By Sara StrongIn a special meeting Wednesday, Aug. 20, cities discussed contracts with the Rock County Sheriff’s Department, and they tentatively agreed to three-year contracts.The Rock County Board of Commissioners has indicated it will sign the contracts at its Tuesday meeting.The contracts specify that in 2004, small cities in Rock County will pay $31.66 per capita for police protection, and then will pay increased amounts for the next two years. The cost per capita in 2005 will be $33, and in 2006, $34.50.The cities of Hardwick, Hills, Magnolia, Kenneth, Beaver Creek and Steen paid $28 per person this year.The city of Luverne will pay $97.04 per resident in 2004 with continued 24-hour coverage. Luverne and Rock County are both spending $53,000 more this year than last year.The county had been postponing hiring two new deputies until the contracts were set. Now the county will continue with the hiring process.The cities total charges will end up being: Magnolia — $6,996.86 Kenneth — $1,931.26Hardwick — $7,028.52Beaver Creek — $1,583Steen — $5,762.12Hills — $17,887.90The city of Luverne is the only area of the county guaranteed 24-hour coverage by contract. In all other parts of the county, there are four hours when there isn’t scheduled patrols.Sheriff Mike Winkels said the coverage is still around the clock in some ways, because the department responds to calls at all times. He also said that he’s made efforts to go out when there isn’t a deputy scheduled for patrols, in order to provide more coverage time.Beaver Creek Mayor Al Blank said having 24-hour random patrols may not be a huge deterrent to crime, so a few hours’ absence wasn’t a problem for him.Winkels said that sometimes a deputy is working in a small city on special cases and may be in an unmarked vehicle. At those times, citizens wouldn’t notice his presence.Rock County Attorney Don Klosterbuer said Luverne’s central location makes response time quick when a deputy is called to a city or rural Rock County for an incident.As a County Commissioner, Ken Hoime said at the meeting, "Tonight, I feel it’s kind of an airing out, a place to say your opinions and feelings."No city representatives took issue with the way the Sheriff’s Department is doing business or its level of service.Hills Mayor Jim Jellema did question the cost of law enforcement in cities versus rural county areas.All of the county is taxed, he said, and part of that goes toward law enforcement, so city residents are charged twice. He wondered if the county could charge township residents a fee as well. Jellema said, "Am I completely wrong in thinking that? I mean to find a way to spread it around."The county actually can’t charge townships because they don’t have contracts for law enforcement.On the dotted lineThe contract system can be a little confusing.City residents pay for contract law enforcement on top of what they already pay for property taxes. Rural residents pay for law enforcement through their county property taxes.Commissioner Jane Wildung explained that cities pay more because they have ordinances to enforce that townships don’t. Curfews, noise complaints and animal problems wouldn’t fall within the county’s law enforcement obligations because they fall under misdemeanors. Cities without contracts couldn’t expect a sheriff to enforce those types of ordinances.County sheriffs are obligated to pursue only gross misdemeanors or felony crimes when there isn’t a contract in an incorporated city.The contract fee in Rock County is for the cost of a deputy’s salary plus labor additives — $47,522. It does not cover other county budget items, general law enforcement or dispatching costs. The deputy costs also don’t include the car, equipment or other expenses of an officer.Other news in law enforcement budgetsBesides contracts, law enforcement will change in other ways for the upcoming budget.The cost for housing prisoners and their medical costs have increased this year.Just for medical, the county budgeted $15,000 this year, and has spent $9,000 from January to June.In all of 2002, prisoner costs were $107,000, and so far this year has been $73,000.The state cut $46,000 of Criminal Justice state aid to Rock County.The county will also see more costs for housing prisoners at $55 a day in Prairie Justice Center, the Nobles County jail.The state used to provide space for prisoners sentenced to anything more than 12 months. Now, if the sentence is greater than 12 months, the final six months have to be served in the county jail.The overall law enforcement budget for 2004 is $1.35 million, including dispatching.

