Services for Anna Van Marel will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, at Steen Reformed Church in Steen. The Rev. Dan Ramaker will officiate. Burial will follow at Eastside Cemetery in Steen.

Anna Van Marel, 88, Steen, died Monday, Feb. 18, 2002.

Anna Cleveringa was born to William and Altje (Cleveringa) Cleveringa on Jan. 18, 1914, on the family farm near Sioux Center, Iowa. She grew up on the family farm and attended Sioux Center Christian School. Upon completing her education she helped her parents and did some cleaning for area people.

She married Arie J. Van Marel on March 4, 1936, at the parsonage in Sioux Center. They first made their home on the Van Marel farm near Orange City, Iowa, and in 1942, moved to their farm near Steen where they farmed until retirement. In 1975 they moved to Steen. Mr. Van Marel died in 1985. She continued to live in their home. In January 2002 she had a heart attack and was hospitalized for a short while. She was admitted to Luverne Hospital on Feb. 11.

Mrs. Van Marel was active in Women's Circle and attended adult Sunday School at church. She also enjoyed crocheting, reading, playing piano, traveling and socializing.

Survivors include her seven children, Alvin (Clarella) Van Marel, Boyden, Iowa, Darlene (Vernon) Bolt, Bellflower, Calif., Evelyn (Gerhart) Van Dam, and Rosella (Arvin) Bleyenberg, all of Edgerton, Arnold (Rosetta) Van Marel, Beaver Creek, Luretta (Berwyn) Van Otterloo, Rock Rapids, Iowa, and Mary Ann (Don) Palmquist, Sioux Falls, S.D.; 30 grandchildren; 39 great-grandchildren; and four sisters-in-law, Tena Van Marel, Anna Van Marel, Jen Van De Berg, all of Orange City, Iowa, and Cynthia Cleveringa, Sioux Center.

Mrs. Van Marel was preceded in death by her husband, Arie, two granddaughters, Leann Bleyenberg and Shannon Kollis, four brothers, Fred, Clarence "Nick," Bill and Louis Cleveringa, and three sisters, Ruth Wielenga, Wilhemina Rozeboom and Luwina Sneller.

Roste Funeral Home, Hills, is in charge of arrangements.

Douglas "Doc" Swenson, 75, Luverne, died Sunday, April 7, 2002, at the Hospice Cottage in Luverne.

Services were Wednesday, April 10, at Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne. Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery, Luverne.

Douglas "Doc" Swenson was born to Charles H. and Rose A. (Olson) Swenson on Jan. 28, 1927, in Springwater Township, Rock County, where he was raised and attended country school. Following his education he lived and worked on the family farm. Later he moved to Luverne but continued to work on his farm until his death. He entered Luverne Hospice Cottage on March 8.

Mr. Swenson was a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne.

Survivors include one sister, Evelyn Thode, Luverne; an aunt, Gladys Christensen, Luverne; one sister-in-law, Virgene Bullis, Luverne; 18 nieces and nephews, Michael, Curtis, Joseph and Vincent Swenson, Barbara Hall, Patricia Kerr, Monica Hintze, Rose Gebhart, Virginia Moore, Charlotte Taylor, Anita Hume, Gerald, James and Brian Thode, Pamela Schmidt, Joyce Thode, Rodney and Thomas Swenson.
Mr. Swenson was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, Charles and Robert, a sister-in-law, Cecilia Swenson, and a brother-in-law, Clarence Thode.

Engebretson Funeral Home, Luverne, was in charge of arrangements.

Luverne's Tom Bouwman reacts to a high shot by his opponent during Monday's Section 3A Team Tennis Tournament quarterfinal-round match against Redwood Valley in Luverne. The Cards beat RWV and Montevideo in Tuesday's semifinals before falling to Yellow Medicine East in the section title tilt.

By John Rittenhouse
Luverne completed its team version of the 2002 season by playing three matches during the Section 3A Team Tournament Monday and Tuesday.

