Wednesday, May 22, 2013
New regulations restrict the development of an adult-oriented business to a certain area in the city, and prohibit those businesses from serving alcohol.
Rosemount may not have any adult businesses within its borders, but that didn't stop the Rosemount City Council from tightening its rules governing strip clubs, adult video stores and other similar establishments on Tuesday night. New regulations approved by the council restrict the development of an adult-oriented business in the city to an area zoned "general industrial" north of County Road 42, and prohibit adult businesses from serving alcohol. The new rules also state that individuals previously convicted of sex trafficking, prostitution, obscenity or drug-related crimes cannot apply for an adult business license in the city. Click here to view the new regulations in their entirety. Rosemount city officials were quick to point out …
A proposal for 9 miles of paved trail in Lebanon Hills Regional Park has caused a stir in Dakota County. Check out the proposed trail route here.
Local residents are deeply divided on a proposal to build a 9-mile of paved trail network in Lebanon Hills Regional Park—with some worried that the project would disturb the pristine nature of the park. Last week, Patch interviewed Dakota County Parks Director Steve Sullivan, as well as Holly Jenkins, a local opponent to the trail plan to get their perspectives on the project. After receiving a number of comments and questions about the trail plan, Patch requested and received a comprehensive map of the proposed trail route. Click on the PDF displayed above to zoom in for greater detail. The route includes a 6.5-mile connector trail running east to west in the park, and two paved loops around McDonough and Holland Lakes for an additional 2…
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Lebanon Hills Regional Park
860 Cliff Rd, Eagan, MN
/articles/map-proposed-route-for-paved-trail-in-lebanon-hills
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Cedar Avenue, 150th Street, Interstate 35E, the Greenleaf neighborhood. Drivers beware this spring and summer, as road construction leads to lane closures and delays.
Road construction will hit a bevy of Apple Valley and Rosemount streets this spring and summer, as city, county and state crews race to repair crumbling infrastructure. Click on the pins placed on the map above for details about each planned construction project. Know of a project not included above? Post a comment below or email Editor David Henke at david.henke@patch.com.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Clausen's push to fund all-day kindergarten across the state accounts for the bulk of new spending including in a K-12 education omnibus bill.
A $15.7 billion education package that will "make life easier" for working parents, according to the bill's supporters, now awaits Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton's signature as work begins to wrap up on the 2013 Legislative Session. After a third reading, the amended omnibus bill was approved 78-56 in the Minnesota House with small support from Republicans over the weekend, picking up five GOP votes in the state house. The Senate also voted 41-26 on Sunday to pass the amended version of the bill. The bill raises the state's method of funding local schools by $156 per pupil for a total of nearly $235 million in new education money. The bulk of that is spent on a new all-day, everyday kindergarten program funded at the state, with $134 million …
Monday, May 20, 2013
The agency wants to improve traffic flow on Hwy. 77 and build a better connection between the Cedar Grove bus station and the highway.
With the reconstruction of Cedar Avenue in Apple Valley nearly complete, the Minnesota Department of Transportation is now turning its attention north, to a stretch of the highway between Interstate 35E and Bloomington. MnDOT officials are in the midst of an engineering study that will assess three options to relieve traffic congestion and create a managed MnPass lane. Although they haven't settled on a solution yet, all three of the choices MnDOT is considering would bring big changes to area. On Tuesday, MnDOT spokesperson John Solberg presented the options to the Eagan City Council during an engineering study update. Here are the details of each possible plan: Get a closer look at each option by clicking on the slideshow above. Which …
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Also in this week’s recap – A Mother's Day fire ruins things for Eagan apartment residents and Lakeville Public Schools ponder a run at a referendum.
