Thisweek Apple Valley and Rosemount

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NEWS | OPINION | SPORTS

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Thisweek Apple Valley-Rosemount DECEMBER 31, 2010 VOLUME 31, NO. 44

www.thisweeklive.com

Opinion/4A

Sports/7A

Announcements/6A

Classifieds/8A

Legal Notices/11A

APPLE VALLEY

Year in Review

Thisweekend/12A

ROSEMOUNT

File photo

Photo submitted

Boasting a modern look dominated by stone, glass and steel, the new Apple Valley Transit Station at 15450 Cedar Ave. opened in January after more than eight months of construction. Currently a hub for south-of-the-river commuters taking express buses to and from Minneapolis and St. Paul, the $21 million station operated by the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority will eventually be one of eight stops along the long-planned bus rapid transit corridor, which will feature shoulder-running buses between Lakeville and Bloomington.

This year’s Leprechaun Days, Rosemount’s annual 10-day summer celebration, saw the addition of the three-day Bluegrass Americana Festival and Craft Fair, as well as the return of mainstays and crowd favorites such as the Bathtub Races (above), which were held in the Central Park hockey rink.

In city politics, year ends with crackdown on prostitution

City opens Steeple Center; Bills elected as a state representative

2010 was year of planning Transit station, anti-tower for the future, preserving group made news in 2010 city of Rosemount’s past by Andrew Miller THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

The opening of a new transit station on Cedar Avenue, a neighborhood coalition’s successful bid to stop construction of a wireless Internet tower, and a City Council crackdown on prostitution were among the newsmaking events in Apple Valley in 2010.

New transit station opens Plans for a bus rapid transit line on Cedar Avenue by 2012 took a step forward in January with the opening of the new Apple Valley Transit Station. Boasting a modern look dominated by stone, glass and steel, the station operated by the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority at 15450 Cedar Ave. on the former Watson’s recreation store site opened Jan. 4 after more than eight months of construction. Currently a hub for south-of-the-river commuters taking express buses to and from Minneapolis and St. Paul, the station will eventually be

one of eight stops along the long-planned bus rapid transit corridor, which will feature shoulder-running buses between Lakeville and Bloomington. The $21 million station, which includes a skyway and a three-story parking garage with room for 750 vehicles, was funded through a combination of county, state and federal dollars, including $4 million in federal Urban Partnership Agreement funds.

Tower plan topples A telecommunications company’s plan to erect a 125-foot wireless Internet tower in Apple Valley’s Wildwood Park drew fervid opposition from neighboring residents who claimed the tower would be an aesthetic blight, diminish property values and possibly have harmful health effects. The nearly two-monthlong public outcry ended when the company, Clearwire Wireless, withdrew its city permit application for a tower in the park at 137th Street and Harwell Path. More than 500 neigh-

bors signed a petition opposing the proposal by Clearwire, which had announced plans to launch a wireless Internet service in the Twin Cities. Members of the Wildwood Park Alliance, which leader John Hessburg said consisted of 12 core members and had gathered the support of the majority of homeowners near the park, packed the council chambers at the Apple Valley Municipal Center during Planning Commission meetings in May and June to voice opposition to the project. With a City Council decision looming for Clearwire’s permit application, Clearwire announced in early July it was withdrawing its application for Wildwood. Though Clearwire officials indicated they still intended to move forward with plans for a wireless network in Apple Valley – involving about 10 other tower or tower-like sites in the city – members of the Wildwood Park Alliance sounded a cry of victory. “This is proof that democracy works in Apple Valley,” Hessburg said.

City ranked among 20 best in nation

File photo

A massage parlor that opened in October in a home on Garden View Drive in Apple Valley caused an uproar among neighboring residents who alleged the business was a front for a prostitution service. A neighborhood watch was organized to document client traffic at the business, and the above sign was erected to notify clients they were being photographed.

General 952-894-1111 Distribution 952-846-2070 Display Advertising 952-846-2011 Classified Advertising 952-846-2000

The city of Apple Valley received some major kudos in May from Money magazine. Apple Valley earned the No. 20 spot on this year’s list of America’s Best Places to Live, the magazine’s annual ranking of the nation’s most livable small cities. The rankings are determined by financial, housing, education and quality-of-life statistics. This wasn’t the first year Apple Valley garnered a spot on the Money magazine list, though it was the first year the city cracked See Apple Valley Review, 2A

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In 2010, Rosemount city leaders made tough budget cuts and paid down debt, but invested in defining the city’s unique character by preserving the past. The year kicked off with city leaders approving a $221,850 bid to renovate the former Church of St. Joseph, which the council would later rename the Steeple Center, into a community center. Renovation included extending the stage platform and adding a handicap accessibility ramp to it, installing a fire protection system, waterproofing and various repairs. The Steeple Center’s big debut occurred during Leprechaun Days, and reservations for its use are being accepted by the city.

