Chanhassen Villager - Chanhassen Scoop- Winter 2008 - Comments

On Monday, March 3, all ice

FAdams — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 10:15:28 -0600

On Monday, March 3, all ice rinks and warming houses at City Center Park, North Lotus Park, and Roundhouse Park will be closed for the season. The rinks and warming house at the Chanhassen Recreation Center will remain open, weather permitting, during regularly scheduled hours.

In a work session Monday

FAdams — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:22:29 -0600

In a work session Monday night, City Councilors held back from fully supporting an idea proposed by city staff to update the city’s code to include a year-round 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. lawn sprinkling ban. What's your opinion?

Crime Watch Feb. 15-18 Feb.

FAdams — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 10:49:12 -0600

Crime Watch Feb. 15-18

Feb. 15
A 38-year-old Plymouth woman was arrested at 8:02 a.m. on Mission Hills Way West in Chanhassen for driving without a valid license.

At 4:53 p.m. an 28-year-old Lester Prairie employee from a Chanhassen business located on the 2900 block of 82nd Street was reported for stealing miscellaneous food items. The estimated loss was more than $200. The suspect male was cited for theft.

At 6:48 p.m. a 40-year-old Shakopee man was arrested on an outstanding Carver County warrant and cited for driving after revocation. He was pulled over at the intersection of Highway 101 and 86 Street in Chanhassen.

At 8 p.m. a Chanhassen man was arrested on a Hennepin County warrant and domestic assault at a Lake Susan Drive residence in Chanhassen. Also arrested was a Chanhassen female for domestic assault.

At 9:55 p.m., deputies responded to a call on the 8200 block of Market Boulevard in Chanhassen that the complainant's boyfriend was passed out drunk on the couch. He was reported as an unwanted male. Ridgview Ambulance transported him to Ridgeview Hospital in Waconia.

Feb. 16

At 8:20 p.m. a 43-year-old Deephaven woman was arrested for driving under the influence and refusing to take a field sobriety test. She was pulled over at the intersection of Highway 7 and County Road 13 in Victoria.

Feb. 17

At 8:20 p.m. a 16-year-old Minnetonka boy was cited for underage possession of alcohol. He was pulled over on the 6300 block of Stag Horn Lane in Chanhassen.

Feb. 18

At 7:19 a.m. a 21-year-old Bloomington man was arrested for burglary of more than $600 in computer equipment and cash from a Chan View residence in Chanhassen.

The day ended at 11:59 p.m. when a 25-year-old Chaska female was arrested in Victoria at 78th Street and Kochia Lane for driving under the influence, driving after suspension and no proof of insurance .

The Chanhassen Parks and

FAdams — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:36:56 -0600

The Chanhassen Parks and Recreation Department is seeking a professional quality logo designed for the upcoming 25th Anniversary of our annual July 3rd and 4th Celebration. The winning logo will be used on promotional materials and commemorative souvenir items that will be sold leading up to and during this year’s celebration. Logos are due by Wednesday, March 5 , by noon.

Chanhassen Crime Watch Feb.

FAdams — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:38:21 -0600

Chanhassen Crime Watch Feb. 7-11

Feb.7
At 12:38 p.m., officers responded to the 6900 block of Hazeltine Boulevard, where a 16-year-old Chanhassen male was cited for underage tobacco possession and use.

At 3:46 p.m., ID theft was reported from the 6200 block of Murray Hill Road. The infraction was committed through the writing of a bad check.

Feb. 8
At 10:12 p.m. officers responded to a reported stolen wallet from Chanhassen Recreation Center. The estimated loss was $156.

At 11:04 p.m., officers responded to a report that two vehicles had stopped on the 7600 block of Kiowa in Chanhassen, and people were lighting something in the car. Officers determind the suspects were smoking cigars and waiting for friends.

At 11:10 p.m., a report from Victoria had two coyotes near Highway 7.

Feb. 9
At 1:22 a.m. a 52-year-old Excelsior female was arrested and charged with driving under the influence near the intersection of Highway 7 and Greenbriar in Chanhassen.

Feb. 10
At 2:24 a.m. a 28-year-old Bloomington female was arrested at the intersection of 78th Street West and Audubon Road for driving while intoxicated.

At 4:53 a.m. a 27-year-old Chaska male was arrested at the intersection of Highway 212 and Highway 101 and charged with driving while intoxicated.

