Winter season commences
Curator moving on
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Hutchings leaving history center post
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CHANHASSEN
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2011
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Another setback for Walmart proposal City Council 4-0 against concept BY RICHARD CRAWFORD editor@chanvillager.com
Walmart representatives said they were prepared to spend money on roads, bring jobs and tax base to the city and keep millions of local dollars in Chanhassen, but their proposal to build at a vacant corner in Chanhassen has netted precisely zero votes. On Monday the Chanhassen City Council voted 4-0 against Walmart’s rezoning request for a 120,000-square-foot store at the intersection of Highway 5 and Powers Boulevard. Rezoning would be needed because of the proposed size of the building. The council echoed concerns expressed
by the city’s Planning Commission earlier this month and city staff regarding deficiencies in the plan related to parking, traffic, landscaping and architecture. City officials also have heeded a strong public outcry and have fielded hundreds of e-mails and calls from residents who have lined up against the proposal. Residents have raised a host of issues, ranging from concerns about additional crime to how a big-box retailer would affect existing businesses. Several hundred residents crowded into City Hall Monday even though there was no formal public comment period.
WALMART: $10 MILLION A YEAR Prior to the vote, Walmart representatives indicated they were prepared to pay $1.5 million to address intersection upgrades needed on Highway 5 and Powers Boulevard to accommodate additional traffic. The city does not have money programmed for inter-
section upgrades there. Lisa B. Nelson, a Walmart spokeswoman, said the company wants to locate in Chanhassen because it knows it can have success at the location. Receipts at the Walmart store in Eden Prairie indicate that Chanhassen area residents spend $10 million a year there. Nelson said the store would employ between 250 and 300 people and bring additional tax base to the community. But city officials said the proposal Walmart submitted for conceptual review fell short in areas such as adequate parking spaces and met minimal requirements for internal truck maneuvering. Nelson, however, said the site would work for Walmart and the company was committed to a 120,000-square-foot building. Councilors initially considered a motion
Walmart to page 2 ®
PHOTO BY RICHARD CRAWFORD
Members of Chanhassen First, a grassroots community organization, picket at the corner of Powers Boulevard and Highway 5 on Nov. 25 .
Semper fi— Always faithful Local Marines reflect on deployments BY UNSIE ZUEGE uzuege@swpub.com
PHOTO BY SHANNON FIECKE
Carver County 911 Telecommunicator Linda Mullenbach awaits a call Tuesday in the basement floor of the Carver County Sheriff ’s Office. If Scott and Carver counties merge their dispatch centers, one would have to close.
Counties eye 911 dispatch merger BY SHANNON FIECKE sfiecke@swpub.com
Emergency dispatchers in Scott County could be taking 911 calls from residents in Carver County – or vice versa – several years from now under a merger being considered by the neighboring counties. Supervisors from the two sheriff’s offices met with commissioners from each county Tuesday to share steps they are taking to learn what it would take – and how much they could save – by melding the two counties’ 911 dispatch services. It’s too early for defi nitive cost saving figures, but Carver County Commissioner Randy Maluchnik said following the meeting that he’s hopeful the counties could save up to a half-million dollars per year if they consolidate.
“Three to six people on duty, 24/7, that could be a lot of potential savings,” said Scott County Chairman Tom Wolf. Last year, the counties of Scott, Sibley, McLeod and Carver completed a $125,000 state-funded consolidation study of their dispatching services. Sibley and McLeod were content with their current situation, Scott County Sheriff Studnicka said, but Carver and Scott thought consolidation was worth a closer look. “We’re only three to four miles – as the crow flies – away from each other,” Studnicka said. The counties must determine which dispatch center would be best to close and how technology would be merged. Two architectural firms are developing schematic designs to determine the costs of expansion at either site. Each center is less than
10 years old and has at least some room for expansion. T here a re ma ny models for consolidation, said Carver County Chief Deputy Blair A nderson, who explained that the state study opened a lot of unanswered questions. He said the counties must be very methodological as they analyze how to consolidate the systems. “We want to make sure we do this right so we don’t leave a mess for those behind us,” he said. The biggest cost savings will be in the technology, said Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson. Both agencies will soon need phone system upgrades, which could cost $ 300,000, he said. Between the two agencies, they are also facing the replacement of 15 ra-
Dispatch to page 2 ®
As classmates at Holy Family Catholic High School, Rob Fafi nski and Ben Mullaney were acquainted, but they weren’t really close friends. Fafinski played football, basketball, and baseball and Mullaney played soccer. “We really didn’t become friends until after we found out we were both going to Marquette (University in Milwaukee, Wis.),” Fafi nski said in a recent phone interview. Both were interested in careers in law. And, they created a pact. “It was when we were freshmen in Marquette,” Fafi nski said. “We decided to serve in the Marines. Both of us agreed that if one of us signed up, the other one would, too.” And they did. In order to join as officers, they had to attend Officer Candidate School (OCS) in Quantico, Va., during two of their college summers. After graduation from Marquette in May 2008, Fafinski commissioned into the Marine Corps as a 2nd lieutenant and underwent nine months of leadership and infantry tactic level training. Mullaney commissioned in the Marines in January 2009. Fafi nski has served two tours in Afghanistan and is currently back in the United States, at Marine Corps Base 29 Palms in California. Mullaney recently returned in October from one tour of duty in Sangin District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He expects to be deployed overseas one more time. Recently, the two were able to
1st Lt. Ben Mullaney
1st Lt. Rob Fafinski
come home to visit their families. Fafi nski returned to Chaska in early November; Mullaney was home for Thanksgiving in Chanhassen. “Ben introduced the idea (of the Marines) to me,” Fafinski said. “That’s because it’s the hardest and most challenging.” Both Fafinski and Mullaney were high school sophomores when the terrorists attacked the World Trade Centers in New York City and Washington, D.C. on 9/11. It was a galvanizing moment for many across the nation. “I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that it had an impact on me,” Fafi nski said. “But I also think it’s a selfselecting group of guys who sign up for service. I never intended to join the military, and I would not have served if 9/11 hadn’t happened. Ben and I talked about it and we decided to answer the call. And Ben said, ‘If we’re gonna do this, we’re going all out.’” According to Fafi nski’s father, Bob Fafi nski, Rob and Ben wanted to be infantry platoon commanders, a forward combat position and one that is highly sought after by Marines. “Rob and Ben were both selected for these positions,” Fafi nski said. “Only a small number of Marine officers become infantry platoon commanders and they attend another
Marines to page 10 ®
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