Lowry News

7/26/10

Lowry City Council Meeting
Contributed by Valerie Schmidt

7/19/10

Motorists are now able to travel on Highway 55 between Kensington and Glenwood, which opened to traffic July 13, the Minnesota Department of Transportation reported last Thursday.

• 4:30-6:30 p.m. Band - Old Thyme Music

• 8 p.m.-12 a.m. Street Dance, Silverado

Scott appointed to Lowry council
By Valerie Schmidt

May 31, 2010
Lowry American Legion donates to “Riding for a Cause”
14th Annual Motorcycle Ride supporting Glacial Ridge Hospice set for June 19-20

Photo by Amy Chaffins
Last week, Lowry American Legion Adjutant Bob Chan presented a $500 donation to
Mike Tamte, Glacial Ridge Hospice “Riding For a Cause” motorcycle ride volunteer.

Munson resigns position on Lowry City Council
By Valerie Schmidt

Lowry City Council
Contributed by Valerie Schmidt

March 22, 2010

Starbuck Times
March 15, 2010

Dingwall named as Citizen of the Year
By Chad Koenen

Photo by Chad Koenen
Jane Dingwall was honored as the 2010 Lowry Citizen of the Year on Thursday evening. Lowry Lions President Ken Weisel presented Dingwall with the award at a special banquet at the Lowry Community Center.

Jane Dingwall was the guest of honor at the annual Lowry Citizen of the Year banquet on Thursday evening-she just didn't know it.

With more-than 50 of her friends, former coworkers and associates in attendance, the long-time Lowry resident was honored at a special banquet at the Lowry Community Center.

Dingwall said she didn't think anything was out of the ordinary when she was invited to attend the annual banquet hosted by the Lowry Lions Club as her mother was a previous recipient of the Lowry Citizen of the Year and a portion of the banquet recognizes past recipients of the award.

However, shortly after the banquet began, a shocked Dingwall learned that she was being named as the 2010 Lowry Citizen of the Year. Following a dinner held in her honor, Dingwall said she was honored to receive the award and said she has enjoyed living in the Lowry area.

"It is great to be a part of the this community," she said after receiving her award.

After moving to Lowry as a child, Dingwall attended and eventually graduated high school from Glenwood. She eventually began working for Nelson, Kuhn, and Nordmeyer Law Firm for approximately 45 years, from which she retired in 2007. In addition to working at the law firm, Dingwall spent a lot of time volunteering at St. Paul's Lutheran Church. She was the church organist for 35 years and hosted the Tuesday night Stitchin Chicks group at her house for church crafts. Dingwall also spent a lot of time doing mission work, and has been a caretaker and youth mentor for a number of years.

But work and church weren't her only passions as Dingwall enjoys to travel and go camping with her family. During the banquet she was described as the best aunt in the world and remembers all her nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews birthdays and holidays.

 

Calling all veterans! The museum needs your photo
Contributed by Pope County Museum staff

Lowry City Council Meeting
By Valerie Schmidt
3/8/10

Lowry City Council
12/14/09

Contributed by Valerie Schmidt

Bids for the waste water treatment facility will be opened at the Lowry Community Center on December 16, at 4 p.m. According to
Jeremy Anderson of Design Tree Engineering, a pre-bid meeting is scheduled for December 2, where those contractors interested in the project will have an opportunity to view the site of construction and ask questions pertaining to the project.

Anderson told the council members at the December meeting on Tuesday night that currently there are fifty plan holders and he felt
this was a good sign. At thispoint he said there had been no unusual questions regarding the bid specs.

The next step after the bids have been received and opened will be to tabulate the bids and do the necessary required paperwork for
Rural Development before a bid can be awarded. But it is safe to say that come spring construction will actually begin on the project, possibly as soon as the frost is out of the ground.

Council members also learned the meter inspection is almost completed. Anderson said 121 meters have been inspected with 161
meters in the city. The last forty who have not responded to letters will receive a telephone call from the city clerk, notifying them of a
time when the meter will be inspected. Anderson is hoping this can be completed within three days next week.

After completing the inspections Anderson said he then would put together recommendations about what should be done, and what
could be fixed. At this time he said most of the meters have been installed correctly and they have found few problems. He said he felt the issue being addressed would end with a pretty simple fix. However, the second arsenic test was 7.9 parts per billion.That, however, is less than the 10.4 which is the maximum amount of arsenic allowed in water. The primary well also tested high for arsenic at 10.8 which means residents in the city will again be receiving a letter indicating the water does not meet state levels regarding arsenic.

At this point Anderson is recommending they blend the wells 50/50 which will bring them at 9 or 9.5 which is under the levels. By doing
this, the city will save some dollars. This is a temporary fix, as Anderson admitted that some time down the road the city would probably
have to look elsewhere for a water source for the city, but that this would solve the problem for now.

A resident asked the city if there were any ordinances regarding unlicensed cars and trailers that are not being used but are stored on various properties throughout our town. He was told they would check into the situation and write letters if needed to any violators.

In other business:

• Made a motion to reissue liquor licenses to The Hatchery and the Legion;

• Stated that the city and Ben Wade Township had signed the final documents for the annexation of property on the southwest side of town into Lowry city proper, and that these documents would now need to go to the state;

• Discussed cars parked on streets during snow removal. It was noted the city did not have an ordinance which addressed that issue specifically and because the city depends on a contracted individual to remove snow it is difficult to state snow emergency routes. However, residents are encouraged to have vehicles off the streets during a heavy snowfall; and

• Agreed to have a Christmas lighting contest in Lowry with first, second and third prizes to be paid in Lowry dollars. The judges will get a meal at the Hatchery.

12/08/09

Ice on M'waska
After a wintery October and an unusually warm November, cold weather finally hit the area last weekend leaving the area lakes and ponds ice covered.

Lake Minnewaska, the largest lake in Pope County and the 13th largest lake in Minnesota, officially was ice covered by Saturday morning, Dec. 5, 2009. Just a week before the big lake donned its winter ice covering, temperatures were in the high 40s. By early Saturday morning, however, temperatures dipped into the low teens with little or no wind, making it possible for the entire lake to be ice-covered by dawn on Saturday.

Area residents would have to go back to 2001 to find a date when the ice-on was later than this year. In 2001, Lake Minnewaska was officially ice-covered on December 20. In 2004, the lake froze over on Dec. 4. Otherwise, the majority of the ice-on dates are in November.

12/08/2009

Lowry water meter inspection nears completion
By Valerie Schmidt

Bids for the waste water treatment facility will be opened at the Lowry Community Center on December 16 at 4 p.m. According to Jeremy Anderson of Design Tree Engineering, a pre-bid meeting is scheduled for December 2, where those contractors interested in the project will have an opportunity to view the site of construction and ask questions pertaining to the project.

Anderson told the council members at the December meeting on Tuesday night that currently there are 50 plan holders and he felt this was a good sign. At this point he said there had been no unusual questions regarding the bid specs.

The next step after the bids have been received and opened will be to tabulate the bids and do the necessary required paperwork for Rural Development before a bid can be awarded. But it is safe to say that come spring construction will actually begin on the project, possibly as soon as the frost is out of the ground.

