We have a successful system here of soliciting private donations and sponsorships for city sponsored programs and facilities. In fact, in 2008, the City of Eden Prairie was the recipient of over $570,000 in cash gifts and sponsorships in the Parks & Recreation sector of our operations alone. I won’t go into a long list [...]
Category Archives: Events
Eden Prairie Reads
January 22, 2010 – 3:38 pm
The City of Eden Prairie is a proud sponsor for the Eden Prairie Reads organization/event. We’ve been a sponsor as far back as I can remember. Former Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens was an early and strong supporter of Eden Prairie Reads. You can click on the link to read more about what’s happening with this year’s [...]
Sooner Than We Think?
January 14, 2010 – 9:11 am
Who would have thought that when former Gov. Jesse Ventura began his term as our Governor on January 8, 1999, that we would be riding a new light rail train connecting downtown Minneapolis to the Mall of America just five years later?
OK, five and half years later. The Hiawatha line opened for business on June [...]
Off and Running in a New Year
January 6, 2010 – 3:54 pm
The City Council held its annual organizational meeting last night. The annual organizational meeting is typically a quick one, and last night’s meeting was no exception – 35 minutes. The Council uses its organizational meeting to make a number of decisions that are somewhat, but completely, perfunctory. For example, the Council adopts a policy that [...]
Police and Fire Fighter Training
December 21, 2009 – 1:11 pm
I had the opportunity last week to attend the debriefing session of a recent police training session at the South Metro Public Safety Training Facility. The South Metro Public Safety Training Facility is a facility in Edina that is owned and operated jointly by the cities of Eden Prairie, Edina and Bloomington and the Metropolitan [...]
Friday Report for December 11, 2009
December 11, 2009 – 1:01 pm
For today’s post, here’s my December 11, 2009 Friday Report to the City Council.
Enjoy!
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OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER½Friday Report
DATE: December 11, 2009
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Scott H. Neal, City Manager
RE: Friday Report for December 11, 2009
1. Brief Special Council Meeting – We have a number of liquor license renewals that have come in since [...]
Preparing for the Pandemic
November 5, 2009 – 7:58 am
What would city government in Eden Prairie be like if 1/3 of our staff were sick with the flu, another 1/3 were home taking care of a family member sick with the flu, and another 1/3 were well and able to work? What would we do? What services would we continue to provide at their [...]
Minnesota Taxpayer’s Association
October 26, 2009 – 12:18 pm
The Minnesota Taxpayer’s Association is a good source of non-partisan information about government operations and spending in Minnesota’s state, county and local governments. Sure, there are other advocacy groups that claim to represent the interest of taxpayers, but I think the MTA does the best job of doing research and educating the public on tax [...]
Hitting The Market Just Right
October 20, 2009 – 1:51 pm
There was a good article in yesterday’s Star Tribune by Laurie Blake and Mary Jane Smetanka cleverly titled “Minnesota cities jumping on the bond wagon.” Nice title. Informative article.
Eden Prairie wasn’t mentioned in article, but we also did a bond refinancing deal that produced a favorable outcome for our city. We refinanced the bonds that [...]
Vino Classico 2009
October 15, 2009 – 6:55 am
Vino Classico: Eden Prairie Uncorked
It’s time once again for the Eden Prairie A.M. Rotary Club’s annual Vino Classico wine tasting fundraiser. The event will be held on Saturday, October 24 from 6:30-9 pm at the Eden Prairie Community Center, 16700 Valley View Road. In addition to a wide selection of wine, there’s also a wide [...]
Re-Freshed by KFC
October 1, 2009 – 7:00 am
KFC has announced a new program called “Re-Fresh the Streets.” The program offers cities $3,000 grants to fill street potholes. There are only two conditions: 1) The City must allow KFC to put its logo on the finished pothole patch; and, 2) The City must require its Street Maintenance workers to dress up like Colonel Sanders [...]
Super Volunteer: Robert Lawton
September 18, 2009 – 8:44 am
The City has 260 or so fulltime employees and, depending on the time of year, another 200-300 part-time employees. But we’re not completely an employee driven organization. We have lots of volunteers. One in particular that fits into the unofficial Super Volunteer category is a guy named Robert Lawton.
Robert began his professional life as an [...]
City Endorses SWLRT Route 3A
September 16, 2009 – 7:08 am
The City Council met last night. It was a short agenda. Among the actions from last night’s meeting, the Council approved a resolution that endorsed proposed Route 3A for the proposed Southwest Light Rail Transitway. The Council previously endorsed Route 3A in 2002 and again in 2006, so this action is no surprise. But it [...]
Friday Report on Monday
August 17, 2009 – 12:16 pm
I know it’s Monday, but here’s my Friday Report from last Friday. Enjoy!
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Friday Report: August 14, 2009
1. Cummins-Grill Crash Site Update – The NTSB has completed the removal of the plane wreckage from the Cummins-Grill property. The area will now be considered a hazardous materials site until the aviation fuel spilled in the crash is [...]
2010-2011 Budget Season Is On
July 29, 2009 – 1:37 pm
Finance Manager Sue Kotchevar and I presented the 1st draft of the City’s proposed 2010-2011 budget to the Budget Advisory Commission last night. The budget making process is highly truncated this year because of our goal to flatten our spending and taxing practices in the next two year budget. That policy choice means that our [...]
