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Summer The s- G ,, IEW ON THE GREAT RIVER ROA!) I Newsletter of the city of Otsego Volume 11, July 2000 1 kiii i Recent rains have lifted a burning ban and Burning 111 6 iii64 ik permits are issued for ten days for the Otsego residents can obtain burning permits at hours of 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. You must have City Hall at 8899 Nashua Avenue NE. the permit with you while burning and fires Arrangements can be made to pick up permits must be attended and kept under control at all after hours by calling in advance. times. The fire cannot be left smoldering. No burning permit is needed for recreational Fines will be issued for burning illegal materi- campfires less than three feet in diameter with al or household waste. State law does not per- the ground cleared of combustibles for five mit the open burning of oils, rubber, plastics, feet around the base of the fire. Permits are chemically treated materials, railroad ties, not required for charcoal grills, camp stoves, shingles, tar paper, insulation, treated lumber, or other devices used for the purpose of cook- composition or particle board, sheetrock, ing or heating. Dried vegetative material may wiring, paint, paint filters, or similar materials be burned without a permit in a regulation which produce excessive or noxious smoke. burner between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. i 1 ,,:, .,,, : 1 IP Development Update ..k 1 1i0—.,:.7,r:e'_,:c',,.,+,_;,_„,, - 3, Developer Rick Packer presents a check of over 4 r $300,000 to City Clerk Elaine Beatty and City a - Administrator Mike Robertson for sewer, water 7[ 1;x and other development fees. / : - The City Council has approved Otsego's first townhouse developments. These . developments, which will be all owner ” =-, ,�1 E M , ' *m . occupied townhomes, will increase the Sam Kincannon, chief ball retriever for Stone Bridge, a new variety of housing options available to 9-hole executive golf course located on 85th Street just east of Nashua Avenue. Continued on Page 3 Page 2 Newsletter of the city of Otsego { HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS atcentury Farms. By Elaine Norin My earliest memories are of visits to the Historic Preservation Commission farm in the 1920s. There were no paved The Minnesota State Fair has established roads. The large red barn housed 2 horses, criteria to recognize "Century Farms." To some cows, and many cats. Grandfather's qualify, the farm must have been in pro- car was kept in a machine shed along with duction and owned by the same family for a beautiful old buggy and other machinery at least 100 years. My farm qualified in and tools. A large round wood tank was 1998. located near the barn and held water for the livestock. Water was pumped by hand My grandparents, Swedish immigrants, or by a big windmill. Water was carried to Albert and Justina (Petterson) Merlin pur- the house in pails. It was stored in a large chased the 60 acre farm and moved from reservoir in the kitchen woodstove, in a Minneapolis to Otsego in 1898. The house white enamel pail with a dipper for drink- and barn were built before that. The barn ing water in the pantry, and in large pitch- and the outbuildings are no longer there, ers with matching wash bowls in the bed- but the house is my present home. There rooms. Baths were taken in the kitchen in a were 6 children, my father Robert, the old- big round galvanized tub. est child and 5 girls: Ellen, Mabel, In the kitchen there was ahand-cranked Florence, Karen and Anna. After my grandparents died, cream separator machine. Some milk was my father pur- sold to a local creamery. Grandmother chased his sisters' churned excellent butter. A wealthy shares and made it r Minneapolis family had a summer home in �T a summer home. Monticello and sent word that they wanted He rented the crop- • \ to buy her butter. Grandfather took it to the land to a nearby large mansion and was told he must bring neighbor. He had — — it to the back door. He refused and told the house wired1/2,,k_ IN them they would have to get butter from when electric ser- someone else. There was a chicken house vice became avail- and many chickens; an important source of able and modern food, meat and eggs. Some eggs were plumbing put in. When my father became sold. ill, my husband and I purchased the farm. Another building was the small "out- We put in a furnace, did some remodeling, house." It was a "two-holer"—one large continued to rent out the cropland, and and one small for children. Grandmother moved from Minnetonka to Otsego. kept it scrubbed with strong soap that Continued on Page 3 Newsletter of the city of Otsego Page 3 A "Century Farm," continued from Page 2 bleached the wood. The inside walls were Food was so good at the farm. papered with pictures cut out of maga- Grandmother baked white bread, biscuits, zines. Chamber pots were used in the bed- Swedish limpa (rye bread), cookies and rooms. cakes. Biscuits with butter melting on them "Threshing" was a big event. Farmers right from the oven—awesome. In addition went from farm to farm, working