1. $
1.50
TEMPERATURES
Date High Low Prec.
Dec. 12 5 -11 .16
Dec. 13 7 -14 .06
Dec. 14 7 -8 .00
Dec. 15 3 -16 .05
Dec. 16 10 3 .39
Dec. 17 6 -21 .09
Dec. 18 -2 -28 .00
Dec. 19 25 -2 .00
Maximum wind speed was on Dec. 14,
with a speed of 22 mph.
Breaking news
as it happens.
OBITUARIES
Bertha C. Bueckers
Marjorie E. Eggers
Elaine F. Guinn
Ann Hanson
Mabel E. Trierweiler
Mary D. Warner
COMMUNITY COVERAGE 149 YEARS
Santa’s Rocking
Christmas Eve...
Page 6B
The year’s end is near, but
winter season has only begun.
As the snow accumulates
and roads become laden in
ice, the city of Sauk Centre
is ready – and so are area
townships.
“We’ve never run out of
salt and sand because of good
planning,” Matt Zinniel said.
Zinniel is the city’s
public works supervisor,
and has more than 10
years of experience in road
maintenance.
Each year, Sauk Centre
and area townships prepare
for the upcoming winter based
on previous years’ weather.
The amount of road services,
equipment and maintenance
materials, such as sand and
salt, are accounted for in the
annual budget.
“We look at the average
over the past 10 years and
determine a quantity of
material. If we ran out of
materials last year, we’ll order
more this year,” Zinniel said.
“It’s more about how the
money is spent versus how
much money is spent.”
Jackie Bauer, Birchdale
Township Clerk, agreed.
“If we start to see a pattern
where we were running short
each year at the end of the
winter season, we would make
a recommendation to increase
our road and bridge budget,”
she said. “But we typically
don’t do that too often.”
As the resources allocated
to the street department in the
annual budget determine the
city’swinterroadmaintenance
funds, area townships
determine the dollar amount
during the annual township
meeting held in the spring.
For Birchdale Township,
the 2016 levy was $158,000
– $100,000 of which was for
the road and bridge account,
including plowing, salt and
sand, gravel, tarring, ditch
When winter comes, it is
safe to say that almost everyone
bundles up to survive the frigid
air. Coats, mittens, hats, scarves
and more keep people’s bodies
warm but what about animals
that have to live outside year
round? In the warmer months
it is more managable to tend
to them but when it comes
to the winter months, extra
precaution needs to be taken to
ensure their safety. Veterinarian
Nancy Randall takes care of
larger animals and provides
some helpful tips to get horses,
livestock and larger animals
safely through the cold season.
“I have gone to a
house where a horse’s body
were frozen into the ice,”
Randall said. “We had to warm
up buckets of water and pour it
on the ice to get the horse out.
After the horse was freed, we
had to dry her off and treat her
with warm fluids to make sure
she wouldn’t get sick.”
Despite what she sees,
there are rules and regulations
put in place to ensure the safety
of animals. According to the
Minnesota Pet and Companion
Animal Welfare Act, horses fall
Winter readiness
Sauk Centre budgets
anticipate snowfall
Veterinarian Randall
provides tips for
care in the cold
Moritz reflects
on her mother’s
example, raising
nephew
mowing and more.
In the past year, plowing
and sanding costs were
approximately$13,000, nearly
$6,500 less than in 2014-
2015, said Bauer.
“Hopefully this year
doesn’t match the winter
of 2013-2014 when snow
removal reached $30,000,”
Bauer said.
On the other hand, the
funds spent for materials for
road upkeep in the winter on
city roads is a minimal cost in
the street department, Zinniel
said.
Each year, the city, county
and Minnesota Department
of Transportation (MnDOT)
purchase salt from a private
vendor in St. Paul. Bound by
contract, the city must use 80
percent of the quantity they
request and is able to request
an additional 20 percent more.