Four seniors return to the Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth football program this fall. They are (from left) Blake Hanisch, Curt Schilling, Drew Spykerboer and Lee Jackson. The Patriots open the season in Glenville Friday.By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth football team will be in a rebuilding mode during the 2003 season.After putting together a pair of outstanding campaigns that featured back-to-back undefeated regular seasons, two Southwest Ridge Conference championships and one appearance in the state tournament, H-BC-E may hit the proverbial wall this fall.Graduation stole 13 players from the 2002 squad, which earned the No. 1 seed for the Section 2 playoffs by going 8-0 in the regular season. The Patriots drilled Southwest Star Concept 47-20 in the section semifinals, but eventual state runner-up Nicollet ended H-BC-E’s 9-1 campaign with a 31-20 upset victory in the section title tilt.Being denied a second straight berth in the state tournament was hard on H-BC-E coach Dan Ellingson, but bidding farewell to the 13 seniors who helped the Patriots become the area’s most dominant nine-man team was even tougher."We lost 13 of our 18 starters from last year," Ellingson said. "When you have 13 seniors on a football team, they are going to play. In high school, losing players of that age and maturity level is something you just can’t replace."When a team loses four of five all-conference players and one all-state performer, the prospect of finding replacements for them becomes an even greater challenge.Chris Reid, Brant Deutsch, Jesse Leuthold and Tyson Metzger are the All-SRC performers who left the program last season.Reid, an all-state tailback, pulled double duty as a starting defensive back for H-BC-E last fall. Leuthold (fullback-linebacker) and Deutsch (offensive and defensive end) started on both sides of the ball, too. Metzger started as a wide receiver.The Patriots also lost a two-way starter in Pat Nelson, an All-SRC honorable mention performer who played as an offensive center and a defensive lineman.Other seniors who started for H-BC-E last fall include Dustin Bonnema (offensive guard), Robert Metzger (defensive end), Dusty Seachris (wingback), Ryan Fodness (defensive lineman) and Kyle Sammons (offensive end).Other senior members of the 2002 squad include Pete Kramer, Jason Jansma and Clint Roozenboom.Last year’s seniors will leave holes to fill on both sides of the ball, and the impact will be especially evident on offense. Ellingson plans to run a new offense in 2003 to get the most out of his personnel."We’re going to run a double-wing offense with a single (running back) this year. We’re going to spread out the wings. We have experience at the center, quarterback and wide receiver positions, and we feel we can pass and run a lot more misdirection plays out of this set," he said.Senior Curt Schilling and juniors Cody Scholten and Zach Wysong are returning offensive starters for H-BC-E.Schilling, an All-RRC performer in 2002, will start at quarterback for the second straight year. The 200-pound Schilling brings an outstanding arm and mobility to the position.Wysong, a 150-pound wide receiver, turned into one of Schilling’s favorite targets last season. Wysong made the All-SRC squad as a sophomore.The 165-pound Scholten started as an offensive guard last season. A SRC honorable mention selection last season, Scholten will take over the center position in 2003.The Patriots also picked up an experienced player in 200-pound junior Tom LeBoutiller. Leboutiller, a transfer student from Westbrook-Walnut Grove, started at quarterback for the Chargers last fall. He will be the running back in H-BC-E’s one-back set in 2003.Inexperience will be a problem for the rest of H-BC-E’s offensive players.Junior Kenny Bittner (220) and sophomore Jason Martens (270) will play the offensive guard positions for the Patriots. Chris Nuffer, a 235-pound junior, will start at