Dakota County
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Apple Valley • Farmington • Rosemount
DakotaCountyTribune.com
Feb. 22, 2019 • Volume 133 • Number 51
Established 1884
A win for the community’ Apple Valley awarded funding for Galaxie Avenue crossing improvements by Patty Dexter SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Apple Valley city officials and Greenleaf Elementary School administrators have long been concerned about pedestrian and traffic safety on Galaxie Avenue near the school. Greenleaf Principal Michelle deKam Palmieri still remembers a 2016 traffic incident involving students in front of the school. After school one day in February 2016, two students were struck by a car while crossing Galaxie in the crosswalk. They suffered minor injuries, she said. Families who live across the street from the school qualify for district busing because the district’s transportation department has deemed Galaxie to be a hazardous crossing. “Galaxie has been an ongoing concern,” deKam Palmieri said. The city of Apple Valley has been awarded federal funding to improve safety for students crossing Galaxie to go to Greenleaf. The Metropolitan Council recently approved a list of 57 transportation projects chosen by the Transportation Advisory Board to receive federal funding. They include highway, bridge, bicycle and pedestrian projects in 37 cities and townships
Graphic courtesy of the city of Farmington
At its Feb. 13 meeting, the Farmington Parks and Recreation Commission chose this design for Marigold Park’s playground. The farm-themed playground, located near Kemps Dairy, is expected to be installed by the end of September.
New playgrounds coming this summer Equipment proposed for Marigold, Prairie Pines parks by Jody Peters SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE File photo by Patty Dexter
Families cross Galaxie Avenue near Greenleaf Elementary School during its Oct. 12, 2018, National Walk and Bike to School Day celebration. and seven counties, according to a news release. “A multimodal transportation system is a key component to the vitality and prosperity of our region,” said Nora Slawik, Metropolitan Council chair, in the news release. “As we think about how our region is going to grow, planning for and investing in the future is critical to ensure we keep up with the growing demand for transportation options.”
History of problems The February 2016 incident prompted deKam Palmieri to approach the Apple Valley Traffic Safety Advisory Committee the
next month about her concerns with pedestrian and motorist safety in the area. The issues at the time included traffic backups on Galaxie during school beginning and dismissal times and concerns about pedestrians crossing Galaxie, which is a busy road often used by drivers as an alternative to Cedar Avenue, she said. Apple Valley City Engineer Brandon Anderson said several years ago the city applied for federal Safe Routes to School funding to address some of the traffic issues on Galaxie near Greenleaf, but the application was denied. He said deKam Palmieri’s
concerns expressed at the March 2016 committee meeting prompted the city to seek federal Safe Routes to School funding another time. “It’s something we’ve been trying to get for some time,” he said.
Project The city of Apple Valley applied for federal funding for a “Greenleaf Elementary Galaxie Crossing” and was awarded $198,240. The total cost of the project is $247,800. The project will provide a high-intensity crosswalk beacon at Galaxie Avenue to stop traffic and allow See Galaxie, 25A
Farmington children will soon be able to swing and slide on two new playgrounds. Marigold and Prairie Pines parks are scheduled to have playgrounds installed by Sept. 30. At the Parks and Recreation Commission’s Feb. 13 meeting, commission members chose playground and shelter designs to recommend to the Farmington City Council. Because the council’s Feb. 19 meeting was canceled, the official decision will likely come at its next meeting, scheduled for March 4.
Marigold Park Because Marigold Park, 21195 Cameron Way, is near Kemps Dairy, the commission identified a vision of a farm-themed playground. The Parks and Recreation Department sought proposals for playground equipment that fit the farm theme and also aims to install a single-roof square shelter on the site. Five vendors submitted playground proposals and four submitted shelter proposals. The playground will be just under 2,250 square feet, meaning it’s “basically a single lot,” Parks and Recreation Director Randy Distad told the commission. See Parks, 25A
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