Feb. 11
At 7:23 a.m. a 17-year-old Eden Prairie female was cited at the intersection of Highway 5 and Bavaria Road in Victoria for having no proof of insurance. Officers responded to a report of car versus light pole.

Chan Jam upcoming This event

FAdams — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 19:42:14 -0600

Chan Jam upcoming

This event will showcase bands from the local high schools in a concert at the Chanhassen Recreation Center on Friday, April 11, from 7 to 10 p.m.

Bands interested in playing should contact John Stutzman at 952-227-1122. All bands must be students from Chaska High School, Minnetonka High School, Holy Family Cathlic School, and Southwest Christian High School.

Mn/DOT, Carver County, and

FAdams — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 19:40:06 -0600

Mn/DOT, Carver County, and the Cities of Chanhassen and Victoria will be jointly

hosting a Public Meeting to solicit citizen input on the Trunk Highway 5 Corridor

Study. This study will look at future improvements along Trunk Highway 5 from

Trunk Highway 41 to Trunk Highway 212. The study is the first step in planning

for future improvements along the corridor.

The meeting information is as follows:

Trunk Highway 5 Corridor Study on Tuesday, Feb. 26

Location: City of Victoria City Hall, Council Chambers

Address: 7951 Rose Street, Victoria

Time: 5 to 7 p.m.

After 45 minutes of debate,

FAdams — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:32:52 -0600

After 45 minutes of debate, city elected officials agreed to appoint Jerry McDonald, current chairman of the city’s planning commission, to serve on the city council for the remainder of Craig Peterson’s term.

The term ends in December.

A secret vote at the beginning of the work session Monday night narrowed down the discussion to McDonald and Ladd Conrad, the 2007 Chanhassen Rotary Citizen of the Year.

"Ladd came in [to the interview last Thursday], and he was amazing. I knew he would be," said Councilor Bethany Tjornhom.

Councilor Vicki Ernst also supported Conrad, saying he was a very effective communicator with a vision, passion and enthusiasm.

In the end, though, it was McDonald's more recent four years of experience on the planning commission that pushed him forward. Elected officials were unanimous in their choice.

This leaves a vacancy on the Chanhassen Planning Commission. During the city council meeting, officials encouraged council applicants who were not appointed to apply for one of several other vacant commission seats, too.

During the work session, Mayor Tom Furlong said things look good for the caliber of future commissioner applicants.

"We started with a very good group of individuals that raised their hand and said 'I am willing to serve.' I think out of the people that submitted applications, we’ve got a lot of future commission applicants."

McDonald is scheduled to be sworn in to the council seat at the next council meeting on the fourth Monday in February.

Councilor Vicki Ernst also supported Conrad, saying he was a very effective communicator.

In the end, though, it was McDonald's more recent experience on the planning commission that pushed him forward.

I was at the Republican

FAdams — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 11:45:20 -0600

I was at the Republican precinct caucus in Chanhassen Tuesday night.

The number of people there surprised me. "This is Carver County," said City Councilor Bethany Tjornhom, who declined to voice her support for a candidate. "

Were you at one of the gatherings- Democrat, which was in Bluff Creek Elementary, or Republican? Who did you support? Why?

The buzz word so far in this

FAdams — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 14:38:26 -0600

The buzz word so far in this election cycle is change.

I wonder if people are taking that to be more government intervention and higher taxes or fundamental change in how business is conducted in Washington D.C.

For years John McCain has been fighting against the Washington establishment. He's got a record of fighting against pork-barrel spending, earmarks.

I bet he's in support of what Second District Representative John Kline is trying to do in the U.S. House of Representatives. Kline called the earmark system “a badly, badly broken system.”

At the beginning of his third term last January, he officially pulled himself away from the earmarks feeding trough, and he didn't request even one for the second district.

“I’ve decided to go at this thing and fight it tooth and nail and get the thing fixed,” he said, adding: “I couldn’t do it if I was in the system.”

He called it a good ole’ boys, good ole’ girls network and acknowledged that he, too, used to be part of the network.

“Most of you know that for the first four years I was in Congress, I’d go in with a list of projects, mostly road projects in Carver, Scott, Dakota and Goodhue counties,” he told Chanhassen city councilors.