one end. Senior Drew Spykerboer (160) and junior Greg Van Batavia (150) will share the other end position.Potential wingbacks include seniors Blake Hanisch (140) and Lee Jackson (125) and junior Travis Broesder (160)."Inexperience and the newness of playing different positions are my biggest offensive concerns right now," Ellingson said. "Last year, with Chris Reid, we had a back who could break off a long touchdown run from anywhere on the field. We don’t have that type of guy this year. What we do have is Curt (Schilling) and his ability to throw the ball down the field to a good receiver like Zach (Wysong) and our other ends."Schilling and Scholten will be the leaders of a big defensive unit in 2003."We’ve got some size defensively," Ellingson offered. "Across the line we have 270-, 235-, 220- and 205-pound players. Our strength will be at the linebacker positions. If our linemen can plug up the middle, our experienced linebackers should be able to make a lot of plays."Schilling and Scholten return as starting middle and outside linebackers respectively. Ellingson expects LeBoutiller to step in as another outside linebacker.Wysong picked up a lot of playing time as a defensive back in 2002. He will be the leader of a secondary that will include defensive back Broesder.Bittner is expected to anchor the defensive line as a nose guard. Brian Gacke, a 205-pound junior, and Martens are potential interior linemen, as is Nuffer. Nuffer also can play the end position along with Van Batavia and Spykerboer.If Patriots can groom some underclassmen to fill in on the defensive line, Ellingson thinks H-BC-E can become a good defensive team."We’ll need some help from our sophomores and freshmen along the way. When you have big guys on the line, it’s tough for them to play every down both ways. We need to develop some younger guys who can help us out on the line," he said.Ellingson expects the SRC to be more competitive than recent years, when H-BC-E had its way with the opponents.Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster has joined forces with Southwest Star Concept to form a team that will be called Southwest United, and Ellingson considers SU to be the team to beat.Lakeview returns a load of talent, and Edgerton will be much improved. Lincoln HI and Lake Benton have merged into a single program this season, creating another team to be concerned about."The SRC will be a much-improved conference this year," Ellingson said. "I would like to think we will finish in the top half of the SRC. With six teams in the conference, finishing in the top three is something we’ll be shooting for."The Patriots open the season by playing Glenville-Emmons in Glenville tonight.

By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek volleyball team opened the 2003 season by dropping a five-game match in Lake Benton Tuesday.H-BC made its debut without standout hitter Erin Boeve, who missed the match with the flu.The Patriots who were on hand for the match impressed H-BC coach Curt Doorneweerd with their play."I hate losing. But, since it was our first match of the year, I was quite pleased with the way we played," he said. "The girls could have given up after we lost the third game, but they battled back and nearly won it in five," he said.The Patriots notched a 25-20 win in the opener before dropping 25-18 and 25-15 decisions in Games 2 and 3 respectively.H-BC forced a fifth game with a 25-16 victory in Game 4, but the Bobcats pulled out a thrilling 15-13 win in the finale.Cassi Tilstra (five blocks, 11 kills and 16 of 16 serving with one ace), Kelly Mulder (seven blocks, 12 kills and 21 of 23 serving with two aces) and Amanda Olson (two blocks, six kills and 13 of 15 serving with two aces) turned in solid, all-around performances for H-BC.Melissa Sandstede (five kills), Ashley Bosch (two kills and one ace serve) and Alissa Hoyme (eight of nine serving) also helped the cause.The 0-1 Patriots host Red Rock Central Sept. 4.

