CITY OF SPRINGFIELD, MN

ANNUAL STAFF REPORT

2014 PRESENTED TO:

Mayor: Mark Brown

Council: Dr. Theresa Beckman

Mike Rothmeier

Lowell Helget

Chet Bisel

Submitted by City Manager Matt Skaret and City Staff

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. General Overview…………………………………………………………………….2

II. Economic Development/EDA Happenings………………………………………….3

III. Major Capital Projects……………………………………………………………….3

IV. 2015 Preview…………………………………………………………………………..4

V. Street/Parks Department…………………………………………..............................5

VI. Airport…………………………………………............................................................5

VII. Library……………………………………………………………………………......6

VIII. General Government/City Hall…………………………………………………......12

IX. Zoning………………………………………………………………………………...15

X. Police Department…………………………………………………………………...16

XI. Fire Department……………………………………………………………………..26

XII. Ambulance…………………………………………………………………………...38

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GENERAL OVERVIEW

A. Personnel Changes

Overall, 2014 was a year of change and transition for the City of Springfield. In January, Gigi Bliss

started as the new Community Center Director. Bliss resigned in June and Jill Reiderer started her

duties as the new Community Center Director in July. During the interim City Clerk Amy Vogel filled

in at the Community Center.

City Manager Mac Tilberg resigned in March. Springsted Inc. was hired to coordinate the search for a

new City Manager. Matt Skaret began his duties as City Manager on August 29th

.

Street Department employee Greg Stage resigned in August. Russell Parker was hired in his place and

started in October.

In January Andy Mathwig was promoted from a PT to FT Police Officer. October Council authorized

the hire of five new PT Police Officers: Danielle Kerfeld, Kaylen Berle, Brandon Traxler, and Michael

Salazar. In November Council authorized the hire of a 4th

FT Police Officer.

B. Election 2014

In July, Phil Jensen announced that he would not be running for another term. On November 4th

, Dr.

Theresa Beckman was elected as Ward I Councilor. Mike Rothmeier was re-elected as Ward II

Councilor and Chet Bisel was elected as Ward II Councilor to complete the remainder of Ken Bishir’s

term.

C. Major Headlines In and Around Springfield

Long cold winter of 2013-2014

Record June rains

Mild and dry fall

Good crops, but low corn and soybean prices

November cold and December warmth

Murder of Amber Lechuga in September

Fatal car accidents near Sleepy Eye and Courtland claiming the lives of Springfield residents

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/EDA HAPPENINGS

Sale of the Microtel Inn and Suites

Opening of Schwartz Farms truck wash and dry facility

Council approval of Development Agreement with Tom and Kori Ryan for the Wild Ridge

Subdivision, resulting in 13 new buildable lots for single family homes.

Installation of water and sanitary sewer mains for the Wild Ridge Addition

A. New Businesses

Schwartz Farms

Treasured Times and Abbey’s Artists

LeBon Boutiques

Lisa Ann’s Healing Hands

Only House Downtown

B. Business Transactions

Sale of Microtel from Springfield Lodging to Mike and Neeta Chaudhari

Adam Beers, D.D.S. purchase of the Springfield Dental Clinic from Mayo

Borth Sanitation sold from Barney Borth and Mike Braun to Brent Kucera and Chad

Mathiowetz.

Springfield Floral sold from Barb Jones to Char Frank

MAJOR CAPITAL PROJECTS

Wildridge Addition infrastructure

Phase I of the Airport Crack Seal and Seal Coat project

Paving of alley behind Fritz’s and Opera parking lot

Updated Capital Improvement Plan

Began preparations for the Van Dusen and Gamble Street Infrastructure Projects

New Fire Truck

Completion of Sticker Field project

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2015 PREVIEW (not an all inclusive list)

Van Dusen and Gamble St. Infrastructure Project

Completion of Airport Crack Sealing and Seal Coating project

Airport Master Plan?

Library roof re-shingling project

Planning for use of Roiger endowment funds

EDA- beginning to re-shingle east side apartments

EDA Job Fair

New City Hall Server

New Police Vehicle (already approved)

Fire Department bunker gear

The unknown?

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Street/Parks Department Annual Report: 2014

2014 started off very cold and snowy. For the first time the water froze up in the public

works shop, fire hall, and many home around town.

Snow amounts for 2014 were as follows: Jan- 14”, Feb- 8”, March 10”, and April 9”.

In June record rains fell and water was coming into Riverside Park, but it did not flood.

Staff worked on Sticker Field hauling black dirt and landscaping along the new sidewalks

along with the seeding of new grass. The gravel was also leveled for the parking lot.

Caldwell Asphalt got the bid for seal coating street and did $25,913 sq. yards, for a price of

$1.44 per sq. yard, totaling $37,314.72

Ground Zero from Courtland came in at patched street, put in new manholes, and paved the

alley by the old elevator.

Staff continued putting up new reflective signs including stop signs, street signs, and other

traffic signs.

Greg Stage resigned in August after 12 years of service.

Russ Parker was hired and started in October.

In December the Street Department got its first new wire welder

Airport Annual Report: 2014

In September 47 planes stopped at the Springfield Municipal Airport as part of the 11th

Annual flying Cloud Air Tour Flying Cloud Air Tour.

In October the first phase of the pavement maintenance project began with patchwork on the

runway and service road.

The cardtrol fuel pump had its first full year of operation. A total of 1484.87 gallons were

sold in 2014, up from 247.46 in 2013 and 588.10 in 2012.

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Springfield Public Library

Mission Statement:

The mission of the Springfield Public Library is to be an educational, informational,

and recreational resource for the citizens of the Springfield area through the use of

traditional and adopting new technologies.

Library Board Members: President-Rod Larson; Vice-President-Dotty deLambert; Secretary-Brodie Scheitel; Treasurer-

Justin Asmus; CD Manager-Dan Meyer; Jeanette Pidde, Teresa Lang, Mary Glaeseman, and Judy Isaksen. City Council

Representative-Phil Jensen

Library Visits in 2014: 37,070

Visitors from other states came from Wisconsin, Texas, Arizona, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, and

California.

We have 29,799 items in our collection, excluding downloadable books/magazines which are owned/shared

throughout the region. Breakdown of collection:

Circulation in 2014 Books/books on CD/audiocassettes: 22,349

Overdrive (Downloadable books): 1,130

Zinio (Downloadable magazines): 103

VHS’s and DVD’s: 4,232

Music: 168

Magazines: 299

Large Print Books: 2,992

Internet: 1,732

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Number of items checked out each month, excluding Overdrive/Zinio: January-2,244;

February-2,075; March-2,166; April-2,343; May-2,348; June-2,891; July-2,756; August-2,207;

September-2,135; October-2,226; November-1701; December-1,828

Throughout this year Sara Haugo volunteered here. She especially helped us during the summer reading program,

vacations, and snow storms. Thank you Sara!

Storytime: Held each Tuesday at 10:30 am when school is in session. Average number of children each week is

7. Stories are read and a simple craft created.

January: Events held in the Altermatt Room included: Lego League, Charter Commission, Quilt Club, English

Lutheran Church

February: The Altermatt Room carpet was cleaned by Captain Clean. Semi-annual book sale was held from

February 24 to March 8. Meetings held this month included the English Lutheran Church, Quilt Club, Red Hat

Ladies, and 1 private meeting.

March: Our semi-annual book sale ended. Many books found new homes. The tutoring program ended for the

school year. Other activities held here: Quilt Club, Circa Studi, and the Lion’s Club

April: Little Tiger preschool and the 2nd

graders from the public school visited the library for tours. Each Little

Tiger child was allowed to check out books to themselves. Checking out their own book is always a highlight as

well as showing them how our “drop box” works. Other activities held here: English Lutheran Church, Lion’s

Club, Quilt Club, Brown County Assessor, Brown County Daycare, and 2 private meetings.

