All aboard!

Star Tribune Sat, 19 Jan 2008 05:25:54 GMT
Study: High-speed rail to Duluth costly, attractive

Proposed train appeals to many along the line, including the owners of the Grand Casino in Hinckley. The cost of the proposed passenger rail line from Minneapolis to Duluth could exceed $400 million -- $50 million more than previously projected -- and there's no guarantee that federal funding will cover 80 percent of the project as local officials hope, the rail expert who recently completed a study of the line said. But a potential partnership with the Mille Lacs tribe, enthusiasm from federal officials and unexpected support along the corridor have rail experts considering additional stations and running as many as eight trains along the route each day.

[[keywords: LandUse;PublicWorks;Living;Metro;]]

Or park your car in Burnsville

Star Tribune Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:23:23 GMT
Burnsville businesses say success hinges on more parking

Parking shortages discourage customers from doing business in the Heart of the City. The city is planning a 250-space deck. At Jensen's Cafe, owner Doron Jensen says he's convinced the survival of his business and others in Burnsville's Heart of the City hinges on whether city leaders provide more downtown parking spots -- and how fast they do it. At Jensen's, along busy Burnsville Parkway at Nicollet, Jensen said he opened with the belief that the city would provide enough parking. "It's a must," he said. He's facing the same challenge as business owners around the country who are moving into new suburban downtown areas but discovering one big drawback: Customers have to hoof it because they can't find nearby parking -- a serious problem in cold-weather climates like Minnesota's.

[[keywords: LandUse;PublicWorks;Metro;]]

What a way to run a railroad

Pioneer Press Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:54:59 -0600
Taxes OK'd in Ramsey, Anoka counties: A closer look at the votes. Page 5A Fight erupts over new sales taxes for transit

Article Last Updated: 03/25/2008 11:54:59 PM CDT What did you think would happen? On Tuesday, the day some cheered passage of new taxes for transit projects, partisan sparring broke out over how the new money â€" perhaps $100 million a year â€" would be spent in a dumpy economy. It's not about one train project versus another but whether a sales tax hike and motor vehicle tax enacted by some Twin Cities counties should be used to patch a possible hole in the Metropolitan Council's transit budget. The squabble, echoing from the Anoka County Government Center to the Capitol, could mean the difference between fare increases and service cuts on Metro Transit buses and whether the planned Central Corridor light rail linking St. Paul and Minneapolis is delayed. On Tuesday morning, commissioners in Anoka and Ramsey counties adopted a 0.25 percent sales tax increase and a $20 per-vehicle excise sales tax, creating the state's first dedicated funding source for new train, bus or bike routes. Hennepin and Dakota counties are expected to follow suit, and Washington County is on the fence. Carver County said no, and Scott County is expected to opt out as well. Only counties that support the new taxes will pay them and have a say in where the money goes. Moments after their vote, Ramsey County officials began distributing position papers underscoring that they believe the new money must "supplement and not supplant" the normal funding of the Met Council, which operates the region's poised-to-grow transit system. It was a response to Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, whose proposed budget seeks to address a $930 million projected shortfall by cutting the Met Council's budget. That budget is already shrinking because its dedicated funding stream â€" motor vehicle sales taxes â€" is sagging with the economy. Met Council Chairman Peter Bell, a Pawlenty appointee, has been telling lawmakers he suspects a resulting $47.5 million budget hole could force fare increases or â€" worse â€" service cuts, if cash from the new taxes isn't injected into the Met Council's coffers.

[[keywords: PublicWorks;PropertyTax;Ramsey;]]

Quote of the day: "remarkably underwhelming"

Pioneer Press 06/12/2008 04:34:39 AM GMT
Central Corridor station designs get cool response

It's either simple and sleek or simple and lame, depending on whom you ask. And since there will be at least 15 of them, the question of whether the design of the Central Corridor light-rail stations is cool or stupid matters. Kyle Williams, an architect for the planned light-rail line linking St. Paul and Minneapolis, presented the early design to members of a key advisory panel Wednesday. An apprentice of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe might smile at the simplicity of the concrete platforms anchoring flat glass-and-steel shelters, but a fan of Frank Gehry might stare blankly â€" as Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak did. "This is remarkably underwhelming," Rybak told Williams. "This idea about being 'simple and transparent' is not going to give the lift to University Avenue we want."

