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Art and All That Jazz in Burnsville hits a high note. See Thisweekend Page 14A
NEWS OPINION SPORTS
Thisweek Farmington-Lakeville AUGUST 26, 2011
VOLUME 32, NO. 26
www.thisweeklive.com
Messages/2A
Opinion/4A
Announcements/5A
Public Notices/6A
Classifieds/8A
Sports/12A
Ten years of community Debt plan would increase improvement city portion of taxes Proposal outlines smaller rises in years after initial one
Lakeville Area Arts Center enters its second decade as a source of entertainment, arts education
by Laura Adelmann THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
by Aaron Vehling THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Ten years ago, the community came together to raise money and create the Lakeville Area Arts Center, which occupies the former All Saints Catholic Church. Almost 300,000 visitors later, it has brought to downtown the graces of dramatic theatre, the experimentations of pottery, the audacious tendencies of polar explorer Ann Bancroft and so much more in its Photo submitted first decade as the emo- This 10th anniversary graphic was created by Lakeville tional and practical cen- Area Arts Center teacher Shane Anderson of Apple ter of the arts in Lakev- Valley. He was an “emerging artist” at the Lakeville Arts ille. Festival. To kick off the instiMiller is pleased. tution’s second decade, “I think it’s going IN BRIEF its 10th Anniversary great,” he said. Gala on Sept. 10 will The variety of enterTo purchase tickets feature food, fellowtainment and arts edufor the 10th Annivership and AudioBody, a cation opportunities imsary Gala, go online to group that straddles the pressed Miller. www.ci.lakeville.mn.us line between the creative To explain his donaand click on the Lakevpizazz of the Blue Man tion, Miller, a farmer, ille Area Arts Center Group and the technoused an agricultural link at the top right. logical ingenuity of Docanalogy. He said he sees tor Emmett L. Brown the donation as a way from the film “Back to of “sowing” the community, just as a the Future,” laced with what appears to farmer would put seeds into the land to be some Rube Goldberg-type contrap- get a crop. tions. Rev. Eugene Tiffany, the priest who Home and future The arts center has served as a home oversaw the parish’s move from the building to the new All Saints site on for local acting troupes, such as Giant the hills above Holyoke, will be a special Step Theater and Expressions Community Theater, in addition to being a guest. The gala will honor all those who space for community members to prachave invested money and time into tice their artistic crafts. Bonnie Stevenson Mold, who started starting and maintaining the center’s influence in the community. About Expressions in 2007, said she loves the $800,000 has been donated to the center arts center. “It’s become my second home,” she in the past 10 years, said Bob Erickson, a member of the Friends of the Lakev- said. “I love the fact that it’s intimate. ille Area Arts Center and city adminis- As an actor, we feel like we’re right there trator when the center was constructed. with the audience.” She credited center coordinator Tom Joe Miller, owner of Country Joe Homes and Country Joe Foods, donat- Barnard with helping to make Expresed $25,000 toward funding for the cen- sions a success. “I’m thankful I had the sense early ter in 2001. Looking back over the past 10 years, See Arts Center, 6A
Farmington’s proposed debt reduction plan requires property tax increases for eight of the next 12 years, and would fundamentally transform the way the city budgets. In the past, the city issued bonds and paid interest for projects to avoid raising property taxes, said Interim City Administrator Kevin Schorzman. Under the proposed plan, over about 30 years, See Taxes, 7A
Photo by Laura Adelmann
Farmington Council Members Julie May, Jason Bartholomay, Mayor Todd Larson and Council Members Christy Jo Fogarty and Terry Donnelly first reviewed Farmington’s debt repayment plan during a workshop last winter.