May: Summer reading program, “Paws to Read”, started on Tuesday, May 27. 152 children signed up to

participate in the program-12 of those are in Junior Book Club. Other activities held here: English Lutheran

Church, Quilt club, and 2 private meetings

June: The summer reading program brought crafts and entertainment. Programs included a storytime/stuffed

animal sleepover. After stories the children were invited to tuck their stuffed animal in for the night. Pictures

were taken to show what happens at the library after everyone goes home. We had a coloring contest that began

on June 3. The Zinghoppers performed with 66 people attending. This program was a disappointment to us. It

was advertised as a band, but on performance day 1 person showed up with a screen. During June we also did

some crafts. We made a toilet paper shark with big teeth and a bubble paw print magnet. Other activities held in

the Altermatt Room were English Lutheran Church, Quilt Club, Brown County Library Board, Southpoint Federal

Credit Union, Snowmobile Club, and 1 private party.

July: On July 1st, the Minnesota Zoomobile came. This program was spectacular with 125 people coming to it.

They showed us a variety of animals. Craft Day held during the month was making Zoo animal stick puppets.

The Puppy Love Therapy dogs were also scheduled to come but they cancelled due to the death of 2 dogs. The

Junior Book Club had a finale party with lots of fun had by those that attended. There were water balloons and

more water balloons. The children played a variety of games using those water balloons. They even had a water

balloon fight with Jerrine! Our summer reading program ended on Tuesday, July 22. 81 children completed the

program. Activities held in the Altermatt Room were English Lutheran Church and Quilt Club.

August: Our Battle of the Books team- Sara, Mara, Angie, and Daniel- competed in St. Peter. This year they fell

short of advancing to round 2. All 4 said they had a great time. Meetings in August included the English

Lutheran Church, F&M Bank, Quilt Club, Southwest Private Industries, and 1 private meeting.

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September: St. Raphael school children began coming to the library every other week during the school day. It is

so nice to see their smiling faces and to see how much they enjoy coming here. Groups meeting in the Altermatt

Room included Quilt club, Circa Studi, First Lego League, Manpower, and 1 private meeting.

October: Thursday, October 9 brought meteorologist Mike Lynch to our community. He hosted a program

entitled “Minnesota Skywatch Party”. It was sponsored with a grant from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund

and Traverse des Sioux Library Consortium. Mike started the program outside to show us a space station. He

brought his telescopes and his passion. After a short educational program inside, we went outside to gaze at the

stars. A fantastic program attended by 73 people. The Juried Art Show started Wednesday, October 29 and ran

through Wednesday, November 26. The open house reception was well attended with board member, Mary

Glaeseman, being our master of ceremonies. Meetings held in the Altermatt Room include the First Lego League,

Quilt Club, Medica, and 1 private meeting.

November: The annual Juried Art Show ended November 26. It was well attended. St. John’s Nursing Home

brought a bus of residents to the library to enjoy the art show. Ms. Adrian, Art teacher, brought her art classes

from the high school to view the show also. Touring the library this month were the 4th graders from the public

school. At our November Library Board meeting we said “Goodbye” and “Thank You!” to 3 long term library

board members: Justin Asmus, Rod Larson, and Brodie Scheitel. We will miss them. The First Lego League and

the Quilt Club were the only ones to meet in the Altermatt Room.

December: During this month we worked hard to inventory our entire collection. We will be moving to new

software in February. Instead of “Sirsi” it will now be “Sierra”. Our other semi-annual book sale was held from

December 15 to the 27. Meeting held in Altermatt Room: F&M Bank

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SPRINGFIELD AREA COMMUNITY CENTER 2014

Mission Statement

Our mission is to provide a gathering place for cultural, educational and social events for the Springfield

Area – an attractive, functional facility to promote community development and growth.

Board members for 2014: Chair Roger Prechel, Vice Chair Kurt Glaseman, Secretary Edna Petersen,

Jeff Krueger, Amy Baier, Clayton Kretsch, Paul Muske, Marian Thorston, Darlene Fretham, Doris

Weber and City Council Rep: Mark Brown. City Manager Matt Skaret and Community Center Director

Jill Riederer also attend meetings as non-voting members.

(Monthly meetings are held the 3rd

Tuesday at 4pm.)

Event highlights for each month follow:

January – Mary Schmitz retired and Gigi Pingeon is named new director – Closed New Year’s Day and

Martin Luther King Day – Harvestland & Schwartz Farms had their company parties – 1 Wedding

Reception – Several business meetings. Total income = $1,940.00.

February - Chamber Annual Meeting – Cottonwood Gobblers – 1st Annual Wine & Chocolate Event –

Variety of business meetings – Closed President’s Day – EMT Trainings. Total Income = $1,735.00

March – St. Raphael School Cadillac Dinner – Life Line Screening – Hamline University – Various

banquets, dinners & meetings – Wilkinson/Graff Wedding Reception. Total income = $3,292.50.

April – EMT Training (no charge) from Feb-May 2014 – League of MN Cities – Davis/Erickson

Wedding Reception – small meetings – funeral – Home Show. Total Income = $2,569.00.

May – Thordson/Saenz Wedding Reception – Southpoint Anniversary – Rotary Auction – 12

Graduation Parties – Health Fair – Schwartz Farms – Hoffmann/Groebner Wedding Reception – 1st full

month campground opened. Total Income = $6,566.50.

June – 2 Funeral luncheons – Schwarzrock/Van Batavia Wedding Reception – NU Telecom Customer

Appreciation – Altermatt/Amsden Wedding Reception – Roiger/Pietig Wedding Reception –

Youngerberg Wedding Anniversary – Bloodmobile. Total Income = $6,270.00.

July – Jill came on as new director – Montemayor Quincenera (damage done and payment was

collected) – Schubbe/Turbes Wedding Reception – Lerohl/Berg Wedding Reception – 3 Family

Reunions – Funeral. Total Income = $4,940.00.

August – Kaseforth/Nachreiner Wedding Reception – Party on the Patio (Springfield Hist. Society) –

Bridal Shower/Grooms Dinner – Schwartz Farms. Total Income = $1,847.50.

September – Ducks Unlimited – Lund/Hacker Wedding Reception – Platz/Krueger Wedding Reception

– 2 Bank meetings – Wingert Realty – 50th

Wedding Anniversary. Total Income = $4,328.00.

October – Kuehn/Benedict Wedding Reception – Lechuga Wedding Reception – Sellner/Bloedow

Wedding Reception – Harvest Fun Night – Arts & Crafts Show – F&M Bank Bingo. Total Income =

$3,870.00.

November – 4 Family Gatherings – Holiday Extravaganza – Mayo Holiday Preview – Cindy Daker

Holiday Preview – SHS Banquets – Redwood Cattleman Ann. Dinner – AMPI Mtg. Total Income =

$2,848.00.

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December – SJLH & MCHS Holiday Parties – Lemke/Sellner Wedding – Family Christmas’ –

Middleton 90th

Birthday – Company meetings – Blood Drive – Closed Christmas Day. Total Income =

$3,063.00.

Total Revenue realized for 2013: $43,594.75 – Community Service Organizations that were not charged

amounted to $21,187.50 and approximately 19,652 people transiting the building in 2014.

Groups that meet at the Community Center on a monthly basis include: Chamber of Commerce, Seniors,

Bridge Club, EDA, Br Co Family Services, WIC, and Parkinson’s, Other meetings during the year are

Pro Kinship, Spfld Lodging, City Council, SANTA, CVB, WIC, Theatre Board, Bible Study(TJ Brown),

Awana Club, 4H.

We are fortunate to have the Springfield Golf Club contracted for the bar. Rachel Evers handles the

scheduling of the staff for the bar for events. It has been a good partnership with the Community

Center. This year we hosted 33 events requiring the bar. Bar rent is $2400.

