N COUPO ION T C CONNESection
Applause Community Theatre presents ‘Our Town’ at the Lakeville Area Arts Center. See Thisweekend page 7A
Thisweek Farmington-Lakeville
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SEPTEMBER 17, 2010
VOLUME 31, NO. 29
A NEWS OPINION SPORTS
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District 192, DLR architect settle litigation over school by Kara Hildreth THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
The lawsuit between Farmington Independent School District 192 and DLR Group, the original architect of Farmington’s new high school, has been dismissed after both sides reached a settlement agreement. “From a district perspective, we are happy the litigation has been resolved, and we are looking forward to putting it behind us and moving ahead,” said Superintendent Brad Meeks. The agreement calls for DLR Architects and Engineers to pay more than $4.2 million to the school
district, with $600,000 to be paid in the form of a charitable contribution to the district’s construction fund. The agreement also requires the school district to pay $640,000 to the architect by Sept. 30. The Farmington School Board unanimously approved the settlement at its meeting Monday, Sept. 13, one week before the jury trial was scheduled to begin. Dakota County District Judge Michael Mayer, who handled the mediation process and a summary jury trial, said the settlement would be in the best inter-
est of both parties because both breached their contracts and neither deserved any compensation. As part of the settlement, neither party admitted wrongdoing or liability. Both sides agreed not to make disparaging comments about each other and to pay their own legal fees. DLR Group sued the district in 2008, claiming it owed the firm more than $640,000 in unpaid bills. The district withheld payments over a disagreement about who should pay for change orders, which are construction costs for See Litigation,17A
Photo by Rick Orndorf
A year after Farmington High School opened its doors, the litigation that began in November 2008 was settled out of court between the original architect, DLR Group and the Farmington School District. “From a district perspective, we are happy the litigation has been resolved, and we are looking forward to putting it behind us and moving ahead,” said district superintendent Brad Meeks.
Farmington City Council adopts preliminary 2011 levy
Photo by Rick Orndorf
Joann Vucinovich and Katie Rol work on a community art project during last year’s Lakeville Art Festival. This year’s festival will be held on Sept. 18 and 19 at the Lakeville Area Arts Center.
Levy increases by 3.73 percent; council charged with cutting $400,000 by Kara Hildreth THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Photo by William Clark
Sofie Reed developed a taste for blues and jazz music in an unlikely place – her native Sweden. While she was growing up in her hometown of Ludvika, Reed’s music-aficionado parents would play jazz music into the night. Reed’s Sept. 17 concert in Lakeville is the opening event of the Lakeville Art Festival, which runs through Sept. 19.
Lakeville set to host annual arts festival Performers, painters, jewelers, authors and sculptors — fest-goers can meet them all during the event by Derrick Williams THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
For the eighth straight year, the Lakeville Arts Festival will be coming downtown to offer fest-goers a chance to get up close and personal to artists and their craft. “The artists love to talk about, and show off their art,” festival director Shelly Carney said. “This festival has a great reputation among artists because the people who come are so interested to talk to them.” This year’s art festival — the eighth annual event
music by Sofie Reed. Then on Sept. 18 and 19, on the lawn of the LakevBlues singer Soille Area Arts Center, more fie Reed will perform than 65 artists will participate in the two days of fesat 7:30 p.m. Friday, tivities. Sept. 17, at the LakevCarney said attendance ille Area Arts Center, grows each year, and this 20965 Holyoke Ave. year isn’t expected to be any Tickets are $25 and different. are available by calling “We like the fact that (952) 985-4640, at www. we’re becoming this prelakeville-rapconnect. mier art boutique and festicom or at the door. val south of the river,” she said. — kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on In addition to artists, the Friday, Sept. 17, with a per- festival will include a juried formance of blues and folk See Art Fest, 17A
IN BRIEF
Dan Clay, former Thisweek publisher, dies at age 58 by John Gessner THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Ex-newspaper publisher Dan Clay was a history buff who loved musty old archives and chatting with senior citizens about bygone days, says his wife, Faye. He was also a risk-taker who guided the staid family enterprise, the Dakota County Tribune, into a new way of doing business in an ever-more competitive market.
In 1979, Dan and his brother, Joe, debuted Thisweek Newspapers, a freecirculation Dan Clay weekly for See communities south of the related river. column Dan Clay, on page of Lakeville, 6A died of can-
cer Sept. 8, more than a decade after the brothers sold their successful enterprise and eased into early retirement. “They were just a wonderful pair of business partners and brothers that probably wouldn’t have worked if they hadn’t been brothers,” said Jeff Athmann, former president and chief operating officer of Coon Rapids-based ECM PubSee Dan Clay, 11A
Farmington residents can expect to see a slight increase in city taxes on their property tax statements after the Farmington City Council approved a preliminary 2011 levy on Tuesday, Sept. 7. The preliminary levy calls for an increase of 3.73 percent, according to Teresa Walters, city finance director. And that’s on top of the $400,000 to $500,000 in reductions the Farmington City Council plans to trim
from the 2011 city budget. Those budget reductions may mean at least one city job may be eliminated. The 2011 tax levy is $9.195 million, and this includes $6.3 million levied for the general fund, and $2.8 million assigned to the debt service fund that makes payments on the city’s outstanding bonds. “Since the market home values have declined so much, there really should be minimal increase in city taxes because of that,” Walters said. A medium Farmington
residential property valued at $221,000 in 2010 is now valued at $199,808 for 2011, Walters said. This property owner will see an increase in city taxes of $33 a year or $2.75 a month. On a higher-valued residential property valued at $336,400 in 2010, now valued at $315,700 in 2011, the property owner will see an increase of $117 for the year in city taxes or $9.78 a month. Property valued at $141,500 in 2010 are now See Levy, 17A
County sets levy max amidst union debates County seeks to avoid $1.8 million insurance increase by Laura Adelmann THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Perhaps more than in previous years, setting Dakota County’s preliminary levy represented a precarious balancing act. Economic woes, the state’s fiscal shortfalls and months of intense union negotiations backdropped the Dakota County Board’s 5-1 decision on Sept. 14 to set the county’s 2011 preliminary maximum levy at $129,402,073, a 0.8 percent increase from 2010. And, acting as the Regional Rail Authority, commissioners unanimously approved a 38 percent maximum levy increase to the RRA portion of property tax bills next year. As a result, the maximum Regional Rail levy would go from $1,190,516 to $1,640,516 next year. The proposed RRA
Photo by Laura Adelmann
Dakota County Commissioner Kathleen Gaylord looked skyward as Commissioner Joe Harris discussed her proposal to amend his motion for a 1 percent tax levy increase maximum in 2011. Gaylord’s proposed 0.8 percent maximum increase was passed on a 5-1 vote. (Commissioner Paul Krause was absent.) levy maximum increase will allow for county plans to fund Cedar Avenue transit, and further plans for transit on Robert Street in 2011 and beyond. Despite the increases, the net county portion of taxes on the median valued home will actually decrease by about 50 cents in 2011, in part due to those residential values dropping faster than other property types. County commissioners issued the split vote in setting the annual maximum county levy just one day before the legal deadline. And before voting on the issue, commissioners (Paul Krause was absent)
spent about 90 minutes in closed executive session, primarily discussing ongoing labor negotiations. Labor leaders have balked at the county’s proposal to save taxpayers from a $1.8 million health insurance cost increase next year by changing employees’ health insurance plans. Under the proposed plan, employees would pay higher deductibles, with an individual outof-pocket limit of $2,000 and a $4,000 maximum for families. Commissioner Nancy Schouweiler said the board hoped its unaniSee County, 11A
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