The Blog from City Hall

I’m going to write a five part blog series this week (yes, I know that means writing something everyday) about the 2006 Eden Prairie Quality of Life Study. The 2006 Quality of Life Study, or as I’ll refer to it from here on out as the 2006 QLS, was initiated as part of the City’s 2008-2009 budget preparation process. The idea behind the 2006 QLS was to ask citizens what they liked and didn’t like about city services, programs and operations, and then to incorporate that information into the staff’s budget preparation process and the Council’s decision-making process for the City’s 2008-2009 City Budget, which is underway as we speak.

The 2006 QLS was conducted by the Twin Cities public opinion research firm Decision Resources Ltd. Decision Resources is a widely known and respected consulting firm in Minnesota. They do many similar studies for cities around the state. They are particularly strong in the Twin Cities market. I think they were a good choice to do our QLS for two reasons. One, they are recognized experts in public sector research. And two, because they are so dominant in the Twin Cities market they can offer us many comparisons of how our data compares to other comparable Twin Cities communities.

The QLS was started in 2006. That’s why I call it the 2006 QLS despite the fact that its final report was delivered by the consultant just last week during the Council’s 2007 long term planning session. The QLS was drawn from a statistically representative sample of Eden Prairie households and conducted by telephone from December 2006-January 2007. The data is reliable to + or - 5%.

For today, I’ll be brief. I’ll let the data speak for itself the rest of the week. When Bill Morris, President of Decision Resources, presented his final report to the City Council last week he told us that he always likes to leave his clients with a couple of summary sound-bites that properly describe the collective public opinion of the population being studied. He gave us two such comments to describe the data and the comments generated by Eden Prairie’s 2006 QLS:

“Fiscally Conservative Greens“; and,

“Affordable Excellence“.

So what does it mean to be a “fiscally conservative green”? Morris said that it means Eden Prairie residents are, generally, fiscally conservative in most political matters, but when it comes to the environment, particularly their immediate natural environment, they trend a solidly more to the center. Citizens expressed strong support for parks, open spaces, environmental initiatives energy efficiency programs, etc. They want their city government to be a good environmental steward because it’s prudent and wise to take care of a limited (and valuable) natural resource: Eden Prairie’s land, lakes and natural environment.

And “affordable excellence”? What does that mean? Let me first tell you what it doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean “I want something for nothing” or that “I want my cake, but I want to eat it too”. It doesn’t mean that Eden Prairie want excellent services, but don’t want to pay their taxes. According to Morris, most Eden Prairie residents make the connection between their tax bill and the quality of life around them. They understand that quality comes at a price, especially the maintenance of that quality. But many of our residents come from the business world where there are market pressures to make continuous improvements to quality. They want their city government to do that too. Morris said the data on clearly shows that Eden Prairie residents will not accept significant decreases in city service levels, but they won’t accept significant increases in taxes either. I think that sums up our 2008-2009 budget challenge pretty well right there.

Tomorrow: What citizens like, don’t like, and how much.

The Richard T. Anderson Conservation Area (aka - The RTA) is the City’s newest conservation area. We dedicated it in 2005. It is located in the City’s far southwest corner, located on the bluff above the Minnesota River Valley, right on our border with Chanhassen.

Photographer Todd Nordquist of Eden Prairie and amateur botanist Sean Jergens, board member at the Minnesota Native Plant Society, led a group of Eden Prairie residents on a walking tour of Richard T. Anderson Conservation Area, Saturday April 21st. The event was sponsored by Writers Rising Up and the Elizabeth Fries Ellet Interpretive Trail.

They identified and cataloged spring ephemeral wildflowers, which bloom a short time before leaves appear on trees and foliage blocks sunlight from the forest floor. The March cold spell seems to have slowed down the emergence of wildflowers this spring, but the group was able to discover of several species in bloom. They identified hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba), bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), and wild ginger (Asarum canadensis) in full bloom. The new foliage of ferns, called “fiddle heads,” were just beginning to unfurl. In the prairie they found a patch of prairie smoke (Geum triflorum) just beginning to bloom. All of the participants looked forward to returning to the site throughout the seasons to see what they might discover next.

