Employee Recognition

I am one week away from completing my first year as Mayor of Olivia and it has been a learning experience to say the least.  I have learned more about streets and sewers and sanitary systems than I ever thought possible.  I’ve learned about waste water, runoff water, lift stations, pump stations and a lot about budgets.  I also learned what it takes to run a city.  The most important commodity the city of Olivia has is its employees.  We are fortunate to have a very dedicate work force.  That is why at the end of every year I am Mayor I would like to recognize those city employees who have reached a n employment milestone.  For 2011, they include: Kathy Herdina with 30 years of service, Marsha Brandt with 15 years of service, Shad Evenson with 15 years of service, Michelle Jensen with 15 years of service and Daniel Reinert with 5 years of service.  I and all the citizens of Olivia truly appreciate their work for our city and acknowledge their achievement.  Thank you and thanks to all our city employees and I look forward to working with you in 2012.  

Christmas Greetings

This is my first Christmas as mayor and it is indeed a merry one. The City of Olivia is able to cut down and chop up all the trees damaged by the July storms instead of moving snow which is our usual December activity.  As a holiday traveler I appreciate the clear highways and the ease of getting around to our many destinations.  I am sure the snow will eventually be upon us and it will force us to stop.  School will be late or cancelled. We will just have to let it snow, and then will dig out like we do every winter.  We will then enjoy all our snow activities.  This week, however, I will enjoy the brown Christmas, it doesn’t happen too often. 

My wish is for everyone to have a safe and Merry Christmas.  Enjoy every moment with your loved ones, treasure those near and send the warmest of blessings to those far from you during this Holiday Season.  Drive safely, and remember every destination will still be there in another few minutes so we want to see everyone after the Holidays.

Committee Members needed

It doesn’t have to be said to any Olivia resident that doing volunteer work can make you happier and even healthier, but it is true and research has shown that to be so.  Social scientist, Michael Argyle, who studied the psychology of happiness, found volunteering to be the second-greatest source of joy.  According to this study, people enjoy volunteering because it brings them together with like-minded people.  They benefit from seeing the result of their work and gaining life experiences.  Olivia residents seem willing to do what needs to be done to help out each other.  That being said, I want to share some volunteer opportunities in the city committees.  Every year there are areas the city would like citizen involvement and 2012 is no different.  The following committees have openings.  The Board of Appeals has an opening.  The committee only meets as necessary during the year.  The Community Betterment Committee has an opening.  This committee was formerly the park board and it has not had regularly scheduled meetings in the past couple of years, but it is my hope with a new city administrator we can make this a more vibrant board, find some funding and address some our recreational areas.  Finally the Technology Committee meets monthly, usually the 4^th Thursday of the month at the library.  We have be discussing the updating of the city council chambers, updating the city website, cable, and social media. 

Anyone who is interested in making application to any committee must live in the City of Olivia and should stop by the city office and pick up an application or there will be available online, check under the mayor’s notes on the City of Olivia website (www.olivia.mn.us).  

Christmas Spirit

I always envy those people who complete their Christmas shopping in August.  They are the organized friends that know everyone’s sizes, likes and dislikes.  They have Christmas presents purchased and organized way before the first leaf begins to turn.  They have their cards ready to go and baking done and so on.  I am a more “in the mood” type Holiday person.   I am now in the Christmas mood thanks to the marvelous Christmas Cantata Thursday night.  “O Holy Night” was performed to a packed St Aloysius Church.   Over $1900 was raised for Santa’s Closet and the Renville County Food Shelf.  This is a $600 increase from last year.  With 11% of Renville County residents living in poverty, 16% of our children, these services are truly needed this year.  The 70+ members of this choir are from all over Renville County and we practice 2 days a week for 6 weeks prior to this concert.  What a joy this program is and so many make is possible.  Thanks especially to our director, Deb Rath and accompanist, Cyndia Washburn.  Special thanks to Olivia Kiwanis, Diane Zenk, Dick and Gladie Hagen, and Linda Wagemaker for organizational help.   Thank you also to Faith United Methodist Church for allowing us to use their church for practice and to St. Aloysius Church for allowing us to perform in their beautiful church.  It is truly a wonderful community event.  

I feel like every year I must first participate in the Christmas Cantata before any other Christmas preparations begin.  It is my method of getting in the Christmas Spirit.  However, I am still not quite ready for snow.  

Thanksgiving Day thank you

Thank you to the CCOC for the opportunity to serve and eat turkey dinner this Thanksgiving.  It was a wonderful time with a great group of people and all the guests seemed to have a good time too.  The CCOC is a tremendous part of our community and I feel so privileged to have participated in their annual event.  This Thanksgiving dinner is for everyone in our community and it is quite fun too.  This year we also had the best weather I could remember in a long time.  There is nothing better than a long walk after a big turkey dinner.   

