Roger Becker, who has served as mayor for 24 years, was re-elected with 88 votes. His challengers Pam Horton and Craig Lowden each received 41 votes.

Residents re-elected Elizabeth Frahm to a four-year term on the City Council with 106 votes and elected Sheri Lowden with 74 votes. Challengers Rebecca Brockoff and Linda Stark received 59 and 45 votes respectively.

Doug Munsch was unopposed for the two-year term of office. He received 138 votes.

Current Gaylord City Council members Carl Wetzel and Brenda Pautsch have filed for mayor. The mayor has a two-year term. Pautsch’s term on the Council will expire the end of this year. Doug Quast, Gaylord’s mayor, announced last week that he would not be seeking re-election.

Four candidates have filed for three seats on the Gaylord City Council. They are incumbent Jessica Uecker, Susan Schmitt, Jim Landaas, and Shawn Losure.

Races have developed for mayor and City Council in New Auburn.

Pam Horton and Craig Lowden are challenging incumbent Roger Becker for mayor of New Auburn.

Four candidates, incumbent Elizabeth Frahm, Rebecca Brockoff, Linda Stark, and Sheri Lowden have filed for two, four-year terms on the City Council. Doug Munsch filed for the two-year term on the City Council.

Three incumbents have filed for three, four-year terms on the Sibley East Board of Education. Candidates are Anne Karl, Dan Woehler, and Scott Dose, all of Arlington.

Casey McCue of Green Isle and Beth DuFrane of Henderson have filed for the two-year term on the school board. The two-year term was placed on the ballot after the resignation of Jodi Hanson. Tim Dolan was appointed to fill Hanson’s seat until the end of the year.

Filing closed Tuesday at 5 p.m. The positions will be filled at the Nov. 2 general election.

There were approximately 40 entries in New Auburn's Classic Car Show, held Sunday as part of the community's 4th of July celebration. Pictured above is a 1929 Ford entered by Dan Harbarth. The show was held at High Island Lake.

Those are the comments of Lee Sundmark, of the Department of Natural Resources’ fisheries division. Sundmark was among the speakers Thursday night at a public meeting in the New Auburn City Hall, to provide an update on the High Island Lake project. More than 50 area residents attended the meeting, that was sponsored by the High Island Lake Association and the Friends of High Island Lake.

The drawdown of High Island Lake will be continuing this year because of the unusual winter, there was not as significant of a kill as was hoped.

Sundmark said that several reasons the drawdown may not have been as successful as hoped is that this area did not have the typical March weather, which may have provided an additional two or three weeks to have a significant fish kill. This area also didn’t have a significant frost, and many tiles flowed all winter.

Sundmark said he and the DNR Fisheries are still committed to stocking more than four million walleye fry in the lake, but it is being postponed a year. The stocking is expected to cost $21,000, and Sundmark said he was concerned that too many of the fry would get eaten.

Another incident that affected the drawdown is that this spring, the Friends of High Island helped pay for reconstruction of an outlet of the lake. Water from the creek pushed in the new construction. The DNR has agreed to help rebuild it.

Data from 15 trap nets set by the DNR April 7 showed that some bullheads have been reduced, and the carp may have been reduced but moved back in when the new construction of the outlet was pushed in by the creek.

Data shared by Sundmark showed the change in black bullheads. In the first trap, they were reduced from 450 to 150. In the second trap, whey were reduced from 500 to 160. In the third trap, they were reduced from 400 to 350. In the fourth trap, they dropped from 500 to 180, and in the fifth trap, they increased from 200 pounds to 275 pounds.

Carp numbers increased from 212 to 281, and black crappies increased from 15 to 41. There were very few sunfish, which Sundmark explained indicates a partial winter kill.

Plans are for the Friends of High Island to construct a rain garden in the park the end of May. The barley straw project of last year, in which bales were placed in the culvert near the lake, will be continuing this year. Joel Wurscher of the High Island Creek Implementation Project said that tests showed a trend of decreasing phosphorous.

When asked if it would be feasible to use a pump for the drawdown, Sundmark didn’t think so because it would be too labor intensive.

The DNR’s plan for the management of High Island Lake was shared at the meeting. Management objectives, as stated in the plan, are to continue current water quality monitoring program utilizing local citizens to collect data, increase utilization of conservation best management practices and programs and reduce nutrient loading, increase the abundance of submerged vegetation to improve water clarity, fish, waterfowl, aquatic invertebrate, and aquatic plant habitat, utilize the lake as a walleye-rearing pond and harvest fall fingerlings and spring yearlings for stocking other waters, allow an opportunistic boom and bust fishery of carry-over walleyes.

Six members of the High Island Lake Association will be forming a committee to meet with the DNR, in hopes to incorporate some of their plans for the lake, into an even larger long term plan.

Because of cost-sharing opportunities, area residents can install rock tile inlets for free. Cost sharing for the program is available through Wurscher and County Water Planner Ron Otto. The Friends of High Island are willing to pay the remaining cost, not covered by cost share, for property owners.

Brendyn Michaletz was charged last Wednesday in Sibley County District Court with assault of Zachary Dahl. The maximum sentence is 10 years in prison, $20,000 fine or both.

Bail was set Thursday at $10,000 cash or $100,000 bond. He is to have no contact with his step-father and stay away from the residence of the victim. He may pick up supplies at home with law enforcement.