Three custodians keep the center looking new. Kenny Lang, our head custodian, is always available to

help when called in. He schedules the cleaning and set up of events. He is also mainly responsible for

snow removal from the walk-ways and exit doors. In the summer, he keeps the grass cut weekly or as

needed. He is all around handy-man. Jerry Peters has worked here for many years and is part-time. He

is an asset in all areas. Bob Vanderwerf is also part time and works when needed. After all is cleaned,

he is the main buffer of the floors to keep them looking shiny. Hats off to our great crew!

Floors are stripped, waxed, and sealed each year as needed by Jason Thoms. There was a discrepancy as

to what was to be charged. We will look at different company for 2015.

Campground revenue equaled $35,000 this year – down a bit from last year. We did close one weekend

in June due to the river being close to flooding the campground. We did reschedule or give refunds.

Most people opted for the reschedule. All in all we had many good compliments on the campground.

Those who are passing thru were surprised at how very nice it is and in such a small town. WIFI has

been a big plus for renters of the campground. However we were having several problems with the

router in the south end of the campground. NU Telecom says we will need to upgrade for summer 2015.

Kaitlyn Fiedler was our seasonal campground employee.

Shelter rent realized $1380. – Down from 2013.

Franchise fees are collected from NU Telecom and Mediacom and are paid quarterly. Total for 2014

amounted to approximately $30,777.44. – up from $29,412.71 from 2013.

A new event that we tried this year is a chocolate & wine tasting on Saturday Feb. 8th

at 6:30pm – 9pm.

Price was $15/person and $25/couple. Very good turnout. About 160 people. Clay Kretsch lined up

vendors to do beer and wine tastings and Tommy’s and Marie’s Catering had desserts and hors d’veours

for people to eat while sampling. Percy Lingen had cupcakes here and we had two people here who

make chocolates. Will be done again in 2015.

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Our Home, Yard, and Garden is now the Home and Leisure Show. It was held April 4 and 5 and was

well received. Home vendors were again invited and this has proven to be very worthwhile for all. This

is an event to help our retailers in town show their wares.

Our other in house event yearly is the Harvest Fun Nite held around Halloween. A coloring contest, this

year sponsored by Southpoint Federal Credit Union was offered to children pre through 6th

grade. The

Honor Society held a haunted house for the children to explore different things with their hands and

lunch was served by the facilities board.

Chamber of Commerce office rent is $2400. The chamber and center directors answer each others

phones when one is gone. Working very well!

We had multiple problems with the AC units in the summer. Feder Mechanical was called numerous

times and said the problem was fixed. However, the problem still remains. They are currently

reviewing our blueprints to see what they can do to fix the problem. This will be a main issue to fix in

2015.

Channel 8 carries a multitude of information for the City of Springfield and surrounding area. This roll-

up is updated each morning as needed. Also on this channel are church services that are broadcast

throughout the week. There are 5 local churches and 3 in the area that bring in their service on a DVD.

These are programmed to play accordingly. All is done through the Community Center office.

The marquee is also programmed at the centers office. Events are displayed as to date and time of day.

All paying events are displayed. This sign also gives the date-time-temp and has a nice welcoming

message.

The street crew helps in many ways – setting up and taking down the fountain – cleaning gutters,

spraying weeds, and mowing the large parts of the lawn. We are very grateful!

The center director types and transfers balances for the PUC meter pages.

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2014 GENERAL GOVERNMENT/CITY HALL REPORT

Our main responsibilities, outside of City and PUC work, include acting as a Registrar for Motor

Vehicle, DNR and Birth/Death Records. Our motor vehicle and DNR revenues decreased a bit from

$47,277 in 2013 to $46,665.50. More individuals are choosing to use the on-line payment system rather

than coming into the office.

MN Dept of Vehicle Services has been working on their new software, MNLARS, since about 2008.

They rolled out the permitting portion of it in 2014. It is going okay. The State has terminated its

contract with the vendor and is working on it themselves. This has put a hold on the future roll-outs for

dealer, driver license and motor vehicle.

Birth and death revenues increased to $3,410 from $2,927 in 2013. We keep trying to educate the

community that this service is available here.

Licenses and permits were issued for on and/or off sale liquor licenses, club on sale licenses, 3.2 beer

on/off sale licenses, plumbing licenses, sanitation license, tobacco license, gambling permit, dog

licenses, special operations permits and zoning permits. Data on these licenses include:

5 On Sale Liquor Licenses @ $1,500 each

3 Off Sale Licenses @ $100 each

3 3.2 On Sale Licenses @ $50 each

2 Sunday Liquor Licenses @ $200 each

6 Cigarette (Tobacco) Licenses @ $25 each

1 Sanitation License @ $3 each

29 Dog and Cat Licenses @ $10 each

38 Residential Zoning Permits Issued With Total Value $545,901 - $1,180.00 fees

8 Commercial Zoning Permits Issued With Total Value $12,827.00 - $140.00 fees

0 Industrial Zoning Permits Issued with Total Value of $0.00 - $0.00 fees

9 Golf Cart Permits @ $20 each

1 Variance Hearing Held on Zoning Permits @ $100 each

1 Conditional Use Permit Hearings @ $100 each

30 Property Stake Locates @ $25 each

9 Property Stake Locates @ no charge – view only

9 Property Stake Locates – Survey was required

Public Utilities billing and collections are done through City Hall. The PUC reimbursed the city for

expenses incurred with the billing in the amount of $79,090.80 in 2014. The Conservation Improvement

Program (CIP) began Jan. 1, 2010. The CIP increased the amount of paperwork done in city hall.

Donna is the local “expert” on this. Rate studies for all three funds – electric, water and sewer – were

completed in 2012 by Missouri River Energy Services. On January 1, 2015, there will be a rate increase

in the water fund.

Miscellaneous billing for lawn mowing, snow removal, sanding, fire calls and airport charges are also

done through our office.

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Other items that are taken care of in City Hall are the EDA loan accounting and collecting rent from

Parkview Place residents. We are a source of information for all sorts of things and complete other odd

tasks. If people don’t know where to call, they will usually call city hall.

We hired a new city manager, Matt Skaret, who started Aug. 29, 2014. We hired Dave Unmacht with

Springsted to assist with the search for a new manager. Our office has been fully staffed since!

Donna continues to work with the PUC billings and collections, some of the ambulance billings, most of

the Birth/Death transactions, zoning regulations/permits and serves as the City rep on the Chamber of

Commerce. She handed over the reins for the Chamber rep to Jill Riederer at the Community Center as

of Jan. 1, 2015. She is also our local guru for alcohol and gambling. Linda continues to work with the

accounts payable and payroll programs. She is the city hall rep on the safety committee.

Elections were held in November. Theresa Beckman, Chett Bisel and Mike Rothmeier were elected.

Bisel will finish out the remaining 2 years of the term he was appointed to in 2013. Beckman and

Rothmeier both were elected to 4-year terms.

Kemske in New Ulm serves as our “IT” go-to. We also have a contract with Incode for $1,500 per year

for a disaster recovery system for our city software. Should our server go down, they guarantee that our

software will be available on the internet so that we may continue business as usual.

Revenues of $135,609.77 come from motor vehicle, DNR, birth/death, PUC contributions, vending

machine, notaries and a bit of miscellaneous charges. Expenses totaled $273,163.70. Of this amount,

about $222,693.55 is for employee wages/benefits.

The General fund received lodging tax income of $615.13 for the General Fund. The Convention and

Visitors Bureau (CVB) benefited with $11,690.62, which is 95% of the collections, in 2014. This was

up from 2013 by $428.37.

The city did receive a final payment on the March 2011 flood of $2,025.07.

Pool revenues for the year were $29,863.86 and expenses were $74,651.25. Total cost to the General

Fund was $44,787.39.

