Section Semifinals – LHS 6, Glencoe-Silver Lake 1
Section Championship – LHS 7, Lesueur-Henderson 0
The Litchfield City Council had a lengthy meeting Monday evening. The Council members actually started their work earlier Monday afternoon with a work session in which a League of Minnesota Cities official spoke to them about best practices – kind of a refresher course for how to conduct orderly meetings.
Mayor Ron Dingmann says Monday evening’s meeting began with a public hearing on the $4.4-million Swift Avenue improvement project which is scheduled to take place next summer from 6th Street to Ripley Street, and will also include one block of Ripley Street from Swift to Miller Avenues. He says there are state-aid and federal funds to help with the cost, but the local residents will be assessed a total of $366,000.
Mayor Dingmann says the Council will have the first reading of a wastewater rate change at the November 3rd meeting and they are looking at about a 3% rate increase to help pay for the needed wastewater improvements. On a related note, an easement vacation public hearing has been set for the October 20th meeting as the easement is needed for the property at the wastewater plant where First District Association will be building its pretreatment facility before they can proceed with their purchase of the property.
Mayor Dingmann says a couple of dedicated funds have been set up so that a pickle ball group and the Masons can proceed with fundraising for their respective projects at South Park. The specific locations for new pickle ball courts and a Masons shelter have yet to be decided within South Park. He says the Council voted 4-to-3 in favor of purchasing an autonomous sweeper rather than a ride-on sweeper for the Litchfield Area Recreation Center.
Mayor Dingmann says the Council heard from Michael Otto on Monday evening about a group of senior cribbage players who used to meet in the Civic Arena, but – like the Golden Age card players – got displaced when the LARC was constructed, so a motion was approved to let these senior players meet at the LARC for no charge until January 1st when a policy on the matter is determined. He says, among other matters that were discussed during Monday’s meeting, the Council approved of having the Street Dept. help the Litchfield Visitors Bureau get their annual holiday light display set up in Central Park; and residents were encouraged to contact the Police Dept. with complaints regarding excessive speeding on 5th Street in the Gilman Avenue area.
The Meeker County Board of Commissioners had several items in its consent agenda which were approved at the beginning of their first meeting of October. Several budgeted purchases of items for 2026 were approved, and an anonymous donation of 1500 rounds of ammunition for the Sheriff’s Department – valued at $800 – was accepted.
The Board accepted a quote from Atwater Ford for four squad cars for $50,241 each. A quote from SCR of St. Cloud to replace the jail kitchen cooler/condenser and evaporator for $10,005 was approved. The Commissioners approved of a quote from East Side Glass of St. Cloud for a front door replacement project at the Government Center for $42,560 in addition to $3,000 for badge reader installation by Pro Tech Designs.
Following a presentation by Health & Human Services Director Tina Schenk, the Board approved of and adopted the 2026-2027 Minnesota Family Investment Program biennial service agreement. Supervisor Charlene Dale and members of her staff presented a child support and accounting unit annual update. Public Health and Social Services each track about 20 grants, and in 2024, over $2.7-million in reimbursements were collected from M.A., Prime West and Blue Plus, and that figure is at almost $2.5-million, so far, in 2025.
The Meeker County Commissioners also approved of a one-year extension of a conditional use permit for a one megawatt solar farm for Sunrise Energy Ventures at 22300 725th Avenue in Section 34 of Dassel Township. The one-year extension begins on November 19, 2025.