“To satisfy the contract,
we request 20 percent less
than what we bid,” Zinniel
said. “That leaves us 40
percent more to get us through
the winter.”
This year, the city
purchased 100 tons of salt for
$81 per ton.
Sand, however, is sold
in the free market with
competition from area
business, such as dairy farms.
“Sand used to be a dime
a dozen, but now that farmers
are bedding with sand, it’s
become more expensive,”
Zinniel said.
For that reason, along
with the quick response time
of salt, Zinniel pushes for
a blend of 80:20, with the
majority being sand, while
most townships use sand with
some salt to groom the roads.
As winter gets underway,
townships hire a private
contractor to maintain the
roads after snowfall – focusing
first on roads that have more
residents or children needing
by JENNIFER COYNE
STAFF WRITER
by ELIZABETH BETHKE
STAFF WRITER
by DIANE LEUKAM
STAFF WRITER
The Sauk Centre Community Christmas Dinner will
be held on Sunday, Dec. 25, at the Sauk Centre American
Legion Club.
If you will be alone for the holidays, your family is
unable to be with you, or you would like the company of
others for your Christmas meal, you are welcome to join in
the festivities.
There will be a punch and social gathering at 11 a.m.,
followed by a full Christmas dinner with all the trimmings
served at noon. No reservations needed for dining in.
Call by Friday, Dec. 23, to order takeouts or deliveries
or to request a ride. Rides will be given at 11 a.m.; deliveries
will be from 11:30 to 12:30 and takeouts will begin at noon.
Please call Connie Blank-Meier at 352-3726 or
320-267-0941 or Joyce Jungers at 352-5195.
This dinner is community funded and coordinated by
the Jungers family.
Annual Community Christmas
Dinner at Legion Clubhouse Dec. 25
under this act to ensure their
safety.
On a regular basis, a horse
requires forage, water, clean
environment and hoof care.
Ideally before winter sets in,
horses should have their teeth
checked to make sure that they
can utilize their food. During
the winter months, their forage
and water must be increased
Life is a circle, and perhaps
no one knows that better than
Nikki Moritz. At 35, she’s
experienced that phenomenon
through three generations of
women in her family. Women
who have opened their hearts
and homes to raise the child of
another.
Ironically, their lives have
come full circle around their
homes on Ash Street. Nikki
is married to Chuck Moritz,
whose roots come from within
a few hundred feet of hers.
“My mom lived kitty-
corner from Our Lady of the
Angels church and Chuck’s
mom lived across from the
church,” said Nikki Moritz.
Nikki and Chuck now live
just a few blocks away from
where their parents grew up.
Moritz’s mother was Cori
(Nathe) Peery, daughter of
Ruth and Otto (Dutch) Nathe.
Dutch passed away when Cori
was 11 years old. Having three
much older sisters, Cori might
have been raised as a sort of
only child, but that wasn’t
meant to be. Ruth took in her
granddaughter, Jackie, and
raised her as her own.
Jackie was raised as a sister
to Cori, even though in reality
she was her niece.
A free-spirited, energetic
Cori graduated from Sauk
Centre High School in 1979
and went on to raise a family
of her own, which included two
daughters, Toni and Nikki, and
a son, Simon.
because of the cold and snow.
“Snow is not an adequate
water source nor is ice,” Randall
said. “You would be surprised
at the number of people I have
come in contact with that think
snow is an adequate source of
water.”
From a mathematical
standpoint, it takes a lot of
snow to get 1 gallon of water.
PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH BETHKE
Nancy Randall stands with her horse, Harry. Harry is able to run outside to get exercise to
keep warm but also stays in his stall – sheltered away from the cold winds.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MEYER’S PHOTOGRAPHY
Nikki Moritz is pictured with her family, Kristopher Pettit
(left), and Sidney and Chuck Moritz. Kristopher has lived with
the Moritz family since the passing of his grandmother in
2010.
A 1,000-pound horse requires
10-12 gallons of water a day. If
a horse does not intake enough
water daily they can colic due
to an impaction.