The Parkview Place rents totaled $215,630 in 2014. There were 5 monthly vacancies during the year.

There consistently remains a waiting list for these rental units. There was an interest reset on the third

phase of the rental units with the interest rate remaining the same at 4.5%. The next reset is scheduled

for May 1, 2017 on Phase 4 and August 1, 2017 on Phase 1.

Principal payments of $522,196.54 were made during the year. The 2006 GO Bonds were refinanced

with the 2013A Bonds of $1,125,000. The call date on the 2006 Bonds is Dec. 1, 2015 so the

outstanding debt will go down in 2015 – unless there is a street project. The bonds are held in escrow

with interest being paid from escrow. Our outstanding bonded indebtedness totaled $6,247,740.76 at the

end of 2014.

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Some big projects that were completed during the year include:

The Bittler building and Quonset were purchased in June 2014 for $47,537.53 and a new roof

was put on the office building in the fall for $12,716.

Sold the 1948 LaFrance for $2,750, the 1976 Chev pumper for $1,800, and the 1991 Ford

Ambulance (rescue van) for $525

Purchased a 2015 Pierce Pumper for $405,796.75

The fuel system was completed at the airport at a total cost of $96,581.52

Purchased a new Grasshopper mower for the airport $15,845 with trade in of the old 2001 720K

mower for $3,500. State funds of $7,860 were received towards the purchase.

Purchased a new air compressor for the street dept totaling $2,661.56

Purchased a new baseball scoreboard for $47,199. This was paid for with donations solicited by

the Baseball Association. The Rec Complex contributed $10,000 as well.

Purchased a JD 625I Gator for $10,800 and traded in the EZ Go MPT utility vehicle for $3,300.

The net cost was split between the Baseball Assn, Softball Assn and the Rec Complex.

Microtel was sold in June 2014. Springfield Lodging LLC has been dissolved.

The PUC purchased a 2013 Ford basket truck for $140,006.66.

Construction in progress includes:

The dugouts are being replaced in the baseball field. Donations remaining from the scoreboard

purchase are being applied to this replacement. 2014 costs are $7,509.75.

A pavement rehab project has begun at the airport. It will be finished this spring. 2014 costs

are $56,522.35.

Wild Ridge Addition infrastructure was started in the fall with completion scheduled for June 1,

2015. 2014 costs are $214,741.44.

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ZONING PERMITS FOR 2014

TYPE # OF PERMITS PRICE OF PERMIT PROJECT

COST

Commercial 8 $140.00 $12,827

Residential 38 $1180.00 $545,901

Industrial 0 $0.00 $0.00

Variance/CUP 2 $200.00

Stake Locates 30 $25ea = $750.00

There were 9 additional locates @ no charge due to viewing only.

There were 9 properties that require surveys.

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Springfield Police Department

Yearly Report – 2014

MISSION STATEMENT

The Springfield Police Department is committed to providing professional, fair, and compassionate police

services that are sensitive to the needs of the community to ensure the public’s safety.

PRINCIPLES

We protect the lives and property of our citizens while maintaining respect for individual

constitutional rights.

We respect the dignity of all persons and conduct public contacts with courtesy and compassion.

We recognize our interdependent relationship with our community and remain sensitive to its needs

and priorities.

We emphasize crime prevention and public safety through education and community awareness

programs.

We utilize training, technology, and innovation to achieve excellence in community oriented policing.

We provide leadership to the police profession and support our fellow officers by recognizing their

individual worth.

Our success is measured by the confidence, support, and sense of security and well-being of the

community.

Department Summary

The Springfield Police department provides 24-hour coverage and responds to all criminal complaints,

medical emergencies, and other calls of services within the Springfield City Limits.

Your Springfield Police Department is located at 16 North Marshall Avenue and is open throughout the

day when the officer on duty is in the office. When there is no officer in the police department, the

public is encouraged to call the police department’s phone number (507-723-3514) to get ahold of the

officer that is on duty, which the officer can then meet them at the police department.

The Springfield Police Department operated with 4 full-time police officers for the 2014 year, which

consisted of the Chief of Police and 3 officers. The police department also maintains a number of part-

time officers to assist in maintaining 24 hour coverage 7 days a week. Part time officers also helped

filling in shifts for full-time officers due to vacation time, sick leave, court, training, and special events.

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The Springfield Police Officers

Chief of Police

John Nicholson – 26 years of service

Police Officers

Joseph Micka - 10 years of service

Justin Robertson – 8 years of service

Christopher Schafer – 4 years of service (Resigned January 21st 2014)

Andy Mathwig - 3 years of service (Hired full time February 10th

2014)

Part-Time Police Officer

Eric Schwarzrock – 11 years of service

Emily Mathiowetz – 3 years of service

Zach Bisel – 1 year of service

Mike Salazar

Erik Gratz

Brandon Traxler

Dannie Kerfeldt

Kaylen Berle

Support Staff

Animal Control Officer

Sue Ladd – 14 years of service

Transcriptions

Darla Bisel

Abby Larson

Chief John Nicholson #701

John began working for the Springfield Police Department in 1989. From 1996-2002 he was the Police

Sergeant. John was then promoted to Chief on December 7th, 2002. He serves as the training officer in numerous

areas. He’s on the Brown County TRIAD board, serves on the Brown County Victims Service Board, and is also

part of the Salvation Army Board. John is also a member of the Springfield Ambulance Service and is a Reserve

for the Brown County Sheriff's Office.

Officer Joseph Micka #703

Joe started working for the Springfield Police Department as a part-time officer in May of 2005. He was then

hired as a full-time officer in December 2005. Joe is the Taser Instructor for the police department. Joe also works

for the MN State Fair Police Department part-time during the state fair time as a police officer. Prior from starting

his career with the Springfield Police Department he worked as a volunteer reserve officer in his home city of

Buffalo, MN. He has also worked for the Mt. Lake Police Department as a part-time police officer from 2005 to

2008.

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Officer Justin Robertson #704

Justin began working as a full-time officer for the Springfield Police Department in January 2007. Justin is the

Defensive Tactics Instructor for the police department. Prior from starting his career with the Springfield Police

Department he worked in the security field and also served in the National Guard. Justin is also a native to

Springfield, growing up in the area and graduating Springfield High School.

Officer Andy Mathwig #705 Andy started working for the Springfield Police Department as a part-time officer in March 2012. In February

2014 he was then hired full-time with the Springfield Police Department. Andy is the Firearm Instructor for our

department. Prior from his employment with our department he had worked for the City of Sleepy Eye as a full-

time police officer and as a part-time police officer for the City of Arlington, and also as a security officer for the

New Ulm Medical Center.

PT Officer Schwarzrock #711

Eric has worked for our police department since 2004. He was hired as a full-time officer in 2004, and in 2005 he

resigned from his full-time position to further his career. However he has been dedicated to serve the community

of his hometown and has continued to work for our department as a part-time officer. His current full-time job is

the Deputy Investigator for the Brown County Sheriff’s Office. He has also worked as a police officer for the City

of Redwood Falls and the City of Lamberton.

PT Officer Emily Mathiowetz #709

Emily began working for the Springfield Police Department as a part-time officer in March 2012. Emily is a

native to the Comfrey area and her current full-time job is a police officer for the City of Mt. Lake.

New Hired Officers During 2014

PT Officer Zach Bisel #706

Zach started working for the Springfield Police Department in March 2014 as a part time police officer. Zach is a

native of Springfield graduating from Springfield High School, and is currently continuing his education for a 4-

year degree in Law Enforcement.

PT Officer Mike Salazar #707

Mike started part time for the Springfield Police Department in November 2014. He graduated from Springfield

High School and was a student that completed the Work Based Learning Program that our Police Department

hosted. Mike is also currently working for the Brown County Evaluation Center (Detox).

