The city and school district have moved into a joint powers agreement with the future sale of the former junior high school.

The school board approved the agreement at its regular board meeting on Monday, and the city approved it the following evening.

As part of the sale of the former junior high, a committee will be organized that will look at requests by potential owners for what their intended plans will be with the building.

The committee will go through a two-step process. It will first accept all buyers interested in the building, and then those that are approved will be asked to draft a request for qualifications. The committee will then determine which potential buyer is the most appropriate, and pass that information along to both the school board and city commission.

“This way we will not have eliminated anybody, as anyone has the ability to have us look at their qualifications,” Superintendent Wilfred Volesky said. “This option is better than a simple sale of putting it on the market.”

Following the approval, the city expanded its urban renewal zones to cover the area the junior high is located, in order to allow for a reduced market rate.

“This expansion will also allow us to provide improvements to residential areas as well in the future,” City Administrator Jim Neubauer said.

The action met with resistance on Tuesday, as Mandan resident Wayne Papke asked how this plan financially benefits the city. He pointed out that, according to the Century Code, for an urban renewal to take place the location impacted must be a blighted or slum area.

“We’re talking about a lot of houses that are considered blighted or slums in the community,” he said.

City Attorney Malcolm Brown said the language in the Century Code was not as simple as that, and allowed for joint power agreements to take place, despite whether the area was in need of reconstruction or not.

Mayor Tim Helbling added that a future sale would be a fiscal benefit to Mandan, as it beat the alternative of dormancy. If a serious developer takes over, he said, money will be invested into both the building and into the community.

“The worst thing is if it would turn into a warehouse. In Minot, there’s an old school that was purchased by an individual. It became neglected, and half the building fell down. I don’t want to see this school turn into that,” Helbling said.

A public hearing will take place at the city commission’s next meeting on Tuesday, March 16, about the urban renewal expansion.

The school district, in an effort to benefit potential buyers of the former junior high, turned to the city to consider a joint powers agreement, as the city has the legal authority to lower the market rates on buildings by way of urban renewal and renaissance zoning.

If all goes as planned, the final recommendation of a potential buyer could be turned into the school and city by early August.

A recent photo taken of the fire engine. Conditions under the hood of the fire engine from the 1930, while no longer functioning, remain entirely intact. Submitted photo

The Mandan Historical Society is finishing up its feasibility study on a possible project to restore a 1930s-era fire engine. Members have found some answers, but in some respects that has only raised more questions.

But circumstances are going to force a decision in the near future. Mike Britt, a volunteer firefighter in California and a member of his local chapter of Society for the Preservation & Appreciation of Antique Motor Fire Apparatus in America, contacted the Mandan Fire Department and the Historical Society back in September 2009. He noticed a rusted hull of a fire engine in a junkyard near Fontana, Calif., while he and a friend were salvaging parts for their restoration project. Mandan Fire Department lettering was still legible after more than years of exposure to the elements.

According to the Mandan Historical Society, only two cities in U.S. history have been named “Mandan.” The mining ghost town in the upper peninsula of Michigan was abandoned in the early 1910s after the two area copper mines played out. While this information suggests that the truck was from North Dakota, it does not explain how it wound up on the West Coast.

The most engaging element of the story, however, remains how the vehicle wound up in California. The wife of the 80-year-old California salvage yard owner, Bernie Long, was from Reynolds, a small North Dakota town. In the 1950s and 1960s, the couple made frequent trips back to North Dakota to visit her family. On a highway near Cooperstown, he saw this old fire engine from the road several times over several years. Long operated a salvage yard which specializes in trucks. He approached various rural residents and bought collectables to fix and resell it. Or if he could not restore it, he planned to part it out and scrap the rest. He always attended auctions up and down the west coast buying up old trucks and other vehicles.

On one of the trips to North Dakota, he stopped and checked out the old Mandan fire engine. On a later trip he came back and bought it and hauled it back to his yard. And there it has sat ever since.

The current sense of urgency stems from the fact that his wife died late last year. Now that Long is alone and his own health is failing, his kids and grandkids are encouraging him to start selling his stockpile. He is placing ads in truck magazines and selling things off one at a time.

What makes the fire engine that much more rare is the fact that in the 1940s, many antique vehicles were sent off to iron blast furnaces to make war supplies during World War II. The fact that it survived that era makes it that much more worthy of restoration.

Three members of the Mandan Historical Society are compiling information on the truck assess local resources to restore the vehicle.

Bob Porter, with the assistance of city officials, located a photo of a ’30s-era Mandan parade featuring three fire engines including a “modern” 1931 model. The wheel spoke count suggests the salvage yard is the current home to a 1930s model rather than the 1920s. But the photo does not match the current configuration of the engine. This has led to consideration that this at the junkyard was a second engine purchased by the city of approximately the same age.

