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FF township supervisor remembered for a lifetime of community service
Published 11:17am Monday, December 10, 2012Longtime Fergus Falls election judge and township board supervisor Vic Petterson passed away Thursday in Fergus Falls.
The semi-retired grain and beef farmer was very active on the township board, and other community service projects.
“He had done a fine job over the years he was on the board,” said Jerry Cichosz, fellow township board supervisor. “It really takes someone that pays attention to the roads — Vic was very concerned about road conditions for people in the township.”
Elaine Schoening, township clerk, said Petterson was elected in 1999 after his dad was on the board for a long time.
“As a supervisor he was involved in everything,” said Schoening.
Through the township board Petterson was involved in FEMA funding issues for different places in township, road construction, gofer bounties, reviewing development issues such as Woodland Heights and the ethanol plant when they were built, negotiating the fire protection contract with the city, mowing and spraying in the township and signage.
“One of his favorite projects was the annual trash collection day first Saturday in May,” said Cichosz. “He initiated that community cleanup for the township.”
A recent community project Petterson worked on went beyond his duties on the township board.
“He worked hard to get the rest stop on Hwy. 88 back to how it was because it was a landmark in the township,” said Craig Goese, chairman of the township board.
Petterson frequently drove by the rest stop, which had been in disrepair for decades. He called Shelly Becklund with the local DNR office and eventually won the approval to establish a small park on the site. Petterson then contacted the county’s sentencing to service program and got the jail inmates involved cutting down brush.
Petterson then got a couple of heavy duty picnic tables from Kevin Langbehn of Fergus Tire, a sign from the M-R Sign Company and the Elizabeth Sportsmen’s Club and the Fergus Falls Fish and Game Club to help with upkeep.
“He was very proud of the rest stop — he was always working for his community and township,” said John Lindquist, commissioner on the Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners. “He was always very involved.”