Chamber and ‘King of Trails’ to host marketplaceThe Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with the "King of Trails" association, is hosting a "King of Trails" fall marketplace from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, 2003. Luverne will be one of many communities along Highway 75, the "King of Trails," that will be promoting the marketplace event.The "King of Trails," which runs from Luverne to the Canadian border, is approximately 400 miles long.In Luverne, the vacant lot across the street from Casey’s on S. Highway 75 will be the site of the marketplace.Items to be sold will include fall produce, baked goods, crafts, flea market, antiques, collectibles, books, furniture, rummage, art work, pets, autos, or any- thing else you may wish to sell.A $15 fee will get you a 12 foot space to sell your items. The money will be used to advertise and promote the event.If you would like to participate, contact the Luverne Chamber at 507-283-4061Luverne to observe second anniversary of September 11The Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce is organizing a remembrance for the 2nd anniversary of the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Centers.Last year several hundred people gathered on Main Street for a moment of silence on the first anniversary of the terrorist attack.This year’s observance will take place at 8:45 a.m. on Sept. 11. They are asking participants to form a human chain around Main Street while the Luverne Fire Department will note the time with a blast of their horn followed by the playing of Taps by members of the high school marching band.Library’s annual book sale needs your booksThe Friends of the Library are planning their 7th annual book sale, but first they need your books.The annual book sale has been a successful event for the volunteer group since it was started in 1997, raising approximately $1,000 each year.This year the money is needed more than ever, according to Barb Golla, co- chair of the event.With the recent budget cuts, the jointly owned city/county library took a financial hit of approximately $12,000.For the book drive to be a success, they need your used books to sell.The library will be collecting books for the sale now through Sept. 13.The book sale dates are Sept. 18 to 20.Community Blood Bank is happy with resultsThe Community Blood Bank recently conducted a blood drive, and they want you to know the results.On Aug. 20, the blood bank collected 46 units of blood, which according to them can be used to help 138 seriously ill patients.Over the past 15 visits, 452 units have been donated.The Community Blood Bank supplies blood and blood products to the Luverne Community Hospital, as well as 25 other hospitals in eastern South Dakota, southwestern Minnesota and northwestern Iowa.Goodwill has a successful driveGoodwill Industries is declaring their recent Ambassador drive a success.During the drive, residents of the Luverne area contributed 42,000 pounds of materials, which will be distributed to the 16 Goodwill regional store locations.The next Goodwill Ambassador trailer will be in Luverne on Wednesday, Sept. 24.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

By Sara StrongThe federal portion of the Overgaard lawsuit was dismissed Monday against Chad and Scott Overgaard.The federal charges were dismissed with prejudice, meaning they can’t be brought into state court.The state charges were also dismissed by the same federal judge without prejudice, so they can be brought to state court if the plaintiffs choose. The state charges are the claims such as nuisance, negligence and trespassing.The federal charges involved the accusation that the hog confinement permitting process was fraudulent or unfair.Glenn, Mabel, Loren and Mark Overgaard had sued Chad and Scott over their hog confinement operation just after it was built. The plaintiffs also protested throughout the process.Besides Chad and Scott, the suit involved Overgaard Pork the business, former Rock County Feedlot Officer John Burgers, Rock County Board of Commissioners and Schwartz Farms, which owns the animals Overgaard Pork raises.Claims against County Commissioner Bob Jarchow had been filed, but were dismissed in March. The charges against the county were dismissed in federal court in July.The plaintiffs were suing for monetary damages exceeding $50,000, which is standard.The plaintiffs now have the option of appealing, taking portions of the lawsuit to state court, or dropping it altogether.The lawsuit, filed March 19, 2002, alleged that all defendants conspired to help Chad and Scott wrongfully obtain a hog feedlot permit to build a 3,200-head hog setup about a half mile from Glenn’s property in the fall of 2001.The suit claimed the defendants didn’t act according to law when permits for a feedlot were granted, which fell under the federal part of the lawsuit.