Bryen Birkholz has been approaching area businesses and vintage vehicle collectors for assistance with the possible project. To date, storage space has been offered to perform the restoration, and a professional fundraiser has offered his services. David Kroll is spearheading communications with the gentlemen in California. Britt recently revisited the salvage yard. The engine is complete and has not been stripped of parts. But most of the instrument cluster and whatever else made up the dash is gone. All the metal pieces and levers are there, but most everything that was wooden or leather has rotted away long ago and will have to be recreated.

The engine is complete and has not been stripped for parts. The carburetor, starter, generator, oil pump, distributor, spark plugs plus fan belt and fan are all there.  The wiring has deteriorated so new wiring will be required.  The steering column and steering box are also complete.

Pretty much everything that was wooden or leather on the fire engine has rotted away long ago and will have to be restored.

Britt remarked to the historical society, “Hopefully you have some good mechanics willing to volunteer lots of hours to what could be a big project – but at least it is all there to work with.”

While purchase price negotiations have started, only the initial asking price is beyond current commitments, much less transportation back to Mandan or restoration costs. If the project is to move forward, resources will have to be identified in the next month so interested members can visit and verify the condition of the vehicle.

Kroll is serving as the contact for any residents or businesses interested in assisting with the project or willing to help offer financial donations.

You can reach him at 663-4831 or via email at fire-engine@mandanhistory.org.

-Brian L. Gray

Has anyone else noticed that the days around here are finally filled with more light than dark? YAHOO, COME ON, SPRING! Sorry about that emotional outburst, but after four months of driving to and from work in the dark, I just couldn’t help but let a whoop go.

It’s amazing how connected we are to Mother Nature; her cyclical seasons propel all of us through life… life is indeed a circle.

Years ago I remember seeing myself on television, and this stark white glare was emanating from the top of my head. I figured there must have been some really bad lighting on the television set until I looked in the mirror and discovered a large bald streak in my hair.

Then there was that time when my mom came out of cataract surgery; she looked at my dad and remarked, “Chub, when did you get all those wrinkles?”

I recall my Aunt Margeret who loved to golf, bowl and quaff a daily jolt of Crown Royal telling me during her last days, “Getting old sure ain’t for sissies.”

Then there was my Grandma Cora who smoked cigarettes and occasionally quaffed a shot of medicinal vodka that helped her smile far into her 80s. Whenever we’d get together she’d get us all singing, “Why don’t we do this more often, just like we’re doin’ tonite.”

And then there’s my dad, whose health eventually made him drop all his bad, but fun, habits. Eventually he had to avoid what he called excita-ments. When I’d share what I thought was a big problem, he’d look at me and tell me not to sweat the small stuff and, by the way, it’s all small stuff. He’d usually finish off his advice with “You know son, the first 100 years of your life will be the hardest.” My dad was right about a lot of things.

Then along came my grandchildren who turned me into Grandpa Dan, and I’ve been sleeping with a Grandma ever since.

And despite the fact that I’m creeping from senior toward elderly I’m still not very good at acting my age. Most days I’m too busy just being me, and a big part of me seems to be composed of an inner child who’s grateful to be here at all.  

So as the sun rises and sets, causing the seasons to change and the years to roll on by, I can’t help but think that our body sure ages a lot faster than our soul.

Usually I only look in the mirror once a day to shave and comb what’s left of my hair. From there on I have to settle on the fact that there ain’t much I can do about this aging body I seem to be trapped in… yet there are many times when I wonder where I’m gonna end up when the dang thing wears out.

Do I get another body in the next life or is this life all there is? How come nobody knows for sure? Geez, if I’d a known I was gonna need this body for this long I’d a taken better care of it…

Mayhaps we should avoid such excita-ments because once we’re here we have no choice but to ride it out; if you’ve been granted this gift we call life then you will experience this other thing called death. Maybe the point to it all is to do something meaningful whilst you’re here because once you’re here you have no choice about going there. So as the seasons change and rearrange and the years keep rollin’ by, here’s hoping that whatever you do while you’re here gets you to wherever you’re s’posed to be… safe travels…

This fall the Mandan School District was asked to have a member from our school district become a member of the 2010 Complete Count Census Committee. The Complete Count Committee is a team of community leaders assembled to develop and implement a locally-based outreach and awareness program for the 2010 Census.

The team’s focus is to promote the 2010 Census in the Mandan Community to ensure that every resident in the area is counted. The community leaders on this committee are the most qualified to understand the best way to reach the entire population that resides in their area. The team is also best suited to mobilize community resources in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.

The school board member selected Kirsten Baesler to be on this committee. In addition, the school board was asked to sign a proclamation which stated that as a school district we would be committed to partnering with the U.S. Census Bureau to help ensure a full and accurate count in 2010. One of the promises that I personally made was to write an article in my March monthly column informing the residents of Mandan about the upcoming Census. Hence, this is my article containing information about the 2010 Census.

