The photo on the left was taken last week. It is a photo of a contractor’s backhoe on the frozen wetland in the Purgatory Creek Recreation Area. This is the “before” photo.

The photo on the right, also taken last week, is the same backhoe several hours later, not too long after the ice gave way and it sank into four feet of very cold water and muck. This is the “after” photo. You can click on both photos to see them in a larger size and greater detail.

Yes, a backhoe plunging through the ice on a cold February day is interesting, but you might also be interested to learn about why that backhoe was out on that ice to begin with.

We have recently contracted with a private construction company to install a new boardwalk/pier at the Purgatory Creek Recreation Area. The boardwalk will extend about 45 feet out over the water and be approximately 3.5 feet above the water. This boardwalk was part of the original design concept for the park and when complete it will have benches and tables for park users sit upon and enjoy the sights and sounds of the park and pond area. The construction plan is to have the pier built and open to the public by mid-May.

In order to build the boardwalk, pier anchors must be installed to support the weight of the wood beams and decking. This isn’t your typical lake home style boardwalk and the soils below the water are best described as “pure muck”. Due to the poor weight bearing capabilities a foundation system called Helical Piers is being used. This is best described as a large screw that is twisted into the soil using 3.5 inch diameter pipe extensions until the screw head is embedded in firm enough soil to bear the weight of the boardwalk and people.

This type of foundation system has been around over 90 years, but with the advent of hydraulic power heads the uses have increased dramatically. For example the lighting fixtures within the

Purgatory Creek Recreation Area Park are installed on special helical screws that replace conventional concrete footings. The helical piers for this boardwalk are installed to a depth average of 60 feet. The screw/pipe installation was tested to a bearing weight of 32,000 pounds with only a 6/10 inch drop in the top of the pipe!

In order to install these anchors, the contractor needed to use a machine capable of drilling the helical screws to the projected depth of 60 feet or greater. The pond ice thickness was checked and found be 18 to 20 inches of good clear ice. The water depth where the boardwalk is being installed is about 4 feet deep. There are a total of 14 vertical piers to support the boardwalk and 10 of these needed to be installed through the ice. The machine that the contractor used weighs around 26,000 pounds and everything went fine last Thursday until the installation of the 10^th pier. Then the ice started to give way at the rear of the machine and the operator immediately started to move the backhoe for shore. Unfortunately he didn’t quite make it and the backhoe slowly settled to the bottom. The crew called in help and after a couple of hours was able to get the machine out of the water.

Fortunately, there were no injuries, no damage to the machine or its engine and there was no leakage of fuel or fluids into the pond. The contractor finished up the installation on Friday by finishing the 10^th pier from shore as well as the four remaining dry land anchors. The next phase is to install the beams, decking and safety railing in March/April. You can enjoy this new park feature later this spring.

Note: I had help on this post from our Parks & Natural Resources Manager Stu Fox with the photos and the information about the project. Thanks Stu!

That’s Eden Prairie Fire Chief George Esbensen in the white shirt on the right. And that’s Eden Prairie Police Chief Rob Reynolds in the dark shirt on the left. Chief Esbensen and Chief Reynolds were the guests of the Eden Prairie A.M. Rotary Club this morning. They spoke to the club about a new initiative that is being launched publicly today called the Partnership for Emergency Readiness.

The program, which is a public-private partnership and among the first of its kind in the United States, was started with a test group of local businesses in 2006, and is now being activated within the business community. The two Chiefs activated the new PER website shortly after they completed their Rotary presentation. You can see the new website by clicking on this logo:

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The mission of the Partnership for Emergency Readiness is to create a resilient community through utilization of recognized public and private expertise and incentives that will serve as a model for communities around the country. We hope to do that in Eden Prairie by learning what assets our local business community has in case of a public emergency and also by teaching businesses how the City’s public safety functions work during a time of emergency. We do this, quite simply, by building relationships between the government and the business community. Sounds simple, but this initiative is getting some state and national attention for being unique.