“Impaction colic is
serious! If a horse is not given
enough water and it makes the
Randall
continued on pg. 2
Moritz
continued on pg. 2
Winter readiness
continued on pg. 3
Blessings in disguiseBut life wasn’t easy and
Cori struggled, spending much
of her adult years living in
Long Prairie.
As her children grew
older, a grandchild, Kristopher,
came along. A grandchild who
soon needed the love of his
grandmother. At 20 months old,
Kristopher came into her home
to live and Cori became his full
physical legal guardian for the
long haul.
Only fate had something
else in mind.
Cori passed away on July
7, 2010, after battling cancer.
“It was one year, one
month and one day after she
was diagnosed,” said Moritz.
“But she probably had it already
back in 2007, when Chuck and
I got married. She was always
in pain.”
The day Cori passed away,
Kristopher spent the night at
Moritz’s house. He was 11 and
going into the sixth grade.
“I asked Chuck, ‘Are you
sure you want to do this?’” said
Moritz. “He said ‘of course.’”
It was in the will that he
would live with the Moritzes.
As Moritz carries on the
labor of love begun by her
mother so many years ago, she
admits it wasn’t easy, especially
at first.
“I had just lost my mother,”
said Moritz. “I was mad that
she was gone. I just had a baby
myself – Sidney was 6 months
old.”
Moritz went into survival
mode, and so did Kristopher.
She tried to figure out how
best to help him, and checked
into the idea of finding a
counselor for him.
The counselor told her
Kristopher had just lost
everything, and he has to accept
everything new. He was in
survivor mode and she should
let him be.
“So that’s what I did,” said
Moritz.
Kristopher had lost his
grandmother, his “mother,” his
home, his school, his town.
Now he had to get used to
a new family, a baby sister, a
new home, a new school, a new
town.
Kristopher still has
memories of those years with
his grandmother. He liked
living out in the country, and
he still has friends from Long
Prairie that he sees.
And he still has his favorite
meals she used to make, that
he’ll request.
“Weird things like warm
roast beef with gravy and
mashed potatoes stuffed in
a pita, and spinach quiche,”
said Nikki. “And he loves her
homemade chicken dumpling
soup. Grandma Ruth taught
Mom how to make it and she
taught me and I make it for him.
It was never written down.”
When asked to describe
her mother, Nikki paused and
reflected.
“She was creative,
spontaneous, kind of a breath
of fresh air. She told it like it
was, yet had a nurturing and
Winter
Choir
Concert...
page8
Thursday, December 22, 2016 • Number 30 • Volume 149
Sauk Centre
Herald
Merry
Christmas

2. PAGE 3SAUK CENTRE HERALDTHURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016
LOCAL NEWS
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Proposed levy, budget for 2017 approved
Ivy’s Legacy Foundation surprised with grant
Districts wraps up last meeting of the year
Red Cross: put “give blood”
on holiday checklist
Sauk Centre City Council
met Dec. 7 to discuss year-end reports
Superintendent evaluation,
new hires discussed
Donors of all blood types
urged to give in coming weeks
Sauk Centre City Council
convened on Dec. 7 and
discussed city plans. Vicki
Willer asked the council
members to approve the
proposed levy and budget plan
for 2017. The city approved
the budget in September but
since then, there have been
changes made for health
insurance. All property
owners should have received
property tax information for
2017. The city had the option
to reduce their levy by Dec.
7; the total budgeted revenue
amount was $8,659,339.
Expenses for the city are
budgeted at $8,564,244.87
with $95,094.13 left over.
Kathy Struffert, from
the Sauk Centre Ambulance
crew, discussed the third
quarter report. For the month
of July, 83 run reports were
filed. Among the canceled
runs, advanced support
transfers and basic life support
transfers, 57 bills were sent
out totaling $64,419. August
included 71 run reports.
