To the groundbreaking for the Shell Rock River Watershed District’s confined disposal facility.

Congratulations to the Shell Rock River Watershed District and the community as a whole for the groundbreaking last week for the new confined disposal facility that will play an important role in the Fountain Lake dredging.

A confined disposal facility is where the water and sediment will be placed after it is removed from the lake. The facility, which is north of Interstate 90, about 1 1/2 miles north of Fountain Lake, will essentially siphon off the sediment, and allow the water to return to the lake.

The community has waited several years to reach this point, and we are excited to see this step being taken. Now, let’s keep moving forward to get the dredge in the lake.

To the Albert Lea School Board’s support for a tax abatement program for new construction in Albert Lea.

Though it hasn’t happened in an official vote, the Albert Lea School Board voiced support Monday for a tax abatement program targeted toward new construction.

The goal of the program is to encourage people to move to town and build houses. It would temporarily eliminate the property taxes for the first five years on new construction or improvements to existing structures. It includes new single-family homes, duplexes and multi-family housing with four or less units.

The Albert Lea City Council already approved this program, and it our hope the school board will follow suit when it meets later this month for official action.

To the identification of World War II soldier Glaydon Iverson of Emmons.

Over 75 years after his death, Emmons native Glaydon Iverson’s remains have been identified.

At 24-years-old, Iverson was killed aboard the USS Oklahoma during the attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II. Many of the casualties from that day have remained unidentified until recent years with the expansion of technology.

We hope this knowledge will give peace to Iverson’s family members who have been waiting all these yearsfor answers.

We also hope the community will turn out to pay their respects when Iverson is escorted from Hawaii back to Minnesota. The visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. May 26 at Mittlestadt Funeral Home in Lake Mills, and the funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. May 27 at Emmons Lutheran Church in Emmons.

He will be laid to rest at Oak Lawn Cemetery.