County agrees to raze downtown Mayville building

Mayville’s old downtown laudromat, now a billboard of hand-painted messages, will soon be history.
Known as the Swift building, the two-story wood structure will be torn down before this summer, according to the Mayville City Council, which this week asked if Traill County would do the honors.
Of leveling the building.
An agreement was reached Tuesday morning in Hillsboro, where the City of Mayville agreed to remove asbestos from the building if the county’s highway crew would raze the structure.

Medical Center working with county on bond sale

By NEIL O. NELSON
The Hillsboro Medical Center is financing the bulk of its $12.5 million building project with help from Traill County.
Traill’s five commissioners this week gave preliminary approval to a bond purchase agreement with the medical center. The municipal financing will allow the medical center to build the addition at a more favorable interest rate.
The bond purchase agreement, complete with specific language, is expected to be signed next month.
Representatives from the medical center and its legal counsel, Ohnstad Twichell Law Office, met with the board of county commissioners Tuesday in Hillsboro.

Friday night delight: Vets Club fish fry

Everyone wants to know what kind of fish the Hillsboro VFW serves Friday nights at the Vets Club.
“Whatever it is, it sure is good.”
True, but the secret is in the batter recipe. And the boys in the kitchen aren’t about to disclose the secret ingredients.
Sorry.
For the last four weeks, VFW post members have been serving their all-you-can eat fish fries to full houses each night.
Good fun.
Good food,
Good company.
All that and the price is right, the beer cold.

Time warp.

As the mother of three teenagers, I’m keenly aware of how much my children are changing in a relatively short time.
Young men’s voices dip an octave lower seemingly in the middle of a conversation. Shoe sizes creep up the chart to double digits before the new pair is worn out. Dress pants are suddenly two inches too short after just one holiday of dressing up.
The changes were magnified when I happened to watch a snippet of old video tape of my three children — then ages newborn, two and three.
My oldest, my daughter still talks a mile a minute and flashes the same sparkling smile she did as a toddler. Not much has changed in that respect. What has changed is she’s now 5-foot-8 and smiles down at her mother instead of clinging to my knee.

Weary, that’s me.

I’m out of shape.
I don’t exercise.
I don’t eat right.
I don’t sleep at night.
All this because I haven’t taken care of myself.
And I don’t think I’m going to change.
But now I’m being told that physical activity can stave off the beginnings of Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive disorders.
Not that escaping the dreaded Alzheimer’s disease isn’t enough to get me on the tread mill or tennis court, scientists — in the same reports — are saying that exercise can make me smarter.

City moves forward with drug testing

Hillsboro city commissioners are moving forward with plans to implement random drug testing for city employees.
Listed in the employee policy manual for many years, testing has never been implemented.
At Monday’s meeting, commissioners heard from two representatives of MeritCare’s Occupational Health of Fargo about procedures to begin the program and the costs to maintain it.
Commissioners were advised to update their existing policy to be more specific about things like disciplinary steps and follow-up.

Project manager says city can have wide road if willing to pay the price

If the city says “wide” and the state says “narrow,” is there a tie-breaker?
Since that question has been a bone of contention at several recent city commission meetings, the Banner posed that question to someone in charge — Chad Petersen, project manager for the Hwy. 200 road reconstruction plan.
Petersen said even though the state’s engineering plan favors a narrower road (44 feet vs. the existing 56 feet), the wide road option has “always remained on the table.”
In the final decision-making process, the state will consider all public comments filed since November — a couple dozen, all in favor of a wide road.

Decision on Hwy. 200 on hold for 2 weeks

Commissioners to meet with state DOT officials again April 9

By MICHELLE MCLEAN
Wide or narrow?
Anticipating a decision on the fate of ND Hwy. 200, local residents filled the chairs in the Hillsboro city commission chambers Monday night.
“Wide or narrow?” they wanted to know. What would be the commission’s official recommendation to the state Department of Transportation? Would the road remain 56 feet wide as local proponents have lobbied or be narrowed to 44 feet like state engineers want?
After nearly 90 minutes of discussion, the question was left unanswered. Unexpectedly, commissioners postponed their official decision for two more weeks.

No less popular

Townships continue Rite of Spring as rural populations face diminishing numbers

By NEIL O. NELSON
With Vern Wegge and George Swanson sitting at the lunch table, the exchange between Butch Theede and Tom Vettel hardly went unnoticed.
Still, the money changed hands under the table.
Vern raised an eyebrow, George smiled, hinting of a payola of some kind.
“It’s not what you think,” Tom implied.
Butch didn’t offer an explanation.
The money disappeared into Tom’s pocket.
Minutes later, supervisors called the annual meeting of Ervin Township to order.
Tuesday, March 20, 7 p.m. Swanson Repair Garage, Cummings, North Dakota.

Elementary principal resigns

By NEIL O. NELSON
Bill Schumacher, longtime elementary principal with the Hillsboro school system, resigned Tuesday morning, after Hillsboro’s school board the night before decided to non-renew the veteran administrator.
The school will fill the position with a principal who will accept “some” teaching duties, according to Mike Bitz, Hillsboro superintendent.
Schumacher has worked half-time the last four years as principal. He has been associated with the school 33 years.
School board members, meanwhile, have discussed returning the elementary principal’s position to full-time.