The third-seeded Cardinals defeated No. 6 Redwood Valley in the quarterfinals Monday in Luverne before nipping No. 2 Montevideo by one point in TuesdayÕs semifinals in Redwood Falls. No. 1-seeded Yellow Medicine East then bested the Cards by three points in TuesdayÕs championship match.

Luverne, which ends the team campaign with a 9-8 record, will play in the Section 3A Individual Tournament today and Tuesday in Redwood Falls.

YME 5, Luverne 2
Luverne's bid for a section team championship came up short when it lost a three-point decision to YME during Tuesday's championship match in Redwood Falls.

The top-seeded Sting swept the four singles matches and went 1-2 in doubles to win the section crown.

Luverne's wins came at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. Dusty Antoine and Pat Bennett secured a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 win over Nathan Morland and Andrew Hewitt at the No. 2 slot. Trevor Maine and Chris Vickery topped Andrew Albin and Jeff Ford by 6-3 and 6-4 tallies at No. 3.

YME's No. 1 team of Phil Erickson and Aaron Smith claimed 6-0 and 6-1 wins against Dan Voigt and Tom Bouwman to avoid being swept in doubles.

All of YMEÕs singles wins came in straight sets.

Jason Ford notched 6-3 and 6-4 wins over Barry Hoogland at No. 1, Mark Sheggeby downed Kyle Fletcher by 6-1 and 6-0 scores at No. 2, Derrick Kvendru posted 6-1 and 6-0 victories against Steve Althoff at No. 3, and Erik Cherveny prevailed by 6-2 an 6-3 counts against Dan Boen at No. 4.

Luverne 4,
Montevideo 3
The Cardinals earned a berth in the championship match by defeating Montevideo in TuesdayÕs semifinals.

Luverne won three of four singles matches and sewed up the win by taking one of three doubles battles.

Hoogland edged Brock Lauritson by 7-5 scores at No. 1 singles, Voigt posted 7-6 and 6-1 wins over Eli Briones at No. 2, and Boen recorded a 6-1, 6-0 win over Joe Landman at No. 4.

Montevideo's Matt Flaharty prevailed at No. 3 singles with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Bouwman.

Luverne's doubles win came from Maine and Vickery in the No. 3 slot. The Cards bested Kris Hobbie and Ryan Aeikens by 6-3 and 6-4 tallies.

Montevideo's Ben Tokheim and Pat Huber secured a 7-5, 6-7, 6-4 win over Antoine and Bennett at No. 1 doubles, while Sal Horn and Matt Johnson nipped Fletcher and Althoff in a 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 match.

Luverne 4, RWV 3
The Cardinals opened tournament play by posting a one-point win over Redwood Valley in Luverne Monday.

Luverne was unable to post a win in doubles, but it recorded four straight victories in singles to advance to Tuesday's semifinals.

All of the singles wins came in straight sets.

Hoogland topped Mike Alexander by 6-1 and 6-0 scores at No. 1, Voigt bested Devan Blaine by 6-2 and 6-0 scores at No. 2, Bouwman toppled Justin Thiel by 6-1 and 6-0 counts at No. 3, and Antoine secured 6-0 and 6-1 wins over Sam Ferguson at No. 4.

RWV took all three doubles matches in straight sets.

Aaron Busack and Drew Tribble upended Boen and Bennett by 6-2 and 6-3 scores at No. 1, Paul Erickson and James Lidbeck outplayed Althoff and Fletcher by 6-1 and 6-4 tallies at No. 2, and LaRon Schottenbauer and Reed Larson posted 6-3 and 6-2 wins against Vickery and Maine at No. 3.

Cecilia Swenson, 80, Luverne, died Monday, March 25 at the Heart Hospital of South Dakota, Sioux Falls. Services will be Thursday, March 28 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Catherine Catholic Church, Luverne, with Fr. Andrew Beerman officiating. Burial will be in St. Catherine's Cemetery, Luverne. Visitation will be Wednesday, March 27 from 2 to 8 p.m. with the family present from 6 to 8 p.m., rosary at 6 p.m. and prayer service at 7:30 p.m. at Engebretson Funeral Home, Luverne.