[[keywords: LandUse;PublicWorks;Metro;]]

Public transit vs commuter transit

Star Tribune Wed, 12 Mar 2008 03:16:49 GMT
Smaller counties not sold on new tax

Scott and Carver counties don't seem eager to use their power recently passed at the Legislature to levy a quarter-cent sales tax. ... "I don't know of any board member who supports joining," said Scott County Commissioner Jon Ulrich of Savage, a leader on transportation. Ulrich questioned how much benefit his county would get given that Scott County doesn't have any plans for transitways, which are the main projects to be funded by the new taxes.

[[keywords: PublicWorks;PropertyTax;Metro;]]

'Engineering is not a popularity contest.' Others disagree

Star Tribune Wed, 27 Feb 2008 00:42:43 GMT
Neighbors worry, but experts back roundabout for Savage

A plan to turn a dangerous intersection into a two-lane roundabout concerns residents; engineers say it's the safer choice. ... "I have seen them and driven them," she said, "and I think they can be very confusing to people if they don't know how to use them. For the young and inexperienced, or the elderly, they're terrible. I think a lot of people feel it's a new concept, so do it new somewhere else." ... "We want to make sure people are in the loop, and bring up things we haven't considered," said Joe Gustafson, the traffic engineer overseeing the project. "But it's not a popularity contest." In fact, he said, in most places public resistance evaporates once they're in place. "People jump up and scream at first, but once they're open, they generally react favorably. One study showed that beforehand, 45 percent were negative, and another 23 percent very negative. Afterward, though, the negatives dropped to zero. And that's 22 different locations, not just one, in 11 states. Zero percent negative."

[[keywords: PublicWorks;Metro;]]

Tough crowd

Star Tribune Wed, 05 Mar 2008 03:08:55 GMT
Cottage Grove wary of water assurances

At a community meeting Tuesday night, residents voiced skepticism of a state study that said the safety level of drinking water was acceptable. About 80 Cottage Grove residents came to a community meeting Tuesday night armed with questions about the meaning of a Minnesota Health Department announcement last week that a 3M chemical in drinking water poses less risk than first thought. Skeptics included Kathy Lewandosky, who said too little is known about contamination from perfluorobutanoic acid, or PFBA, which has been found in city and private wells. She said that 3M should buy bottled water for affected residents. Explanations of the lowered health risk "proved nothing to me," she said.

[[keywords: LandUse;PublicWorks;Metro;]]

U-turn

Star Tribune Thu, 12 Jun 2008 05:20:45 GMT
U changes direction on light-rail trains

University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks said the university will support running the trains on Washington Avenue. The University of Minnesota will set aside its long-held objections and support the running of light-rail trains on Washington Avenue, University President Robert Bruininks said Wednesday. "The university does not want to be in the position of bringing this project to a grinding halt or jeopardizing its possible future," said Bruininks, who will urge the Board of Regents to approve the route in meetings today and Friday. In an interview at Morrill Hall, he said the university's negotiations with other public agencies have resulted in "enormous progress" on concerns such as traffic, hospital access and the impact on sensitive research equipment -- and who might pay for solutions.

[[keywords: LandUse;PublicWorks;Living;Metro;]]

At least they are not flashing or glowing

Pioneer Press Sat, 17 Nov 2007 22:50:44 -0700
Cottage Grove/Woodbury / Going 'round and 'round on signs

Driving in circles sounds pretty simple. But Cottage Grove and Woodbury are finding it's anything but. The two cities have new roundabouts, but they want to put up very different signs - kicking off a debate about which is better. Cottage Grove has installed standard left-turn signage but wants to replace it with an "experimental" sign. "Roundabouts are unique and different, and people expect signs that are unique and different," said city engineer Jennifer Levitt. But Washington County Highway Department spokesman Wayne Sandberg disagrees. Woodbury is scheduled to open a roundabout on Bailey Road and Radio Drive on Wednesday, and the signs will be conventional left-turn arrows, as seen at any controlled intersection. "A totally different way of communicating seems counterproductive," Sandberg said. "Drivers will say, 'What does that mean?' If you look at (the proposed Cottage Grove sign) for a while you can figure it out, but it's not intuitively what you think it is."