Email Snow Emergencies

The city has email notification of snow emergencies.  This is located on the city website www.olivia.mn.us  It doesn’t look like there is immediate snow in our future, but something tells me that sometime this winter we will have a snow emergency notification. 

The Olivia Compost Site is closed for the season.  It will open again in the Spring. 

Road Work Finished for Season

The construction project on North 11^th Street and South Bayberry has wrapped up for the year and it ran as long into the Fall season as it could have possibly gone.  A lot of work was done that will not have to be done next Spring.  I thank all our city residents for their patience during the construction time.  There is just a limited work to be completed in this area next year. 

  

Holiday Treat

The Kiwanis Community Cantata will be performing its annual concert on Thursday, Dec 1^st at St. Aloysius Church.   The musical presentation, “O Holy Night!” is created by Russell Maudling and Sue C. Smith.  This annual holiday event has over 70 local singers and musicians donating their time and talents.  There will be a free-will offering donation that will be given to the Renville County Food Shelf and Santa’s Closet and refreshments will be served after in the St. Aloysius’ Jubilee Center.  Everyone is invited.  It has been my pleasure to participate in this event for a number of years and it is always a rewarding experience from the performing to the listening, so please join us in this community celebration.  

Happy Retirement

I would like to wish Byron Hogberg all the best in his retirement from the USDA Farm Service Agency.  He has been an excellent executive director.  Laurie and Byron moved to Olivia the same time Tom and I did all those years ago.  We both had little ones the same age so our children grew up together.   I wish them an enjoyable and relaxing retirement years and much fun with their grandkids.  The community appreciates all they have given for those many years (I will not say how long). 

Volleyball at State

Our communities were well represented at the Xcel Energy Center last weekend.  There were lots of people supporting our team and we are very proud of these exceptional young women.  It is said we learn more about ourselves during difficult times, so it is my hope that these young women enjoyed their time at the state tournament and came to understand themselves a little bit better as they battled against some very talented athletes.  They had a remarkable season, making it to the state tournament for the first time.  Congratulations for all their achievements.

Veteran's Day

It may be a few days after Veterans Days but it is never too late to thank the many Veterans who have insured our freedom.  My father was a veteran of World War II and it was many, many years after the end of the war when he was actually able to share his participation in that world event.  It was very difficult for him to speak of it, as I am sure it was for all the soldiers.  My brothers and I still share the different bits and pieces of those event and years.  My mother’s four brothers were all in World War II and this was after losing their oldest brother at Pearl Harbor.  Their story was not unique as that whole generation was impacted by the war.  One can truly understand their celebration of peace.  Thank you, Veterans; we are eternally in your debt.   

Football & Volleyball to Sectional Finals

Congratulations to the BOLD football and volleyball teams as they both advanced to sectional final play.  We will all be cheering on the girls as they play in the State Volleyball Tournament on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, November 10, 11 and 12.  I am sure Adam will have complete coverage in this paper.  It was a thrill to watch the team play Saturday night as they kept their poise and focus after losing the first couple of points in each game.  I believe that is the sign of a truly exceptionally strong team to not get rattled and battle back when behind.  It will be wonderful for them and their fans to travel to the Xcel Center in St. Paul and test our team against the best the state has to offer.  See you all there!

Protect your pet cats

Cat owners are strongly encouraged to not allow their pet cats to roam free during the overnight hours.  It can be very dangerous for your cats and neighbors do not appreciate having to clean up sandboxes and gardens after your cats have visited.  Please treat your pets better, they are not wild.  

Election Day & Santa's closet fundraiser

Next Tuesday is Election Day and the only item on the ballot is the BOLD School Referendum.  The Olivia Public Library is the place to cast your ballot.  I encourage all to do so.  

Either before or after voting you may want to stop by the Master’s Coffee Shop for the Santa’s Closet fundraiser.  A portion of the special meal will be given to Santa’s Closet.  There will also be silent auction items to bid on.  It is a good way to get a head start on Christmas shopping.  Santa’s Closet is one of Renville County’s most generous charitable holiday programs.  We are very fortunate in our community to have the wonderful volunteers who make this program so successful.

Construction phone numbers

Construction continues on the North Side of Olivia.  Work is being done around 10^th Street and Walnut.  A majority of the work has been completed on 11^th Street, but curb and gutter will not be done until Spring.  I understand the difficulties some residents have encountered, so the following are a list of contractors and engineers who are on-site every weekday and can answer questions or concerns.  Please feel free to call them. 

Todd Geislinger   320-828-2607

Jason Burg    320-492-9155

Jonas Svavarsson    320-429-0131

Bruch Bayer   320-980-2521

David Palm   507-317-4925

These gentlemen are much more familiar with work at the project site than is the Olivia city office staff.