Fifty-four bills were sent out
totaling $55,678. September
was a slower month with only
41 run reports filed. Thirty-
one bills were sent out totaling
$30,411. Lift assists and loads
and crashes remain the highest
call-outs.
Jeff Bromenshenkel
At the Dec. 21 Sauk Centre
School Board meeting, board
members gathered to evaluate
Pat Westby’s performance as
superintendent.
Westby was evaluated on
six criteria pertaining to his role
assuperintendent–businessand
finance, community relations,
educational leadership,
personal qualities, school board
interaction and relations, and
staff and personnel relations.
As a whole, the board
thanked Westby and his family
for six months of service and
involvement in the community.
“We are pleased and
excited to continue working
with Pat in Sauk Centre Public
Schools,” board chairman Brad
Kirckoff said.
The meeting also allowed
board members the opportunity
to approve the acceptance of
gifts from the community. An
AED from the Sauk Centre
Lion’s Club and Mended Hearts
Organization was generously
gave his letter of resignation
as trainer coordinator for
the ambulance department,
effective Dec. 31; but he will
continue to serve as an EMT.
The position was posted and
two people, Jaime Cole and
Quint Swendenburg, will
share the 20-hour position
effective Jan. 1.
The board accepted
Jasmine Huntington’s
resignation from the
ambulance crew, effective
immediately.
Vicki Willer stated that
the Planning Commission is
seeking people interested in
joining the comprehensive
plan update committee. Public
input is requested.
Plans to expand Friedrichs
Tire & Oil located at 328
Walnut Street were approved.
The plans covered re-zoning to
be classified from a residential
to an IC commercial business
and the request included a 10-
foot setback from the north
side property line and a 25-
foot setback from the west
rear property line. In order
to expand, Friedrichs had to
draw up a storm water plan, all
parcels owned by Friedrichs
will be considered together for
coverage calculations, lighting
will be directed away from
neighboring residents, there
will be no outdoor storage
and the exterior materials will
match the existing structure.
Five impounded vehicles
were approved to be released
and sold, including a 1997
Chevy S10 $370; 2003 Care-a-
van $1,406; 1999 Ford Taurus
$710; 2001 Audi $3,751; and
a 2003 Jaguar was sold for
$1,010.
An action item added to
the agenda to request selling
the old city snow blower
online to the highest bidder
was approved. The city bought
a new one in 2015.
In new business, the
Great River Regional Library
updated their city agreement;
the outdated agreement has
not been updated since the
1980s. The Great River
Regional Library made this
change to uniform the system
for all regional locations.
The city of Sauk Centre
received two donations. One
from the Men’s Card Playing
group of $223.50 that will be
put towards the Senior Center.
The other donation was for
$10,000 from the Youth Sauk
Centre Hockey association
that will go towards the civic
arena.
In other business, the
council approved the purchase
of Life-pak Defibrillator –
compatible with existing
machines, for a net cost of
$25,781.66. The members
also approved safety training
shared cost with Public
Utilities and the city, 60/40.
The next city council
meeting was scheduled for
Dec. 21.
by ELIZABETH BETHKE
STAFF WRITER
by JENNIFER COYNE
STAFF WRITER
As freezing temperatures
and harsh weather grip much
of the nation, the American Red
Cross urges eligible donors to
make an appointment to give
blood or platelets to help meet
the constant need for blood this
winter.
Millions of people are
expected to take to the roads,
rail and air to celebrate the
season, which can cause fewer
donors to be available and lead
to a decline in blood and platelet
donations. In addition, severe
winter weather and seasonal
illnesses can temporarily
prevent some from giving.
Donors with all blood types are
needed now to help patients.
As a special thank you for
taking the time to donate, those
who come out to give Dec. 22
through Jan. 8 will receive a
long-sleeved Red Cross T-shirt,
while supplies last.
