Foot-stompinš is encouraged at Rosemountšs annual bluegrass festival.
Thisweek Farmington-Lakeville JULY 8, 2011
VOLUME 32, NO. 19
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Fires abound during Crawl baby crawl Fourth of July weekend Fireworks blamed for at least three incidents by Aaron Vehling THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
The morning of the Fourth of July saw two fires in Lakeville, though the circumstances are not the same. The first fire occurred at 1 a.m. on the 16000 block of Garcia Way. Half of a four-unit detached garage’s stalls were ablaze. The Lakeville Fire Department was on the scene, as was the Lakeville Police Department, according to a report from the Lakeville Fire Department. The Fire Department employed two engines and one ladder and one rescue truck to stop the fire from spreading to the other two garage units. Despite the best efforts of fire
crews, two of the four units suffered heavy fire damage and a the third had minor smoke and water damage, according to the report. The Fire Department said the incident is under investigation, but it suspects fireworks are the cause of the blaze. This was the third fire related to fireworks over the holiday weekend. The city advises people who use fireworks to place them in a pail of water and let them soak prior to placing them in a garbage can.
Progressive Rail About seven hours later, the Lakeville Fire Department was called to the offices of Progressive Rail on the 21200 block of Highview Avenue. See Fireworks, 13A
Photo by Aaron Vehling
It was another year of the Baby Crawl-A-Thon at the Lakeville Senior Center for the Pan-O-Prog celebration Tuesday, July 5. Twenty-one infants crawled humorously across the room toward the finish line. During some of the heats the race was neck-and-neck, but Korbin Benson came out on top winning the overall race. Right: Benson’s mother, Briana, said her son had good athletic genes. “His grandfather was a runner,� she said. “Maybe that runs in the family.�
Eagan swimmer vies for ESPY award
Effects of state shutdown on local governments mixed Schools hit harder than city
Photo submitted
Mallory Weggemann won eight gold medals, a silver and breaking nine world records at the Long Course IPC Swimming World Championships in 2010.
Mallory Weggemann is nominated for top female athlete with a disability by Andy Rogers
several medals, world records and a nomination for an ESPY (Excellence in Sports Performance YearNot everything in Mallory ly) presented by ESPN under the Weggemann’s life has been category top female athletes with perfect. a disability. Paralyzed from the waist She was eating ice cream in down almost three years ago at the Olympic Training Facility at the age of 18, many paths in Colorado Springs when she rewere in front of her. Mallory She chose the one in the Weggemann ceived a phone call from her dad on June 24. She thought she might water and is now ranked No. 1 in the world in six of seven events as a be nominated but didn’t know how remember of the U.S. Paralympic Swim alistic it was. “Honestly it’s a huge honor to even Team. Her recent efforts have earned her be nominated,� she said. “To be one THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
of five female athletes to be up for an award is, I can’t even put it into words.� She and her boyfriend are flying to Los Angeles on Monday for the ceremony on Wednesday at the Nokia Theatre. It will be televised live at 8 p.m. Wednesday on ESPN. It’s the Oscars of the sports world with athletes such as Tom Brady and LeBron James up for awards. “I’ve done all the girly stuff of getting the dress,� Weggemann said. “It’s like being in high school and going to prom. I’m really excited to meet all the See ESPY, 8A
Districts 191, 196 to receive aid during shutdown Fight continues over special education, compensatory funds by Jessica Harper THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Minnesota school districts will receive most of their state aid payments despite the shutdown of state government on July 1. Ramsey County District Court Judge Kathleen Gearin ruled on June 29 that general aid must be distributed to public schools in accordance with the state constitution. “This is a relief,� said Jeff Solomon, finance director for the Rosemount-Apple ValleyEagan School District. “Without it, we would have exhausted our cash flow tool options and had no funds to work with by August.� School districts across the state rely heavily on state aid, which accounts for 73 percent of their budgets. Although school districts will receive their general aid during the shutdown, they can expect partial payments.
The Legislature passed a proposal in 2009 to distribute only 70 percent of aid payments for two years. That decision was set to expire this year, enabling districts to receive 90 percent of their payments. Whether general aid payments will continue to be delayed is still on the table as Gov. Mark Dayton and the legislative leaders continue to brawl over the budget. “It’s up in the air right now,� said Aaron Tinklenberg, communications coordinator for the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District. It is also unclear whether school districts will receive special education compensatory aid – funding that both districts 191 and 196 receive. School districts will not receive these funds under Gearin’s ruling. However, on July 4 Dayton filed a proposal to broaden cru-
cial services to include special education aid. This filing will be decided by Kathleen Blatz, a former state Supreme Court justice who was appointed as a special master to review individual requests by agencies to have their funding continue. Districts 191 and 196 are among several Minnesota districts that have looked at loans as a way to hold them over while aid is frozen. In a June 22 special meeting, the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School Board unanimously approved a proposal to obtain $12 million in aid anticipation certificates – a loan that helps school districts alleviate cash flow issues and are to be repaid using state aid. That same month, the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan district took out a six-month, $15 million aid anticipation loan at 0.32 percent interest and a $24 million line of credit.
Despite the financial uncertainty, both school districts have started their summer programs without delay. “Our main issues have been more on the operational side,� Tinklenberg said. Since the shutdown has closed the Department of Education, teachers cannot renew their licenses and school districts cannot send or receive data such as state testing results. “We knew this was a possibility and notified teachers who needed renewal to remind them ahead of time,� Solomon said. Now district officials hope that state leaders can come to an agreement. “We would like to see the shutdown issues be resolved so we can proceed forward on a long-term basis,� Solomon said. E-mail Jessica Harper at: jessica.harper@ecm-inc.com
by Aaron Vehling THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Those who had an inclination toward lottery tickets, camping at a state park or even taking a drivers exam have felt the effects of the shutdown of state gov- Mielke ernment (all of those activities are off limits). But how about Lakeville Area Public Schools or the local city government? The impact has varied, to be sure. Lakeville City Administrator Steve Mielke said the effect is “more sideways than direct.� Businesses that depend on state permits will be stuck, Mielke said. A good example of this is FIN LLC, a firm taking over Ronin Sushi Cafe on County Road 46. Because liquor permits are not transferable, the owners must obtain new permits. The city council granted FIN LLC onsale and Sunday liquor licenses Monday night, but without the state’s permit the company cannot purchase or sell liquor. Mielke said this limbo would be a reality with real estate developments as well. “Generally, developments will need permits from the Department of Natural Resources or the Pollution Control Agency,� he said. Another example is an elevator permit. Mielke said the city cannot issue a certificate of occupancy (which allows people to live in a building) if the state cannot conduct an inspection of the elevator. Thisweek has reported in recent weeks about the primary effect of the state shutdown on Lakeville schools: revenue. Whereas the City of Lakeville receives no Local Government Aid from the state, ISD 194 (like all public school districts) receives most of its funding from state disbursements. The absence of money from the state (whether in shifts of finances or withheld funds) has led Lakeville public schools to have to borrow money. The district recently issued abut $9 million in general obligation aid anticipation certificates to provide some cash flow to pay the bills for the upcoming months. The district received the money July 7. The district should receive at least 73 percent of its funding, though. Minnesota school districts will receive most of their state aid payments despite the shutdown of state government on July 1. Ramsey County District Court Judge Kathleen Gearin ruled on June 29 that general aid must be distributed to public schools in accordance with the state constitution. Although school districts will receive See Shutdown, 7A
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