The U.S. Constitution requires a national census be taken once every 10 years.  The last census was taken in 2000. The census is a count of everyone living in the United States, including citizens and noncitizens. Participation in the 2010 Census is required by law. If a resident does not respond to the census, the courts could impose up to a $5,000 fine.

During the month of March census forms will be delivered to every residence in the United States. Delivery for the vast majority of Americans will be through mail delivery. Some remote areas of the state may have a census worker deliver the census forms.

The 2010 Census questionnaire is supposedly one of the shortest in history since it is only 10 questions in length. The head of the household completes the form on behalf of every person living in the residence as of April 1, 2010. The form includes questions about race, age and ethnicity. The hope is that as soon as the form arrives it will be completed and returned in the postage-paid envelope provided. Each resident will have about two weeks to complete the form. If the resident does not return the form another form will be sent to them. If the resident still fails to return the form, a census worker will visit them to try to track down the necessary information. The more often that a census worker needs to be sent out the more expensive the census will become. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that it costs about $30 per person that does not return the survey. Every resident can help keep the cost of the census down by completing the form and returning it.

During the 2000 Census 72 percent of the residences in the nation completed the census form. In North Dakota 76 percent completed the form and in Morton County 81 percent of the residences completed the form. We hope to have a higher percentage of residences complete the form during the 2010 Census.

The information gathered from the census information is used in a number of ways. It helps the federal government determine how more than $400 billion in federal money will be distributed throughout the country. Communities receive federal funds each year for projects such as hospitals, job training centers, schools, senior centers, bridges, tunnels and other public work projects and emergency services. The larger your population, especially in some specialty groups, the better your chances are in getting a larger share of the $400 billion. It is estimated that every citizen that is not counted is worth $1,000 annually. Over a 10-year period this means that each citizen not counted may mean a loss of $10,000 of revenue to the state. As a school district the funding that we receive from federal programs relies upon the population in the state and especially in our local area. The data collected also helps determine the number of seats your state has in the U.S. House of Representatives. We need you to make sure that you are counted during the 2010 Census.

In the very near future you will be receiving your census questionnaire. Please take the 10 minutes that it takes to complete the form and return it immediately. Your cooperation will help ensure that we receive our share of necessary federal assistance within the next 10 years and help decrease the cost of the 2010 Census.

10 Years Ago – 2000

The local Coast to Coast Store is about to change its name to Mandan True Value. The Mandan store, located at 302 West Main St., is one of nearly 2,500 independent hardware stores that will change to the True Value retail identity. Gene and Virginia Veil purchased Mandan Coast to Coast store in January 1977.

Mandan High School’s girls’ track and field coach Mike Kuhn is among 12 North Dakota coaches selected as finalists for National Coach of the Year. During his 21 years as coach, the Mandan’s track and field teams received a state championship in 1985, six state runner-up finishes and three regional championships. Kuhn has also received a variety of coach awards, including the State Class A Track Coach of the Year eight times and also the Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Coach of the Year for 1985.

25 Years Ago – 1985

Gerald Heuer, administrator of the Mandan Hospital since 1978, has announced his resignation, effective Feb. 28. Heuer has accepted a position as clinic administrator of the Family Health Center, an affiliate of St. Luke’s Hospital at Aberdeen, S.D.

St. Alexius Medical Center’s second Centennial Baby, a girl named Mikaila Ann, was born in Bismarck on Feb. 27 to Michael and Laurie McLean of Mandan. The hospital’s first Centennial Baby, a boy named Joshua Scott, was born on Feb. 1 to Mr. and Mrs. Steven Jacobchick, also of Mandan. Each family received a number of baby gifts, worth several hundred dollars from the hospital’s suppliers.

A plan submitted by Burlington Northern Railroad to clean up the diesel fuel discovered beneath downtown Mandan has been approved by the North Dakota Health Department. It will take three to five years to clean up the estimated 300,000 to 500,000 gallons of fuel. Pumping is scheduled to begin by July 1 with only one well used for recovery. The spilled diesel fuel was first discovered in 1977 during the excavation for the new Mandan Security Bank building on First Street N.W. The source of the spill has not been confirmed for a fact; however, circumstances point to Burlington Northern.

50 Years Ago – 1960

Mandan angler, Gene Keigley, is the first fisherman of 1960 to become a member of North Dakota’s Whopper Club, according to the Game and Fish Department. Keigley was awarded an arm patch for a 5 1/2 lb. sauger caught in January while fishing through the ice of the Missouri River, south of Mandan. The fish, caught on a live minnow, measured 2 feet long and 13 inches around.

