BIRD ISLAND

Training exercise prepares west-central Minnesota law enforcement officers for what 'we pray never happens'

Tom Cherveny — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 11:52:00 GMT

BIRD ISLAND, Minn. — Gunshots rang through the hallways of the former Bird Island Elementary �� as law officers in tactical gear, weapons raised, dashed toward the source amid blaring music, darkness and smoke.

On Wednesday and Thursday, law enforcement officers with the Renville County Sheriff’s Office and all of the police departments in the county participated in a training led by Mission Critical Concepts. That this training came in the wake of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, was by circumstance.

The Renville County Sheriff’s Office had hoped to conduct the training just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but had to hit the pause button due to it, explained Jason Mathwig, chief deputy with the Renville County Sheriff’s Office. Fundraising and donations by the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Backing the Blue Line in Renville County made it possible to offer the training now.

It’s all about training officers on how to respond and effectively neutralize someone who wants to cause harm in a public setting, Mathwig said.

“The more training they get, the more professional, the better they are going to be at what they do,” said Dave Sohm, Mission Critical Concepts.

Sohm is a veteran of law enforcement work in North Dakota and Kansas and with the St. Paul Police Department. He led a team of two trainers who also brought their own years of experience in military and law enforcement service as well as being part of SWAT teams.

Officers with the Renville County Sheriff’s Office and the Olivia, Renville, Fairfax and Hector police departments brought a range of their own experience. There were three new officers to the profession along with veterans who have decades of service in the county and their communities.

Each participant committed to an eight-hour curriculum which included in the mock events in the school hallways. The training focused on "quick reaction force" tactics developed by the military and adapted for law enforcement situations.

The mock events in the darkened and noise-filled hallways were designed to simulate the confusion and mayhem officers would encounter in a real situation.

One of the most important aspects of the training is to acclimate officers to the tremendous amount of stress they would experience when responding to an active shooter incident, Sohm said.

The other is the importance of training itself. Officers need to know how to respond and work together, and to practice, practice and practice.

This recent training is a continuation of an initiative launched by the Sheriff’s Office in 2018. That’s when the office began offering training on active shooter and hostile intruder response to local schools, workplaces and daycare centers, according to Mathwig. The interest and response has been good, he added.

There was a time when training like this might have been met with some skepticism by those who believed rural areas were immune to these kinds of events. Too many recent events have shown otherwise.

Mathwig and Sohm said all of the officers participating in the training arrived fully aware that they could someday be called to respond to a real situation.

At the heart of it all, the training is about saving lives, Mathwig and Sohm said.

That could include the lives of the officers. Sohm said a Navy SEAL friend of his told him a long time ago: “Your job is way more dangerous than mine.”

As a Navy SEAL, he goes into dangerous situations with a good idea of what awaits. Law enforcement officers usually don’t have that advantage.

“You walk up to the door. You have no idea what you are getting into,” said Sohm.

He and Mathwig said they want the public in Renville County to know that law enforcement is doing something about the threats that exist today. Every citizen should know that these guys are going to be there and able to respond professionally and actively if the worst happens, explained Sohm.

“We are getting prepared for that event that we pray never happens,” he said.

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Minneapolis artist creating textile depth one fiber at a time

Shelby Lindrud — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 12:11:00 GMT

BIRD ISLAND — One might not think there is a lot in common between weaving and computers. But, in fact, they both use very simple base ingredients — 0s and 1s for computers and threads for weaving — to create very complex creations. Textile artist Heather MacKenzie, of Minneapolis, has merged those two components into her art.

"Weaving is a very systematic pursuit," MacKenzie said. "In part, that is how my mind works."

For the month of March, MacKenzie is showcasing several of her pieces in an exhibit at the Bird Island Cultural Centre titled "Textile in Code." The pieces, ranging in size, color and material, span a number of years and different themes of MacKenzie's art.

"They come from a few bodies of work I feel have resonance. And maybe that resonance is just in me and interests I gravitate towards," MacKenzie said.

For the love of math and weaving

MacKenzie said she has always enjoyed math and computers.

"I was definitely a nerd growing up," MacKenzie said. "I loved math and I was in the computer science club in school."

Her private high school in Michigan also offered her the chance to use her creative side through a tremendous art program, including a loom. MacKenzie, who did art crafts with her parents, was able to start weaving at 15, and a new passion was created.

"Weaving brought in a lot of mathematics that I already loved," MacKenzie said.

She attended Brown University where she earned her bachelor's in visual arts. But it wasn't until she received a fellowship to travel and learn weaving in the West African country of Ghana that MacKenzie said she really found her calling.

While the United States has a rich handicraft history, weaving is woven into the culture in other nations. In Ghana, as well as India, Iceland and France where MacKenzie was also able to study and create art, she learned how weaving and textiles can be more than just pretty, but have much deeper and complex meanings.

"It really is part of the world, embedded in the political landscape," MacKenzie said.

The relationship between weaving and computers became even more realized for MacKenzie while she was earning her Master of Fine Arts in fiber and material studies from the �� of the Art Institute of Chicago. There, she first was able to try a computer-assisted loom.

MacKenzie still does all the weaving by hand, but most of the preparation work for her designs is done in the Photoshop software program. She enjoys creating on these looms so much she is getting her own this summer, perhaps one of the first in the state.

