NRHEG Star Eagle

137 Years Serving the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva Area
Newspaper of Record for NRHEG School District
Newspaper of Record for Waseca County, MN
PO Box 248 • New Richland, MN 56072

507-463-8112
email: steagle@hickorytech.net
Published every Thursday
Yearly Subscription: Waseca, Steele, and Freeborn counties: $52
Minnesota $57 • Out of state $64

NRAFS kicks off March campaign

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MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE — Sharon Eckart of the New Richland Area Food Shelf holds an item up for bids at the Groove For Food event Sunday, Feb. 26 at Trinity Lutheran. (Star Eagle photo by Jody Wynnemer)


By JODY WYNNEMER

Staff Writer

There must have been more than a few New Richland area residents who attended church twice last Sunday. 

Trinity Lutheran was the site of the first-ever Groove for Food sponsored by the New Richland Area Food Shelf. Food shelf President Larry Goehring welcomed everyone as things got underway. Guests were treated to five different musical groups throughout the afternoon and the home-spun humor of local storyteller Al Batt.

“I was raised near Hartland in the now extinct town of Bath,” said Batt. “Hartland was a town of 300 people with only four last names. Hartland Township is now the honeymoon capital of Freeborn County.”

Pianist and vocalist Melissa Williams was the first performer with her rendition of “At Last,” a song written in 1941 and made famous by Etta James.

NRHEG School Board

By REED WALLER

Staff Writer

The NRHEG School Board discussed alternatives at last Tuesday’s regular meeting with respect to two important building improvements. The windows in Ellendale need to be redone, and the New Richland kitchen and cafeteria could use some remodeling to accommodate the additional traffic they will have in the fall when sixth-graders move to New Richland.

Architect

Two architectural firms, The Wold and Collaborative Design, Inc., have submitted brochures and initial estimates for both jobs.

While the windows at Ellendale are a straightforward and immediately important job, the remodeling of the kitchen and/or cafeteria is open ended and several design options were discussed.

Both the serving line and the seating area in the cafeteria could be expanded by 2,400 square feet by moving the south wall of the New Richland Media Center, and expanding into what is now the south part of the Media Center, which isn’t heavily used. Adding that area to the cafeteria would also provide outside lighting via the existing skylight.

Ellendale City Council

By SCOTT GROTH

Contributing Writer

The Ellendale City Council met Thursday, February 23 with Mayor Engel and all councilmen present. Also attending meeting were Roger Swearingen, city maintenance; Eric Haffner, engineer; Steve Louks, clerk; Gwen Reiss, Municipal Liquor Store; Jeff Johnson, fire department.

The council discussed strategy with Haffner and Swearingen regarding street repair. The council feels there are quite a few roads within the city that will need attention in the near future. Haffner, who works for Bolten & Menk, told the council about some work his firm had done for another city. Haffner said his firm went through the town and ranked the streets and gave them priorities. Swearingen said he would like to see 3rd St. from Highway 30 to 6th Ave. repaired. Swearingen also felt the same block on 2nd St. would be a good candidate for refurbishing. 

The council also talked about seal coating some areas in town. Haffner said seal coating is good maintenance if started at the right time in the street’s life. After some discussion, the council moved to have Bolten & Menk go through the city streets, rank them, and make note of any special repairs needed. The council felt then the city could implement a plan for the future. 

New Richland City Council

By JODY WYNNEMER

Staff Writer

Most of the Waseca County Commissioners were in attendance at the meeting of the New Richland City Council this past Monday evening. Vice-Mayor Christine Gislason called the meeting to order in the absence of Mayor Tom McShane. The evening’s agenda and consent agenda items were all approved.

The council heard a request from Vista Lutheran Church to hold their Vacation Bible School at the City Park this summer. There were no objections to the request.

City Maintenance Supervisor Ryan Nissen expects to take delivery on the new tractor sometime in March. The council decided to advertise to sell the old tractor via sealed bids. Nissen also requested $380 for oil and $1,110.68 for filters for the city’s vehicles.

The city has been pondering a maintenance contract offer from Utility Services Co. for several months. The company would be responsible for routine and preventative maintenance on the city’s water tower. Nissen had done some research with other cities who have done business with Utility Services and was given positive feedback. After hearing this, a motion was made and seconded approving the contract, which Gislason signed. 

NRHEG girls finish regular season unbeaten

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The NRHEG girls’ basketball team completed a perfect 26-0 regular season with a pair of victories last week. Pictured above in the Panthers’ 67-35 win over Medford are, from left, Hannah Lundberg, Danielle Krueger and Raelin Schue. The Panthers host Triton in the opening round of the sub-section tournament Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. If they win, they’ll host a second-round game Friday, March 2 at 7 p.m. See Sports for more. (Star Eagle photo by Chris Schlaak)