One of America’s top homeland security experts, Stephen Flynn, Ph.D., recently highlighted Eden Prairie’s initiative in his just-released book, “The Edge of Disaster: Rebuilding a Resilient Nation.” Flynn says Eden Prairie’s PER is “an outstanding example of a community-based initiative that is a model for how cities and towns around America should be fostering the kind of preparedness we must have to deal with 21^st century hazards.”

Chief Esbensen maintains that recent disasters and acts of terrorism have demonstrated the need for a new approach to emergency preparedness, which is why the PER was formed in 2006 between the City of Eden Prairie and several Eden Prairie businesses. He did the initial formation work for the initiative along with some friends from the Fire Department who have experience in the area of international trade and security.

In all likelihood, the PER program will be used more often for natural disasters than the man-made variety. It’s a program that we will use to help each other locally until federal or state resources can get engaged and available. We also believe it will be helpful to the Police and the businesses as a means to communicate crime related information as well. If, for example we experience a series of car thefts in a particular part of town, we can route the information about the suspects to the members of PER and they in turn to their employees who can then help the Police by watching and calling if they see the bad guys in action.

Now that the foundation for the program has been laid, the City is actively recruiting new members. The PER website, edenprairieper.org, provides more information about the program and why it’s beneficial to join.

It’s a unique initiative based on very old fashioned values. Check it out.

At their meeting earlier this week, the Eden Prairie City Council took final action on an ordinance change which clarifies what land development and activities can and cannot occur at a golf course here in Eden Prairie. The owners of one particular golf course, Bent Creek, have strongly objected to the City’s actions because they would like to sell their course to land developers for development into new homes. The City believes the golf course was committed to be permanent open space by the original owners and had no development rights. The neighbors of Bent Creek support the City’s actions.

We often receive citizen feedback following a significant Council action. Here’s a few of the comments I’ve received on the Bent Creek matter:

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“Eden Prairie council and City manager:Thank you for your rezoning of Eden Prairie golf

courses to “Golf Course” preventing the loss of our green space.We have lived on the

12th fairway of Bent CreekGolf Club since October,1983 as have

our other 119 condominium owners and neighbors on Fairway dr.Everyone does not

play golf as I do(I have been a Bent Creek golfer since 1984,both as a public course

to start and as a private course since 1990)but the open space surrounding our homes

was a large factor in our original purchase and continues to this day.We support

your rezoning decision and if Sam sues you will continue to have our support

regardless of the outcome.I served on the Village Council in the early sixties and I

can empathize with your tough decisions.

I am closely acquainted with all of the Bent Creek staff as I have mowed the first

cut(about 15 hrs. a week)since my retirement from Starkey Labs several years ago

I know and like Sam Hertogg and I can appreciate his position and those of Mr Kochs

heirs especially with so many dollars involved but there are many homeowners who

would have suffered if you had not rezoned.Thanks,again.”

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Dear Mayor Young, Council Members Butcher, Aho, Nelson & Duckstad and Manager Neal:

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you last Tuesday regarding the Bent Creek Golf Course issues. Thank you too for your diligent and careful work on the matter. Your final decision was the product of good research, good listening and firm resolve to do the right thing.

You should also be proud of the excellent work of the planning staff and the city attorney. I believe you have been well advised throughout.

To all: Well done!

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As a Bent Creek member and

Eden Prairie resident, I was pleased to be among the crowd last evening at the city council meeting that stood and applauded your efforts in regard to the rezoning of Bent Creek. It was a standing ovation well deserved by you as a council and those that have worked long and hard to provide you with the information you needed to make this decision. Thank you for your hard work and diligence.

Best Regards,

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If you think for one min. that the people of EP will put up with NOT

allowing the owners of that golf course to sell you and all the council are

really mistaken , in the small neighborhood I live in I can assure you not

one family agrees with your decision.Both myself and others in my family (

living in EP ) agree. I WILL NOT PAY IN EXTRA TAX FOR YOUR FOOLISH MISTAKES

!!

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Dear Scott,

Thanks for the excellent work by you and your staff on the Bent Creek matter. I think everyone felt fairly treated at the hearings. I think the end result is well considered and carefully crafted, and based on solid facts. I think the city is the recipient of A+ work by Mr. Rosow. I have given a copy of his findings to my friend on the Edina City council to show how it can be done.

