Burnsville and Eagan: Thisweek Newspapers

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Orchard offers corn maze this fall. See Thisweekend Page 8A.

NEWS OPINION SPORTS

Thisweek Burnsville-Eagan SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

VOLUME 32, NO. 31

www.thisweeklive.com

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Announcements/6A

Public Notices/10A

Classifieds/11A

Sports/14A

Real Estate/15A

‘Llama Llama Red Pajama’ is an invitation to childhood literacy Community reading event is Oct. 6 in Burnsville, District 191 by John Gessner THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

It will be all llamas and red pajamas in Burnsville on Thursday, Oct. 6. Throughout the community and the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District, tykes from preschool to first grade will be read the children’s book “Llama Llama Red Pajama.� It’s part of the national Read for the Record campaign sponsored by Jumpstart, a preschool literacy organization, with support from the Pearson Foundation.

This year’s goal is more than 2 million readings of the chosen book. Burnsville and District 191 are aiming for 1,300. Other Minnesota participants are the Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Rochester and St. Paul school districts. Guest readers, including Minnesota Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius, will join the festivities as author Anna Dewdney’s book is read to children in District 191 preschool, kindergarten and first-grade classrooms and in other settings, including

day cares and the Burnhaven Library. The book is “cute,� said Vicki Roy, a leader of the Read for the Record campaign in Burnsville and 191. “It takes a very short period of time to read. It’s something anybody can read. I have practiced with my grandchildren, and in five to 10 minutes, you have it read.� Behind the campaign is a problem that the Jumpstart organization and a Burnsville-based group are trying to address. See Reading, 16A

Marathon man has more on his mind than personal bests Eicher, 28, raising money for Christian charity by running in Twin Cities, Uganda by John Gessner THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

Aaron Eicher has trained for Sunday’s Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon with hopes of topping his personal-best time of two hours, 44 minutes and 20 seconds for a 26.2-mile course. The Burnsville runner hopes to improve on his other Twin Cities Marathon appearance, in 2008, when he finished 88th out of more than 8,000 competitors. But personal bests aren’t all he’s chasing. Eicher, 28, will join about 180 other members of Team

World Vision who are running Sunday to raise money for clean-water projects in Africa. Once that’s done, Eicher will turn his attention to Uganda, where on Nov. 20 he and six other Team World Vision runners will compete in the MTN Kampala Marathon to raise money for child sponsorships. “I don’t know too much other than Uganda’s about 3,500 feet in elevation. So there’s an elevation factor compared to here in Minnesota,� Eicher said. “And it’ll probably be kind of warm

and humid, I’m assuming.� Eicher will be joined in the Kampala Marathon by fellow Team World Vision runner Abby Velin of Rosemount. An Iraq war veteran and married father of two, Eicher is as serious about Christian charity as he is about running. In addition to personal fundraising for World Vision International through the Twin Cities Marathon, Eicher is rounding up child sponsors through the Kampala Marathon. See Eicher, 16A

Developer continues to insist on controversial driveway access by John Gessner THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

Submitted photo

Aaron Eicher of Burnsville will compete with Team World Vision in the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon and in the MTN Kampala Marathon in November in Uganda.

Off and running

Photo by Rick Orndorf

Running shoes thundered on the turf at the start of the 35th annual Eagle Invitational cross country meet hosted by Apple Valley High School last weekend. Eagan’s Sydney Speir took first place out of 121 runners with a time of 16 minutes, 13 seconds. For full coverage of the event, turn to Sports, 14A. For more photos, go online to www.ThisweekLive.com.

Black Hawk recognized for healthy eating efforts School presented a check for $2,000 from Schwan’s by Jessica Harper THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

The school song plays, while the crowd cheers on the mascot. It seems like any ordinary pep rally at Black Hawk Middle School, except the crowd isn’t cheering on the home team. Rather the students are cheering for nutrition. General 952-894-1111 Distribution 952-846-2070 Display Advertising 952-846-2011 Classified Advertising 952-846-2000

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Photo by Jessica Harper

Black Hawk Middle School was one of four schools in the nation this week to be recognized by Schwan’s Food Service for its efforts to boost nutrition among students – an effort that has been carried districtwide. As a part of Schwan’s LiveSmart X-Country Tour on Sept. 27, Black Hawk’s food service received a $2,000 donation. “We plan to use this toward a wall mural or an ice machine See Black Hawk, 16A

Students at Black Hawk Middle School get autographs from Vikings running back Lorenzo Booker, who spoke to them about the importance of healthy eating during a rally on Sept. 27. Black Hawk was recognized by Schwan’s Food Service that day for efforts to promote healthy eating at the school.

Long-awaited plans for a CVS Pharmacy and other redevelopment on the old TCF Bank site in Burnsville’s Heart of the City are closer than ever. But the developer’s continued insistence on a second driveway entrance from Burnsville Parkway casts uncertainty on the project. The Planning Commission voted unanimously Sept. 26 to recommend approval of the project, which would replace the bank building at Burnsville Parkway and Nicollet Avenue, a local landmark since 1974. The CVS store, with a plaza in front, would be built on the southwest corner of the property, close to the sidewalk as called for in the Heart of the City’s urban-design standards. Plans also include an outlot for future development – possibly a 5,000-square-foot retail and office building. Property owner Wellington Management Group would keep the outlot and sell 1.6 acres of the 2.45-acre site to CVS. The Planning Commission recommendation included a condition prohibiting a second access from Burnsville Parkway, which engineering and planning staffers say presents a safety risk. The access is “very important to our client, and it is something we want to continue asking for,� said project manager Jon Lennander of Velmeir Cos., which builds CVS stores. The decision rests with the City Council, which is scheduled to act on the proposal next Tuesday (Oct. 4). Lennander said the access is needed for customer convenience. He said there are reports that the two exiting accesses to the property – at the Nicollet Avenue/126th Street intersection and a private driveway on Burnsville Parkway at the east end of the site – are congestion-prone. City staffers say the proposed access, a rightin-only on the Parkway 300 feet from the intersection with Nicollet Avenue, poses risks of rear-end collisions. The driveway would have a steep grade down into the site, causing “extensive deceleration� in the right lane of Burnsville Parkway for vehicles navigating the entrance. Pedestrians on the sidewalk in front of the entrance could cause vehicles to stop in the right lane, stacking up vehicles behind them. And with the intersection only 300 feet away, drivers would “have a tendency to look ahead to the signal, and may not be as aware of changes in traffic flow in front of them,� said a city staff report. The project has been a long time coming. The development group, called Burnsville Crossing LLC for this project, first struck a development contract, which included tax-increment financing incentives, with the city in 2007. Plans originally called for a pharmacy, a medical office building and a two-story parking deck. Since then there have been amendments to the contract, and Wellington has told the city that the slow economy hindered progress on the site. John Gessner is at burnsville.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.

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Fate of CVS plan rests with Burnsville council

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