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News from the week of July 14, 2004

Student vows to keep up drive for Scrapper mascot

By Val Scherbart Quist

The Tracy-Milroy-Balaton joint powers committee has said “no” to the idea of changing the TMB athletic mascot from “Panthers” to “Scrappers.” But David Schiller, who has spearheaded the campaign to make the mascot change, isn't giving up.

“If there is something else I can do to get this approved, I will do it,” he said.

Schiller, who will be a junior at Tracy Area High School this fall, asked the District 417 board Monday night if there was any way they could override the TMB committee's decision.

“The ultimate decision lies in you,” he said. “I know it's hard for any of you to stand up and say, `I'm for it,' because it's a very political situation.”

He said the TMB meeting had gone well at first, until one representative commented that the students don't have the right to decide what their mascot is.

Board member Peggy Zwach commented that when the mascot was changed from the Scrappers to the Panthers, the students did have a voice. Students had three mascots to choose from, and although their first choice was ultimately rejected, they were given a say.

Schiller expressed concern that the Milroy board may not have been well-informed on the issue. He had inquired about making a presentation to board members at their April meeting, but never got a response, he said. Schiller did present the idea to the Balaton school board before the TMB committee meeting.

Board members recommended that Schiller try again to make a presentation to the Milroy board. It was the consensus of the board that they would not approve the change unless they received a changed recommendation from the TMB committee.

Schiller said he has received many letters of support. He was receiving about three to four letters a month, and has been receiving more during the summer. He has also heard from those who oppose the change and, while there have been fewer people in the opposition, they have been much more vocal, he said.

Zwach asked Schiller if he had considered putting together cost projections, such as for re-painting the trailers used for some activities. Board member Al Landa said that the cost for that would likely be minimal. Uniforms would gradually be phased out similarly to the last time the mascot was changed.

Board member Eric Nelson said that some of the concern from parents may stem from “coattail expenses,” such as T-shirts, sweatshirts, and other clothing families have spent money on.

Schiller reiterated the concern that the Camden Conference, which the TMB athletic teams will join in the fall of 2005, already has a team with the same name.

“When we change our conference my senior year, we will be playing Ellsworth and they're also the Panthers.”


Preparations made for new Hmong arrivals

By Brady Averill

An estimated 5,000 Hmong refugees are expected to arrive soon in Minnesota from a Thailand refugee camp. How many will venture into Southwest Minnesota is a guess. Only this is certain: Tracy is prepared if they want to call the town their new home.

Because of Tracy's existing Hmong community, a number of programs are already intact in the areas of sponsorship, education, employment, housing, health and welfare to help accommodate the refugees.

Sponsors to help

This time around, relatives play a significant role in sponsoring the Hmong refugees.

But they aren't technically sponsors. Instead, they collaborate with government-contracted agencies.

The term “sponsor” is confusing, said John Borden, International Institute of Minnesota associate director.

“Sponsor means many different things to many different people,” Borden said.

The families are not formal sponsors in an immigration sense, he said. Five Minnesota agencies contract with the U.S. Department of State and have the core responsibilities of finding housing and jobs, ensuring the children are enrolled in school, signing the adults up for English classes, visiting homes and handing out various assistance applications for the Hmong refugees, he said.

Relatives who live in the United States are anchors and help share the responsibilities, he said. Churches and organizations help, too.

Kennedy Vue and Pao Her, refugees themselves and Tracy residents, will lend a hand. “We'll help them to get a new job, a new life,” Vue said.The Hmong Alliance Church in Tracy will help, too, said Pastor Xiong Herr. So far, the church hasn't been asked, he said. However, the church is willing to help find employment and housing for the refugees, he said.


Laura's fans discover holy grail on banks of Plum Creek

By Brady Averill

Laura Ingalls and Nellie Owens were longtime rivals. But Saturday, the two were standing together, smiling and giggling.

Laura Elizabeth Rybka and Page Miller stepped into the roles of Laura and Nellie at a look-a-like contest, sponsored by the Laura Ingalls Wilder pageant and held at Walnut Grove's Wilder Festival. After sticking their tongues out at each other for a photo opportunity, they laughed. There was no rivalry here.

They had just won the contest.

“It feels really cool,” said 11-year-old Rybka, who traveled from Pensacola, Ohio, for the event.

