Community Connections

Lakeland Mental Health Center Celebrating 60 Years of Service

2009-11-24T08:14:00.000-08:00

The Fergus Falls based organization provides outpatient mental health services for six counties in west central Minnesota. Serving over 6,000 people, Lakeland Mental Health Center has proven to be a valuable asset to this region.

Established in 1949, LMHC was one of the state's first rural mental health care providers. With emphasis on outpatient services beginning in the 1960s, moving away from impatient facilities such as state hospitals was a turning point for specialized individual care.

In January 2010, Lakeland Mental Health Center will relocate into a new facility off County Highway 1. LMHC's current facility has been purchased by Lake Region Healthcare Corporation.

Lakes Country Service Cooperative is pleased to have Lakeland Mental Health Center as one of our valued members.

Congratulations on 60 years of excellent patient care!

New ethics resources available from the League

2009-11-19T07:49:00.000-08:00

Recognizing that public officials often face ethical dilemmas, the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC) Ethics Advisory Panel developed two documents for city officials and staff to consider.

The Model Statement of Values is an aspirational document intended to provide a framework of ethical decision-making. It promotes nine ideals, each supported with several examples about what behavior associated with that value might look like.

The Template Code of Conduct is a law-based document, incorporating very specific standards of behavior already written into state statute.

These resources are now available on the League website, along with background information and a brief discussion of issues cities should consider prior to using either document. The LMC Board encourages cities to make their own decisions as to the best way to use these documents. To access the documents visit the League website.

For more information, contact Lena Gould, LMC, at lgould@lmc.org or (651) 281-1245.

FTC delays Red Flags Rule enforcement until June 1

2009-11-19T07:29:00.000-08:00

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has once again delayed enforcement of the new Red Flags Rule. The rule requires creditors and financial institutions to develop and implement written identity theft prevention programs. Organizations now have until June 1 to be in compliance.

The federal Red Flags Rule applies to entities that qualify as “creditors” or maintain “covered accounts.” Your city is subject to the rule as a “creditor” if residents use city-provided water, electricity, gas, or steam and pay for it later. Similarly, your city utility has “covered accounts” under the rule if your city defers payment for utility services. Other city activities (for example, classes at the community center) may also come under the purview of the rule if your city defers payments and those accounts involve multiple payments or transactions—or if there is a foreseeable risk of identity theft related to particular accounts.

Two ARMER grants available for local governments

2009-11-19T07:20:00.000-08:00

As part of the state budget for fiscal year 2009, funds were allocated to the Department of Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Communication Networks (DECN) to support local planning and integration with the Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Response (ARMER) public safety communication system. This allocation was made in anticipation of the completion of the assessments of existing local communication infrastructure and local alternatives throughout the state.

These funds are being made available to local units of government through two grants. DECN will begin taking applications for these grants on Jan. 15 and will continue to accept applications until the allocated grant funds are fully encumbered. All grant applications received prior to Jan. 15 will be deemed received on Jan. 15.

FY2009 State Homeland Security Program.
A total of $2.6 million was allocated to the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for the following purposes: (1) participation planning funds; (2) infrastructure funds for local implementations; and (3) subscriber radios for local users.

FY2010/2011 State Infrastructure Grant Funds.
A total of $5 million was allocated by the Legislature for up to 50 percent of the cost of local infrastructure for local governments transitioning to the ARMER system. Details of the amount of funding to an individual county or agency are contained in the Notice of Grant Opportunity.

For more information about the grant process, including the Statewide Radio Board (SRB) Standard 6.5.0, which outlines the SRB process for evaluating grants, visit the League of Minnesota Cities website:
http://web.lmc.org/bulletin/bulletin_detail.cfm?art_id=2671&id=5&title=Grants#2671

10 Ways Facebook Pages Can Help Local Governments Better Serve Their Constituents

2009-11-11T08:33:00.000-08:00

By Eric Eldon
A Facebook page can help a local government build a stronger social connection to the citizens it represents. Sure, local governments in democratic countries are already social, as they do things like offer public hearings around controversial issues, or mail out surveys to residents. But how many people come to hearings, or bother to fill out these surveys — especially students and working-age adults who have many other responsibilities? For any local government leader looking to truly understand the needs of the people they were elected or hired to serve, the answer is never enough.

Facebook offers a number of unique advantages in helping local governments do a better job of listening to their bosses, from features like status updates, to the wall, to applications for polling, longer discussions, videos and photos, and much else. And it’s the most popular social network in the US and scores of other countries around the world; people tend to provide their real names and locations. These factors make it especially useful for local leaders who are trying to figure out who their citizens really are.

General Tips:
Facebook pages can be used in all sorts of ways — it really depends on what the local government’s overall goals are. The first 6 tips deal with more general issues, the second section of 4 tips provides more details on what sort of information to share on your page.

1. Find real constituents:
While anyone can join any Facebook page, the fact that people live their real lives and list their locations on Facebook means that you can easily see if someone commenting on a page is actually a constituent versus, say, a digital out-of-towner looking to cause trouble. Should a government page owner make sure to respond to these people, too, for example? San Francisco, California’s page has a whopping 263,000 fans (around a third of its total population) but a large portion of those fans don’t actually live in San Francisco.

2. Decide who is in control:
Who has the responsibility for managing the page? The city council? The county? The mayor’s office? A paid employee of one of these offices? An independent member of the government? Many local governments are still figuring out how to handle online political campaign disclosures in general; we don’t recommend putting campaign material on a city page, for example. But how restrictive are you going to be about social media in general? Earlier this year, Bozeman, Montana, sparked controversy when it went as far as to ask for employee’s user names and passwords to Facebook and other sites — its goal was to make sure employees didn’t misrepresent the city on those sites, apparently. Also, some issues — like state legislation affecting towns across the state and legal issues may be left for another page. Note that Facebook does allow you to send geo-targeted “updates” to fans in certain geographic areas that appear in a secondary tab in the Facebook message inbox.

3. Make clear administration policies:
Does the government have the budget and the focus to pay someone to post regularly? Ventura, California has a general “civic engagement manager” position, for example, who is charged in part with social media, but the city also pushes its other employees to use social media. Is the page an appropriate forum to discuss issues with citizens — should sensitive issues be reserved for town halls or other in-person forums? If the government has a junior employee reading and responding to comments, it needs clear rules about what sort of comments they can respond to, and what comments should be sent up the hierarchy for response. Many companies use enterprise software services for pages, like Context Optional or Buddy Media, to manage this process. Page owners can also choose to either restrict users from leaving their own status updates, or you can let them post away. We suggest you moderate for hate speech and other inappropriate content, if you choose the latter. Also, watch out for employees who spend too much time using Facebook, especially for non-work related things like social games.

4. Provide useful profile information:
It may seem simple, but what other contact information are you going to provide fans? Many local government pages we’ve seen provide physical addresses, phone numbers and email addresses for central government offices or for specific departments. The pages for Knoxville, Tennessee and Grand Rapids, Michigan, for example, provide addresses, numbers and also business hours. If you do blog or tweet, we also recommend that you provide links to those destinations.

5. Decide if you need more than one page:
Should the police department, the fire department, the school district, and other parts of the government have their own pages? The Dallas, Texas police department has its own page, for example. What about the mayor’s office? On a related note, should each elected leader have their own personal page, that they take with them after they leave office? In general, we suggest more populated cities and counties create pages for individual departments. The goal is to have an active page, and if you’re a local government for, say, just a few thousand people, you don’t want to split your potential fans to the degree that you have a hard time getting conversations started.

6. Share content to and from your other sites:
Many cities already have their own web sites, and some use social tools like blogs or Twitter accounts. How should a page be integrated with these services? If other services already have active communities, then we recommend governments do things like post links to blog articles within their page, in order to help direct Facebook users to discussions already happening off the site. If your government is also using Twitter, Facebook provides an option that lets you repost any update from your page to Twitter; the Twitter app for Facebook, as well as some third-party apps, also let you post from Twitter to your page. If you have a blog, you can use the Networked Blog service or a number of other third party applications to syndicate the RSS feed of your blog into your page. A Facebook page can also be a place to promote other new services from. Cudahy, Wisconsin has an active page, that it has launched a new, full-service web site. Morris County, New Jersey posts to its page — and to other social sites — using Ping.fm, one of several third-party services that let you post remotely. But What to Share?Sharing status updates, photos, and other media in the stream is the single most important aspect of the site, as this information is what appears to users in their news feeds, and what typically generates the most conversation. Are you going to post only major news? Are you going to ask questions of your citizen-fans? Are you going to provide tips?

7. Public service announcements:
Are you making sure important public service announcements are reaching Facebook users? The H1N1 flu season is here, and Fairfax County, Virginia, is posting links about the availability of flu shots, with links to its web site on the topic. Montgomery County, Maryland, used its page to keep fans informed of a traffic light software glitch, and to let commuters know about public transit options.

8. Events:
Orlando, Florida’s page includes posts for about a free workshop for people facing home foreclosures. Maysville, Kentucky, goes as far as to create events on Facebook for civic activities, then posts those events to its page; fans can then see the events and RSVP, allowing the city to get a better idea of how many people are going to show up. You can set your page to include the Events tab, this way fans can see a chronological list of everything happening.

9. Multimedia:
In our random sampling of local government pages, we didn’t see many that made heavy use of photos, videos and other multimedia to increase engagement. We suggest simply reposting the countless, user-generated pieces of content being generated — search Flickr, YouTube and other sites for interesting content to keep people engaged.

10. Applications:
We also didn’t see many pages making use of applications. Using any of the third-party polling applications available on Facebook (accessible through the admin interface of pages), Facebook polls can be a quick and easy way to solicit feedback from Facebook users. Or, you can do what Fairfax County did, which was create a survey on its web site asking for feedback about its Facebook page, then link to the survey via an update to its page.

Local government leaders should look at these questions as a reflection of the new opportunities pages provide. As with any aspect of democratic government, Facebook pages are a work in progress for the entire community — not every attempt to use them will work according to plan, but making the effort is the best way to figure out what works best.

http://www.insidefacebook.com/2009/11/05/10-ways-facebook-pages-can-help-local-governments-better-serve-their-constituents/

Energy efficiency improvements grants available

2009-11-04T13:24:00.000-08:00

League of Minnesota Cities, Nov. 4, 2009

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) included approximately $54 million to the Minnesota Office of Energy Security (OES) for the State Energy Program (SEP) and approximately $40 million for Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants program (EECBG), $7.6 million of which was given directly to the state to give to communities that are not direct EECBG recipients. With input from the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC), OES has been developing programs to assist local governments.

Facility Cost-Share Grant program
OES will roll out the first of two programs in mid-November. The Facility Cost-Share Grant program will utilize both SEP and EECBG dollars. The first phase of the program will make between $4 million and $6 million available competitively statewide to local governments to make energy efficiency improvements to existing facilities. These improvements should be ready for immediate implementation. The Facilities Cost-Share Grant program will provide grants for up to 25 percent of the cost of a facility improvement with a maximum of $100,000 for each grant award.

The program will be made available to cities, counties, townships, and school districts. Eligible projects include lighting retrofits, existing building commissioning, building envelope improvements, HVAC equipment and control upgrades, and other proposed projects that improve energy efficiency.

The request for proposal (RFP) for the cost-share program will be posted on the EOS website when it becomes available in mid-November. EOS anticipates local governments will have 45 days to submit RFPs.

EECBG competitive grant program
The second program will use state EECBG dollars for a competitive grant to local governments. This program is intended to enhance energy efficiency and reduce energy use across the state. The grants will be awarded to the most competitive cities and counties that are not eligible for direct EECBG formula grants. Proposals will be evaluated based on energy savings and jobs created per grant dollar requested, green house gas emissions savings, and other criteria. More specifics on this program will be available soon.

OES will present a webinar on Nov. 10 at 3 p.m. to discuss the two stimulus programs and to answer questions from local governments. If you are unable to participate in the webinar OES will have the presentation available on its website at a later time along with answers to questions asked.

To register for the webinar, visit https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/265159144.
For more informationMore information on these programs is available on the OES website.

To ask questions, contact Abby Finis, OES, at abby.finis@state.mn.us or (651) 296-6205.
For more information, contact Hue Nguyen, LMC, at hnguyen@lmc.org or (651) 281-1260; Craig Johnson, LMC, at cjohnson@lmc.org or (651) 281-1259; or Lena Gould, LMC, at lgould@lmc.org or (651) 281-1245.

Northwest Area Foundation Survey Shows Minnesotans Are Struggling

2009-10-21T06:37:00.000-07:00

As part of its national poll of 4,000 Americans exploring local perceptions of the struggle to make ends meet, Northwest Area Foundation found Minnesotans are recession-weary:

63% said they've had to cut back on spending
55% reported these changes will be permanent
27% had problems paying for basic necessities such as mortgage, rent or heat
32% have had trouble affording medical care
47% said they don't know where to go in their community for help
52% are unfamiliar with government services such as food stamps
A majority says it takes a least $40,000 a year to meet the basic needs of a family of four, which is more than twice the federal poverty level of $21,834 - the fourth consecutive year that a majority of respondents has expressed this
59% are hopeful about the national economy
80% believe that the number of people struggling to get by in their community can be reduced

The full report was released September 17, along with policy briefs, executive summaries and charts at www.nwaf.org.

