Harris appoints new fire chief

Change in leadership prompts six firefighters to resign

HARRIS – There’s a new fire chief in Harris, but not everyone agrees about it.
In anticipation of the appointment of Trevor Williams, six firefighters resigned on Monday night, Feb. 6.
Among them are Will Lacina, Wes Lacina, Tim Cropper, Doug Chaffee, John Pelant and Chris Stoeckel.
Chaffee warned the city council to expect more resignations. “You’re losing some of the most experienced firefighters and first responders,” he added.
COUNCIL DISAGREES WITH DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION
In January, the fire department voted to re-elect Will Lacina as fire chief on a 23 to seven vote.
Later that month at the city council meeting, council member Kathy Olson made a motion to appoint Trevor Williams instead. After John Pelant made a motion to appoint Lacina, the city council agreed to look at the issue again in February.
According to city treasurer Marlys Belfany, she spoke to both Williams and Lacina via phone and informed them the city council would be interviewing both during the February meeting. However, council member John Pelant objected that an official letter was not sent out to both the candidates.
“I think the council screwed up on this one,” said Pelant.
Lacina did not attend Monday night’s meeting.
Pelant stressed that the council should go with the fire department’s recommendation for chief. “People in the fire department should know who the chief should be,” he said. They base it on experience and knowledge, he noted.
INTERVIEW
During the interview conducted on Feb. 6, Williams was asked about his leadership skills, knowledge of fire department procedures and structure, and training.
Williams said that he graduated from high school in 1988. In 1989, he began working as a first responder. He was a member of two fire departments for a total of 10 and one-half years before joining the Harris department in 2006.
Citizen comment
Speaking during the citizens’ comment period, Doris Gilquist pushed the council to continue with the existing leadership. Later, she added Will Lacina hadn’t shown up at the council meeting because he felt that the council didn’t respect him or need him.
“Trevor’s a good firefighter,” said Tim Cropper. “He’s a follower, not a leader.”
Mayor Diane Miller stated that she respects Lacina’s right to resign. As it appeared the city had only one applicant for chief, she looked for direction from the council.
“We have to move forward,” said council member Judy Hammerstrom.
Olson made the motion to appoint Williams as chief. The vote was three in favor with two abstentions (Pelant and Larson).
Williams will be on a six-month probation.

Going beyond the yellow ribbon

Isanti County seeks to help veterans and their families demobilize by looking them in the eye.

ISANTI COUNTY – The United States spends six months transforming citizens into soldiers. After their tour of duty, the United States spends a couple days talking to them about how to return to normal life.
It’s not enough, according to Bob Boone of Cambridge who retired after serving in the National Guard for 38 years.
Thus he helped create the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon campaign. He sees the need for even more support than that, however. Now that he’s retired from the Guard, Boone is working with the Isanti County Veterans’ Service office to provide help to not only soldiers, but also their families.
The goal is to be there from the alert order through demobilization and beyond.
The folks going off to Iran and Afghanistan don’t have the support soldiers in past conflicts did, noted Boone. Rather, than live together on a base, the Guard soldiers being deployed are spread out across the state. When the soldiers leave, their families deal with their absence on their own.
The goal of the Isanti County Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program is to change that.
Organizers Boone, Isanti County Veterans Service Officer Jim Rostberg and Isanti County Commissioner Susan Morris presented their plan to the Isanti County Board on Tuesday, Feb. 3.
From soldier to leaders – if honored
World War II veterans came back to a country that honored them and praised them, noted Morris. They rose to become the leaders in society. In contrast, those who served in Vietnam are still suffering.
The way society deals with returning soldiers has a huge impact on their later lives, noted Morris.
“I want our service men and women to know how much they are appreciated,” she said.
LOOK 'EM IN THE EYE
For the past two years, Morris, Rostberg and Boone have been soliciting grants to pay for the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program. They have received $10,317.10 to fund their efforts.
The program will provide information, services, referrals, and proactive outreach.
And perhaps most importantly, Jim Rostberg and staff will be sure to look each and every veteran in the eye shortly after he/she returns.
The veterans service office will focus on making sure each service member and their family is able to successfully deal with the effects of combat operational stress. “Everyone deals with operational stress differently,” said Boone. “Most deal with it quite nicely. Some have a very difficult time.”
Boone, Rostberg and Morris intend to set up a local Veterans Linkage Line, as well as a web site (isanticountyveterans.org). A directory of available assistance will also be created. Boone anticipates that this will take about six months to get up and running.
Additionally, a task force will be created. A variety of local residents will be asked to serve on it.
A veteran himself who served in Desert Storm, Commissioner Alan Duff applauded what was being done. “The transition to normal family life is a major challenge. We need to help these families out. It’s a neglected area in my opinion.”
Commissioner George Larson complimented the threesome on a job well done. “It’s something that is very needed.”