Photo Left: Roxanne Aase and Todd Norquist of Eden Prairie.

Photo Right: Prairie Smoke by Todd Norquist of Eden Prairie

There are some interesting upcoming events scheduled at the RTA:

June 23- Saturday; 10 to Noon -Yako Myers, Ojibwa Herbalist -Plant Uses of the Native Indians: Workshop and Excursion- Yako teaches at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. $15.00 per person-

September, 9 Sunday; 1 to 3pm - Nature’s Seed Mechanism: Fruits and Seeds- -Types of fruits, dry and fleshy; dispersal methods; flower structure/MN Landscape Arboretum Instructor, Shirley Mah Kooyman -$20.00 per person-

October 6, Saturday, 2007; 8 to Noon- Local Wilderness Writing Workshop- Don Scheese- Mountains of Memory, Author, Professor Gustavus Adolphus
$30.00 per-person-

Note: Fees are paid directly to instructors for travel time and instruction and can be paid the day of the event. Families or groups who wish to participate need only pay a one person fee per family.

Come out and enjoy the RTA.

For more information about upcoming events go to:

efeinterpretivetrail@comcast.net

www.efeinterpretivetrail.org

Today was the first day of work for our new Director of Parks & Recreation, Jay Lotthammer. That’s Jay in the background. He’s seen here meeting with Parks & Natural Resources Manager Stu Fox. Stu was briefing Jay on his 25+ years of park development and management experiences in Eden Prairie. Jay was listening and learning.

Jay has big shoes to fill. Bob Lambert had a large presence here for 29 years. He got a lot done, and he did it well. Jay comes to us from the City of Brooklyn Park, MN where he was their Parks & Recreation Director. Jay worked in Brooklyn Park for 17+ years starting at the very bottom of the organization and working his way all the way up to the top spot in 2005.

We’re excited to have Jay on board. I think he’s going to do great work here.

The subject of the City Council’s April 17 workshop was affordable housing. The subject is timely. The City is currently updating its Comprehensive Land Use Guide Plan. The Guide Plan sets the course for how the City Council wants to see the community develop. It’s literally a map of the city where the City Council wants to see residential, commercial, industrial, open space, utility, and public land uses. The guide plan looks forward to plan the next ten years of the city’s future.

City governments have limited tools to affect the supply of affordable housing in a city. In Minnesota, cities in the Twin Cities metro area not only have their own unique affordable housing goals, but they most likely also have a set of performance targets for affordable housing that are set by the Metropolitan Council. In Eden Prairie, we have six general housing goals:

1. Promote and encourage the provision of lifecycle housing opportunities for all age groups, household sizes and income levels.

2. Promote and support the development of new affordable housing units to meet the community’s share of affordable housing goals.

3. Lower the development costs of low to moderate income, elderly, and special needs housing developments.

4. Work in partnership with private and public sectors, and regional, state and federal agencies to help finance innovative demonstration projects and housing development techniques.

5. Promote and support the reinvestment in older housing stock and neighborhoods that are approaching the life span for some utilities, equipment and structural elements.

6. Promote and work to locate new housing with convenient access to basic services, including stores, restaurants services, transit and parks.

The City also has a set of six affordable housing performance targets that were negotiated with the Metropolitan Council in the mid-1990s:

1. 30% of all new ownership housing units in the city will meet the annually adjusted “affordable” threshold. For a owned housing unit to be “affordable”, as that term is defined by the Met Council, in Eden Prairie in 2006 it would cost no more than $193,700. That’s a tough goal to make in Eden Prairie.

2. 350 new affordable rental housing units should be created between 1996-2010. So far, there have been 236 affordable rental units created in Eden Prairie in that time period.