Kindle books

Fall of Giants: Book One of the Century Trilogy by Ken Follett

This book of close to 1,000 pages was one of the reasons I purchased by Kindle.  I enjoyed getting into a long complex book, but holding it is problematic.  With this title on my Kindle I was able to take it on vacation, on a flight and carry it with me in my purse.  It was terrific.  The book, of course is excellent as are all of Ken Follett's historical fiction.  This is what reading should be.  I enjoyed learning about World War I and its impact, while loving the stories of the families.  My recommendation is not only to read this book, but to read it on a electronic e-reader.  This is what technology should do.

Infrastructure Update

With the weather cooperating the infrastructure project is continuing to make progress.  There are a couple of notes that residents should be aware of.   Some residents on the affective streets are being hooked up to temporary water while the mains are being replaced.  The water coming through those temporary pipes is tested and it is safe.  With the cooler weather these pipes are more susceptible to freezing so if you are using temporary water and the nighttime weather is predicted to go below freezing, please run a small amount of water, even just a drip to prevent the temporary line from freezing.  Homeowners on the temporary line are not being charged for water since it is not going through the meter.  The contractor will be delivering a letter to each affective household with phone numbers to contact them if there is a problem.  Please use those numbers if you have a question.  Residents should know that testing is done on the water lines again after hooking back to the main line. 

Let’s also remember Halloween is on a Monday night this year, so please be careful of youngsters walking around town, drive cautiously all day on Monday.  

Canadian travels

Traveling is fun and educational, especially to another county.  I know Canada is another county, but it is very similar to the US, unless you are traveling to Quebec Province, especially the cities of Montreal and Quebec City.  This area has one of the largest French speaking population outside of France.  There is a national loyalty to France.  Everything is written in French, though in the cities of Montreal and Quebec City, English is understood and spoken.
We lived for 5 years just an hour south of Winnipeg, in Northern Minnesota, but with a strong Canadian influence (Canadian television). Canadian major cities have a strong commitment to outdoor spaces.  They all have large, wonderful, cities parks that are beautifully maintained, with lots of flowers, walking trails, bike paths, picnic areas, and open spaces for all types of games.  I know in Winnipeg, cricket was popular, which was interesting to watch, but I never really was able to pick it up. Canadians seem to embrace the outdoors no matter what the season.

There is another element Canada embraces and that is health insurance for all its citizens.  Everyone is covered, which from a public health standpoint makes a great deal of sense.  Everyone can get flu shot not just those who can afford it.  I know flu shots are not expensive and are covered by insurance, if you have health insurance.  This isn't a problem for me, but it is nice to know that the person standing next to me at the grocery store, or market or sitting next to my grandchild at school has had a flu shot too.  Universal health insurance gives the message that all people are important and the government supports that approach.  I know taxes are high in Canada, something some Americans would not embrace, but what is the price of peace of mind. It illustrates that your government actually cares for individuals.  Priceless.

Crazy for You

The BOLD High School Musical “Crazy for You” is this weekend.  There are 2 performances on Saturday 10/15 at 2:00 and 7:00 pm and Sunday 10/16 at 2:00 at the Bird Island Gym.  I am sure this will be another wonderful musical as the tradition of BOLD Musicals is strong.  Enjoy the show!

Neighborly Help

The infrastructure project continues to move along nicely with the weather’s cooperation.  There are a couple of points that were recently brought to the city council’s attention.  If street work does not allow for the usually pick up of your garbage and/or recycling, the construction manager should make arrangements with West Central Sanitation for alternate pickup.  If you have not been notified of this, please ask street workers about it.  It might also be helpful, if one person on the block is able to share that information with your neighbors and even offer to take their garbage can and/or recycling to the new pickup location.  If there are elderly on your block, it would be a neighborly kindness to do this and also return the empty containers to them.  I realize this street work is inconvenient and I hope we can all work together to make it less so.  Just like snowstorms and summer storms bring out the best in our community, it is my optimistic expectation that this project will bring out the best of our citizens. 

BOLD Homecoming

This week is Homecoming for the BOLD School District.  There will be many home falls sporting events.  Cross County is hosting the BOLD Invitational on Thursday at 4:00 at the golf course, volleyball is playing YME at 6:00 pm Thursday evening and the football team is hosting Paynesville Friday night at 7 pm.  I don’t understand how anyone can be bored in a small community with all these activities at the school.  Even if you don’t have kids in school (I do not anymore), there are young people I am acquainted with, children of friends or neighbors, so there is always some connection.  I enjoy high school sports more than college or professionals just because the kids give their all in these competitions.   Get out and support the teams, it will be a fun time.  

Infrastructure update

The infrastructure project is moving along on north 11^th Street.  There should be only one cross intersection closed to public traffic at a time.  Thus when Maple and 11^th intersection is closed, the Elm Street crossing over 11^th should be open to traffic.  R. L. Larson, the construction company doing the project, is making every effort to keep inconvenience to a minimum.  Work will continue at this pace as long as the weather is good. 