Lakeville Lions Club tackles steep decline in revenue Organization has seen income drop by as much as 80 percent by Aaron Vehling THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
The Lakeville Lions Club is accustomed to helping those in need during these tough economic times, but now the organization may need the help. The organization lost
a key charitable gambling contract and has seen its monthly revenues drop on average about 75 percent since last spring. “It’s had a tremendous impact on us,” said Lions president John Buehler, who declined to name the party with which the Lions had a contract. “Of course, we try to make as much money as we can.” The organization’s traditional focus internationally
has been eyesight, hearing and diabetes, but the Lakeville club has donated thousands of dollars for scholarships for local students, among other charitable pursuits. Recently the organization donated 36 backpacks full of supplies to Lakeville elementary students. This year the revenue that remains for initiatives comes primarily from the See Lions, 7A
Farmington Schools parents raise concerns over class size District’s response: Let’s talk by Laura Adelmann
tion went to press. (For up-to-date reporting about After new Farmington the meetings, go to www. thisweeklive.com.) Schools SuperinHaugen’s tendent Jay Haugen response in comreceived about a municating with dozen emails from DO parents and proparents concerned WHAT YOU THINK? viding information about class size, he Comment on is a stark contrast called two public this story at meetings to address thisweeklive.com to last year, when under Superintenthe issue. dent Brad Meeks’ The meetings, parents held at 5 and 7:30 p.m. Aug. administration, 25, occurred after this edi- were denied class size inforTHISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
mation until demanding it at an August board meeting. Then-School Board ViceChairman John Kampf instructed district staff to release the numbers because it looked like the district was trying to hide something. Haugen, in contrast, has already been communicating with parents who are citing concerns about class sizes. See Class Size, 5A
Longtime city engineer retiring in September Keith Nelson finishes up nearly 30 years with Lakeville by Aaron Vehling THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
It was 1988. The Berlin Wall had yet to fall, the Twins had won a World Series the year before (and would win another a few years later) and 185th Street in Lakeville was still a gravel road. It had been a few years since Keith Nelson had served as an engineering consultant for the city, but here he was again. Lakeville was issuing nearly 900 single-family permits a year and needed a full-time city engineer. Gone were the days in the early- to mid-’80s when the city had between 14,000 and 15,000 people, compared with more than 55,000 today. Things were picking up fast, and the
City Council knew whom to turn to. “It started getting crazy,” Nelson said, comparing yesteryear’s flood of housing permits with today’s. “Right now we’re lucky if we get 100.” After about 28 years serving Lakeville, Nelson announced last week he was retiring effective Sept. 30. “I turn 64 on Sept. 27,” he said, “so it’s my birthday present.” Nelson’s retirement is not for a lack of passion for his job. “When the alarm clock goes off in the morning, I still can’t wait to go to work,” he said. “There have been great opportunities here.” Two of his bosses, current City Administrator
Photo by Aaron Vehling
Lakeville City Engineer Keith Nelson studies a stormwater drainage plan in his office at City Hall. Nelson is retiring after nearly 30 years serving Lakeville in both a private contractor and public employee capacity. Steve Mielke and former marks. City Administrator Bob “There was significant Erickson, give Nelson high development under his
watch,” Mielke said. “He has a bank of knowledge you only get with time and age.” Erickson, who is also a member of the Lakeville School Board, lauded Nelson’s leadership when it came to developing the city’s intricate transportation network. He cited work on Highways 50, 60 and 70 and on County Road 46 as evidence of this. “This (school) district benefitted from his good work as an engineer over the last quarter-century,” Erickson said. Mielke said he also respects the good relationships with the development community Nelson cultivated during his tenure with the city. “He works well with de-
velopers,” he said. At least one developer can back that up. Joe Miller, owner of Country Joe Homes, who sold his previous home-building business to D.R. Horton, worked with Nelson on scores of housing projects. “He was a super guy to work with,” Miller said. “He has common sense. He is very level-headed.”
A different art Nelson first got interested in civil engineering while serving in the Vietnam War. He was a young man from south Minneapolis. Barely out of Washburn High School, Nelson was drafted and would enter the conflict at 19. He was involved in the See Nelson, 5A
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