Council members also learned the meter inspection is almost completed. Anderson said 121 meters have been inspected with 161 meters in the city. The last forty who have not responded to letters will receive a telephone call from the city clerk, notifying them of a time when the meter will be inspected. Anderson is hoping this can be completed within three days next week.

After completing the inspections Anderson said he then would put together recommendations what should be done, and what could be fixed. At this point in time he said most of the meters have been installed correctly and they have found few problems. He said he felt the issue being addressed would end with a pretty simple fix.

However, the second arsenic test was 7.9 parts per billion on arsenic. That however, is less than the 10.4 which is the maximum amount of arsenic in water. The primary well also tested high for arsenic at the 10.8 which means residents in the city will again be receiving a letter indicating the water does not meet state levels regarding arsenic.

At this point Anderson is recommending they blend the wells 50/50 which will bring them at 9 or 9.5 which is under the levels. By doing this the city will save the city some dollars. Admittedly this is a temporary fix as Anderson admitted that down the road the city would probably have to look elsewhere for a water source for the city, but that this would solve the problem for now.

A resident asked the city if there were any ordinances regarding unlicensed cars and trailers that are not being used but are stored on various properties throughout our town. He was told they would check into the situation and write letters if needed to any violators.

In other business:

• Made a motion to reissue liquor licenses to The Hatchery and the Legion.

• Stated that the city and Ben Wade Township had signed the final documents for the annexation of property on the southwest side of town into Lowry city proper, and that these documents would now need to go to the State.

• Discussed cars parked on streets during snow removal. It was noted the city did not have an ordinance which addressed that issue specifically and because the city depends on a contracted individual to remove snow it is difficult to state snow emergency routes. However, residents are encouraged to have vehicles off the streets during a heavy snowfall.

• Agreed to have a Christmas lighting contest in Lowry with first, second and third prizes to be paid in Lowry dollars. The judges will get a meal at the Hatchery.
 

12/8/2009

RTA to purchase Lowry Telephone Company
Merger to be completed sometime in early 2010

By Chad Koenen

In less than a month, Lowry residents will likely be noticing a significant, yet not unexpected change in their telephone service provider. The change will occur when Runestone Telecom Association officially purchases the remaining shares of the Lowry Telephone Company sometime after the first of the year.

Runestone Telecom Association General Manager Lee Meier said the merger is part of a 10-year-old agreement which originally gave the Hoffman-based company an opportunity to purchase a minority part of Lowry Telephone Company. As part of the original agreement, "we had an option to buy the remaining 2/3 (of Lowry Telephone Company) in 2010 and we are exercising that option," said Meier.

Meier said the goal is to have the merger completed on January 5, 2010 at which time Runestone Telecom Association will assume full control of the long-time Lowry-based telephone company. While Meier said the merger will effectively dissolve Lowry Telephone Company, he said customers should not notice any changes in their service or rates as Runestone Telecom Association has been running much of the operations at Lowry Telephone Company since the original agreement went into affect 10-years-ago.

However, one significant change that will affect Lowry Telephone Company customers is the inclusion of Runestone Telecom Association's coop. As a member of the coop, customers will own a share of the overall company. Meier said "the profits will go back to them now" who said the coop will pay back capital credits to its customers. Meier stated that there will be an election for a voting member of the coop from the Lowry area in the near future, likely this summer.

For any questions about the merger, contact Runestone Telecom Association at (320) 986-2013.
 

Lowry City Council

Monday, November 16, 2009
Contributed by Valerie Schmidt

At the regular monthly meeting of the Lowry City Council on Tuesday, Nov. 3, council members learned that December 16 will be the bid opening date for the waste water treatment facility. A pre-bid meeting will be held on December 2. According to Jeremy Anderson of Design Tree, the ad has
been placed in the construction bulletin and will be advertised in the Starbuck Times. He said his office is already receiving phone calls regarding the project.

“Due to the size of the project,” Anderson told the council, “we are advertising for five weeks. It is advertised and we’re going forward.”

Checking all water meters in the city for accuracy is going slower than anticipated. According to Anderson, 83 meters have been checked with 78 meters left. He said they were planning on taking this week off from checking meters and starting again the week of November 9 and complete checking all meters the week of November 16. When they have 10 to 15 meters left to be checked, his office and the city clerk will call and set appointments to complete the project.

At this time they have found some places where a portion of a building is not metered and some hoses and hydrants that are not going through the installed meter. There have been a few meters
that are not accurate. Anderson said at some point they would need to consider what percentage would be acceptable in accuracy. He would suggest they not accept anything over 10 percent as being accurate.

How are these issues going to be corrected? At this point Anderson said they are not making any recommendations to the city, but felt that in some instances a second meter may need to be installed. Once all the data has been collected a recommendation can be made. At that time the city will need to determine what plan they are willing to work with and how it will be implemented.

Anderson sad he was not sure if the results from the second water testing of the back-up well had been received by the city. According to Clerk Lucy Olson, the representative from the Department of Public Health had felt the results were complete. He had indicated he would check to be sure the results had been sent to the water operator.

Clerk Olson said she had completed the paperwork for the annexation of the Lions Park and old bulk plant. She had made several attempts to contact the city’s attorney, but she had been out of the office.

The first step is to sign a petition of annexation and present to Ben Wade township. That petition was presented to the city council and has been signed by the council and the Lowry EDA. When approached with the annexation of this 10 acres more or less, Ben Wade township offi cers had
no objections. Dennis Jones representing the EDA was to meet with the Ben Wade township offi cers at their November meeting immediately after that city council meeting.

Once the township has agreed, Olson said it was her impression it would need to be advertised for 9-14 days before they could then proceed. There is also a small fee that must be paid to the State of Minnesota when the paperwork is submitted. Olson said that would range from $2 to $5 an acre.

In other business the council:

• Authorized the streets to be swept so that all leaves can be swept up without plugging the storm sewers;
• Authorized the spreading of class 5 gravel in the alley behind the post office; and
• Listened to an explanation from a property owner regarding a roof-line construction project. All
questions were answered to the satisfaction of the council. They were willing to wait until the project was completed, but indicated they would want to inspect it once the work was completed.

October 19, 2009

Lowry City Council
Contributed by Valerie Schmidt
 

Water issues and EDA annexation were the topics under discussion at the October council meeting for the City of Lowry.

According to Jeremy Anderson officials are currently making appointments with residents in the city to have water meters
inspected. Work will begin tentatively on Monday, October 12. As of the council meeting there were 25 appointments set.
He is urging all residents to call and make an appointment to get this done.

The next issue is the arsenic issue. The council had recently received the test results back from the well and found that it
is 4.7 parts per billion. That is good news. The bad news is that a building will need to be constructed at the site of the well which is near the old creamery so that the proper chemicals can be injected into the water.

However, before pursuing this at 100 percent, it will require several more tests before a final decision is made. It is not the
city’s desire to proceed hastily and than find this well may have a fi gure over the limit on arsenic. However, if the figure remains low, this is definitely cheaper than drilling a new well or bringing water in from a well outside of the city limits.