"That really changed my mind on what cloth could be, what textile could mean, and made a very direct connection for me in my mind between weaving and computers," MacKenzie said.

A process of creation

MacKenzie doesn't have just one way she creates her art. Sometimes she has a specific weaving in mind; other times it is a theme or thought that she wants to build a show around.

"It is often a very slow progression," MacKenzie said. "It is a lot of thinking, a lot of writing, a lot of researching, digging in."

MacKenzie's pieces deal with varied, complex and even controversial issues and themes such as gender, sexuality, class and geography. She wants her pieces to show how humanity has woven itself into many different shapes to try and fit into a box — but also the exact opposite. Humans can create many codes and systems that allow a person to thrive, either individually or in a larger group.

"I am much more interested in complicated things," MacKenzie said.

A theme MacKenzie has dived into extensively is queerness, a topic to which she has a personal connection. A few of her pieces in the Bird Island show have that woven into their meaning. In her explanation on how she represents queerness in her art, MacKenzie said she loves to create weavings that illustrate not fitting into a "normal" box.

"To be queer, behave queerly, peer through a queer lens is in simple terms to not fit neatly into a box, and might mean using the box for a very different purpose than what may have been intended," MacKenzie said. "Rewriting the code, the meaning."

MacKenzie's love of complicated themes also flows into how she weaves. Even her most two-dimensional pieces are intricate in their own ways. The creation of the actual piece can take MacKenzie in many different directions. She has learned to try to be patient, especially with her more complicated pieces, because sometimes she won't know how a piece will turn out until it comes off the loom.

"I do really love technical weaving challenges. I really love working with weaving in a sculpture or origami sort of way," MacKenzie said. "I could weave like that happily for a very long time."

Once the work is completed. MacKenzie has to decide how to hang or exhibit it in a space. A handwoven measuring tape, 100 meters in length, has been exhibited in a variety of different ways, from lying in a pile to forming an American flag or an abstract square. In Bird Island, it looks like a traditional quilt pattern.

"That is one of my favorite pieces, because it has life and it can be reimagined every time," MacKenzie said. "I like the continued movement in that."

Sharing her work with a new audience

MacKenzie has created and shown her art across the country and the globe. But she has never had a show in greater Minnesota. This is what makes her Bird Island exhibit so special.

"I am super curious to see how it will be perceived," MacKenzie said.

MacKenzie moved to Minneapolis about five years ago for personal reasons. And while the relationship ended, MacKenzie found a new home in the North Star State, a state that seems to really appreciate and support artists and their work.

"Minnesota is a great place for art, both in the cities and outside," MacKenzie said. "There is a lot of funding and there is a lot of support for it."

And while she loves the city, she does believe there is a bit of a bias toward the large metro area when it comes to art. MacKenzie firmly believes people should have access to all kinds of art, including the unconventional, no matter where they live, which is why she answered the call from the Bird Island Cultural Centre.

"If people are interested in it, they should have access to it," MacKenzie said.

In 2019. Rosemary Glesener, from the Bird Island Cultural Centre, put a notice in the newsletter of the Weavers Guild, looking for artists to exhibit. MacKenzie reached out and the two began planning for the show. Then the pandemic hit, pushing the opening from fall 2020 to spring 2022.

"This is an exhibit that has been a long time in the making," MacKenzie said.

Now that the show is up and open for public viewing, MacKenzie is glad she said yes. An artist's reception is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. March 25 at the center. The exhibit itself is on display through March 30 and open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. MacKenzie is looking forward to meeting people at the reception and hearing how they experience the art.

"I am excited to know what people think, to have some response," MacKenzie said.

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Unique Bird Island house earns spot on National Register of Historic Places

Carolyn Lange — Sat, 28 Aug 2021 17:30:00 GMT

BIRD ISLAND, Minn. — Standing like a solid sentry at the entrance to Bird Island on U.S. Highway 212, the Tinnes-Baker House gained a new title and new prestige this spring.

Built in 1910 in a Craftsman style that was unique to small towns at that time, the red brick bungalow with a wide-open front porch where tea parties had been held decades ago has won a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.

It earned a place on the select list because of its local significance as an example of Craftsman residential architecture, and is the only single-family residential building in Renville County on the National Register of Historic Places.

It may take a year or two before all the dreams are realized, but plans are being made to have the grand home open to the public.

The building will “always stay as part of the community,” said Mary Glesener, who, along with her husband, Mark, purchased it in 2017.

The couple donated the house to the Bird Island Cultural Centre, a nonprofit arts organization they also operate. They have visions of using the four upstairs bedrooms as lodging for artists who come to town for events. They would like to use the main floor as an old-fashioned candy shop with gelato and Italian ice served up to entice travelers going east to the Twin Cities or those going west on Highway 212, which is also part of the Yellowstone Trail.

There’s some work to do before that all happens.

“There’s a lot of things we need to work out but it’s not a problem, it’s just a little challenge, right?” said Mary, giving a side glance to her husband.

“We’ve done it before, we’ll do it again,” he responded.

In the early 1990s, the Gleseners developed a successful treatment facility in Bird Island for adults with traumatic brain injury. They sold the business and retired in 2016 and started the Bird Island Cultural Centre while at the same time operating a bed & breakfast “without the breakfast” in Mark’s family home right next door.