Proposed gravel tax hearing set for June 10
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED GRAVEL TAX
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the Rock County Board of Commissioners shall meet and conduct a public hearing on Monday, June 10, 2002 at 7:00 P.M. at the Community Room, Rock County Human Services Building, 2 Roundwind Circle, Luverne, Minnesota. The purpose of the hearing is to consider the adoption and implementation of a gravel and aggregate material removal tax within Rock County all as is permitted and provided by Minnesota Statutes ¤298.75. Any person desiring to be heard may present testimony either at the hearing or by submitting the same in writing prior to the time of the hearing, to Kyle Oldre, Rock County Administrator, P.O. Box 509, Luverne, Minnesota.

Dated May 21, 2002
/s/ Kyle Oldre
Kyle Oldre
Rock County Administrator
(5-23, 5-30, 6-6)

Mixer Installation project bids set for June 7
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS
Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be received, publicly opened, and read aloud by representatives of the City of Luverne, Minnesota, at the City Hall, 203 East Main Street, Luverne, Minnesota 56156 in said City at 1:00 PM, on Wednesday, June 7, 2002, for furnishing all work and materials for the Mixer Installation Project, consisting of the following approximate quantities:

External Draft Tube Mixer 1 LS

Proposal forms, contract documents, drawings and specifications as prepared by Toltz, King, Duvall, Anderson and Associates, Inc., are on file for inspection in the office of the City Clerk and in the office of the Engineers, whose address is 1500 Piper Jaffray Plaza, 444 Cedar Street, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55101-2140.

Contractors desiring drawings, specifications and related documents for the purpose of submitting a bid may secure them from the Engineers upon deposit of Thirty-Five Dollars ($35.00) for each set. The deposit for one set of drawings and specifications in good condition within 15 days after the date for the opening of bids. Ten Dollars ($10.00) will be refunded for deposits made to secure more than one set of documents, deposits made to secure documents for subcontractors and material suppliers and also to Contractors who fail to bid. To secure a refund all documents must be returned in good condition within 15 days after the day for the opening of bid.

No bid will be considered unless it is securely sealed in an envelope and filed with the City Clerk prior to the time noted above for the closing of bids.

Each bid must be accompanied by a bid bond or cashier's check payable to the City of Luverne in an amount not less than five percent (5%) of the total bid as a guarantee that the bidder, if successful, will enter into a contract with the Owner for the work described in the proposal. This deposit will be subject to forfeiture as provided by law. The deposits for the three lowest bidders will be retained by the Owner until the contract has been awarded and executed but not longer than sixty (60) days. No bid may be withdrawn for a period of sixty (60) days following the bid opening.

The Owner reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive informalities or to award the contract to the lowest responsible bidder, in the best interest of the Owner.

The City Council will consider award of contracts at a regular meeting to be held at June 11, 2002.

Matthew Hylen
City Administrator
(5-16, 5-23, 5-30)

By Sara Strong
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is ready to start its summer project at the Rock County landfill.

The state is spending almost $1 million to revamp the county landfill site to improve its safety for the ground, air and water.

Engineer Pete Fuller said to the Rock County Board of Commissioners Tuesday, "Clean water comes into a landfill and comes out contaminated.... We're going to make it like it's a big lawn."

Starting about June 17, the MPCA will supervise contractors in uncovering the current landfill, consolidating different piles of waste and recovering it to specific requirements. The project will take about 106 days to complete.

By doing this, the slope will actually shed water easier, with the help a special membrane cover that repels water. On top of that membrane is.
____________
Consolidating landfill areas will create two to three acres of reclaimed land that won't have waste of any kind under it.

Another part of the MPCA's work includes a bigger ditching system to keep water flowing around, instead of through the landfill.

Fuller said the ditching system now is close to adequate, but during times of heavy water flow, it's too small.