J.M. “Mac” Crawford, proprietor of the Western Grill Cafe, is celebrating the seventh anniversary of the business; which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with Christmas their only non-working holiday. Mr. and Mrs. Crawford and their four children came to Mandan from Cody, Wyo., in 1953 and took over the operation of the Western Grill, which had opened by Crawford’s brother, Roy, in 1952. Anniversary specials include: 1/4 chicken dinner, 64 Cents; 10-piece tub of chicken, $1.96.

Brightly colored decorations depicting New Orleans streets during the Mardi Gras was the theme used at the Revelers Club party attended by more than 30 couples. First place prize for the best and most original costume was won by Mr. and Mrs. Del Skjod, who came dressed as jockeys astride a pair of ostriches. Second place winners were the Dave Stuarts who were dressed as gingerbread boys. Mr. and Mrs. Paul Gussner were chairmen in charge of the party.

The Mandan Braves invaded the eastern conference last weekend and came up with a surprising 66-61 victory over the Wahpeton Wops. This game was the Mandan’s finale for 1959-60, ending with a season record of 7-14. Although Wahpeton led Mandan in the first period, the Braves, under the shooting of Henry Beckler and Dan Hilligoss, rallied to take the lead by halftime. Mandan’s assault was led by Hilligoss with 22 points, followed by Beckler with 21.

Gene Keigley, of Mandan, poses with his arm patch signifying his membership into the North Dakota Whopper Club in 1960. Above is the actual patch. Keigley won the patch for catching a 2-foot-long sauger in the Missouri River. Submitted photo

75 Years Ago – 1935

A large crowd of rooters followed the Mandan Braves to Bismarck’s Word War Memorial Building, where they battled the Bismarck Demons for a victory, 26-22, and closed their 1935 basketball season with a 12-4 season record.

The game began slowly with the Braves shooting only one field goal out of 16 tries during the first half. But the Warriors finally came alive after the Demons began the second half with three easy field goals within the first minute and the gap between the two rivals began to narrow. The Braves picked up the pace in the fourth, and with three minutes remaining, Mandan’s little Swede Farr sunk a basket, putting the Braves out ahead for the first time, 22-21. As the frenzied battle continued, the Demons fouled frequently in their efforts to crush the Mandan uprising, forcing referee George Heidt to halt the game several times to quiet the unruly crowd before free throws.

The score continued to see-saw until the final minute, when the tow-head Farr managed to slip past the Demon guards for a basket that clinched the victory for the Braves, and for good measure, he flipped in a free throw just seconds before the timer sounded the end of the battle.

Mandan’s hero of the evening was Leonard “Swede” Farr, who scored 12 points, nine of which were sunk in the fourth quarter. Others adding to Mandan’s tally were: Roy Geiger, 9; Ralph Ferderer, 3; and Bill Ordway, 2.

100 Years Ago – 1910

“Mandan’s east end Freight Depot was completely destroyed by fire early Tuesday morning. Although the volunteer fire companies were at the scene within four minutes of receiving the alarm and had three lines of hose on the fire within ten minutes, it was to no avail. It would have been a bad job for a well equipped and regular city fire department as the frame warehouse was filled to capacity with inflammable material, and there was not enough pressure in evidence to throw a stream of water 25 feet.

“Fifteen minutes after the fire had started, the entire building was a mass of fire, the whole sky being lightened by huge tongues of flame that rose high above the several grain elevators in the vicinity. A string of a dozen or so boxcars at the unloading platform also caught fire, and it was with difficulty that they were snaked out of harm’s way.

“Great credit is due the fire department and Chief Dave Taylor for the excellent work that they did in saving the surrounding property from destruction. The lumber shed of the Bingenheimer Mercantile Company very narrowly escaped.

“Losses are estimated at $30,000 for the freight depot and its contents. It is unclear if the Northern Pacific will rebuild on the same site or perhaps on the west end of Main St.”

In the past week three Mandan Police Officers were injured on-duty in unrelated cases and they are all expected to miss work for a period of time. One officer was injured while attempting to arrest a suspect, a second officer was injured during a foot pursuit and a third officer was injured during a fall.

We are hopeful that all three officers will have a speedy recovery and won’t be out of service for an extended period of time, but it’s difficult to know for sure. We do know that none these officers can return to patrol duties until they have recovered 100 percent, because their safety and yours could depend on it. It’s absolutely essential that they have regained all of their physical abilities in order to meet the physical demands of the job.

Injuries to our police officers have a tremendous impact on department operations. The well being of our police officers is critical to the services we provide as well as any enforcement efforts. With just 20 patrol officers assigned to the street, three of those officers are injured, another officer is in the basic training academy and another officer position still remains unfilled. Essentially, our patrol staff is down five officers, or 25 percent.

I think everybody can relate to the challenges posed by that type of a reduction in workforce and the efforts you have to make to compensate for their absence. From our police department’s perspective, these types of manpower shortages affect emergency preparedness, response time, available hours to conduct follow up investigations, proactive enforcement efforts, community involvement and officer training.

