Welcome, Supt. Koster

THUMBS UP: The District 88 School Board made it official this week, signing a contract with Sean Koster to become the next Superintendent of Schools in New Ulm. Koster was the favorite choice through two rounds of interviews, which ended on Tuesday. At that point the school board quickly settle on Koster as their pick for the position. This is the most important task any school board has, to select the person who will lead the district. The board seems to have a great deal of trust in what Koster will bring to the district, and that is important for the district and for the new superintendent. Koster will be filling a big pair of shoes that Supt. Jeff Bertrang will be leaving behind. Bertrang has seen the district through some tremendous changes, with the building of a new high school and several successful levy referendum questions. Bertrang, in turn, filled the big shoes left by Harold Remme, who helped lead the search that led to Koster. We look forward to getting to know Supt. Koster.

Thanks, Ikes

THUMBS UP: The Izaak Walton League in New Ulm is making a big difference to several New Ulm Park and Rec programs with an $11,000 donation, announced this week. The Ikes will donate $5,000 to the Riverside Park Environmental Learning Center, $5,000 to help replace the trap shooting range in New Ulm, and $1,000 for the New Ulm Pollinator Park. These are all excellent programs, and the city should be very appreciative of their generosity.

Xcel Energy’s silence

THUMBS DOWN: It is very disconcerting that Xcel Energy has to shut down its nuclear power plant in Monticello because of a pipe that is leaking water mixed radioactive material. It is even more disconcerting that Xcel Energy took four months to tell the public about the initial leak in November, and is now dealing with a second, smaller leak. Xcel said the leakage, which contains tritium, is not dangerous and poses no threat to the drinking water in nearby communities, or the Mississippi River. Be that as it may, there is no excuse for Xcel to take so long to let its neighbors know what was happening. The Monticello plant first opened in 1971, and the leak is in the original part of the plant. The plant is licensed to remain in operation until 2050. Xcel needs to regain the public’s trust, and that has to include being forthright and timely with this kind of news.