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A Lakeville musician is celebrating one year of being cancer free with Jug Jam, a June 27 concert to raise funds for breast cancer patients SEE STORY IN THISWEEKEND ON PAGE 7A
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Thisweek Apple Valley-Rosemount JUNE 25, 2010
Sp is issue inside th
VOLUME 31, NO. 17
NEWS OPINION SPORTS
www.thisweeklive.com
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Commission votes no on Wildwood tower plan Final decision falls on City Council
APPLE VALLEY nity development director. The Planning Commission also voted against Clearwire’s proposal to erect a tower in Galaxie Park on grounds the application didn’t meet all ordinance requirements. Clearwire, which is based in Washington state and partly owned by Sprint, is seeking to launch a wireless Internet service in the Twin Cities and has a total of 11 sites planned in Apple Valley for its network. Nine of those sites – all but the Wildwood and Galaxie locations – have already received city approval. Seven of the sites – including the Longridge, Nordic, Quarry Point, Val-
by Andrew Miller THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
The Apple Valley Planning Commission has voted against a telecommunications company’s plan to erect a 125-foot tower in Wildwood Park. On June 13, the commission voted 4-2 against the proposal by Clearwire Wireless, citing compatibility issues with the surrounding area. “The tower in this location, at 125 feet, really made it almost twice the height of the tree canopy – commission members were uncomfortable with that,� said Bruce Nordquist, the city’s commu-
leywood and Palomino water towers – will use existing infrastructure for Clearwire’s network and do not involve construction of new towers. While the Planning Commission voted against the Wildwood and Galaxie proposals, it is the City Council that will ultimately decide whether to approve or deny Clearwire’s applications for those sites. The City Council will review, and possibly vote on, the Wildwood and Galaxie applications at the 8 p.m. Thursday, July 8, council meeting at the Apple Valley Municipal Center. Neighbors who oppose the Wildwood Park tower plan have made their voices heard in recent months. The Wildwood Park Alliance – which leader John Hessburg says consists of 12
core members and has gathered the support of about 500 adult homeowners residing near the park – opposes the tower proposal; they say the tower would be an eyesore, hurt property values and possibly have harmful health effects. The city is required by statute to make a decision within 120 days of when Clearwire submitted its applications, which was in April, meaning the council has until early August to vote on the proposals. Clearwire is seeking to launch its “next generation� high-speed Internet network in September, according to Steven Kenny of developer FMHC Corp., the project’s official petitioner. Andrew Miller is at andrew.miller@ecminc.com.
Commissioners take a spin down Cedar Avenue, without a vehicle by Laura Adelmann THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Dakota County commissioners have a new understanding of the risks involved in driving a 9.5-foot-wide bus along a 10-foot-wide shoulder. On June 15, commissioners and members of the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority took a virtual bus ride down Cedar Avenue to learn more about the driverassistive technology being installed in 10 bus rapid transit vehicles that will soon travel the busy roadway. The University of Minnesota-developed simulator resembles the cab of a bus, and is surrounded by
wall-sized screens. As images appear and pass on the screen, it feels as though the bus is moving, and helps drivers become comfortable with using the cutting-edge technology designed to help them steer safely. Included in the system are “digital maps,� displays that provide information on lane boundaries and nearby vehicles even in low-visibility conditions. The system also features rear-end collisionavoidance systems and lane-departure warnings. To help keep the bus between the lines, the driver’s seat vibrates like a rumble strip to warn
DAKOTA COUNTY when the driver is steering too far to one side. Rosemount Mayor Bill Droste, a member of the MVTA board, compared the experience to a ride at Valleyfair, and County Commissioner Tom Egan said, “I’ve been through airplane simulators before, but nothing quite like that.� The system has been found to increase safety and reliability by improving driver confidence while driving in narrow lanes.
Photos by Laura Adelmann
Top: Dakota County Commissioner Paul Krause and Rosemount Mayor Bill Droste waited expectantly for a virtual bus simulator to begin. Left: Dakota County Commissioners Kathleen Gaylord and Will Branning laughed as the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority’s simulator began its virtual ride down Cedar Avenue June 15. Also pictured is County Administrator Brandt Richardson.
Laura Adelmann is at laura. adelmann@ecm-inc.com.
Fighting cancer one step at a time
Retired Army man finds hope in cancer battle Kurt Gundacker beats the odds to continue living and working by Tad Johnson THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
“When I get down, (Rita) kicks me in During his 30-year Army career, Kurt Gundacker was trained to stand tall in the butt and says you can beat this,� he said. “My wife has been tremendous.� battle. “(Amber’s) been a gem,� he added. “I But all the instruction he received could never have prepared him for the toughest think she knows something is going on. She’s always there for a walk. We go battle he would face. out rain, snow or whatever� for threeGundacker was given nine mile walks nearly every day. months to live after doctors reDoctors told Gundacker that moved a 4-centimeter-wide canhis active lifestyle, which has carried cerous tumor that had metastathrough his whole life from his milisized on his brain in February tary service to his years as a runner 2008. and tennis player, helped him beat “When it reached my brain, I back the cancer. knew it was curtains,� Gundack- Kurt As for his mental constitution, he er said. “I went through all the Gundacker stages from denial to acceptance. See Gundacker, 2A I was already preparing where I was going to be buried.� That was 28 months ago. IN BRIEF Now the Rosemount resident for the The Rosemount Relay For Life will past 20 years is cancer free and will serve start at 6 p.m. Friday, June 25, and carry as the community’s Relay For Life honoron until the next morning at the Roseary chairman during the Friday, June 25 mount High School event at Rosemount High School’s Irish Irish Stadium. Stadium. This year’s Relay will Gundacker, a self-described “numbers include an opening cerman,� knows he is defying the odds and he emony at 6 p.m. followed is resolute that he will continue to do so. by the cancer Survivor Lap. “The five-year survival rate is 50 perLater in the evening, there will cent,� said Gundacker, who has continued be a Luminaria Lap and a short ceremoto work for the U.S. Veterans Health Adny at about 10 p.m. A closing ceremony ministration through it all. “You do what is slated at 6 a.m. June 26. you can with a good attitude, but you have The Rosemount event’s website is at to be realistic.� www.relayforlife.org/rosemountmn. He attributes his strength to support he For more information on how to dohas received from his wife, Rita, a former nate to the cancer society, go online at longtime assistant principal at Rosemount www.cancer.org. High School, and his golden retriever, Amber.
Photos by Andrew Miller
Cancer survivor Patty Gerrits celebrates during the opening lap of the Apple Valley Relay For Life held June 18-19 at Eastview High School. The annual event saw participants walking and running around the high school’s track through the night and into the morning as a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Gerrits, who’s battled breast cancer and lymphoma, was the “survivor chair� of this year’s event; the Randal and Anne Neppl family of Apple Valley, whose 8-year-old son Alex (AJ) has been battling aplastic anemia and lymphoma, was the honorary host family. At right: Cancer survivor Joan Eibner of Rosemount greets a friend during the event’s opening ceremonies.
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