The financial impact is also significant for on the job injuries. The overtime budget gets used up, which means that later in the year officers may not be able to work the extra hours needed, there are lost man hours, reduced productivity, medical bills and even insurance premiums.

Unfortunately, in public safety there are limitations in our ability to prevent on the job injuries because of the inherent risks involved with this type of work. While officer safety is always paramount in everything that we do, if a suspect decides to resist arrest or flee from an officer, it’s a choice they made in which we have no control over. Officers have to do their jobs and be cognizant of the level of force they use to stay within the parameters of the law and department policy.

We will get by as we have in the past by juggling schedules and paying officers overtime to cover shift shortages, but we will be working with less staff and services are impacted. Unfortunately, when you’re working with less staff it puts all of the officers at more risk, and it gets to be a vicious circle.

While I am not an expert on the history behind the Community Center, I have been a member since the mid-’80s of the pool and fitness center. I have benefited from that membership and considered it a good example of programs that could be offered by the park district and the city in general. I like the Community Center and have been impressed with the idea behind the building and the location of the building.

When the Community Center was started, it was a multifunctional building housing both the National Guard and the pool with a gym. That use has been transformed over the years into a building that is now used and funded by the park district, the city and the school district. What has now transpired is a sad end to that great idea. The first step of this process was when the city commissioners decided to abandon the building and offered it to the park district for $1.

Let’s be clear about this, the city commission started this whole process with their initial action of abandonment. What followed was a series of decisions by the park and school district. The park district accepted the building but has now relinquished the ownership of the building to the school district. The end result of this mismanagement is what effect it has had on the population of Mandan and the thousands of Community Center members that are now displaced and displeased.

The city commission has failed miserably. How this mess will be fixed is not yet clear, but I am sure that two things will come out of the current situation: one, the city commission, along with the city administration, will proceed with the overall plan to build a event center downtown. A plan that is flawed and without merit. And I am also certain that part of that plan to build the new event center was the direct reason for the abandonment of the Community Center.

The city commission has abandoned the only event center in Mandan for a pipe dream. The reality is a new event center was not ever needed. The event center we had was never promoted to the extent that was needed to generate sufficient income. The second thing to come out of the current situation is that I will personally fight every action the City Commission attempts to build a new event center. I will seek every avenue of influence to kill this stupid idea as it will be nothing more than a huge drain on the taxpayers of Mandan.

Richard S. Tentis, Mandan

The Braves' Devin Aune, who not only won the first place title in diving at the 2009 WDA, but broke the previous WDA record with his performance, with a total score of 457 points. Craig Haug photo

By Brian L. Gray

Mandan captured the silver during the WDA swim meet, which was held last Saturday at the Mandan Community Center.

Yet on an individual level, a few Braves took the gold.

Senior Brave Sam Ellison took first place at WDA in the 100 breaststroke event, with a time of 1:03.36.

Another Brave, diver Devin Aune, a senior, not only finished in first place, but broke records with his performance on Saturday. His score of 457.00 beat the previous record of 454.50, set by Minot’s Layne Nordquist in 2008.

Taking the third place honor in diving was Mandan’s Jordan Barth, a sophomore. The placing for the two divers was a reversal of fortune for Barth and Aune who, last year, took the first and second place titles, respectively.

Mandan’s Jordan Laske and Joe Haaland rounded out the fourth and fifth place positions, as Mandan claimed four of the top five places in the diving competition.

Barth, after six rounds, led the competition in diving, ahead of Aune by over 21 points. But Aune received a 50.60 score in the seventh round, followed by scores of 51.75 and a 50.40 to edge out Barth for the title.

Ellison also placed third in the 100 butterfly, and third in the 200 individual medley.

Minot, which placed third last year after winning 10 consecutive state championships, took first place at the WDA tournament. Finishing in third was Williston.

Minot’s Joe Burns won first place in two individual events and two relays to help lead the Magicians to Saturday’s victory.

Overall, Minot won eight of the 12 events, which was punctuated by setting four WDA records.

Following the end of the WDA Tournament, the following Braves swimmers were named to the WDA All Conference Team – Devin Aune, Jordan Barth, Sam Ellison, Jordan Laske, Cale Schafer, David Stockdill and Jacob Wanner.

In addition to those awards, two Braves, Aune and Ellison, were selected as one of the top five nominees for Senior Athlete of the Year. The award went to Minot’s Burns. Jake Solper, also of Minot, was named the Coach of the Year.