The Sibley County Sheriff’s Office was called to the Dahl residence, 10461 10th Street in New Auburn March 2 at 8:38 p.m.

According to the criminal complaint, Michaletz’s mother Dana overheard an argument between Brendyn and Dahl. She then observed struggle between the two in the kitchen.

In the complaint, Michaletz’s mother described Brendyn as a “high functioning autistic” who was on several medications. He is currently a student at Glencoe-Silver Lake High School. Michaletz allegedly told his mother previously that he wanted to kill or stab Dahl, according to the complaint.

Dahl told law enforcement that an argument occurred between the two because Michaletz wanted to use the Internet. Dahl said he told him that since he didn’t have a job, he was expected to work in the house and do chores four hours per day.

Dahl was treated for knife injuries to his neck, by New Auburn Rescue, Glencoe Ambulance, and the Glencoe Hospital. Dahl was treated and released from the hospital.

Michaletz’s next court appearance is set for March 11.

New Auburn's High Island Lake Conservation Club served 2,465 people at their annual fish fry Saturday at the City Hall, according to club president Wayne Schultz. 3,375 pounds of fish were prepared for the event. Many New Auburn area residents and community organizations assisted to help make the fish fry successful. Frying fish (clockwise from left) were Paul Burandt, John Paulmann, and Gary Polzin.

Approximately 20 new firefighters in Sibley County are taking the course Firefighter 1001. This 136-hour course is used to train new firefighters, according to Gaylord Fire Chief Dean Schons. The training is being held Tuesday and Thursday evenings at the Gaylord Fire Hall. Successfully demonstrating a “fireman’s carry” above is New Auburn firefighter Vicki Holtz. Gaylord firefighters taking the course are Gary Schmitt, Dale Steinborn, Jesse Hardel and Roberto Mendez.

That was the case for New Auburn as a $1 million street improvement project headlined the City’s business this past year, according to Mayor Roger Becker.

New Auburn Mayor
Roger Becker

Major street work was not completed in November as initially planned, according to Becker who is in his 24th year as New Auburn Mayor. The contract with Wm. Mueller & Sons of Hamburg was extended until June 15.

Becker said that Al Hahn and Justin Black of SEH did a wonderful job with the project. However, with the wet October, the City decided to extend the contract for completion until mid June of 2010. There are a couple of soft spots in the roadways, he said, and the final surfacing will be completed next year.

Becker’s biggest frustration last year is that New Auburn was unable to tap into federal stimulus funds for the street project. Communities under 5,000 were not allowed to receive any stimulus money. “We were shovel ready,” he said. “It really upsets me. There is no reason not to help small towns because they do not have as much tax base.”

New Auburn was fortunate though, Becker said, that with the poor economy, construction firms were looking for work and the City received a favorable bid.

In addition to finishing the street project, there are several ongoing community projects.

The Friends of High Island will be installing its fourth rain garden this year near the ball field. According to Becker, this year’s rain garden is the largest one planned. Volunteers assist with the project. The Friends of High Island will be holding their annual benefit January 23 to raise money for the project.

The drawdown of High Island Lake is continuing. Barley straw was placed by the inlet last year. The barley straw has helped remove algae phosphorous. There is now two feet of clarity in the lake, Becker said.

A memorial will be constructed near New Auburn’s Fire Hall this spring. The memorial will be constructed in memory of Dale Rischmiller. Rischmiller, who died in October, was a 42-year member of the fire department and served as fire chief for 17 years. The memorial is being donated by Rischmiller’s family, Becker said.

Council member Mike Hauan stepped down in September because he moved out of state. Doug Munsch was appointed to fill Hauan’s term. This fall, the City residents will elect a mayor, a two-year term on the council to fill Hauan’s unexpired term, and two four-year terms on the council.

New Auburn is continuing to contract with the Sibley County Sheriff’s Office for patrol. The City pays for 20 hours of patrol per month in varying shifts. It has helped to reduce crime in the community, Becker said.

All excavation has been completed, Hahn said, and 99% of the aggregate has been placed.

Blacktopping is expected to begin this week. Hahn expects that the first lift of blacktop will be completed on the majority of the streets this week, weather permitting.

Wm. Mueller & Sons of Hamburg was awarded the project this summer. The firm submitted a bid of $1,073,811.48. The project includes construction work on existing blacktop streets and surfacing previously designated gravel streets. The project is to be completed by November 13.

County projects
Wet weather has delayed Sibley County’s construction projects.

Darin Mielke, Public Works Director, said that the weather has delayed the finish work on the topsoil (fine grading) on CSAH 2 north of Gibbon. There has been about a three week delay on paving on parts of the project, and the seeding may not even occur this fall unless we get a lot of dry and warm weather, Mielke said. The rest of the project was completed ahead of schedule.

Overlaying on County Roads 15, 21, and 33 were completed Monday. Striping was completed. The weather caused about a three week delay on the project, Mielke said.

A box culvert project on CSAH 8 near Lafayette is tentatively on hold due to high water and rain, Mielke said. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, the County may delay the project until next summer.

Sibley County’s curve sign project is still underway and is expected to be completed the end of the month.

The New Auburn Fire Department held an open house Sunday during Fire Prevention Week. Above, firefighter Keith Schmidt helped area youngsters learn how to use a fire extinguisher.