The public comment time on the sewer project ends on Friday, October 9. Anderson, of Design Tree, said he had checked
with them about a week ago and at that time no comments had been received. However, he said the environmentalist groups quite often do not submit their comments until just prior to the ending.

If everything works out, Anderson believes they could be writing up bids and advertising yet this month. He said they could wait until spring to bid, but his feeling was they were likely to get better pricing now than when a number of projects would be coming up to bid.

All the approvals from Rural Development need to be received by the city before they go to bid. Anderson is anticipating
these could be on the city’s desk in a short time.

There are several ways a city can annex neighboring property, but since this is not a large area, the city’s attorney recommended doing the annexation by ordinance. It was felt someone from the city should approach the members of the Ben
Wade Township Board and ask them about annexing out to the Lions Park. Council members feel if they have the township’s
cooperation the transition will occur more smoothly.

Someone on the township board will be contacted and given the information. They will also be asked if they wish to have someone from the city present at their meeting to answer questions and give the purpose for the annexation.

Once there is an agreement, the city can then pursue annexing the property.
 

Pope County Tribune10/5/09

New VA clinic now
open in Alexandria

The St. Cloud VA Medical Center will officially open its new Alexandria Community Based Outpatient
Clinic today at a ribbon- cutting ceremony at the Clinic.

The clinic, located at 515 22nd Avenue East in Alexandria, will offer primary health care and mental
health care to veterans in Central Minnesota, and specialty care referrals to the VA Medical Centers in
St. Cloud and Minneapolis. Other services to be provided include social work, clinical pharmacy, laboratory and nutrition services. Home-based primary care will also be available for eligible veterans who live within a 40-mile radius of the clinic and who have difficulty leaving their homes to receive their VA care.

VA will staff the clinic with 16.7 full-time equivalent staff members. Clinic hours will be Monday
through Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The clinic' phone number is 320-759-2640.

The clinic is located in a newly-constructed building owned by Moniclair Commons, developed by ORB
Management and leased to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Any eligible veteran who chooses may have his or her care transferred to the Alexandria Community
Based Outpatient Clinic by calling 320-255-6339.

Lowry receives grant
$600,000 DEED grant to help pay
for new wastewater project

By Chad Koenen
Starbuck Times
October 5, 2009

The City of Lowry was one of 12 communities in rural Minnesota that received nearly $5.1 million in Federal Stimulus Funds through the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
The grants, which are funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are aimed at helping pay for improvements to housing, commercial property and infrastructure in Minnesota.

Under the program Lowry received $600,000 from DEED to help pay for a more-than $3 million wastewater treatment project scheduled to break ground next year.

Lowry City Clerk Lucy Olson said the city was notified last fall that it would be receiving DEED funding for the project, but had yet to actually receive the funding as the city waited for the paperwork to be completed.

When the project breaks ground next year, it will bring to a conclusion a nearly 5-year planning process. Olson said the first meetings held on the sewer project dates back to 2005. The wastewater project will replace many of the old sewer lines, some of which have broken and caved in; as well as relocated city ponds which are now located in various wetlands.

To be eligible for the DEED grant, cities and townships must have a population under 50,000 people and counties must have a population under 200,000. The project must also meet one of three federal objectives to be eligible for funding. The three objectives included: benefit low to moderate income people, eliminate slum and blight conditions, and eliminate an urgent threat to public safety.

Olson said Lowry qualified for the grant after a door to door survey found the city' median income was in the moderate to low range.

In addition to the DEED grant, the Lowry wastewater project received funding from Rural Development in the form of a loan and grant, and a Waste Water Infrastructure Fund Grant

3rd Annual Lowry Days
August 14, 15, & 16, 2009

Friday - August 14th

            5:00 PM                        Pork Chop Feed & Meat Raffle - American Legion

            7:30 PM                        Wrestling - American Legion

            9:00 PM                        Karaoke Contest - Hatchery Bar & Grill

Saturday - August 15th

            7:00 AM                        Registration for 5-K Run - Ball Park

            8:00 AM                        5-K Run

            8:00 AM                        Softball Tournament

            9:00 AM - 2:00 PM      Antique Car, Tractor, Truck Show - Downtown

            9:00 AM - 3:00 PM      Craft & Bake Sale - Community Center

            9:00 AM - 3:00 PM      Food Stand / Discovery Days - Community Center

            11:00 AM til gone        Home made pie & ice cream - Fire Hall
                                                 Sponsored by Oscar Lake Church

            12:00 PM - 3:00 PM    Kid Carnival - Community Center Playground

            3:30 PM                       GRAND PARADE

            4:30 PM                       Firemen Water Fights - North end of Florence Avenue     

            4:30 PM - 5:30 PM      Milan Community Band - Sponsored by Lowry State Bank

            5:00 PM - 7:00 PM      Chicken & Sweetcorn Feed - Across from Hatchery
                                                 After chicken feed, chicken pooping contest

            6:00 PM - 8:00 PM      BINGO - American Legion

            8:00 PM                Street Dance - Red Path

Sunday - August 16th

            8:00 AM - Noon          Lion's Pancake Breakfast - Community Center

            10:30 AM                    Community Church Service - Community Center

Come out and have some fun!

6/2/2009 Pope County Tribune

Downtown Lowry gets an extreme makeover
New project to feature a new color scheme on many of Lowry’s businesses

Chad Koenen

Todd Starns applies some paint to the outside of one Lowry business last week.

Change is on the way to downtown Lowry. After the Lowry EDA and downtown business owners recently agreed to a partnership to revitalize the downtown area, a new symmetrical color scheme will grace many of the storefronts.

The new color scheme will feature a mixture of beige, deep burgundy and hunter green on many of the businesses. The color schemes and patterns will be unique to each building, but incorporate each of the three colors.

While not every business will be completely repainted, many are having trim or other features touched up as part of the project.

City Clerk Lucy Olson said the cost of the project will be shared by the Lowry EDA and individual business owners. When informing business owners of the Lowry EDA idea, Olson said the owners were very receptive of the idea to spruce up the downtown area.

The painting actually began last week and is expected to wrap up sometime this week or early next week.

Olson explained the concept of repainting the downtown area was something the Lowry EDA had been talking about for a few months, and wanted to do before the busy summer season got into full swing.

By having the work done now, the city can feature the new look all summer long and for the popular Lowry Days weekend in August.
 

Pope County Tribune
1/17/2009

Thompsons named Lowry's Citizens of the Year

During a special recognition banquet at the Lowry Community Center on Thursday, Chuck and Pat Thompson were selected as the "Lowry Citizens of the Year." The event was hosted by the Lowry Lions.

Following a stint in the military, Chuck returned to Lowry in 1959 to begin a 41-year career at Lowry State Bank. He retired from the bank in 2000.

During his time in Lowry, Chuck was very active with the City of Lowry by serving as clerk for 30 years, a volunteer on the fire department for 25 years and was a charter member of the Lowry Lions Club.

Pat worked for the Minnewaska District Hospital and retired after 17-years as the personnel director. In the past, she was even named as Waterama Royalty, serving as a princess.

