There was a decision from the United States Supreme Court in the case of Kelo v. City of New London, Connecticut that I thought, at first would be sort of a back-page “inside baseball” legal opinion for local government people. But its reverberation through the popular media, especially talk radio, has been anything but [...]
Monthly Archives: June 2005
Fire Station #4
June 29, 2005 – 12:52 pm
This is an architect’s rendering of how our new Fire Station will look in August of 2006. We call it Station #4 because (surprise, surprise) it will be our fourth operating Fire Station.
This is the view of the new Fire Station site looking down from above.
There is a new storm water holding pond planned [...]
The Torch Run
June 28, 2005 – 9:14 am
Our Police Department employees take time to be involved in the community. It’s important for the public to see that those charged with enforcing our laws are also law-abiding, community-minded citizens as well. This photo shows a good example of that. They may not look like Police Officers in their running gear, [...]
The Honorable Mayor Buzz Olson
June 24, 2005 – 7:40 am
That’s him. That’s him in profile, anyway. In the center of the photo in the gray suit. That’s the Mayor of Mosquito Heights, Minnesota – The Honorable Buzz Olson. We had the honor of hosting Mayor Olson in our Council Chambers yesterday. Normally, I would be quite a bit [...]
The Road Stops Here.
June 23, 2005 – 7:40 am
This is an aerial photograph of Eden Prairie taken in 2004. Do you see the two parallel curvilinear lines that run together to the center of the photo and then abruptly stop? That’s Highway 312. The road stops here….for now.
But, if State Legislators and the Governor don’t come together soon and reach [...]
Pleasant Hill Cemetery
June 22, 2005 – 7:33 am
It’s not really common for cities to own and manage cemeteries, and you probably don’t hear about it too often either. Eden Prairie owns a cemetery. This is the second city in which I’ve worked that has had municipally-owned cemeteries. The first was Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.
The City of Eden Prairie owns and manages [...]
The Town Meeting
June 21, 2005 – 12:22 pm
Early forms of local government in America, especially in New England, relied on the “Town Meeting” as the primary vehicle to provide legitimacy for government action. Citizens were notified of an impending Town Meeting by public notices that were posted in public places. When they showed up at the Town Meeting, they debated [...]
Well #15
June 20, 2005 – 7:21 am
The City is engaged in building (i.e. – “digging”) Well #15. The site for the well is on Technology Drive on property donated to the City by Eaton Corporation. It is just north of our complex here at City Center; just west of Mitchell Road.
Here’s what the site looked like in January:
And [...]
So what happens if…..
June 17, 2005 – 9:53 pm
…if the State government goes into shutdown mode?
Well, we’re not exactly sure at the moment, but we’re studying it at a fast and furious pace. Eden Prairie is not reliant on State government financial assistance, so we know that we will not be immediately financially impacted. Many cities that rely on local government [...]
A True Friend of Blue and Red
June 16, 2005 – 3:01 pm
That’s Father Tim Power, retired pastor of Pax Christi Catholic Community here in Eden Prairie. Father Tim was our guest speaker today at the monthly membership luncheon of the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce. Today’s luncheon was held at Bearpath Golf & Country Club.
I put Father Tim under the title of “True Friend [...]
Your Next Cable Company is….Comcast
June 15, 2005 – 3:12 pm
If you live in Eden Prairie and you buy your television signal from a cable television company, you are a customer of Time Warner Cable – but not for much longer.
Time Warner Cable and one of their national competitors in the cable television business, Comcast, have reached an agreement to “exchange” customers in certain [...]
Road Work Ahead
June 14, 2005 – 9:07 am
That sign says it all. If you live, work, or drive in Eden Prairie this summer, you will be inconvenienced by road work. We call them “road improvements”, which is true, but many of you will call it a pain.
The Technology Drive project started this past week. The project runs from the [...]
How Much is a Mayor Worth?
June 13, 2005 – 2:01 pm
Catchy title? I can answer that question. For most, but not all, of the Mayors that I’ve served in my local government career, the answer is “probably not enough”. For the current Mayor I serve here in Eden Prairie, the answer is “definitely not enough”. The same is true for City [...]
Security
June 9, 2005 – 7:37 am
All levels of government care a lot more about security today than they did before the tragic events of September 11, 2001. See that security camera in the photo below? It’s watching you while you’re in the parking lots of City Center.
And see that darkened glass 1/2 sphere on the ceiling in the [...]
Our Goose Problem
June 8, 2005 – 12:31 pm
Sure, they’re cute at this age. But they grow up to become:
The geese cause problems. They create health problems with their droppings. They create traffic problems too. From the general public sentiment out there, the Canada Goose has almost achieved “pest” status.
Eden Prairie has the dubious honor of having roughly 9% [...]
