RIVER FALLS – At the May 11 River Falls City Council meeting, the council unanimously voted to select the Pierce County Journal as the city’s official newspaper.

City staff recommended awarding the contract to The Journal, which had the lowest effective bid. The city received one other bid from O’Rourke Media Group, which acquired the Star-Observer from River-Town Multimedia earlier this year.

The Journal began as the Prescott Journal in 1855. Publisher John McLoone expanded its coverage area and changed the name to encompass all of Pierce County last year in response to RiverTown Multimedia’s consolidation of the River Falls Journal and New Richmond News into the Hudson Star-Observer and the Pierce County Herald into the Red Wing Republican Eagle. The Journal recently began a partnership with the St. Croix Valley Business Innovation Center, at 1091 Sutherland Ave..

The Journal recently hired two UW-River Falls graduates as reporters, who will cover

See OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER, P56e 10 River Falls and the surrounding communities under the direction of Editor Sarah Nigbor. The online version of the Pierce County Journal can be found at thepaperboy.news The Star-Observer has served as the city’s official newspaper for the past several years, mostly under the River Falls Journal flag prior to August 2019. O’Rourke recently launched a website, called riverfallsjournal.com District Alderperson Benjamin Plunkett wanted to know how much the city spends per year on legal notices, using The Journal’s rate as reference. The annual estimate is about $10,000 to $11,000 per year on required notices, City Administrator Scot Simpson said.

The Pierce County Journal is the official newspaper of record for Pierce County, and the official newspaper of the Village of Ellsworth, Village of Bay City, City of Prescott, Ellsworth Community and Prescott school districts, and the towns of River Falls, Clifton, Martell, Diamond Bluff, El Paso, Trimbelle, Isabelle, Salem and Rock Elm.

Grow to Share

Grow to Share’s Tovah Flygare provided the council with an annual update.

“As you all know we have made good use of city land near Hoffman Park for a community garden with the mission to provide nutritional assistance and hunger relief in collaboration with local organizations,” Flygare said.

The mission includes fostering healthy lifestyles, providing access to fresh, sustainably grown produce, and offering hands-on education and volunteer opportunities.

The organization was able to keep its momentum going even during the pandemic, with COVID-appropriate programming. The organization delivered more than 1,200 pounds of fresh produce to those in need, in conjunction with community partners such as the River Falls Community Food Pantry, Turningpoint, River Falls Housing Authority and River Falls School District. The produce was worth more than $5,000; volunteers put in about 1,600 hours of time.

“We have a growing list of supporters and are leveraging this community space for more grants that included a recent new canopy shade,” Flygare said.

To learn more or volunteer, go to growtoshare. org

Other business:

•The council approved an ordinance amending Titles 16 and 17 of the municipal code of the Cooperative Boundary Plan between the City of River Falls and the Town of Kinnickinnic.

•The council approved the purchase of a 2021 John Deere 544 P Wheel Loader for $155,000 from McCoy Construction and Forestry. It will replace a 2007 Caterpillar 930G wheel loader used by the Public Works Department primarily at the city’s compost site and to operate the large blower for snow removal. The 2007 requires a significant mechanical repair that would cost $30,000.

•The council approved a resolution to support the UW-River Falls request to build a Science & Technology Innovation Center, projected to cost $117 million.

•The council approved a resolution to award a construction contract to Total Excavating, LLC, who bid $151,734.50 to complete the elimination of the South Main lift station, modify the collection system to allow the area to be served by the Spring Creek lift station, install a water main casing to facilitate future water system connection across Highway 29/35 and install a sewer casing to serve parcels on the east side of Highway 29/35.

•The council approved the following mayor’s appointments: Dr. Whitney Rudesill and Michael Metro to the Library Board through July 2024; Julie Huebel and Alderperson Plunkett to the Historic Preservation Commission through January 2025.