3. The City must spend a certain amount each year on affordable housing activities. This is called the ALHOA (Affordable and Life Cycle Housing Opportunities Amount) level. The City has more than met this target. Since 1998, the City has spent $1,411,740 on affordable housing activities.

4. Total rental housing at full development of the City will represent 25% of all housing units. By the end of 2006, 22% of Eden Prairie’s housing stock was rental. We believe this percentage will grow to around 27% by 2010.

5. Multiple family housing stock at full development will represent 43% of the City’s total housing stock. This target includes both owned and rental units. It includes everything that’s not a single family dwelling. By the end of 2006, 48% of the City’s housing stock fit this definition.

6. The average housing density in new single family detached developments will be at least 2.0 units per acre. In 2006, we believe our average density figure for single family developments is close to 3.0 units per acre. For multiple family & single family together, the density figure is 3.53 units/acre.

So that’s what has been happening in Eden Prairie concerning housing and affordable housing. There are going to be opportunities for more housing and more affordable housing in Eden Prairie in the future. Maybe the near future. We wanted to get the Council Members started thinking about this subject. I think that we accomplished that goal.

We dedicated our Den Road Liquor Store today. The City just completed a substantial remodeling project at the store, which is located on Den Road across the street from Cub Foods. In the photo to the left, L-R, are: Liquor Store Operations Manager Mitch Dean, Mayor Phil Young, Council Member Jon Duckstad, me, Glenn Schwartz from the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce, and the City’s CFO Sue Kotchevar.

If you live in or near Eden Prairie, please come see this store. It is beautiful. The new interior design has changed the entire look and feel of the store, and hopefully improved the wine, liquor and beer shopping experience.

I want to thank Baker Associates and Greystone Construction for their work on this project. Baker is responsible for the interior design and Greystone did the work. They did great work on this project. I also wanted to congratulate Sue Kotchevar and Mitch Dean. They worked hard not only to make sure the projected turned out successfully, but also to maintain our ability to sell product during the project construction period. That was a challenge, but Mitch and the staff did it.

Come see our store. You’ll be impressed.

The weather forecast for Boston, Massachusetts today is: “Windy with heavy steady rains in the morning with rain showers continuing into the afternoon. High temperature of 48F. Winds ESE 25-40 mph. 1-2 inches of rain expected. Occasional wind gusts of over 50 mph.”, according to Weather.com. While we’re going to enjoy a beautiful spring day today in Minnesota, Mayor Phil Young and his wife Mona will be running the Boston Marathon in the aforementioned weather. In addition to the expected physical and mental challenges faced by marathoners, they will also be combating flooded streets and hypothermia today. So, whatever you’ve got to do outside today, whether it’s work or play, I hope you’ll pause a moment and remember the Mayor and his wife slogging through the cold flooded streets of Boston. Here’s hoping for a safe race for them and a safe return to Minnesota tomorrow.

In the background of this photo is a slight hill that lies at the intersection of Flying Cloud Drive and Valley View Road. The building to the right is the Ridge at Riley Creek. The building to the left is Real Life condo/co-op building. click on the photo to enlarge it if you want a better view.

The City is examining a proposal from TOLD Development Company to build a new 100,000 sq ft office building on this site. According to the April 6, 2007 edition of the Twin Cities Business Journal, staff writer Sam Black says this new building will be the future headquarters site for Alliant Techsystems, Inc.

Alliant Techsystems is currently headquartered in Edina. They employ 15,000 people worldwide. They sell advanced weapons systems, ammunition, and space launch motors & vehicles. Their 2006 sales were $3.2 billion. The proposed move would impact 275 employees.

It can be awkward when a business pulls up stakes to move to an adjoining community. While Alliant Techsystems appears to be planning a move to Eden Prairie, Lifetime Fitness is making a move from Eden Prairie to Chanhassen. You win some. You lose some. This a straight market deal. The City is not providing any form of incentive to lure Alliant Techsystems from Edina to here.

The deal isn’t done yet, but when it is, we will welcome them here.