By Lori EhdeJudge Timothy Connell denied a motion by Rep. Doug Magnus to dismiss complaints filed against him following the 2002 general election.Magnus (R-Slayton) is facing charges that he violated Minnesota’s Unfair Campaign Practices Act, but through his attorney, Bill Wetering, Worthington, he asked Connell to dismiss the charges, since they "didn’t violate the spirit and intent of the law."The charges stem from a postcard Magnus mailed on or about Nov. 2, 2002, just prior to the general elections, in which Magnus defeated DFL incumbent Ted Winter for a seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives.The postcard contained general information about Magnus and encouraged voters to support him in the upcoming election. It failed, however, to say who sent and paid for the solicitation, as is required by state law.The law is essentially designed to prevent candidates from publishing unfair information about their opponents under the guise of anonymity.Wetering argued in court June 9 that the literature was about Magnus and was clearly sent by Magnus, even if it didn’t have the disclaimer.He also argued that the complaints were politically motivated, and consideration should have been given to that factor before the case went to court.Connell, however, denied the motion to dismiss the charges in a ruling filed Aug. 15 in Rock County District Court."Elections are the foundation of our system of government," Connell said in a memorandum filed with the ruling. "Whether the office be president of the United States, governor of the State of Minnesota, state representative or county commissioner, our country holds the right to seek election to office as fundamental and important. As such, the state has a compelling interest in controlling and governing elections."Connell agreed that recipients of the postcards could likely assume they were sent by Magnus, but the required disclaimer was clearly not on the mailing."The statute is clear," Connell said in his memorandum. "The Legislature deems it important that all mailings by a political candidate provide the identity of who has prepared and paid for those mailings."Wetering said Monday that Magnus has entered a not-guilty plea to the charges, and he hopes to resolve the case through a plea arrangement."Mr. Magnus has always admitted that a mistake was made. … It was just our hope that since there wasn’t any intention to deceive or hide information, that the court might see fit to dismiss it," Wetering said."I think the thing that Mr. Magnus wanted to point out to the court is essentially that the complaint was orchestrated, and (his political opponents) were using the criminal process as a political tool."The maximum penalty for the charge is a $1,000 fine, 90 days in jail or both.

By Sara StrongRandy Scott’s family waited until after his funeral to release a statement. Scott, 55, Hardwick, died Saturday, Aug. 16, in a motorcycle accident, and was buried Wednesday, Aug. 20, in Maplewood Cemetery, Luverne.His mother, Marcella Scott, and family released this statement Aug. 21:"The family and relatives of Randy Scott would like to say thank you to Pastor Mumme and all of our friends and neighbors for the tremendous support that has been shown to us during the past few days."It was a terrible tragedy that took Randy’s life, and he will be missed by many. The thoughts and prayers of our family are with everyone involved in this tragedy. On Wednesday we laid Randy to rest. We now hold on to the wonderful memories we have of him."As the family came out with a statement, more details about the accident that killed Scott, Hardwick, also surfaced.South Dakota U.S. Rep. and former governor Bill Janklow ran a stop sign at 70 to 75 miles per hour, hitting Scott, who was driving his motorcycle at 55 to 60 miles per hour. The posted speed limit was 55 miles per hour.The accident happened at a rural Moody County, S.D., intersection, near Trent. The intersection was specifically at 240th Street and 481th Avenue.The South Dakota State Patrol found that neither driver had been drinking.The Scotts’ statement also said, "Family members have visited in person with authorities from the State of South Dakota, and at this time we believe the investigation is proceeding in a professional and orderly manner."We also want to thank those members of the media that have not interfered with the family during this very difficult time."Randy Scott touched the lives of many people, and his uplifted spirit will live on through all of them."The investigation is still ongoing, but criminal charges against Janklow are possible.The most severe would be second-degree manslaughter, which carries a possible penalty of 10 years in jail and a $10,000 fine. That is the most difficult of the options to prosecute.Other possibilities range from misdemeanors to felonies with years in prison. A simple careless driving conviction carries a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail and a $200 fine.Reckless driving, a more serious misdemeanor, would mean a maximum of a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