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At last night’s City Council meeting, the Council gave final approval to the creation of a new citizen advisory commission: the Budget Advisory Commission. The Budget Advisory Commission (BAC) will assist the City by providing additional insight and oversight for the City Council into the City’s biennial budget process. The seven specific responsibilities of the BAC are as follows:

1. Learn about the overall policy direction for the budget as communicated by the City Council to the City Manager.

2. Interact with City Manager and City staff to learn about the City’s statutory and discretionary budgetary procedures and practices.

3. Consider budget drafts, documents and other related budget information related to the City budget.

4. Attend City Council workshops, meetings, forums and other events related to the City budget.

5. Prepare comments for the City Council on intermittent budget proposals prepared by the City staff.

6. Propose budgetary and operational reforms with a goal aiding the City Council in making fiscally sound budget decisions.

7. Meet as frequently as necessary to accomplish their mission.

The City Council did not cede its responsibility or authority to establish the overall direction of the budget to the BAC. Not at all. They created the BAC in order to bring more smart Eden Prairie citizens into the budget preparation process. We will do our best to look for citizens who want to contribute to their city and who have expertise to lend to our process. The Council is actively recruiting potential candidates for the 5-7 positions on the BAC. If you’re interested, check our City website at edenprairie.org for the application and other information about the commission. The Council will be interviewing potential BAC members on February 27, so there’s no time to delay. If you’re interested (and eligible), throw your hat in the ring soon by submitting a commissioner application.

We have an active internship program here at the City of Eden Prairie. I don’t know if it’s more active or less active or about the same as other cities, but I do know that we seem fortunate every year to attract a good crop of interns, who then produce a lot of work for us.

Our most recent intern class is pictured in the photo on the left. I’ll name them left to right. Maggie Habashy was student at the University of Minnesota. She recently graduated (I hope). She interned in our Communications Division. Jeff Mills graduated from the University of Minnesota in December. He has a degree in Urban Studies. He is an intern in my office. Kristin Klecker is a graduate student in Human Resource Management at the Carlson School. She interns in our HR Office. Alex Vollmer is a student at the University of Minnesota. He interns in our Environmental Protection office. And finally, Christi Paulson is a student a Bethel University. She interned last fall in our Communications Division. She is still in school this spring, but had to wrap up her internship because she plays on Bethel’s collegiate softball team.

We train our interns. We want them to understand how city government works. Not because all of them are bound for careers in city government. Most of them aren’t. But gaining an understanding of how our organization is structured is helpful to them as they learn about how other complex human organizations function. Maybe an organization where they’d like to work someday.

Interns are not the same as summer seasonal workers. I believe that we have a higher professional duty to our interns that includes helping them learn about their chosen professions and teaching them how to interact successfully with people in a workplace setting. I want our interns to leave here with good experiences that help them get good jobs so that they can make positive contributions to our society and to our country.

Do not adjust your computer. Yes, it’s a black & white photograph. I don’t know why it’s black & white. This is a photo of the Parks & Recreation Department from 1988. Not that long ago, really.

I’m sharing this photo today because the guy with the coat and tie on in the photo is Bob Lambert, Director of Parks & Recreation for the City of Eden Prairie. Bob will be retiring on March 30 after 29 years of service.

Now I’m going to write more about the legacy that Bob Lambert is leaving Eden Prairie in the near future. For today, I want to share a little bit about what we’re doing to pick his successor.

We are currently in the early stages of interviews for a new Parks & Rec Director. We had 60 or so applicants for the job. I’d say that half of them were qualified for the job. From there we will cut the field to 13 applicants with whom we want to talk before trimming the field again down to 3-5 finalists.

The City’s Human Resources Manager Karen Kurt and I are doing these screening interviews. We did four of them on Tuesday. We’ll do seven of them today. We’ll do the final two tomorrow. An initial screening interview takes about 45 minutes. We get a general picture of the candidate through these interviews. We get enough out of them to decide whether or not to advance them to the final round.