PT Officer Erik Gratz #708

Erik started part time for the Springfield Police Department in November 2014. Erik has also worked for the

Watonwan County Sheriff’s Office as a Jailer and Dispatcher

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PT Officer Brandon Traxler #712

Brandon started part time for the Springfield Police Department in November 2014.

PT Officer Dannie Kerfeldt #713

Dannie started part time for the Springfield Police Department in November 2014. She also currently works as a

security officer for Bethany Lutheran College.

PT Officer Kaylen Berle #714

Kaylen started part time for the Springfield Police Department in November 2014. She also currently works at the

Brown County Evaluation Center (Detox)

Thanks for Years of Services (Resignation)

Officer Christopher Schafer #705

In January, Officer Christopher Schafer resigned from the Springfield Police Department after 4 years of service.

Chris accepted a position with the Brown County Sheriff’s Office in South Dakota as a Deputy Sheriff. The

Springfield Police Department thanks Chris Schafer for the dedication he gave to the Springfield Police

Department and the Springfield community. The Springfield Police Department wishes Chris the best in his

career.

Police Department Vehicles

The Springfield Police Department maintains 2 squad vehicles for regular patrol. A 2011 Ford Crown Victoria

and a 2013 Ford Utility Interceptor (Explore). Due to the Ford Utility Interceptor being an All-Wheel-Drive

vehicle the department mainly used it during the snowy winter months, and drove the Ford Crown Victoria

mainly during the summer months.

Our police department vehicle fleet also consists of a DARE car that is a 1984 Chevy Camaro and a 2007 Ford

Expedition for an Emergency Management vehicle that is also utilize by the Springfield Fire Department.

Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Enforcement

Throughout the year our department has worked with the Brown-Redwood-Lyon Counties Drug Task Force to

assist in keeping our community drug free. And we have also been involved in USAC (Underage Substance

Abuse Coalition) for Brown County.

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Prescription Drug Take Back Program

Our department participates in the Prescription Drug Take Back Program. We have a large safe in our office

where people can bring their unused or expired prescription drugs and have them disposed of in a safe manner.

The safe is available 24 hours a day for drop off.

Training

Throughout the year our department continued to participate in our many trainings mandated by the Minnesota

POST Board such as, Defensive Tactics, ASP (Armament Systems and Procedures), Firearms, and Use of Force.

All of our officer continue to be trained and certified in P.I.T. (Pursuit Intervention Tactics) or Pursuit and

Emergency Vehicle Operations, Taser, E.M.T. or First Responder, and CPR.

With all the training that is mandatory for a police officer to maintain their certifications and Peace Officer

License, the department utilizes as much in-house training as possible. By using in-house training it can lower the

cost for training and/or make it an easier process to train new officers, or to maintain annual training that is

mandatory.

For 2014 several Springfield Officers attended trainings to become instructors to provide in-house training for the

rest of the Springfield Police Department. Officer Joseph Micka became certified as a Taser Instructor, Officer

Justin Robertson became certified as a Defensive Tactics Instructor, and Officer Andy Mathwig became certified

as a Firearm Instructor.

Officer’s Community Involvement Chief Nicholson and Officer Mathwig manned a booth at the Health Fair at the community center. The

booth provided informational items on seat belts, safety, alcohol abuse and various other topics.

Officer Micka provided a tour of our Police Department and vehicles to our local Cub Scout troops.

In June all of our Officers worked during the Springfield Riverside Days, and was able to provide a fun and

peaceful environment during the activities.

In June Chief Nicholson brought the D.A.R.E Car to the Mt. Lake Pow Wow Parade.

In December Chief Nicholson and Officer Mathwig participated in the Shop With A Hero program, which is put

on by New Ulm Police Department for the children in Brown County.

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Animal Shelter

The Springfield Animal Shelter is overseen and operated by the Springfield Police Department. Animal Control

Officer Sue Ladd maintains the animal shelter. Her position is a part-time/as needed position. Sue Ladd cleans the

animal shelter and takes care for the animal’s wellbeing after an animal is impounded by the police officer that is

working. Sue Ladd at times will assist the police officers on animal investigations of dog bites, animal neglect,

animal abuse, and other violations of the city ordinances regarding animals. Sue Ladd will also at times assist

with catching/trapping of undomesticated animal that are a public nuisance, a danger to public safety, or for the

safety of the animal.

The animal shelter consists of 3 dog kennels and about 3 smaller kennels for smaller animals such as cats. The

dog kennels allows for the dog that is placed in the kennel to roam freely from an inside portion to an outside

potion of the kennel. Once an Animal is impounded it is held until the owner can claim their animal.

Respectfully Submitted,

Officer Joseph Micka

On behalf of the Springfield

Police Department

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23

Incident Report 2014 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Totals 2013

Alarm Call 4 0 2 1 3 2 3 0 1 2 1 0 19 25

Alarm Call 4 0 2 1 3 2 3 0 1 2 1 0 19 25

Animal Complaint 4 0 6 16 12 6 4 6 19 1 10 8 92 155

Animal Impoundment 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 4 0 7 28

Assault 0 1 2 2 0 0 2 1 1 0 2 0 11 11

Assist- Agency 14 47 13 50 31 30 25 32 24 35 17 22 340 288

Assist- Motorist 21 11 35 21 19 8 9 9 21 11 9 58 232 236

Assist- Public 294 296 294 307 289 288 266 271 234 302 247 362 3450 3694

Attempt to Locate 1 4 1 2 2 1 3 4 6 5 4 2 35 59

Burglary 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 7 3

Business Check 28 50 28 64 50 73 49 136 96 29 72 34 709 598

Car Lock-out 1 2 5 6 3 6 5 2 1 4 3 3 41 52

Child Exchange 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 2

Criminal Damage to Property 5 9 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 1 4 34

22

Death Notification 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3

Deer Possession Permit 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1

Disturbance 6 7 10 5 5 10 9 8 4 6 7 7 84 118

Domestic 3 0 0 2 4 1 1 2 2 5 3 4 27 15

Emergency Medical 6 12 8 8 9 16 11 11 4 10 5 9 109 118

Fire Call 2 2 0 1 2 1 2 3 0 2 1 2 18 11

Fraud 0 2 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 3

Funeral Procession 2 3 2 1 2 4 2 1 1 3 3 0 24 33

Harassment 8 4 2 0 3 1 0 4 1 5 1 2 31 33

Hit & Run 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 6 5

Miscellaneous 53 67 54 54 59 61 44 63 47 37 43 54 636 829

Missing Person 0 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 5 0 0 0 10 11

Noise 1 1 1 3 1 1 0 2 0 2 3 1 16 33

Nuisance 1 0 0 2 3 2 1 0 2 3 1 1 16 26

Open Door 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 3 1 1 11 8

Paper Service 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 11

Power Outage 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 0

Probation Violation 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 3

Runaway Located 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 4 7

Security Check 1 20 1 2 1 1 7 2 3 3 1 3 45 30

Sexual Assault 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 7 3

Stolen Vehicle 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 3

Stolen Vehicle Recovered 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3

Stop, Stand, or Parking Violation 7 2 1 2 2 0 0 4 0 0 2 3 23

16

Terroristic Threats 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 5

Theft 3 1 3 1 6 5 2 2 3 2 0 1 29 30

Traffic Accident 3 8 5 7 2 2 3 2 2 3 1 2 40 27

Traffic Complaint 4 7 1 5 5 7 4 6 1 6 3 10 59 27

Trespassing 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0

Underage Alcohol Violation 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2

0

Underage Tobacco Violation 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2

0

Vandalism 5 0 0 1 0 2 0 4 0 1 0 0 13 8

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Incident 2014 Jan Feb Mar April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total 2013

