Photo exhibit at the Burnsville PAC features new and historic images from Dakota County. See Thisweekend Page 12A
Thisweek Burnsville-Eagan JANUARY 21, 2011
VOLUME 31, NO. 47
www.thisweeklive.com
Opinion/4A
Announcements/5A
Real Estate/7A
Sports/8A
NEWS OPINION SPORTS
Classifieds/9A
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Legal Notices/14A
Eagan woman killed Pond in Lac Lavon Park will help in weekend crash cleanse water in Keller Lake Amanda Jo Lynch was hit after being ejected from vehicle by Erin Johnson THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
A 25-year-old Eagan woman was killed Jan. 15 when she was hit by another vehicle after being ejected from her SUV on Interstate 494 in Plymouth. According to the State Patrol, Amanda Jo Lynch was still alive after she lost control of her vehicle, which hit the median, flipped, and ejected her onto the left lane of northbound I-494. But a passing motorist failed to stop in time for
Lockheed workers learn fate Company will lay off 100 fewer workers than planned
traffic that had slowed near the crash and swerved into the left lane, running over Lynch and killing her. Lynch had been traveling southbound on I-494 near Bass Lake Road at the time of the crash. “It appears she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and that’s why she was ejected out of the vehicle,� said Lt. Eric Roeske of the State Patrol. Lynch’s 2-year-old daughter, Baylee, was secured in a child safety seat See Crash, 13A
Apple Valley, source of the runoff, will build pond, trail by John Gessner THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
A two-acre pond in Burnsville’s Lac Lavon Park will capture runoff from Apple Valley that now flows untreated into Keller Lake. The untreated runoff from 480 acres of Apple Valley neighborhoods helped put the lake, most of which is in Burnsville, on Minnesota’s impaired-waters list. The Burnsville City Council approved a joint-powers agreement Jan. 18 under which the city will donate the land and Apple Valley will
build the future Whitney Pond. The project, scheduled for this year, is one of several Apple Valley will undertake to help cleanse the water in Keller and Crystal lakes. Both cities are members of the Black Dog Watershed Management Organization, which in 2003 recommended a stormwater pond to capture pollutants from the Apple Valley runoff. “Really, it’s a win-win,� said Burnsville Council Member Dan Kealey, who serves on the watershed organization’s board. “We get cleaner water in our lake. We donate some land, and they get to pay the bill.� The pond will complement the popular Lac Lavon Park, Kealey said. Apple Valley will build a walk-
Warm and ‘Wuggie’-ful
An eventful time for infrastructure Osmundson oversaw treatment plant, Burnsville Parkway reconstruction, interchange planning by John Gessner THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Who knew such a green and innovative idea would become such a headache? Construction of Burnsville’s surface-water treatment plant, which delivers displaced water from a riverfront mining quarry to your tap at home, is one of Bud Osmundson’s notable achievements as the city’s public works director and engineer. But the goodwill behind the long-sought project — which so impressed state legislators they coughed up $5.5 million to help build it — was briefly buried beneath an avalanche of complaints about the water’s taste and smell. “We had a lot of mad people,� said Osmundson, who is retiring at the end of January. “And with e-mail today, people can get pretty brave when they don’t have to talk to you face to face.� Osmundson came to Burnsville in June 2005 after heading public works for six years in Prior Lake and for eight years in Rosemount. His time in Burnsville saw the treatment plant
by Erin Johnson THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Employees at Lockheed Martin in Eagan learned last week whether they would be laid off or transferred to another facility. The company ultimately laid off fewer employees than originally expected. It had planned to eliminate 350 jobs, but chose instead to transfer 100 of those positions. A total of 750 employees were offered transfers, and 250 were told they will be let go, said Lockheed spokesperson Peggy Mullikin. The bulk of employees offered transfers are engineers, while the majority of employees being laid off are in general administrative positions, Mullikin said. Employees who were offered transfers will have until Jan. 31 to make their decision. If they choose not to move, they will be laid off, she said. Lockheed announced in November it will close its Eagan facility by 2013 as a cost-saving measure to help See Lockheed, 13A
ing trail around the pond. The pond will remove an estimated 53 pounds of phosphorous a year that now flows directly into Keller Lake. Water flows from Keller Lake to Crystal and Earley lakes, which will also benefit. Excess phosphorous degrades water quality and causes summer algae blooms. Original plans from 2009 called for a 2.6-acre pond that would straddle Apple Valley’s Keller Park and Lac Lavon Park. Apple Valley neighbors objected to having nearly half of their three-acre park turned into a pond. By contrast, Lac Lavon Park has 69 acres. The Burnsville council agreed to See Keller Lake, 13A
Photo by Rick Orndorf
Elizabeth Sabel of Northview Elementary School in Eagan showed her “Wuggie� to judge Kevin Samsel during the School District 196 Inventors Fair, held Saturday, Jan. 15, at Eagan High School and Dakota Hills Middle School. The fair, sponsored by the district’s gifted and talented program, was open to all fourthand fifth-graders. For more photos, go online at www.ThisweekLive.com.
