EP: State of Legion baseball
Barn quilts, more are at ArtStock
Legion team to host/play state tournament
Artistic skills on display Aug. 6 in Carver County
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www.edenprairienews.com
THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2011
City proposes converting 4 lanes to 3 on Baker Road BY LEAH SHAFFER lshaffer@swpub.com
For bike commuters like Christopher Nelson of Minnetonka, Baker Road in Eden Prairie can sometimes be an intense ride. “You basically need to take a traffic lane,” said Nelson, who has been biking Baker Road daily on his ride to work since June. “Ninety-five percent of the drivers are very respectful of that but there are the small number that don’t respect that,” he added. That means, every so often, he gets “buzzed” by drivers that zoom by, leaving little wiggle room for a bicyclist on the road. Nelson was glad to hear that Eden Prairie could be offering some relief for bike commuters like himself. Officials from the city and Hennepin County are proposing a restriping project for the section of Baker Road between St. Andrew Drive and County Road 62 that would convert the four-lane roadway into a three-lane space. The new roadway would allow room for a shoulder and dedicated left-turn lanes. “Using Baker Road daily, the four lanes that it is right now are almost never used,” said Nelson. “It is very lightly traveled for a four-lane road.” City officials are hoping residents are as amenable as Nelson is to such a plan. Residents can give their input on the project at an upcoming open house, scheduled for Aug. 4 at Forest Hills Elementary School. The city has mailed notices of the meeting to 1,000 residents who live near the road but, “this corridor serves a bigger
PHOTO BY KARLA WENNERSTROM
Baby Bear (Maddie Hilligoss, second from left) thinks she’s found a new friend when she finds Goldilocks (Rachel Johnson) resting comfortably in her little bed.
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Think you were hot last week? Try rehearsing a play in a non-air-conditioned barn with an animalhead hat on. That’s hot. High heat and humidity drove the Children’s Theatre Workshop into the air-conditioned Eden Prairie Senior Center Wednesday, reported Director Matthew Kraft. “The city was wonderful,” Kraft said of dealing with the heat. During rehearsals in the barn, fans were added, lights were turned off and children were encouraged to take frequent water breaks.
This is not just the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, there is a menagerie of animals serving as judge, attorneys and jurors in the Trial of Goldilocks. The tale in three sections shows the objective viewpoint, the point of view of the Three Bears, then Goldilocks’ version of what happened. “We’ve been working a lot with the kids on character development as animals,” Kraft said. Kids studied how animals eat and move to help with their performances.
The cast attending the summer workshop includes 21 actors from age 9 to 15. It’s the seventh annual such production by the Eden Prairie Players. “We try to keep all the children entertained,” Kraft said of the family-friendly nature of the shows. “We also try to pick stories with morals to them. It gives the children a chance to put on a theatrical production.”
SEE MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 7.
Baker Road Project
The details: What: “The Trial of Goldilocks” by the Eden Prairie Players’ Seventh Annual Children’s Theatre Workshop Where: RileyJacques Barn, 9100 Riley Lake Road, Eden Prairie When: 2, 4 and 7 p.m. Friday, July 29; 2, 4 and 7 p.m. Saturday, July 30; 2 p.m. Sunday, July 31 Cost: $5 for adults, $3 for children age 5 and younger Info: (952) 470-6300 or edenprairieplayers. com Compiled by Karla Wennerstrom
Baker Road to page 11 ®
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City and county officials are proposing a plan that would convert the four lanes of Baker Road to three lanes to make room for a shoulder and center left-turn lane. The project runs north of St. Andrew Drive to Highway 62 along Baker Road. Graphic by Barbara Tieben
Open house When: From 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4 Where: Forest Hills Elementary School Cafeteria, 13708 Holly Road What: The open house will offer information on the conversion of Baker Road (County Road 60) from a 4-lane roadway to a 3-lane roadway, between County Road 62 and St. Andrew Drive. Staff will be at the open house to answer questions and take input on the project. For questions, call the city engineer at (952) 949-8339.
MAKING A SPLASH
Election year could be hopping Full slate of candidates and referendum push expected BY LEAH SHAFFER lshaffer@swpub.com
This fall is not expected to be a notable election year for much of the state but the same cannot be said for Eden Prairie, where, following a contentious school year, a varied slate of School Board candidates is expected on the ballot. Voters will elect School Board members for four, four-year slots during this year’s election, scheduled
for Tuesday, Nov. 8. Additionally, the district will be asking voters to increase the district’s operating levy by $4 million (which translates to a $172 increase for the average home, valued at $350,000). The fi ling period for School Board candidates begins Aug. 2 and runs through Aug. 16. Current board members up for re-election include Carol Bomben, John Estall, Holly Parker and Kim Ross. Of that
To file for School Board Individuals interested in running for the School Board can visit the Administration Services Center at 8100 School Road to obtain filing information. The filing period runs from Aug. 2 until Aug. 16. There is a $2 fee for filing. Call Elections Coordinator Jessica McCandless at (952) 975-7072 if you have any questions.
PHOTO BY LEAH SHAFFER
The particles of water from a fire hose spray cause a rainbow to appear last Wednesday at Miller Park. Kids frolicked as the Eden Prairie Fire Department added some additional splash to the “Splash Time” party celebrating the new splash pad at the Miller Park play area. See more photos on page 24.
School Board to page 10 ®
INSIDE OPINION/4 OBITUARIES/6 SPORTS/8-9 CALENDAR/14 CLASSIFIEDS/20-23 LIVING IN EP/24 TO REACH US SUBSCRIBE: (952) 345-6682 EDITOR: (952) 942-7885 OR EMAIL EDITOR@EDENPRAIRIENEWS.COM.
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