Since their retirement, both Chuck and Pat remain active helping out at Lakeside in Glenwood, volunteering for the high school sports events, and watching their grandkids.

Both were active for many years in their church, St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Lowry, with Pat serving as WELCA President.

Married for the past 46 years, Chuck and Pat have been blessed with two children: Jill (Dean) Solmonson and Grant (Carrie) Thompson, and four grandchildren: Lindsay and Michael Solmonson and Riley and Conner Thompson.

To celebrate the occasion, an open house will be held for Chuck and Pat Thompson in their honor on Saturday, March 21, from 1-3 p.m. at the Lowry Community Center. Everyone is invited to attend.

Pope County Tribune
3/11/2009

Lowry updated on progress of new waste water facility
By Valerie Schmidt

Members at the Lowry City Council meeting were updated on the progress of the waste water treatment facility at their last monthly meeting. According to Mayor Bruce Larson, the appraisal has been completed. Council member Merle Ferber had some questions regarding some aspects of the appraisal, and Jeremy Anderson from Design Tree indicated he would give the appraisal another review before meeting with officials of Rural Development.

Anderson said he had e-mailed the appraisal to the Rural Development, however, the individual who is in charge of the Lowry loans and grants for the waste water treatment facility is out of the office for most of the remainder of the week and Anderson had been unable to set a time to meet with them. It was Anderson's intention to deliver the appraisal to the Rural Development office on Monday.

Anderson said the soil borings had been completed at the pond site and they were currently waiting for the results, but most of the results received to date were about what they were expecting to find.

He also expects to deliver the preliminary design to Rural Development on Monday. If getting the nod to proceed Anderson said his engineering firm would have the final design completed and to RD in mid-April. If things go as planned, bids would be published for an opening the end of May or first part of June. Construction could then proceed the end of June. Anderson said he did not foresee any major construction going into 2010, most if not all could be completed before the fall of 2009.

The decommissioning of the old pond site will likely be the last thing completed. This is anticipated to go into 2010 as the sludge must be removed and spread before the pond can be filled in and abandoned.

It was voted during the discussion there will be ample time to work with residents who may need to provide the city with an easement for construction. At this time, Anderson said these individuals had not been identified, and he felt that most easements would be temporary construction type easements.

Pat Conroy of C & C Consultants also met with the council to update them on the Small Cities Grant. He told the council they did require an environmental review, and this document does need some time to complete and submit. Also there needs to be sufficient time in order to receive a reply of acceptance or denial. Conroy said he did not expect any problems in submitting the document, but noted he would need to coordinate some issues with Design Tree, so that ample time is allowed for the procedure to be completed.

Conroy also told them there were some expenses which would be incurred before the grants and loans from Rural Development are available to the town. He told the council these expenses would be covered and allowable once the loans and grants were fully in place.

He also asked the council to sign a contract with him in order to provide some of the administrative procedures for the project. At this point if the project is not funded by RD for some reason, Conroy said he would not receive payment for those services rendered. He also warned there may be a reduction in ad-min costs for the project by Rural Development and if this were the case he would need to renegotiate his contract to allow for the reduction.

Rental of the community center was also discussed. One request came from Experience Works, requesting use of the center for about four hours once a week for training for participants in the program and the other request was for a wedding reception. Clerk Lucy Olson said she had not wanted to make the decision regarding rental rates for either, and the wedding reception had other issues, with the possible use of alcohol on the premises.

It was suggested she attempt to find out what Experience Works would be willing to pay for rent on the facility for its use and to work with them in regard to use of the facility.

The other request was discussed at great length, but the overall question of the council was they were willing for a wedding party to serve their reception meal or lunch at the hall, but were unwilling to allow them to have alcohol on the premises. They felt if those wishing to rent the facility could work out an agreement with the Hatchery Bar and Grill regarding serving alcoholic beverages at their facility they would be willing to rent the facility for a reception.

There was also discussion with a resident who had experienced a frozen water meter three times. The resident indicated they were working on the matter, and were hoping to have the problem corrected within the next thirty days or less. More insulation has been installed and other work has been completed so the property owner felt quite confident the meter would not freeze again once installed.

It was also felt there may not be the need of hiring a full time summer employee this year. It was felt that yard waste could be picked up once a week instead of two times a week, and felt the other duties could be completed in a 16 hour week instead of full time. With a projected $7,000 reduction in local government aid, council members felt some reductions had to be made and this was one area they felt the reduction would be less painful to city residents than in others.

Pope County Tribune
1/14/2009  

Munson takes oath of office in first Lowry City Council meeting of 2009
By Valerie Schmidt

There were few items on the agenda for members of the Lowry City Council meeting at their regular meeting on January 6. The items discussed were the proposed wastewater treatment, as well as re-organization of the city council and official newspaper, bank and attorney.

Brad Munson took the oath of office prior to the meeting.  Council members then appointed Virgil Cozaihr as assistant mayor, appointed the official depository at the Lowry State Bank, and the attorney as Jan Nordmeyer of Glenwood. They also  accepted the official mileage rate for city business the same as the official IRS rate which can fluctuate during the year. Meetings will remain the first Tuesday of the month. The only change was the city's official newspaper will change from the Pope County Tribune to the Starbuck Times.

Winners in the city's holiday lighting contest were the Rick Meyers   first place, the Clayton Persons in second, and third place was the John Olsons. There were many beautiful lighting arrangements in the city making it difficult for the judges to make a determination.

Jeremy Anderson of  Design Tree was present at the meeting to update the council on what has transpired since the last meeting. At this point they have the entire pond and forcemain location surveyed. He admitted it had gone slower than anticipated due to the weather. They have about 2/3 of the surveying working completed in the city.

Anderson asked if he could have Lundblads move some snow to the pond site so they could begin doing soil borings. He was hoping to have another sub-contractor do this work towards the end of January. The council gave their nod of approval, and Anderson responded he would give Lundblads notice of approximate time they would be coming to the site to do the borings.

Another thing he wished the city to consider was finding an interim financing source once the city had the nod from Rural Development to proceed with the project. He said there were a number of agencies that would do the financing, it was up to the city to find the agency that best fit their needs as Rural Development does not provide funding immediately   when the project is under construction.

He said he council should also consider if they want to re-build Isabella Street  or if they should run the main on the south side of the street. Mayor Bruce Larson said if they did rebuild the street they would also include curb and gutter which means residents on that street would be assessed for the additional work since this is not work and cannot be included in the Rural Development Loan.

In other business:

• Learned that MNDot has plans to move the speed limit sign further west and the installation which will likely be done  in the spring will increase the distance to the west from Poplar Street.

• Learned that Holmes City is the only township which has paid it's fire contract for the year and indicated there were still two townships to make payments. It was also discussed that the Fire department determine rates for the townships.

• Accepted a donation of $18,000 from the Fireman's relief association and made a motion to use the money for the Fire department's   equipment fund.

• Reviewed the water ordinance and accepted the ordinance as presented.

• Set fees for various services the city provides. Only one change was made in the fee schedule. That change was for an individual who may request a special council meeting. Currently the fee is $150, but was increased to $175 a meeting. 