Thanks to the Minnesota Council On Foundations for publishing this article in their fall newsletter - Giving Forum.

Residents Active, Productive in Fergus Falls

2009-10-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

October 13, 2009 editorial from
The Daily Journal, Fergus Falls, MN.

Congratulations to the City of Fergus Falls for being designated as a Fit City by Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Clearly, Fergus Falls leaders have worked hard for the designation.

Here are a few examples;

The recently completed path connecting the Central Lakes Trail to downtown Fergus Falls, encouraging walkers, cyclists and rollerbladders to use the trail.

The success of the Hoot Lake Triathlon and growing Athletic Republic Half Marathon, both attracting participants locally and regionally.

The development of DeLagoon Park's soccer, baseball and softball fields in recent years.

The expansion of the YMCA in the last decade.

The recent repaving of County Road 1 with a wider shoulder northeast of Fergus Falls was less heralded, but just as important to biking, running and walking enthusiasts.

We hope the Fit City designation also encourages city leaders to follow through on proposals to revitalize Lake Alice and create a system of trails along the Otter Tail River from Union Avenue to the airport. When other street projects come up, we encourage city leaders to design them to allow for cyclists and walkers/runners.

While Fergus Falls may not have the amenities that larger cities have, it has provided, and can continue to develop the resources for its residents to be physically active. And physically active residents will make for a more productive community.

Minnesota Receives $1,744,926.44 to Improve 911 Services

2009-09-30T06:40:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced more than $40 million in grants to 30 states and U.S. territories to help 911 call centers across the country improve the ability to locate people calling from wireless and Internet-connected telephones.

“Reaching a 911 operator can make the difference between life and death,” U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood said. “These grants will give states and territories the opportunity to improve their 911 systems, enhance safety and help save countless lives across America.”

“A majority of emergency 9-1-1 calls are now coming from wireless and Internet-connected telephones,” said U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. “These grants will help first responders locate where these calls are made and to ensure that help arrives quickly.”

The E–911 grant program was authorized under the Ensuring Needed Help Arrives Near Callers Employing 911 (ENHANCE 911) Act of 2004 (Pub. L. 108–494, codified at 47 U.S.C. 942). The grants were available to all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and U.S. territories. The Act authorizes grants for the implementation and operation of Phase II enhanced 911 services and for migration to an IP-enabled emergency network. To qualify for a grant, an applicant must submit a State 911 plan and project budget, designate an E–911 coordinator, and certify, among other things, that the State and other taxing jurisdictions within the State have not diverted E–911 charges for any other purpose within 180 days preceding the application date.

The funds could be used to implement advanced technologies to deliver 9-1-1 calls with automatic crash location information as well as evacuation alerts to people using wireless services, warning them of dangerous situations like a bridge being washed out or a toxic spill.

All states and territories did not apply for funding.
Go to http://www.ntia.doc.gov/press/2009/E911grants_090929.html for a list of all grant awards.

Barnesville Hires New City Administrator

2009-09-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

Michael Rietz of Castle Hills, Texas has accepted the Barnesville city administrator position.

The city council hired the Brimeyer Group, an executive search firm from Minneapolis, MN to lead in the search process and to negotiate the position's terms on behalf of the city. Five candidates were interviewed last week with a 6-0 vote by the city council to retain the services of Rietz.

The city has been without a city administrator since the beginning of the year when Michael Brethorst stepped down to accept a position with the VA Medical Center in Fargo, ND.

Rietz will begin his new position in Barnesville in the near future.

Recession Putting Triple Strain on Nonprofits

2009-09-29T08:42:00.000-07:00

Nonprofits are facing growing demand for services, rising operating costs and lagging revenues in the face of the nationwide recession, according to a variety of studies.

An overview report published by the National Council of Nonprofits cited more than a dozen studies in documenting the extent of the recession's effects on nonprofits.

"Anecdotes and individual studies often get dismissed as outliers," said National Council of Nonprofits president and CEO Tim Delaney, who said the new overview documents "the facts in a way that can no longer get overlooked or ignored."

"The economic threats to nonprofits and the communities we serve are real and dire," said Delaney. "It is both unrealistic and unsafe to those depending on services to simply assume that nonprofits will somehow be able to continue to deliver more services that cost more with declining revenues. The math just doesn't work."

The group recommended that government officials and nonprofit leaders step up collaboration to meet community needs in the absence of more public funding.

http://www.jointogether.org

Nationwide Public Health Alert Issued Concerning Life-Threatening Risk Posed by Cocaine Laced with Veterinary Anti-Parasite Drug

2009-09-25T07:55:00.000-07:00

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is alerting medical professionals, substance abuse treatment centers and other public health authorities about the risk that substantial levels of cocaine may be adulterated with levamisole – a veterinary anti-parasitic drug. There have been approximately 20 confirmed or probable cases of agranulocytosis (a serious, sometimes fatal blood disorder), including two deaths, associated with cocaine adulterated with levamisole. The number of reported cases is expected to increase as information about cocaine adulterated with levamisole is disseminated.

"SAMHSA and other public health authorities are working together to inform everyone of this serious potential public health risk and what measures are being taken to address it," said SAMHSA Acting Administrator Eric Broderick, D.D.S., MPH.

Levamisole is used in veterinary medicine and is currently approved for use in cattle, sheep and swine as an anti-parasitic agent. Although it was once used in human medicine in the past for treating autoimmune diseases and cancer, it is no longer an approved drug for human use.

Ingesting cocaine mixed with levamisole can seriously reduce a person's white blood cells, suppressing immune function and the body's ability to fight off even minor infections. People who snort, smoke, or inject crack or powder cocaine contaminated by levamisole can experience overwhelming, rapidly-developing, life threatening infections. Other serious side effects can also occur.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration and State testing laboratories, the percentage of cocaine specimens containing levamisole has increased steadily since 2002, with levamisole now found in over 70 percent of the illicit cocaine analyzed in July. In addition, a recent analysis in Seattle, Washington found that almost 80 percent of the individuals who test positive for cocaine also test positive for levamisole.

According to the SAMHSA alert substance abuse treatment providers, clinicians, outreach workers, and individuals who abuse cocaine need to be aware of the facts. Levamisole is showing up with increasing frequency in illicit cocaine powder and crack cocaine. Levamisole can severely reduce the number of white blood cells, a problem called agranulocytosis. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS ILLNESS THAT NEEDS TO BE TREATED AT A HOSPITAL. If you use cocaine, watch out for:
* high fever, chills, or weakness
* swollen glands
* painful sores (mouth, anal)
* any infection that won’t go away or gets worse very fast, including sore throat or mouth sores -skin infections, abscesses -thrush (white coating of the mouth, tongue, or throat) -pneumonia (fever, cough, shortness of breath)."

SAMHSA is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Food and Drug Administration, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and other federal and international organizations, as well as state agencies to monitor the levamisole issue. CDC will be publishing a case report analysis in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) and will be working with state health departments to systematically collect information on cocaine-associated agranulocytosis cases. Information from this effort will be used to guide treatment and prevention initiatives to address this public health concern.

Individuals are encouraged to report suspected and confirmed cases of agranulocytosis that are associated with cocaine abuse to their respective state health departments. Cases can also be reported to local Poison Control Centers (1-800-222-1222), these centers may also provide assistance in clinical management and additional reporting.

For further medical/technical information, contact Nicholas Reuter, SAMHSA (Nicholas.reuter@samhsa.hhs.gov).

SAMHSA is a public health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The agency is responsible for improving the accountability, capacity and effectiveness of the nation’s substance abuse prevention, addictions treatment and mental health services delivery system.

SAMHSA Press Office 240-276-2130
www.samhsa.gov

MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NEWS RELEASE

2009-09-25T07:49:00.000-07:00

Mn/DOT seeks public input for Minnesota's first statewide rail plan.
Sept. 22, 2009

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Members of the traveling public, transportation stakeholders, rail providers and local government officials are invited to provide input for development of the Minnesota Department of Transportation's 2009 Comprehensive Statewide Freight and Passenger Rail Plan at the second and final round of public open houses scheduled at seven locations statewide.

"We appreciate the feedback on the rail plan that we have received to date, and encourage additional members of the public to attend one of these open houses to give us their ideas about rail issues that affect their lives and businesses," said Transportation Commissioner Tom Sorel.

The plan, mandated by the 2008 Minnesota Legislature, will provide guidance for statewide rail initiatives and investments and will make Minnesota eligible for federal funding. Public input received from these open houses, a series of stakeholders meetings and ongoing commentary will help Mn/DOT develop a draft of the plan that identifies:

- An overall vision for effective use of the state's rail network and its future development.
- Public and private sector roles for use of rail in the state's transportation system.
- Priority intercity and high-speed passenger rail corridors for travel within and beyond Minnesota.
- Ways to enhance national and international freight access to markets, services and logistics.
- Measures and guidelines for public investments in rail assets and services.
- Requirements for Minnesota's participation in national rail initiatives, programs and resources.

There will be a brief presentation on the Minnesota Comprehensive Statewide Freight and Passenger Rail Plan planning process at each open house. After the presentation, Mn/DOT officials and national rail consultants will be on hand to discuss current and future rail programs, answer questions and take input.

2009 Minnesota Comprehensive Statewide Freight and Passenger Rail Plan
OPEN HOUSE SCHEDULE

5-7 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 6
ST. CLOUD
Mn/DOT Office and Training Center
3725 - 12th St. N.
St. Cloud

5-7 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 7
ROCHESTER
Rochester Community/Technical College
Heintz Center
1926 Collegeview Drive SE
Rochester

5-7 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 8
RED WING
Red Wing Main Library
Foot Room
225 East Ave.
Red Wing

5-7 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 14
TWIN CITIES METRO
St. Paul Union Depot
214 East 4th Street
St. Paul

5-7 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 15
DULUTH
Duluth Union Depot and Transportation Museum - Great Hall
506 W. Michigan St.
Duluth

5-7 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 21
MOORHEAD
Minnesota State Community and Technical College
Room C-118
1900 28th Ave. S.
Moorhead

5-7 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 22
MANKATO
Best Western N. Mankato
1111 Range St.
Mankato

For more information about open houses, call Mn/DOT's Office of Passenger Rail at 651-366-3199.

Public input received will be presented to advisory and steering committees and key community, industry and government officials in November 2009. The Minnesota Comprehensive Statewide Freight and Passenger Rail Plan will be completed by Dec. 31, 2009, and then presented to the Minnesota Legislature. The completed plan will be included in the Minnesota Statewide Transportation Policy Plan and will enter into required state and federal reviews in January 2010. For information, go to http://www.dot.state.mn.us/planning/railplan/.

To request these documents or information in an alternative format call 651-366-4718 or e-mail ADArequest@dot.state.mn.us.

To request an ASL interpreter at an open house, call 651-366-4720. To request other reasonable accommodations, call 651-366-4718; the Minnesota Relay Service toll-free at 1-800-627-3529 (TTY, Voice or ASCII) or 711, or e-mail your request to ADArequest@dot.state.mn.us.

Productive Alternatives Celebrates 50 Years of Serving Otter Tail County!

2009-09-17T06:59:00.000-07:00

For the past 50 years, Productive Alternatives has proven that people with disabilities are a valuable part of the economic workforce.

Productive Alternatives has grown and evolved from a farming operation for the former State Hospital in Fergus Falls to currently providing services to companies throughout the region. In addition to the production factory, Productive Alternatives also manages the Otter Express public transportation buses, the detox program and a new mental health crisis unit.

Seven Productive Alternative sites will gather on October 10, 2009 for a 50th anniversary gala and fundraiser. They will also host a consumer recognition banquet on October 27, 2009 from 6 to 8 p.m. in Alexandria.

Federal grant funding available to cities to address energy assurance and reliability concerns

2009-09-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is making $10.5 million in competitive grant funding available to cities to prepare energy assurance and reliability plans. This funding is made available through the Local Energy Assurance Planning (LEAP) initiative as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Cities can receive between $60,000 and $300,000 for this effort.

Public Technology Institute (PTI) conducts a variety of energy assurance educational and outreach programs tailored specifically for local officials through the support of the DOE Office of Energy Reliability. PTI is available to provide free support to cities as they prepare their proposals.

Local Government Energy Assurance Guidelines, published by PTI with the DOE’s support, is designed to help city and county officials address energy assurance and security concerns for mission-critical government facilities and will serve as a resource for cities interested in submitting proposals for funding as part of the LEAP initiative. A PDF of this guide is available at no charge on the PTI web site. A soft cover version of the guide can be purchased for $33.49 plus shipping.

According to the DOE, the goal of this funding program is to facilitate recovery from disruptions to the energy supply and enhance reliability and quicker repair of outages. This initiative will create jobs at the local level and allow cities to have well-developed, standardized energy assurance and resiliency plans that they can rely on during energy emergencies and supply disruptions.

Under the LEAP initiative, city governments will address energy supply disruption risks and vulnerabilities in their plans to lessen the devastating impact that such incidents have on the economy and the health and safety of citizens.

The deadline for cities to submit their proposals to the DOE is Oct. 8 at 2 p.m.
For more information on the LEAP initiative, visit the Fedconnect web site (see the public opportunities section, funding number DE-FOA-0000098).