MinnPost - Rural Minnesota: Kids may leave, but rural Minnesota benefits from 'brain gain' among 30- and 40-somethings

MinnPost - Rural Minnesota: Kids may leave, but rural Minnesota benefits from 'brain gain' among 30- and 40-somethings

Drive Safely

It is unbelievable to see Renville County as the deadliest county for highway accidents.  As our “rush hour” begins with fall harvest, I would encourage all drivers and passengers to wear seatbelts, not drink and drive and only use your cell phones for emergency reasons and especially no texting while driving.  It is definitely not work the risk.  Please be safe on our highways.  

Pond

There has been discussion about deepening the stormwater pond as to accommodate fish and creating a fishing pond.  Jon Wogen has been the spearhead for this and has received written support from various organizations.  I believe this would be an excellent addition to our community.  What is needed for this to continue is a group of city residents willing to work with Jon on raising funds and promoting the project.  The city is not in a position to fund this entire project, but would be willing to work with citizens on it.  If anyone or any organization is interested please contact Jon or I and the dialogue will continue.

Infrastructure update

The infrastructure project is moving along as scheduled.  North of Highway 212 on 11th street is getting major work and it is on schedule.  Wednesday 28 is the date for the first construction meeting for part 2 which will probably start with the golf course work.  Work is schedule, pending the meeting, to begin this October and should be completed by April 1^st, 2012 as to not to disrupt the prime golf season.  Of course, we need cooperation with the weather.  Hopefully our Fall weather will cooperate which will give us a bonus as harvest time is upon us also.

United Way of West Central Minnesota

I hope everyone that received the informational and contribution letter from the United Way of West Central Minnesota understands the many benefits Olivia has received from this organization.  Since expanding their service area, United Way has brought the Imagination Library, Early Learning Screening Packs, Stuff the Bus and other initiatives to the Olivia Community.  As of this time, United Way of West Central Minnesota has given out more to our area than it has taken in.  I encourage everyone to be generous to the organization that contributes so much to us.  

Public Forum at city council meetings

The Olivia City Council has introduced a new agenda item to our council meetings, the Public Forum.  After signing in to the Public Forum sheet, any city resident can address the council for a maximum of 3 minutes.  The council is not required to respond to questions.  The Council may instruct city staff to determine the facts of an inquiry or situation.  The Public Forum was begun to allow residents to share their concerns about the city even if their particular item is not on the agenda.  In order for an item to be included in the city council agenda, the item should be presented to the city staff at least a week before the city council meeting.  It will be included only if there is sufficient time available at any given city council meeting.  The Public Forum will be included in each city council meeting.  In order for a resident to be included in the Public Forum they must sign in before the start of that meeting. 

Infrastructure Project part 1

The Infrastructure 2011-2013 part 1 has begun. We have seen workers and activity around the community.  I will update information in this space, as I attend construction meetings.  There will be information on the city website (www.olivia.mn.us) and I encourage residents to sign up for city notification emails.  The email notifications have been used primarily for snow emergencies and mosquito spraying but will now include updates on the infrastructure project.  If you would like this information, I encourage you to sign up on the website.  Information will also be posted on the doors of the city office and of course residents are able to contact the city office (523-2361) during business hours for information.

The contractor for part 1 is R. L. Larson from St. Cloud.  They have started work on the streets north of Highway 212 and west of 9^th St. 

 First week of project will include reclaim/grinding of the streets.  The grinding will stay in place on the ground so residents are able to drive on these streets. 

 The second week of project (hopefully starting 9-12-2011), there will be bore & jack of the casing pipes under the railroad on 11^th Street.

  The third week (hopefully 9-19-2011) they will start with the utility construction on 11^th Street, working from Highway 212 going north.  This schedule is subject to change depending on any number of possible discoveries or events that always develop during construction.  We ask for everyone’s patience and understanding as we work to improve our cities’ infrastructure.

We are making every effort to keep residents informed on the progress of this project, but at this time part 1 is the only active construction

BOLD Football Reunion

It should be a fun evening on Friday, Sept 9^th at members of the State Champion BOLD Warriors of 1990-1991 and 1991-1992 are honored at half-time of the home opener football game.  It was a really fun time for the fans all those years ago and it will be good to see these young people again.  Having kids in the school back in those days I remember the excitement of that fall.  It was definitely a good time.  I hope to see lots of people there. 

Robotics to MSHSL venue

Robotics competition is now part of the Minnesota State High School League’s venues of competition.

This was announced at the Minnesota State Fair which hosted a demonstration of the robotics obstacle course.   The Minnesota State High School League will be partnering with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in supporting the robotics competitions. 