“Over the last four years I’ve learned the whole system is broken and corrupt. It’s not a merit-based system. Take Jim Oberstar in northern Minnesota, for example. He gets more money for bike trails than the other seven of us get for roads and bridges. Seven of the eight districts are getting killed. He’s the chairman of the committee and has been there a long time. It’s not Oberstar’s fault. It’s the system he knows. It’s a system that needs to be fixed.”

So far only 12 U.S. representatives are standing behind Kline’s efforts, but he predicts that we’ll see more converts to his cause.

“A lot of people are frustrated. Hopefully, there’s bi-partisan frustration,” he said.

What do you think? Is Kline right to not request federal money for the second district? Or is it important to get all the federal funds we can get to help the area develop?

Tuesday, Feb. 5, city crews

FAdams — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 10:02:19 -0600

Tuesday, Feb. 5, city crews will be at the Lake Susan boat landing installing safety signs and fencing prior to installing a lake aeration system called a pump and baffle aerator.

This system creates an oxygenated refuge that fish seek out in order to survive.

Harley dealership to open in

FAdams — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 10:34:37 -0600

Harley dealership to open in EP

Wild Prairie Harley-Davidson is scheduled to open Saturday at 9 a.m. in Eden Prairie at 12480 Plaza Drive, near Interstate 494 and Hwy. 5.

Tom Giannetti, the dealership's president, chose to open in EP after neighbors opposed his plans for a dealership in Chanhassen.

Chanhassen Scoop-Medallion

FAdams — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:17:37 -0600

Chanhassen Scoop-Medallion hunters ahead of weather

By Forrest Adams

The question was "Are you crazy?"

I asked it to Dan Hansen, who found the hidden and coveted Friends of the Library 2008 February Festival medallion in a remote city park in Chanhassen yesterday. Not that he was crazy for searching there. It's called Herman Field Park and seems like a fine place hidden in a heavily wooded area in the far north portion of the city.

It was just that he and his father, Charlie, searched Tuesday morning in sub-zero temperatures! To find a trinket and win some prizes. My cat didn't even want to go outside yesterday. To each his own. The Hansen team won last year, too.

Jim Bishop, American journalist and writer, once said "Winter is fury- and white silence. It can freeze a blade of grass with a glance." When we were talking, that furious part of winter picked up. It chilled us to our core.

Dan assured me quite the contrary, he and his father were not crazy. In fact, they were sane he said because they were hunting for, and finding, the medallion before the temperatures really plunged. "Better to do this before it's 20 degrees below," he said.

Enough said, we left it at that. A sudden chill in the air cut the interview short, and we retreated to our respective vehicles.

As I sat in my car in the garage this morning and listened to the slow turnover of the engine, I thought: 'Now this is cold. It's a good thing nobody is out searching for the medallion.'

Congratulations to the Hansens, and may their sub-zero temperatures for the medallion hunt always be single digits, not double.

Governor Tim Pawlenty was in

FAdams — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 12:15:15 -0600

Governor Tim Pawlenty was in Chaska speaking to the Chanhassen Chamber of Commerce last Tuesday, instead of attending the March for Life in Washington, D.C., as he has every year since he was first elected.

This has caused some to speculate that he missed the event because he's on most Republican candidates' short list to join a ticket as the vice presidential nominee. The speculation goes that Republicans with national ambitions do not mix with pro-life activists immediately before seeking the national nomination because the Republican establishment likes their votes more than their company or their cause.

What do you think? Is there anything to that idea? Do you think we will see a McCain-Pawlenty ticket? What about a Romney-Pawlenty ticket?

Peterson to be

FAdams — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:13:12 -0600

Peterson to be honored

Former city councilor Craig Peterson will be presented with a Maple Leaf award at tonight's city council meeting.

But first, councilors are scheduled to discuss the city's comprehensive plan during their work session in the fountain conference room beginning at 5:30 p.m. Also scheduled for discussion are key financial strategies and a review of stormwater projects for 2008.

In the regular meeting in the city council chambers at 7 p.m., they're scheduled to approve streets and utilities for the Liberty on Bluff Creek project, a no parking resolution for the Lyman Boulevard improvement project, and more.

Sgt. Peter Anderley and Chief Gregg Geske are scheduled to give updates from the Carver County Sheriff's Department and Chanhassen Fire Department respectively. Then councilors will hold a public hearing for the 2008 Laredo Drive street improvement project.

Chanhassen Scoop- Winter 2008

FAdams — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:29:00 -0600

What's happening with the city government in Chanhassen? City council, planning commission, crime prevention, business. It's all news.