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With all the votes in, District 777’s $26.3 million building bond levy passed with overwhelming support. The final vote was 1,356 to 620, a margin of victory of 736 votes. Sixty-nine percent of the district’s voters favored the levy to 31 percent against it.

It was a complete reversal of the May 2015 vote when an $18.6 million building levy went down with 67.5 percent of the district’s voters casting ballots against it. The vote was 1,354 against to 651 in favor in 2015, a loss by 703 votes.

Voters in the City of Benson cast 828 votes for the referendum to 246 against, a margin of victory of 582 votes.

Overall, the cities of the school district cast 910 votes for the levy and 276 against, a margin of 634. Nearly 77 percent of city voters favored the Benson Public Schools’ levy.

In the townships, 446 voted for the levy and 344 against, a margin of 102 votes in favor. Of the rural/farm voters, 56.5 favored the levy.

Benson resident and retired school teacher Ron Hanson has filed for the District 777 Board of Education for the two-year term. Filings for four seats on the school board opened last Tuesday and will run through Tuesday, Aug. 14, at 5 p.m.

Three of the four seats up for election in November will be for four-year terms and one is for two years. Those school board members whose seats are four-year terms are Chad Payne, Jodi DeJong-Hughes, and Paul Carruth. Tammy Gunlogson’s seat is a two-year term.

When a person files for the school board, he or she will have to indicate whether or not they are seeking a two-year or four-year term.

School board members are paid $1,700 annually and get mileage for meetings they attend.

In the November election, the two candidates who receive the most votes for the two-year and four-year terms will be elected to office. They will join Mary K.W. Langan, Bill McGeary and Gary Williams on the school board in January.

$26.3 million proposal inlcudes new auditorium, space for childcare services
 

Next Tuesday voters in District 777 will decide the future of the quality of the educational facilities for Benson Public Schools, and many supporters say, the future of the area.

Tuesday, Aug. 14, voters will cast their ballots on a $26.3 million building bond levy with these key features:

As the City of Benson explores potential replacement industries for Benson Power, LLC, it has been talking with Brightmark Energy about locating a methane digesting facility at the site.

Benson Power, a 55-megawatt power plant that produced power from woodchips and turkey litter, has been purchased by Xcel Energy and shut down. It employed 45 people fulltime and provided jobs to more than 100 other people in the region who provided its supply and service needs.

Xcel says the shut down of the power plant will save its customers $350 million in energy costs over the next decade. Benson Power’s electricity was far more expensive to produce than the rapidly growing wind and solar energy sources it is turning to for electricity.

A total of 85 cars registered for the Kid Day Car Show this year, including cars from Erhard, Monticello, St. Joseph, Montevideo, and many from Benson, Danvers, Clontarf and the surrounding area.

The winner of Best of Show was Annie Danielson, with a 1956 Chev 3100 pick-up (pictured). 

The “Spectators Choice” winner was Keith Evenson with a 1955 Chev 210 Gasser.  According to organizers, this was the largest Benson Car Show held on Kid Day with many spectators from all around the area, beautiful weather and a great location at Ambush Park.  There were also about 50 cars taking part in the Kid Day car cruise, which lasted an hour.

For more stories like this, and to keep up on all the latest news, subscribe to the Swift County Monitor-News print edition or our PDF internet edition. Call 320-843-4111 and you can get all the local news and sports delivered to you!
 

School board filings

Filings for four seats on the District 777 Board of Education opened Tuesday and will run through Tuesday, Aug. 14.

There will be four school board seats up for election in November. Three will be for four-year terms and one for three years. Those school board members whose seats are four-year terms are Chad Payne, Jodi DeJong-Hughes, and Paul Carruth. Tammy Gunlogson’s seat is a two-year term.

When a person files for the school board, he or she will have to indicate whether or not they are seeking a two-year or four-year term.

In the November election, the two candidates who receive the most votes for the two-year and four-year terms will be elected to office. They will join Mary K.W. Langan, Bill McGeary and Gary Williams on the school board in January.

The Compass Creative Dramatic Children’s Theatre  is working with Benson Community Education and local youth this week to rehearse for two performances this Friday and Saturday of “Beauty and the Beast”.  As their beloved books disappear off the shelves, Beauty and her team of local librarians embark on a quest to rescue them from the city sewers. There, they find the Beast and his henchmen searching desperately to cure the curse that has transformed them all into animals of the lowest degree. Amidst dancing pigeons, ticklish books, and enchanted blue roses, Beauty and the Beast learn that it’s only by working together that they can save the day.   Auditions took place Monday afternoon in the senior high gym and practices will take place all week leading up to the performances at 7 p.m., Friday, Aug. 3 and again at 11 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 4 in the senior high gym.  Tickets are $5 and are available at the door....

School district filings open this coming Tuesday and run through  Tuesday, Aug. 14.

There will be four school board seats up for election in November. Three will be for four-year terms and one for three years. Those school board members whose seats are four-year terms are Chad Payne, Jodi DeJong-Hughes, and Paul Carruth. Tammy Gunlogson’s seat is a two-year term.

When a person files for the school board, he or she will have to indicate whether or not they are seeking a two-year or four-year term.

In the November election, the two candidates who receive the most votes for the two-year and four-year terms will be elected to office. They will join Mary K.W. Langan, Bill McGeary and Gary Williams on the school board in January.

Mail ballots have already been sent out to District 777 residents of Swift County with residents of Pope and Chippewa counties to get theirs shortly, Supt. Dennis Laumeyer said at Monday night’s school board meeting.

Ron Vadnais, as Fred Flintstone, walks in the 88th annual Benson Kid Day parade Saturday, July 21 with grandson Logan (Bamm Bamm) and granddaughter Lily (Pebbles) who are children of Ben and Alicia Vadnais.

Don't miss our Kid Day Special section, filled with full color photos from Kid Day weekend - available on newstands now or at the Monitor-News office!

For more stories and photos like this, and to keep up on all the latest news, subscribe to the Swift County Monitor-News print edition or our PDF internet edition. Call 320-843-4111 and you can get all the local news and sports delivered to you.
 

Funds would stabilize budget, help with demolition program
 

Swift County’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority plans to raise its levy from $90,000 this year to $126,000 for 2019, an increase of $36,000.

Part of the reason for the increase is the uncertainty of one of its funding sources. The HRA has gotten an average gross income of $29,750 annually from shares the county owns of the Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company (CVEC.) However, out of that payment it has had to pay its corn pool expenses to provide corn to CVEC.

The net revenues it gets from its CVEC dividend have been very good some years and in other years almost nothing, HRA Executive Director Vicki Syverson says. That makes it hard on budgeting and programs. Syverson adds that the levy increase is needed.