She and her husband are both “workers,” said Mary, and are confident their vision for the Tinnes-Baker House will be realized.

Early history

According to an evaluation and nomination report conducted as part of the application process to the National Register of Historic Places, the house was built by a go-getter named Lewie Tinnes.

Born in 1876 in Bird Island, Tinnes was a mechanic, plumber and inventor who filed a patent for at least one item. His hopes of the invention making him rich and famous didn’t come to fruition, however, and Tinnes tried his hand at several business ventures, including a machine shop, before leaving town in 1914.

The house was then purchased by James Baker, a young lawyer who eventually served as the Renville County attorney before dying in 1930 at the age of 50.

His wife, Mathilda, lived in the house for another 48 years, until she died in 1978, according to the nomination report, which was conducted by Daniel Hoisington, from Hoisington Preservation Consultants.

There had been few if any changes made in the home when it was purchased in 1978 by Pat Saunders, whom the Gleseners credit for restoring the original luster of the house.

There were several other owners and the building housed unique businesses over the years, including a shop where sewing classes were taught, a clothing boutique and an antique store.

During all that time, the Gleseners said the original woodwork, wood floors, windows with the wavy glass, room layout, fireplace and other classic architectural features of a Craftsman bungalow were retained. Even the large brick cistern in the basement remains intact.

Having a structure like this in Bird Island — with original construction elements untouched — was key to its historic relevance.

What makes it special

It isn’t easy earning a place on the National Register of Historic Places.

The process began shortly after the Gleseners purchased the house in 2017. They were notified this April that it had been accepted.

There are four options for qualifying for the list, including being associated with significant historical events, being associated with significant people, having architectural significance or yielding information important in prehistoric times.

Although Baker was a Renville County attorney, that wasn’t enough of a distinction to make the house special in terms of historic significance.

But the home’s unique features were significant enough.

The one-and-a-half story home is a “middle-class expression of the Craftsman style” that also has some Prairie-style features that could reflect the “influence of the Prairie-style of architecture made popular by Frank Lloyd Wright,” according to the report.

Located at its original location on 801 Highway Avenue, the house “retains a high level of integrity with its original windows, siding, roof form, door trim, full-width front porch, and cantilevered bay,” writes Hoisington.

“What makes it remarkable is that it is found in a relatively small Minnesota town — some 1,000 residents, give-or-take, over the last century — and it is of brick construction.”

Future plans

A condition assessment by Engan Associates Architects of Willmar, Minnesota, is underway to determine what structural repairs are needed to maintain the integrity of the building.

“They’ll go top to bottom,” said Mark Glesener, documenting the current status of the structure and what is needed to “preserve it and upgrade it.”

It’s expected that upgrades will be needed to the electrical wiring, plumbing and front steps.

Eventually, a summer kitchen may need to be added in the back of the house to produce food sold in the sweet shop, said Mary Glesener.

Because the house is now on the list of historic places, grants are available to help fund those projects. Local fundraising efforts are also underway.

The Gleseners said they hope to have the projects completed and have the home open to the public in about two years.

Unique Bird Island house earns spot on National Register of Historic Places

The Tinnes-Baker House in Bird Island has craftsman residential architecture, and is currently the only single-family residential building in Renville County on the National Register of Historic Places. Erica Dischino / West Central Tribune

Mark Glesener stands on the staircase of the historic Tinnes-Baker House on June 9, 2021, in Bird Island. The Gleseners hope to complete a handful of projects, including turning the upstairs bedrooms of the house into lodging for artists-in-residence, before opening the building to the public. Erica Dischino / West Central Tribune

The original woodwork and wood floors of the Tinnes-Baker House were two of the several elements that qualified it for the National Register of Historic Places. Erica Dischino / West Central Tribune

The windows with wavy glass were retained at the Tinnes-Baker House in Bird Island. Erica Dischino / West Central Tribune

Unique Bird Island house earns spot on National Register of Historic Places

The original woodwork and wood floors of the Tinnes-Baker House were two of the several elements that qualified it for the National Register of Historic Places. Erica Dischino / West Central Tribune

The windows with wavy glass were retained at the Tinnes-Baker House in Bird Island. Erica Dischino / West Central Tribune

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VIDEO: Surprise visitor to southwest Minnesota farmer's fields believed to be wolf

Tom Cherveny — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 23:32:48 GMT

OLIVIA, Minn. — For those who stared with disbelief at the double-digit, below-zero temperatures on their thermometers earlier this week, consider what Sheldon and Mary Dawn Hatch saw outside their windows.

What appeared to be a wolf was walking across a farm field Tuesday near their farm home north of Olivia.

Sheldon Hatch said he was coming home for a noon dinner when he spotted the animal near the barn and thought at first it might be a deer until he took a better look.

"That isn't a deer," he said.

He went into the house to tell Mary Dawn to grab a phone to get a photo, and they soon called friend and Renville County Sheriff’s Deputy Karla Koplin, who was on duty at the time.

Koplin caught up with the animal north of Bird Island, where she captured video of the animal as it made its way eastward, crossing a farm field and road. The officer has responded to other reports of Northwoods animals roaming farm country, but this was her first call for a wolf, she said.