[[keywords: PublicSafety;PublicWorks;Metro;]]

No one goes there, it's too busy

Star Tribune Thu, 24 Apr 2008 04:43:36 GMT
Apple Valley: Cedar Avenue plan garners serious opposition

More than 20 Apple Valley business owners say the proposed transit plans for the thoroughfare could prove lethal to commerce. Leading figures in the business community along Cedar Avenue pleaded Wednesday with top city officials in Apple Valley to head off a disaster when it comes to plans for that congested corridor. "This plan will shut down our center," said Shelli Krueth, property manager for a firm that owns a strip mall near the intersection with County Rd. 42. "Five of our seven leases are up next year, and our tenants will not renew if they lose access." "This street was never designed to be a freeway," said Jim Paul, owner of Valley Pontiac Buick GMC. "But they're trying to turn it into one." ... City Council Member Tom Goodwin said he perceives the scenarios prepared by county planners thus far as "staff driven," with an overemphasis on slowdowns that occur two to three hours per day, versus the needs of the remainder of the day. Traffic engineers have "one purpose in life," he said, "and that's to move traffic as quick as possible." Spikes in transportation funding, including the quarter-cent sales tax that will apply in much of the metro, have pushed forward projects that planners didn't think would happen for many years, heightening tensions, he said. "Suddenly," Goodwin said, "you have many millions in play that no one had ever heard of till two or three months ago."

[[keywords: LandUse;PublicWorks;Metro;]]

Who cares about local elections?

Star Tribune Tue, 04 Mar 2008 05:16:58 GMT
Counties must decide how (and if) to divvy up new transit tax

The metro counties will begin talks on how to spend proceeds from a quarter-cent sales tax -- but some may not levy the voluntary tax, part of the transportation bill. At a historic meeting in St. Paul on Wednesday morning, metro-area counties will open discussions on how they will wield a new quarter-cent sales tax to create an area-wide transit system for the Twin Cities. A state transportation bill passed last week by legislators over the veto of Gov. Tim Pawlenty allows the seven metro counties to levy a quarter-cent sales tax for transit. If all of the counties impose the tax, it would raise $100 million a year for new rail lines and busways across the metro area. Many questions now wait to be addressed about how the new tax will work -- chief among them, whether all seven metro counties will levy the optional sales tax. And if all the counties do opt in, how will they decide where to spend the $100 million a year?

[[keywords: LandUse;PublicWorks;Officials;Elections;PropertyTax;Ramsey;Metro;]]

Doing it right, one building at a time

Star Tribune Wed, 04 Jun 2008 06:21:14 GMT
Richfield garage's low-impact design stands out

The Earth-friendly new home for Richfield public works sets a high standard of efficiency. ... The building should be 30 to 35 percent more efficient than a structure built to standard construction codes, said architect Nancy Schultz of Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. in Minneapolis.

[[keywords: LandUse;PublicWorks;Metro;]]

A lot of catching up to do

Pioneer Press Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:47:24 -0600
Momentum for buses and trains

It has been a historic week for transit in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The state's five most populous counties have agreed to raise the sales tax to fund transit projects. Hennepin, Dakota and Washington counties decided Tuesday to impose the one-fourth of 1 percent increase, plus a $20 excise tax on retail vehicle sales. They joined Ramsey and Anoka counties, which made the same decision last week.

[[keywords: LandUse;PublicWorks;Metro;]]

Why municipal government matters

Star Tribune Tue, 26 Feb 2008 05:42:12 GMT
Archaic sewage lines tainting lakes, rivers

Nearly 100 small communities in Minnesota are illegally releasing raw sewage into lakes, rivers, ditches and field drains, says a new state report. The problem is worst in southern Minnesota, where 29 rural communities pipe their untreated toilet wastes through archaic sewage systems that lead to waterways, state officials found. In more than 60 other places -- ranging from rural crossroad towns to lake communities -- individual homes are believed to flush wastes into pipes that flow to rivers, ditches, drain tiles or lakes, the report found.

