Chameleon Theatre Circle presents a ‘nightmare of insanity.’ See Thisweekend Page 14A
Thisweek Farmington-Lakeville MARCH 18, 2011
VOLUME 32, NO. 3
A NEWS OPINION SPORTS
www.thisweeklive.com
Opinion/4A
Announcements/5A
Public Notices/6A
Superintendent to become executive director of MASA
Real Estate/6A
Classifieds/9A
Sports/7A
Lakeville home expo to draw crowds
Gary Amoroso to lead the school administrators association; retire from District 194 on July 1 by Aaron Vehling
Charlie Kyte. “I have mixed feelings,� Lakeville Area Public Amoroso told Thisweek Schools Superintendent after the vote. “Lakeville is my home. LakevGary Amoroso will ille will remain my take over as execuhome. I’m so very tive director of the proud of the work Minnesota Assoour staff has accomciation of School plished.� Administrators Amoroso an(MASA), according nounced Tuesday, to an association March 15, through press release. Amoroso a staff e-mail that The MASA board voted on March 16 he would retire as superinto hire Amoroso to replace tendent effective July 1. As a MASA member, retiring executive director THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Amoroso served as the organization’s president from 2009-10. Prior to his tenure as a board officer, Amoroso represented the Twin Cities’ metro region on the MASA board. He also served as MASA Federal Advocacy Committee co-chairman, travelling to Washington, D.C., to support MASA’s federal policy interests in Congress. Since 2005, he has also volunteered his time and See Amoroso, 3A
Farmington School Board sets steps for leadership search Meeks’ permanent replacement may start by July 2012 by Laura Adelmann
refine district goals at an April 1 workshop. Board members said At a March 14 special meeting, Farmington they want input from the community, teachSchool Board memers and district embers said they hope ployees. Superintendent A search firm will Brad Meeks’ perbe hired to guide manent replacement the process by will start by July matching superin2012. tendent candidates To find a permanent leader and a Brad Meeks to those goals and expectations. long-term interim Board members indisuperintendent, the board decided it first needs to cated they are eager to THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
move past recent headlinegrabbing issues, including conflicts between board members, district staff and even a lawsuit with the city, that have for years redirected attention from student performance and achievements. They indicated a desire to change the district’s reputation to attract strong candidates. Meeks resigned unexpectedly in February, and See Meeks, 3A
File photos
More than 125 exhibitors will take part in the Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce’s eighth annual Landscape & Home/Consumer Showcase Expo from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 19 at Lakeville North High School. The event is open to the public with free admission, free parking. For more information about the event, go online at www.lakevillechambercvb.org.
Council to ask top officials to take pay cuts
Expatriate Lakeville man reports from Japanese disasters
by Laura Adelmann THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Warren lives north of the earthquake’s epicenter, but daily life has changed by Aaron Vehling THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
The massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami that obliterated villages in northern Japan last Friday, March 11, has captured the world’s attention. Michael Warren, a 2002 Lakeville High School graduate, has been teaching English in the country since July 2009. L a s t weekend, he wrote to Thisweek Newspapers via his cell phone’s 3G Internet connection to describe the situation in his northern Japanese town. Cellular voice service has been inoperable. Warren lives in Gonohe in Aomori prefecture, about an hour-and-a-half (by bullet train) north of Sendai, the epicenter of the earthquake. Gonohe is far enough away to have avoided the major devastation, but Warren said he still felt the earth shake at his public school. “I was in the middle of
Aomori
Submitted photo
During more peaceful times, Michael Warren of Lakeville poses with Heita, the nephew of his girlfriend, Miki. a kindergarten class and we felt the earthquake quite strongly,� he said. “A CD player and vases and books were falling over, but everyone remained calm and there was really not much damage here, initially. Then we started hearing reports from Sendai of the damage there.� Warren said he has been able to get in touch with friends and family back home via e-mail and a voice-over-Internet program. “All cell phone service was down, but we are still
able to send e-mails via 3G somehow,� he said. “I used my phone with a program called ‘PDAnet’ to get online and make some calls through Gmail and write off a mass e-mail letting everyone know we were OK, but just without power.� Warren said millions of homes in northeast Japan are without any power service, “but I’ve heard power is slowly being restored.� To compound the already serious devastation, the earthquake damaged the cooling system at the Fukushima nuclear pow-
er plant, located between Tokyo and Sendai. As a result, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has declared a nuclear emergency. As each reactor fails, there is a greater concern about elevated levels of radiation emanating across Japan and eastward toward the United States. Warren said there is a nuclear power plant in Aomori – the region where Warren lives – but he said he thinks the plant was safely shut down. If you have family or friends in Japan and are See Warren, 8A
Farmington City Council members will review with city staff on Saturday some money-saving, businessbuilding ideas, but because of a contract provision, a result could mean changes in city leadership. During a March 10 board retreat, council members agreed to seek salary concessions from some department heads and City Administrator Peter Herlofsky. Under Herlofsky’s contract, a reduction of salary or other financial benefits is deemed to be a termination. “If he doesn’t agree, it would essentially end his contract,� Farmington Mayor Todd Larson said. Herlofsky could agree to the pay cut and retain his job, Larson said. Herlofsky’s current contract includes scheduled annual pay raises of $5,000 from 2009 through 2012. After his 2011 raise Jan. 1, Herlofsky’s current salary is $130,000. Council members did not discuss an amount or the percentage of salary concession they would seek. However, they agreed the salaries of the city engineer and finance director are at acceptable rates, and those individuals would not be asked to accept a pay cut. In an interview Monday, Herlofsky refused comment. The City Council will conduct Herlofsky’s annual job performance review in Laura Adelmann is at laura. a closed session during its adelmann@ecm-inc.com.
General 952-894-1111 Distribution 952-846-2070 Display Advertising 952-846-2011 Classified Advertising 952-846-2000
! "#
$ # %&'&%$ &
!""'! !
March 21 board meeting. During the retreat, which was open to the public but didn’t include staff, council members discussed frustration with Herlofsky’s behavior and issues that arose during the 2011 budget-making process. Council had repeatedly asked Herlofsky to cut a management position to reduce the 2011 budget, but he said he’d rather retain the employee, and offered alternatives that at one point included eliminating tissues, hand soap and toilet paper from the Rambling River Senior Center. It was an option council members refused to even consider. In the end, the position was eliminated, and council was able to build a contingency fund of almost $46,000. Council members had intended to devote the money to cover unexpected emergencies, like cleanup after the tornado last year. The contingency was depleted in February to cover losses in the firefighter’s pension fund. Reducing the city’s obligation to that fund is another goal council members plan to pursue. The March 19 council/ staff retreat is open to the public and begins at 9 a.m. at the Central Maintenance Facility, 19650 Municipal Drive, Farmington.
$
( ") " ! *(! +
0 1 *
2&($$
, "'. / +'&)+ .," $ +' )+
! "
3 ( 2 $($$#
"
! "
3 ( 2 ($$#
! "
3 ( 24$($$#