New Ulm, $450,000; County, $335,000

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Damage estimates, primarily from Minnesota River flooding, total $785,000 for New Ulm and Brown County and are included in the disaster declaration request submitted by Gov. Jesse Ventura to President Bush Wednesday.

The total for damage in New Ulm was $450,000, according to City Clerk/City Treasurer Gary Gleisner. Brown County Emergency Management Director Jan Starz said the request submitted by her office for the county, unincorporated townships and Springfield totaled $335,000.

U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy, R-Minn., said Thursday in a tele-conference call that he is asking other Minnesota representatives to join him in a letter to Bush asking that the request be funded at 75 percent, rather than the new 50 percent level.

"I feel that to fund the disaster request at 50 percent after the fact in Minnesota is inappropriate, and I hope the rest of Minnesota's delegation in the House will provide a united front on this issue," Kennedy told reporters.

"We have communities that are still attempting to recover from recent floods, and they're attempting to save up to replace and improve dikes."

All counties on either side of the river are included in the list of 51 counties, tagged by the governor for disaster relief.

New Ulm Street Commissioner Tom Patterson said he had been notified that a Federal Emergency Management Agency team would be in New Ulm "sometime next week."

Kennedy announced he would return to Minnesota this weekend to join the governor in the traditional fishing opener Saturday. The governor will be fishing in Pelican Lake near Brainerd.

Kennedy, who toured the AMPI butter processing plant and New Ulm Medical Center Saturday, said he came away with valuable insights from both places.

"It was fascinating to me to see the innovations in butter processing at the AMPI plant. It's hard to believe there can be that much innovation in butter processing," Kennedy said.

He said he had the opportunity to meet with AMPI dairy farmers, learning how the Minnesota approach differs from national dairy standards. "It will impact how I approach these issues."

Kennedy said he saw "how reimbursement rates in Medicare payments are pinching" and picked up some tips on how the situation could be corrected.