From staff reports

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Sunday, December 30, 2001

Untitled Document

2001: a year filled with drama

From Tribune staff reports

Few institutions have had so profound an effect on Albert Lea’s history as the ever-changing meat packing and processing operation known today as Farmland Foods. From its heyday as the town’s premier employer, to its bankruptcies as Wilson and Co. in 1983 and Farmstead in 1990, the fortunes of Albert Lea have to a certain extent risen and fallen along with those of the sprawling industrial complex near the shore of Albert Lea Lake.

This year’s news was dominated by the fallout from a July 8 fire that put the plant out of commission and left hundreds of employees out of work. The future of the remaining workers and of the company is still undecided as the city of Albert Lea waits for an announcement on whether Farmland will remain here.

These events were among the most dramatic chapters in the long history of the meat industry in Albert Lea. Indeed, hundreds if not thousands lined the edge of Farmland’s property on that muggy July night to watch a battalion of firefighters struggle against the blaze. They knew they were seeing history.

The Farmland fire alone would have qualified 2001 as a major year for news. But several other important or dramatic events took place that will make 2001 a year to remember in the Freeborn County area.

The top ten stories of 2001, as chosen by Tribune staff:

1. Fire at Farmland Foods – July 8

A contractor’s torch ignited a fire in a box-storage room at Farmland Foods just before 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 8, and the resulting fire would rage all through the night before being brought under control. Firefighters from 16 fire departments, toiling in 90-degree heat, fought a losing battle the first day, as the fire engulfed more and more of the building.

Pumping 3,000 gallons of water per minute, crews finally got the fire under control Monday, but continued battling hot spots for days. Crews demolished part of the building July 13.

The end of the fire was only the beginning, however, for the estimated 500 employees affected by the plant’s closure. Employees learned on July 13 that Farmland would need several months to decide if rebuilding in Albert Lea was its best option. Many workers took other jobs; others left town entirely. Many still remain, waiting to see if Farmland will reopen. Unemployment benefits for the employees will run out early in 2002.

The city of Albert Lea still waits to find out if Farmland will accept its assistance package, which would give the company a new site in an industrial park near Interstate 35. The city would also take over Farmland’s old site and be responsible for demolishing the old buildings, many of which are polluted and dangerous.

2. Glenville tornado -&160;May 1

Around 7 p.m. on May Day, Glenville residents ran for cover as an F-2 tornado, with winds between 113 and 157 miles per hour, tore down Main Street, knocking down buildings, scattering debris and rupturing gas mains as it went. Residents had little if any warning of the tornado, but miraculously, nobody was seriously injured.

The storm flattened two grain bins at the Speltz Elevator, spilling grain onto the ground, and at least four businesses were damaged beyond repair, including Knutson Oil and Com-Tec. A car wash and old hardware store building were destroyed. Many other structures suffered roof and other damage.

National guard troops arrived on the scene by 1 a.m. and relief started pouring into town. The Red Cross arrived the night of the tornado and administered a relief center at the community center. Volunteer laborers and workers from other cities arrived in the following days to assist local residents’ cleanup efforts as piles of tree and construction debris were taken from the streets. Officials estimated that $2 million in damage was done in Glenville.

After passing through Glenville, the tornado continued moving northeast toward Oakland and crossed into Mower County before running out of steam. Several homes and outbuildings were damaged or destroyed in the rural area as the tornado cut its 21-mile path across Freeborn County.

3. Albert Lea School levy failure – Nov. 6

On Tuesday, Nov 6, voters in the Albert Lea School District gave a resounding &uot;NO&uot; to the district’s request for more money. The final tally showed the referendum failing by almost 2,000 votes, with 4,233 voting no and 2,794 voting yes. The district had asked for an additional $358 per student per year over a ten year period.

School Board members, district administrators and other community leaders, including State Representative Dan Dorman, expressed surprise and dismay.

The no vote on the referendum led the school board to make $1.1s million in program and staff cuts and reductions from the 2002 – 2003 school year budget. Among the cuts were the elimination of the French language program at the high school. Also cut were the cross country and dance teams at the high school. Other cuts involved the marching band, the show choir, intramural athletics and the horticulture advisor.

The board also released a preliminary list of probable additional cuts for 2003- 2004 school year.

