I shared a presentation today with the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce’s Business Leaders’ Roundtable group. They met at the Eaton manufacturing plant here in Eden Prairie. The purpose of my presentation was to share information with them on the current status of the City’s finances and economic development activities.
Eden Prairie has a long record [...]
Monthly Archives: October 2004
Incenting
October 29, 2004 – 3:30 pm
I Voted Today
October 26, 2004 – 6:39 pm
I voted today. I almost always vote absentee. Election day is a busy day in the life of a City Manager. Especially if there are elections involving city officials. The day is filled from beginning to end with unexpected questions and situations that must be addressed on that day, sometimes on [...]
All Aboard for Eden Prairie
October 25, 2004 – 6:40 am
At least once each year we take our new employees out for a tour of Eden Prairie. It takes the better part of a day to complete the tour. We typically get a bus and driver from SouthWest Metro Transit. From the photo below it looks like we got the antique trolley bus [...]
The Vote Is On
October 21, 2004 – 7:25 am
Absentee votes are being cast in the Council Chambers of the Eden Prairie City Center for the 2004 general election.
I see absentee voting as a good barometer of voter interest in an election. High absentee voting turnouts is a sign that the turnout on election day will also be high. Not that one [...]
City and School
October 20, 2004 – 1:29 pm
The Eden Prairie School District and the City of Eden Prairie are the two dominant local government organizations in Eden Prairie. Yes, Minnetonka and Hopkins School Districts both claim portions of Eden Prairie in their districts. And yes, Hennepin County and three Watershed Boards also have claims on Eden Prairie. But it [...]
Innovation at the Liquor Store
October 19, 2004 – 4:33 pm
This is Vern Lindemann. Vern is an employee at the Eden Prairie Liquor Store in the Prairieview Shopping Center. Vern is a great guy. If you’ve never shopped in this liquor store, you should give it a try (if you’re of age, of course), for no better reason than you’d have the [...]
The Major Center Area
October 15, 2004 – 8:30 am
In the Eden Prairie, the Major Center Area (MCA) to those of us at City Hall is the area that surrounds the Eden Prairie Center. Generally, it is the area inside Prairie Center Drive.
At our Council meeting next week, City staff will ask the Council to appoint a 13 member task force [...]
Let The Children Play
October 12, 2004 – 7:04 am
About this time last year, my staff and I were planning an act of destruction. We were planning the removal of the Eden Prairie School’s Family Center playground. The playground was in the middle of the parking lot outside the Family Center which is located in City Center.
The reason we were planning to remove [...]
Remembering Jean Harris, Mayor & M.D.
October 11, 2004 – 7:26 am
We held the dedication ceremony for the Dr. Jean Harris Gathering Bridge on Saturday. It was a spectacular day. Beautiful weather in every respect. This is a view of the bridge in the distance from the Purgatory Creek Recreation Area. Great photo work by our Communications Manager Patrick Brink.
Here is a [...]
On The Sidelines
October 10, 2004 – 5:01 pm
Some people ask me what it’s like to watch people campaign and debate to be your new boss. I’d have to admit that it can be a little unsettling. You never what you’re going to get out of the political process. The People have a way of telling you what they want from [...]
Tax Increment Finance
October 7, 2004 – 7:39 am
Tax Increment Finance (TIF) is a public subsidy tool that cities can use to stimulate economic development projects. Here’s how it works. A city estimates the amount of new taxes that a potential new business will pay if it decides to locate in that city. The city then multiplies this new annual [...]
Recognition for Stan Tekiela
October 5, 2004 – 7:20 pm
Minnesota Barnes and Noble Bookstores announced that they have chosen author, and Eden Prairie city employee, Stan Tekiela for their Star of the North Award for 2004.
The Star of the North Award is chosen by twenty of Barnes and Noble’s bookstores in Minnesota to honor and recognize those writers, illustrators and publishers [...]
What Would Happen If……?
October 4, 2004 – 1:31 pm
What would happen if a couple of guys exploded a backpack bomb of an unidentified gas inside one of the AMC movie theatres at the Eden Prairie Center? Who would respond? How would they respond?
That’s exactly the scenario our Police, Fire, and EMS staffs practiced yesterday at the Eden Prairie Center. [...]
