by Dennis Dalman
editorial@thenewsleaders.com
A painted evocation of the former Sartell paper mill was presented to the Sartell City Council at its Feb. 13 meeting by members of the Sartell Retired Firefighters Engine Co. 844.
The firefighters commissioned the print from an artist to commemorate the mill and to sell as a fundraiser for the retired firefighters’ good deeds.
Ken Schulte, a retired firefighter, presented the framed painting on behalf of his colleagues in the audience.
It’s important the paper mill, now utterly gone, be commemorated because people moving here now are unaware it even existed, Schulte noted. The site where it was is just a vast empty space after the plant’s demolition.
An explosion at the plant May 28, 2012, killed one worker and caused the historic mill to shut down forever. It had stood for more than 100 years, first as Watab Paper, then St. Regis, Champion Paper, International Paper and, finally, as Verso Paper.
Schulte said the fire that resulted after the explosion was one of the biggest fires in Minnesota history, with 90 fire departments helping fight the fire for seven days. And yes, Schulte added, there is little or nothing on the Internet about the extent of the major fire.
“The only way to learn is to look back,” Schulte said. “We have to preserve what we had, what we did and what we want to do.”
Preserving the past is important, he told the council, adding the Sartell Senior Connection is now working on a plan to preserve the city’s historical artifacts.
Schulte’s family moved to Sartell in 1953 when he was only 3. At the time, the city’s population sign said 377. In all the years since then, Schulte said, the city’s growth amazed him, especially during the 1980s when, with all the other new amenities in Sartell, the paper plant was expanded.
Having grown up in Sartell, Schulte is keenly aware of how those changes throughout the decades should be commemorated for future residents. He gave one example. As a resident of the city’s east side, Schulte lives next to Val Smith Park, which was nothing but a pasture way back when.
“And now it (that pasture) is a shining star in the city’s park system,” Schulte said.
The colorful painting Schulte presented to the council depicts the mill across the river with ducks flying and someone fishing from a Lund boat.
Sartell Mayor Sarah Jane Nicoll thanked the retired firefighters for the gift to the city, which will be displayed inside city hall.
“We look forward to displaying it proudly,” she said.
Copies of the painting, as art prints, can be purchased by calling Ken Schulte at 320-761-4460.
Ken Schulte of Sartell, a retired firefighter, holds the art print he and fellow retired firefighters donated to the Sartell City Council at its Feb . 13 meeting. The commissioned painting, which was made into prints, shows the now-gone Verso paper mill from across the river. The print, framed or unframed, can be purchased by calling Schulte at 320-761-4460.