The City Council held its Spring 2007 Town Hall Meeting last night at Hennepin Technical College. The meeting started with a very nice meal for City Council and staff with leaders from Hennepin Tech. That’s Mayor Phil Young getting acquainted with College President Kathryn Jeffrey. It’s important for these two leaders to know each other in a town the size of Eden Prairie.

The photo on the right shows the Council and me at the Town Hall Meeting itself. It was held in the auditorium at the college, which was a great venue for such a meeting. The meeting started at 7pm. We fielded questions and comments from ten residents. Half of the questions/comments were about the City’s relationship with Flying Cloud Airport. The other half of the questions covered issues such as the City’s Deer Management Program, cable television regulation and the width of the City’s walking trails.

There were probably twenty citizens there, plus the 20 of us (Council & staff). The weather was terrible, so that might have dampened the turnout a bit. In any event, these Town Hall Meetings are good for us. Our Fall 2007 Town Hall Meeting is scheduled for November 27 at a location to be named later. Maybe we’ll see you there.

This is a photo taken from the Fall 2006 Town Hall Meeting held at Summit Place Senior Living Center. The City is hosting its Spring 2007 Town Hall Meeting tonight. The Town Hall Meeting will be held at Hennepin Technical College starting at 7pm.

The purpose of our Town Hall Meetings is to provide what we believe is a more comfortable and informal setting for residents to share their thoughts, concerns and compliments with the City Council. Residents can always address the Council during the thirty minute session prior to the Council meeting. But some residents feel uncomfortable or intimidated by addressing the Council in the formal atmosphere of the Council Chambers. And sometimes there are more residents wishing to speak than the Council has time to hear during the time period prior to Council meetings.

The Town Hall Meeting is entirely dedicated to listening to residents. If there is a simple question, we’ll answer it. But we do not want to consume the available time with Council debate. We want to hear from as many residents as possible.

We’re grateful for the hospitality of Hennepin Technical College for hosting tonight’s Town Hall Meeting. I’ll recap the action in a future blog post.

The City Council established a new ad hoc task force at its March 20 meeting to study the status of the community’s public and private communications infrastructure. The task force, which is called the Community Technology Task Force, is going to study three key questions as it pertains to this infrastructure:

1. What do we have?

2. What do we need?

3. How do we get it?

The City’s Economic Development Manager, David Lindahl, is going to be shepherding this task force. He is working right now to attract volunteers to help with this project. Most of the work will be done by a consulting firm, but the citizen task force is very important to insure that we are addressing our local conditions and to get the owners of private sector infrastructure to participate in our process by sharing information, etc. David has identified the following segments of the community from which we want to draw volunteers:

Chamber of Commerce

Large, medium, small and home-based businesses

School District

Colleges (HTC, Rassmussen, ITT)

Home Owners Associations

Library

Youth

Seniors

The objective of this task force process is to put into place here in Eden Prairie the very best communications infrastructure available. We want to do that because it’s good for our residents and good for our business community to have dependable reasonably priced access to high quality communications infrastructure. We are using a strategy of engaging private citizens and city government together to work, primarily, with the private companies (Comcast, Qwest, etc.) that own the communications infrastructure that we all depend on in Eden Prairie.

We hope to get this task force up and running in May with a final report to the Council in September. And, hopefully, with faster broadband Internet speeds to you soon.

Seven years ago today I was sitting in the Station 10 surgical waiting room of Abbott Northwestern Hospital with my family waiting to hear from the surgeons that they had successfully completed the transplantation of a new heart into my twelve year old son Turner. I can’t be sure of the time (because everything was a blur), but in the early afternoon we got the good news. The new heart was in, and the kid was resting comfortably in his post-op bed. We saw him later that night and took him home a mere five days later. Can yo believe that? Five days after a heart transplant he was home. Young people heal fast.

Today Turner is a 19 year old student at the University of Minnesota. He’s a smart, healthy, athletic kid. I’m going over to The U to have lunch with him today. We like to recognize this day as one of a celebration for our family, but as one of sadness for the family who made the difficult decision to donate the heart of their 14 year old son who had been killed by a drunk driver.