“Many of us celebrate this
time of year with loved ones,
but patients may spend the
holidays and ring in the new
year from a hospital room,”
said Sue Thesenga of the Red
Cross North Central Blood
Services Region. “Blood and
platelet donors can bring joy
to patients and their families
by giving blood or platelets to
help ensure patients receive
the lifesaving treatments they
need.”
The American Red Cross
Blood Donation Center in St.
Cloud is located at 1301 West
St. Germain Street. Please
check redcrossblood.org or call
1-800-RED CROSS for current
blood donation center days and
hours.
Donation events coming up
in the area include:
• St. Joseph: Dec. 29, 2016:
Noon - 6 p.m.,
Resurrection Lutheran
Church,
610 N. County Road 2
• Melrose: Jan. 11, 2017:
12:30 - 6:30 p.m.,
American Legion,
265 E. County Road 173
• St. Cloud: Jan. 3, 2017:
1 - 7 p.m.,
Atonement Lutheran
Church, 1144 -29th Ave. N.
How to donate blood
Simply download the
American Red Cross Blood
DonorApp, visit redcrossblood.
org or call 1-800-RED CROSS
(1-800-733-2767) to make
an appointment or for more
information. All blood types
are needed to ensure a reliable
supply for patients. A blood
donor card or driver’s license or
two other forms of identification
are required at check-in.
Individuals who are 17 years
of age in most states (16 with
parental consent where allowed
by state law), weigh at least 110
pounds and are in generally
good health may be eligible
to donate blood. High school
students and other donors 18
years of age and younger also
have to meet certain height and
weight requirements.
Blood donors can now
save time at their next donation
by using RapidPass to complete
their pre-donation reading and
health history questionnaire
online, on the day of their
donation, prior to arriving at the
blood drive. To get started and
learn more, visit redcrossblood.
org/RapidPass and follow the
instructions on the site.
LOST
PHONE
REWARD
OFFERED!
Lost December 3rd
on Main Street near
Geyerman’s. Pink case.
Missing my photos and
appointments. If found,
please bring to chamber
office or leave message.
320-352-2606.
H-51-1B-mt
Winter readiness
continued from front________________
Snow dumped on roads a
peril to motorists
In a release sent on
behalf of Jodi L. Teich, P.E.
Stearns County Highway
Engineer, the Stearns County
Highway Department warns
that plowing or shoveling
snow from driveways or
sidewalks onto a public road
can get you into trouble.
Plowing or shoveling
snow from driveways and
sidewalks onto public
roads and streets may be
punishable as a misdemeanor
(Minn. Statutes 169.42 and
160.2715).
Misdemeanors are
punishable by a fine of up to
$700 and/or a jail sentence up
to 90 days.
Snow dumped, plowed
or shoveled onto a roadway
can create a real hazard
not only for motorists but
also for snowplows. Even
heavy snowplows have
been damaged when hitting
compacted and frozen snow
deposited on the highways.
In some parts of the
county, snow pushed onto a
highway causes snowdrifts,
which are hazardous to
motorists. The person
responsible for depositing
snow onto the highway
may also be liable in a
civil lawsuit if damages or
injuries occur as a result of
the action.
The county urge
residents, as good neighbors
and motorists themselves,
not to add to the hazards of
wintertime driving in this
way.
to use school buses.
“The contractor has
a guideline and plows the
roads when that is met. If we
ever hear complaints about
maintenance, the contractor
is quick to help out,” Dan
Gieske, Kandota Township.
Zinniel and six full-time
employees maintain city
roads, and work closely with
the county and MnDOT to
secure safe driving conditions
for areas of high traffic, such
as County Road 17, East
Street and Ash Street.
Despite agreements and
plans to clear the roads, often
times, depending on the road
and storm, it takes more time
to maintain the roadways.
Townships tend to plow
when the storm has passed or
when dictated by the private
contract. The city, county and
state roads are maintained in
shifts throughout the day.
“We have one shift each
day to clear the roads, but the
state has two so they’re really
proactive with each snowfall,”
Zinniel said. “We’re getting
better and are better than we
were 10 years ago.”
