Farmington and Lakeville: Thisweek Newspapers

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Teacher does comedy in and out of the classroom. See Thiswseekend Page 9A.

NEWS OPINION SPORTS

Thisweek Farmington-Lakeville OCTOBER 14, 2011

VOLUME 32, NO. 33

www.thisweeklive.com

Opinion/4A

Announcements/5A

ISD 194 hires new hockey coach amid controversy

Public Notices/6A

Senior Spotlight/8A

Sports/10A

Classifieds/11A

Crosstown rivals clash

Randy Schmitz’s departure sparked conflict in Lakeville by Aaron Vehling THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

Lakeville residents love their hockey. So when popular former Lakeville North hockey coach Randy Schmitz’s contract was not renewed this year, gossip began to spread and accusations abounded. Schmitz had been with the district for 23 years. He took the team to the state tournament in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2011, finishing with the consolation title last season. As the softball coach, his teams qualified for state in 1995, 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2007. Then people learned the district was considering the hiring of Trent Eigner, co-head coach of the Rosemount girls’ hockey team. Some members of the community petitioned the board to reconsider the hire because of Eigner’s past. Along with his wife and a

Photo by Rick Orndorf

Longtime Lakeville/ Lakeville North High School coach Randy Schmitz’s contract was not renewed this year. The district replaced him with Trent Eigner, co-head coach of the Rosemount girls’ hockey team. friend, Eigner was charged with possession of nearly 100 pounds of marijuana when he lived in Texas. PoSee Coach, 15A

Photo by Rick Orndorf

Lakeville North and South high schools battled it out Friday night, Oct. 7, at Lakeville North High School before an estimated crowd of over 12,000 people. North beat South 30-6. For full coverage, check out the Page 10A and visit www.thisweeklive.com.

Farmington High School students come down with mysterious illness Minnesota Department of Health investigating by Laura Adelmann THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

The Minnesota Department of Health is investigating the cause of a mysterious illness that kept about 60 Farmington High School students from school Monday, Oct. 10. Parents who excused their children from school reported they were still suffering symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea that had started Friday, Oct. 7, the start of Farmington High School’s homecoming weekend. FHS Principal Ben Kusch emailed parental notifications about the illnesses and informed parents of the state’s investigation on Monday. He said he would send updates as new information became available.

Farmington School District Communications and Marketing Coordinator Jim Skelly said Minnesota Department of Health officials were interviewing students who were sick and are working closely with the district’s food service provider, Chartwells Dining Services, in the investigation. Skelly emphasized it has not been determined if the illnesses had anything to do with food served at the school. “They go back to the 72hour window from when they first reported illnesses. They talk to the students and ask what they did and where they were,� Skelly said. “Then, they try to find commonality between all the people and the symptoms, but there’s a likelihood that they may not

Marketing strategy progresses in Lakeville Firm helps city develop plan to attract new businesses by Aaron Vehling THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

know what caused it.� He said that to his knowledge none of the students was hospitalized with the illness. In an interview Wednesday, Kusch said parents have expressed gratitude that the school responded quickly and thoroughly to inform them of the situation and handle it responsibly. There was not an unusual number of student absences called in on Wednesday, according to Kusch. The number of students affected is a small portion of Farmington High School’s 1,750 student population, and Kusch said it could be a virus. Skelly said there were not similar reports of student absences from any other schools in the district. Laura Adelmann is at laura. adelmann@ecm-inc.com.

Bringing home the businesses is a concept on the minds at City Hall in Lakeville lately. Last week, three staff members from consultants Arnett and Muldrow visited Lakeville for a couple days to interview community stakeholders and research all corners of the city. The results will inform the firm’s recommendations for bolstering current businesses and attracting new ones to the “Southern Gateway to the Twin Cities.� The business marketing strategy is an Economic Development Commission (EDC) initiative the City Council approved in May. It approved Arnett’s proposal in July. Dave Olson, Lakeville’s community and economic development director, said the Greenville, S.C.-based consultants conducted roundtable discussions with four different groups: a con-

vention and visitors tourism group, the Chamber of Commerce board of directors, city Tschumper leaders (city council and staff) and the Downtown Lakeville Business Association (DLBA). DLBA Director Judy Tschumper had positive endorsements of the process. “It was very good,� she said. “There was open dialogue – it was a wide-open forum. I realize this (initiative) is for the entire city, but they can come back with help for us (downtown).� Olson said the group also conducted one-on-one interviews with business leaders and shot hundreds of photos around the city. It even stopped by a Lakeville South High School economics class. Representatives from Arnett Muldrow could not be reached for comment by the

time this story went to press. “They are gathering information to get perceptions of Lakeville... to assess the city’s attributes... in terms of attracting new businesses to the community,� Olson said. The group will return later this month with a summary of its findings. “That will begin the discussion to develop some actual strategies,� Olson said. The EDC decided to recommend Arnett last summer because of the firm’s experience with similar-sized communities, such as West Des Moines, Iowa. Another bonus for city staff and the EDC, he said, was the geography of its headquarters. “They are from South Carolina, so they have no preconceived notions of Lakeville,� Olson said. “They have an outsider’s perspective.� Aaron Vehling is at aaron.vehling@ecm-inc.com and www. facebook.com/thisweeklive.

Angry citizens speak out against city plan that increases taxes for years McKnight says he will suggest work session regarding budget by Laura Adelmann THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

Farmington’s plan to fund future capital projects with tax increases starting in 2012 was met with angry opposition at an Oct. 10 city open house. Residents clustered near Farmington City Council members and staff scattered in City Hall to speak against the multi-year plan that builds a cash fund with

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property tax increases. The plan kicks off 2012 with an $81 tax increase for a $190,200 average value homesteaded property and $293 increase for a nonhomesteaded property of the same average value. The plan includes additional levy increases in all but four of the next 11 years, and even more tax increases may also be part of the city’s future annual operating budgets. Many who attended raised concerns about the Photo by Laura Adelmann faltering economy, falling Farmington resident Tom Ryan made his point opposing the household incomes and city’s budget plan to Farmington City Council Member Julie thudding property values. May. Looking on is former Farmington Mayor Jerry Ristow.

“You can’t keep taking it back to the people and taking money out of their pockets,� said former Farmington City Council Member and Mayor Jerry Ristow. “It’s getting too costly. Everything is getting too far out of line for us senior people,� said Ellsworth Hoeppner, a lifelong Farmington resident. “We’re on a tight fixed income.� Another lifelong resident, Tom Ryan, listed a number of past city construction and improvement projects that he said the city and/or the companies

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it employed botched. He criticized past financial decisions for putting the city in its current financial predicament. Hoeppner agreed, stating, “They spent too much money years ago. They should cut their spending, cut maintenance for utilities, quit building roads all the time. We can’t afford that.� Former City Council Member Bill Fitch called the building of a new City Hall that is partially empty “a $10 million mistake� and urged the council to prioriSee Taxes, 15A


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