Florence Township

National Night Out is Aug. 6

Jul 31, 2019

National Night Out is Tuesday, Aug. 6, with celebrations planned in Lake City, Florence Township, and Zumbro Falls. The annual night of block parties is designed to create connections among neighbors and law enforcement as a way to combat crime. Neighborhoods throughout Lake City host parties each...

Township elections 2019

Apr 3, 2019

Several townships around the area held elections and annual meetings on March 12. What follows are results from the proceedings, as reported by the respective township clerks. Two townships that didn’t are Oakwood and Zumbro; they hold their elections in the fall. Belvidere Township Fifteen...

Letter: Vote Boege

Mar 6, 2019

To the editor: We are endorsing Mr. Ben Boege for Florence Township Supervisor in the upcoming Township election. Ben is a native of Florence Township, an engineer by education, with several years experience as a township planning commissioner. He knows the area and it’s people well, and will...

Villa Maria hotel project advances

Oct 18, 2018

Plans to convert the former Villa Maria Retreat Center in Florence Township took a major step forward recently with approvals of rezoning and conditional use permits from Goodhue County and Florence Township. Goodhue County commissioners approved a conditional use permit allowing a resort facility...

Florence Township mine permit put on hold

Jun 27, 2018

The Goodhue County Board has again tabled its decision on whether to approve a conditional-use permit request by Doug Mahoney for a non-metallic mining operation on his property in Florence Township. Representatives from the town board attended the county board meeting to say that Mahoney had...

Letter: Reporting on Florence Twp. mine issue was flawed

Jun 20, 2018

To the editor: The June 14th Sarah Hansen article “County Board delays decision on reopening of mine near Frontenac” about Doug Mahoney’s mining proposal is flawed. 1. The proposed site in Mr. Mahoney’s application does involve at least 20-30 percent of mining in the Bluff Impact Zone. 2. There...

Corrected: Goodhue County Board delays decision on mine near Frontenac

Jun 14, 2018

Eighteen concerned citizens sat at the Goodhue County Board meeting on June 5 to watch commissioners consider issuing a conditional-use permit to re-open a former mining operation. Commissioner Paul Drotos raised the public’s arguments against the mining facility at the top of the discussion point...

Letter: Township property maintenance rules are unconstitutional

Jun 14, 2018

To the editor: On May 7 the Florence Township Planning Board held a public meeting to adopt a “property maintenance” rule. With the blessing of the town board, they said. Public input was asked for in advance, though they didn’t want and would not accept input from the public (all two of us) that...

New owner announces plans for re-invented Villa Maria

May 9, 2018

Commonwealth Properties, a St. Paul real estate and hospitality company with a special niche in restoring and revitalizing historic properties, announced plans to reinvent the 63-acre Villa Maria property as a “romantic boutique country hotel complex.” “There is no other place in the region that I...

Author of new Old Frontenac history books headlines Florence Township History Fair

Apr 11, 2018

Friends of the Florence Town Hall will host a Florence Township History Fair Saturday, April 21, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Town Hall, 33915 Hwy 61, Frontenac. Refreshments will be served and door prizes awarded. There is no entrance charge. At 2 p.m. Lorry Wendland, resident of Old Frontenac,...