WDA

Feb. 27

Team Scores

1. Minot 577. 2. Mandan 419. 3. Williston 321. 4. Jamestown 245. 5. Century 205. 6. Bismarck 183.

Individual Results

200-yard medley relay: 1. Min. (Kalvin Brown, Brandon Hamel, Joe Burns, Alex Lucy), 1:40.18 (meet record, old record 1:41.28, Min., 2001; pool record, old record 1:40.54, Fargo North, 1994). 2. Mandan, 1:44.48. 3. Williston, 1:45.26. 4. Bismarck, 1:48.03. 5. Century, 1:50.29. 6. Jamestown, 2:01.42.

200 freestyle: 1. Brandon Hamel, Min., 1:50.33 (meet record, old record 1:49.37, Brock Skarsgard, Minot, 2002). 2. Matt Schimke, Min., 1:51.74. 3. Steven Cox, Min., 1:54.13. 4. Chasen Miller, J., 1:54.53 5. Cale Schafer, Man., 1:56.38. 6. Levi Sether, C., 1:56.86. 7. Gabe Ellison, Man., 1:56.89. 8. Caleb Shaffer, W., 1:59.29.

9. Phillip Mangin, J, 2:00.68. 10. Tyler Riedinger, Man., 2:03.33. 11. Luke Schields, W, 2:04.09. 12. Jacob Anderson, W, 2:04.68. 13. Alex Malnaa, Min., 2:04.85. 14. Carl Curtiss, Man., 2:04.92. 15. Austin Semenko, W, 2:07.06. 16. Mike Drawz, Min., 2:07.07.

200 individual medley: 1. Landon Ostlie, J, 2:03.48. 2. Dylan Sether, C, 2:05.46. 3. Sam Ellison, Man., 2:05.97. 4. Zdenek Skalicky, Min., 2:06.71. 5. Owen Kusick, Min., 2:06.79. 6. Lee Keller, Min., 2:13.67. 7. Jeff Kleven, W, 2:13.80. 8. Jacob Wanner, Man., 2:15.11.

9. Austyn Reisenauer, W, 2:15.87. 10. Collin Kemmesat, C, 2:16.12. 11. Lucas Knight, Min., 2:18.71. 12. Dave Reimers, J, 2:23.20. 13. Dustin Dutchuk, C, 2:23.63. 14. Eric Mayer, Man., 2:23.77. 15. Nick Buch, Min., 2:23.88. 16. Matthew Steffes, B, 2:26.96.

50 freestyle: 1. Joe Burns, Min., 22.21. 2. WIlly Marler, J, 22.69. 3. Michael Farrenkopf, W, 23.22. 4. Kalvin Brown, Min., 23.27. 5. Alex Lucy, Min., 23.31. 6. Jordan Hahn, W, 23.34. 7. Nich Schonberger, Man., 23.89. 8. Jesse Heck, Man., 23.91.

9. Matt Nilson, Min., 23.93. 10. Josh Riepl, B, 23.96. 11. Thomas Stromme, B, 24.27. 12. Matthew Poppe, Man., 24.50. 13. John McEwen, Min., 24.95. 14. Roger Herrman, C, 25.26. 15. Kyle Pletan, W, 25.36. 16. (tie) Derek Pich, Man., and Cory Pletan, W, both 25.53.

Diving: 1. Devin Aune, Man., 457.00 (meet record, old record 454.50, Layne Nordquist, Min., 2008. 2. Jordan Barth, Man., 432.55. 3. Andrew Wangler, B, 409.85. 4. Jordan Laske, Man., 324.40. 5. Joe Haaland, Man., 315.85. 6. Jayden Azure, Min., 307.10. 7. Zach Johnson, Min., 295.75. 8. Josh Heldstab, Man., 281.10.

9. Nathan Donnelly, W, 275.30. 10. Jeremy Fix, Min., 272.85. 11. Nathan Berger, Man., 246.85. 12. Jake Walter, Min., 229.25. 13. Brett Goehner, J, 206.80. 14. Maurice Schlak, Min., 190.80.

100 butterfly: 1. Joe Burns, Min., 53.04. 2. Landon Ostlie, J, 57.12. 3. (tie) David Stockdill, Man., and Nathan Pepple, W, both 57.57. 5. Thomas Stromme, B, 1:00.67. 6. Matt Nilson, Min., 1:00.84. 7. John McEwen, Min., 1:03.35. 8. Logan Rasmussen, J, 1:03.73.

9. Cory Pletan, W, 1:04.83. 10. Braden Hodenfield, Min., 1:05.13. 11. Jordan Barth, Man., 1:05.94. 12. Luke Schields, W, 1:05.98. 13. Isaac Jensen, B, 1:06.08. 14. David Palmer, Min., 1:06.68. 15. Parker Scott, Min., 1:07.23. 16. Ben Wanner, Man., 1:07.41.