I’m grateful on April 6 for the friends and family that helped my family get through that difficult time in our life. I’m grateful for having health insurance. Blue Cross & Blue Shield were amazing to us. I’m grateful to all of the people at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. They were the best. I’m grateful to God for the gift of these seven additional years with Turner. And maybe most of all, I’m grateful for Turner’s spirit and will to live. He suffered and persevered to live. On April 6, on every day really, I’m glad he did.

Last Friday marked the end of the Bob Lambert Era in Eden Prairie city government. After 29 years of service to the City of Eden Prairie, Bob retired. His last day of work was March 30, 2007. Bob’s staff organized a very nice farewell event for Bob after work last Friday in the Garden Room here at City Center. Bob’s family joined his co-workers, elected officials, Parks Commissioners, citizens, and municipal parks & rec colleagues from area cities as we honored Bob for the quality and quantity of his contributions to Eden Prairie. I was one of the lucky presenters at the event. I was lucky because I had the opportunity to share my feelings about Bob in such a nice setting. Here’s what I said:

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“I would like to begin by thanking everyone for coming tonight. It’s a big night for the Lambert family. 29 years of service is a long time and I don’t think Bob is going to do that again for any future employers. I’m glad that Sally and the kids can join us here tonight. I’m glad that Bob could join us too, although I told him we would be having this party for him tonight whether he could make it or not.

It is my honor and privilege tonight to be one of the speakers at Bob’s retirement extravaganza, just as it’s been an honor and privilege for me to work with Bob for these past five years. One of the attributes that Bob brought to his work is brevity and straight talk, so I’ll be brief tonight to honor that Lambert spirit.

Sometimes in City government you can’t get over the fact that you’re doing the same thing over and over again, just with a different group of people along for the ride. Our City Clerk Kitty Porta did a bit of research for me and discovered just such a cycle in Bob’s 29 year career here. At Bob’s first City Council meeting in March 1978, as the Director of Community Services, he was asking the Council to award a grading contract for a parks project. In Bob’s last Council meeting here, earlier this week, what he doing? Asking the Council to approve a grading contract for the Community Center project. The more things change, the more they remain the same.

It’s so rare in life when you get to work with someone who you can legitimately describe as the “Founder of this” or the “architect of that”. There just aren’t that many people out there that can live up to that description. Robert Moses in New York, as the founder and many of great public works and parks projects in New York City. Theodore Wirth in the Minneapolis park system. And Bob Lambert.

Bob Lambert is the primary architect of Eden Prairie’s park and open space system. Now he’ll be the first to tell you that he didn’t do it alone. He had plenty of help, and even more hindrance, at times. But it was Bob’s constant reliance on his vision for the future that kept hundreds of elected officials, Park commissioners, employees, and even city managers on track.

And today that vision, Bob’s vision, is all around us. You can’t drive or walk or hike through Eden Prairie without seeing something that Bob Lambert wanted you to see, feel and think about. It’s a legacy that few of us will be able to match, and it’s one that we’re all glad we have.

Bob, you will be missed, but your legacy will be appreciated by Eden Prairie residents, visitors and staff forever.

Thank you.”

Flying Cloud Airport has been an airport in Eden Prairie since the 1940’s. It is now a MAC owned and operated airport. It is a reliever airport for the Minneapolis-St. Paul International (MSP) airport. It is classified as a general aviation airport. There are corporate jets, flying lessons, and other aviation businesses based at Flying Cloud, but there is no scheduled air passenger service or freight services there.

I would characterize Eden Prairie’s historical relationship with its local airport as, at best, “mixed”. When I arrived here in 2002 the City and the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) were in the middle of a struggle that involved multiple lawyers on both sides and a high degree of anxiety about the future of Flying Cloud Airport. The essence of the struggle was MAC’s plans for the development and expansion of the airport. The MAC believed an expansion of the airport was necessary. The City, on behalf of the residential neighborhoods surrounding the airport, believed it was not. The conflict was set. Would the airport be allowed to expand, or not?