“This job is so much fun, there are different things that happen all the time,” said Brett Wiltrout, a conservation officer with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in Hutchinson. He too responded to the report about the wolf and was able to observe it as well. It was walking across an open field, in no apparent hurry and seemingly unconcerned about bitter cold.

Wiltrout said the animal had all of the appearance and characteristics of a wolf. Its body size, coloring and the mechanics of its stride all appeared to be that of a wolf and not that of a coyote or dog. He measured the animal’s tracks in the snow. They were nearly four inches in length.

“But you never know 100% without DNA analysis,” he said. He noted too that wolves are protected animals.

Rare in the area

Cory Netland, wildlife manager with the DNR in New London, said reports of wolves in this area of the state are very rare, but they do happen. He knows of at least two prior situations. One animal had been found near Paynesville and another near Silver Lake after being struck by vehicles. Olivia is about 32 miles south of Willmar.

Netland said testing on the animal found near Paynesville showed it to be more than 90 percent wolf, but it also had a percentage of dog DNA. It is not illegal to keep wolf-dog hybrids, so it is possible that the animal had escaped from captivity. He’s not aware if the DNA of the Silver Lake animal had been tested.

As for the Renville County lone wolf, Netland agreed with Wiltrout: It would require a DNA analysis to confirm that it was a wolf rather than a wolf-dog hybrid. He’s viewed photos and video of the Renville County lone wolf and agrees it has all the characteristics of a wolf. It’s certainly not a coyote, he said.

It is not unusual for wolves to wander from the forests of northern Minnesota. Prior to European settlement, wolves were a part of the southern Minnesota landscape as well.

Netland noted that his office receives reports of animals associated with the Northwoods being spotted in the area from time to time. This year there have been sightings of bobcats in the Minnesota River Valley of Renville County. Through the years there have also been sightings of wandering moose and elk in the region, he said.

There are more frequent reports of bears in the region. This past year his office received a number of different reports of bear sightings.

Deputy Koplin is aware of previous sightings of wandering moose and even elk in Renville County, and in one case a roadkill bear near Morton.

“Now a wolf. It’s not something we see every day,” she laughed.

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West-central Minnesota COVID-19 patient praised for quick action

Tom Cherveny — Wed, 18 Mar 2020 23:33:38 GMT

BIRD ISLAND, Minn. — Three days after returning to his home in Bird Island from a trip to California, John O’Neill started to experience body aches and a low-grade fever.

The 68-year-old man’s response to what seemed like a minor bout of influenza can be credited with stopping the COVID-19 virus in its tracks. He self-isolated himself in a room at his home in Bird Island, a small town of about 1,000 in west-central Minnesota. His spouse, Pat, quarantined herself in their home as well.

“John and his family did exactly what our protocol says,” said Jill Bruns, public health director in Renville County. She credits Renville County’s first coronavirus patient with preventing the community spread of the novel virus.

O’Neill was tested at Carris Health - Rice Memorial Hospital on Tuesday, March 10, and about 72 hours later, on Friday the 13th, he received the call. He had tested positive for the virus.

He ventured outside on Wednesday for the first time since his self-isolation began on March 7 to speak to local reporters about his experience and recovery. He is symptom-free and feeling well in all respects. He said the Minnesota Department of Health told him he cannot transmit the virus at this point.

Pat O’Neill has shown no signs of infection and is believed virus-free as well, he said.

O’Neill said he really didn’t believe that he might be infected by the coronavirus when those first, mild symptoms developed. He had mild symptoms on two days, March 7 and 8. By March 9 he was feeling fine.

O’Neill is a cancer survivor and has had major heart surgery in the past, so is very mindful of health matters. He said two things motivated him to pursue testing for the virus after his symptoms appeared.

He wanted to be able to accompany his sister on a medical trip to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, but only if he did not pose a risk to anyone.

And on March 10 —when his symptoms had abated — he read that Rancho Mirage, Calif., reported its first two cases of coronavirus.

He and his wife had been in Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage from their arrival in California on Feb. 19 and until their return by plane to Minneapolis on March 4.

He called his doctor and explained the symptoms he’d experienced and told him about his travels. He also called Bruns at the public health office in Olivia.

He said it took some persistence, but on March 10 he hopped in his pickup truck and drove to Willmar for the test. He donned a face mask to walk from his pickup truck to the Rice Hospital Emergency Room for the test.

Getting the positive test result almost 72 hours later came as a shock, he said.

He said he can’t say enough about the guidance and help he received from all of the area health care providers and the Minnesota Department of Health. Within minutes of the positive test result, he was being queried by the department on his travels and any people he had contacted after his return home. In the first two days after he returned home, and before he self-isolated, O’Neill said he did some banking, swam laps at the Olivia pool, and visited with friends.

O’Neill can only speculate whether he contracted the virus while in California or on the plane ride home. The Palm Springs Airport was very crowded as people were avoiding the Los Angeles International Airport, he said.

What’s surprising, he said, is that his wife, Pat, was meticulous about taking precautions while they were in California. He called her the biggest “germaphobe you ever met.” Pat used disinfectant wipes to clean everything in their hotel rooms, and even the dinner tables, chairs and armrests at the restaurants they visited. “That’s why I was really shocked. I was doused with chlorine the whole time we were gone,” he said, laughing.