For more information about free assistance from PTI, contact Ronda Mosley, PTI, at rmosley@pti.org.

Rural Business Enterprise Grant Awarded to the City of Frazee

2009-09-04T06:31:00.000-07:00

The City of Frazee is being awarded $90,000 as part of the Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) sponsored by USDA Rural Development.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the selection of 145 recipients for more than $15.3 million in grants to start or expand businesses in rural communities. Through Recovery Act funding, businesses will be able to access critical capital that will help with start-up and working capital loans, building and plant renovations, transportation improvements, project planning and other business needs.

With a $10,000 contribution from the Frazee Economic Development Authority, there will be access to a $100,000 revolving loan pool for start-up and expanding businesses in Frazee.

A reception to accept the $90,000 grant award will be help on September 16th at 9:30 a.m. at the Frazee Events Center located at 105 Lake Street NE in downtown Frazee.

Congratulations to the City of Frazee for this fantastic opportunity!

62nd Annual Underwood Harvest Festival

2009-09-04T06:18:00.000-07:00

Underwood celebrates the beginning of a new season on Labor Day weekend by hosting the 62nd Harvest Festival.

Activities kick-off Friday evening with a steak fry and live music. A fishing tournament is set to begin early Saturday morning, as well as a parade and a variety of other activities throughout the day. The festival will conclude with a street dance in front of the fire hall Saturday night.

13th Annual Truck Rodeo

2009-09-04T06:06:00.000-07:00

Maintenance crews from six counties gathered at the West Otter Tail County Fairgrounds on September 2nd to test their skills at driving snow plows, skidsteers, backhoes and motor graders.

Employees from Becker, Wadena, Douglas, Grant, Todd, Wilkin and Otter Tail counties, as well as the city of Fergus Falls participated in the one-day event that focused on safety training.

Representatives from the Minnesota Department of Transportation and State Patrol were on hand at the rodeo to answer questions about safety and truck inspections. Equipment vendors also attended the rodeo.

Warning! - Frequent Phishing Attacks On Facebook

2009-08-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

Facebook is the fastest growing social networking website in the world with a million new users weekly and more than 200 million in all. It's also a popular target for phishing attacks that are popping up with regular frequency. Why Facebook? Because as a social networking site, click- through rates on messages from friends are always going to be high, even if the contents of the message are somewhat out of the ordinary. Spammers know this and are taking advantage of the trusting environment. For example, Facebook users have been getting messages that appear to come from friends with "hello" in the subject line and links inviting them to check out sites with unusual URLs like "areps.at," "kirgo.at" and "bests.at.'' If you log into one of the sites, scammers take your e-mail address and password, and then send the same URL to all your friends.

Since many Facebook users use the same passwords across a variety of sites, a successful phishing scammer could potentially gain illegal access to their accounts on other sites such as Web-based e-mail. That paves the way for still more attacks, as phishers can then use victims' hijacked e-mail accounts to compromise other websites and spread more messages containing malicious links. To combat these threats, Facebook recommends the following:

Use an up-to-date browser that features an anti-phishing black list, such as Internet Explorer 8 or Firefox 3.0.10.
Use unique logins and passwords for each of the websites you use.
Check to see that you're logging in from a legitimate Facebook page with the facebook.com domain.
Be cautious of any message, post, or link you find on Facebook that looks suspicious or requires an additional login.
Become a fan of the Facebook Security Page for more updates on new threats as well as helpful information on how to protect yourself online.

Thanks to Park Region & Otter Tail Telcom for this information!

New Minnesota Laws Effective Aug. 1, 2009

2009-07-27T12:07:00.000-07:00

The following is a listing of select new laws passed during the 2009 legislative session that take effect Aug. 1, 2009.

Student lifesavers trained properly
Schools that offer students training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automatic external defibrillator use will be required to use certain instruction. A new law, sponsored by Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL-St. Paul) and Sen. Kathy Saltzman (DFLWoodbury), requires districts that voluntarily offer students training in CPR to ensure that training will be in accordance with the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross or other nationally recognized, evidence-based guidelines. Mariani said the odds of surviving cardiac arrest are only 10 percent without the intervention, but acquiring the right kind of skills “properly trains our young people to be lifesavers as they go out into the world.”
HF648/SF567*/CH107

Contractor or employee?
A new law addresses the misclassification of some workers in the trucking and courier industry as independent contractors rather than employees. Sponsored by Rep. Sheldon Johnson (DFL-St. Paul) and Sen. David Tomassoni (DFL-Chisholm), the law lays out factors all needing to be present for a worker to be considered an independent contractor, including when the individual:
• owns the equipment or holds it under a bona fide lease arrangement;
• is responsible for the equipment’s maintenance and operating costs;
• is paid based on work performed, not time expended;
• substantially controls the means and manner of the service performance; and
• enters into a written contract specifying that the relationship is one of an independent contractor and not that of an employee.
HF813/SF910*/CH89

State agencies will be allowed to hold some meetings electronically instead of in person

As long as the public has access to the meetings, and other certain conditions are met. Sponsored by Rep. Sheldon Johnson (DFL-St. Paul) and Sen. Mee Moua (DFL-St. Paul), the law applies to all state departments, boards, commissions and other state government entities. Under the law, all meeting participants must be able to hear all discussion and testimony; at least one member of the government entity must be physically present at the regular meeting location; members of the public who are present at the regular meeting location must be able to participate in testimony and hear all member discussion and votes; and all votes must be conducted by roll call.
HF456/SF764*/CH80

Training for shaken baby syndrome
Shaken baby syndrome training for certain providers caring for children up to age 5 is increased, effective Aug. 1, 2009. Sponsored by Rep. Phil Sterner (DFL-Rosemount) and Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes (DFL-Winona), the law requires 30 minutes of training for both shaken baby syndrome and sudden infant death syndrome for licensed chemical dependency treatment programs that serve clients with children, licensed child care centers and providers, and child foster care providers that care for children. The training is required at least once every five years. Previous training was only required for those caring for infants.
HF782/SF978*/CH26

Changes to temporary drawdowns
Cities and counties will no longer need the approval of every lakefront property owner along a public water body in order to temporarily lower the lake’s water level. A new law, effective Aug. 1, 2009, allows the commissioner of natural resources to issue public waters work permits to public entities for a drawdown, if the commissioner deems it is in the public’s best interest, at least 75 percent of the riparian landowners agree to the drawdown and the permit applicant holds a public hearing. The permit applicant must mail notices of the hearing to affected property owners and publish the date, time and place of the hearing in a local newspaper. Local governments and watershed districts temporarily drawdown the water level in a lake as a management tool to prevent or eradicate invasive species. The law, sponsored by Rep. Paul Rosenthal (DFL-Edina) and Sen. Ken Kelash (DFL-Mpls), excludes public waters that have been designated by the commissioner for the protection and management of wildlife.
HF1539/SF640*/CH48

Alert notification assurance
Law enforcement agencies that issue crime alerts will be required to put them in a format that “a disabled person can access with commercially available text-based screen reader software.” Sponsored by Rep. Paul Thissen (DFL-Mpls) and Sen. Ken Kelash (DFL-Mpls), the law also classifies as private the names and contact information of citizens requesting a crime alert.
HF254/SF265*/CH22

No laser pointing at planes
Knowingly pointing a laser at an aircraft could result in a jail sentence. A new law sponsored by Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL-South St. Paul) and Senate President James Metzen (DFL-South St. Paul) makes the action a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $3,000 fine. When the laser hits an aircraft windshield, it turns the plexiglass opaque, blinding the pilot. Lasers that run on AAA batteries can be purchased at many office supply stores or big box retailers and some have a range of up to 10 miles. The law exempts search and rescue situations when the person on the ground is indicating their location.
HF1097/SF1408*/CH73

Mental health 911 assistance
Beginning Aug. 1, 2009, mental health crisis teams will be added to the list of emergency 911 responders, where available. Supporters said there is not one number to call when someone is having a mental health crisis and is in need of help, and that mobile crisis teams can assess a situation and provide cost-effective ways to stabilize the individual, including a referral to mental health centers, clinics or crisis homes. Rep. Joe Mullery (DFL-Mpls) and Sen. Tom Saxhaug (DFL-Grand Rapids) sponsor the law.
HF448/SF707*/CH128

Licensing full-time firefighters
Full-time firefighters hired on or after July 1, 2011, will need a license, and volunteer and on-call firefighters will have the option of getting a license by following the same requirements as full-time firefighters. To receive a three-year license, a person must demonstrate competency in fire prevention, fire suppression and hazardous material operations. A license will be renewed without testing, provided the firefighter had at least 72 hours of training during the previous three years. The approximately 2,000 current full-time firefighters would be exempted. To ensure there is no fiscal impact to the state, a $75 fee is established for the original license and each renewal. The new law, effective Aug. 1, 2009, calls for the Board of Firefighter Training and Education to appoint an accredited organization to prepare and administer firefighter certification examinations. Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL-Inver Grove Heights) and Sen. Ann Rest (DFL-New Hope) sponsor the law.
HF1805/SF1219*/CH153

Fallen Firefighters Memorial Day created
Firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty now have their own day of remembrance in Minnesota. Sponsored by Rep. Mike Obermueller (DFL-Eagan) and Sen. Jim Carlson (DFL-Eagan), a new law designates the first Sunday in October as Fallen Firefighters Memorial Day. On that day, each U.S. and Minnesota flag on the Capitol grounds will be flown at half-staff. According to the Minnesota Fallen Firefighters Memorial Association, there have been 197 line-of duty firefighter deaths in Minnesota, with the first being recorded in 1881 in Minneapolis, and the most recent in 2008 in Pine City.
HF422/SF237*/CH87

GPS usage, toy safety addressed in public safety law
Global Positioning Systems can be mounted or located near the bottommost portion of a vehicle’s windshield beginning Aug. 1, 2009. The provision, initially proffered by Rep. Al Juhnke (DFL-Willmar) and Sen. David Tomassoni (DFL-Chisholm) as HF85/SF323, is part of the larger omnibus public safety policy law sponsored by Rep. Debra Hilstrom (DFL-Brooklyn Center) and Sen. Mee Moua (DFL-St. Paul). Other provisions taking effect Aug. 1, 2009, include:
• a business that sells over-the-counter methamphetamine precursor drugs is required to retain a sales log for three years and make it available for inspection by law enforcement at all reasonable times;
• commercial retailers are prohibited from selling a toy designed primarily for children under age 12 that has been recalled for safety reasons; and
• the state’s trespass law is amended to include entering any public or private area lawfully cordoned off by a peace officer.
HF1301/SF993*/CH59

Passing speed limit increased for some
Drivers will be allowed to exceed the speed limit by 10 mph when passing another vehicle going the same direction on a two-lane highway with a speed limit of at least 55 mph. This provision is part of a new law making failure to wear a seatbelt by a primary offense. Although the law is sponsored by Rep. Kim Norton (DFL-Rochester) and Sen. Steve Murphy (DFLRed Wing), the passing provision is taken from HF464/SF601, sponsored by Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFLVirginia) and Sen. David Tomassoni (DFL-Chisholm).
HF108*/SF42/CH165

New Captains at the Fergus Falls Salvation Army

2009-07-17T06:25:00.000-07:00

Co-captains Jeff and Dawn Russell moved to Fergus Falls from Lansing, Mich. to serve the area Salvation Army. They have been officers with the Salvation Army for seven years, two of which were in the College of Officer Training. Fergus Falls is their fourth appointment, having served in Gary, Ind., and Kalamazoo, Mich.

The Russells are looking forward to getting to know the community and the people they will be serving, as well as the other organizations and churches they'll be working with in the community. The Fergus Falls Salvation Army has been a member of Lakes Country Service Cooperative for the past two years.

FEMA releases new emergency preparedness guide

2009-07-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

To assist cities in developing an emergency plan, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 101: A Guide for All Hazard Emergency Operations Planning.

The guide provides cities with FEMA's recommendations on how to address the entire emergency planning process - from forming a planning team, to writing and maintaining the plan, to executing the plan. The guide focuses on helping plan developers address all of the hazards and threats that might affect their city through a series of smaller operation plans that are connected through an integrated concept plan.

To access Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 101, visit www.fema.gov/about/divisions/epg.shtm.

information provided by the League of Minnesota Cities.

Mayor Voxland named as C.C. Ludwig Award recipient

2009-07-02T06:53:00.000-07:00

Mayor Mark Voxland of Moorhead has been selected as one of the 2009 C.C. Ludwig Award winners. The honorees were announced last week at the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC) 2009 Annual Conference in St. Paul.

The C.C. Ludwig Award is named in honor of a former League executive director, and is considered to be the League’s highest honor for elected officials. Established in 1962, the award is given annually in celebration of outstanding service. Recipients are chosen for their vision, statesmanship, and unwavering commitment to the public good.

Mayor Voxland, who received the C.C. Ludwig Award for elected officials from cities with populations of 10,000 or more, was cited for taking the lead on Moorhead’s Downtown Revitalization program and for his around-the-clock efforts during the recent flooding in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

Voxland is a former president of the League of Minnesota Cities, and has also served on the Board of Directors for the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities. In 2003-2004, he chaired the League-driven Financing Local Government Task Force. Voxland currently serves as Red River Basin commissioner.

Congratulations Mayor Voxland!

