Drivers are noticing one common change while navigating the roads of Olmsted County recently. What are these roundabouts? They have been common to find in big cities like Chicago for many years. Roundabout intersections are a one-way street with no
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"Where Olmsted County News Comes First"
Online Edition
Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
Volume ∞ Issue ∞
- 5:36:49, May 15th 2013 - Frank Hawthorne - Though I hated to see you reference Glenn Beck by name [Three Times ... [Read More]
- 11:42:07, May 10th 2013 - yenken - I feel very sorry for those who have commented do far, as when you stand fa ... [Read More]
- 12:10:25, Apr 26th 2013 - Frank Hawthorne - Mr. "Cabtrom's" garbage-out[burst]--in response to Ms. Reisner's w ... [Read More]
- 9:51:50, Apr 24th 2013 - jeff pischke - To Jerry Grehl, the number to the fillmore county sheriffs office is 7 ... [Read More]
- 9:27:24, Apr 22nd 2013 - Cabtrom - Blah blah blah, garbage in garbage out! ... [Read More]
- 7:00:49, Apr 11th 2013 - Donald Pierce - Col. Stan Gudmundson hit most of the important nails squarly on the h ... [Read More]
- 12:44:54, Apr 4th 2013 - Frank Hawthorne - My compliments to Ms. Hammer for giving us well-crafted "Rachel Rea ... [Read More]
- 5:09:06, Apr 3rd 2013 - truthiness - I see this is dated April 1. That explains it! ... [Read More]
- 12:04:33, Apr 3rd 2013 - Frank W. Hawthorne - Say WHAT?!? Stan's American-Pie [In SKY] is Falling--Not Again? ... [Read More]
- 12:40:21, Mar 29th 2013 - Jacob - It's a shame that so few people care about making their voices heard. If we ... [Read More]
MPCA reveals environmental results for Byron business
Mon, Mar 11th, 2013
Posted in Byron Government
Posted in Byron Government
Comments
The Minnesota Pollution control Agency (MPCA) revealed results from a recent investigation showing that the Capri Beauty Salon building located at Fourth Street & Byron Avenue North is indeed contaminated. A substance called tetrachloroethene also known as PCE was found at ground level and in the soil. There is concern that the PCE is affecting the facilities air quality and ground water. The site housed a dry-cleaning business 40 plus years ago and this pollution can allegedly be traced back to that business. PCE contamination is known to be a by-product of the chemicals used in the dry-cleaning business at the time. Other past tennants of the 3,800 square-foot building have been: a pet grooming business, restaurants, and a grocery store.
The site is one block away from a school and has both commercial and residential neighbors. In November of 2011 a Feasibility Study showed that the installation of a permanent vapor mitigation system would not be a solution due to the buildings older design. The State of Minnesota has decided to go ahead with plans to purchase the property. The current plan is to demolish the building and remove the impacted soil. What is still up for debate is what then will become of the property. Byron City Council member Jason Snow announced “I would rather see just a nice grass lot instead of gravel or blacktop at this site in the future.”
MPCA official Project Manager Nile Fellows stated that “because the contamination is fairly shallow, we are confident that the affected soil can be removed effectively.” Byron resident Marley Ayres, an Environmental Consultant expressed concerns about the situation. “When you see a superfund site in your neighborhood - the people living there should be concerned,” Ayres said. “The MPCA study did not incorporate any mention of enhanced reductive dechlorination or ERD. This should be looked at before the removal of the contaminated soil, I think we need to look more at what to do with the ground before we get too far with this. The point is that the proposed MPCA action and the one that they have picked will only temporarily take care of the problem. If they dig it out and put clean fill in there, what happens if it becomes contaminated again? I feel that basically the MPCA tested the indoor air quality. What they didn’t do was to drill a hole under the concrete slab to see what may be underneath this particular building,” Ayres added.
The site is one block away from a school and has both commercial and residential neighbors. In November of 2011 a Feasibility Study showed that the installation of a permanent vapor mitigation system would not be a solution due to the buildings older design. The State of Minnesota has decided to go ahead with plans to purchase the property. The current plan is to demolish the building and remove the impacted soil. What is still up for debate is what then will become of the property. Byron City Council member Jason Snow announced “I would rather see just a nice grass lot instead of gravel or blacktop at this site in the future.”
MPCA official Project Manager Nile Fellows stated that “because the contamination is fairly shallow, we are confident that the affected soil can be removed effectively.” Byron resident Marley Ayres, an Environmental Consultant expressed concerns about the situation. “When you see a superfund site in your neighborhood - the people living there should be concerned,” Ayres said. “The MPCA study did not incorporate any mention of enhanced reductive dechlorination or ERD. This should be looked at before the removal of the contaminated soil, I think we need to look more at what to do with the ground before we get too far with this. The point is that the proposed MPCA action and the one that they have picked will only temporarily take care of the problem. If they dig it out and put clean fill in there, what happens if it becomes contaminated again? I feel that basically the MPCA tested the indoor air quality. What they didn’t do was to drill a hole under the concrete slab to see what may be underneath this particular building,” Ayres added.
Byron Frontage Road and roundabout options debated
Mon, Mar 4th, 2013
Posted in Byron Government
Posted in Byron Government
Comments
Byron Mayor thankful of Fire Department’s quick response to Valley View fire
Mon, Feb 18th, 2013
Posted in Byron Government
Posted in Byron Government
The Byron Fire Department will have a new tanker truck added to their inventory. The Freightliner M2, model 106 is due to arrive soon. The new rig will feature a 2,000-gallon water tank prepared to douse the flames of a variety of fires quickly. The
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Byron Council approves annexation
Mon, Dec 3rd, 2012
Posted in Byron Government
Posted in Byron Government
The Byron city council has approved the renewal of tobacco licenses for three vendors in town. Kwik Trip, Byron Food Center (Byron Market Place) and Byron Liquor Center had requested the required permits. The businesses receiving the paperwork have
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10th Avenue plan in place for Byron
Mon, Oct 29th, 2012
Posted in Byron Government
Posted in Byron Government
Mayor Ann Diercks announced that plans for an interchange at 10th Avenue are now in place. “We had the opportunity to speak with Mark Schoenfelder who is the MN DOT’s District Planner. It was an awesome opportunity to talk about the 10th Avenue
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New indoor-outdoor pool for Byron?
Mon, Oct 15th, 2012
Posted in Byron Government
Posted in Byron Government
Dan Pries was recognized by the Byron city council for his 33 years of duty with the local Fire Department. Mayor Ann Diercks personally thanked Dan at the council meeting “on behalf of our city, and also the townships we would like to say thank y
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Locals voice opinions at Byron City Council meeting
Mon, Oct 1st, 2012
Posted in Byron Government
Posted in Byron Government
Byron residents filled the local city hall building, taking advantage of the public hearing to react to recent property assessment charges. With phase one of the areas Highway 14 project complete, the big question still looms: will the access to the
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Byron on track for Zip Rail plans
Mon, Aug 27th, 2012
Posted in Byron Government
Posted in Byron Government
During the Byron City Council meeting, Lynn Boynton of Insurance Brokers in Byron announced considerable savings to the cities insurance budget with the council’s passing of the proposed policy changes. Along with the lower rates, policies for the
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Plans to close access road in Byron?
Mon, Aug 13th, 2012
Posted in Byron Government
Posted in Byron Government
Plans for reconstruction of the frontage road continue as Byrons city council moves forward. City Engineer Bill Angermann informed the council, “The interchange will be located at 10th Avenue. In our discussions with the DOT we’re looking at rig
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