Fergus Falls Forum

On Monday, the Fergus Falls City Council voted to reject the petition brought fourth by Fergus Votes, which would have given residents within Fergus Falls the power to decided how the proposed multi-million dollar community ice arena would be financed.

Fergus Falls City Council members voted on that decision Monday after Fergus Votes, with direction by Darryl Synstelien, presented Mark Sievert, the City Administrator for Fergus Falls, 1,217 sign petitions.

After consultation with City Attorney, Rolf Nyclemoe, and recommendation from the law firm representing the League of Minnesota Cities, the City Council came to the conclusion that a petition effort isn’t allowed under the city charter.

As of now, the proposed ice arena is moving forward with financing coming initially from property taxes, and eventually from sales tax within the city of Fergus Falls. The city will pay for about $4 million of the total project, with at least $3.12 million coming from private donations.

Greg Stumbo and Randy Synstelien were the only two council members who voted to allow voter input on the community ice arena project.

Darryl Synstelien says he plans on discussing this matter further with legal counsel to determine possible action in the future.

In just under six days, Fergus Votes was able to achieve over 900 signatures, and they delivered their Referendum Petition to the Fergus Falls City Hall at around 3:45PM on Monday.

The petition to repeal Bonding Ordinance 122A Sixth Series, which authorized the Fergus Falls Port Authority to issue $7.14 million in bonds, began on Tuesday morning on the 18th of May.

The Fergus Votes committee relied heavily on the word-of-mouth, and encouraged people who signed the petition to get in touch with family members, friends, and even co-workers and ask for their support as well.

According to Darryl Synstelien, the driving force behind this petition, many Fergus Falls residents who signed the petition were not necessarily against a new hockey arena, they were more disappointed with the Fergus Falls City Council as well as the City of Fergus Falls about how they went forward with the project.

More information on this will be available on Fergus Forum soon.

The Fargo Marathon is quickly approaching, and the group behind the annual Dough 4 Joe motorcycle run is hoping to generate even more funds for area cancer patients by starting “Running 4 Joe”.

Running 4 Joe is being organized to represent the Dough 4 Joe efforts. All participants who represent “Running 4 Joe” are being asked to collect pledges, which the members behind Dough 4 Joe hope will increase donations to their cause.

Dough 4 Joe is asking that all Fergus Falls community members as well as their friends who are interested in joining their efforts are encouraged to register for the Fargo Marathon. The Fargo Marathon is on May 21st through May 22nd.

All participants will be recognized and receive a t-shirt the weekend of the Dough 4 Joe motorcycle run that kicks of at the Silver Dollar Saloon in Elizabeth, MN on July 24th, 2010.

Those who are interested are asked to contact either Les or Laura. They can be reached at (218) 205-7694 or at ls_sk8er@hotmail.com, respectively.

A brief history of Dough 4 Joe

In June 2006, Joe Sampson was diagnosed with brain cancer and fought a long battle with it for 2 years. On May 3rd, 2009, Joe passed away with his family and friends by his side. Throughout his diagnoses he suffered from a total of 9 brain tumors and several other spinal tumors. He fought through various surgeries, chemotherapy treatments, as well as radiation treatments. His friends and family say he always kept a beautiful smile on his face throughout his battle with cancer.

Joe’s family quickly realized how financially stressful this type of situation can be. With piles of medical bills, not to mention caregivers losing hours at work, or in some cases not working entirely, some bills were forced to remain unpaid.

Joe’s family and friends wanted to make a difference for other area families in similar situations, and therefore started “Dough 4 Joe” in his remembrance.

Fergus Falls residents and visitors alike soon could be paying a one-half cent sales tax to help fund the proposed community ice arena. This sales tax would be applied to every taxable item sold in Fergus Falls, and would be added to a sale just how Minnesota 6.875% state sales tax is.

Currently, property owners in Fergus Falls are set to fund four of the eight million dollars that new community ice arena is projected to cost.

The one-half cent sales tax would generate roughly $1 million per year, and is pending approval from the state legislature as well as voter approval of residents in Fergus Falls. The one-half cent sales tax is scheduled to be on the ballot for November’s general election.

Movie Gallery, Inc., will close its Fergus Falls, Minn. location, as well as its nearly 2,000 United States stores within months.

The company filed for bankruptcy on February 2nd, 2010, and at the time, it filed to reorganize under Chapter 11. On Monday, however, Movie Galley converted the case to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which will allow for disposal of the company’s assets.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Movie Gallery announced to their employees over the weekend that the they will be ceasing U.S. operations, which will result in the closing of 1,906 locations.