Captains leaving community

2009-06-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

After nearly six years of service in the Fergus Falls community, Salvation Army co-captains Mike and Cindy Parker are moving this month to Mankato, where they will continue to work as captains for the Salvation Army.

The move to Mankato is exciting for the couple as they’re heading into a service which supports three times the amount of people they’re currently used to. The Mankato Salvation Army also runs a supportive home for those looking to get back on their feet after experiencing tough times.

Captain Jeff and Dawn Russell of Lansing, Mich. will be taking over the Fergus Falls Salvation Army as co-captains when the Parkers relocate. The public is invited to meet the new co-captains at 1 p.m. on July 5 at the Salvation Army in Fergus Falls, Minnesota.

Lakes Country Service Cooperative would like to wish the best of luck to the Parker family with their relocation and new opportunities in Mankato!

Permanent Family Resource Center in Fergus Falls has new interim director

2009-06-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

Ann Rotto, a licensed clinical social worker, has been named interim director of the Permanent Family Resource Center in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Ann has served as a clinical consultant with the agency for eight years.

The center's founder and executive director Maryjane Westra has resigned and will be moving to Zimbabwe. She and her husband Don have accepted positions as global ministers for the Common Board of Global Missions.

Lakes Country Service Cooperative looks forward to working with Ann Rotto.
Congratulations to Don and Maryjane Westra on their new adventure in life!

Lakes Area Community Center in Battle Lake Celebrating Grand Opening!

2009-06-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

As Lakes Area Community Center in Battle Lake passes their one year mark, they're celebrating by having a Grand Opening of the Community Center building the third weekend in June with four days of events.

Please join them for one or more of their planned activities beginning on June 25 and running through June 28, 2009. Listing of all activities and times can be found on the LACC website.

Congratulations on one year of success!

Lakes Area Community Center
112 W. Main Street
Battle Lake, MN 56515
(218) 862-5222
lacc@arvig.net
www.lakesareacc.org

Nonprofits May Find Grant Opportunities in the New Stimulus Plan

2009-06-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

The National Council of Nonprofits has begun publishing a series of Special Reports to help nonprofit organizations better understand the elements of the newly enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and to quickly prepare for their critical role in our nation's economic recovery. The Alliance has developed a checklist to help you quickly identify areas of potential funding contained in the Act, both in broad stokes and in a more detailed programmatic list.

General areas of funding with potential opportunities include:

Arts
Education
Youth services
Environment
Energy
Housing and community development
Health and human services
Volunteer and national service
Nonprofit assistance
Technology access
Workforce development

More specifically, the new law provides funds for:

Arts organization assistance
Child Care and Development Block Grants
Community Development Block Grants
Community Development Financial Institutions
Community Service Employment for Older Americans
Community Services Block Grants
Economic development assistance
Emergency food and shelter
Emergency food assistance
Energy assistance focused on weatherization and energy efficiency and conservation
Environment and conservation through Public Lands Corps, Youth Conservation Corps, Student Conservation Association and other programs serving young adults
Head Start and Early Head Start
Health centers
Health prevention and wellness
Health technology
HOME investment grants
Homeless prevention and rapid re-housing
Housing foreclosure assistance and redevelopment
Job training, employment and reemployment services
Native American Housing Block Grants
Nonprofit capacity building
School-based and youth programs, including Title I, special education and education for homeless children and youth
Senior meals
Service learning through National Service Trust
Technology access for broadband services in undeserved areas
Volunteer service through Americorps and VISTA

To read more about these specific funding streams, refer to the National Council's Special #1 at this site: http://www.councilofnonprofits.org/files/Special%20Report%201%20-%20Overview%20(Feb%2023%20FINAL).pdf

This report includes:

Provisions of Potential Interest: detail on specific grants in program areas in the Act that could be of interest to a wide range of nonprofits. Each summary describes the nature of the program and shows the amounts appropriated;
Appendix: summarizes the major appropriations and tax cuts in the 407-page Act.

Pawlenty's Unallotment Plan to Balance the Budget

2009-06-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced today (June 17, 2009) he plans to cut about $236 million from health and human services programs and another $300 million of aid to city and county governments as part of his unilateral "unallotment" in an effort to balance the state's budget for the new biennium. Pawlenty's cuts equal nearly $736 million. The reductions would begin July 1 and end July 2011. These cuts mark the largest ever for the State of Minnesota.

Reductions:

K-12: $1.77 billion in payment deferrals and adjustments

Aid to cities, counties and townships: $300 million

Health and human services: $236 million

Higher education: $100 million

Reducing refunds and other payments: $67 million

State agencies: $33 million

Additional revenues through administrative actions: $169 million

Local Government Energy Assurance Guidelines

2009-06-17T08:41:00.000-07:00

A soft-cover full-color edition of the PTI publication Local Government Energy Assurance Guidelines is now available. The publication helps city and county officials to address energy assurance and security concerns for mission-critical government facilities.

"Protecting and enhancing the resiliency of the energy sector from natural and human-caused disasters requires local governments to be vigilant and aware of the interdependencies of the system," said PTI executive director Alan Shark. "This guide provides a valuable resource for local governments as they examine and enhance their energy assurance efforts."

Local Government Energy Assurance Guidelines underscores the importance of preparing an energy assurance plan and offers a model tool to help officials assess their readiness in case of an energy emergency in their community by:

Identifying national and local government experts who can help with energy assurance planning needs;
Building organizational relationships and responsibilities within local government, the private sector and the region;
Discovering actions that can ease the impacts of short-term energy disruptions;
Defining long-term strategies and options for dealing with sustained disruptions or outages;
Providing a tool that can be used to prepare an energy assurance plan;
Improving all-hazards emergency preparedness through regional collaboration; and
Learning about innovative and traditional financing mechanisms for energy assurance needs.

"Local governments are on the front lines of virtually all energy emergencies, and local governments are going to be faced with an ever increasing number of energy-related emergencies in the coming years," said Alice Lippert of the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). "The resources and energy assurance assessment tool provided in this document will help local officials in preparing for energy-related disruptions to their facilities and systems."

The DOE Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) funded PTI’s production of this publication. The OE is the primary DOE office responsible for energy emergency planning and response in the United States. Its mission is to lead national efforts to modernize the electric grid, enhance security and reliability of the energy infrastructure and facilitate recovery from disruptions to the energy supply.

Go to http://www.amazon.com/Local-Government-Energy-Assurance-Guidelines/dp/1439236941 to order the hard-copy version from Amazon.
To download the 4.3 MB PDF from PTI at no charge, go to http://www.pti.org/docs-sust/LocalGovernmentEnergyAssuranceGuidelines.pdf

Information home site: http://www.pti.org/index.php/ptiee1/more/410/

Leadership Skills Training

2009-06-16T12:14:00.000-07:00

Lakes Country Service Cooperative is pleased to offer Leadership Skills Training...a series of workshops for human resource generalists, supervisors, managers, team leaders, administrators and support staff.

April 9, 2009
Your Conflict Type

July 23, 2009
Employment Law

August 20, 2009
Volunteer Board Members & Areas of Liability for Non-Profits

September 10, 2009
Legal Concerns - Open Dialog

September 24, 2009
Ethical Decision Making

October 15, 2009
Public Participation

November 12, 2009
Building Relationships with Decision Makers

December 3, 2009
Committees That Work

Thanks to a grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation, registration fees for members with Human Resource duties will be waived.

For session overviews, workshop times, registration fees and to register, go to http://www.lcsc.org or contact Pam Ness at pamness@lcsc.org (218-739-3273, ext 115) for more information.

The Center for Urban and Regional Affairs RFP

2009-06-08T06:36:00.000-07:00

The Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) is inviting proposals for the fall 2009 semester for three of it’s Community Based research programs: Neighborhood Planning for Community Revitalization (NPCR), Community Assistantship Program (CAP) and Communiversity (CMV).

Students are paid by the programs for the assistantships, making them a good potential source of funding for your students.

CURA Community Based Research Programs provide applied research assistance to community-based groups located outside of the Twin Cities area, neighborhood groups within the metro area, and other nonprofit agencies and groups. This research is administered by three separate programs: the Community Assistantship Program, which works with groups in greater Minnesota; Neighborhood Planning for Community Revitalization, which works with neighborhood organizations in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and first-ring suburbs; and Communiversity, which works with nonprofit organizations, particularly those serving communities of color.

These community research projects typically place students in part-time research assistantships for one semester or over the summer. Students are selected by and report to the community organization. Organizations define and direct their research projects.

The goals of these programs are to:
1) enhance the capacity of community-based groups in Minnesota to meet their goals by giving them an opportunity to accomplish relevant applied research;
2) provide students and faculty with useful community-based applied research and learning opportunities.

Applications should come directly from community organizations.
The deadline for project proposals is June 30th, 2009.
Approved projects will run from August 31st, 2009 to January 13th, 2010.

Please follow the link below to find out more or to apply on-line or contact Jeff Corn, CURA Community Program Coordinator at (612) 625-0744

http://www.cura.umn.edu/Programs/ApplicationProcess.php

United States Environmental Protection Agency: MyEnvironment

2009-06-03T09:51:00.000-07:00

The MyEnvironment search application is designed to provide a cross-section of environmental information based on the user’s location.

The desired location is keyed in from the EPA Home Page (www.epa.gov) under the section called MyEnvironment.

The next page to appear contains the results of the search for that geography, e.g., Baltimore, MD. You can use a variety of locational search terms, such as zipcode, street address, county name, waterbody name, National Park name – or any placename that you might see on a roadmap.

The top part of the page contains a map with the EPA regulated facilities for that area (and air and water monitoring stations will be added soon) and the bottom part includes the following set of information (pertinent to that specific geography, or to the county or state – depending on the lowest level of aggregation for which those data are available):

MyAir
UV index – This reports the predicted UV light intensity for today
Air Quality Index for the US (AQI)
Radon level maps
Today’s Ozone Forecast
Today’s Particulate Matter Forecast
Another Ozone Map from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

MyHealth
EPA Cancer Risk for Air Toxics Estimates by County
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Infant Mortality Rates by County
HRSA Low Birth Weight Babies Rates by County

MyLand
Superfund Information links
Brownfields Information links
Cleanups in my Community – takes you to an application that shows a map of cleanup activities in your neighborhood – like Superfund, RCRA and other.

MyWater
US Geological Survey Streamflow Levels data for stream gauges
Water conditions for local waterbodies based on EPA Water Quality and Impaired Stream data
EPA Local Drinking Water Provider information and Community Water System information from Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS)
Monitoring Stations by Pollutant – The ability to identify monitoring stations in your neighborhood by the pollutants they measure – is coming soon.
New/expiring facility permits in my area – this feature reports new and expiring permits (from EPA’s Permit Compliance System database) given to facilities that emit pollutants to water in your neighborhood.

Watershed – This feature shows you your watershed and connects you to the EPA Surf Your Watershed Web site which provides a variety of links to citizen-based groups at work in your watershed, water quality data, and more.

MyEcological Conditions – this area displays reports that describe the state of ecological indicators in your area. Additionally, up in the right-hand corner of the map (above the map’s legend) we offer a refined search capability. In the refined search box you can select by pollutant which will yield a map with only those facilities emitting that pollutant plus a federated search of materials pertinent to that pollutant, including:
EPA Library Collection Search for mostly scientific documents and PDFs;
EPA Substance Registry System Search for lots of pollutant-specific information including factsheets about health impacts;
National Institute of Standards and Technology chemical breakdowns;
EPA Web Site Search for any web pages pertaining to that pollutant;
EPA Frequently Asked Questions Search for any FAQs pertaining to that pollutant; and
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Chemical Factsheets (if available).

Select by industry which will yield a map with only the facilities in that industry (e.g., manufacturing) and as above – below the fold will show search results with web pages, factsheets and references particular to that industry as a search term.

Select a New Place will let you key in a new location into the search box and result in a wholesale refresh of the map and below containers for information about air, water, land, etc. pertinent to that newly specified geography.

Finally, there is a MyCollaboration area in the bottom right-hand corner of the search results page (this is not available from any refined search results page – but instead only from a geographic search). MyCollaboration include three means for communicating either to EPA or the web community:

1. Email is available to send comments back to the EPA developers of this Web site and we can field a wide range of questions that you may have – such as requests for additional resources, comments about the MyEnvironment application or any other comments.

2. Comment Form is available to report back to your community your environmental concerns about your neighborhood. We will collect your comment and report it back out on the website for anyone else who navigates back to that community location. With this feature we were hoping to allow an exchange of concerns about particular neighborhoods. Eventually we will add a blog to this Web site so that this can turn into a dialogue where EPA can highlight and bring resources to the environmental concerns for a particular geography that are most on people’s minds.

3. Finally, since this application puts a strong focus on the regulated facilities that may operate in your community, we include a link to the official channel where the public can Report Violations.

This is a great source for general knowledge, as well as gathering information for reports and grant proposals.

http://www.epa.gov/myenvironment/

Governor Tim Pawlenty

2009-06-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

***Remarks as prepared for delivery.

Governor Tim Pawlenty
June 2, 2009
Governor’s Reception Room
State Capitol
Saint Paul, Minnesota

Good afternoon. Thanks for coming to the announcement that, in light of the Brett Favre situation and its unsettling impact on the people of Minnesota, I am signing an executive order requiring Saint Paul native Joe Mauer, in addition to catching for the Twins, to also play quarterback for the Vikings.

