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25 years ago

From the July 2, 1987

edition of the

Dakota County Tribune

Albee exits board with knowledge, regrets

“A better education than I could have ever received from any college,” is how Beverly Albee sums up her nine years as a District 196 school board member and three-time chairperson.

Albee’s last school board meeting was June 16, and although she is already looking to the future she reflects back on her District 196 career with a great sense of accomplishment for what she has helped to achieve and for the knowledge she has gained. . . .

Albee says she has come to really know the importance of education in the community. Also, she has learned that to get something done within a group such as the District 196 School Board, you have to learn to listen to each other, and just as importantly, you have to respect each other’s feelings and decisions. . . .

Will Albee run again? She says not against anyone presently on the board, but she did admit that if a vacancy did arise she would. In the mean time, Albee says she will return to the work place and devote more of her time to her family and home in Eagan. However, she will remain active in District 196 as she holds a three-year term on the planning committee for long-range planning. . . .

Low bids give ‘high’ to board members

District 196 School Board members were “elated” June 16 as they approved bids for a new elementary school in Eagan and the renovation of Rosemount Middle School.

Bids for the two projects included in the $47.5 million bond issue approved last March, came in significantly lower than estimates. . . .

The renovation of Rosemount Middle School was awarded to Meisinger Construction, South St. Paul. It was the lowest of eight bidders with $1,306,000. The bond issue estimate for the project was $1,800,000.

The renovation will include installation of new heating and ventilation systems, as well as remodeling of the school’s bathrooms, home economics, physical education and industrial technology areas.

The board also approved an alternate to the bid, which will allow painting and recarpeting the entire school for “a thorough facelift.” The alternate cost an additional $162,000. . . .

The project will be done in two phases, with completion scheduled in the summer of 1988.

The only low point of the evening’s meeting was discussion of the District 196 stadium project. Because the bids received were over budget, the board decided to not proceed with the renovation at this time, but rebid it next spring. . . .

50 years ago

From the June 28, 1962 edition of the

Dakota County Tribune

Rosemount gets million dollar paper bag plant

A.H. Snipes, vice president of Greif Bros. Cooperate Corp., announced today that ground has been broken for a new 82,000 square foot multiwall paper bag plant in Rosemount.

This, with a barrel plant in St. Paul and fibre drum plant in Minneapolis, makes three plants in the Twin Cities area, all operated by the Norco Division, St. Paul. This also is the first Greif Bros. paper bag plant. . . .

The new Rosemount plant which will cost about $1,000,000 dollars will be modern in every respect. It has been designed for streamlined production and the newest, most efficient bag making machinery has been ordered. Employing up to 100 people it will service industries throughout the middle and southwestern states. Construction is already underway and it is expected that production will start before the first of the year.

Glass making to be seen Thurs., June 28

One of the most modern glass container plants in the world will be unveiled Thursday, June 28 when Brockway Glass Co., will host a public open house and tour at the new multi-million dollar Rosemount plant.

Although the plant’s highly automated facilities started production a year ago, the June 28 date marks the first time the doors of the plant will be thrown open for public viewing. On the preceeding day, an open house and tour will be held for Brockway customers and newsmen. This will follow a board of directors meeting and a special dinner for Rosemount area civic and business leaders on Tuesday, June 26. . . .

Highlights of the Rosemount installation are a highly automated batch plant where the major dry ingredients of glass are mixed in preparation for melting; two furnaces which use a unique firing system to produce amber and flint ware; and probably the shortest and most instrumented lehrs in the industry. At the lehrs, bottles pass through an annealing process on a slow moving belt where they are heated nearly to the point of fusion and then gradually cooled to remove stresses and strains. . . .

Train with 250 persons, scatters tractor 3/4 mile

A 70-mile-per-hour Rock Island Rocket passenger train carrying 250 passengers smashed a stalled farm tractor to bits and scattered it for three-quarters of a mile Tuesday afternoon at Rosemount, but miraculously no person was injured.