Take a trip around Dakota County and the south metro with this week's rundown of top news. For the original story, simply click on the link in the headline. Paving Paradise? Lebanon Hills Trail Plan Worries Residents Dakota County officials have plans to develop a 6.5-mile, paved bike trail in Lebanon Hills Regional Park to increase recreational opportunities. But some residents would prefer the park stay as pristine as possible. Eagan Council Warms Up to Proposed Pilot Knob Improvements The consternation that marked a January meeting on the proposed reconstruction of a portion of Pilot Knob Road was nowhere in sight last week. What to Do with the Sperry Water Tower? The 146-foot-tall water tower in Eagan is a money-maker for the city, …
Interested in a three-year term on the committee? Learn how to fill out an application here!
Editor's Note: The following is a press release from the city of Apple Valley. A vacancy currently exists on the city of Apple Valley’s Urban Affairs Advisory Committee for a three-year term expiring March 1, 2016. Interested residents are invited to apply. The City Council will fill this vacancy by appointment. Persons interested in submitting their names for consideration must file an application with the City Clerk by 4:30 p.m., May 31, 2013. Click here for more information, or to download an application form.
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Apple Valley Municipal Center
7100 147th St W, Apple Valley, MN
/articles/apple-valley-filling-vacancy-on-urban-affairs-advisory-committee
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Friday, May 17, 2013
Dakota County officials have plans to develop a 6.5-mile, paved bike trail in Lebanon Hills Regional Park to expand recreational opportunities. But some residents would prefer the park stay as pristine as possible.
The way Eagan resident Holly Jenkins sees it, Dakota County already has enough pavement. In recent weeks, Jenkins has rallied a group of local residents in opposition to Dakota County's plans to install a paved, 9-mile recreational trail through Lebanon Hills Regional Park—less than a mile south of Jenkins' home. The proposed trail would include a 6.5-mile segment connecting two paved loops around Holland Lake and McDonough Lake, according to Dakota County Parks Director Steve Sullivan. If the trail is approved, park staff would plow it during the winter, allowing walkers and bicyclers to use the route on a year-round basis, Sullivan said. How do you feel about a paved trail in Lebanon Hills Regional Park? Tell us by posting a comment in …
44.790189
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Lebanon Hills Regional Park
860 Cliff Rd, Eagan, MN
/articles/paving-paradise-lebanon-hills-trail-plan-worries-residents-26414599
1563631
/locations/9395781
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Gov. Mark Dayton’s signature Tuesday didn’t end the heated debate around same-sex marriage.
Whatever side of the debate you fall on, there’s no denying that this week’s passage of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage was a historical moment. Minnesota became just the 12th state to sanction gay marriage when Gov. Mark Dayton signed the bill Tuesday. Patch readers quickly wrote in to share their thoughts on the moment. Eagan Patch reader Kathi Malone echoed the view of legislators who voted yes in seeing same-sex marriage as a civil right: I am so happy that finally gay people will be able to have the civil right to marry. This is truly an American vote for freedom. I applaud Sen Clausen and all other legislators who voted for this historical bill. James N added: Thank you Senator Carlson and the entire MN legislature for extending …
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
State Rep. Karen Clark told the Associated Press about recruiting Dibble to work for her. Together they shepherded their marriage-equality bill through the Minnesota Legislature.
The Associated Press describes the backgrounds of two south Minneapolis legislators—state Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Minneapolis) and state Rep. Karen Clark (DFL-Minneapolis)—to make gay marriage legal in Minnesota: Dibble, 47, graduated from high school in the Minneapolis suburb of Apple Valley and came out in college. He cut his teeth politically in the late 1980s as a member of the Minnesota chapter of ACT UP—a gay civil rights group that engaged in civil disobedience out of anger toward government neglect of AIDS and HIV sufferers. He got an early chance to join the establishment from Clark, who tapped him to run one of her re-election campaigns. "I pulled him from street politics," she said. Dibble was elected to the House in 2000, and in…
Seth Finestack
12:38 pm on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
This would be quite a travesty, with hundreds of miles of paved trails in Dakota county already - there is so little benefit to paving into our best forest and hiking/horse/skiing trails. It's apparently not even going to be ADA compliant. If or when this happens, the "Forever Wild" slogan will become a joke. more ›