Jan Feb Mar April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total 2013

Warrant Arrest 0 1 0 0 1 4 0 0 1 3 0 1 11

5

Welfare Check 7 5 2 5 7 2 1 2 7 7 8 11 64 55

Window Tint 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0

72-Hour Hold 2 5 1 1 1 2 0 2 0 0 1 1 16 17

Totals

6310 6724

Arrests 6 13 21 19 17 2 10 17 11 19 10 22 167 76

Warnings 13 49 63 55 53 38 48 59 32 62 39 130 641 280

Total ICR's 82 89 104 103 97 86 94 114 70 105 79 136 1159 948

Miles 2960 2436 3461 3431 4712 3223 2921 3088 2434 2744 2584 4134 38128 38,820

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SPRINGFIELD FIRE

DEPARTMENT

ANNUAL REPORT

2014

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2014 ROSTER

Chief: Charlie Baumann Assistant: Tim Gramentz Secretary: Brian Fuhrmann Treasurer: Joel Pingeon

HOSE COMPANY Captain: Dan Domeier Lieutenant: Doug Walton Chris Gartner Chettar Bisel Paul Simonson Jeff Christensen Cody Groebner Nick Fast

HOOK & LADDER COMPANY Captain: Jeff Weisensel Lieutenant: Scott Johnson Todd Windschitl Jason Schwartz Travis Wendt Steve Hornick Randy Wendt Victor Thatcher Mitchell Mulder

ENGINEERS Captain: Brian Veenstra Lieutenant: Rod Salonek Joel Pingeon Brian Fuhrmann Corey Augustin Terry Wendt Jason Fenger

FIRE INSPECTION

Chairman: Tim Gramentz (Members to be appointed by Chairman)

TRAINING OFFICERS RELIEF ASSOCIATION OFFICERS Chairman: Tim Gramentz President: Dan Domeier Dan Domeier Vice President: Scott Johnson Jeff Weisensel Trustees: Doug Walton Brian Veenstra Chettar Bisel Secretary: Brian Fuhrmann Treasurer: Joel Pingeon

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Annual Fire Situation Report SPRINGFIELD VOL From 01/01/2014 To 12/26/2014 Report Printed On: 12/26/2014

General Class Jan 14

Feb 14

Mar 14

Apr 14

May 14

Jun 14

Jul 14

Aug 14

Sep 14

Oct 14

Nov 14

Dec 14

Total by Type

Accident, potential accident (46)

1 1

Dispatched and cancelled en route (61)

1 1 2 4

Electrical wiring/equipment problem (44)

1 1

Emergency medical service (EMS) Incident (32)

1 1

HazMat release investigation w/no HazMat (67)

2 2

Medical assist (31)

1 1

Mobile property (vehicle) fire (13)

2 2

Natural vegetation fire (14)

1 1 1 3

Severe Weather & Natural Disaster (8)

1 1

Steam, other gas mistaken for smoke (65)

1 1 1 3

Structure Fire (11)

1 1 2 1 5

Unintentional system/detector operation (no fire) (74)

1 1 2

Total 2 4 2 2 2 1 2 2 5 1 3 26

Search Criteria

Dates: From 01/01/2014 To 12/26/2014 (mm/dd/yyyy)

Service: SPRINGFIELD VOL

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FIRE CALLS

1-1-2014 13:24 J&L Car Wash & Laundromat 104 W. Central Street Clothes dryer on fire.

1-22-2014 21:55 Sanborn Manufacturing 118 W. Rock Street False alarm.

1-23-2014 00:19 Sanborn Manufacturing 118 W. Rock Street False alarm.

2-1-2014 06:59 Springfield Ambulance 24 N. Marshall Ave. Overheated motor on the steam heater unit.

2-6-2014 09:20 Springfield Public School 12 S. Burns Ave. Possible carbon monoxide call.

2-7-2014 07:00 Springfield Public School 12 S. Burns Ave. Follow up on possible carbon monoxide call.

2-20-2014 20:43 Dan Widmer 526 W. Van Dusen Street Odor of smoke in the house.

3-6-2014 10:15 Motor vehicle accident 1 mile west of Springfield on US14 Cancelled en-route.

3-25-2014 11:56 Springfield Public School 12 S. Burns Ave. False alarm – burnt sandwich in home economics room.

4-10-2014 17:36 Ronald Clark Jr. 305 N. Van Buren Street – Apartment #3 Pan left on the stove was on fire.

4-15-2014 18:34 Arland Roiger ½ mile So of Brown Co #23 on 420th Ave. Grass fire. Received mutual aid from Comfrey and Sanborn.

5-10-2014 07:00 Security Management Company 102 W. Lincoln Street False alarm.

5-22-2014 14:46 US Hwy 14 road ditch US Hwy 14 west of Springfield Grass fire in the road ditch.

6-18-2014 22:00 City of Springfield Severe weather spotting.

7-6-2014 14:17 Kevin Ludewig

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36618 Co Rd 100 Car fire.

7-23-2014 15:30 Expressway Gas Station 11 E. Rock Street Car fire – fire out on arrival.

8-4-2014 12:10 Michele Salfer Brown Co #4 north of Springfield Motor vehicle accident.

8-21-2014 19:01 Springfield Public School 12 S. Burn Ave. False alarm in locker room area.

10-18-2014 16:10 Gene Tauer 49233 Porter Ave. Grain bin fire.

10-19-2014 18:50 Don Anderson Co Rd 16 near intersection of Co Rd 24 Provide assistance to ambulance.

10-23-2014 19:19 Mike Wendt E. Cottonwood Street False alarm – burning pile of trees.

10-26-2014 15:00 Adam Fromm 24292 340th Ave. Barn fire and grove fire. Provided mutual aid to Sleepy Eye

10-26-2014 18:36 Minnesota Dept of Natural Resources Rieck’s Slough – Bashaw Twp #7 Grass fire. Received mutual aid from Comfrey.

11-24-2014 13:44 Robert Mickelson 18833 300th Ave. House fire. Provided mutual aid to Sleepy Eye

12-1-2014 02:37 Cornelia Brown Co. Rd. 5 – approx. 3 miles S. of Springfield Motor vehicle accident.

12-10-2014 08:05 Schwartz Farms – truck wash W. Wilson Street False alarm, cancelled en-route

12-22-2014 09:45 Schwartz Farms – truck wash W. Wilson Street False alarm, cancelled en-route

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JANUARY

The training session held on January 8th was led by Dan Domeier. The department toured the Sanborn Manufacturing plant located on W. Rock Street. During the winter months the fire department often takes tours of our major potential fire exposures in our response area. The purpose of the visit is to become familiar with the buildings, the hazards inside, and special precautions that may need to be taken in case of a fire. On January 15th the department conducted training with Tim Gramentz being the officer in charge. We started all of the portable power equipment, had practice with SCBA, and the engineers pumped the trucks. We also watched a training video produced by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety regarding scene safety while working at incidents on highways. The quarterly meeting of the MSFDA South Central Region was scheduled for January 21st at Alden, MN. Due to the travel distance and stormy weather conditions we did not attend the meeting. The Brown County Fire Chiefs held their quarterly meeting on the evening of January 23rd at the Springfield Fire Station. Also during the month of January an invitation letter was received for the Monsanto Fund Grant Program. It was decided to apply for a grant for $20,000.00 to be put towards the purchase of another grass rig for the fire department. The application was filed by Mac Tilberg with assistance from Brian Fuhrmann. We were not successful in receiving a grant award.