The self-imposed exile at home in Bird Island was made possible by the help of many friends. “If we need anything, all we have to do is make the call and it shows up sitting on our front step,” said O’Neill. Sometimes he’d look out to see surprise treats waiting on the steps.

As a cancer survivor, O’Neill considers his immune system to be compromised. However, he takes care of himself. While on the trip and for those first two days after returning home, he continued his practice of working out by swimming laps and jogging.

Bruns said he is clearly fortunate to have dealt with only a relatively minor case of the virus. O’Neill said his fever reached only 100.8, and his body aches were not terrible. He said he had very little in the way of a cough and no shortness of breath. He rested in his room and did a lot of reading, he said.

People have been wary of the family after word spread of the illness. Kelly O’Neill, his daughter-in-law, said the family has had some people express concerns and avoid them. Bruns said it is important that we all take precautions to avoid spreading the disease, but we should also know that O’Neill cannot spread the disease.

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100-megawatt wind farm proposed in Renville County, Minn.

Tom Cherveny / Forum News Service — Tue, 11 Dec 2018 01:03:30 GMT

BIRD ISLAND, Minn. -- One of the country’s largest wind power developers is proposing to build a 100-megawatt wind farm in Renville County, which would be the largest wind project in the region.

EDP Renewables of Houston, Texas, hosted an open house Wednesday evening, Dec. 5, in Bird Island to explain the project. The company was not obligated to hold the meeting as part of a permitting process. It wanted to provide information to the public because it is aware that discussion is occurring as county residents learn about the plans, according to David Neely, project manager for what is currently being called the Renville County Wind Farm.

“We want to be as transparent as possible with the overall community,’’ Neely said. “Here’s who we are and what we’d like to do.”

The company is proposing to erect 23 to 26 turbines, each with an approximate 4-megawatt capacity, in Kingman and Osceola townships north of Bird Island and south of the Renville-Kandiyohi County line. The turbines would be atop 345-foot-tall towers, according to the current plans.

To date, the company has 50 landowners interested in hosting turbines in an area covering 11,000 acres. The actual footprint will likely be smaller, Neely said.

The company will need approval from the state Public Utilities Commission for the project. It has already undertaken studies looking at avian and bat populations, bird migrations, and whether the project would affect critical habitat or species of special concern as part of the permitting process. Initial work shows the project to be “relatively benign” from a wildlife perspective since it would be built in an area that is used almost entirely for agriculture.

The company said the wind farm would pay $500,000 to $600,000 a year in production taxes to Renville County, with a portion of that going to the hosting townships. It expects annual payments of $600,000 to $700,000 to property owners in the project area.

The ability to connect to the regional power grid on a major transmission line running to the Panther substation near Bird Island was one of the factors that led the company to Renville County. There is enough room to add more power to the line there, Neely said. Finding capacity on transmission lines is very critical for the siting of wind farms, he noted.

The proposed wind farm location is also in relative proximity to potential customers for the electricity it would generate. “There’s a lot of interested buyers for the power in this particular area,’’ Neely said.

The area also has a good wind resource, according to data the company has been collecting on a meteorological tower installed in 2011. It is now adding two other monitoring towers in the area.

If all goes as hoped, Neely said the company intends to begin construction in mid-2020.

A 100-megawatt wind farm would be the area’s largest to date, but it is the standard size for farms being developed by EDP Renewables. The company currently has 46 wind farms in the U.S. with a total of 2,900 turbines. The company is rated fourth in the U.S. for wind power capacity.

The company has found landowner support in the area it needs for a project to go forward, according to Neely.

Changes in wind power technology that are making turbines larger and more powerful -- but also quieter -- also play a role in the company’s selection of the Renville County site, according to Neely. The new technology allows the company to take advantage of a wind resource that is not as powerful as is found in places such as western Kansas or Minnesota’s Buffalo Ridge.

Larger and quieter technology also means the landscape does not hold as many turbines, he pointed out. The company has a policy of siting turbines no closer than 1,500 feet from residences, which is double the state’s requirement.

Along with tax revenues and payments to landowners, the project would create an estimated 100 construction jobs and eight permanent jobs for the area, according to EDP Renewables.

The company is not disclosing the estimated cost for constructing the wind farm. Windustry, an industry trade group, reports on its website that “most commercial-scale turbines installed today are 2 megawatt in size and cost roughly $3 to $4 million installed.”

In the region, construction is nearly complete on an 18-turbine, 44.6-megawatt Palmer Creek wind farm near Granite Falls. The area’s first large wind farms were the Meeker County projects near Cosmos and Grove City. Originally known as the Adams and Danielson wind farms, they have a combined capacity of 40 megawatts.

Norfolk Wind once sought to erect turbines near Bird Island

BIRD ISLAND, Minn. -- EDP Renewables’ proposal to build a wind farm near Bird Island is not the first time this area of Renville County has been considered for a renewable energy project.

A decade ago, a group of local investors known as Norfolk Wind Energy LLC was very interested in developing what would have been a 40-megawatt wind farm just south of the community. The proximity to a major transmission line and a substation that can serve as the on-ramp to it attracted the group’s attention.

The group had to abandon its plans after spending about $750,000 toward the project, with about $500,000 of that amount coming from a large company interested in the renewable energy it would produce, according to David Scheibel of Bird Island, the group’s former president.

