Lifelong friends Fran Stein and Lowell McKinley are now working out of Stein’s Barber Shop on Bridge Avenue.
McKinley, a Delano resident, has been barbering since he finished barber school in 1965. Stein has been a barber since 1967. Stein and McKinley have known each other since 1966, and the two have 112 years of experience, but this will be the first time the two men have worked together.
See the full story in this week’s newspaper.
Gladiolus growers Jim and Karen Otto and their “glads” added to their long list of awards earlier this month. At the Minnesota State Fair Gladiolus Show, Otto’s flowers received a grand champion and the Mel Schrimpf award.
The Ottos have been growing gladioli, or glads, on a large scale for over two decades and have found success every year since they took them to their first show in New Ulm in 2010.
“12 years of prize-winning glads,” said Jim.
See the full story in this week’s newspaper.
Since getting into the film industry about a decade ago, Delano native Ryan Gilmer estimates that he’s been involved with somewhere between 300 and 350 projects, including about 50 films he’s produced himself.
This Friday, Gilmer’s animated comedy short, “Stinky’s Big Adventure,” will be shown at the Catalyst Institute’s content festival in Duluth, MN. The content festival is the finale of a larger event called the North Star Story Summit, which also included the Duluth Superior Film Festival, and Minnesota WebFest.
See the full story in this week’s newspaper.
MINUTES
Regular Meeting of the Board of Education
Independent School District 879, Delano Public Schools
The regular meeting of the Board of Education of Independent School District 879, Delano, Minnesota, was held on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022, at Delano City Hall. The meeting was called to order by the chair at 6:15 p.m. with the following members in attendance: Seguin, Rosenow, Johnson, Gierke, Roeser, Depa. Absent: Black.
APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA (approved unanimously, 6-0)
WORK SESSION
Board reviewed discussion items: public comment debrief, student wellness triennial report, Covid plan update, levy referendum update, policy update, All County Safe Schools meeting.
PROGRAM REVIEW
Superintendent Matt Schoen presented a building and grounds report. Topics included upcoming projects on the school campus, and maintenance work done over the summer months.
CONSENT AGENDA (approved unanimously)
Board approved the meeting minutes from July 25, 2022; and the current budget status with year-to-date adjustments; investment transactions, CARES Act Budgets, wire transfers, Minnesota Liquid Asset Fund, cash report, revenue and expense fund totals, expense reports and disbursements.
RESOLUTION OF ACCEPTANCE OF GIFTS (approved unanimously)
PERSONNEL (approved unanimously)
Board approved retirements/resignations/terminations, recommendations for employment, contracted new hires, contract changes/approvals/position changes, and leaves of absence including: Retirements/Resignations/Terminations: DIS custodian, DES paraprofessional (2), CE classroom assistant, CE preschool teacher and TKC lead, DIS food service worker, DES dish machine operator, CE preschool assistance, ECFE teacher, DHS paraprofessional, girls varsity soccer coach. Recommendations for Employment: DIS custodian, DHS paraprofessional, girls varsity soccer coach, girls assistant/JV soccer coach, C team soccer coach, DHS dish machine operator, ECFE parent educator, CE program lead, assistant football coach (2), DIS webmaster, DIS Student Council co-lead, DES long-term substitute physical education teacher, TAC program assistant, DHS paraprofessional, DES dish machine operator. Contracted New Hires: Technology support specialist, ADSIS behavior skills teacher, ESL teacher, DHS special education teacher. Contract Changes/Approvals/Position Changes: MOA for Skyward coordinator stipend, DHS paraprofessional to .5 FTE ECSE teacher, DHS special education teacher to DHS alternative programs teacher. Leaves of Absence: DHS custodian, DES social worker, DHS custodian, DIS fourth-grade teacher.
PUBLIC COMMENT
No comment.
ADMINISTRATIVE AND BOARD REPORTS
Board heard the following administrative reports: Superintendent M. Schoen reported on preparations for the school year and orientation of new staff members. K. Thompson reported on preparations for the school year, enrollment and the support of the new PIE team. B. Voight reported on enrollment, site base group analysis of the school climate survey, and a “back to basics” emphasis for the coming school year. R. Schultz reported on the summer school activities and program, a new school mentoring program, enrollment, and planning for the new year. M. Reeder reported on the school board filing period, as well as solicitation of snowplowing quotes. E. Erlandson reported on the quarterly brochure, staffing, clearing of space and redesigned work locations at the Community Education Building, preschool enrollment and the integration of seventh- and eighth-grade sports into the Community Education program. Board heard reports from: MAWSECO and Wright Technical Center.
OLD BUSINESS (approved unanimously)
Board approved the second read of the following policies due to substantive changes: Policy 302 – Superintendent; and Policy 303 – Superintendent Selection.
NEW BUSINESS (approved unanimously)
Board approved the first and only read of the following policies due to non-substantive changes: Policy 306 Administrator Code of Ethics; Policy 307 – Administrative Goals; Policy 401 – Equal Employment Opportunity; Policy 402 – Disability Nondiscrimination Policy; and Policy 522 – Title IX Sex Nondiscrimination Policy, Grievance Procedure and Process. The board also approved the first read of Policy 524 – Internet Acceptable Use and Safety Policy, due to substantive changes.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 7:47 p.m. The preceding is a summary of the unofficial minutes. The full text of the unofficial minutes is on file in the District Office, 700 Elm Avenue East, Delano, Minnesota and is also available on the school district’s website, www.delano.k12.mn.us. The next regular meeting of the Board of Education is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, at Delano City Hall.
/s/Jennie Rosenow, Board of Education Clerk
Published in the Delano Herald Journal, September 30, 2022.|
For the first time in history, Delano Kindred held its annual meeting in a town that bears the family’s name last week.
Members from the Delano family traveled from across the country, from as far as Massachusetts and California, to celebrate their lineage and the legacy of a man who played an important role in not only Delano’s history, but Minnesota’s history as well.
“We’ve never met in any other town by the name of Delano,” said Delano Kindred President, Tom Delano. “Not even Delano, California, or Ohio, or Pennsylvania, or Kentucky, we just never have.”
Delano Kindred is a family lineage organization that was started in 1991, for the purpose of exploring the ancestry and genealogy of their common ancestor, Philippe de Lanoy. Currently the organization has about 250 members.
See the full story in this week’s newspaper.
Delano City Council unanimously adopted a resolution at Tuesday’s meeting with one major addition to the preliminary tax levy for the 2023 budget that would mitigate the tax burden on Delano’s homeowners.
During the council’s Aug. 24 work session, Delano Finance Director Brian Bloch projected that the preliminary tax levy would total $4,553,013, an estimated 14% increase from the previous year. The original preliminary tax levy would have increased the city tax rate by 4.1%. Still, at Tuesday’s meeting, Bloch proposed that the city transfer funds from the sanitary sewer fund instead of raising the levy by 14%.
“What we were thinking is maybe instead of increasing our taxes so high, is moving money from the sanitary sewer fund to pay for their portion of the administration and stuff like that,” said Bloch.
Bloch proposed that a total of $350,000 be transferred from the city’s sanitary sewer fund to the general fund for administration and payment in place of taxes. The transfer would decrease the preliminary tax levy by $357,143, reducing the total amount to $4,195,870, an approximately 5.1% increase from the year prior.
“The tax rate would actually be reduced next year,” Bloch added. “Instead of going up 4%, it would go down 4%.”
See the full story in this week’s newspaper.
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