TO A POINT: Fire department needs to make policy changes

imagine driving towards your house and finding your vehicle in the midst of smoke. You see flames and your heart jumps into your throat. "Is my house on fire?" you ask yourself.
Lucky for me, mine wasn't. Instead it was the house across the street that was ablaze, one that had stood vacant for a few years, had been prepped for a fire and was being burned as a training exercise for the Cambridge Fire Department.
I can only hope that a fire across the street is the closest I ever get to my own home burning down. I don't consider myself a worrywart, but I couldn't stop the knots from forming in my stomach as I stood at my bedroom window and watched the sparks fly that night. The wind carried most of them south, but there were still several that came too close for comfort. I hoped the wind didn't change. I prayed it didn't get stronger. In the morning, I awoke to a yard full of black ashes.
There are a lot of things in the way when you burn a house in an older part of town. Obviously, there are the neighboring houses. There are power lines that drape close to those buildings. There are trees and bushes and fences.
As I stood there – half fascinated by the flames and half frightened for my home – I watched the local firemen hop into their trucks and drive away. I was stunned. Was there no one but me and the other neighbors watching this fire?
Yes, the walls had all fallen in by then - I hadn't gotten home that night until after 9 p.m. But the flames still rose four feet up out of the basement. I was startled by loud popping noises. Sparks flew out of the pine trees standing just a few feet from the ruins, and the wind carried them to a line of pine trees about 50 feet away. A power pole (which, of course, connected to the line and pole in my front yard) sat about five feet from the fire and was blackened by the blaze. I knew the heat coming out of the fire was still significant. And no one was there to babysit it?
Of course, I called the fire hall to find out what was going on. Now, I'm not a firefighter, and I haven't received the training they do, but I like to think I have some common sense. So I asked why they had left the blaze unattended. I was told it was because it no longer posed a threat as it had been "knocked down."
I can't leave a small campfire burning in my own backyard without the possibility of getting a ticket, and here was a much bigger fire left completely unattended. I just can't wrap my head around that being okay.
About 10 minutes later, a truck returned to the scene. I was able to fall asleep then, knowing there were trained eyes keeping track of that fire.
I've since brought my concerns to the mayor and fire chief. I hope the fire department considers making it a policy to not leave a fire until all flames are extinguished.
I also hope that they begin sending out letters to nearby property owners a week or so before a planned training exercise. Currently they knock on the doors of neighbors before starting the blaze, but then those (like myself) who weren't home at the time get missed.
Practice burns are obviously important as they provide needed, hands-on experience in a controlled environment. But when it comes to a fire, I don't think you should ever think you have it completely under control.

Man sentenced for threatening woman, children

RUSH CITY – A Rush City man was charged after threatening a woman and her four young children on Jan. 29.
According to the Chisago County Sheriff’s Department, Brian Eric Schneider, 33, allegedly assaulted the woman in her home. He kicked and punched the victim in the face, legs and rib cage. Later, while they were in the kitchen, Schneider threatened to stab her.
Schneider also threatened the woman’s children, all whom are younger than eight years old.
He is being charged with felony terroristic threats.
On Jan. 30, Judge John McBride set his bail at $40,000. Schneider was also ordered to have no contact with the victim.
He will next appear in court on Feb. 11 at 1 p.m.

Missing girl returns home

Christin Swenson has been missing one month.