• Discussed that homeowners should be responsible for keeping snow away from fire hydrants. However, Lund-blads will be contracted to remove snow from several hydrants.

Pope County Tribune
11/18/2008 3:11:00 PM 

Lowry approved for $600,000 grant
City delays engineering firm decision

By Valerie Schmidt

"We received a letter last week from Small Cities," Mayor Bruce Larson told council members, "that our grant has been approved for $600,000 for 2009 pending HUD block grant financing to them. We do not have to fill out the full application. We do have to hold a public hearing in December, which we will hold in conjunction with the regular council meeting. It's looking more positive that we'll be funded by Rural Development, however, we have not heard from RD pending any funding from them at this time."

Larry Van Hout and several other employees of Widseth, Smith and Nolting met with the council to provide them with an updated quote for engineering costs for the proposed waste water treatment facility. Van Hout told council members there was little if anything they would be changing in the preliminary plans.

He also stated that any changes now could seriously jeopardize funding, especially as far as RD was concerned. He also noted that the original agreement had been signed in March of 2008 but RD had not approved it because the city didn't have funding at that time. RD was fine with the schedule and fees feeling they were reasonable for a project of that size. He stated if they cut too much from their fee schedule they would then be no longer able to provide adequate service.

There was one area in which Van Hout expressed concern for material testing which had been scheduled for $10,000. He felt this should be increased to $25,000, especially if they find the clay is not suitable for a liner. In order to do this, they must dig several pits at the site to make this determination. With this exclusion Widseth, Smith and Nolting were willing to take a 10 percent reduction in engineering costs from the original costs submitted to the project.

Another firm, Design Tree, represented by Jeremy Anderson also presented a presentation to do the engineering work on the project.

Anderson stressed that he was the individual who hd done the preliminary engineering and had designed the plans for the waste water treatment facility. He also had worked closely with RD to prepare the project for funding. He also was familiar with the city's expectations of what they wished to have done.

Another area he stressed was that he was the engineer of record and had signed all needed papers to get the project this far.

Their quote for the project was $290,000, approximately $50,000-$90,000 under Widseth, Smith and Nolting.

There has been some discussion with RD regarding a change of engineering firms for the project. According to Mayor Larson, RD felt they would work with either Widseth, Smith and Nolting or Design Tree, but discouraged the council from opening the project up to other engineering firms at this time. Especially since it was noted the project could be totally funded in March.

Even if the Public Facilities funding is not available, RD believes the project is still fundable.

Council member Merle Ferber said he was not in favor of switching firms at this time, mainly due to the experience of the team working on the project. Total experience of the Widseth, Smith and Nolting team was close to 100 years between the four.

When Design Tree was asked how this project would work into projects already under their consideration, they responded it would not be a problem because one of the projects may not be funded for this coming year's construction.

Both firms were willing to begin work the following week at their risk, meaning if the funding was not forth coming there would be no additional charges for the work done.

Mayor Larson admitted the council had been dragging their feet a bit about choosing an engineer for the project because they were not sure they would get the funding. He told both firms it would be the council's intention to make a decision on a firm at the December meeting and not later than the January council meeting.

When the mayor asked if any of the council members were willing to make a decision Thursday night, only one council person said his mind was made up.

City Clerk Lucy Olson and the waste water treatment operator indicated to the council they needed to consider tax dollars. Both felt Design Team would be more responsive to the needs of the city and were better "service" oriented.

In other business:

• Learned there may be a meter available to attach to an unmetered hydrant in town. This meter would need to be removed during the winter months; but it was felt the hydrant would not be used during the winter months.

• Adopted a canvassing resolution stating the results of the city's recent election for city officers.

• Learned that the limits of copper and lead did not exceed limits when city water was recently tested for these minerals.

• Discussed a request from Minnesota Department of Transportation regarding any city easements along Highway 55 and felt there would be at least two for water and sewer.

• Authorized the clerk and water operator to attend a water management seminar in St. Cloud during the month at a cost of $100 each.

• Set December 2 as the next regular city council meeting at 7 p.m.

Lowry Days to be held on August 22, 24, & 24, 2008

A note from Pam Jones:

The planning committee for 2008 Lowry Days city celebrations met on April 23 to begin planning this years event. The dates for the celebration will be August 22, 23,& 24.

This years event, includes a parade planned for Saturday, the 23rd. Again we are looking at antique car and tractor show, possible tractor pull, softball tournament, craft show, kiddie carnival, parade and more. Friday night would be The Hatchery and Legions events. Saturday would contain the main events and Sunday morning Lions pancake feed and community church service.

Watch this space for more specific events as they evolve. Make sure you mark your calendar and plan to attend.

Helen Landa is Lowry's Citizen of the Year

By Chad Koenen
News Editor, Starbuck TImes
3/18/08

Helen Landa was born to John and Barbara Dynda on a family farm in Douglas County. She was the middle sister to Lillian Brezina and Mayme Engelbrecht. They all attended country school through the eighth grade.

Helen married Lawrence Landa in 1939 and they farmed on the Landa family farm in the Reno Township until they retired in 1980 and moved to Lowry. They had three children, Allen (Janis) Landa, Barbara (Kenny) Denhardt, and Judith (Denny) Sager. Grandshildren include: Todd (Jean) Landa, Wade, Bailey and Megan Landa; Stephanie (Mike) O'Keefe, Carrie (Ryan) Clark, and Jodi Sager. Great Grandchildren are Svea Landa; Taylor, Katie and Ashley Clark.

On the farm Helen always kept a large vegetable garden including strawberries and raspberries, along with an apple orchard. Helen also raised ducks and chickens, which she "dressed out" and sold. She always did a lot of baking, cooking and canned the produce from the gardens. When the children were in 4-H, Helen volunteered and helped with the 4-H group. She was also involved in the Lake Reno Catholic Church in the Ladies Guild, mission circles, choir, and a reader at Sunday mass.

After retirement from farming, Helen worked a tthe Glenwood Hospital as a cook. In Lowry she has been involved with the Lowry Homemakers, Lowry Misson Circle (she sewed many, many children's outfits each winter), senior citizens, craft ladies and in Glenwood as a reader in the senior group.

Landa will be honored with an open house at the Lowry Community Center on March 29 from 1-3 p.m.

'08 Downtown Lowry Reunion in Arizona great success

You probably saw it on CNN. The occasion was the annual Arizona Beautiful Downtown Lowry Reunion. It was held on Friday, February 22 2008 at the White Sands Mobile Home Park in Apache Junction, AZ. We  had about half the attendance as last year and that was due to Hurricanes, Tornados, Floods, and a world shortage of Lutefisk. Not really. It was just a combination of who was down here at the time and prior commitments. But a good time was had by all and all made a blood vow to attend next year.