The county's landfill is actually at a decent rating for safety risks, but a state program in 1992 puts all closed landfills under the control of the state. That amounts to about 108 landfills.

Rock County's landfill rating is C-16. The "C" falls within an A to D range - A signifying greatest environmental threat and D meaning the least. The "16" is another rating system using numbers between 0 and 100. In that case, 100 signifies the greatest threat.

Along with water issues, the MPCA is taking steps to prevent any methane gas from spreading from the site to the ground or air.

Methane is produced in decomposition and is an explosive gas that seeps through the soil and can damage crops or enter homes through foundations.

A venting system will be installed in the new landfill mound to prevent this from happening.

Even though Rock County's landfill is being managed by the state now, it was in compliance with laws at the time it was actively used and isn't necessarily harming the environment in its current state, according to the MPCA.

By Sara Strong
The Rock County Board Tuesday took action to keep the summer's long-planned for bike trail project going.

Three properties along the upcoming bike path from Blue Mound Avenue to Blue Mounds State Park will be turned over to the county through eminent domain proceedings.

Easement negotiations failed so commissioners acted to keep the project on track, if a bit later than it would be otherwise.

Henning Brothers LLP was the hold out that prompted the eminent domain proceedings. The company wanted a higher dollar offer for its land because of the gravel excavating that takes place there.

Other property owners are Ron and Debra Luettel and Mark and Lori Holtz, who jointly own one property. They weren't against the easement, but had some questions and were waiting to finalize the agreement.

Dean and Jennifer Tofteland are the third property owners and were ready to sign off on the easement.

Eminent domain can be used if the reasoning is to serve a public purpose. A judge will determine in a hearing whether the use is of public purpose and, if so, the county will begin the project.

Payments for the land could take some time to be settled even after eminent domain is established. But even before a value is assessed by three different parties, the county can begin work.

The trail will be paved except for a small portion on the east side of the park. The graveled section of trail will be between the parking area near the quarry and the east-west tree line that connects with County Road 8.

The path is expected to be completed by fall.

By Sara Strong
Luverne's branch office of a high-tech company is carving a place in the Webcasting market.

Netbriefings, with Luverne branch manager Jeff Ernst and marketing specialist Amber Weinkauf, works daily with organizations around the globe.

That is what Ernst said is the beauty of Netbriefings. "Just like people should be able to do [this kind of work] from Luverne, people should be able to use us from anywhere," Ernst said.

When Netbriefings expanded to Luverne, not many people understood the logistics of the company. Essentially, the local office feeds video and audio, live or archived, to clients.

Netbriefings can also archive meetings for large companies that may have employees who need to catch up on material.

Think of Webcasting as a type of broadcasting over computers for specific users.

People who use Netbriefings will probably never enter its office, which is located behind the Brandenburg Gallery in Luverne.

Weinkauf works daily to increase the name recognition anyway. She writes press releases and broad e-mails.

Weinkauf also deals with Internet search engines, bidding for good placement so people looking for services like Netbriefings can easily find the company on the Web.

Netbriefings contracts are a matter of national and even international sales efforts. The World Trade Organization used Netbriefings for a meeting in Qatar, and JVC and American Express are other recognizable companies that contracted with Netbriefings recently.

Even though the company headquarters is still in St. Paul, Ernst said any company growth will likely mean new employees in Luverne.

"We're still growing," Ernst said.

City ties
Netbriefings announced it would locate in Luverne in June 2001 and opened in November.

The city of Luverne approved a $250,000 loan with many attached conditions that council members thought would protect the city.

The minimum employment expectations are five employees by the end of the first year and a target of 35 by the end of the fifth year to the 10th. If the company doesn't come through, the interest rate will increase by 2 percent for the following year.

If Netbriefings never meets its minimum annual employment expectation, the interest rate will rise to 12 percent at the end of the fifth year and remain at 12 until the loan is paid off.

Two years of principal and interest are deferred so the Luverne branch can get on solid footing and concentrate on gaining employees.