together to chicken and eggs, canned beef was a to harvest grain crops. The wives worked real treat. It was cooked until very tender together to feed the men simply fabulous and stored in Mason jars. The garden pro- big meals. It was hard work and appetites duced potatoes which were stored in the were good. cellar and other vegetables which were F There was a big wall-mounted telephone preserved in Mason jars. Grandmother in the living room. As a child, I couldn't made jelly from crab apples and chokecherries. understand why Grandmother would pick up the receiver when it rang but sometimes I often wonder what my grandparents never talk at all! Later I learned that this would think of the lifestyle at the farm was known as "rubbering." It was accept- today. Television, hot and cold and soft- able to get the local news by listening in ened water, paved roads, and many houses on the multi-party line. where there used to be farms. ELECTION BAY c / tttn Q4ei We would like to thank those who have signed w a* my mg irg gro, A up to be election judges. We could still use more volunteers. Training is provided along WA� MK with flexible hours on Election Day. t I Development Update, continued from Page I Otsego residents. There are two different was already available at the site. Construction developments that were approved. is expected to begin this fall on the first units. The Pointe — Owned by Pulte Homes, this is Prairie Creek, 2nd Addition — Owned by located at the northwest corner of the State Dennis Ulmer, is located on the former Eddie Highway 101 and County Road 37 intersec- Lefebvre farm. When fully developed, this site tion, on land formerly owned by Ed will have 93 owner-occupied townhomes. Dauphinais (Big Ed). When fully developed, These homes are one story, and prices are this land will consist of 364 owner-occupied expected to start at about $170,000. two-story townhomes, ranging in price from Construction on these townhomes will begin $100,000 to $135,000. Pulte Homes is paying this summer and models are expected to be 100% of the cost of extending city sewer 1/2 shown in the Fall Preview in September. mile to serve this development. City water Newsletter of the city of Otsego Volume 11, July 2000 CITY OF OTSEGO 8899Nashua Ave.NE Ote,go V , itypf Otsego,MN 55330 612)441-4414 �' Otsego, Fax (612)441-8823 OFFICE HOURS: A CLEANER CITY Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m.to 6:00 p.m. Closed Fridays CITY COUNCIL: On May 6th, Otsego held one In addition, this was the first Mayor Larry Fournier its most successful Clean-up year we were able to offer free Councilmembers Suzanne M.S.Ackerman Days ever. More residents par- water testing from the Mark Berning Vern Heidner ticipated in cleaning up their Minnesota Department of Virginia Wendel homes and yards than ever Agriculture. We are pleased to CITY STFF a ne EBeatty, before. Due to all of our won- state that all water tested Mik Ciety Robertson,Clerk/ZoningAdministrator derful volunteers the process passed. We hope to continue Cityd Judy Hudson,nistrator went extremely well. Many of to offer this service at future Deputy Clerk/Treasurer you told me the line was Clean-up Days. Carol Olson,Secretary Dave Chase, shorter than in previous years. Maintenance Supervisor We can all be proud of the Rick Knutson,Maintenance Don Mass,Maintenance I enjoyed talking to all of you good job we did in cleaning Karee Rowell,Secretary and listening to your corn- up our properties and elimi- PLANNING&oZONINGCarl ments and concerns about our nating the potentially unsafe Jim mKolles Moonen city. One comment I heard conditions created by storing PatrickArleen Nagel more often than any other was these types of waste materials. Richard Nichols Steve Schuck that you appreciated the A special thanks to all of you Christian Mbanefo Ken Fry,alternate opportunity to dispose of your who volunteered and helped Eugene Goenner,alternate junk and debris at a central with the Clean-up Day PARKS&RECREATION Jeff Bartheld,chair location in the city, and that process. We appreciate all that Thomas Baillargeon Tom Constant you would like to see our you do for our city. Michael Day Clean-up Da continue. I Tony Faust P Y I want to take this opportune- ' Sue Kroll believe the CityCouncil is ty to wish all of you a safe EDA ADVISORY committed to continuing our LeRoy Lindenfelser,chair and wonderful summer. Gabriel Davis annual Clean-up Day. Rudy Thibodeau Larry Fournier, Mayor Vincent Peterson The amount of trash and HERITAGE PRESERVATION Ron Black,chair debris that was collected con- Arlene Nolen sisted of 193 appliances, 1,166 01ii4A44I Frieda Lobeck ppJoan Nichols tires of various sizes, 2 drums �` �� Elaine Norin Norman Schwanbeck I Joy Swenson of oil filters, 960 gallons of Nk ... f . # Janet Bridgland,alternate used oil, over 160 tons of f ir - iv TS scraEGOp steel. Over 50 tons of 1I' III debris were hauled to the The Otsego View landfill. These amounts ,` is a community newsletter for the city of Otsego. exceeded what was collected 416, Correspondence should be SQ1J sent to Otsego City Hall. in previous years. Contains 50%recycled pre-consumer material.