City leader steps up

closed. But that margin held strong under the challenge, and in a year that was especially hard for incumbents at every level, DeBettignies joined City Council Member Kim Shoe-Corrigan and Mayor Bill Droste in retaining seats. Beginning in January, the council will interview applicants to fulfill the remaining two years of Bills’ term in office. The winning candidate is expected to be announced by February, according to City Administrator Dwight Johnson.

UMore plans Plans by the University of Minnesota to mine and then develop 5,000 acres of land located in southeastern Rosemount and part of Empire Township continued in 2010. City officials are developing mining ordinances and working with the university as the project proceeds, with mining expected to begin in 2011. The university also is forwarding plans to install a 2.5-megawatt Clipper wind turbine on the property, funded with an $8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. Officials plan to use the 426-foot-tall turbine for researching materials and methods that improve wind turbine performance and reliability.

After just two years on the Rosemount City Council, Kurt Bills was elected state representative for District 37B. The popular Rosemount High School economics teacher won the Republican endorsement and in the Nov. 2 election went on to unseat Democrat Phil Sterner, who also served on the Rosemount City Council prior to serving a term in the House. Bills has asked to serve on committees that work on education and finance issues, but as of Dec. 28, the Hike and bike committee assignments had In November, Rosenot yet been announced. mount took a decisive step toward becoming a walkRecount yields no ing- and biking-friendly change community when officials A hand recount of Rose- unanimously passed the mount ballots reaffirmed city’s first Pedestrian and that City Council Member Bicycle Master Plan. Mark DeBettignies won reEnvisioned is a web of election to the council on trails, connecting around Nov. 2. the city, county and region, With just 26 votes sepa- along with changes to city rating them, candidate Tim streets to allow bike lanes Judy had requested the re- or wider sidewalks. count a few days after polls Costs for various road

projects range from an estimated $5,000 to $50,000 per mile, and sidewalk additions are estimated to cost $11 per square foot. How much of the plan is actually implemented will depend on funding availability and how well the ideas fit into new initiatives and future reconstruction projects.

Shooting In July, Rosemount police investigated the city’s first homicide since 2008. Anthony Adam Hartman, 22, of Apple Valley, was found dead by police at about 6 p.m. on July 12 after responding to a report of shots fired at the Car Spa car wash at 15215 Canada Ave. in Rosemount. Two days later, Jonas Gerald Grice, 27, of Burnsville, turned himself in to police for the shooting, which occurred after a brief argument. Grice, who has a history of psychosis and has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, was indicted by a grand jury in August on one count of first-degree premeditated murder and one count of second-degree intentional murder.

Cop or robber? A former Rosemount resident and Minneapolis police SWAT team officer spent the beginning of 2010 robbing businesses and people, and the rest of the year behind bars. In October, Timothy Edward Carson, 29, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for five counts of aggravated robbery in Hennepin County. He’s serving the time concurrently with an eightyear sentence for armed robbery of the Apple Valley Wells Fargo Bank branch in January. For about three weeks, starting at the end of December 2009, Carson committed See Rosemount Review, 3A

Rhonda Arkley was possibly distraught over the recent death of her adult son THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

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THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

Woman charged with home arson, attack on husband by Andrew Miller

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by Laura Adelmann

An Apple Valley woman has been charged with three felonies in connection with an alleged attack on her husband Dec. 2 during which she set their home on fire and attempted to kill herself with a screwdriver.

Rhonda Lee Arkley, 49, who was a Democratic candidate for the state Senate in 2002, was charged by the Dakota County Attorney’s Office last week with first-degree arson, seconddegree assault, and fleeing Rhonda from police. Arkley

Arkley was booked into jail on Monday following a hospital stay for self-inflicted stab wounds and burns incurred during the alleged attack, fire and ensuing police chase. Police were dispatched to Arkley’s home at 4754 W.

142nd St. around 9:15 a.m. Dec. 2 following a report that Arkley, possibly distraught over the November death of her adult son, who died of a heroin overdose, had started a fire in the home with gasoline and was threatening to kill herself. See Charges, 6A


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