By Lori EhdeWhen Jim Juhl and Brenda Winter started home schooling their children 10 years ago, they had no idea what a challenging and rewarding journey it would be."We thought we’d do it for awhile, and then quit when they were older," Winter said Monday.Now, their oldest daughter, Emilia ("Em"), is in high school, attending virtual classrooms with international classmates via a laptop computer in her bedroom.Reflecting on the past decade of home schooling, they say the experience has made them better people — both as students and as educators."I’m so much more patient and better organized," Winter said. "… I think I’ve grown up."Practical intentionsThe intent for the home schooling experience, though, was more practical.Em had attended kindergarten in the Hills Christan School because her parents wanted her to have a Christian education.But it meant Winter had to make the 40-mile round trip to Hills twice a day from their acreage five miles northwest of Luverne."When we thought about home schooling, we’d say, ‘Who’s got that kind of time?’ but I was already dedicating an hour and a half every day in the car," Winter said.While they were pleased with Em’s classroom experience in Hills, they decided her first-grade studies would be at home.And then her brother, Joe, started learning at home, as did their sister, Kate.Now the Juhl children are ages 15, 13 and 9, and their parents, particularly their mother, are smarter than ever — both about the curriculum and about the home school process."I can factor a binomial," Juhl said."I finally know why we fought the American Revolution — after reading ‘Johnny Tremain’ three times," Winter joked.‘Life is a lesson’They soon discovered that home schooling lessons were easily extended beyond the classroom environment.When they were in the Black Hills last month, they noticed abandoned railroads and farm houses that tied into a current history lesson."Because we’d just studied about the settling of the American West, we could use what we were looking at to reinforce what we’d read about in books. And it’s not just history; it’s math and science — life is a lesson," Winter said. "That’s one of the blessings of home schooling."She said home school curriculum publishers have done well to keep material well-written, current and available in multiple media. "I think we kept finding the tools we needed," Winter said.For example, a $65 science CD includes lessons, labs and teaching materials. "That’s how a home schooling mom can teach general science," Winter said. "I know I can’t teach chemistry, but the curriculum can."The Juhl children are using about $1,500 worth of materials this year, about $1,000 is for Em’s online tuition. "This is what it cost for our home school family," Winter said. "I don’t want to say this is what it costs to home school your children."Global classroomThe online tuition is costly, but it’s enabled Em to continue her studies at home. Her high school experience is similar to that of a college student. The tuition is paid up front, and it’s up to the students to get their homework done and attend classes (log on to the computer).When she logs on for a scheduled 1 1/2-hour class, she sees the instructor live on her screen and hears the instruction live through her computer’s audio system.Students interact live by typing their correspondence, both with the instructor and with each other, but chatting is not allowed during class.In one virtual Christian school class, Em studied with students from Kazakhstan, Laos and the United Arab Emirates — many of them children of missionaries.Strange as it may sound, she’s forged two online friendships through her global classrooms. One girl lives in Croatia and one lives in Florida.Social connectionsEm, Joe and Kate don’t make their only friends through home school connections.One concern families have when considering home schooling is how to present their children with adequate social variety.For Juhl and Winter, those social connections are easily made through church.Their children participate in First Baptist Church’s Wednesday night Awana and First Presbyterian’s youth programs."I’ve always been very involved with both church groups, so it’s never been an issue," Em said, when asked what she does for fun.Two of her closest friends, Brooke and Rachel Taubert, Beaver Creek, she met through the local home school organization when the girls were little.Life as a home school familyJuhl and Winter quickly learned that home schooling was about more than teaching the curriculum.It was about committing to the lifestyle of a home school family."You have to be a single-income family," Juhl said. You have to be willing to live on less."Winter added, "There are home schooling families who eat rice and shop at Goodwill, but their children read above grade level and they’re great kids."Juhl, who has a bachelor’s degree in animal science from SDSU, has been the sole wage-earner in recent years through his work as a studio photographer.He started Route One Photography about 10 years ago, and then took