Bud Osmundson built, Burnsville Parkway rebuilt and funding for a long-awaited interchange at Highway 13 and County Road 5 nearly secured. A proclamation read at the Jan. 18 City Council meeting credits Osmundson with “strong leadership in infrastructure management and design,� which has had “a major and direct impact on improving the quality of life for Burnsville residents and businesses.� Osmundson, 56, plans to replace some of his working hours with volunteering, woodworking and golf. “It’s that time,� the See Osmundson, 14A
Parks director honored for getting women up and running Juli Seydell Johnson wins national sports award for starting beginners running club for women in Eagan by Erin Johnson THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Submitted photo
Juli Seydell Johnson turned her passion for running into an opportunity to help other women get moving, which got her recognized by the National Women’s Sports Foundation and the Minnesota Coalition of Women in Athletic Leadership. General 952-894-1111 Distribution 952-846-2070 Display Advertising 952-846-2011 Classified Advertising 952-846-2000
Each Wednesday evening beginning in March, about 30 women of all ages and sizes – and for a wide variety of reasons – gather at a local Eagan park for one specific purpose: to learn to run. Some want to lose weight, others have dreams of completing a marathon. But they all come to learn in a supportive, nonthreatening environment led by Juli Seydell Johnson, Eagan’s director of parks and recreation. While the class, as well as a more advanced running club, are offered through the Parks and Recreation Department, Johnson founded the groups and volunteers her free time to lead them. The class has proved wildly pop-
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ular. Often filling within the first three days of registration, the first class offered in 2009 had a limit of 25 women; 75 signed up. Since then, the city has added a second class to accommodate demand. For her efforts in helping women unleash their inner athlete, Johnson is being honored with a Breaking Barriers award from the National Women’s Sports Foundation and the Minnesota Coalition of Women in Athletic Leadership. The award, part of the National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Feb. 1, celebrates those who strive to provide athletic opportunities for girls and women of all races, all ages, and all levels of ability. Johnson, a self-taught runner, said she started the class because
she struggled as a beginner and could have used some support and encouragement herself. “I have such a passion for running. I felt like I didn’t have much help when I started 10 years ago and I thought I could use my experience to help people,� she said. “If I can make the learning curve shorter for other people, so much the better.� Since she began in 2002, Johnson has completed more than 25 marathons, including the prestigious Boston Marathon, for which she had to qualify. But she counts among her favorite running moments the 2009 Minneapolis Marathon she ran with her then 14-year-old son, Nate, and the 2010 Minneapolis Half Marathon she ran with her 13-year-old daugh-
ter, Karina. Johnson’s love of running is infectious, as those who have taken her class will tell you. One of her favorite parts? The crowds of cheering fans at races. “It’s not too often in your adult life you get to have people cheer for you,� she said. She also loves that running is so accessible. “You can do it right outside your door,� she said. The fact that the class has been overwhelmingly popular since it was first offered “tells me there’s a real need out there, just a real desire to try it,� she said. Part of what makes it so popular is the supportive, welcoming environment; the class is limited to just See Director, 14A
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