After years of struggle and many thousands of dollars spent on legal counsel by both sides, the City and MAC reached an agreement on the matter of airport expansion in December of 2002. The agreement, which is cleverly called the Final Agreement, required concessions from both sides. MAC agreed to implement mandatory and voluntary noise control measures, to abide by limits on future growth and expansion at Flying Cloud, to impose voluntary restrictions on certain aviation activities and to be generally more cooperative with the City about future development of Flying Cloud. The City agreed to withdraw its opposition (and not to assist third parties in their opposition) to two elements of MAC’s proposed Flying Cloud development plan: widening and lengthening the two principle runways and constructing a new hangar area on the south side of the airport.

There were also a number of other issues covered in the Final Agreement, such as special assessment costs, future road rights-of-ways, future residential development near the airport, park land commitments, water & sewer services, etc. But the issues having to do with airport expansion were clearly the most important. When the Council finally approved the agreement in December 2002, we had a nice signing ceremony and photo in the Council Chambers that included representatives from the City Council, MAC and Zero Expansion, the local citizens group concerned about airport growth at Flying Cloud.

The issue has jumped into the public view again recently because of a perception among residents concerned about the airport that something has changed in the City-MAC relationship and its impact on the future development of Flying Cloud. There has been a change. There’s no denying that. But the change started in 2002, not 2007. The change in the City’s relationship with the airport and MAC started when the City Council approved the Final Agreement, which recognized and consented to the MAC’s right to develop their airport in Eden Prairie. The Final Agreement also set into motion a new relationship between the City and MAC. This new relationship would be based on constructive engagement and partnership instead of distrust and suspicion. The belief behind the change in relationship was that the City could accomplish more good at less cost for residents with regard to the airport by having a good relationship with MAC than by having a bad relationship with MAC. I believe that to be true as well, and I can tell you that it has worked out that way over the past five years on numerous occasions.

I have been receiving a lot of letters and emails from residents expressing disappointment and concern about the City’s change of heart on the airport. A common theme in these communications is that the City must have “beat” the MAC back in 2002 because the airport never developed after the Final Agreement was signed, and that the current City Council is somehow caving into the MAC and allowing them to expand the airport. I would not at all say the City “beat” the MAC in the 2002 Final Agreement. It’s true that the airport has not developed as the MAC has hoped it would, but there are other reasons for that. I would say that the Final Agreement gives MAC the local governmental consent they need to do the two development projects when they decide its necessary to do them. No more. No less.

In an attempt to address some of the concerns I’ve been hearing, I prepared and submitted to the local newspapers an editorial article which I hope explains the City’s current and past positions on the airport. Take a look at it and let me know what you think:

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Airport Commentary

Scott Neal, City Manager

April 2, 2007

I read the papers. I can tell when someone is upset about something the City has done, or not done, as the case may be. I don’t often directly respond in the public sphere because, frankly, it’s difficult to do that without making the situation worse, not better. But I am going to respond publicly to the concerns about the City and Flying Cloud Airport because there is an information gap between the facts, the truth and the concerns I’ve been hearing from citizens.

Prior to December 2002, the City and the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) were locked in a protracted struggle regarding the future of Flying Cloud Airport. The City spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on specialized aviation legal counsel to engage MAC on several legal fronts. But in December 2002, the struggle came to a peaceful conclusion with the City Council and MAC’s mutual approval of the Final Agreement. Among the many mutual commitments in the Final Agreement, the City agreed to withdraw its opposition to MAC’s plan to develop Flying Cloud Airport. MAC agreed to adopt and enforce mandatory and voluntary noise control measures, abide by limits on future growth and expansion, impose voluntary restrictions on certain aviation activities, and to be cooperative with the City regarding future development at Flying Cloud.