Despite damaged ties, the behind-schedule train managed to stay on the rails, and a major disaster was averted.

Only casualty was “Smoky,” a purebred black labrador farm dog, which was mangled with the wreckage.

The accident happened about five miles northwest of Rosemount in the half-mile driveway of the George Gill farm. The long driveway leads westward from County State Aid Road 5, and is crossed by the Rock Island railroad.

The tractor, a hand-crank John Deer “B,” was owned by Orville Eider, nearby resident. Driving a westward up a hill approaching the railroad was 11-year-old Carley Gill, son of Mr. and Mrs. George Gill. He was accompanied by the Gill hired man, Nick Poot, 37, also William Frishkorn, 17, of San Diego, Calif., a nephew of Mrs. George Gill.

Then it happened – the tractor, borrowed for hauling hay, “died” right on the crossing. The men placed rocks behind the tractor wheels to keep it and the wagon laden with 65 hay bales, from rolling backwards down the steep hill out of control. . . .

Meanwhile the two others tried frantically to get the motor started. Finally they tried to loosen the rocks behind the wheels, but the tractor was wedged tightly against them. . . .

The tractor virtually exploded on contact. The wagon was not harmed, but was clipped free from the ill-fated tractor. . . .

75 years ago

From the July 2, 1937

edition of the

Dakota County Tribune

Rosemount’s band to give concerts

The Rosemount school band of 40 pieces under the leadership of Director L.L. Wittbecker of St. Paul will give weekly concerts every Saturday evening at 8:30 during the summer months.

A new band stand is being built on the lot between the Geraghty store and the Hagemeister Meat Market, the band presents a very nice appearance in the newly purchased uniforms.

The building of the band stand as well as the concerts are being sponsored by the business men of Rosemount thru the Commercial Club.

Rosemount News

Mrs. Herman Strese, son Earl, and daughter, Lillian, Helen, Evelyn and Rose Marie Strese, attended the graduating exercises at the South St. Paul auditorium Wednesday afternoon. Earl was one of the graduates.

Mrs. George Johnson, who had her appendix removed Monday at Community Hospital, is reported recovering nicely under the care of Dr. M.A. Flores and her special nurse, Miss Freda Teachout.

A miscellaneous shower was given in honor of Mrs. Herman Rippberger Sunday, June 20 at the Will Rippberger home. The bride received many useful gifts, and all had a good time. Mr. and Mrs. Rippberger are living in Minneapolis. Herman is employed there at the Ford plant. Those from away that attended were: Mr. and Mrs. H. Thielges and daughters, Mr. and Mrs. P. Thielges, all of Wayzata, the bride’s former home.

H. J. Mongan, J.E. Mullery, S.C. Wallace, T.L. Corcoran and M.J. Corcoran, township officers of Rosemount, met with the Dakota County unit of the National Association of Town Officers at Hastings Wednesday afternoon.

B. Beckett and Carl Ewing, promoter and operator, report that two new wells will be started on the Delaney Land Co., farm this week. These wells will be known as No. 2 and 3. The well on the Hogan farm is known as Hogan No. 1.

100 years ago

From the June 28, 1912 edition of the

Dakota County Tribune

To grade six miles

Rosemount is thoroughly awake to the interest in having good roads, judging from the effort being made on the roads, leading to that place. For the past two weeks they have been out with a force of from ten to twenty-five men, and teams and if they don’t have good roads from now on it won’t be the fault of no money, energy or experience, for they have $600.00 in cash, all kinds of brawn and muscle and State Highway Commissioner Chas. Forbes has been with them showing them how to do it. Everybody about Rosemount works the roads. . . .

The proposition now is to build ideal roads on the four roads running out of Rosemount for a distance of a mile and a half this year and each year hereafter extend the work from one to three miles.

Rosemount is thoroughly awake to the good roads movement and they are to be congratulated for the manner in which they have gone at it and are doing it.

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