NORTH BRANCH TOWNSHIP – The 17-year-old North Branch Township girl who has been missing since Dec. 16 has returned home.
She came back five weeks after she left.
According to Isanti County Investigator Lisa Lovering, Swenson returned to Isanti County on Jan. 22. She is currently in protective custody.
The whereabouts of the man she was believed to be with, Wade Swenson, are unknown.
Officials are still investigating the incident.
The family has requested time to be alone with their daughter.
Christin is the youngest of three children; her parents are Mary and Larry Swenson.
She is a senior at North Branch High School.
According to the Isanti County Sheriff’s department, Swenson contacted her family at 8 p.m. on Dec. 22, and said she was on her way home from Red Wing where she worked on the weekends. She never arrived.
Swenson had been renting a room in Red Wing from a girl friend on the weekends to work at an Econofoods there. When she wasn’t working at the grocery store, she was helping her cousin Wade Swenson with his three children, who range from age five to 15, according to her mother.

Human Rights Award recipient helps disabled clients become independent

Industries, Inc. praised for advancing human rights

CAMBRIDGE – For their passion and commitment to advancing human rights in Isanti County, the staff and clients of Industries, Inc. earned the 2009 Human Rights Award.
The award was presented by the Isanti County Human Rights Commission on Martin Lutheran King, Jr. Day, Jan. 19.
Industries, Inc. is the 12th recipient of the award. “All the recipients have laid the groundwork for us to build a community we can be proud of,” praised Isanti County Human Rights Commission Chair Steve Mulligan.
Past award recipient John Schlagel said he can’t think of a more deserving organization than Industries. He pointed out, “They work with literally any person that comes to them with any type of disability. They find a spot to make them part of their community and their family.”
“It’s such a great honor,” stated Industries Co-Executive Director Denise Johnson. “We are so proud to have been given this award.”
“It’s just treasured here,” noted Industries Marketing Director Marilee Larson. “We can barely keep the smiles off our faces.”
ABOUT INDUSTRIES, INC.
Industries, Inc. began in 1966 with a group of people who had a vision for people with disabilities.
This group opened Brighter Day Achievement Center in Mora the next year. It grew into a corporation known as Industries, Inc. by the 1970s. The organization expanded to Cambridge’s industrial park in the 1990s.
“Our entire mission is about helping clients grow in their independence,” noted Industries Co-Director Kris McNally. “We find ways for them to be independent in different areas of their life.”
“Once upon a time our clients were locked up in institutions where people thought they weren’t capable of anything,” pointed out Johnson.
Staff at Industries are perpetually battling misconceptions about what they do.
“The perception of Industries is we have people in wheelchairs who can’t do anything,” observed McNally. “They don’t understand the spectrum of people with disabilities. Half the time you don’t even know [the worker is disabled] because they are so high functioning.”
Industries focuses on helping clients achieve their highest potential. “They come to work and have a job. We pay them based on the amount of work they do,” McNally pointed out. “If they work at a higher level, they earn more.”
This provides an incentive for the clients to learn more so that they are paid more.
She praised Industries, Inc. staff members who work with clients to achieve amazing results.
WORKING TO INCREASE INDEPENDENCE
Services provided by Industries are multi-faceted.
“We have a wide array of services,” noted Johnson. “No matter what their level is or their disability, we have a service for them.”
Jobs are provided at the plants for clients. Right now, Industries provides assembly work for more than 20 local and national companies, including Cambridge Metals & Plastics, Lake Country Products, and Medtronics.
Industries, Inc. workers also go out into the community. They provide cleaning, lawn care and janitorial services. They can be full or part-time workers handling positions employers can’t keep filled. Some are directly supervised by Industries, others by the respective business.
Placements are determined based on the client’s interests and skill levels.
Many clients begin by working at Industries’ plants or on work crews. These work crews might clean Barber’s on Main or shred paper at the Isanti County Government Center. As skills increase, the client might get placed with an outside company as a dishwasher or a cook, for example.
“A lot of what we do is helping people find their niche,” said Larson.
For jobs outside the Industries office, Industries provides the training necessary at no cost, as well as follow-up and consultation. Local businesses that have hired Industries’ workers include the city of Cambridge, Grand Casino, Allina Eye Clinic, Adventure Publications, Edward Jones, New Hope Community Church and Cortec.
Industries also focuses on developing life skills for its clients with disabilities, which includes those with severe persistent mental illness (SPMI).
In all, Industries has over 200 clients working in the Mora and Cambridge communities. Eighty clients are in the work habilitation programs learning life skills. And there is a varying number of folks with SPMI being helped at Industries, Inc.
Overseeing this work is a 10-member board and about 50 staff members.
“Our clients love the community integration,” said Johnson. “They just like being a part of life and doing the work they do here to increase their independence.”