“A matter of timing,” said Scheibel, explaining that the challenges at that point in time worked against the investors.

When the group looked to develop its project, demand by prospective wind developers to transmit power basically overwhelmed the entity that oversees the regional transmission grid, according to Scheibel. Known as the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO, it wanted project developers to contribute to the costs for upgrades to the transmission system, including a line running from Rochester to LaCrosse, Wisconsin, Scheibel said.

MISO initially proposed an interconnection fee for Norfolk Wind that exceeded any potential payout available through a power purchase agreement, he said.

Norfolk Wind also was wanting to sell power at a time when major utilities were looking to buy electricity in larger blocks than the 40 megawatts it could offer, he added.

Norfolk also looked at a potential solar power project in the area, but without success. “We chased a lot of avenues trying to get a project together,” said Scheibel.

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Celebrating like champions in Bird Island

Tom Cherveny — Tue, 24 Jul 2018 03:00:18 GMT

BIRD ISLAND, Minn.-A two-hour visit of the Stanley Cup to Bird Island attracted visitors Monday afternoon, July 23, from both ends of Minnesota and beyond, easily doubling if not tripling the population of the Renville County community of roughly 1,000 people.

"How many people? A lot," said Renville County Sheriff Scott Hable who, like everyone else, could only guess how many people lined up for a 10-second opportunity to stand by the National Hockey League championship trophy and have their photo taken.

The official photographer snapped images of at least 600 groups before it was all over, with groups ranging in size from one to several people. At the 1 p.m. start Monday, there was a three-block lineup of people on the city sidewalk along U.S. Highway 212 leading to the Broaster restaurant and the parking lot where the trophy was placed.

The people at the head of the line were from Watertown, S.D., having arrived at 9:30 a.m. Monday. Hable heard there were some who had come from Wisconsin. Organizers even heard of foreign visitors from Saudi Arabia and Australia who happened to be in the state and came to see the Stanley Cup.

The good news is that everyone who came to have their photograph with the Cup had the chance. The lineup of people ended by 2:30 p.m., and Hable reported the entire event went very well.

All of it left the man responsible for bringing the Cup to Bird Island feeling "humble."

"To just sit here and see people's faces, excited and elated," said Jason Serbus of what he enjoyed the most. He joined the championship Washington Capitals as the head athletic director one year ago, and was among those chosen to take advantage of the tradition of having the Stanley Cup for a day.

Serbus is a Bird Island native, and his mother, Val, is a volunteer with the Tim Orth Memorial Foundation. Foundation members organized the event, and those who came for photos offered donations to support it.

Before the trophy reached the public showing outside the Broaster restaurant, the Serbus family indulged in a dream of their own, serving ice cream from the Cup at the family home.

Serbus arrived in a Bird Island fire truck carrying the Cup, hoisting it over his head as people applauded. He had done the same in Washington, D.C., before a crowd estimated at 500,000 after the Capitals won the coveted trophy.

At the public display in Bird Island, babies were hoisted into the Cup for photos, and others kissed and rubbed it.

Richard Pearson of New London was among those who placed his six-month-old daughter, Gwen, in the Cup. He would not let his two sons touch it, however, stating that he was well-aware of the jinx that no one who touches it will ever win it.

Along with wanting to see the Cup, Pearson said the family also thought it was a great opportunity to support the Tim Orth Foundation and its work. The organization helps families in the area who have children facing major medical challenges.

"Just to see the Cup," said Ramona Kastner and Linda Neuman of New Ulm and Harris, respectively, as to why the two women-and hockey fans-made the trip.

Alan Poff and his son, Sam, came from Granite Falls sporting Capitals attire. Alan Poff said he and his wife had lived in Washington, D.C., for a number of years, and had been Capitals fans.

"To see the Cup, and Bird Island, of course," said Poff when asked why he made the trip.

Mike Ingalls and 12-year-old grandson Lance made the trip from Monticello.

"Actually got to see a crop duster on the way," said Mike Ingalls. He admitted that he had to pull out a map to find Bird Island before making the trip. He said he still remembers seeing the Cup when it was in Bloomington in 1991.

John and Liz Herbeck made the trip to Bird Island from Belle Plaine. John Herbeck said he went to school in North Dakota when the Capitals' Shane Gersich played for the University of North Dakota. Herbeck said he jumped at the chance when he learned the Cup would be in Bird Island. "Where else can I see it?" he asked.

While not everyone might associate Bird Island with hockey, the small town's role as the capital of the State of Hockey for an afternoon was not without merit.

Val Serbus, mother of Jason, was quick to point out that her children and most of the children in the small town grew up playing pond hockey on a small pond just a few blocks from where the Cup was on display.

Just down the highway in the Renville County community of Danube, the local Athletic Association built a hockey rink a couple of years ago to promote the sport and outdoor athletics for youth.

John Benson built a trophy for the Danube Athletic Association's hockey champions based on the Stanley Cup, and he and Jim Standfuss, whose team won the trophy this last winter, came to have their photo taken with both trophies.