FEBRUARY

Rodney Salonek was the officer in charge of training on the evening of February 5th. All of the portable power equipment was started once again, and the engineers pumped the trucks. For the training session on February 19th, Brian Veenstra was the officer in charge. An instructor from South Central Technical College presented information to responding to car fires and car fires involving hybrid electric vehicles. Work also continued on the new pumper truck project. The truck committee made a trip to the manufacturing facilities of Pierce located in Appleton, Wisconsin on February 2nd – 4th. Two days where spent going through the plans and specifications finalizing the design for the new truck. After touring the manufacturing facilities and seeing fire trucks being built for all parts of the world we were better able to finalize what features we wanted included on our new fire truck. The truck committee was led by Brian Veenstra. The other members of the truck committee are Brian Fuhrmann, Chris Gartner, Doug Walton, Joel Pingeon, Tim Gramentz, and Chuck Baumann. On the morning of February 6th a call was received for an incident of possible carbon monoxide gas at the Springfield Public School. Within a few minutes of arriving on the scene it was quickly determined that the source of the problem was not carbon monoxide gas. The school building was

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evacuated; all of the students, teachers, and school workers were brought to the Springfield Community Center by school bus. A few of the students were brought to the Springfield Hospital for monitoring. After many hours of investigation by the Minnesota Department of Health, and doctors from the Mayo Health System it was determined that the whole incident turned out to be a case of psychogenic illness. None the less, the incident turned out to be a great learning experience for all of the agencies involved. Each agency came together to do their part and overall things went well. The agencies involved at the incident where Springfield Fire Dept, Springfield Emergency Management, Springfield Police Dept, Springfield Public Utilities, Springfield Ambulance, Centerpoint Energy, Springfield Public School, Institute for Environmental Health, Minnesota Department of Health, and Springfield Medical Center (Mayo Heath System). On the evening of February 19th a community informational meeting was held at the Springfield Public School in regards to the recent “carbon monoxide” incident at the school. Those that attended the meeting where Scott Johnson, Chris Gartner, and Chuck Baumann. Also on February 19th the Springfield FFA club held a safety day in the gymnasium at the public school. The fire department was represented at the event by Brian Fuhrmann and Mitchell Mulder.

MARCH

The month of March was pretty un-eventful compared to January and February. On March 5th Scott Johnson was the officer in charge of training. We took a tour of the Springfield Medical Center, the portable power equipment was started, and the engineers pumped the trucks. Doug Walton was the officer in charge of the training session held on March 19th. An instructor from South Central Technical College presented the annual employee right to know training and blood borne pathogens training.

APRIL

The month of April finally brought warmer weather so the department was able to start holding training drills outdoors again. Dan Domeier was the officer in charge of training on April 2nd. We took a tour of the Harvestland Grain Terminal and talked about the expansion projects that will be taking place at Harvestland during the upcoming construction season. Harvestland will be constructing a new shop building, expanding the seed warehouse, expanding the chemical warehouse, as well as expanding the storage capacity for the amount of bulk farm chemicals they will be storing on their site. The training session for April 16th was led by Rodney Salonek. South Central Technical College was once again at our fire station and presented information pertaining to drug labs that are being found in rural Minnesota and what actions should be taken to keep firefighters safe while encountering a drug lab on an emergency call. On April 2nd the League of Minnesota Cities held a training day at the Springfield Community Center. The day included training sessions that ranged from general city administration issues, to public works, to law enforcement, to fire department issues. From the fire department those that attended where Chuck Baumann, Tim Gramentz, Scott Johnson, and Brian Fuhrmann.

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The quarterly meeting of the MSFDA South Central Region was held on April 15th in Alpha, MN. Those that attended the meeting where Tim Gramentz, Chuck Baumann, Rodney Salonek, and Mitchell Mulder. The Brown County Fire Chiefs held their quarterly meeting on April 17th in Comfrey. Chuck Baumann and Tim Gramentz attended.

MAY

Brian Veenstra was the officer in charge of the training for May 7th. The annual inventory, inspection, and pressure testing of the fire hose were completed. The practice session for the evening of May 21st was led by Scott Johnson. We practiced for a fire in the downtown business district by establishing water supplies from the fire hydrant system. We also had practice on using ground ladders as would be used to access the second floor of a store front. The department also applied to the Minnesota DNR Rural Fire Department grant program. The grant is a 50/50 cost share program. Items applied for are wildland personal protective clothing and some wildland firefighting equipment. During the month of May the fire department also received a donation from the Bernard Wendland family. The donation is the bell that used to be on top of the Dotson school building.

JUNE

During the month of June the fire department once again hosted the Riverside Days weekend. The event was originally started in 1988 to celebrate the fire department’s centennial and has grown to become what it is today. This year the fire department celebrated its 126th year of service to the community and surrounding area. The events on Saturday included the beanbag tournament, pork chop barbeque, and a dance. Sunday’s main event was of course the Grand Parade held on Sunday afternoon. On June 4th, Doug Walton led the troops as the department continued to practice for a major fire in the downtown area. The #2 pumper was used to pump water from the hydrant system. The #1 pumper was supplied with water from the drop tanks with water being shuttled in by our two tanker trucks. Nick Fast joined the fire department during the month of June. The Minnesota State Fire Department Association held their annual conference in Owatonna on June 12th – 14th. The fire department was represented by Chris Gartner, Victor Thatcher, and Mitchell Mulder. They attended the general sessions as well as a class session about responding to railroad incidents and another session about relief associations. On June 14th a memorial

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service was held as a part of the convention. Those attending the memorial service where Chuck Baumann, Scott Johnson, Brian Fuhrmann, Chris Gartner, Victor Thatcher, and Mitchell Mulder.

JULY

Training for the month of July was focused on skills needed for automobile accidents. Allen Middleton brought a couple of vehicles to the fire station for us to use during the training. We practiced on removing glass from the windows, prying doors using the Hurst Jaws, removing the top from the vehicle, as well as doing a dash roll up procedure. The training was led by Jeff Weisensel. The MSFDA South Central Region held a quarterly meeting on the evening of July 15 in Amboy. Those that attended where Chuck Baumann, Jeff Weisensel, Dan Domeier, Mitchell Mulder, and Jason Fenger. On July 24the Chuck Baumann and Tim Gramentz attended the Brown County Fire Chiefs quarterly meeting held in Hanska. The topic of discussion was the livestock incident response trailer. The trailer is housed in Sleepy Eye at the Brown County Highway Department maintenance facility. The trailer is stocked with portable fencing and gates that can be used to contain livestock at an accident scene involving a livestock truck. During July the fire department also participated in some local parades with Brian Veenstra bringing a truck to the parade in Comfrey. Cody Groebner brought a truck to Sanborn for their annual parade as well.

AUGUST

The training for the month started out on the evening of August 6th, led by Brian Veenstra. We pumped from the hydrants in the Brown’s Park area, the portable power equipment was started, and the portable light tower unit was set up. The training session on August 20th was led by Scott Johnson. The fire department spent time dong cleanup work at the recently acquired Bittler property. Trees where trimmed and an entire dump truck load of junk was loaded up from inside the buildings. The fire department members also received a pay increase to $8.00 per hour, up from $7.50 per hour, to keep pace with the Minnesota minimum wage requirement. In late August the factory inspection was completed on our new fire truck. Brian Veenstra led the truck committee on the visit and inspection trip at the Pierce Manufacturing facility in Bradenton, Florida. The new truck is scheduled to arrive at our fire station in the middle of September.

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SEPTEMBER

The training session on September 3rd continued with cleanup work at the Bittler property. A second dump truck load of garbage was loaded up from inside the buildings. The fire department received a training grant from the Minnesota Board of Firefighter Training and Education in the amount of $2,522.00. The grant funds are used to help cover the cost of training provided by the technical colleges as well as new firefighter training. The department also received news that it has been awarded the grant from the Minnesota DNR grant program in the amount of $2,000.00 to purchase the wildland protective clothing and firefighting equipment applied for back in May. A vehicle display fair was held at the Springfield Public School on the evening of September 11th. Chris Gartner and Chuck Baumann brought a fire truck to the event and talked about duties of being a firefighter.