The final round of interviews for this job will be quite involved. That’s why we only want to engage 3-5 candidates in it. We will have three small group interview panels: one of community leaders, one of City Department Directors, and one of Parks & Rec Department employees. These interview panels consist of 3-5 people and operate in a conventional Q&A format.

The final hurdle of the final interview, however, is not a conventional one. We have asked all of our Parks & Rec Department employees to gather in our Council Chambers that day to receive a power point presentation from each of the candidates. The presentations will be about the candidate and his or her current job and city. How they speak about where they are now may be a good indicator of how they will speak about us someday. Possibly. Maybe. The employees will have comment cards. They will write down their comments about each candidate and forward them to me. I will use these comments to help make the right choice for our new Director.

It’s a big decision. Getting the right input is important. That’s what our interview process is all about.

This is Rick Wahlen. Rick is the City’s Utilities Operations Manager. He manages the City’s water production and distribution systems, as well as the City’s sanitary and storm sewer collection systems. Rick is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve. Rick has been selected to be the next principal regional emergency preparedness liaison officer (PREPLO) for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region V.

Rick has served for 23 years in both the Army and the Army Reserve. This promotion means that Rick will now be a Colonel. His place of duty will be Great Lakes Naval Station in

Chicago . As the PREPLO of Region V, which includes the states of Minnesota , Wisconsin , Michigan , Ohio , Indiana and Illinois , he will travel throughout the region and the United States to perform his duties. He will supervise a staff and provide leadership for a joint team of senior officers from each of the five branches of the military. Wahlen’s team mobilizes during times of regional emergencies, and augments other FEMA headquarters as needed during crises that occur outside of FEMA Region V.

Rick has been an outstanding addition to our Utilities staff. I feel that we are very fortunate to have someone of Rick’s military stature and depth of expertise on our staff. We get all the benefit of his military training by merely accommodating his military schedule. The country will benefit by our flexibility by gaining more of Rick’s time and attention at FEMA.

The City of Eden Prairie wins. The United States of America wins.

From her desk, investigator nabs criminals

The Eden Prairie police investigator has her biggest case in 26 years, fingering a woman accused of stealing identities to take out mortgages.

That was Star Tribune reporter Anthony Lonetree’s front page photo and headline from yesterday’s “Twin Cities + Region” section of the paper. The story was all about Eden Prairie Police Department investigative aide Pauline Sager. You can click on this link to read it: Star Tribune story about Pauline.

It’s a great story about Pauline. It describes her unique position in our Police Department as a non-sworn investigator. Being sworn or non-sworn is an important distinction in a police department. Being “sworn” means that a Police Department employee may carry a weapon, make arrests, conduct searches, preserve evidence, etc. Typical “non-sworn” employees in a police department are the 911 dispatchers, records technicians, administrative assistants and so on. They do the important support work for police officers, investigators and school liaison officers.

In most police departments, the work that Pauline does is done by sworn police officers. We don’t do it like that here because Pauline has been doing this kind of work here for 20+ years, and doing it well. There’s just never been an operational reason to change it.

This sworn v. non-sworn distinction should not be construed as “important vs. non-important”. Not at all. Crime could not be fought, and justice could not be served, without the sworn and non-sworn employees working together as a team. They do that very well here in Eden Prairie. Pauline is a good example of that. Read her story. It’s a good one.

I spent my day today in Arizona as the guest of the Arizona City/County Management Association. I was a guest speaker at their annual winter conference in Sedona. My subject: local government blogs, of course.

It was -10F when I got into my car this morning to drive to the airport in Minneapolis. It was 80F in Phoenix late this afternoon. It felt good to warmed by the sun, and by the enthusiastic audience at our conference session. Despite the fact that we were competing against a city manager golf tournament, we had an excellent turnout for our mid afternoon session.

I gave what is now my standard blog presentation. I’ve given a few times before. I like to do it. I don’t think I get many converts, but that’s not really the point. The point is to explain how sharing more information with our residents is better than not sharing. I do it through a blog, but there are many ways to accomplish the same goal. Maybe someone will get the spirit of the presentation and be inspired to open up more to their citizens. Whether they do it through a blog or not is not really important, at least in my opinion.