100 freestyle: 1. Willy Marler, J, 49.09. 2. Brandon Hamel, Min., 49.81. 3. Ben Bolinske, W, 50.46. 4. ALex Lucy, Min., 51.38. 5. Matt Schimke, Min., 51.51. 6. Jesse Heck, Man., 51.88. 7. Jordan Hahn, W, 52.51. 8. Jacques Stanley, Min., 53.10.

9. Matthew Poppe, Man., 54.09. 10. Josh Riepl, B, 54.96. 11. Alex Buchholz, Min., 55.44. 12. Carl Curtiss, Man., 56.61. 13. Zach Grosz, C, 56.80. 14. Roger Herrman, C, 56.81. 15. Derek Pich, Man., 57.14. 16. Mike Drawz, Min., 57.65.

500 freestyle: 1. Owen Kusick, Min., 5:03.06. 2. Chasen Miller, J, 5:08.90. 3. Dylan Sether, C, 5:10.98. 4. Steven Cox, Min., 5:14.38. 5. Levi Sether, C, 5:19.34. 6. Michael Farrenkopf, W, 5:20.48. 7. Cale Schafer, Man., 5:20.53. 8. Gabe Ellison, Man., 5:29.58.

9. Lee Keller, Min., 5:31.47. 10. Caleb Shaffer, W, 5:33.59. 11. Alex Malnaa, Min., 5:34.81. 12. Tyler Riedinger, Man., 5:35.73. 13. Phillip Mangin, J, 5:38.96. 14. Austin Schmidt, B, 5:41.34. 15. Jacob Anderson, W, 5:47.39. 16. Shawn Berger, Man., 5:48.07.

200 freestyle relay: 1. Minot (Matt Schimke, Steven Cox, Zdenek Skalicky, Alex Lucy), 1:33.01. 2. Mandan, 1:33.65. 3. Jamestown, 1:35.22. 4. Williston, 1:37.27. 5. Century, 1:43.96. 6. Bismarck, 1:44.11.

100 backstroke: 1. Kalvin Brown, Min., 56.98. 2. Ben Bolinske, W, 57.25. 3. Lucas Knight, Min., 59.58. 4. Jacob Wanner, Man., 1:00.03. 5. Nathan Pepple, W, 1:02.15. 6. Nick Buch, Min., 1:03.00. 7. Phillip Hamilton, Min., 1:04.03. 8. Dave Reimers, J, 1:04.29.

9. Eric Mayer, Man., 1:04.50. 10. Austin Schmidt, B, 1:05.36. 11. Andrew Bergan, Man, 1:05.52. 12. Braden Hodenfield, Min., 1:08.68. 13. Travis Troxel, Min., 1:09.21. 14. Taylor Werner, B, 1:09.35. 15. Chris Koppinger, C, 1:09.89. 16. Ben Wanner, Man., 1:10.47.

100 breaststroke: 1. Sam Ellison, Man., 1:03.36. 2. Zdenek Skalicky, Min., 1:04.61. 3. Collin Kemmesat, C, 1:04.62. 4. Ian Ballantyne, B, 1:05.25. 5. David Stockdill, Man., 1:06.28. 6. Jacques Stanley, Min., 1:07.93. 7. Jeff Kleven, W, 1:08.26. 8. Austyn Reisenauer, W, 1:09.10.

9. Nich Schonberger, Man., 1:09.63. 10. Andrew Wangler, B, 1:10.55. 11. Dustin Dutchuk, C, 1:12.03. 12. Matthew Steffes, B, 1:13.17. 13. Cataldo DiDonna, C, 1:13.47. 14. Alex Buchholz, Min., 1:14.24. 15. Alex Horner, B, 1:15.13. 16. Logan Rasmussen, J, 1:15.17.

400 freestyle relay: 1. Minot (Matt Schimke, Kalvin Brown, Brandon Hamel, Joe Burns), 3:20.44 (meet record, old record 3:20.80, Min., 2000. 2. Jamestown, 3:29.75. 3. Williston, 3:32.55. 4. Century, 3:37.08. 5. Mandan, 3:38.27. 6. Bismarck, 3:38.58.

The MAR Club January Athletes of the Month (l-r) Dani Taylor, Devin Aune, Jordan Barth.

Here are the Mandan Athletic and Recreation Club Athletes of the Month for the month of January:

Dani Taylor – Girls hockey

Grade: Junior

Parents: Marc and Dee Ann Taylor

Taylor, as the girls hockey team’s only goalie, played every minute of every game during the girls’ 2009-10 season. The team, which has no senior and only one junior – Taylor – has had to face a lot of hard action on the ice. Taylor, has been credited with stopping over 50 shots during a few games for the Braves.

Girls Hockey Head Coach Peder Stenslie said of Taylor, “Dani has always put team first. Goalie wasn’t a position she really wanted in the first place; but she accepted it when she was younger because she understood that she was the best at that position. I have always seen Dani approach the game of hockey with that kind of attitude, and it has made our team stronger.”