OCTOBER

October is always a busy month around the fire station with fire prevention week and the “field fire season” with harvest in full swing. Joel Pingeon and Chris Gartner conducted fire safety classroom presentations to many groups during fire prevention week including St. John’s preschool, and the 4th grade classrooms at the school. On the 10th of October the 4th grade students visited the fire station to see equipment demonstrations. Other members of the fire department made visits to the businesses in the community. The purpose of the visits are two-fold #1 to spread the word about fire prevention and safety, #2 to become familiar with the various buildings in town, the contents of the buildings, and how to gain access to various area of the buildings. The business visits have been taking place for at least the past 20 years; the program has been well supported by the business owners. The training session on October 1st was led by Brian Veenstra. Brad White with Pierce Manufacturing / North Star Fire Apparatus was on site to give us training and orientation on our new pumper truck. Brian was the officer in charge once again at the training session on October 21st. We continued to become acquainted with our new pumper truck. The MSFDA South Central Region held its quarterly meeting on October 21st at Blue Earth. Those attending where Chuck Baumann, Joel Pingeon, Jeff Christensen, and Terry Wendt. On the evening of October 23rd the Brown County Fire Chiefs held a meeting at the New Ulm fire station. Work was also finished up on the bell/memorial project in front of the fire station. The bell was received this spring as a donation from the Wendland family. Todd Windschitl did all of the concrete and masonry work on the project, the brick being donated by Ochs Brick Company. The work of cleanup and painting the bell was done by Jeff Weisensel.

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NOVEMBER

Training activities for the month of November where an inventory of the loose equipment on the #1 pumper and #3 pumper. The engineers pumped the trucks and the portable power equipment was started. The fire department officers started to meet with vendors of firefighting turnout gear to see what the various manufacturers have to offer and to get pricing on new gear for the department. Our neighbor to the south, the Comfrey Fire Department, lost one of its retired members Lee Wallin to cancer. We sent a crew 5 guys and the #1 pumper to Comfrey to show our support for their department as well as to stand by to answer any emergency calls that may come in during the funeral services.

DECEMBER

The training session for the evening of December 3rd was led by Dan Domeier. We took a tour of the Teske Manufacturing facility located in the industrial park. The engineers pumped the trucks and the portable power equipment was started. On December 17th Jeff Weisensel was in charge of the training. We continued with the winter building tours, this time touring the St. Raphael’s Church and School buildings. Overall 2014 was a good year. The number of fire calls where down from average, we received our new Pierce fire truck, added a new member to the department, and started the turnout gear project. We look forward to 2015 being another good year. The members of the Springfield Fire Department remain dedicated to providing fire protection to the community of Springfield and the surrounding rural area. We’ve been doing it for the past 126 years and look forward to carrying on the tradition of excellence into the future. Respectfully submitted, Chuck Baumann, Fire Chief Tim Gramentz, Assistant Chief

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AMBULANCE

February 12, 2014 the 2006 Ambulance was serviced @ 40,444 miles

June 10, 2014 the 2013 Ambulance was serviced @5,953 miles

October 11, 2014 the 2006 Ambulance had brakes replaced @43,100 miles

December 12, 2014 the 2006 Ambulance was serviced @ 44,653 miles

December 12, 2014 the 2013 Ambulance was serviced @ 8,905 miles

Currently there are 21 active members on the Ambulance roster, 3 new members started in July 2014.

Revenue, Expenses and Fund balances are:

Revenue: $153,631.25

Expenses: $169,142.90

Cash Balance: $223,504.84

PR Events for the Springfield Ambulance in 2014

February 19, 2014 the Springfield Ambulance participated in the Springfield FFA safety day at the public

school, with demonstration of the power cot and with various students experiencing taking a ride.

March 16, 2014 the Springfield Ambulance Service was on hand at the Sanborn First Responder Pancake

Breakfast for B/P checks and to answer any question the general public may have had.

May 14, 2014 the Springfield Ambulance participated in the Mayo Clinic Health System – Springfield

Health fair at the Springfield Community Center.

May 20, 2014 the Springfield Ambulance hosted there build your own burger fundraiser at the Ambulance

garage.

June 29, 2014 the Springfield Ambulance participated in the Springfield Riverside Days Grande Parade.

July 11, 2014 the Springfield Ambulance participated in the Comfrey Community Days Parade.

July 28 & 29, 2014 the Springfield Ambulance participated in the Sanborn Watermelon Days Celebration,

with Parade on Tuesday July 29, 2014.

August 29, 2014 the Springfield Ambulance provided coverage for the Springfield Tigers home football

game.

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September 5, 2014 the Springfield Ambulance provided coverage for the Springfield Tigers home Football

game.

September 11, 2014 the Springfield Ambulance was on hand at the ECFE Early Childhood open house at the

Springfield Public School.

September 26, 2014 the Springfield Ambulance was on hand for the Springfield Tigers home football game.

September 26, 2014 the Springfield Ambulance was on hand at the school for the elementary Tiger Trek.

October 10, 2014 the Springfield Ambulance was on hand for the Springfield Tigers home football game.

October 21, 2014 the Springfield Ambulance was on hand for the Springfield Tigers home playoff football

game.

October 31, 2014 the Springfield Ambulance handed out candy for Halloween.

38

Springfield Ambulance Activity Report

Jan-13 Feb-13 Mar-13 Apr-13 May-13 Jun-13 Jul-13 Aug-13 Sep-13 Oct-13 Nov-13 Dec-13 Total

Emergency Calls 11 11 11 10 15 15 18 9 13 13 16 17 159

Transfers from St. Johns 1 5 1 3 4 1

2 3 2 1 1 24

Transfers to Marshall

1

2

3

Transfers to New Ulm

3 3

4 2 1 2

2

2 19

Transfers to Rochester

1 1

1

1 4

Transfer to Sioux Falls SD

1 Transfers to Abbott NW

1

1

Transfers to ISJ 5 3 1 3 3 1 1

2 2

4 25

Transfers to Fairview

1

1

Transfers to Rice Mem.

1

1

2

0

Totals per month 17 24 20 16 27 19 20 15 18 21 17 25 238

Mileage Activity 2001/2013 495 480 431 262 884 409 192 418 250 603 38 29 4491

2006 140 786 889 269 228 27 149 116 121 204 80 1,089 4098

Salaries 3,187.50 3,298.00 3,736.50 2,263.50 3,244.50 2,852.00 2,923.00 3,822.00 3,278.00 3,285.50 3,054.00 3,756.50 $38,701.00

Jan-14 Feb-14 Mar-14 Apr-14 May-14 Jun-14 Jul-14 Aug-14 Sep-14 Oct-14 Nov-14 Dec-14 Total

Emergency Calls 11 14 11 14 13 9 12 14 13 16 8 7 142

Transfers from St. Johns 3 6 1 1 1 8 3 6 2 5 3 6 45

Transfers to New Ulm 3 4 2

2 4 2 4 4 1 1

27

Transfers to Rochester 1 1 1

1

1 5

Transfer to Sioux Falls SD 1

1

2

Transfers to Abbott NW 1

1 2

Transfers to ISJ 1 1 2 3

2 6 4 2 5 1 2 29

Grand Forks ND

1

1

2

Transfers to Marshall

1

1

VA Minneapolis

1 1

0

Totals per month 21 26 17 18 17 24 23 28 22 27 15 18 256

Mileage Activity

0

2006 853 728 333 189 329 296 451 349 348 766 636 293 5571

39

2013 471 146 383 354 737 465 490 425 600 376 615 834 5896

0

Salaries 4,143.00 3,363.50 2,532.00 3,424.00 3,712.50 3,657.00 3,616.00 3,955.00 4,192.00 4,231.00 3,823.00 3,685.50 44334.5

40

THANK YOU TO ALL

DEPARTMENT

HEADS AND STAFF

FOR THEIR HELP WITH

ASSEMBLING THIS

REPORT AND FOR A JOB

WELL DONE THROUGHOUT

THE YEAR!