While road maintenance
should be left for
professionals, the public can
facilitate in creating safer,
cleaner roads.
“We’ve stopped calling
as many snow emergencies,
but if there’s snow on the road
it’s best not to park on the
street so that we can clear it
out,” Zinniel said. “From 2-7
a.m. there is no parking in
the downtown core district.
Please park elsewhere during
this time so that we can clean.”
s
.
Members of Ivy’s
Legacy Foundation were
surprised Monday morning
with a visit from the Giving
Patrol entourage from Grand
Casino’s Gifts of the Season
program. Founder Nicki Vogt
was presented with a check
for $5,000. Ivy’s Legacy
Foundation was one of four
charities chosen from over
1,800 nominations by casino
guests and associates.
Public Relations Manager
Sarah C. Barten said the Grand
Casino Giving Patrol would
be surprising one finalist
each day from Monday, Dec.
19 through Thursday, Dec.
22, with a $5,000, in-person
donation.
On hand to present the
donation were Billy Ray
Burt, Director of Player
Development and Dustin
Goslin, Vice President of
Hotels for Grand Casino Mille
Lacs and Hinckley.
To be eligible to receive
a donation, the organization
mustbea501(c)3doingcharity
work in Minnesota, and must
fall within Grand Casino’s
categories of giving which
include health and human
services, arts and culture,
education, environment or
holiday giving.
Vogt was joined by fellow
board members of Ivy’s
Legacy Foundation, Amanda
Deters, Heidi Leach and Siv
Bieringer in receiving the
donation.
Vogt said, “I couldn’t
be happier. For a small
foundation like ours this will
be a tremendous help.”
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Ivy’s Legacy Foundation, received an unexpected grant of
$5,000 on Monday from the Giving Patrol of Grand Casino.
Pictured above are (front, from left): Scarlet Deters, Abe Vogt
and Hank Bieringer; Back: Billy Ray Burt of Grand Casino,
foundation members Amanda Deters holding Sylas Deters,
Nicki Vogt, Siv Bieringer and Heidi Leach, and Dustin Goslin
of Grand Casino.
donated and will be placed near
the lobby of the auditorium.
This is the third AED in the
building.
A $1,000 Spark Plug Grant
was given by the Sauk Centre
Community Foundation to start
an organics recycling program
with theTri-County SolidWaste
Management Commission.
“We wanted to use this
gift that was given from the
community for the community,”
Westby said.
Secondary principal Shelia
Flatau agreed.
“This is a program that
other area schools have started
and are working well,” she said.
The project is in the early
planning stages.
Additionally, the board
approved the hiring of Sherri
Thoennes as a special education
teacher, Robert Kunz as a
custodian, and Randy Bohnsack
as a type III bus driver.
Business manager Maria
Waller presented the board
information regarding the
$3,048,414.34 2016 levy that
will be paid in 2017. The board
unanimously approved the
levy, which was a 4.77 percent
increase from the previous year
– 2015 paid in 2016.
Completing the new
business agenda was the
approval of a financial audit
service firm. The school
board approved the use of
BerganKDV as the district’s
financial audit service firm
for the one-year quote of
$18,750, per recommendation
by Westby. BerganKDV is the
district’s current firm.
In other news:
The new school website
is being constructed with
useful information and tools
for students, teachers, parents
and the community, including
school employee contact
information, an activities
calendar, lunch menu and more.
“This is a work in progress,
but we’re excited,” said Becki
Marthaler. “There’s a lot to do
yet in a month and a half.”
The new website is set to
launch in February.
Resigning board members
Mary Rasmussen and Jeff
Schuster were recognized for
their years of service to the
school and community before
the regular meeting of Dec. 21
came was adjourned.
After the New Year, Mike
Bushard and John Rasmussen
will join the board.
by DIANE LEUKAM
STAFF WRITER