The Litchfield City Council authorized the use of Tax Increment Financing Monday evening for a housing project on South Hubbard Avenue. Haven on Hubbarb will be a 30-unit apartment building with underground parking and an elevator.
Mayor Ron Dingmann says there will be 7 one-bedroom apartments, 13 two-bedroom, 6 three-bedroom and 4 four-bedroom apartments. He says the city’s TIF contribution is just one of the parts of the financing package that the Litchfield HRA is putting together.
Mayor Dingmann says a public hearing will be required for the TIF and there will be several other steps that the project will have to go through before it can be constructed at 502 South Hubbard Avenue. He says the City also received another request to purchase the property at 1002 South Armstrong Avenue, and the Council decided to open it up for bids, and that process will also include a public hearing.
Mayor Dingmann says the Council approved of a 2-year rental agreement with the MN Dept. of Public Safety for a room at the Litchfield Area Recreation Center – $600 a month – which they use for driver’s education; approved of wage increases for part-time employees at the Liquor Store; and approved of a variance request for his property at 808 South Marshall Avenue to continue an 8-foot privacy fence on the south side of his property.
The Parade of Bands took place last evening in Litchfield with 12 visiting bands performing, along with host marching band – Litchfield High School. Owatonna received the grand champion award as well as People’s Choice.
St. Michael-Albertville took first place in AAA; Albany took first place in AA, with Milaca taking second and Sartell coming in 3rd place; and KMS took first place in class-A, with Benson taking 2nd and Foley coming in 3rd.
The best wind award went to Owatonna. KMS got the award for best color guard. Owatonna got the best drumline award, and Milaca got the best drum major award.
On Monday afternoon at 1:47, the Renville County Sheriff’s Office received numerous 911 calls reporting a tractor fully engulfed in flames in a field adjacent to Renville County Road 14, about two miles north of Olivia in Bird Island Township. Callers were unsure whether or not the tractor was occupied.
The Olivia Fire Department, Olivia Ambulance Service and Renville County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched. Upon arrival at the scene, emergency personnel noticed that the burning tractor was connected to an agricultural sprayer and the boom was resting on a power line. The burning tractor was unoccupied and its owner and operator, 59-year-old Michael O’Halloran of Olivia, was present at the scene.
Investigation of the fire revealed that O’Halloran had been operating the tractor and sprayer when the spray boom accidently came in contact with an energized power line. O’Halloran received an electrical shock inside the tractor, but was able to escape before the fire began and grew out of control.
O’Halloran was transported to Olivia Hospital & Clinics by the Olivia Ambulance Service for evaluation. Crews from Renville-Sibley Power Cooperative also responded and were able to de-energize the power line, which allowed firefighters to extinguish the fire. The tractor was a total loss. Agencies responding to the scene included the Renville County Sheriff’s Office, Olivia Fire Department, Olivia Ambulance Service, Renville-Sibley Power Cooperative and Olivia Police Department.