Back Row: Larry Gardner, Dee Gardner, Charles Christenson, Chuck Thompson, Ellwood Johnson, Hub Nordgren
Front Row: Lloyd Olson, Bev Olson, Theresa Christenson, Patti Thompson, Sandy Johnsrud, Dorothy Nordgren

Photo by Bob Johnsrud

Pope County Tribune
2/6/08

A new face at the Lowry Post Office

                   John Olson

Wondering how small the world really can be, ask new Lowry Postmaster John Olson and his wife Lucy. Working as a Postmaster in Iowa, Olson was offered a job as postmaster in Morris, a job which would not only lead the Olson's to Lowry, but would also lead their eldest daughter Stacy to town as well.

While searching for a place to call home in Minnesota, the Olson's turned to a friend in Iowa who helped find the family a house in Lowry.

"We looked in Morris and didn't see anything we really wanted and a friend of ours in Iowa put us in touch with Mark Blair," said Olson.

Though living in Lowry meant Olson would need to commute some 50 miles round trip each day, any question of whether the family was making the right move was answered before they were even finished moving in.

"We weren't even moved in yet and already had neighbors coming up to us introducing themselves," he said. "Something like that doesn't happen everywhere."

While a friend got his family to move to Lowry, it was advice of another friend to get Olson into the post office field. Following a 21 year career in the United States Air Force, a friend suggested that Olson take the post office exam. He did, and eight months later he was hired as a letter carrier in West Fargo in 1988.

After spending the past 4 1/2 years as the postmaster in Morris, Olson was given an opportunity to take over as the Lowry Postmaster when Dennis Jones retired at the beginning of the year. His first day was Jan. 22 and Olson said he is excited to get an opportunity to handle the mail on a more regular basis and have a chance to interact with the town which he calls home.

"I'm looking forward to putting faces to the names of people," said Olson. "I lived here but wasn't here very much of the time."

A father of three, and married to his wife Lucy who is the City Clerk in Lowry, Olson is not only looking forward to interacting with the residents of Lowry, but being able to walk to work each day once the weather warms up.

"I'm definitely going to enjoy it here," he said. "I'm looking forward to being part of the community."

Pope County Tribune
1/29/08

Longtime Lowry banker retires
Hoping to catch on to a job for a year or two, Bob Mork began working for his father at Lowry State Bank about a year after graduating from Concordia College. After remodeling the bank, Clifford Mork decided he could afford to hire another person to add to the staff at the bank and hired Mork in December 1972.

While his starting salary of $450 a month doesn't seem like much these days, Mork made the most of his opportunity to move back home and begin work at the family's bank.

"I graduated in '71 and bounced around from job-to-job," said Mork. "I thought if I could just make it one year at a job that would be pretty good and I made it 35 years."

A quiet and reserved man, his father warned him early on that if he wanted to be successful in the banking business, he needed to learn to talk to the customers. He began to open up to not only the customers, but helped turn Lowry State Bank into a family-run success story.

His father, Clifford, who was working in Morris at the time, purchased what was a struggling bank in 1959. After spending some time rebuilding the trust and respect of the community members in the area, Clifford and the rest of the bank staff were able to create a sense of belonging to all of those who came within the bank's doors. The trust built up and the family atmosphere he helped create kept customers coming back and continuing to bank at Lowry State Bank long after leaving the Lowry Area.

"One thing Peter (Nelson) picked up on was the loyalty from our customers was unbelievable," said Mork.

"We treated them like family and that's what I hope continues."

In 1987 Clifford decided to retire from the bank and when he died just three years later, Mork's mother, Edna, kept the bank in the family selling it to the couple's three sons, Robert, David and Tom. The bank remained shared with the three sons until 2002 when Mork approached Peter and Kari Nelson and Dennis Martinson of Glenwood State Bank about possibly purchasing the bank. With an eye for the future and concern for not only for the community but for the employees of the bank, Mork finalized a deal to keep the bank not only locally owned, but family run in 2002. The new ownership group includes Peter and Kari Nelson, Eric and Kirsten Nelson and Paul Martinson.

Though Mork remained on as the President of the bank, the sale marked the beginning of a five year transition period, in which Mork helped the new ownership and customers get acquainted and build up relationship, between the two. His work tapered off a bit last year to working just in the mornings before he eventually retired on December 31.

"It went a long ways towards that transition because I wasn't there in the afternoon," said Mork.

Upon Mork's retirement, David Lorence, who has been with the bank since August 1, 2005, took over as President of the Lowry State Bank.

•••

After being such a big part of the Lowry community over the past 48 years, all of the customers, friends, and family members came to mark the end of the Mork era at the Lowry State Bank. While some came to the January 5 party to wish their banker goodbye, many more came out to give a friend a handshake, hug, and well wishes in the next venture of his life.

"That's what makes me feel so good, to know based on the cards I received on how they viewed me as a person, not just a banker," he said.

While he may be officially retired from the banking industry, Mork won't simply be sitting around all day. The retirement will give him a chance to focus on another love of his, the Minnewaska Laker Cross Country team. In his fifth season as the cross country coach he had two girls finish in the top 18 at the state cross country meet this past year.

"I got the time and that's what I enjoy," said Mork. "I just enjoy being around young people."
 

Pope County Tribune
1/23/08

Lowry Postmaster hangs up mailbag for the final time

After nearly 35 years of sifting through the Christmas letters, large packages from grandma and the never ending amount of credit card applications, Dennis Jones has decided to begin a new chapter in his life, retirement.

The retirement of Jones, who is in his second stint as Postmaster in Lowry, wasn't unexpected. Jones had qualified for retirement quite some time ago, and recently decided now would be a good time for a different adventure.

"I became eligible for retirement last spring and figured it would just be a good time for a change," he said.

Jones, along with his wife Pamela, came to the Lowry area in 1981 when he was named the Lowry Postmaster. After just one year he accepted a job as supervisor in Alexandria and eventually moved to the job of Postmaster in Hoffman. Though he changed jobs several times, he never left Lowry and when the chance to come back to his hometown presented itself more than three years ago, Jones jumped on the opportunity. For the past three years and three months, Jones was the face of the Lowry Post Office, giving him a chance to not only walk to work if he so decided, but work with the very people he had gotten to know in the community over the years.

When he first got into the post office business, the mail was sorted quite differently than it is today. In the beginning of his career, Jones said mail was sorted by hand and put into different piles, many different piles. Today mail is sorted through automation and makes sorting the mail for out of county, out of state and out of country a bit easier.

As the smiling face behind the counter at the Lowry Post Office and for that matter different post offices across the area, Jones has been able to interact with a wide variety of people all with different needs and different backgrounds, an interaction he said he will miss now that he is retired.

"I enjoy working with people," said Jones. "There's a lot of people I'm not going to get to see on a regular basis anymore."

After nearly 35 years of sifting through letters and giving people their entertainment through the mail, Jones said he was pleased with his career but is excited for the new adventures retirement will give him.

"It's been a good career, but it was just time to move on," said Jones.

Pope County Tribune
11/13/07

Starbuck Times
5/15/07

Sheets are sewn and ready to fly to soldiers

By Shannon Andreasen
Reporter

Piles of sheets stacked all around the room on tables and chairs were a sign of the community's generosity at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Lowry.

