Month: April 2020

KROX Radio ran a story by Neil Carlson of iNewZ.TV that the Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in Crookston held Easter Sunday service and showed a picture of a packed parking lot.  
On KROX’s Facebook page, two members of the congregation said they were listening to the service on their phones while sitting in their cars and they had permission from law enforcement as long as they followed the guidelines set by the Governor.  One comment said they went into the church 10 people at a time to receive communion and went back to their cars.  

Because of the comments from two members of the congregation, KROX has pulled the story from our website and our Facebook post and will do what we should have done in the first place, we will investigate the story and once we talk to law enforcement and the church we will release the story.
After looking at the picture that was turned into iNewZ.TV, we noticed there was a person sitting in one of the cars.  

“We apologize for not doing our normal due diligence as you expect from KROX stories,” said KROX owner Chris Fee.  “We will do what we should have done in the first place, we will investigate the story first and have a report hopefully by late Monday morning after contacting local law enforcement and somebody from the church like we normally do.”  

The Crookston City Council will meet Monday, April 13 at 7:00 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing guidelines, there will be limited seating available for the meetings.  If you would prefer to participate by phone you may call in at 281-4515 and speak during the public forum.  City Hall doors will be unlocked at 6:30 p.m.  You can listen to the meeting live by going to https://ckn.mn/listen

The consent agenda includes the approval of the March 23 meeting minutes, approving bills and disbursements in the amount of $275,396.35, appointing Phil Huck and Lynn Willhite to the Library Board, and amending the council meeting schedule to the correct year of 2020.  There is also a donation to the Crookston Police Department of the installation of an air filtration system for $3,230 from Lennox/Grove Mechanical and Valley Electric, a resolution to enter a Joint Powers Agreement with the Region 3 Homeland Security & Emergency Management Joint Powers Board, and a resolution ordering the preparation of a preliminary engineer’s report for the Eickhof Boulevard street extension.

There is one item on the regular agenda, the second reading and final passage of an ordinance amending City Code Chapter 11, entitled “Land Use Regulations (Zoning) by changing the zoning map for the area encompassed within Nature View Estates.

The Ways & Means Committee meeting will be held immediately following the City Council meeting.  The agenda includes approving the March 9 and March 23 meeting reports, a discussion on how to postpone or to cancel Spring Clean-Up Week, an update on the applicants for the City Administrator position and a review of the updated land option agreement from the city attorney for Epitome Energy.

The County Line By Warren Strandell (Polk County Commissioner, Dist. 2) –

A big problem developed when the 11 inches of snow that landed on the roof of the Polk County Human Service Center in East Grand Forks during the most recent storm started to melt during the first days of April.  A roof replacement project was underway at the time and the water from the melt pooled 11 inches deep in one area of the roof before finding ways through it.

For reference, the building, which had been built in the 1970s as a Warehouse Foods store and was the home of Maury’s TV & Appliance before the county purchased it in 2001, houses satellite Polk County offices in East Grand Forks for Social Services, Public Health and Veterans Services. Other space is rented to the Northwest Mental Health Center, Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Tri-County Community Corrections, Inter-County Community Council, and DEED (Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development).

If there is one splinter of benefit from the COVID-19 pandemic — and there certainly can’t be many, if any — it would be that to accommodate interior remodeling work most of the offices — Northwest Mental Health being the exception — had moved their operations to off-site locations prior to the snowstorm and melting problem.

The space occupied by Northwest Mental Health Center, which had undergone an extensive expansion and remodeling project just last year, received the most damage. The area occupied by Public Health had severe damage, too, with every area of the building affected.

Virtually all the floor had water. Some sheetrock walls — both new and existing —had to be removed because of water damage and because of the threat of mold and other issues down the road. Restoration is underway with insurance expected to cover the cost.

Throughout this water event and the ongoing coronavirus ordeal, there has been another showing of the high quality of our Polk County employees. All of them are now working from home. When there has been any kind of a problem, they always step up. They know what they are doing and have more than proved their worth over time by doing what is best for the county.

During my time as a county commissioner, I have learned that it is often best just to step back, try to give them what they need to do the job and then get out of the way. Let those who know best do what needs to be done.

The same trust seems to go for other people in the county, the state, the country and the world. Just look at everything that those heroes in healthcare are doing. And those in law enforcement, the firefighters, first responders, ambulance attendants, dispatchers, and the people in emergency management.

Really on top of their jobs now, too, are the checkout gals at the grocery stores along with the people who stock the shelves and the truckers who bring the supplies. All of them and so many others, too, really come to the front in the time of trouble.

We, in East Grand Forks, saw how people came to our aid during the flood of 1997. Not only did our neighbors, friends and relatives answer the call but so did so many others. We had no idea of who many of them were or where they came from but they came to help… to fill and place sandbags, help with evacuations and even help with clean-up. They came from all over the region, the state and the country.

Now, with the COVID-19 pandemic, people are again doing whatever needs to be done.

