The war in Iraq, the state budget deficit and a new library, veterans memorial, motel and supermarket were some of the things that occupied Annandale-area residents during 2003. Sign-carrying demonstrators staged the first of many weekly peace rallies at Annandale Memorial Park along Highway 55 in mid-January to protest a possible war with Iraq. The event attracted a counter demonstrator and a National Guard member with different views, while passing drivers honked or gestured their approval or disapproval. Demonstrations continued every Friday for weeks, often including people carrying “Liberate Iraq” signs, sometimes resulting in a dialogue between the two sides. The U.S. invaded Iraq on March 19, and several area soldiers went to war, including members of the 353rd Transportation Co., a Buffalo-based Army Reserve unit that shipped out in mid-February. The unit returned to a flag-waving welcome in Buffalo just before Christmas. Soldiers with area ties were among members of Delta Battery, 216th Air Defense Artillery of Monticello who were activated in November. They’re training at Fort Lewis, Wash., and are scheduled for deployment to Iraq early in the new year. Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s budget proposal in February contained deep cuts in state aid that threatened to throw the city of Annandale into a financial crisis. It also proposed to skim off thousands of dollars in savings from Annandale Community Education by capping community education fund balances, eliminate state funding for Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion programs, cut back money for area Senior Dining and Meals on Wheels – all part of an effort to wipe out a $4.2 million state budget deficit. Ultimately, a compromise in the closing days of the Minnesota Legislature in May significantly reduced state aid cuts for Annandale and other cities and restored most of the money for the other programs, but Community Education’s savings account ended up $58,000 short. The new Annandale Area Public Library opened for business in early June after volunteers hauled thousands of books from the century-old former library a half-block away. The move into the $605,000 building on the north side of the city hall came almost six months ahead of deadline. The Harper Family Foundation pledged $250,000 if the community matched that amount by Dec. 1, 2002, and built a new library by Dec. 1, 2003. Donations reached $250,000 by mid-July and eventually totaled more than $350,000. Workers put the crowning touch on Annandale Memorial Park on July 1, installing seven black granite columns. Six represent the branches of the military and the seventh is dedicated to veterans and those who have died for their country. The park was built by the Annandale Lions Club over three years. The 38-room AmericInn Lodge and Suites opened for business in mid-June on the north side of Highway 55 east of the Dairy Queen, featuring an indoor swimming pool and hot tub. The owner-developer is JTS Development LLC, which is owned by Jon, Tim and Sue Ferrell of Annandale. Marketplace founder Marv Marohn and his family swung open the doors on their sprawling new Marketplace store east of the hotel during the first week of November. The 45,000-square-foot store has three times more space than the old one, and everything about it is bigger and brighter. Other notable happenings included the January death of Harvey Hawkinson, who kept the city of Annandale running for 30 years as its city clerk, and the November resignation of Mary Degiovanni after 51/2 years as city administrator to become finance director at Sartell. The Year in Review is in this week’s Advocate. Pick it up on newsstands or call or e-mail our office for subscription information.