Many volunteers from groups such as 4-H gathered on Tuesday, May 8 to sew sheets for soldiers at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Lowry. Above, Rick Hanson shakes out a sheet to be laid on a table for pinning. Photo by Shannon Andreasen

On Tuesday evening, May 9, a large group of people gathered at the church to begin sewing sheets to send overseas to United States soldiers. Donated sheets are sewn to fit a sleeping bag and are then sent to soldiers to keep them in clean sheets while they are away from home.

The project, "Sheets for Soldiers," was brought to the local community by New Horizon's 4-H Club and Luke Musselman. The original idea came from Jane Hanson, of Alexandria, whose son is serving in Iraq.

Hanson is the mother of Spc. Derek R. Hanson, 194th Minnesota National Guard Unit, out of East St. Paul. Hanson said in August of 2006, the National Guard was looking for people to fill out the unit and Derek volunteered. He left for training at Fort Dix, New Jersey on September 11, 2006 and his unit arrived at Iraq on December 1, 2006.

"As a mother, you feel a bit helpless when your son is so far away," said Hanson. "An old high school friend had two sons deployed to Iraq. She mentioned she had taken full and queen sized flat sheets, folded them over and sewed up the bottom and part way up the side to make sheet liners for their sleeping bags. I thought what a great idea and I wondered if this was something I could do for more soldiers than just my son."

And there was more she could do. Hanson got on the phone and contacted the local Family Readiness Leader, Melody Thoennes, who was supportive of Hanson's idea to send sheet liners to soldiers overseas. Thoennes worked with staff at the Minnesota National Guard Armory set up the armory as the drop off location for sheets. "I went to the Alexandria media, including our AM radio station KXRA, television station KSAX and our newspaper The Echo Press," said Hanson. "They all did a wonderful job announcing the Sheets for Soldiers project." In addition, local businesses put up posters announcing the effort.

"Weekly pick-ups were made and the sheets started to rise up to the roof of my van," said Hanson. Thankfully, Tastefully Simple donated boxes to hold the sheets.

As the sheets piled up, the efforts continued to spread from Alexandria to Pope County. Hanson contacted 4-H and Girl Scout administrators to see if this project could be incorporated into their community activities. "I was blessed to have Laurie Musselman from the New Horizons 4-H club of Lowry agree to help me with this project. Her son, Luke, wrote to the local newspapers to collect additional sheets and prepared a letter to a local VFW club requesting assistance with the postage to mail the sheet liners," said Hanson.

On the evening of Tuesday, May 8, the Women of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, members of the New Horizon's 4-H Club, Julie Thorstad and Hanson's husband Rick helped prepare and sew sheets for over two hours.

"We ended up with 218 sheet liners ready to be sent to our soldiers," said Hanson. In addition, the 4-H club prepared cards and care packages to be sent with the sheets overseas.

After Tuesdays group sewing project, Hanson said she has approximately 70 sheets left to finish sewing with her friends. Now she is asking for money to cover the postage required to send the sheet liners to soldiers. "We plan to send them out shortly," she added.

Although there were a number of donated sheets that could not be used for this project, they will not go to waste. The Women of St. Paul's Lutheran Church meet on a regular basis to sew projects for charity and mission work so the material that could not be used for Sheets for Soldiers will be used to make quilts.

"I can not begin to express my appreciation to the community for its support on this project. What a wonderful message to send to our soldiers," Hanson said. "We received thank you notes with the sheets, money to be put towards postage and a small pocket New Testament bible which will be sent to the unit."

"I wish I could mention each and everyone's name that have helped with Sheets for Soldiers. Many, many thanks to you all and God Bless you," said Hanson.

Pope County Tribune
3/20/07

Erlandson tests her geography knowledge

Shannon Andreasen
Reporter

Jessica Erlandson of Lowry anticipates her participation in the 2007 Minnesota Geography Bee on March 30. Contributed photo

Her interest in history expanded to geography and now seventh grader, Jessica Erlandson of Lowry, is preparing to test her knowledge of the subject at the state competition of the National Geographic Bee.

In December, Minnewaska seventh and eighth grade students, 189 in total, answered standardized Geography Bee questions during their homeroom period. This was a written exam with a variety of questions. Erlandson's geography teacher at Minnewaska, Gloria Nichtern, said the questions ranged from easier questions about states and capitals to more difficult questions about cultural and physical geography. The school competition was coordinated by teachers Nichtern, Linda Hoffmann and Wes Tessman.

Following the main written test, the pool of competitors was narrowed down to ten students who participated in the final round of the Minnewaska School Geography Bee, which is an oral competition. Due to a tie at Minnewaska, there were 14 final participants. Through a process of elimination, Erlandson was named the school champion and given the chance to further test her knowledge and advance in the competition.

Erlandson took yet another 70 question test with questions like: Which Russian city is located on the Gulf of Finland? Vladivostok, Irkutsk, St. Petersburg, or Moscow; and Which city had a lighthouse that was known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World? Carthage, Athens, Alexandria, or Naples.

In each of the 50 states, the National Geographic Society invites the students with the top 100 scores to compete at the state level. Erlandson got the good news recently that she had scored high enough to advance a step further in the competition. "It hasn't quite hit me yet," said Erlandson about attending state. "It's still sinking in."

Nichtern said, "We are so proud of her accomplishments. Jessica is a very deserving student with a wide range of knowledge." This is the second year in a row that Minnewaska's school champion has made it into the competition. Last year Micah Klemme went on to the state level.

On Friday, March 30, Erlandson will participate in the 2007 Minnesota Geographic Bee at Macalester College. The preliminary rounds begin at 9 a.m. and the final round begins at 11:30 a.m. Julie Nelson of KARE 11 will present the questions to the students.  The state winner will represent Minnesota in the national finals at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C. on May 23 and 24. Top finishers at the national level will receive scholarships for $25,000, $15,000, and $10,000 respectively.

Erlandson said, "It would be really nice to go on to nationals," but said she is in it for the competition. She said her main interests lie in English history and the geography of Europe. Erlandson hopes to visit England and Scotland one day.

Erlandson is the daughter of Mark and Beth Erlandson.

Editor's Note: Jessica is George and Kathleen Erlandson's grand daughter, a great grand daughter of George and Minnie Erlandson Sr.  

Pope County Tribune
3/13/05
Lundblad honored as Lowry citizen

Lowry Reunion held at Apache Junction, AZ
February 20, 2007

The annual downtown Lowry Reunion was held at the Community Center of the White Sands Mobile Home Park in Apache Junction, AZ. There were 25 people in attendance which was a record over the many years it has been held. It is always held the middle of Febuary -- so if you're from the Lowry area and planning on being an Arizona "snowbird" during the time of the event, let us know and you have an invite.