Celebrating like champions in Bird Island

John Benson holds the Danube Cup, a victory cup given to a hockey club teams in Danube, Minn., that he held while taking a photo with the Stanley Cup in Bird Island, Minn., Monday, July 23. Erica Dischino / Forum News Service

Jason Serbus, Bird Island, Minn., native and head athletic trainer for the Washington Capitals, gives his signed photo to a fan when the Stanley Cup visited Bird Island Monday, July 23. Erica Dischino / Forum News Service

Jason Serbus, Bird Island, Minn., native and head athletic trainer for the Washington Capitals, signs autographs when the Stanley Cup visited Bird Island Monday, July 23. Erica Dischino / Forum News Service

Ava Zetah, 12, gives the Stanley Cup a kiss when the Stanley Cup visited Bird Island, Minn., Monday, July 23. Erica Dischino / Forum News Service

People line the sidewalk of U.S. Highway 212 to view the Stanley Cup in Bird Island, Minn., Monday, July 23. Erica Dischino / Forum News Service

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Washington Capitals trainer brings Stanley Cup home to Minnesota

Joseph Brown — Mon, 23 Jul 2018 23:30:00 GMT

BIRD ISLAND, Minn. - Hockey was supposed to be a one-year venture for Jason Serbus.

Serbus, a BOLD High �� graduate, thought being an athletic trainer for football would be his lot in life. The Bird Island native played football for the Warriors, and the town isn't exactly a hockey hotbed like Roseau or Warroad.

But, as Jason put it, "Life has a way of taking you down a journey."

Jason's professional journey brought him back home Monday to the parking lot of The Broaster in Bird Island with the Stanley Cup in tow. As the head athletic trainer for the Washington Capitals, Jason Serbus' name is now etched into one of sports' most prestigious championship trophies.

"By a strange twist of job changes, I ended up with a hockey job," Jason said. "I was going to do it for one year and get back into football and things just kind of built an ran from there. And that was 20 years ago."

The people around the sport is what ultimately kept Jason around the rink.

"I found out I really liked the people," he said. "I had a lot of similarities to where hockey players come from, the types of backgrounds they come from and the industry fit me well. It's been a natural fit and it's gone well from there."

And for a sport that wasn't in Jason's future plans, it also brought him something better than the Stanley Cup: a family. At the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Jason managed to meet his wife in the trainer's room.

"I was a soccer player and a hockey player (at UW-RF) and he was my trainer," said Paula Serbus, Jason's wife.

With Paula being a former hockey player and their 9-year-old son, Garrett, being a "hockey and Cup historian," according to Mom, the Serbus family has found a balance with the sports life. Much like the players, the job of a hockey trainer involves a lot of road trips and uncertainty from year to year. This past winter was Jason's first with the Capitals after a nine-year stint with the Arizona Coyotes.

"It can be challenging. We spend a lot of time away from home, we spend a lot of time on the road and that means moving as things happen in the sports industry," Jason said. "We make the most of our time together. We're blessed to have the experience to do something like (bring the Stanley Cup to Bird Island)."

Paula added, "We're both very attached to our hometowns and our midwestern roots, but it's been amazing to experience other places and other cultures."

An 82-game regular season is a grind. Over the course of the postseason, the Capitals had 24 extra games, including the five-game Stanley Cup Championship series against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Jason and the Capitals' training staff had their own gameplan in the postseason to help keep the team as fresh as possible in a deep playoff run.

"Going into the playoffs, we made a strategy that we were going to come up with some routines and protect their recovery and stick with what's working," Jason said. "It paid off; we were able to keep guys going. The players did a good job with their preparation and recovery and now, going into a short offseason, they have to rethink their strategies a little bit to give them time to recover and be ready for next year."

Along with droves of people taking pictures and kissing the Stanley Cup, Jason got to be in uncharted territory Monday as he signed autographs and shook hands with people who made the trek down to Bird Island's only traffic light.

"It was a haul, but it was worth every minute," said Mark Gatzemeyer, who along with his son Jared made the 40-mile trek from New London, Minn.

"The players are the ones that do get all the glory, and rightfully so," Paula said as Jason signed pictures of himself hoisting the Cup. "But there are a ton of people behind the scenes that are just as successful and just as important to the success of the team. It's nice to see the kudos once in a while, even though he'd much rather be behind the scenes instead of in front."

And to think, hockey was once viewed as a short-term solution.

"It is surreal," Jason said. "It's something when you're in the hockey business, you're humbled to know, someday, you work in an industry where someday it could happen. ... You get the call from the Hockey Hall of Fame and they ask you where you'd like to go. You explain to them, without a doubt, that you want to take the Stanley Cup home."

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Lions International elects future leader from rural southern Minnesota

Tom Cherveny — Thu, 19 Jul 2018 18:32:14 GMT

BIRD ISLAND, Minn. - Harry Truman held the highest office in the land, yet was always proud to boast that the small town of Independence, Missouri, was his home.

And so it is for Brian Sheehan, who will soon be leading Lions International, with 1.47 million members in over 47,000 clubs in more than 200 countries.

Bird Island is home for Sheehan, and he is more than happy to tell others about it.

"We just love this community. I talk about it globally," said Sheehan of the town of about 1,000 people.

The Lions elected him their international third vice president at the international convention earlier this month in Las Vegas. It puts the 60-year-old Sheehan on track to lead the organization as its president in 2021, which will be exactly 100 years after the last Minnesotan held the office.