4. Murder of Makaio Radke -&160;April 21

Paul Gutierrez Jr., age 27, of 525 Johnson St., was arrested by Albert Lea police for allegedly causing the death of 17-month-old Makaio Radke. He was charged with second-degree murder in Freeborn County District Court on April 24. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension assisted the Albert Lea Police Department in the investigation.

On May 30, a Freeborn County Grand Jury charged Gutierrez with two counts of first degree premeditated murder and one count of second-degree murder. The bail for Gutierrez was raised to $1 million.

Gutierrez appeared in Freeborn County District Court on Oct. 3 and pleaded not guilty to the charges filed. His trial will likely take place in February or March of 2002.

5. Home Depot construction begins – August 2001

The City of Albert Lea Inspection Department issued a building permit with a total valuation of $3 million in August for the construction of a new Home Depot store. This permit was for a 97,000 square foot building at 2400 Consul Street, east of the city.

Construction work on the store building and its large parking lot continued during the fall and early winter, and the opening is planned for February 2002.

6. Hollandale Marketing Association fire – Oct. 24

An early morning blaze destroyed a portion of the Hollandale Marketing Association potato processing plant. The 14,000 square-foot building that burned down contained 500,000 pounds of just-harvested potatoes.

The blaze started around 3 a.m., and was aided by a snow storm from the west. A water tower in the town stopped functioning due to a loss of electricity caused by the fire. Firefighters from all over the county transported water from Clarks Glove, Ellendale and Geneva.

Investigators determined that the fire had started in the employees’ break room, but could not identify the exact cause.

The 75-year-old cooperative continued its potato processing operations with the help of a plant in Maple Island. All 30 employees maintained their jobs.

7. Destination: Albert Lea’s sales-tax proposal

Dedicated to preserving the historical value of Albert Lea’s downtown and making the city a tourist destination, the community group Destination: Albert Lea formed in 2001 and made an immediate splash.

Not long after it was incorporated, the group put its vision into action by pitching a local-option sales-tax proposal to the Albert Lea City Council. The tax, originally proposed as one percent but later cut to a half, would pay for downtown improvements and lake restoration projects as determined by the city of Albert Lea. Estimates say the extra local sales tax would raise more than $1 million per year.

Assembling a large audience to testify on behalf of the proposal, the group won unanimous approval from the Albert Lea City Council Nov. 13. The proposal must be approved by the state legislature in 2002 and could go on the local ballot, where voters would ultimately decide its fate, in summer or fall of 2002.

8. Spring flooding in Albert Lea and rural Freeborn County – June 2001

Spring thawing and rains resulted in two periods of flooding to a portion of Albert Lea and low lying acres of area farms, and created serious problems in the Hollandale and Maple Island areas.

By the second week of April, high water resulted in the closing of East Main Street from Newton Avenue to Katherine Street. Several business owners affected by this flooding said this was the worst situation this part of Albert Lea had encountered in eight years. Incidentally, the official ice-out date for Fountain Lake was April 12.

In mid-June, heavy rainfall again created flooding problems in the city, especially on East Main Street. This resulted in the detouring of traffic on Bridge Avenue and problems for several business firms, plus the Union Center.

9. Conger bank robbery – Nov. 30

The Conger branch office for Americana National Bank was held up Friday, Nov. 30. One assailant entered the building with a weapon and made the teller fill a bag with money. He then fled the building and still has not been apprehended. There were several witnesses, as the bank was in the middle of holding its holiday open house.

Citing this bank robbery and a bank robbery at the Hayward branch last year, Jim Siegel, bank president, announced that both the Hayward and Conger branches would be closed early in 2002. The main reason cited by the bank was that safety of customers and employees at these locations could not be guaranteed with only one full-time employee.

10. Hayward murder-suicide – Oct. 12

A young couple was found dead in the basement of their Hayward residence. The Sheriff’s Office concluded that it was a murder-suicide carried out by the husband.

According to the investigation, Paul Robert Rhodes, age 33, killed his wife Sheryl Ann, age 33, with a firearm, and then shot himself. A suicide note written by Paul Rhodes was found at the scene.

Following the incident, the Freeborn County Crime Victim’s Center held a town meeting for the residents to share their thoughts and feelings about the shocking event.