When Tom Kallio discovered how scarce foam insulation contractors were, he thought it might be a good weekend business to supplement working in the woods. In 2003, he bought a used machine in Sioux Falls and brought it home to Squaw Lake to do his first job.
That was in 2003. Today Kallio has four employees, two trucks, the largest spray urethane foam insulation machine in northern Minnesota and a thriving, full-time business.
Minnesota’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives will once again join together to help spruce up our state park system this spring for project GreenTouch. This year, GreenTouch day is set for Saturday, May 2, 2015, when electric cooperative employees and members will volunteer in various parks throughout the state.
Locally, North Itasca Electric Cooperative employees and members will work together at Scenic State Park cleaning trails, capping pine buds and general maintenance.
Touchstone Energy is a co-brand used by cooperatives all over the nation to market what local electric cooperatives stand for; Integrity, Accountability, Community Involvement and Innovation. The state park sponsorship fits well with the Touchstone Energy commitment.
You need not be a member to volunteer. Volunteers need to RSVP by calling North Itasca Electric Cooperative at (218) 743-3131 or 1(800) 762-4048.
What a difference a year makes. While last winter was one for the record books, this winter was much warmer, with ice out nearly a month earlier than last year. That tells me two things. First, we’re actually going to be able to fish on opener this year and second, electric bills were more manageable than last year. To give you a little perspective, we track both heating degree days and cooling degree days on a monthly and annual basis. In March of this year there were 25.6 percent fewer heating degree days than March of last year. As a result, furnace fans ran less and members on average consumed much less electricity and other forms of energy used to heat their homes. It certainly resulted in a welcome reprieve on the pocketbook compared to last year.
Degree days are a measure of how warm or cold a location is over a period of time relative to a base temperature, most commonly specified as 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The measure is computed for each day by subtracting the average of the day’s high and low temperatures from the base temperature (65 degrees), with negative values set equal to zero. Each day's heating degree-days are summed to create a heating degree-day measure for a specified reference period. Heating degree-days are used in energy analysis as an indicator of space heating energy requirements. Cooling degree days are simply calculated in reverse from the same baseline temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit. As you can imagine, we have relatively few cooling degree days in our neck of the woods, and roughly 10,000 heating degree days.
The North Itasca Electric Trust Board has announced its 2015 spring grants. Listed on the continuing page are 54 grant awards totaling over $10,000. North Itasca Electric Co-op would like to thank those members who round up their monthly bills making these projects possible and the members of the Trust Board who donate their time to make the difficult yet rewarding decisions on the grant requests. The next application deadline for Round-Up grants will occur in October.
Bigfork Hardware is located just north of the river on Highway 38. Adjacent greenhouse open by Mothers’ Day (depending on weather) with baskets, planters and patio vegetables. Phone: (218) 743-3231.
Country Gardens Greenhouse is located in the parking lot of Kocian’s featuring flowers, heirloom vegetables and hanging baskets. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon. – Sat. Phone: Carol at (218) 743-3343
The Board of Directors has appointed a nominating committee whose duty is to select, propose and post a list of candidates for director for Districts 1, 2 and 3. The nominating committee will meet in the office of the cooperative, Bigfork, Minn. on May 7, 2015 at 5:30 p.m.
Members of the cooperative are urged to contact a nominating committee person or alternate and let them know if you have a candidate for the Board of Directors. All candidates selected should be qualified by the nominating committee person prior to the meeting to ensure that if elected, he or she could serve in the capacity of director for a period of three years in Districts 1, 2 or 3. Each candidate must be a Member of the cooperative and a bona fide resident of the district having director elections.
2 Project GreenTouch. North Itasca Electric Cooperative staff and Member volunteers meet at Scenic State Park at 8 a.m. for a morning of sprucing up the park. Lunch served, no sticker required for volunteers. Call (218) 743-3131 to join the crew!
2 Marcell Family Center Spring Fling, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Snacks, beverages, crafts, tree & seed planting, fun activities, and more.
2 Spring Salad Luncheon at St. Catherine's, Squaw Lake, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. $8, under 12, $3. Bake sale and white elephant sale.
4 North Woods Craft Store, Northome, opens for the season 10 a.m. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Saturday
With over 75 years of experience, our goal at North Shore Veterinary Hospital is to continue our tradition of offering family values and quality medicine while we strive to provide each client with the most comprehensive, cutting-edge and compassionate veterinary care available. Our highly trained staff is here to listen to your concerns, offer outstanding service, and provide you with the necessary information to keep the four-legged members of your family healthy and happy.
North Shore Veterinary Hospital was founded in 1931 on Vernon Valley Road in Northport, NY by Dr. Arthur Fredericks upon graduation from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. In the '30's, Dr. Fredericks spent his early years as a farm veterinarian for all types of animals. In the early 1930's, people traveled on dirt roads via horse & buggy, penicillin was not yet invented, old wooden crates were used to house pets, food scraps were collected from local restaurants to feed them, and boarding was only 25 cents a day. Dr. Fredericks continued his veterinary career for the next 60 years and became a well-respected "character" in the local community.
In 1969, his son Richard W. Fredericks joined the practice after also completing his Veterinary degree from Cornell University. Dr. Fredericks built one of the largest Large Animal Veterinary practices on Long Island while maintaining a strong small animal practice, and was one of the first to become licensed in using acupuncture techniques to aid western medicine. In 1985, Dr. Richard Frederick moved the practice from the original Northport, NY and changed the concentration to smaller companion animals. In 1996, the third generation Cornell University graduate followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. Dr. Russell W. Fredericks began his veterinary career in Florida where he became medical director of two veterinary hospitals. However, in 1999, the family business was calling him back to Long Island and he returned to join his father and take over the reins at NSVH. The youngest Dr. Fredericks continue the tradition of providing a warm, friendly atmosphere while creating a cutting-edge veterinary hospital. The doctors of NSVH are respected and admired for the excellent veterinary care they provide as well as the charity work they do for local shelters and rescue groups. Today, North Shore Veterinary Hospital is a multi-vet practice bringing talented and dedicated DVM's into the community to insure that our clients continue to receive the best possible medical care for their animals.