 Minnesota is in a good position to make FIRST Robotics Competition a mainstream program because it

has the fourth-largest state contingent of teams in the nation and hosts the largest of the more than 50

FIRST Robotics Competition regional events. This event consistently fills Williams and Mariucci Arenas

on the University of Minnesota campus with a combined total of 123 teams.

 In its partnership, the League will promote the FIRST Robotics Competition among Minnesota

high schools, support a state championship for which teams qualify at FIRST Robotics Competition

regional competitions in March, and provide teams the same prominence of other League activities within their schools.

 Here is the link to the announcement at the State Fair: http://www.mshsl.org/mshsl/index.asp

Thank yous and back-to-school

I would like to personally thank the Good Neighbor Garden Club for helping to weed the flowers and trees downtown.  They approached the Chamber of Commerce and offered their services and it is greatly appreciated.  I received many comments during Corn Capital Days and continue to receive compliments on how lovely our downtown area looks.  Many thanks.

The city crews are back to the once-a-month curbside brush pick-up.  It is requested that brush not be placed in the street but on the boulevard.  Brush in the street is problematic on a number of different levels.  The city appreciates homeowners support in this matter.

It is back-to-school next week and we should all be cautious drivers about young people making their way to school mornings and afterschool.  I know more children take the bus than back in my days when we had school ranks that children would line up in and a patrol leader would walk home in a variety of directions from school for up to a mile.  Even in these days, children are still on streets so please, be aware of school times and activities.  It is also a good time to remind drivers about school buses and the extra attention that needs to be given to them. 

I hope everyone has a safe, restful and enjoyable Labor Day.

Kudos to Electrical Guys

Kudos to the Olivia Electrical Department for their quick work on August 15^th, when the electrical pole by the Dollar Store and New and Used was leveled.  Major city businesses were without electricity for only a short due to their excellent work.  They turned what could have been huge headache into just a minor inconvenience.  Thanks Troy and Brad.

Books to Read

I’ve hit a literary pause in my reading.  I recently completely two terrific books and because they were requested library books with waiting lists, I completed both of them rather quickly for me.  The first one was State of Wonder by Ann Pratchett.  This is a new title just out this summer.  Most of the book takes place in the Amazon within an unknown group of indigenous people.  I have great respect for this part of South America.  We visited Bolivia years ago and on our homeward journey from LaPaz, Bolivia to Miami, we traveled for 5 hours just over the Amazon.  Its spaciousness is difficult for us North Americans to comprehend.    This book is marvelous and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

After completing that title I had to jump directly into the next book I had requested because it also had a waiting list.  The 2^nd book was The Help by Kathryn Stockett .  I wanted to read it before seeing the movie, it was recommended by family and friends.  I was remiss for not reading it when it first came out a few years ago, but it seems like I just never got around to it.  This also was an excellent read and I would recommend it highly.  It will be fun to see the movie and how it interprets different aspects of the book. Books and movies are two difference literary forms and each has it’s strengths.  It is always interesting to see how one plays against the other. 

Anyway after reading these two well-done literary works, I was struggling for what to pick up next.  I usually like to change direction completely, reading a nonfiction title or just current event magazines.  During this time, I feel somewhat lost or at least rootless until I can find another exceptional read to escape with for a small portion of the day.  I feel like I want to savor the reading experience for a short time after finishing good book.  It generally doesn’t last long because there are too many good books to read.  

BOLD Backpack Program Update

The BOLD Backpack Program is ready to launch for this school year.  Parents should be receiving the introduction letter in their packets from the school.  We will be filling our backpacks soon for the first time.  There will be need of volunteers and volunteer groups as the filling of the backpacks is a weekly event.  If you are involved with a group or would like to volunteer yourself, please contact me (523-1785) or smhilgert@gmail and I will get you aligned with the correct contact people.  The BOLD Backpack Program will distribute up to 35 backpacks to the BOLD Elementary and Head Start students each week. This will be done on Thursdays or Fridays to help supply food over the weekend for students in need.  Students must sign up for the program.  The only qualification is that the student must attend the BOLD School.  Our school has 53% of the students on free or reduced lunch, so there is a need.   The BOLD Backpack Program is still in need of funds.  If you or your organization is interested in contributing please contact either Betsy Hennen or myself.   We would be delighted to share the information about this wonderful initiative for our community.   I am so honored to be a member of this group.  The whole project has been so enthusiastically embraced by our communities it illustrates to me the generous spirit of our area.  

Compost Site update and United Way volunteer opportunities

There was a discussion at the last council meeting about the compost site.  To set the record straight, the compose site was open 24 hours during most of July to enable residents to bring their brush out.  The compost site has now returned to its regular hours:  Mondays and Thursdays 4:00 – 7:00 pm and Saturday 10:00 – 3:00.  This service is for city residents only. Please remember the site is for grass clippings, vegetation, and small brush only.  If you bring these items out in bags, you must take the bags back with you.  It is unfortunate we cannot keep the site open 24 hours, but it has been abused with garbage which city workers have to take their precious time to pick up. This is not a good use of our employees’ time.  The city will also return to its once-a-month brush pick-up from boulevards on the last Friday of the month.  If any city resident has a specific time and has a full load they would like to bring to the compost site, please call the city office (523-2361) and arrangements may be made to have site open for a short, specific time.  We ask everyone’s cooperation as we continue our city clean-up from the storms of July 1^st and 10th. 

