Edina
CURRENT
July 14, 2011 • V41.28
City of Edina considering plan to ease construction complaints
minnlocal.com
In the Community, With the Community, For the Community
Edina’s Dean rocks the diamond. Page 22
75¢
Five eco-friendly homes on tour
Residents say constant house construction disruptive BY KATIE MINTZ • SUN NEWSPAPERS Janet Skalicky said her Edina backyard on Minnehaha Creek used to be tranquil. But constant construction has changed Halifax Lane in recent years. “It’s basically a nightmare,” said Skalicky. “Our quality of life has really diminished. We can’t open our windows. We can’t enjoy our patio. We can’t entertain.” She said four houses have been torn down and rebuilt on the block where her family has lived for nearly 15 years. When the noise finally ends each evening, her patio and windows are covered in dust. She said her children don’t get to sleep in like their classmates in summer, and during the school
Blueberry bushes, apple and peach trees fill Mark Campbell’s front yard in Edina. In all, he grows more than 75 kinds of fruit, vegetables and herbs in his organic garden, which will be showcased Sunday, July 31, in the Eco Yard and Garden Tour. (Photos by Katie Mintz • Sun Newspapers)
Edina Energy and Environment Commission’s first Edina Eco Yard and Garden Tour Sunday, July 31 BY KATIE MINTZ SUN NEWSPAPERS Of all the edibles in Mark Campbell’s plentiful Edina garden, he picks a small sour fruit as one of his favorites. “I’m really into the gooseberries because nothing else likes them,” said Campbell, who turns
the berries into sweet desserts and preserves. When he’s lucky, he beats blue jays to his cherries, squirrels to his apricots, bunnies to his blueberries and a host of other critters to the more than 75 kinds of fruit, vegetables and herbs in his garECOTOUR: TO PAGE 17
Mark Campbell checks on the fruit trees in his backyard Wednesday, July 6, to see how they’re fairing among the many birds and animals that visit for a snack.
CONSTRUCTION: TO PAGE 14
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