Posted: 1/17/06
New group takes reins of Founders Days
By Jane Palen
Managing Editor
The 25-year-old Founders Days celebration will continue, although there will be some changes.
Three of the new committee members, Noel Brenza, Arien OíHeron and Lisa Ely, attended the Caledonia City Council meeting of January 9 to update the council on its plans and activities. Sue Felten, another committee member, was unable to attend the meeting.
Brenza told the council that the first event of the year, the Chili Supper and Smelt Fry, will be retooled for 2006 and become Chili and Chicken Drummie Night. It will take place on January 27.
Another change is that the focus will be the winter celebration. There will be no summer celebration, although there may be a softball tournament in the summer.
For parades this summer, a person or persons will walk the route with a sign advertising the winter celebration.
In November, a young man and a young woman will be chosen to reign over the winter celebration. The committee plans to offer scholarships to participants.
The committee would like to have food stands operated by local organizations during the winter celebration.
ìWe want to be a unifying force between organizations and the city,î Brenza told the council.
The committee would be willing to lend support to activities such as the Founders Day comedy if there is a group interested in organizing a play, and will continue to sponsor bingo at the fair.
The council expressed its appreciation for the willingness of the group to take over the celebration.
A meeting will be held Wednesday, January 18 at 7 p.m. in the city auditorium for anyone interested in helping with the celebration.
Council will speak with
department heads
In other news, Mayor Mike Morey said that he would like to see the council be more pro-active in its dealings with the various city departments. He said he would like to have each of the department heads take turns attending a meeting and update the council on what is happening in their departments.
To save time, he said, the council could have questions prepared for the department head.
Ambulance charges
At its last meeting, the council agreed to an increase of 20 percent in ambulance rates. But City Clerk Administrator Robert Nelson noted that the council did not address the question of whether to charge patients when an ambulance is summoned by the patient does not want to be transported.
Although it does cost the city money each time the ambulance is called, Mayor Morey said he would not be in favor of charging people if they are not transported. The city made no change to its present policy.
In other business, the council approved its slate of standing committees. They include:
Mayor Morey and Councilman Paul Fisch, general government and public safety; council members Robert Standish and Randi Vick, public works and health and welfare; councilman Gary Klug and Vick, culture-recreation and economic development; councilmen Fisch and Standish, enterprise funds (includes water, sewer, electric and liquor store).
Parking ticket bonanza
The council also learned at its January 9 meeting that 152 parking tickets had been issued by police in the month of December for violations of the cityís alternate side parking ordinance. The council adopted the ordinance in November. In order to comply, vehicles must park on the side of the street with even numbers on even-numbered days between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m., regardless of weather. The ordinance is in effect from November 1 to March 31.
In another matter related to parking, the council agreed to a no-parking zone on South Street between Marshall and Pine Streets. Loading and unloading will be allowed.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com