It was almost natural for Rybka to win the Laura title. She shares the same first and middle name.

“It's very exciting,” said 12-year-old Miller, from Valley Center, Kan., who spent the week in Tracy with Jeff and Sandy Carpenter, her aunt and uncle.

The almost 90-degree heat didn't wilt their enthusiasm for the contest. Nor did it for the other 33 Laura and six Nellie participants.

Young girls from 18 states throughout the country and Canada journeyed to Walnut Grove Saturday for the fifth annual contest, said Deb Saxton, pageant co-director.

It's not unusual for the event to draw a large out-of-state crowd. Only three Southwest Minnesota girls participated.

“It's in your backyard,” but not many locals show up for the event, Saxton said.

The two-part contest began with a question-answer session with the Laura and Nellie hopefuls. Missie Erbes, pageant co-director, went over questions and answers with the group to make sure there were “no surprises.” Under a tent and in front of a family-filled audience, they answered trivia questions about Laura Ingalls Wilder.

“I was really amazed at their answers. They knew stuff I didn't know,” said Dean Saxton, contestant judge and Doc Hoyt in the pageant.

Then they took the stage where five Laura and Nellie finalists paired up to act a few lines from the pageant. Erbes gave them about five minutes to prepare the provided lines on note cards. Like stepping into a pageant scene, the Laura-Nellie duos pulled hair and stuck their tongues out at each other.


Hospital planning data expected soon

Planning for improved medical facilities within the Shetek group of Sioux Valley-affiliated hospitals continues. But the process is taking longer than expected.

At a June 16 Tracy Area Medical Services board meeting, CEO Dan Reiner said that a financial "pro forma" on facility improvement options would be presented within three weeks (early July). Expectations were that the analysis would be prepared in advance of the July 21 TAMS board meeting. Turns out, that's not going to happen.

Reiner told the Headlight-Herald Tuesday that the financial-facility improvement analysis would not be completed until August.

The delay was necessary, he said, because several fundamental points need to be clarified and decided upon for the financial analysis to be meaningful. For example, the Shetek hospital group (Tracy, Westbrook Healthcare Center, and Murray County Memorial Hospital) have never agreed which specialty medical services would be located at which site, if a decision is made to enhance specialty medical programs at each site. It has also not been decided, he pointed out, what formula would be used for sharing specialty revenues and expenses among the three hospitals.

Those issues have been placed on the TAMS advisory board's July 21 meeting. The Westbrook and Murray County Boards are also scheduled to discuss those same issues next week.

On July 22, Reiner said, the chairman of each board and Shetek hospitals' administration, are scheduled to meet with top Sioux Valley Hospitals administrators. Reiner expects that Sioux Valley will announce "very specific" details for the role Sioux Valley will play in any Shetek hospitals collaborative action, and what Sioux Valley would expect from each community.

Once the financial pro formas are presented to administrators and community boards in August, Reiner said he hopes that "a very clear vision" for a long-range area health-care delivery model can be presented.

Three scenarios are under consideration, he said.

One scenario would expand specialty medical programs and facilities at Slayton and Tracy in a non-duplicating, complimentary manner. For example, if one site had a cardiac program, such services would not be offered at a second site.

A second model is similar to the first, but would allow some overlapping of programs, with the hope of creating a larger service area. For example, Reiner said, if Slayton had a cardiology program, but not Tracy, a patient in Milroy would be unlikely to drive to Slayton to visit the cardiology clinic there. The Milroy patient would be more likely to drive to Tracy. Some high-demand specialty areas, Reiner said, might justify some duplication within the Shetek group if the market is large enough.

The third model is to create a new diagnostic specialty center on a neutral site, while maintaining existing primary-care clinics and hospitals.

Whatever decision is made, Reiner said that he is excited that the discussions for improving medical facilities and services is moving forward.

"This is a time of change. We could be sticking our heads in the sand and pretending that change is not necessary. But we've got community leaders who realize the status quo isn't going to cut it. I sense an urgency to develop a medical delivery system that will be viable for the next ten to 15 years,"

Planning for improved medical facilities within the Shetek group of Sioux Valley-affiliated hospitals continues. But the process is taking longer than expected.