Here are the honored 2007 attendees:

Front row l-r: Myra Femrite, Larry Gardner, Dee Gardner, JoAnn Johnson Bursell, Bud Molander, R’Dell Molander, 
Dorothy Molander Nordgren, Audrey Larson 

Back row l-r: Gurvin Femrite, Roger Weisel, Betty Grimilus, Sandy Johnsrud, Bob Johnsrud, Theresa Christenson, 
Charles Christenson, Charles Thompson, Patti Thompson, Paul Weisel, Paul Engebretson, Dee Weisel, Ellwood Johnson, 
Hub Nordgren, Martha Engebretson Thompson, Wayne Thompson, Margaret Engebretson (Andy’s daughter)

See www.cybertrails.com/~eajohnson/lowryreunion07.htm

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12/26/2006 11:57:00 AM

New faces at Lowry State Bank: From left, Mike Mohr, Bob Mork, Dave Lorence and Angie Svec. Photo by John R. Stone Pope County Tribune 12/26/2006 11:57:00 AM  New faces mean new future for Lowry State Bank John R. Stone Reporter New faces at Lowry State Bank mark the future path of the institution that has served the community for over 100 years. New to the bank, which has been operated by the Mork family since 1959 when it was acquired by Clifford Mork, include Dave Lorence, executive vice-president with responsibilities in ag and commercial lending; Mike Mohr, consumer lender; and Angie Svec, who will work as a credit analyst and in operational support. Bank president is Robert E. Mork, who has worked at the facility since 1972. Transition for the bank began in 1990 when Clifford Mork died. Mork's widow, Edna, sold the bank to the couple's three sons, Robert, David and Tom. Later, in 2002, David and Tom decided to divest themselves of their share of the bank and that's when Bob approached Peter and Kari Nelson and Dennis Martinson of Glenwood State Bank. An agreement was finalized with the new ownership group of the bank becoming Peter and Kari Nelson, Eric and Kirsten Nelson and Paul Martinson. For Robert E. Mork the change marked a transition toward eventual retirement. While he has served as president the past four years, his involvement will taper off next year as he goes to half time. A Concordia College graduate, Mork started at the bank in December of 1972. He started at the bank about the same time it was completing a major remodeling. Over the years he worked his way up to the presidency and the corner office at the facility once occupied by his father. He married and he and his wife, Lori, raised two children, Shiloh and Seth. "It's time," he said of his changing involvement in the bank. He would like more time to spend in his hobby, coaching cross country at Minnewaska Area High School and other activities. "My job over the next year or so is to aid in the transition." David Lorence started August 1, 2005 and will become the bank's president upon Mork's retirement. Lorence comes to Lowry after serving as president of First Minnesota Bank in Glencoe. A native of the Glencoe area, he sees the Lowry State Bank position as a challenge to grow in the banking business. "When you think about changing employment you have to ask two questions, who are you going to work with and who are you going to work for," said Lorence. "When I met the people here and knew I was going to be working with Bob the first question was answered. In addition, when I met with Peter and Kari Nelson and Dennis Martinson, I developed a great respect for the people I was going to work for." "Both the bank and the area are healthy," said Lorence. Lorence is a graduate of St. John's University in Collegeville. He and his wife Sue, have a son, Mike, who lives and works in Minneapolis. Another son, Bob, is deceased. "Sue and I were born to farm families," said Lorence. "My parents are retired and still live on their farm west of Glencoe. Sue's parents are retired and still live in Glencoe. "The town of Lowry impressed us as being a clean, well-kept community and the area residents have proven to be extremely friendly and receptive to newcomers," said Lorence. "Through the work of its previous and current employees, the bank has done an extremely good job over the years of being community-minded and has very reliably served the needs of area residents in good and difficult times. It is apparent, as I have interacted with bank customers, that during their years of ownership the Mork family has earned the respect of area residents and is held in high regard. "I am also extremely confident that going forward under the ownership of the Martinson family members, that the Lowry State Bank will without question maintain its independence and commitment to its customers and to the Lowry area," said Lorence. "Another appealing aspect of Lowry to me has been finding out there are a number of Lowry area residents with Bohemian ancestry which I share with them (my dad is Bohemian and my mother is German). So whenever there is an opportunity to eat kolaches, I never pass!" Mike Mohr joined the bank staff in February 2006 as a consumer lender. He previously worked for Citifinancial in Alexandria as assistant manager for two years. He is a graduate of North Dakota State University where he earned both his BA and MBA degrees. He and his wife, Chris, have been married for five years and have a son, Wyatt, who is 18-months old. Chris works at Glenwood State Bank in Glenwood as operations manager and personal banker after managing Bath and Body Works in Alexandria for four and half years. Angie Svec is the most recent addition to the bank staff. She is employed as a credit analyst and splits her time between lending and operations. She and her husband, Lowry native Al Svec, have a daughter, Avery, who will be two years old in December. Angie is a graduate of Southwest State University. The future of Lowry State Bank will be to continue to serve the community's banking needs. "There are some new faces but the commitment to the community and area will remain the same," said Mork. "These are good people and I know they'll do what they promise."

Webmaster's Note: I was going thru some old papers and found the Lowry News. Note the temperature noted in the first paragraph.

Pope County Tribune
February 1, 1951

Forty degrees below zero this morning. Is it really cold and how!

Mrs. Ernest Larson and children from near Morris spent a few days of last week visiting at Mrs. Esther Dahlgren and Amy Loren.

Emil Pearson and Mrs.Merle Altron and Dale from Paton, Iowa visited a couple days at Glenn Hoplin's home, father and sister of Mrs. Glen Hoplin.

Mrs. Esther Dahlgren and Amy Loren entertained at their home in honor of Sherilyn Larson's first birthday Friday afternoon, also for her mother. A number of guests were present.

Victor Bjorklund spent the week end in Minneapolis and St. Louis Park.

Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Johnson and JoAnn left for Chicago, Ill. Monday to attend the graduation of their son, DeWayne who is graduating the 2nd of February from the Northern Ill. School of Optometry. They will be gone a week and will visit relatives and friends on their way home.

Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Hoplin and David went to Minneapolis for a couple days visit.

A number of ladies from town helped Mrs. C.R. Anderson celebrate her birthday Monday afternoon. She received gifts and a lunch was served by the ladies.

Miss Ruth Peterson of Chicago came up Saturday and visited at A.R. Anderson's and went to Alvin Ellingson to visit with her mother, Mrs. Anna Peterson who is ill.

Miss Jenkins and Murray Lynn of Windsor, Canada visited a week at the Georgie Erlandson Jr. home.

Bertrand McIver who attends Macalester College in St. Paul spent last weekend at his home.

Mrs. Donald Dingwall spent a week visiting her sister and family in Minneapolis last week.

Rev. and Mrs. Strand of Montevideo came up Saturday afternoon to Floyd Anderson's. Rev. Strand had services at the St. Pauli Lutheran Church Sunday afternoon.

Mrs. Ernest Larson and children, Mrs. Esther Dahlgren and Amy Loren visited at Harry Anderson's on Sunday.

Andrew Engebretson from Northfield spend the week end with his folks, H.F. Engebretson's.

A number of friends from the Norunga community had a birthday party for Mrs. C.R. Anderson Thursday afternoon.

Lakeside Ballroom Fire
Minneapolis Tribune
06/10/2003

Terry Collins, Star Tribune

Rocker Jerry Lee Lewis did a whole lot of shaking his pompadour in the ballroom. Lawrence Welk led his renowned dance band there.

Pope County Tribune
Monday, June 09, 2003

Lakeside Ballroom burns to the ground
by John R. Stone
news@pctribune.com