By Deborah Banish

The 48th Annual Meeting of Rutland Housing, Inc., the non-profit corporation that owns and manages three apartment houses in Rutland, was held at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, in the Rutland Town Hall. Manager-Treasurer Bert Siemieniewski delivered the annual report of corporate activities for the past year as well as a financial report that showed a positive balance in the corporation’s books. Ms. Siemieniewski reported that, as of April 3, there were 9 apartments occupied and 5 apartments available for occupancy. She also reported that there are a number of prospective tenants who are expected to move into some of the available apartments in the near future. All three of the company’s apartment houses have undergone major renovations and improvements in the past few years, and work continues on updating and upgrading apartment units as funds are available. Rutland Housing was established in 1971 to provide housing for low income elderly persons in the community utilizing a long-term low interest financing program from the USDA’s Farmers Home Administration. The first apartment house, the four-plex at 207 First Street, was occupied on January 1, 1972. Two more apartment houses, another four-plex at 316 Ross Street and a six-plex at 204 Dakota Street, were built between 1972 and 1975. Rutland Housing’s first Board of Directors included: Earl Anderson; Rudy Anderson; Norbert Kulzer; Aldon Donaldson; and, Skip Sjothun. Kenny Briese was the manager of the Farmers Home Administration program in Sargent County in the early 70’s, and his knowledge of FmHA’s rules, regulations and procedures was instrumental in obtaining the financing to build the apartment houses. Current Directors and Officers of Rutland Housing, Inc., are: Delores Lysne, President; Bill Anderson, Vice-President; Carolyn Christensen, Secretary; and, Bert Siemieniewski, Treasurer/Manager. For information about renting one of Rutland Housing’s apartments, contact Manager Bert Siemieniewski at 724-3553. The next annual meeting of Rutland Housing, Inc., is scheduled for the first week in April, 2020.

The Rutland Community Club held its monthly meeting on Monday, April 8. Plans are underway for the Block Party which has been scheduled for June 6^th with burgers and hotdogs and fun activities yet to be finalized. Art in the Park tie-dying will be offered in July. The Club will be purchasing several flower planters to be placed in town and those will show up in mid-May once the frost is gone. No one has stepped forward as yet to coordinate and chair Uffda Day but that did not deter the group from discussing and planning activities. Club members present reviewed four submissions for the Uffda Day T-shirt design. Each design had a unique creative touch from the artist but in the end the winning artist was Becky Kotzer.

The Sargent County Breakfast was held on Monday, April 8 at the Golden Corral in Mesa. This month was the last meeting for the season. The following were present: Al Ciota of Arizona; Jim & Kathryn Gaukler; Lyle and Sharda Kratcha of Colorado; Orvis & Alphie Pearson; and Clarence Renschler. Many are on their way back with others returning in the next few weeks. Curt and Renee Larson missed the meeting as they spent a few days in Orlando and WDW before heading back to Forman. Welcome back to winter Curt and Renee!

The Rutland City Council will meet on Monday, April 15, at 5:00 p.m. as the Board of Equalization. County Equalization Director Denise Ferderer will attend the meeting. The Board of Equalization will proceed to equalize and correct the assessment roll as presented by the Director. During the meeting, any person may apply to the board for a correction of errors or valuation of real property. This is the time to request any changes or review of property tax assessments and valuations.

Rutland’s annual Easter Egg Hunt will be held Saturday, April 20^th, starting at 10:00 a.m. sharp. The event is open for youth ages 0-11 and everyone is welcome to come watch the fun. The Easter Bunny will be present so attendees should bring their cameras to get those fun pictures.

The Rutland Community Club theater presentation has been rescheduled for Saturday, May 18. Director Diane Smith promises a fun-filled evening so be sure to watch for details on the showtime.

Well, that’s it for this week. Remember, whenever you want to know what’s going on in the little city that can, read the pages of The Teller, check out the Rutland web site at www.rutlandnd.com and stop by the Rutland blog and Facebook page.