These are tough times, Joe, and everybody has to dig deep.
Of course, I actually have a different announcement for you. Today, I’m announcing I will not seek a third term as Governor.

At these types of announcements, the speaker often says something like "last but not least, I would like to thank the following people."

Instead, I would like to express my gratitude not last, but right up front – starting with acknowledging and thanking God for the great State of Minnesota, its kind and generous people and for the opportunity to serve this special, jaw-droppingly amazing state.

I would also like to thank the love of my life, the mother of our two daughters and the person who has carried more of the load than you could ever imagine, the fabulous First Lady of Minnesota, Mary Pawlenty.

My daughters Anna and Mara have grown-up with all the challenges that come with your Dad being Governor. They have been very patient and exhibited great grace through it all. I love them so much, and I am very proud of both of them.

My other family members, incredibly loyal and fantastic staff and cabinet members, steadfast supporters, Lieutenant Governor Molnau, friends and so many others who have carried so much of the load – deserve and have my utmost respect and appreciation.

I also want to thank legislators and public servants all across Minnesota. While sometimes we may have had our differences, I have great respect and appreciation for good people who are willing to enter the difficult arena of public service. I am thankful for all of them.

But the real secret to Minnesota’s success is its people, and I am so very grateful for them. As Governor, I’ve been constantly inspired by the courage and ingenuity of Minnesotans. It has been – and it will continue to be – a great joy and opportunity to make the most of their amazing spirit, even in these tough times.

I’ve seen so many examples of the goodness of Minnesotans all over this great state. But one of my most memorable is witnessing packed high school gymnasiums in Greater Minnesota every time our soldiers head out or come home. Young and old, rich and poor, family member or not, the people of the town show up, and they stand up for things that matter. They value service, courage, honor and country.

Serving this incredible state has been the great honor of my life. I’m profoundly grateful for the opportunity to serve the wonderful people of Minnesota.

My administration has made a major, positive difference for Minnesota. We developed and deployed the best support programs for members of the military, their families and veterans in the country. We led the nation in developing a cleaner, more secure and more Americanized energy future. We led the nation in education reform and results, have been nation-leading in redesigning and improving health care and much more.

And importantly, we kept Minnesota competitive by imposing some much-needed discipline on government by keeping a lid on taxes and spending. We even succeeded in achieving the long-standing goal of moving Minnesota out of the top ten mostly highly-taxed states.

I still have lots of energy and ideas. But, being Governor should not be a permanent position for someone. When it comes to how long someone should stay in an elected position, a little less is better than too much.

It’s a lesson I learned spending time in places like the Croatian Hall in South Saint Paul, where there is inevitably less joy and more trouble in too much pizza or too much beer.

We don’t have term limits in Minnesota, but we do have good judgment and common sense. We are a government of laws and ideas, not personalities.

Time marches on, and now it’s time to give someone else a chance. I’m announcing my decision now so candidates interested in running for this office will have ample time to make their plans and make their case to the people of Minnesota.

Be assured, though, that I will make the most of the 19 months I have left in the office Minnesotans have entrusted to me. I will continue to spend every day doing what’s right for them. Minnesota will get my very best until I’m done. There is much important and difficult work remaining, and I will tackle it aggressively and finish strong.

The Scriptures say "there is a time for every purpose". For me, the purpose of the next 19 months will be to do the very best I can for Minnesota.

Thank you and God bless you all.

New State of the Cities Report shows the recession is taking a toll on cities

2009-05-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

The nation’s economic recession, the decline in the housing market, and the recent crisis in the financial market have negatively affected city finances in a variety of ways, according to a new study released last week by the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC).

The State of the Cities Report 2009 shows that all of these trends have hampered the ability of Minnesota cities to fund and provide basic services to residents and businesses. The report includes findings from the League’s sixth annual fiscal conditions survey.

The share of cities reporting improved fiscal conditions plummeted from 40 percent in 2007 to just over 25 percent in 2008. Some of the factors causing concern among cities include increasing health care costs, employee wages and salaries, uncertainty surrounding local government aid, and the overall economy. Just one in 10 cities predicted they will be better able to meet financial needs in 2009.

More than half of cities reported shortfalls in property taxes. Cities reported an increase in delinquent property tax payments due to foreclosures and the decline in the overall economy. Cities identified a variety of budget-balancing strategies used in 2008, including revenue increases, spending decreases, and new efficiencies such as cooperative agreements with other local governments. The share reporting service cuts, workforce cuts, and increased use of reserve funds all grew over 2007.

The economic recession, the decline in the housing market, and the recent crisis in the financial market have affected cities in many ways. The most frequently identified problems in cities stemming from the recession are an increase in unpaid utility bills, an increase in unemployment among residents, a decline in building permit revenues, and an increase in unpaid property taxes.

Foreclosures also continue to add to the challenges cities face. Cities reported foreclosure-related problems, including delinquent payments on utility service fees and taxes, delinquent property taxes, property maintenance issues, and declining property values.

As these challenges strain city budgets, cities must continue to deliver services such as street maintenance and repair. The majority of cities identified repair, reconstruction, or other maintenance needs for their streets over the next year. The property tax and special assessments have over time become a larger share of the dollars used for street projects in most cities.

Copies of the report will soon be mailed to the mayor and top administrative official of each city. The report is also available on the LMC web site.

LCSC Receives Bremer Foundation Grant

2009-04-27T09:18:00.000-07:00

Lakes Country Service Cooperative has received a grant in the amount of $4,075.00 from the Otto Bremer Foundation to support the Leadership Skills Training workshop series offered by LCSC.

Eight leadership workshops designed specifically for human resource generalists, supervisors, managers, team leaders, administrators and support staff will be offered in 2009. The Bremer Foundation grant award will cover the cost to wave registration fees for member employees of nonprofit and small cities who have HR duties assigned to them as a component of their job responsibilities.

Workshop titles:
1. Building Relationships with Decision Makers – University of MN Extension Service
2. Committees That Work - University of MN Extension Service
3. Your Conflict Type - University of MN Extension Service
4. Ethical Decision Making - University of MN Extension Service
5. Public Participation - University of MN Extension Service
6. Volunteer Board Members have Legal Liabilities – Pemberton Law Firm
7. Legal Concerns / Open Dialog - Pemberton Law Firm
8. Legal Checkup for Nonprofits - Pemberton Law Firm

Workshops have been scheduled for the Spring, Fall and Winter of 2009.
Check the LCSC website at www.lcsc.org for dates and registration.

6th Annual Assistive Technology Expo

2009-02-23T06:41:00.000-08:00

Assistive technology is redefining what is possible!
The 6th Annual Assistive Technology Expo will highlight
AT devices and services for people of any age and ability
to help them live, learn, work and play.

When: April 30, 2009
Where: Ramada Plaza Suites, Fargo, ND
Time: Concurrent AT Presentations
8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Fee: $25.00 (includes lunch)
Scholarships and CEU’s available!
AT EXPO Hall Open
11:00 am - 6:00 pm
Free and open to the public!

For more information and to register:
Call 1-877-760-2939 (701-235-2330) or visit
www.atexpo.org

Come and see all the latest in Assistive Technology!

This event is a combined effort of volunteers and organizations. The current planning committee organizations include: Connections of Moorhead, Fraser, Ltd., IPAT-Interagency Program for Assistive Technology, Job Service North Dakota, MN STAR, ND Protection & Advocacy Project, and SEHSC Regional Aging Services.

Connections of Moorhead is a member of Lakes Country Service Cooperative.

Informational Meeting: State Financing for Clean Water and Drinking Water Infrastructure Projects

2009-02-11T07:17:00.000-08:00

Municipal water infrastructure plays a critical role in protecting public health
and the environment. These construction projects also have an important economic impact. The State of Minnesota has a number of financing programs to assist local governments with these projects. Municipalities of all sizes are eligible for these programs.

Minnesota Rural Water Conference
10 to 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, March 4, 2009
St. Cloud Convention Center – Wilson Room
10 South Fourth Avenue, St. Cloud, MN 56301

TOPICS COVERED:
• General information and what is new about financing programs
• Latest news on potential funding through federal economic recovery package
• Potential state dedicated Clean Water Legacy funding for water infrastructure projects

YOU SHOULD ATTEND IF:
• Your city has plans to upgrade or improve its wastewater or drinking water system
• You have questions about state loan and grant programs
• You are a consultant and would like the latest information to best serve your clients

PARTICIPATING AGENCIES:
• Minnesota Public Facilities Authority
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
• Minnesota Department of Health

IF INTERESED IN ATTENDING, RSVP BY FEB. 25TH TO:
Jeanette Boothe
Jeanette.boothe@state.mn.us
651-201-4697

THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR ATTENDING THIS MEETING

Accepting Project Submissions for State Revolving Fund Loan Programs

2009-02-11T07:04:00.000-08:00

Submissions are now being accepted to place public wastewater, stormwater, and drinking water infrastructure improvement projects on the Clean Water and Drinking Water Revolving Funds’ respective 2010 project priority lists. Projects must be on the appropriate project priority list to be eligible for a below market rate revolving fund loan.

The two-state revolving fund programs are administered by the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority, together with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Minnesota Department of Health. The Public Facilities Authority provides below-market rate loans to local governments for eligible projects based on priorities determined by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (for wastewater and stormwater projects) and the Minnesota Department of Health (for drinking water projects).

The deadline for receiving submissions for a project priority list is May 1, 2009. The Public Facilities Authority must also receive a request to place a project on the 2010 Intended Use Plan if financing will be sought for state fiscal year 2010 (July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010).

Project Priority List – Clean Water Revolving Fund
􀂾 Wastewater and stormwater projects
􀂾 Deadline: May 1, 2009 to Pollution Control Agency
Facility plans or stormwater project plans due March 6, 2009

Bill Dunn, MPCA
651-757-2324
bill.dunn@state.mn.us

Project Priority List – Drinking Water Revolving Fund
􀂾 Drinking water projects
􀂾 Deadline: May 1, 2009 to Department of Health

John Schnickel, MDH
651-201-4658
john.schnickel@state.mn.us

Placement on 2010 Intended Use Plan
􀂾 For either program
􀂾 Deadline: June 5, 2009 to Public Facilities Authority

Jeff Freeman, PFA
651-259-7465
jeff.freeman@state.mn.us

Legislative leaders will be holding hearings statewide on the Governor’s proposed budget to solicit input from citizens

2009-02-09T11:28:00.000-08:00

Thursday, Feb. 19:
Mankato: 6 p.m. at the Mankato Intergovernmental Center, Mankato River Room, 10 Civic Center Plaza, Mankato.
Rochester: 6 p.m. at the Rochester Community and Technical College, Heintz Center Commons Area, 851 30th Ave. S.E., Rochester.
St. Cloud: 6 p.m. at the St. Cloud City Hall Council Chambers, 400 2nd St. S., St. Cloud.
Willmar: 6 p.m. at Kennedy Elementary School, 824 7th St. S.W., Willmar.

Friday, Feb. 20:
Albert Lea: 10 a.m. at the Albert Lea City Hall Council Chambers, 221 E. Clark St., Albert Lea.
Winona: 3:30 p.m. at the Winona City Hall Council Chambers, 207 Lafayette, Winona.
Marshall: 2:30 p.m. at the Southwest Minnesota State University Lecture Hall, 1501 State St., Marshall.
Worthington: 10:30 a.m. at the Worthington City Hall Council Chambers, 303 Ninth St., Worthington.
Little Falls: 9:30 a.m. at the Morrison County Government Center, Garden Level Meeting Room, 213 1st Ave. S.E., Little Falls.
Alexandria: 2 p.m. at Alexandria City Hall, 704 Broadway, Alexandria
Duluth: 9:30 a.m. at the Duluth City Hall Council Chambers, 411 W. 1st St., Duluth
Virginia: 1:30 p.m. at Mesabi Range Community and Technical College, Small Auditorium,1001 Chestnut St. W., Virginia.
Brainerd: 10:30 a.m. at Washington Educational Services Building, Boardroom, 804 Oak St., Brainerd.
Bemidji: 3:30 p.m. at Bemidji State University, American Indian Resource Center Gathering Place, 1620 Birchmont Dr., Bemidji.

Monday, February 23
Woodbury: 6:00 p.m. at Central Park Amphitheater, 8595 Central Park Place

Tuesday, February 24
Bloomington: 7:00 p.m. at Bloomington City Hall, 1800 W Old Shakopee Rd
Minneapolis: 6:00 p.m. at Minneapolis Park Board, 2117 West River Road

Wednesday, February 25
Burnsville: 7:30 p.m. at Fairview Ridges Hospital, 201 E. Nicollet Blvd
White Bear Lake: 6:30 p.m. at White Bear Lake High School - South Campus, 3551 McKnight Rd N

Thursday, February 26
St. Paul: 6:00 p.m. at West Minnehaha Rec. Center in Frogtown, 685 Minnehaha Ave W
Plymouth: 7:00 p.m. at Plymouth City Hall, 3400 Plymouth Blvd.
Coon Rapids” 7:00 p.m. at Coon Rapids City Hall, 11155 Robinson Drive
Forest Lake: TBD

Committee Deadlines Approved
March 27 at 8 p.m., 1st deadline - committees act favorably on bills in the House of origin;
April 7 at 11:59 p.m., 2nd deadline - committees act favorably on bills, or companion of bills, that met the first deadline in the other body;
April 16, divisions of House and Senate finance committees act favorably on omnibus appropriation bills;
April 22, House and Senate finance and taxes committees, and the House Ways and Means Committee, act favorably on omnibus appropriation and tax bills; and
May 7, conference committees on omnibus appropriations and tax bills must report bills to the floor.