The United Way of West Central Minnesota of which Olivia is a participating member is having their week of action, August 22 to 26.  Olivia’s Community Day is Wednesday, August 24^th.  We are still accepting projects and volunteers so if you know of any projects or are interested in volunteering that day please feel free to call me (523-1785) or email (smhilgert@gmail.com).  United Way funds a number of local projects including the Imagination Library, preschool programming and also the BOLD backpack program to name just a few.  It will be a fun day of community helping.  

Corn Capital Days are Fun!

Corn Capital Days has come and gone with its usual success.  Nester Park looked great in spite of the loss of 12 trees.  Thank you to the city workers.  Thank you also to all the many people who volunteer their time to make this event successful.  The weather was the usual hot July summer day but spirits are always cheery and it is so much fun to see past residents and friends.  I heard so many positive comments about our city, how nice it looks, the beautiful streets and the warmth and friendliness of the people.  I truly enjoyed riding in the parade with my two grandnieces from St. Paul.  They also love our festival; especially the sweet corn which I felt was excellent.  Kudos to the Schmoll Family for providing the corn and always coming through for the city.  From my serving station, it seemed like there were more people in the park than previous years.  I know there were more Arts and Crafts booths in the park than previous and thank you to the Kiwanis for organizing it.  Crazy Days was fun and I appreciate all the bargains the businesses have to offer.  A new treat this year was the corn ice cream cones at Citizens State Bank.  I hope that becomes an annual event, it was great.  The Arts and Craft show at Master’s is always a favorite of mine.  The Kiddie Parade, the Car Show, the Library Used Book Sale are all successful events that could not be done without loads of volunteer time.  The Methodist Church Kids Fair was fun and I know people enjoyed the Outdoor Community Bingo at Golden Living Center and the Outdoor Worship Service.  There were numerous music venues this year with something for everyone.  It was terrific to have the teen dance on Friday night at Nester Park and the kids seemed to be having a terrific time.  The Lions Fly-In Pancake Breakfast was its usual fun event with lots of folks enjoying the meal.  Thanks to all those volunteers.  I know there were events I didn’t participate in because of visiting family, but my city relatives thoroughly enjoyed themselves.  I thank all who volunteered in any way.  It was a wonderful festival.  Congratulations to everyone who contributed to the success of Corn Capital Days.    

Corn Capital Days 2011

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from a 17-year-old girl from Blaine whose first name was Olivia.  She was so thrilled to discover a city in Minnesota with the same first name.  In my return email I suggested she come to Olivia for Corn Capital Days and have some sweet corn.  She emailed me back that she is coming for the Saturday festivities.  Olivia will be one of the many guests our community will have over the many days of Corn Capital Days.  Lots of former residents will be returning to see family and friends.  I encourage everyone to enjoy the celebration, share the fun.  Many, many, many volunteers work every hard and long to make this civic festival a huge success so  make sure to thank any and all you know who have contributed in any way.  Let’s have a safe and fun Corn Capital Days. 

Congratulations to Pastor Russ Jacobsen and his new wife, Janelle. It is my hope that they will have a long and successful stay in our beautiful city.  We also bid farewell to Pastor Ric Jacobsen and wife, Joy as they begin their new position in New Ulm.  Hopefully we will see them on occasion as New Ulm is not that far away.

I applaud the City of Morton’s Yard of the Week program.  I noticed the sign a few weeks back while driving through Morton and thought it was a very interesting idea.  Is something like this possible in Olivia?  I would think so, if anyone or group (gardening club) is interesting in this, let’s chat about it.  I’m pretty sure Morton wouldn’t mind if we “borrowed” their idea. 

Finding Minnesota: Corn Capital Days « CBS Minnesota

Finding Minnesota: Corn Capital Days « CBS Minnesota

Clean up continues...

With Corn Capital Days only a week away there is lots of work to be done.  The city crews are still cleaning up from the storm.  I ask your help.  If you are able to get your brush and 4” tree limbs out to the compost site, please do so.  The compost site is open 24 hours a day for our residents to bring their brush.  Also I encourage people that burn wood to ask homeowners about bigger branches and trees and make use of this free firewood.  We need to continue to help our neighbors as was so apparent immediately after the storm.  The city crews will not be cleaning up alleys.  Please arrange to bring to compost site or lawn-side of curb.  It will be picked up when time permits.  The city usually spends a week getting ready for Corn Capital Days so you can understand the work-pressure our crews and staff are under.  I would also ask that brush not be placed in the street.   A rainstorm would cause it to clog our drains and create an enormous amount of work to clean up.  Our storm drains do not need additional help to clog.  Please place brush on your boulevard.  I know the comments about grass, but we all know that grass recovers very quickly.  Thank you to all the homeowners who have cleaned up and transported their trees and brush.

