ann Anderson was born on Feb. 8, 1945, to Claud and Clara (Grandy) Anderson in St. Cloud. She graduated from Magnolia High School. She then worked for Campbell Soup in Worthington for 35 years until it closed in 1997.
Judy married Arnold Kass on April 28, 1981. After their marriage they lived on a farm north of Heron Lake. She worked for a number of years at SA in Windom.
Judy was a member of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Windom. She also belonged to the Dundee American Legion Auxiliary Post 386 for 40 years and served as president for four years.
Judy enjoyed gardening, dancing, socializing, and especially reading romance novels. She loved spending time with her grandchildren.
She is survived by her husband, Arnold, of Heron Lake; three stepchildren, Brian (Sonda) Kass of Dundee, Jerry Kass of Dundee, and Deb Arends (significant other Denis Janke) of Windom; three grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; two sisters, Janice (Everett) Brandenburg and Joyce Oldre, both of Loverne; and other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers James Nelson and Hugh Anderson; and stepdaughter Diane Kass.
Arrangements are provided by Totzke Funeral Home, totzkefuneralhome.com.
(0202 F)

Gertrude “Gert” Van Engen, 95, of Hartley, Iowa, died at Community Memorial Health Center in Hartley on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023.
A memorial service was at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, at Grace Fellowship Church in Hartley. Burial was prior to the service at Baker Township Cemetery near Melvin, Iowa.
Arrangements were provided by the Hartley Funeral Home of Hartley, www.sanborn-hartleyfuneralhomes.com.
 (0202 DN)

Gary Brehm

Gary Alan Brehm, 75, St. Charles, Illinois, formerly of Crystal Lake, Illinois, died Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023.
A memorial Mass will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 18, at St. Patrick Church in St. Charles. A celebration of life will be from 12:30 to 3 p.m. at The Herrington Inn in Geneva, Illinois.
Information is available at dupagecremations.com.
The family requests no flowers.
 (0202 DN)

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
February is considered by some to be the month of love. We celebrate Valentine’s Day on the 14th and billions, (that’s billions with a B) of dollars are spent on candy, flowers, jewelry, cards, fancy dinners, and other gifts so that we can profess how we feel about our true love, or prove our love to someone.
A number of years ago the Atlantic Magazine said this about Valentine’s Day: “Valentine's Day is a time to spoil our beloveds, woo our secret lovers, and remember to call our mothers. It is also, to put things slightly less tenderly, a $20 billion macroeconomic stimulus aimed straight at the heart of the American chocolate-floral-lingerie industrial hydra.”
So, to put it in terms I can understand, Americans spend over $20 billion, that’s 20 followed by nine zeros, dollars to tell each other how much we are loved. We even spend about $722 million on our pets on this “romantic” holiday.
I don’t know about you but that is a bit alarming to me. It costs me absolutely nothing to tell Sharon that I love her, but I, too, like many of you, will buy a gift for the one I love to reinforce just how much I love her.
We may not admit it, but we need to feel loved, and for many of us we yearn for someone to tell us they love us. Love is the one emotion that can have physical repercussions if it is not at least perceived. As the song says, “Love is a many splendored thing,” but for some, love is an elusive thing and they spend most of their energy trying to find it.
That’s why John 3:16 hits so close to home this time of the year. For many, love is a sacrifice. We often sacrifice our own desires or even our own wellbeing in favor of making sure the people we love have what they need. For those who have lost the ones they love recently, it feels like love is so distant that it is almost nonexistent and is a painful reminder of love lost.
But in God’s undying love for us, God made the ultimate sacrifice. God gave his Son, his very life, to prove to us that we are worthy of being loved. God loves us so much that God had to find a way to save us from ourselves and offers us abundant life now and eternal life in the future by giving up Jesus as an atoning sacrifice for sin and an end to the penalty of sin.
Jesus died to destroy the power death had over us, and he did it out of pure and holy love. That is the quintessential gift of love, and Jesus did it simply to prove God’s love for us.
So, this Valentine’s Day, when you are trying to come up with the perfect gift for the one you love, remember that Jesus gave the perfect gift to us on the cross and give thanks to God for that perfect gift.
God bless you, and Happy Valentine’s Day.