In addition, House and Senate leaders said it is their intention to send all budget, finance and tax bills to the Governor by May 12 – six days before the Legislature must adjourn according to the state constitution.

2009 STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS

2009-01-22T10:00:00.000-08:00

Governor Tim Pawlenty
January 15, 2009
Saint Paul, Minnesota

Does the Governor’s State of the State address send mixed messages to cities?

http://www.governor.state.mn.us/stellent/groups/public/documents/web_content/prod009309.pdf

A MINNESOTA WITHOUT POVERTY

2009-01-16T09:14:00.000-08:00

Business, government and faith leaders to gather on January 21, 2009 to affirm recommendations to end poverty in Minnesota by 2020, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 218 10th St. S., Moorhead, MN 56560 from 3:00 PM—4:00 PM

A Minnesota Without Poverty, the statewide movement that is galvanizing support from business, government and the faith communities in Minnesota, announced plans for a Jan. 21, 2009, public affirmation of recommendations made by the Legislative Commission to End Poverty in Minnesota by 2020. A gathering at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Moorhead, MN will be held simultaneously with the St. Paul ceremony. The public is invited to attend and participate.

The Legislative Commission to End Poverty in Minnesota by 2020 has compiled a comprehensive list of recommendations that erase or reduce the barriers that force people to live in poverty. The recommendations identify problems and solutions in key areas: education, health care, transportation, employment and welfare. The recommendations, if implemented, would have the potential to lead to a poverty-free Minnesota by 2020.

Ending poverty is possible when we show up, stand up, sign up, and speak up. A Minnesota Without Poverty is a statewide, interfaith movement to end poverty in Minnesota by 2020.

This announcement is brought to you by Lakes & Prairies Community Action Partnership.

Their Mission: To assist low-income people in their quest for self-sufficiency. Their Vision: To be a visible leader in encouraging self-sufficiency and attainment of personal goals through valued services that address the people in the communities we serve.

Originally posted on the Lakes & Prairies Community Action Partnership blog site.
http://lakesandprairiesblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/minnesota-without-poverty.html

Minnesota Senate Budget Discussion: Solving the Budget Problem Together

2009-01-15T09:37:00.000-08:00

The Senate has created a Senate Budget Discussion website, welcoming ideas from the public regarding the state budget. The Minnesota State Senate’s Budget Discussion Website is an online community designed to invite you to contribute your ideas on the state budget. Your ideas will help the Senate develop a budget that reflects the values and needs of our communities.

The Minnesota Senate wants to hear from you. This web site is designed to gather ideas to solve the state's budget crisis from as many Minnesotans as possible. We welcome all suggestions, large or small. Your ideas will help shape the Senate's spending decisions and your creativity could spark innovative solutions.

During this Session, the state will set its budget for the next two fiscal years: July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2011. The November 2008 economic forecast revealed that the state government faces a deficit of more than $4.8 billion dollars over the next two years. This is a very significant budget deficit. In order to create a balanced budget for the next two years, we will need to consider all ideas and be creative in finding solutions. All Minnesotans will need to be a part of the decision-making process.

Remember that you are always welcome to contact your local Senator by letter, telephone, email or personal visits to the Capitol. We hope that this website will be another way for you to be a part of the legislative process.

http://budgetforum.senate.mn/

LCSC Launches new Leadership Skills Training series for 2009

2008-12-01T09:19:00.001-08:00

At the request of member agencies, Lakes Country Service Cooperative is pleased to be able to offer a series of five leadership workshops for mid-management level employees in 2009.

Building Relationships with Decision Makers....February 12, 2009
This workshop will give you real life ideas as to the value of building relationships with decision makers and things you can do to begin and sustain the relationship over time.

Committees That Work.......March 11, 2009
This workshop will address the Seven Meeting Traps most groups, committees and boards find themselves in from time to time. This workshop will name and traps and offer solutions for each. It will address meeting guidelines, bad meeting behavior, agenda management, leading from the back and much more.

Your Conflict Type........April 9, 2009
Conflict is a given in our lives. We all handle it differently. The Thomas Kilman Conflict Inventory is an instrument that allows each person to determine how they handle conflict, the strengths of each type and the "shadow" side of each type. This is an eye-opening session that looks at the personal side of conflict.

Ethical Decision Making......September 24, 2009
In your work, you're presented with perplexing decisions every day. What is right? What is wrong? How do you know? This session will help you understand Ethical Decision Making frameworks that you can use to make decisions. We will utilize some case studies and look at the qualities ethical people have. Come to this session with examples, questions and your stories as we explore this provocative topic.

Public Participation.......October 15, 2009
How do we get the public involved in setting an organizational agenda? Just what is Public Participation and how do we make it happen? This workshop will help you gather input from the public and key stakeholders on any issue. Strategically determine who in the public is for you and who is against you and how looking at all sides of an issue will enable you to make appropriate decisions based on the input you have received.

Registration is on-line at the Lakes Country Service Cooperative website.
www.lcsc.org

Contact Pam Ness for more information: pamness@lcsc.org

Fergus Falls Community Zero Adult Provider Program; Judicial Response to Underage Drinking

2008-11-14T10:10:00.000-08:00

The Fergus Falls Community ZAP project is a partnership between the Otter Tail Family Services Collaborative Chemical Health Work Group and the Otter Tail County Safe Communities Coalition. These two committees have the membership of over 35 different county-based organizations including, but not limited to local police departments, the Sheriff''s Department, Public Health, the County Attorney's Office, public school districts, the MN State Community & Technical College, chemical dependency treatment providers and specialists and Lakes Country Service Cooperative.

We know that persons under the age of 21 usually obtain alcohol directly or indirectly from those over the age of 21. We believe that by working with parents and other adults, youth, law enforcement, prosecutors, judges and others directly involved with chemical use issues, we can make a change in the community norms that will foster long term efforts and reduce underage drinking within Otter Tail County.

ZAP in Fergus Falls:

Allows for enhanced enforcement of adult provider laws by increasing overtime hours for officers to fully investigate and identify the source of the alcohol when minors are found in possession of it within Otter Tail County.
Provides for increased identification of the adults purchasing and providing alcohol to minors by finding overtime above and beyond those hours currently provided by law enforcement to increase surveillance and patrol during key community events when minors are often arrested for consuming alcohol.
Strives to increase public awareness of the dangers and consequences of underage drinking and to reduce the amount of alcohol provided to minors by adults over the age of 21.

The program activities identified within this grant project will be carried out between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009. The specific dates for increased surveillance and patrol by law enforcement will include, but not be limited to: September 27 (MN State Community & Technical College Homecoming); October 3 (Fergus Falls High School Homecoming); November 28 (Friday after Thanksgiving when many college students are home from college); May - June 2009 at the DeLagoon City Park during adult league softball season; and June 2009 City of Fergus Falls Summerfest.

To date, added law enforcement hours through this program has charged 61 minors with underage consuming, as well as two adults for providing alcohol to minors.

For more information regarding the ZAP Program in Fergus Falls, contact:

Jane Patrick, Coordinator; Otter Tail Family Service Collaborative; 218-736-3458

Pam Ness, Coordinator; Lakes Country Service Cooperative; 218-739-3273

Bremer Emergency Fund

2008-11-14T09:54:00.000-08:00

A joint response by the Foundation and Bremer Bank to the current economic crisis, the Bremer Emergency Fund will provide one-year grants of up to $100,000 to help organizations provide emergency financial assistance to individuals and families in Bremer communities who are struggling to continue to provide basics such as food, warm and stable housing, health care, and reliable transportation in the face of increased unemployment and high prices.

We recognize that timely financial assistance can sometimes make the difference between instability and security, enabling families and individuals to meet emergency needs and retain housing or jobs. Then, once basic needs are met and a crisis is averted, families are in a better position to access community programs that can help them achieve long-term stability and participate fully in their communities' economic, civic, and social life.

The Bremer Emergency Fund honors the legacy and vision of Foundation founder Otto Bremer, who believed that people could survive and flourish if they had help at critical times. In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, Bremer liquidated many of his personal assets to help the "countryside banks" in which he had invested ride out the hard times. The Bremer Emergency Fund reflects this commitment to the bank communities and to the support of those working to make their lives better. The Foundation's grant dollars will be supplemented by a donation from Bremer Bank.

We will be inviting proposals for this initiative beginning on November 14, with a submission deadline of December 15, 2008. We will notify recipients of grants by January 15, 2009. Eligible organizations are those whose beneficiaries are residents of the Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin communities served by Bremer Bank. Additional information on the Emergency Fund and application forms are available on our website, www.ottobremer.org.

Foundation decisions will be based on: demonstrated community need; geography; the organization’s experience and capacity; and the organization’s ability to provide follow-up and support, including links to additional community resources.

Randi Ilyse Roth, Executive Director
Otto Bremer Foundation
445 Minnesota Street, Suite 2250
St. Paul, MN 55101-2107
651-312-3723 (direct)
651-227-8036 (office)
888-291-1123 (toll-free)
Email: rroth@ottobremer.org
Web: http://www.ottobremer.org

Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development

2008-11-04T08:15:00.000-08:00

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is pleased to announce the availability of the Minnesota Investment Fund (MIF) Biomass Heating Program.

This program provides grants and loans to local units of government for the installation of biomass heating projects in publicly owned facilities. The funding award limit is $250,000, with a required minimum local match of 1 to 1.

A total of $1 million will be awarded.

Applications for funding will be accepted until April 30, 2009, or until all funds are committed, whichever is sooner.

For more information, please go to:
http://www.deed.state.mn.us/Community/assistance/MIF_BiomassIntro.htm

City of Hoffman Awarded Grant

2008-10-28T12:39:00.000-07:00

U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development officials last month awarded the City of Hoffman nearly $1.8 million to fund two community development projects.

Paid from the 2008 farm bill, most of the money - more than $1.5 million - will go toward installing a new city water system. The rest will help replace Hoffman's aging fire hall.

The city has been working for the last year to secure federal funding for the two projects, reported City Clerk Pat Lawson. The current city water system was built in the 1950's. As part of the project, the city will also build a new 100,000 gallon water tower; twice as large as the old tank.

Construction on the new water system is set to begin next spring.

(Source: "Minnesota Cities" volume 93, issue 9 by the League of Minnesota Cities and Alexandria Echo Press)

2008 Fall Regional Alliance Meeting

2008-09-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

Lakes Country Service Cooperative (LCSC) hosted the 2008 Fall Regional Alliance Meeting in the Eagle Conference Room at LCSC on September 10, 2008.

The 2008 Fall Regional Alliance Meeting offered approximately 30 city, county, nonprofit and other governmental agency members an opportunity to gain information on LCSC trends, grant opportunities, infrastructure financing, and to find out first hand what state and regional elected officials are doing to support their communities and agencies.

Featured speakers during the morning session included LCSC executive director Jeremy Kovash, LCSC coordinator Pam Ness, LCSC health and safety manager Melissa Mattson, West Central Initiative president, Nancy Straw and keynote speaker Terry Kuhlman, Executive Director of the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority (PFA). PFA is responsible for the administration and financial management of revolving loan funds and other programs to assist local government and others with the construction of public infrastructure.

The afternoon session featured an open forum for audience interaction with regional elected officials, as well as candidates running for public office. Panel members included State Representative Bud Nornes, State Representative candidate Greg Stumbo, Senator Dan Skogen, Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen, State Representative candidate Mark Murdock, State Representative Morrie Lanning, State Representative candidate Mark Altenburg, Brenda Elmer on behalf of Senator Norm Coleman, and Andy Martin on behalf of Senator Amy Klobuchar .

Panel topics of discussion included water and waste management, local tax levees, state funding for school districts, health care, state seat belt laws, and city financing, to name a few. All audience participants and panel members had an opportunity to comment on any/all issues presented.

West Central Truck Rodeo

2008-09-23T12:15:00.001-07:00

The Otter Tail County Employees’ Safety Committee and the Otter Tail Highway Department sponsored and operated a truck rodeo at the Red Horse Ranch Arena on September 17, 2008.

The truck rodeo is a test of driving skills for highway maintenance workers who drive snowplow trucks. The trucks are set up with a snowplow in front of the truck, and a wing plow on the front right hand corner of the truck. The drivers’ skills and judgment were tested in approximately eight different configurations.

The course included: driving forward through and around a set of barrels, then backing up through the same set of barrels; with the side wing plow down, driving close around a curve without hitting posts; driving past a series of mailboxes with the same wing plow down without hitting the mailboxes; driving a marked straight line; with the truck box up, driving beneath a bridge (bridge is made of metal poles); backing up to a loading dock; driving down a narrow path without hitting the side markers; and stopping within a few inches of a line. Drivers are also given a specified amount of time to complete the course.