At a June 16 Tracy Area Medical Services board meeting, CEO Dan Reiner said that a financial "pro forma" on facility improvement options would be presented within three weeks (early July). Expectations were that the analysis would be prepared in advance of the July 21 TAMS board meeting. Turns out, that's not going to happen.

Reiner told the Headlight-Herald Tuesday that the financial-facility improvement analysis would not be completed until August.

The delay was necessary, he said, because several fundamental points need to be clarified and decided upon for the financial analysis to be meaningful. For example, the Shetek hospital group (Tracy, Westbrook Healthcare Center, and Murray County Memorial Hospital) have never agreed which specialty medical services would be located at which site, if a decision is made to enhance specialty medical programs at each site. It has also not been decided, he pointed out, what formula would be used for sharing specialty revenues and expenses among the three hospitals.

Those issues have been placed on the TAMS advisory board's July 21 meeting. The Westbrook and Murray County Boards are also scheduled to discuss those same issues next week.

On July 22, Reiner said, the chairman of each board and Shetek hospitals' administration, are scheduled to meet with top Sioux Valley Hospitals administrators. Reiner expects that Sioux Valley will announce "very specific" details for the role Sioux Valley will play in any Shetek hospitals collaborative action, and what Sioux Valley would expect from each community.

Once the financial pro formas are presented to administrators and community boards in August, Reiner said he hopes that "a very clear vision" for a long-range area health-care delivery model can be presented.

Three scenarios are under consideration, he said.

One scenario would expand specialty medical programs and facilities at Slayton and Tracy in a non-duplicating, complimentary manner. For example, if one site had a cardiac program, such services would not be offered at a second site.

A second model is similar to the first, but would allow some overlapping of programs, with the hope of creating a larger service area. For example, Reiner said, if Slayton had a cardiology program, but not Tracy, a patient in Milroy would be unlikely to drive to Slayton to visit the cardiology clinic there. The Milroy patient would be more likely to drive to Tracy. Some high-demand specialty areas, Reiner said, might justify some duplication within the Shetek group if the market is large enough.

The third model is to create a new diagnostic specialty center on a neutral site, while maintaining existing primary-care clinics and hospitals.

Whatever decision is made, Reiner said that he is excited that the discussions for improving medical facilities and services is moving forward.

"This is a time of change. We could be sticking our heads in the sand and pretending that change is not necessary. But we've got community leaders who realize the status quo isn't going to cut it. I sense an urgency to develop a medical delivery system that will be viable for the next ten to 15 years,"


Townhouse appraisal lower than expected

The Tracy Economic Development Authority has abandoned the idea of selling some of its apartments, after an appraisal turned up less value than hoped for.

Steve Hammerschmidt, of Southwest Appraisals of Redwood Falls, estimated the value of the Eastview Apartments at $340,000. The appraiser estimated the value of the Fifth Street Apartments at $265,000.

The Eastview and Fifth St. apartments both consist of two four-plexes. Eastview was opened in 1996; Fifth St. in 1999. Each features two-bedroom apartments of roughly the same size.

Presented with the appraisal at a recent meeting, EDA members expressed disappointment that the values didn't come in higher. Earlier, EDA members had discussed the possibility of trying to sell some of their rental housing, and using the equity to pursue other projects.

The appraisals, if accurate, mean the housing complexes have little or no equity. The EDA still owes $318,366 on the Eastview Apartments and $436,000 on the Fifth St. Apartments. The EDA's original bonded debt on Eastview, was $397,516. The Fifth St. Apartments bonded debt originally stood at $480,000.

The apartments' optimum market value would be achieved as owner-occupied condominiums, Hammerschmidt reported.

EDA members wondered why the Eastview property had a significantly higher estimated value, even through the two house projects were about the same size and age.

Robert Gervais, Tracy community development director, said that many tenants like the fact that Eastview units don't have an entrance step, while the Fifth St. apartments do. Other differences, he said, included newer housing in the Eastview neighborhood and a much larger lot size at Eastview.


Uff-da! Dovray turns 100

The first and second generation Norwegians who settled Dovray 100 years ago no doubt would have been proud of their community last weekend. Throngs of people filled the small Murray County community for its centennial celebration. Dovray is one of the region's last communities to observe the centennial of its founding.