  

Don't Mess With Mother Nature

July came in with a gust from Mother Nature. We are so thankful there were no serious injuries. Clean up will take a while, however. Our city crews were promptly out after the storm taking care of what needed to be done. We are grateful and fortunate to have these wonderful people working and living in Olivia. Everyone is doing a terrific job of cleaning up trees and brush. Neighbors helping neighbors stories abounded within Olivia. City crews worked through the 4^th of July Holiday. It will take 2-3 weeks just to make one pass through the whole city.

There has been some discussion of local boulevards and what trees the city will take down. The width of individual boulevards depends on the size of your street. There are 8 different street widths in Olivia so boulevards will vary. To receive the correct information call city hall and they will tell you your boulevard size. There is a formula for this and they will calculate it quickly for you. Regardless of the ownership of these broken trees, lets get them taken care in the safest manner. The city crews have more than enough to do especially getting ready for Corn Capital Days. Nester Park was especially hard hit and will need lots of clean up. Feel free to stop by Nester or Henton with a rake and help clean up the parks before our city celebration.

Corn Capital Days is right around the corner, the t-shirts are at local retailers, brochures are out, raffle tickets are out and are $5.00 each. Most Chamber members have them, I do also, and if you wish to sell a book see Nancy at the Chamber Office. For more information and forms for the various activities including the parade visit http://www.oliviachamber.org/

It's good to have Council member Al Houdek on the mend from a recent medical emergency. Our thoughts and prayers were with him.

"Grand Dog" Sitting

As I am writing this, we are watching our “granddog”, Cali. She has her head on my leg as I work on the computer. There hasn't been a dog in our house for quite a few years, but previous to that I could count on one hand the number of years I've lived without a dog. When one gets older and the children have moved out, it is nice to be only responsible for yourself. No rushing home to walk the dog or let the dog out or feed the dog. No dog hair on the carpet, no tripping over tennis balls in the kitchen. There are many reasons to enjoy the freedom of not having a dog. So why do we do it? After spending a few hours with this pooch I think I have some of the answers. Never have I been greeted with as much enthusiasm as this dog gives me. I just went outside to hang clothes on the line and am greeted on my return as if I was gone for months. How could anyone not love an animal that is so absolutely crazy about just seeing you? This dog just likes to be in the same room with you. The first days, she followed me everywhere. From the sink to the stove, there she was, from refrigerator to table, there she was. I've never felt so important to anyone like this. She seems to enjoy just being in our presence, what a compliment. I can once again understand the joy of dog ownership, even with all the responsibilities. Of course Cali will have to go back to her own home next week, and our home will once again be without water dishes, tennis balls on the floor and dog hair on the carpet. It will be very nice and neat, but I will miss my pooch and all her love and attention.   

thoughts from League of Minnesota Conference

I attended the League of Minnesota Cities Conference in Rochester earlier this month. It was a great conference and I saw old and new friends and elected officials. It was great to see Pierre Willette who works for the city of Minneapolis. He has lost none of his performing skills learned at Olivia High School I am sure. He and his group did an entertaining wrap-up the State Legislative session.

The keynote speaker was author, David Horsager. His book is “The Trust Edge”. David states, “Everything of value is built on trust, from financial systems to relationships.” Lack of trust is the number one reason for loss of productivity and increase in cost in business. He outlined a couple of his eight Pillars of Trust and their applications not only for business but for personal relationships and indeed life. The Pillar I found so intriguing is consistency. I know in all parenting manuals the mantra of consistency is emphasized, but I didn't always see it in the larger picture of a person's relationships and work. In the public sector work, consistency to all is vitally important, even public service to children should be consistent with public service to adults. Shouldn't we try to maintain those standards with all our relationships? David went on to explain that it is consistency in the small things of everyday life that have the greatest impact long term. Not everyone has the time or resources to gives away vast amount of money or dedicate hours to a worthy case, but everyone has the capacity to be friendly and pleasant and greet each other with a cheerful hello. It is the small gestures in life that may be difficult to do some days, but perhaps those are what a person ultimately will be remembered for. A life goal definitely worth striving for.  

PSA: Remember, Social Media Is Serious Business

PSA: Remember, Social Media Is Serious Business

More Snow & technology committee

We have a 3 &1/2 foot St. Francis statute in our backyard and it is now completely covered by the snow. I thought we might make it through this winter with snow only up to his chin. With our week-long thaw he was doing well. Then the snow event of 2/20-2/21 happened and St. Francis has disappeared. With the March sun and more minutes of daylight, it is hoped that St. Francis will soon reappear.