over ownership of Myhre Studio in 2000.Both Juhl and Winter remember feeling insecure at first about their decision to home school, but they didn’t have to look far for support.There are several Rock County home school families and the number is growing. In Luverne School District alone, there are 25 home school students between 7 and 18 years old. That doesn’t account for the preschool through 6-year-old population.Juhl and Winter know home schooling isn’t for everyone, but they also know the power of perseverance."We’ve learned that people can do anything they want to do," Winter said. "There have been challenges, but no regrets."Tailoring school to individual personalitiesThere are plenty of ways students benefit from home schooling, but for Juhl and Winter, it was all about tailoring education to fit their children’s personalities and learning styles."Em was shy, quiet and well-behaved, and I remembered thinking, ‘She’s not going to get noticed in the classroom,’" Winter said.Home schooling ensured Em would get the one-on-one attention Winter was concerned about.While Em is quiet and reserved, her 13-year-old brother, Joe, is, well … not."And that’s the real beauty of home schooling," Juhl said. "You know your child better than anyone does. You can tailor the teaching to them."Personal sacrificesMaking the commitment to home schooling has meant putting Winter’s own professional goals on hold, but she said she has no regrets."Right now, I don’t want to be doing anything else," she said decidedly. "This is kind of fun."Winter holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from South Dakota State University, Brookings, and she’s done some writing and photography for the Star Herald in the early 1990s."What I want to be when I grow up is a writer," Winter said. "If nothing else, all of this has given me something to write about."

By Lori EhdeGroundbreaking for the new Luverne Community Hospital and Clinic will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2, at the site just north of the Minnesota Veteran’s Home neighborhood along Highway 75.The public is invited to the ceremony, which will include a lineup of dignitaries for the traditional shovel turning.Speakers include Luverne Community Hospital CEO Jerry Carl, LCH Community Advisory Board Chair Steve Perkins, LCH Chief of Staff Dr. Stephan L. Chesley, Luverne Mayor Glen Gust and Partnership Campaign Chair Greg Burger, The $17.8 million hospital and clinic will have more than 93,000 square feet of space, more than doubling the space of the current land-locked hospital and clinic. The hospital and clinic together employ 230 people, paying more than $8 million in salaries each year, with an overall budget of $15 million a year.Luverne Community Hospital and Clinic is a member of Sioux Valley Hospitals & Health System, which announced the project this spring after studies showed necessary renovations would cost nearly as much as building new.Architect for the new facilities is TSP of Sioux Falls, S.D. Construction will begin next month and may be complete by mid-2005.‘Partnership Campaign’ gets $375,000 in pledgesIn addition to Sioux Valley’s $13 million investment in the project, the Luverne Community Health Care Foundation is working to raise $1 million or more in donations through its "Partnership Campaign." The capital fund-raising program gained momentum this week with a $50,000 pledge from Minnwest Bank."The strength of our community is often measured by the quality of our health care," said Greg Burger, president of Minnwest Bank, Luverne. "Our bank wants Luverne to be measured as strong and growing stronger." He said the economic impact of the hospital and Clinic today is $15 million, and with the new facilities in place, it will be much greater."This is truly an investment," said Burger, who is also chair of The Partnership Campaign. The campaign, conducted by volunteers, is off to a strong start. A week ago, it received $325,000 in support from administration and employees of the hospital and clinic and the full-time medical staff. "I hope our gift inspires others to make generous gifts," Burger said. "We are helping to secure our own future as a community at the same time we are helping our neighbors." Burger, 283-2366, and Michele Van Dyke, 220-2424, with the Luverne Community Health Care Foundation, can be contacted for fund-raising information.City and county supportThe City of Luverne is supporting the project through a $2.5 million grant (which includes taking over ownership of the old facilities), a $1 million interest-free loan and $2.45 million in infrastructure improvements.Rock County’s contribution to the project includes upgrading the half-mile stretch of gravel on the north edge of the site to an urban section of road. The work, estimated to cost about $1.2 million, would include building it up to a 9-ton paved road curbs and gutters, plus sidewalks on the south side. The county’s work will also include cutting the hill down on Highway 75 at the intersection and putting in turn lanes on both Highway 75 and the new road.