In city government, the need for maps is nearly insatiable. They�re used by the Police and Fire departments and their dispatchers. Public works uses maps to show plow drivers which streets they are responsible to clear. In the spring and summer, the maps are used to show which streets will have seal coating or overlay done. At election time, the maps are used to show precincts and voting places. And we share our maps with the Chamber of Commerce, local realtors, and the occasional pizza delivery guy.
So where do all these maps come from? From the computer and brain of Beth Kaszynski in the City�s Engineering Division. Beth will be the first person to tell you that she is NOT a cartographer (map maker). Instead, she describes herself as a drafter. �I don�t actually create the maps. I make the maps created by others serve particular needs, but I�m not a map maker.�
A Minneapolis Washburn and Purdue University graduate, Beth has been employed with the City for nearly seven years. Her qualifications for this position include the B.S. Degree she received in �Housing with a Residential Interiors Option.� Beth says, �I really fell into drafting. It was a part of my studies, and in my past jobs drafting just kept growing and now at the city, drafting is the main focus of my work.�
Beth says the best part of her job is when she sees her work coming off the oversized printer in her cube, and it looks even better than she�d imagined. �I love my job. It�s never boring. I work with all the departments in the City, and the technology is always changing and improving.�
Eden Prairie, I’m told, can be a challenging place to find your way around. Beth’s work in putting together our maps makes this important task in life just a little bit easier for all of us.
Thanks Beth.