The truck rodeo provides drivers with the opportunity to sharpen their driving skills and become prepared for plowing snow in the winter months.

Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Operations Center Opens

2008-09-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

First LEED-Certified Building in the County

The new Otter Tail County Sheriff’s facility in Ottertail completed construction on July 22 and celebrated with an open house for the public on September 13, 2008. It is the first building in Otter Tail County to meet the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification. LEED is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. To achieve LEED certification, the building was constructed with such features as geothermal heat, use of recycled materials in construction, air quality controls, white membrane roof to reflect sunlight, automatic light dimming, use of native grasses to limit lawnmowing and more.

The new Operations Center will house patrol personnel, water safety patrol, two full-time detectives, a records technician, backup dispatch center and the county’s emergency management director. A booking room, temporary holding cell, evidence room, training area and a garage are also in place at the Center to assist deputies.

One feature of the Operations Center that will benefit law enforcement from around the region is the large training room for continuing education hours required by all law enforcement personnel. Otter Tail deputies will be able to have joint training sessions with law enforcement from other counties rather than traveling to the Cities for required training.

Prairie Wetlands Learning Center Expands

2008-09-23T11:59:00.000-07:00

After years of planning and months of construction, the new education wing at the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center (PWLC) is hosting Fergus Falls fourth and fifth grade students.

The PWLC’s new 12,000 square foot facility includes four classrooms, office space, restrooms and a greenhouse. In addition to many windows, classrooms were designed to give students the feeling of the outdoors even when they’re inside. Each of the classrooms has a wall of windows facing the prairie, as well as skylights.

About 240 Fergus Falls fourth and fifth grade students are attending the Prairie Science Class this fall. Of that total, half are attending PWLC in the morning and half attend in the afternoon, with a bus shuttling students back and forth. Students receive instruction in science, language arts and health. Last year the total student population attending PWLC was 108. The new additions have more than doubled the number of students able to attend.

The Prairie Science Class is a partnership between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Prairie Wetlands Learning Center and the Fergus Falls Independent School District 544. Curriculum focuses on science, writing, applied math, and health while providing opportunities for building technology and inquiry skills. These curricular areas are studied through integrated, field-based learning experiences focused on the local prairie wetlands environment.
Potential future plans include expanding the program to include students in multiple grade levels, professional internship opportunities, a pre-service teacher training element, and graduate coursework in partnership with universities, providing training and research opportunities in integrated, project-based, and field-based instructional methods.

Introduction to Government Contracting

2008-09-09T06:51:00.000-07:00

Are you interested in expanding your market share, increasing revenues, growing your business? Have you considered selling to the government? If not, let Minnesota's Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) show you why you should.

Learn what the government buys at $325+ billion dollar marketplace, who is buying, where they advertise, and how you can become registered, proactive and a preferred government supplier. Learn the basic government marketing tips, electronic business techniques and methods and how to locate the "right" people.

Topics to be covered include, but are not limited to: identifying the government market for your goods and services; basic procurement process and selling tools; FSS/GSA scheduling program; registrations (mandatory/optional); and available resources.

Monday, October 13, 2008
9 a.m. to 12 p.m. (registration begins at 8:30 a.m.)
Minnesota State University - Moorhead
Center for Business, Room 103
1104 Seventh Avenue South
Moorhead, MN

Presentation by Sherri Komrosky, PTAC Program Director.
218-329-1571
skomrosky@meda.net

Pre-registration is required by Monday, October 1, 2008
Cost: $25 per person

2008 Greater Minnesota Public Transportation Plan

2008-09-05T07:07:00.000-07:00

Stakeholder involvement is key to the success of this project. MnDOT will use stakeholder comments from the fall 2008 workshops to continue developing a public transportation plan and transit policies that will benefit greater Minnesota and reflects the input of the stakeholders.

The update to the Greater Minnesota Public Transportation Plan will define the future vision for public transportation across greater Minnesota and lay the foundation to achieve that vision.

The plan will:

Identify steps needed to preserve the long-standing investment in current public transit services across the state.
Look for opportunities to enhance mobility options for the general public.
Focus on the target market groups of the elderly, low income, disabled and commuters.

Project Management:

Project leader - Minnesota Department of Transportation Office of Transit.
Advisory Committee - Assembled to conduct public involvement and technical work needed to develop the plan; Members include MnDOT and consultant staff.
Final Approval - The plan will be final following the approval of the MnDOT Commissioner.

Project Timeline:

Project Launch - Spring 2008
Telephone and On-Line Surveys with Stakeholders - Summer 2008
Statewide Workshops - Fall 2008
Plan Finalization - Winter 2008

Update Workshops Schedule: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

September 9: Detroit Lakes DOT Building; 100 Highway 10 West; Detroit Lakes, MN 56501
September 11: St. Cloud DOT Building; 3725 12th Street North; St. Cloud, MN 56303
September 12: Marshall DOT Building; 1800 East College Drive; Marshall, MN 56258
September 17: Duluth DOT Building; 1123 Mesaba Ave.; Duluth, MN 55811
September 18: Bemidji DOT Building; 3920 Highway 2 West; Bemidji, MN 56601
September 24: Rochester DOT Building; 2900 48th Street NW; Rochester, MN 55901
September 25: Mankato Floyd Roberts Jr. Pavilion; Floyd Roberts Jr. Pavilion, Land of Memories Park; Mankato, MN 56001

For More Information Contact: Noel Shughart, Coordination Planner noel.shughart@dot.state.mn.us or 651-284-0085
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/transit/research

Operation Happy Note gets Marketing Makeover!

2008-08-12T12:04:00.000-07:00

Operation Happy Note, based out of Fergus Falls, Minnesota and an active member of Lakes Country Service Cooperative, was selected to receive a free "Marketing Makeover" while attending the Essentials Training Team's "Nonprofits: Today & Beyond 2008 Conference."

Operation Happy Note is a volunteer effort to send musical instruments to deployed service men and women throughout the world. Steve and Barb Baker from Fergus Music started Operation Happy Note in March 2005 after their son was deployed to Iraq. They sent him a guitar and one to his friend. These soldiers were so pleased to have instruments while deployed, Steve and Barb found a way to get more instruments to deployed troops. With the help of major musical companies and individual donations, Operation Happy Note has sent over 2,000 instruments; including guitars, mandolins, banjos, violins, harmonicas, and accessories. Thousands of requests continue to come in daily. Operation Happy Note has received national recognition for their outstanding efforts.

Steve and Barb Founders of Operation Happy Note
Visit their newly designed website at http://www.operationhappynote.com/

Non-Profits: Today & Beyond 2008

2008-08-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

The 2008 Nonprofit Conference was a full day of training and presentations offered by the "Essentials Training Team" held at the Minnesota Technical College in Alexandria, Minnesota on August 6, 2008. 110 people were registered and attended this full day event.

The conference covered topic areas identified by local nonprofit leaders. Session topics included:
* Board Expectations & Governance
* Building Essential Relationships
* Web-Based Technology for Nonprofits
* Grant Writing Essentials
* Managing and Disciplining Employees
* Board & Executive Director Relations

In addition to the seminar program, a "Nonprofit Marketing Makeover" for three selected organizations was made possible by the donation of services from three professional design firms. They offered their time & expertise at no charge and worked with these organizations to professionally "makeover" their agreed upon marketing materials.

Firms donating their time and expertise:
1. KO Creative...www.kocreative.net
2. Studio 78 - Platinum Design...www.studio-78.com
3. Eggen Group Marketing & Katzenjammer Designs...www.eggengroup.com and www.katzenjammerdesigns.com

Nonprofits Selected for Makeovers:
* Operation Happy Note
* Windmill Project
* Minnewaska Lutheran Home

The Essentials Training Team is a partnership between United Way of Douglas & Pope Counties, Tastefully Simple, West Central Initiative, Bremer, Lakes Country Service Cooperative and Alexandria Technical College. These organizations have provided a member of their team to meet monthly with the goal of organizing training that meets the "Essential Needs" of new, as well as established nonprofits. To learn more about the Essentials Training Team, contact Linda Roles and unitedway@rea-alp.com or call 320-763-4840.

Childhood Trauma Seminar October 3, 2008

2008-08-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

Otter Tail County CARE (Children are the Responsibility of Everyone) Committee presents "Childhood Trauma: Facts, Features and Necessary Help" on Friday, October 3, 2008 at the Bigwood Events Center in Fergus Falls, Minnesota.

Dr. Anne R. Gearity, a licensed clinical social worker with over 30 years of clinical experience, will address why children are vulnerable to trauma effects and how adults can best provide this support.

Seminar objectives include:
1. Learn the hallmarks of trauma and trauma effects in children;
2. Understand the biology, as well as the psychology of trauma experiences that may perpetuate a sense of danger or fear;
3. Examine different kinds of traumas and their meanings to children;
4. Examine developmental intersections with trauma: how children of different ages manage and respond;
5. Build confidence as adult responders to provide trauma support.

CEU's may be available for Nurses, Law Enforcement, Social Workers, School Administrators and Teachers.

Contact the Otter Tail County Human Services Department at 530 W. Fir Avenue, Fergus Falls, MN 56537 for more details.

The Otter Tail County CARE Committee includes: Otter Tail County Human Services; Otter Tail County Public Health; Early Childhood Family Education; Lakes Country Service Cooperative; Community Education; Fergus Falls Police Department; Dr. Lawrence Eisinger, M.D.; Someplace Safe; Otter Tail Family Services Collaborative;and the Children's Trust Fund.

New Web Site is 'First Stop' for Minnesota State Grants Information

2008-08-01T06:05:00.000-07:00

Cities can now search for state grant opportunities and information through a new state web site, www.grants.state.mn.us.

"This new web site is a first stop for people interested in learning about the hundreds of grant programs that are available through 23 state agencies," said Dana Badgerow, Commissioner of the state Department of Administration. "The public can locate grant opportunities on the web site three ways: by subject - such as crime prevention, community improvement, or health; by state agency coordinating the grant; or by key word through the site's search feature."

The web site includes a brief overview of many of the state's grant programs and provides direct links to the sponsoring state agency.

The web site, created by the Office of Grants Management in the Department of Administration, was developed under the auspices of the Drive to Excellence state government reform initiative. The 2007 Legislature appropriated start-up funding for the Office of Grants Management, which has as its mission increasing public access to information about state grant opportunities and standardizing, streamlining, and improving state grant-making practices.

DON'T THUMB IT UP: TEXTING, EMAILING, WEB ACCESS BEHIND THE WHEEL ILLEGAL AS OF AUGUST 1

2008-07-31T13:08:00.000-07:00

Text-messaging, emailing or accessing the Web on a wireless device while driving — including while stopped in traffic — is illegal on Minnesota roads effective August 1. The violation can cost up to $300 and applies to drivers of all ages. As a primary offense, law enforcement can stop a motorist if they observe a violation of the new law.

Specifically, the law states that no person may operate a motor vehicle while using a wireless communications device to compose, read, or send an electronic message, when the vehicle is in motion or a part of traffic. The law does not apply to devices that are permanently affixed to the vehicle or global positioning systems or navigation systems.

According to the Department of Public Safety (DPS), crashes in which distraction or inattention was a factor — including text-messaging or cell phone use — are vastly underreported. The state reports distraction was a factor in at least 15 percent of all fatal crashes during 2005–2007, resulting in 240 traffic deaths. Another 1,163 motorists suffered serious, life-altering injuries as a result of distracted driving crashes during this period. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says distraction is a factor in about 25 percent of all crashes.

“When you are composing or reading a text message, your focus is not on the road, and your hands definitely aren’t on the wheel,” says Cheri Marti, director of DPS Office of Traffic Safety. “Driving is a multitasking activity in itself that requires complete attention.”

Marti says while the law is a good first step in eliminating the texting distraction, Minnesota motorists need to make a “serious effort” to remain focused on driving.

“Before you drive, put your phone out of reach so you avoid the urge to go for it,” says Marti. “If you have passengers, use them as the designated texters and have them handle your calls and texts.”

Cell phone use for teen drivers with a provisional license is completely prohibited by a law in effect since 2006. In an informal DPS Minnesota teen driving survey, teen respondents said texting was their biggest distraction while driving. Texting was also cited as the “most unsafe” behavior their friends engaged in while driving.

Motorists Can Be Pulled Over Directly for the Violation.

NEW TEEN DRIVING LIMITATIONS IN EFFECT AUGUST 1

2008-07-31T13:06:00.000-07:00

New laws taking effect August 1 will help newly licensed teens hone their driving skills during the first year of licensure by reducing exposure to two high-risk situations: driving late at night and carrying multiple teen passengers.

According to the Department of Public Safety (DPS), Minnesota teen drivers are overrepresented in traffic crashes each year due to driver inexperience, distractions, nighttime driving, speeding and seat belt non-use. In the last three years (2005-2007), 16- and 17 year-old drivers were involved in 116 fatal crashes, resulting in 133 deaths.

“These laws will help teens become safer drivers and, as a result, prevent deaths and injuries on Minnesota roads,” says Michael Campion, commissioner of DPS.

A nighttime driving limitation during the first six months of licensure prohibits teens from driving midnight –5 a.m., unless the teen is accompanied by a licensed driver age 25 or older. Other exceptions include driving between home and place of employment, for employment purposes, and to/from home and a school event for which the school has not provided transportation. Mile for mile, 16 and 17 year-olds are about three times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash at night than during the day.