The Fergus Falls location will eventually host a going-out-of-business sale, and will offer customers discounts of 30 to 70 percent off on videos and games left in stock.

Movie Gallery has been the victim of rapid expansion of companies like Netflix, as well as $1-a-night kiosks such as Redbox. Redbox has a kiosk inside of Walmart in Fergus Falls.

Movie Gallery has been serving the Fergus Falls area since early 2004.

Fergus Falls was once again recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA community for its commitment to urban forestry.

Fergus Falls has earned this title for 32 consecutive years, which makes the community the longest standing “Tree City” in Minnesota.

The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation, in cooperation with the Natioanl Association of State Foresters, as well as the USDA Forest Service.

In order for Fergus Falls to keep its “Tree City USA” title, four standards must be met. Those standards include having a tree board or department, a tree-care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program, and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

Communities that earn Tree City USA recognition not only have taken this time to meet the four standards, they know that trees

• Promote healthier communities by filtering the air we breathe by removing dust and other particles

• Moderate climate, conserve water and provide vital habitat for wildlife

• Reduce the heat island effect in urban areas caused by pavement and buildings

• Increase property values and reduce energy use and add beauty to our homes and neighborhoods

More information about Tree City USA can be found at www.arborday.org/TreeCityUSA.

More information on the Arbor Day Foundation can be found at www.arborday.org.

On Thursday, fire trucks and ambulances rushed to the Fergus Falls Middle School after a fatal crash, with two students being removed using the jaws of life. While it was a mock car crash, Fergus Falls educators hope it taught students a lesson, so they won’t have to learn it the hard way.

Juniors and seniors at the Fergus Falls High School were excused Thursday morning to see what a serious accident looks like up close.

Upon arriving at the scene, one of the characters in the performance laid lifeless on the ground due to the fact that he wasn’t a seatbelt, and was thrown from the car. Other characters suffered serious injuries, and were rushed away in an ambulance.

A medical transport helicopter was scheduled to be apart of the mock accident, but due to the rain it was unable to operate.

The state operated dental clinic on Pebble Lake Road won’t be closing in May, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services. State Representative, Bud Nornes (R-Dist.10A), said that a 30-day extension was granted on Friday, April 23rd, to keep the clinic open while the state legislature finalizes funding details.

The closing was proposed by Governor Tim Pawently in hope to balance the state budget.

The Fergus Falls facility isn’t the only state operated dental clinic in Minnesota that is on the chopping block, however. Cambridge and Willmar dental clinics are also set to close.

The Fergus Falls clinic alone serves more than 500 disabled clients from across the region. Patients who currently travel to Fergus Falls may ultimately have to travel to the clinic in Brainerd, which is where the closest nearby facility is located.

Chuck Vigen, who had been retired from the Fergus Falls School District as a 7th and 8th grade science teacher for less than a year, was killed in a motorcycle accident on Sunday night.

The crash happened just south of Dent, Minn. at around 7:20PM on Sunday, when 62-year-old Charles “Chuck” Vigen was traveling south on County Highway 35.

According to the Otter Tail County Sherrif’s Department, Vigen lost control of his motorcycle on a curve, in which it went off the road, flipped and rolled. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Soon after the news broke of Vigen’s death, people began joining the Facebook group, RIP Mr. Vigen… You Will Be Missed. To join or view the newly created group, simply click here to be brought to that page on Facebook.

It’s official… Dunham’s Sports will be coming to Fergus Falls, and a major overhaul of the Westridge Mall is currently underway.

Westridge Mall owners were able to secure over $700,000 in financing for the planned $1 million redevelopment project which will make room for the new sporting goods store which will occupy upwards of 30,000 square feet.

Midwest Minnesota Community Development Corporation of Detroit Lakes, Minn. will supply the Westridge Mall with $400,000 of capital, and the Fergus Falls Economic Improvement Commission is supplying $150,000 for the project. While the majority of the needed capital will come from outside sources, the Westridge Mall is putting up $200,000 of their own funds, which is roughly 20%, for the project as well.

Dunham’s was offered an attractive deal to locate in Fergus Falls, as the Westridge Mall will receive no profit from the new tenant until their fifth year in business.

Dunham’s Sports currently has seven Minnesota stores, with the nearest being in Wilmar. The company has a total of 150 stores in states such as South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, as well as a handful of others. Around 50 people are employed at every Dunham’s location.

According to the company’s website, they were founded in 1937 as Dunham’s Bait & Tackle, and are based in Michigan. Their website also stated that they offer a complete line of sporting goods, athletic equipment, active sports gear and leisure apparel.