Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

Dassel businessman donates land for street right-of-way



Long-time Dassel area businessman, Howard Page, donated 2.236 acres of land last Monday, estimated to be worth $131,000, to the City of Dassel for a street right-of-way on land proposed for an industrial park.

The proposed industrial park will be at the northwest corner of the intersection of Highways 12 and 15, just west of Dassel. Page donated the 2.2 acres to relieve the tax burden of city residents, he said. It will run east and west through the area.

The actual value of the 2.2 acres has not been determined yet. The Dassel City Council agreed last Monday to have the city pay the estimated $1,000 cost for appraising the property.

The city is hoping Spectralytics, a laser, micro-welding, drilling and cutting company in Dassel, will choose to expand in the northwest corner of the property, where the Dassel Cokato Ice and Sports Center was planned. The ice arena organizers changed their plans, and deeded the property back to the city.

The right-of-way donated by Page will allow access to the property from Highway 15.

Odds and ends

In other business, the city council:

• heard a report from State Rep. Dean Urdahl (R-Grove City) that he is confident the city will get the bonding for a new water tower in the next legislative session, scheduled to begin Feb. 12. Urdahl also noted Dassel will get $347,435 in 2008 in local government aid, a $10,300 increase from 2007.

Mayor Ava Flachmeyer asked Urdahl what had happened to the state’s $2.2 billion surplus, and why it didn’t get used.

“That money was spent, or put in the budget to be spent,” Urdahl responded.

“The demand is tremendous,” he said, adding that the state spent $14 billion on education, alone.

Health and human services is the fastest growing expense in the state, transportation funding is behind, and state residents are not eager to have taxes raised, Urdahl said.

• paid $14,690 to Caldwell Asphalt of Hawick for the completely finished 2007 sealcoating project.

• promoted Mike Scanlon to lead clerk at the municipal liquor store at $12 an hour, retroactive to Oct. 1, when he completed probation.

• listened to a report from Public Works Director Dave Scepaniak that Xcel Energy found six streetlights out in Dassel. Also, a streetlight eventually will be installed at the end of Marcia Street, when it is developed into Cherry Circle. If it is installed now, it will only light up the woods, Scepaniak said.

Scepaniak said he intends to discuss the placement of the light pole with residents in the area of Marcia Street and William Avenue.

Scepaniak also said his department intends to put a camera in the sewer line that runs near the former Thistlerose Tea Shop to record what the problem is with the line.

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