Taylor is also involved in track and field, rodeo, FFA and Student Council. She is also active in 4-H, the Mandan Horse and Saddle Club and Central Dakota Rodeo Club.

When she graduates in 2011, Taylor is not yet sure where she will attend college, but plans to major in business and political science.

Jordan Barth – Swimming and Diving

Grade: Sophomore

Barth, during the month of January, had three first place finishes at meets, and three second place wins. He took first place at the Fargo South Dual, the Fargo North Dual and the Jamestown Invite.

The Jamestown Invite was the season’s first 10-team invite, and Barth set a new pool record there with a score of 439.20 for 11 dives. In addition to diving, Barth is also on many relays for the Braves, and also shaved 4 seconds off his individual time in the 100 butterfly.

Devin Aune – Swimming and Diving

Grade: Senior

In January, Aune received three first place finishes, and won second place twice. Aune took the first place title for the Manley Invite, Jamestown Dual and at the Bismarck-Century Dual. At the Jamestown Dual, Aune set a new pool record for six dives and earned a total score of 251.50 points.

Devin also fills in on relays, and in January was able to drop 1.5 seconds off his 50 freestyle time.

Boys Swimming and Diving Head Coach Ralph Manley said of both Barth and Aune, “Jordan Barth and Devin Aune have switched first and second places the whole month of January. Both young men are outstanding. The team is very fortunate to have the top two elite divers in the state.”

Level 4

Team Awards

1. Eastern Montana 109.55 2. American Gold 108.8 3. Dakota Star 107.95 4. Dickinson 107.75 5. Bismarck Gymnastics 107.6 6. Red River Valley 104.85 7. Western Stars 104.25 8. Gymagic 97.9. 9. TNT Gymnastics 94.85.

Individual awards

Vault: Blue Ribbons – Kaya Gayette 9.25, Cathy Friesz 9.1 Red Ribbons – Rylee Bowers 8.9, Nellie Masseth 8.55. Bars: Blue Ribbons – Gayette 9.1 Red Ribbons- Friesz 8.55 White Ribbons – Bowers 8.05 Green Ribbons – Masseth 6.9. Beam: Blue Ribbons- Friesz 9.45, Gayette 9.1, Masseth 9.0; Red Ribbons – Bowers 8.8. Floor: Blue Ribbons – Friesz 9.2, Masseth 9.25, Gayette 9.0; Red Ribbons – Bowers 8.9. All around: Blue Ribbons – Friesz 36.3, Gayette 36.45, Bowers 34.65; Red Ribbons – Masseth 33.7.

Level 5

Team Awards

1. Bismarck Gymnastics 108.15 2. Red River Valley 103.45 3. Valley Twisters 103.2 4. American Gold 103.15 5. TNT Gymnastics 102.5 6. Dakota Star 102.3 7. Eastern Montana 99.6 8. Dickinson 96.95.

Individual awards

Vault: White Ribbons – Amanda Cave 8.3, Abby Patrick 8.4, Jaysea Bowers 8.45. Bars: White Ribbons – Bowers 8.2, Cave 8.1; Yellow Ribbons – Patrick 7.7. Beam: Blue Ribbons – Bowers 9.1; Red Ribbons – Cave 8.85, Patrick 8.7. Floor: Blue Ribbons – Bowers 9.25; Red Ribbons – Cave 8.65, Patrick 8.6. All Around: Blue Ribbons – Bowers 35.0; Red Ribbons – Cave 33.9, Patrick 33.4.

Level 6

Team Awards

1. Valley Twisters 102.25 2. Red River Valley 101.075 3. Bismarck Gymnastics 100.825 4. American Gold 99.75 5. Dakota Star 97.8 6. Dickinson 95.05 7. Eastern Montana 91.55

Individual awards

Age Group 8-10 – Vault: Second, Kate Dillman 8.75. Bars: First, Dillman 7.25. Floor: Third, Dillman 8.65. All Around: Fourth, Dillman 32.15.

Age Group 11-12 – Vault: Second, Rachel Dillman 9.2. Bars: Fourth, Dillman 7.75. Floor: Second, Dillman 9.225. All Around: Fourth, Dillman 34.45.

Age Group 13+ – Beam: Fourth Brianna Bosch 8.4. Floor: Third (Tie), Bosch 8.0. All around: Fourth, Bosch 31.2, Ninth; Sara Wolt 28.375.

Level 8

All Ages

Vault: First, Kaytlyn Bowers 8.625. Bars: Second, McKenzie Swallow 7.55. Beam: Third, Bowers 9.1. Floor: Third, Bowers 9.05. All around: Third, Bowers 33.325; Fifth, Swallow 32.6.

Level 9

All Ages – Beam: First, Brianna Wilson 8.05. Floor: First, Wilson 8.9. All Around: Second, Wilson 31.875.