MAC’s development plan, as envisioned in the 2002 Final Agreement, includes expansion of the width and length of the two principle runways. It also includes development of a new hangar area on the south side of the airport, and the extension of City water and sewer services into the airport property. This development plan has been delayed several times since 2002 due to the downturn in the aviation economy and to MAC’s struggles with Northwest Airlines.

The current City Council supports the same MAC development plan for Flying Cloud that was supported and approved by the 2002 Council in the Final Agreement. The 2002 Council did not support a change in the functional classification of the airport. The 2007 Council also does not support a change in the airport’s functional classification. The 2002 Council supported the preservation of Flying Cloud as a local general aviation airport. The 2007 Council feels the same way.

The change people perceive is not one of outcome, but of strategy. The final outcome of the 2002 Final Agreement, as it concerns the development of the airport, is the same today as it was in 2002. Prior to 2002, the City’s strategy was to fight MAC. The thought was the City could achieve more benefits and concessions for its residents by challenging MAC in the courts. The Council’s approval of the Final Agreement in 2002 started a new strategy of positive engagement and partnership with MAC. The Council believed the City could achieve more benefit and consideration for residents from MAC by working more closely with it on airport development issues. I was a strong advocate for the change in strategy in 2002. I believe it has been a positive change for the City, for MAC and for Flying Cloud Airport.

Three weeks ago I was part of a City delegation including City Council Member Sherry Butcher and Fire Chief George Esbensen who traveled to Washington, DC to participate in the annual National League of Cities legislative advocacy conference. We briefed our congressional representatives on current federal issues that are impacting Eden Prairie. We addressed issues as varied as light rail transit, access to the Minnesota River Valley, Community Development Block Grant funding and, yes, Flying Cloud Airport.

We told the legislators of the more positive relationship between the City and MAC and of the City’s support for MAC’s 2002 development plan for Flying Cloud. We left each office with a copy of the City’s 2007 federal legislative agenda packet, which included a cover letter from me that referenced the City’s support of the “expansion” of the airport. It is important to note the context of this statement. I used the term to apply to the widening and lengthening of the runways, and the development of the new south side hangar area. Those are the only two things that are planned to “expand” under the 2002 Final Agreement.

MAC’s plans call for the runway projects to start in 2008, but these plans have been scheduled and then rescheduled before. What I can assure you of is this: the City’s strategic relationship with MAC has evolved, but the commitments made to Eden Prairie residents in the 2002 Final Agreement have not changed. The City Council supports improving and modernizing Flying Cloud Airport in a manner that does not compromise the quality of life for our residents.

-end-

Minnesota 3rd District Congressman Jim Ramstad was our special guest speaker this morning at the Eden Prairie A.M. Rotary Club. Congressman Ramstad is a regular guest at our Rotary Club meetings during his Easter Recess from Congress.

He spoke today on a number of topics. It was a general update of what’s happening in DC. He spoke about his hopes for the extension of the current array of federal tax cuts, his hopes for a resolution of hostilities in Iraq, his backing of legislation to allow states to opt out of No Child Left Behind and ethics & lobbying reform.

Most of his comments were about health care reform, and specifically about mental health and addiction parity in the health insurance and treatment world. Congressman Ramstad is a strong advocate in this are of health care reform. He wants health insurance companies to cover addiction treatment and mental health care in the same manner as they cover physical health care costs. He is supporting legislation that would prohibit health insurance policies from imposing higher copays and higher deductibles for this kind of care. He said this morning: “It’s time to end the discrimination and treat mental illness and addiction the same as physical diseases.”

Well said Congressman.

I know it’s hard to tell, but this is a photo of the sunrise over the Grand Canyon. I paid my first visit to Grand Canyon National Park last week as part of a short spring trip Out West. It was cold and windy the morning I took this photo, but the beauty of the light filling the void of the canyon made it absolutely worth the trip. It was stunning. I’m back in the office today though and starting the process of getting caught up. Hopefully, I’ll have something interesting to write about tomorrow.