The city is creating a technology committee and citizens who have an interest in computer technologies and the Internet are invited to apply. I believe the city should be looking at connecting with our citizens in as many channels as possible which would include the Internet and perhaps social media. It would be the charge of this committee to make recommendations to the council on the future direction of technology. I would like the city website and cable channel to be part of this conversation. All interested citizens should stop by city hall for an application or contact me via email (smhilgert@gmail.com) and I'll email an application to you.

Congratulations to Brent Richards on the re-opening of Hi Tech Services. I was at the ribbon-cutting and noticed the latest titles are in and available. It is bright and clean and the staff is very friendly. So when the snow falls and the wind blows, stop by and pick up a couple of movies. Making popcorn and watching flicks is a great way to spend a cold winter night.

Notes from Mayor

A very heartfelt good luck to all the high school students participating in end-of-season playoffs and tournaments. The BOLD Divas start the action with their appearance at the State Tournament this last week. There are so many extracurricular activities during this time of year, it is impossible to take them all in. It is so enjoyable to watch our young people participate. The enthusiasm they show illustrates why I enjoy high school activities so much. Good luck to all.

A huge thank you to all the local people who sang for the local Kiwanis Valentine Days Singers. They always do wonderfully and all the money raised goes back to our community in a variety of ways. Of course, I am prejudice because I belong to Kiwanis. It is a marvelous service organization and meets every Thursday at noon at Masters (week 1 & 2 of month) and Pizza Ranch (week 3 & 4 of month). Please contact me if you are interested in joining us.

Infrastructure Update: Community members have asked about expanding the holding pond into a body of water that would be deep enough to stock fish and create a fishing pond with a nature area access. The idea definitely has merit but of course the cost is a consideration. The city council is weighting this option along with the entire project. A decision on this project will need to be approved by the council with a vote coming sometime in the first weeks of March.

David Palm's Presentation

David Palm's Presentation on Olivia Street Project 2011-2012

Bolton and Menk Preliminary Assessment Roll & Feasibility Report

Here is link for complete report:
Preliminary Complete Report
 
Here is link for preliminary assessment by Name:
Preliminary Assessment by Name

Here is link for preliminary assessment by Street:
Preliminary Assessment by Street

Assessment Hearing

I would like to thank everyone that attended the Public Improvement Hearing on Wednesday, January 19. My goal for the evening was threefold. First, I wanted our excellent engineer, Dave Palm to explain this expansive project in its scope, range and purpose. He did an admirable job. Secondly, I wanted to answer all questions from those in attendance. That also was accomplished. Thirdly I wanted the entire evening to be a respectful example of democracy. Each citizen has the right to be heard in a sensitive and courteous manner. We, speaking for council and city administration, do not have all the answers, but we shared those answers we did know and will make every effort to investigate the questions we were unable to answer Wednesday night. As I stated in my opening remarks, these is the largest infrastructure project the city as undertaken and we are in the citizen input phase. No decision has been made about the project yet. The discussion to do all of it, a portion of it, or none of it is still very much on the table. As mayor, I truly appreciate people sharing their thoughts. That being said, I and the rest of the council have a responsibility to all citizens to make our best decision taking into account all these remarks. I especially appreciate people who can see past their own personal interest and discuss the project and what is represents to the entire city and its future. This project has been discussed and reviewed for many years. We will make the best decision possible for all the citizens of Olivia, using all the resources available to us.

Renville County Register first column

Renville County Register - 1st column
It was just one year ago I was writing the last of my weekly library news columns for this paper. Here I am again writing another column from a different perspective. I said when I retired from the library that it was my privilege to be librarian for the last 25 years. I feel the same way in my new role. It is truly my privilege to be mayor of this city. I am humbled and honored by it. I am not a native Olivia resident. I was born and raised in St. Paul, actually I am a big city gal who has come to love the small town rural lifestyle. Olivia has many wonderful people, especially our outgoing mayor, Bill Miller and city council person, Chuck Brown. If not for their hard work, I doubt I would have considered getting into this position. We owe them a great deal of admiration and respect.

Speaking of respect, I laud all our city crews who have plowed us all out during this winter of weekly snowfalls. They were out working hard even in the rain of last week. I can't imagine how much worse our streets would be. I regularly visit St. Paul, Minneapolis and a couple of the suburbs and I am always happy to get back to Olivia where the streets are plowed so well.

As we hit January cold weather please check on your neighbors as the elements might make it difficult for some to get out. Also remember our pets are just as sensitive to cold so don't leave them out too long. This winter has been a beautiful one as long as everyone takes the precautions we know we need to in cold and snowy weather.

Happy New Year and I look forward to being mayor of our wonderful small town.