Human Rights Award Recipients
1997 Shirley Holyfield
1998 Evelyn Puffer
1999 Braham Area School Student Council
2000 Jim Donahue
2001 Louis & Barbara Leisure
2002 Richard Coland
2003 Larry Ostrom
2004 Larry Southerland
2005 Son Duong
2006 Dehl Lindstrom
2007 John & Bonnie Schlagel
2009 Industries, Inc.

Community center bill grows by $45,000

Military is charging the city for use

CAMBRIDGE – Cambridge’s new community center is going to cost the city an additional $45,000 a year.
Council members hope to recoup most of that through rental fees.
“There’s a lot of demand,” noted Cambridge City Administrator Lynda Woulfe during the Jan. 20 council meeting.
The additional $45,000 is a fee that is being charged by the military, which constructed and owns the facility.
The city is also responsible for hiring a custodian who will oversee afternoon and evening events at the center Monday to Friday. National Guard personnel will oversee events on the weekends for an additional fee ($20 an hour).
Council members are disappointed that they were paying an additional fee to the military. To entice the military to Cambridge, the city donated the land the facility is built upon (which was donated to the city by the Kelly family), and paid for utility connections at the site. Cambridge also contributed $750,000 to upgrade the building.
“I know that amount is not what the city hoped for in light of the amenities it provided to the community center,” noted Woulfe. However, she is pleased the city was able to negotiate the military down from the $65,000 fee first proposed.
Under the terms of this agreement, the city controls rental fees and the Armed Forces Readiness Center calendar.
Now that the use agreement has been approved between the military and the city, the city can begin taking reservations for events at the community center. Call 763-689-3211.
COMMUNITY CENTER FEES
Cambridge evaluated the rates being charged by the school district when it determined the fees it will be charging at the community center.
Hourly rates will be as follows:
• Assembly hall, Monday to Friday: $40
• Assembly hall, Saturday and Sunday: $60
• Assembly hall and kitchen, Monday to Friday, $75 with a maximum of $900
• Assembly hall and kitchen, Saturday and Sunday: $95 with a maximum of $1,200 per single day event
• Classrooms, Monday to Friday: $20
• Classrooms, Saturday and Sunday: $40
At this time, the city has not set up a fee schedule for fitness center use.
Woulfe questioned whether council members want to waive fees for non-profit groups.
Caulk supported reduced rates for groups like the Boy Scouts.
Shogren supported allowing non-profits free use, provided they are not charging for services.
Rates for non-profits will be discussed again at a later date, after the city’s community center task force has reviewed the issue.
CATERING SERVICES
Only one caterer will be allowed to operate out of the community center kitchen.
The city will solicit requests for proposals (RFPs) and select one caterer from those.
This is being done at the request of the military, noted Woulfe, who prefer that one company be allowed to use the equipment they have provided. Guard representatives also pointed out that they are required to adhere to strict guidelines and random cleanliness checks. The Guard is also worried about how many people will have keys to the community center.
Another pro for using only one caterer is that this company will be responsible for taking an inventory of kitchen supplies (cups, plates, silverware, etc.) to make sure nothing is missing, said Woulfe.
The community center task force unanimously supported the decision to work with only one caterer.
Council member Dave Schornstein noted his concern about creating a monopoly. “Someone could charge anything they want,” he said.
Woulfe pointed out that any caterer who wishes to submit an RFP must provide menus, sample pricing and references. This is being done so the city can evaluate whether they are charging reasonable rates.
RFPs are due via mail at city hall by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 10.