It's no exaggeration when Sheehan says he speaks globally about his hometown in Renville County. He's just 100,000 miles shy of 1 million miles of air travel as part of his globetrotting duties with Lions.

All of this travel, really, because of Bird Island. He joined the Bird Island Lions Club in 1991. He said he was inspired by his father, Fabian, who was among its charter members in 1964.

Fabian Sheehan started Sheehan Gas and delivered propane fuel to area farms. Brian and his siblings developed computer programming that helped his father calculate when to deliver propane to his customers based on heating degree days and their usage patterns.

It was the start of Rural Computer Consultants, the company that Sheehan and some of his siblings lead today.

As CEO, Sheehan spends many of his working hours telecommuting while flying around the world. His focus on technology is one of his goals for Lions-he's working on using technology to better connect Lions and help them recruit young members.

Ever since Robert Putnam authored "Bowling Alone'' in 2000, it's been no secret that membership by young people in community organizations has been waning in the country. But Sheehan said he steps into a Lions organization that is seeing some success in bucking this trend: Membership in the Lions is growing, with more members today than ever before.

"The younger generation wants to volunteer as much as anybody else,'' Sheehan said. "They don't want to sit in meetings. They want to get on the ground.''

Getting boots on the ground and performing community service is exactly what Lions is all about, according to Sheehan.

Sheehan said the Lions are also welcoming more women to the ranks. Today, about 37 percent of the membership is female, he said. The current Lions president, Gudrun Bjort Yngvadottir of Gardabaer, Iceland, is the first female to hold the office.

No different than when he joined, Sheehan said new members are looking for the chance to help their community as well as to socialize.

Local clubs choose their own projects, and on the international level, Lions support projects and partnerships aimed at vision, hunger, environment and diabetes. Each year, the financial arm of Lions International provides $60 million to major projects.

The Lions are all volunteers, Sheehan included. All of his work as third vice president is on a voluntary basis. Support from his partners and co-workers at Rural Computer Consultants, his wife, Lori, and family, make his role as an international leader for Lions possible, he said.

"I couldn't do this myself,'' he said.

He jokingly tells his fellow international board members that as president, he will be inviting them to Bird Island for meetings in the Island Ballroom, where they will dine on funeral hotdish.

"One of the things I love about this organization is it is a huge family,'' Sheehan said. "You automatically bond with them because they want to accomplish the same things. It's like one huge family.''

And it will be a bigger one, if Sheehan realizes his goal as president to bring membership up to 1.5 million.

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Stanley Cup coming to small west-central Minnesota town

Tom Cherveny — Tue, 10 Jul 2018 20:42:28 GMT

BIRD ISLAND - A small west-central Minnesota town of just over 1,000 residents will get to see the Stanley Cup, thanks to the Washington Capitals head trainer.

The Stanley Cup is on its way to the Renville County community of Bird Island on Monday, July 23, one day after a visit to Virginia, Minn., and fresh from its travels to Moscow, Russia, and Prague, Czech Republic, where thousands were expected to have welcomed it.

The trophy will be on display in Bird Island from 1 to 3 p.m. July 23 at The Broaster restaurant or about one-half block from the only traffic lights in the community.

"Honored and humbled to be coming here,'' said Jason Serbus, who is responsible for making possible the visit of one of the most coveted trophies in professional sports.

Serbus is a Bird Island native and the head athletic trainer for the Washington Capitals. The team became the National Hockey League Stanley Cup champions for the first time this June.

By tradition, the players and others who are part of the championship team each get a day to take the trophy to a destination of their choosing. The Capital's star players Alex Ovechkin and Jakub Urana, natives of Russia and the Czech Republic, respectively, recently brought the Cup to their hometowns to celebrate the team's championship.

The Capital's defenseman Matt Niskanen is responsible for the trophy's appearance in Virginia one day prior to the Bird Island visit. Niskanen played for the Virginia/Mountain Iron/Buhl boys' hockey team, the Blue Devils, before playing for the University of Minnesota, Duluth.

Serbus said he had no hesitation in his mind where he would bring the trophy if given the opportunity to be among those chosen to do so. Along with putting his hometown on the map, he's hoping the visit will benefit the Tim Orth Memorial Foundation.

A freewill donation is being asked of those who would like to use their camera or phone to snap a photo next to the Stanley Cup. The Foundation assists the families of children in west central Minnesota who are facing substantial medical expenses.

Jason Serbus is the son of Steve and Val Serbus and a BOLD High �� graduate. Val Serbus has been a volunteer with the Tim Orth Memorial Foundation since its start. Jason, his wife, Paula, and their son Garrett have been cheering for the Capitals since Serbus accepted his current position one year ago. He previously was the head athletic trainer for the Arizona Coyotes.

The Capitals won the Stanley Cup in Game 5, downing the Vegas Golden Knights, 4-3. Serbus described the playoff run, and the excitement of winning the Stanley Cup, in one word: "Overwhelming."

Tim Orth Memorial Foundation members are organizing the Stanley Cup visit to Bird Island. In a town where the annual Polka Fest and Island Day celebrations are otherwise the summer's two big events, they are hopeful this event will prove every bit as successful and as celebratory. They encourage anyone with an interest in hockey to come and join the fun, rain or shine.

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