JESSICA HARPER JOHN GESSNER JOHN GESSNER
Eagan can support more retail 2A 360 board won’t discuss CEO 20A Country Village keeps license 20A
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DATE ##, 2009 DECEMBER 29, 2011
VOLUME 30, NUMBER # VOLUME 32, NUMBER 44
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Cities earn Livable Communities grants NEWS
Apple Valley, Rosemount slated to receive $1.51 million by Tad Johnson DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
The cities of Apple Valley and Rosemount will receive up to $1.51 million in grants after the Metropolitan Council approved in December a subcommittee’s recommendation. Apple Valley will receive $896,000 for land, utilities and park improvements associated with a senior housing development at Cobblestone Lake. A second Apple Valley project will receive $174,800 in funding for sidewalks and trails that would link a high-density housing development to the future Cedar Avenue bus rapid transit line. Rosemount’s proposed Steeple Center Senior Housing project will receive $440,000 to relocate a natural gas substation, build rain gardens and underground stormwater treatment, add streetlights, and build a sidewalk and pub-
lic plaza. The Livable Communities program allocations, which included a total of $9 million, were approved on Dec. 5 by the Livable Communities Advisory Committee. “These grants, year after year, perform extreme makeovers on outdated development, improve connections between people and jobs and help to ensure the region maintains the quality of life that continues to attract quality employers,” Met Council Chair Susan Haigh said in a press release.
Apple Valley projects The grants will leverage additional investment in both cities. The Cobblestone Lake development, located south of County Road 42 between Pilot Knob Road and Diamond Path, is filled with single-family homes
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and townhomes in a compact, pedestrianfriendly design. A proposed 214-unit senior housing building would further diversify the development’s housing stock. Apple Valley Community Development Director Bruce Nordquist said the project scored well because of the number of units it would create for seniors and for the gathering spaces planned. “One of the most important parts is the creation of place,” Nordquist said. “It is defining a location. This housing proposal and park improvements, they will define the west end of the Cobblestone Lake area.” An estimated $598,000 of the total is for land acquisition and sanitary sewer; water and storm sewer service; off-site ponding; and trunk sanitary, water and storm sewer fees. The grant will fund a gazebo, performance space, park furnishings, playground equipment and trail connections. Norquist said the expectation is for the project to start in fall 2012, with a 12to 14-month buildout. The trail project to connect the Cedar Avenue busway to Gathering, a 240-unit apartment building at Founders Lane and Garrett Avenue, also is expected to start
National Guard off icials say the guard has received unwarranted attention for suicide rates among its troops. TIM BUDIG 2A FORUM
The charter school movement across the nation is providing students and parents with options that meet a range of needs. JOE 4A NATHAN FORUM
A double dose of Don Heinzman: Communities grow stronger when we shop local; donate to food shelves. DON 4A HEINZMAN
See Grants, Page 6A
Correction An article in the Dec. 22 edition about Prime Therapeutics’ expansion into the former Buffets Inc. headquarters in Eagan included a photo of the Buffets Inc. building located at 1020 Discovery Road. Prime Therapeutics is, in fact, expanding into the former Buffets Inc. space at 1460 Buffet Way. The Tribune regrets the error.
Photos by Rick Orndorf and Tad Johnson
The Metropolitan Council awarded the cities of Apple Valley and Rosemount more than $1.5 million in Livable Communities grants for three projects that are in the planning stages. One will fund a trail that will link the Apple Valley Transit Station (above) to a new apartment building called Gathering. Another will help fund infrastructure and park improvements for the future Steeple Center (right) Senior Housing project in Rosemount. A third will help fund improvements associated with a senior housing building at Cobblestone Lake in Apple Valley.
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Eleven to be honored as 2012 Exceptional Businesswomen Third annual award ceremony in February by Tad Johnson DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
The Dakota County Tribune Business Weekly and the Dakota County Technical College Foundation have selected 11 recipients of the
2012 Exceptional Businesswomen award. The women, who will be honored at a Thursday, Feb. 16, noon luncheon at the Best Western Premier Nicollet Inn in Burnsville, are: • Sunny Bhakta, owner of Comfort Inn, Lakeville, and Budget Host Inn, Owatonna; • Connie Braziel, deputy director and chief operating
officer of the Minnesota Zoo, Apple Valley; • Jamie Dahlen, an owner of Holiday Inn & Suites , Lakeville, and Best Western Premier Nicollet Inn, Burnsville; • Michele Engdahl, manager, government and community affairs for Thomson Reuters, Eagan; • Carrie Guarrero, senior
vice president and regional manager for Cornerstone Mortgage Company, Burnsville; • Chris Holtan, founder, vice president, consultant for Lancet Software, Burnsville; • Peggy Johnson, community relations director, Dakota Electric, Farmington; • Sheila Longie, former president of Document De-
struction, Lakeville and now a sales representative for Shred Right, which recently acquired Document Destruction. ; • Sona Mehring, founder and CEO of CaringBridge, Eagan; • Terri Shepherd, founder and CEO of Xact Resources Inc., Burnsville, and • Teresa Wise, senior vice president and chief informa-
tion officer of Delta Airlines, Eagan. This is the third year the awards have been bestowed. For more information about the award, go online at www.ThisweekLive.com and look for a link to the Exceptional Businesswomen page. Tad Johnson is at editor. thisweek@ecm-inc.com.