Traut Cos. was key to an investigation surrounding two decades-old municipal wells in St. Anthony Village.
Of primary concern was the wells’ proximity to an area with well restrictions to protect aquifers. Investigation into the location of the wells was completed by Minnesota Department of Health by investigative drilling by Traut to verify the material in the wells and determine if the required liner casings were present.
Traut drilled out both wells and discovered they had ungrouted liner casings which could allow downward movement of water and contaminants to aquifers. The wells were then resealed. By completing the project groundwater was safeguarded for St. Anthony Village and public health was protected.
Granite City Gearheads, the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition Team from the St. Cloud district competed in the Medtronic Foundation Regional competition this weekend; 60 teams attended, mostly from Minnesota, but some came from as far as Florida and the Czech Republic.
The team includes Rose Kellner of St. Joseph and Carter Calhoun and Jaeger Johnson, who both attend Sartell High School.
This year’s challenge was titled FIRST POWER-UP, themed after classic eight-bit arcade games. Robots had to collect “power-up cubes” and stack them on scales and switches in order to maintain control for the longest time in order to score more points. At the end of a match, teams may climb the center scale to earn more points.
The Gearheads ranked ninth in the competition and advanced to the eighth seed when two higher ranked teams joined together during alliance selection.
As a result of being the eighth seed, the Gearheads formed their own alliance and went on to earn second place and a spot in the World Championship in Detroit on April 25-28.
The Granite City Gearheads team includes (front row, left to right) Kaylin Fischer, Lori Dale, Rose Kellner, Natalie Fischer and Hannah Applegate; (second row) Barb Fischer, Colton Hennek, Carter Calhoun, Donovan Magney, David Dale, Bridget Applegate and Corey Applegate; (back row) Dave Fischer, Gavin Peabody, Justin Fischer, Jaeger Johnson, Zachary Asplund, Christopher Schweiger, Austin Applegate, Nicholas Asplund and Taylor Bauer. Kellner is from St. Joseph.