A passenger limitation for the first six months of licensure allows only one passenger under the age of 20, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. During the second six months of licensure, no more than three passengers under the age of 20 are permitted, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. Passengers under age 20 who are members of the immediate family are permitted for both periods.

In the last three years in Minnesota, 2005–2007, 41 percent of the teen passengers killed in traffic crashes were in vehicles driven by 16 or 17 year olds.

These laws also apply to teens licensed before August 1. For example, a teen licensed on July 1 would have the nighttime limitation for five months beginning August 1, the one passenger limitation for five months, and the three passenger limitation for six months.

Violating these laws is a misdemeanor.

DPS recommends parents reinforce these laws and continue to monitor and train teens, even after licensure, as new drivers need supervised exposure in a variety of driving conditions and environments. DPS also urges parents to be a positive role model behind the wheel. For more on the new teen laws, visit http://www.dps.state.mn.us/ots/teens/default.asp.

MN library agency accepting proposals for accessibility and construction grants

2008-07-31T09:17:00.000-07:00

The State Library Services, a division of the Department of Education, is now accepting grant proposals for the Public Library Accessibility and Construction Matching Grant Program.

The competitive library construction grant program began in 1994 exclusively as a grant to remove architectural barriers in public library buildings. In 2005, the Legislature amended and expanded this legislation. Beginning in fiscal year (FY) 2006, permissible use of the grants includes general improvements and accessibility, renovation or expansion of an existing building for use as a library, or construction of a new library building. The maximum accessibility grant was increased to $200,000 with construction grants capped at $1 million. The 2008 Legislature appropriated $1.5 million for the FY 2009-2010 biennium.

Since 1995, 101 library buildings have benefited from competitive state dollar to local dollar matching accessibility grants totaling $5.9 million; local share has totaled more than $39 million. The actual overall matching ratio amounts to $1 state to $6.62 local.

The deadline for grant proposals to be submitted is Oct. 24 at 4:15 p.m. For more information and an application form, visit the State Library Services web site.

Potential applicants should notify Bruce Pomerantz, library development specialist, as early as possible of their intention to submit a grant proposal. Contact Pomerantz at bruce.pomerantz@state.mn.us or (651) 582-8890.

City of Hancock Receives Grants for Wastewater Treatment Infrastructure

2008-07-31T09:01:00.000-07:00

The residents of Hancock will have improved wastewater treatment, a cleaner environment and lower costs, thanks to nearly $2.7 million in loans and grants. A Wastewater Infrastructure Fund Grant of $584,000 was awarded to the City of Hancock from the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority (PFA).

“Adequate wastewater treatment is a key part of keeping the city healthy and economically vital,” said Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner and PFA Chair Dan McElroy.

The funds will be used to construct a new stabilization pond system for wastewater treatment that will serve approximately 700 residents of the City of Hancock, located in Stevens County. Construction began at the end of May 2008 and it is expected to be completed by October 2008.

Andrea Swenson, city clerk/treasurer said Hancock needed the stabilization pond because the current plant that handles wastewater treatment is outdated and the effluent does not meet Minnesota Pollution Control Agency standards. The new pond is extremely cost-efficient and will enable the city to save thousands of dollars per year on operating and maintenance costs, as well as improve the water quality of the nearby wetlands.

The PFA, an independent infrastructure financing authority, joined with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in announcing these grants. In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Rural Development Agency will be providing $2.084 million in grant and loan funds for the project. The MPCA reviewed the project design to ensure regulatory standards were met.

The PFA, created by the Legislature in 1987, has financed more than $2.5 billion in infrastructure projects. The PFA operates three revolving loan funds for infrastructure projects, including the Drinking Water Revolving Fund, Clean Water Revolving Fund and Transportation Revolving Loan Fund.

DEED Seeks Request for Proposals for FIRST Grants by Aug. 27

2008-07-31T08:57:00.000-07:00

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has announced another round of FIRST grants to help regions plan growth and economic development.

The agency will accept applications through Aug. 27 for four grants of up to $50,000 each with awards announced Sept. 12. Earlier this year, nine FIRST grants were awarded.

FIRST grants, which stand for Framework for Integrated Regional Strategies, were created after a series of listening sessions around the state last year indicated many regions lacked a coordinated strategy for long-term growth. With the help of FIRST grant funding, public officials, educators, business executives and other community leaders will work together to create an economic blueprint to guide future growth.

“FIRST grants help regions develop a plan that fits their needs,” said DEED Commissioner Dan McElroy. “Sustainable collaborations that create wealth, and not just jobs, are important in developing regional prosperity and community success.”

Any public, private or nonprofit entity engaged in workforce development, economic growth or education is eligible to submit a grant proposal. Grant funding will be used for staff support, consulting help, materials and other costs. Funding will be available for work completed through March 2010.

Details on the requirements for submitting a proposal and the review process are available at http://www.positivelyminnesota.com/workforce/prosperity/index.htm. Other questions may be directed to Shelley Landgraf, director of fiscal planning, DEED Workforce Development Division, at 651-259-7580 or shelley.landgraf@state.mn.us.

What Is Workplace Wellness—And Can It Really Work?

2008-07-16T06:46:00.000-07:00

Beyond the Hype: Make Wellness Work for Your Workplace.

Wellness is big and wellness is everywhere—from national initiatives to get Americans to lose weight, kids to get active, and college students not to drink and drive, to local schools under pressure to serve more healthful meals in cafeterias or to sell more healthful foods in vending machines.

Wellness works! Or does it? And what is wellness, really? Can a workplace wellness program actually result in a return on investment in your workplace? Can you really change your employees’ behavior and overall health and wellness?

There are ample reasons to be skeptical. Wellness programs cost money and time. Yet, in this age of skyrocketing healthcare costs and the progressively deteriorating health of the average American citizen, there are similarly ample reasons—and proof—that an effective workplace wellness program will result in a healthy return.

The Lakes Country Service Cooperative Wellness Program is designed to provide educational information and encourage better health practices among members. The program focuses on employee awareness of health issues and on promoting healthy habits through a support system for a healthy lifestyle.

GoodSearch for a Good Cause

2008-07-16T06:41:00.000-07:00

I was recently surfing the web and saw that some sites had a link to something called GoodSearch. Since I’m always searching for something (and aren’t we all on some level), I thought I’d click on it and see what it was all about.

It turns out that you can now give to charity just by searching the Internet! How does it work? You go to their site, pick a charity, install their search bar, and then Yahoo (the parent company of GoodSearch) will donate a penny for every valid search you perform. So if you’re interested in a relatively passive way to donate (someone else’s money) to a good cause, this just might be the answer you’ve been “searching” for!

Pat Anderson Retires at Lakes Country Service Cooperative

2008-07-07T12:48:00.000-07:00

After 24 years with Lakes Country Service Cooperative, Pat Anderson has retired as Manager of Educational Services.

Knowing she could now spend more than a weekend at a time relaxing with her grandchildren at her family's lake cabin, Pat has had a smile on her face for the past month. But if your like the rest of us at LCSC, we have a smile too because Pat will continue working on a contractual basis with LCSC for poverty training and grant writing. She can still be reached at panderson@lcsc.org.

The good news keeps coming as Josh Nelson has been hired as the new Manager of Educational Services! Josh has been a school principal in Menahga, MN and began his new position with LCSC on July 1.

Be sure to stop by and welcome Josh!

ZAP Grant Award!

2008-06-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

The Minnesota Institute of Public Health has awarded a ZAP grant (Zero Adult Provider Grant) to the Chemical Health Workgroup of the Otter Tail County Family Services Collaborative on behalf of the Fergus Falls community.

This one year grant will assist the Fergus Falls Police Department with added manpower hours for the prevention of underage drinking.

Congratulations to everyone who worked on this grant!

Nonprofits: Today & Beyond

2008-06-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

The 2008 Nonprofit Conference is a full day of training and presentations offered by the "Essentials Training Team." The conference will cover topic areas that have been identified by local nonprofit leaders as areas of need when it comes to nonprofit training and addresses the critical issues that nonprofit organizations face. Participants in these sessions will experience an interactive, experiential learning of the program focus areas. In addition, there will be opportunities for networking with the other nonprofit professionals in attendance.

August 6, 2008 * 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Alexandria Technical College * Customized Training Center * Rooms 209 / 211

Who should attend?
Executive directors, managers and leaders of nonprofit organizations as well as board members are encouraged to attend. We are offering a special rate of $30 per individual or $100 per organization which will allow you to bring your full board to this conference. We encourage you to do so!

To learn more about the Essentials Training Team, contact Linda Roles at unitedw@rea-alp.com or call 320-763-4840. For a pdf copy of the program brochure, contact Pam Ness at pamness@lcsc.org. You can go to www.uwdp.org to register online or you can call the United Way Office at 320-763-4840.

You may also enter your organization to be eligible to participate in a "Nonprofit Marketing Makeover." Three organizations that are registered by 7/1/08 will be chosen to have their selected marketing materials redesigned by a professional marketing design firm. The organizations that are selected will work with their design firm to achieve their new look. Ask for the pdf brochure for more details.

Member Activity Board!

2008-04-29T12:19:00.001-07:00

Have a community activity or organizational event coming up?

Want to let people know what is going on out there?

Make sure to post it here on the "Member Activity Board" to help get the word out.

All LCSC member organizations are welcome to post upcoming events or activities; county departments, communities, governmental agencies, nonprofits, faith-based organizations, schools, etc. Please remember to indicate sponsor, event name, date, time, location, cost, and any other pertinent information about the event.

Postings will be reviewed and verified prior to placing on the blog.

Congratulations!!

2008-04-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

Otter Tail County has been selected for the 2008 "Blue Ribbon County Award" by Prevent Child Abuse Minnesota, for their outstanding work in child abuse prevention. The certificate of merit selection is based on a nomination review process and knowledge of counties with innovative programs.

The Public Library Association announced that the winner of the coveted Highsmith Award for Library Innovation for 2008 is Lake Agassiz Regional Library based in Moorhead. This award honors Lake Agassiz Regional Library for their pioneering work in creating the LINK Sites program, which now has a three-year track record of success in serving small communities in west central Minnesota. The American Library Association gives this award each year to one library in the nation that best exemplifies cutting-edge library outreach.

Should the legal drinking age be lowered in Minnesota?

2008-04-10T08:45:00.000-07:00

Seven U.S. states are considering legislation that would lower the legal drinking age from 21 to 18 either for all residents or for members of the military, UPI reported April 3, 2008.
Lawmakers in Missouri, South Dakota, Vermont and Minnesota have introduced measures to lower the drinking age for everyone, while the military-only bills have been filed in Kentucky, Wisconsin, and South Carolina.

Some proponents argue that 18-year-olds who volunteer to fight and die for their country have proven that they are mature enough to drink. The proposals face a major hurdle in a federal law that penalizes any state that lacks an age-21 drinking law with the loss of a percentage of its federal highway funding.

We would like to hear your comments on this proposal.

Work Place Tips...go GREENER one step at a time!

2008-04-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

Individuals and businesses these days are asking themselves what they can do to conserve resources and preserve our environment. They want to make smart decisions; choices that save energy and money. We are looking for informative comments that focus on what you can do at your place of business to promote a greener lifestyle.

Add your advice on how to live greener. It is our hope that this guide will inspire and motivate you with useful information about the ways that everyday people can make a difference. How green can you go?

Did you know?

Small things can make a big difference. Use your own coffee mug at work instead of paper cups. The U.S. disposes of more than 1.9 million tons of paper and plastic cups and plates each year.
Recycled paper uses up to 90 percent less water and half the energy required to make paper from virgin timber, yet less than 10 percent of the over 12 million tons of printing and writing paper used in the U.S. each year is recycled content.
Disposable type ink pens add up to about 770 tons of unnecessary plastic waste in landfills each year. Make a better impression in your written work by using long-life refillable pens made from recycled plastic, paper, timber, or from fully biodegradable bioplastic.
If everyone properly inflated their tires, it could save the country around 2 billion gallons of gas each year.
Request automatic deposits for your paycheck. More than 7 billion checks are written annually that could be replaced by automatic deposits. If everyone who was eligible for an automatic deposit opted for it, it would save about $65 billion in fuel costs and lost time expenses.
Online Banking...Receive your bills, make payments and check your account balances online to save your business time, postage costs and paper.
The idea that leaving a machine on is more efficient than turning if off has become something of an urban, and deeply uneconomic, myth. Left on all day, everyday, as happens in some offices, a computer will over a year use nearly 1,000 kilowatts of electricity, resulting in more than a ton of carbon emissions and an unnecessarily high electric bill. By switching off your computer before you go home you'll cut its electricity use to less than 250 kilowatts, with comparable carbon and cost savings. Think about turning it off even when you're going to a meeting or lunch. Do the same with other office equipment.

HR Networking Group

2008-03-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

The regional HR Networking Group met at LCSC on April 17, 2008 from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m. The topic of discussion consisted of expanding on performance management issues.

In order to serve all HR needs, please indicate any/all HR questions, topics for discussion, guest speakers, etc. that you would like to have included in future HR Networking meetings.

Thank you!