The people who made up the Greatest Generation, those who fought in and otherwise experienced the world wars, and others who went through previous health pandemics and other crises all showed true character in their time. When challenged, Americans have always responded.

Maybe the COVID-19 pandemic will be looked at as this generation’s “world war” experience.

Thoughts for the day:
Do all fairy tales begin with “Once upon a time?”  No, some begin with “When I am elected…”

The reward of a thing well done is to have it done. — Emerson

Disclaimer: Thoughts expressed in this column are those of the author and are not necessarily a reflection of the opinions of the other members of the Polk County Board of Commissioners

The Monday topic for Severe Weather Awareness Week is Weather Alerts and Warnings.  In the past 10 years, more than 55 people have died, and dozens more were injured as a result of weather-related events in Minnesota, not including motor vehicles.  

The National Weather Service issues severe weather alerts.  There are three types of alerts – advisories or special weather statements, watches and warnings – explains Crookston Firefighter Shane Heldstab.  “There is advisory which is essentially making people aware that conditions are starting to look favorable for heat or thunderstorms or whatever the advisory may be,” said Heldstab. “When they start to upgrade that they will upgrade to a watch trying to get the public prepared that conditions are more favorable and there is increased potential of that event happening.  When we get into warnings, sometimes that event is already taking place, or there isn’t that much time to get prepared.  When we do have watches we talk about being prepared, warnings are more along the line of taking action and carrying out the plan that you have.”

Additionally, an advisory is considered a situation that could threaten life or property, watches are favorable to those conditions, and alternate plans should be made.  During a warning, a dangerous weather event is occurring or imminent, posing a likely significant threat to life and property.  

Warning sirens are operated independently by each county.  Additionally, the Crookston Fire Department can activate the sirens within the City of Crookston, said Heldstab, who also reminds residents that the sirens are meant to alert people outdoors and might be harder to hear if you are inside. “Sirens are outdoor warnings, don’t expect to hear those as well indoors,” said Heldstab.  “When we do activate those sirens, there is a reason for it.  We’re asking people to seek shelter, and we get information out to the media right away.  There is no such thing as an ‘all-clear’ siren.”

Personal weather alerts can be set up through many apps on cell phones, tablets, and other devices.  Many apps used on a device with GPS, such as a cell phone, will provide personal weather alerts for where that device is located at the time of the alert. “If you have weather apps on your phone, you can sign up or click boxes on those apps, so they will send your alerts,” said Heldstab.  “If you are in an area where a watch or a warning pops up, you will get that notification on your phone.  We’re asking that as connected as people are that you make sure that is something you have on as we come into spring with possible high weather, thunderstorms, excessive heat, all those kinds of advisories, watches, and warnings.”

Another form of alerts is wireless emergency alerts sent by local authorities to all registered phones to warn of a dangerous situation or critical information.  Heldstab encourages all residents to register for the new Polk County alert system, Everbridge. “You can go on Polk County’s Website, and we’ve gone from a system called Code Red to an application called Everbridge,” said Heldstab.  “You can sign up for that, which will do the same thing the old system did.  With this, Polk County can send out weather alerts and other information.  It’s another way to stay in touched and keep informed about the weather.  Make sure to go check on that website and sign up if you haven’t already.”

Minnesota’s statewide tornado drill will take place on Thursday.  Outdoor warning sirens and NOAA Weather Radios across the state will be sounded at 1:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m.

Heldstab also wanted to take time to thank the community for helping keep fire hydrants clear throughout the winter months.  “I do want to thank everybody that did sign up to adopt-a-hydrant this winter,” said Heldstab.  “I know we didn’t have too much snow, but the snow we did get ended up being heavy and wet, and once it came in, there was a lot of it.  It was nice to see that those got cleared out, so just a thank you to those that signed up.  And to everybody even who didn’t sign up, but they did their part, it was greatly appreciated to see.”  

Polk County Sheriff Jim Tadman reminds us that it is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week this week (April 12-18).  Sheriff Tadman’s letter is below –

Your hardworking dispatchers and other public safety telecommunicators serve as a vital link between your community and fire, medical, and law enforcement agencies.

Please join me in thanking our fantastic team of 911 dispatchers.  Each of them has the dedication and drive to be the “voice in the dark” helping members of our community stay safe until help can arrive.  They are heroes and all of us at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office wish to thank them for their support and recognize that without them, we would be unable to maintain the high level of safety in the community we have come to expect in Polk County.

The men and women in the Polk County 911 Dispatch Center are from different backgrounds.  They span an age range of nearly 20 years and each of them brings a unique perspective and professionalism that we respect and admire.

Thank you to all of the Public Safety Telecommunicators.  During these difficult times, they have been crucial to the success of our law enforcement, fire and rescue teams not only in Polk County, but throughout our great nation as well.

We are grateful for your service and your dedication to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office residents of Polk County, and to the public service vision.

Sheriff James Tadman
Polk County Sheriff