Special Note: Congratulations to the USA men’s national soccer team on their 2-0 win over their arch-rivals Mexico tonight. The game took place right here in the Phoenix metro area. I drove out to the stadium thinking I would try to catch the game. Not a chance. No tickets. No place to park. It was complete and total sell out. But most importantly - a victory for the USA. Congrats boys!

This guy came to our regular Monday morning staff meeting yesterday……and we shot him 35 times. But don’t worry. He’s just a prop used at the South Metro Public Safety Training Center (SMPSTC). The SMPSTC is a jointly owned and operated training center for public safety employees, primarily police officers and fire fighters. The training center is jointly owned and operated by the cities of Edina, Eden Prairie, Bloomington and the Metropolitan Airports Commission.

I took my regular Monday morning OCM (Office of the City Manager) staff meeting there yesterday to get a taste of the place. This group includes the managers of our internal support functions like Human Resources, Finance, Communications, Facilities, IT and Administration. This group of managers provides all the necessary support services that keep our five operating departments (Parks & Rec, Public Works, Fire, Community Development, and Police) up and going.

I wanted these managers to get a better understanding of the Police services we provide by arranging for them to get up close to one of the most important aspects of being a Police Officer, which is the ongoing training it takes to be a Police Officer - which is considerable. So yesterday we all went to the training center to participate in firearms training. Granted, our firearms training was very short and very elementary, but it provided a good opportunity for these managers to gain a new understanding - and empathy - for our Police Officers.

They got to feel the weight of a gun. They got to experience the sound of a gun being fired. They got to learn how difficult it is to fire a handgun at a target, even one that’s only 5 yards away. They got an understanding of how important it is to train and be safe with firearms. Now, sure, we could have talked about all of this in a staff meeting, but it’s not the same as being in the range and seeing, hearing, smelling, and feeling the awesome power of a firearm being discharged.

Photos: Far Left: Sgt. Chris Millard of the Eden Prairie Police Department (in the red shirt)was our training officer for the day. He did a great job of emphasizing the safety aspects of using firearms. Middle Left: Facilities Manager Paul Sticha fires the M16 down range. Middle Right: Communications Manager Joyce Lorenz puts in her ear protectors. Safety first. Far Right: IT Manager Lisa Wu fires several rounds from the Glock 9mm handgun. This is the standard issue side arm for Eden Prairie Police.

Building understanding and empathy among our city staff is important, in my view, to working together as an effective team. I know the managers of the OCM now have a much better understanding of what it takes to be a Police Officer, and I believe that understanding will positively impact their ability to serve the needs of the Police Department in the future.

U.S. Exporters Feel Favorable Trade Winds

Companies Lifted by Rising Tide of Foreign Sales, Particularly in China

By Peter S. Goodman and Nell Henderson

Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, January 30, 2007; Page D01

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A couple weeks ago I got a call at home that a Washington Post reporter was in the lobby and that he wanted to visit with me about the impact of the acceleration of world trade on Eden Prairie. That reporter was Mr. Peter S. Goodman, international economics reporter for the New York Bureau of the Washington Post. That’s his byline above. I’m going to paraphrase it, but if you’d like to read the entire article, click this link: Peter Goodman Washington Post Eden Prairie Article.

Mr. Goodman was looking for a place in middle America where it might be possible to see the local impacts of the globalization of trade. I’m not sure how he found Eden Prairie, but once he found it, he knew he had the right city. I interviewed with Mr. Goodman, as did business executives at MTS and C.H. Robinson Worldwide, both Eden Prairie-based companies.

We do see the impact of the globalization of trade in Eden Prairie, especially with China. Whenever I’m in a setting with local business leaders, there’s always one among the group that just got back from China or was planning a trip there in the near future. As Mr. Goodman’s article points out, the local impacts of the globalization of trade does not necessarily mean jobs for China and unemployment for America. It doesn’t have to go that way. We’ve seen that our local economy can indeed proposer in the global economy. We’ve seen it in Eden Prairie anyway.