[[keywords: LandUse;PublicWorks;]]

Who is my neighbor?

Star Tribune Sun, 30 Mar 2008 03:42:24 GMT
Lakeville on new tax: Show us the buses

The city is being pressed on several fronts to assess a transit tax but wants to make sure the benefits to residents are sustained. "We're looking at a chicken-and-egg thing." That's how Rep. Shelley Madore, DFL-Apple Valley, describes the fight heating up between Lakeville and its neighbors over whether Lakeville residents should pay a tax that homeowners in most metro-area cities already pay. Madore and many other south-metro leaders think it's only fair that Lakeville join the transit taxing district, but Lakeville officials have so far refused. So which come first: buses, or the taxes that help pay for them? The debate, which has been bubbling for years, has new urgency this spring: The Metropolitan Council has said it won't build two new bus stations in Lakeville unless residents start paying the tax, and Madore introduced a measure in the Legislature that would force Lakeville and neighboring Farmington to join the taxing district.

[[keywords: LandUse;PublicWorks;PropertyTax;Metro;]]

All aboard!

Star Tribune Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:02:07 GMT
Minneapolis-to-Duluth rail line could spur billions in development

The proposed Minneapolis-to-Duluth rail could help spur billions in development, a study says. The proposed passenger rail line from Minneapolis to Duluth is expected to help generate nearly $2 billion in development around five Minnesota stations, including almost $1 billion around the Minneapolis station at the Twins' new ballpark, according to a study presented Tuesday. A line supporting eight daily trains capable of speeds up to 110 miles per hour would generate 13,833 jobs throughout the corridor, the Minneapolis Transportation & Public Works Committee and Anoka County board were told in separate presentations.

[[keywords: LandUse;PublicWorks;Metro;]]

Attention low bidders!

Star Tribune Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:27:08 GMT
Richfield planning a new but still modest City Hall

The current headquarters is rife with problems that a new building would solve. Pipes burst, employees can barely hear because of the buzz of machinery, and fire rigs rust prematurely because of poor ventilation. They're all reasons why next month, after years of study, Richfield's City Council is expected to vote to build a new City Hall. The old one, which dates to about 1963, has "a lot of issues," said Pam Dmytrenko, assistant to the city manager. "Plumbing, electrical, water permeating, flooding... We're beyond 'do we need a new building?' "We have high expectations for developers who come into the community. We need to meet our own standards and be a role model."

[[keywords: PublicWorks;PropertyTax;Metro;]]

Why building our way out of congestion doesn't work

Star Tribune Sun, 17 Feb 2008 03:29:23 GMT
Southern commuter rail plan gets new life

Growing congestion south of the river is leading to pressure to revive rail planning and overturn a legislative ban on the route. When the ancient Bloomington Ferry Bridge disappeared and a new six-lane span replaced it, Lisa Pap recalls thinking, "This is great! I can move further out, get more house for my money and not have to deal with a ton of traffic." A decade later, she knows better: "How naïve could I be?" Tens of thousands of others had the same idea. Shakopee alone began seeing hundreds more homes each year than anyone had projected. And Pap found herself in a commuting quagmire. From as little as 15 minutes to reach the Crosstown from her home in Savage, she now counts on up to 45 minutes during peak travel times. Startlingly, to experts and commuters alike, the 1997 bridge is already at capacity at rush hour. And that is leading to growing pressure to bring commuter rail into the state's fastest-growing county.

[[keywords: LandUse;PublicWorks;Metro;]]

Working together to live together

Star Tribune Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:30:20 GMT
Counties must act fast to get transit tax funds

Seven metro-area counties have three weeks to decide if they want to start collecting new tax revenues by July 1. ... The decision on the sales tax will be easier for some counties than for others. Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka and Dakota already are heavily into transit planning and finance. Washington County is supporting the study of potential rail corridors but is not as far along as the others. Washington Commissioner Myra Peterson said that in voting on a sales tax, members of the county board will want to be assured that a new sales tax will deliver results. "It's going to be really important to the suburban counties that we do have transitway improvements,'' Peterson said. "Some of my naysayers will need some assurances that there will be some additional transit opportunities for them.''

[[keywords: PublicWorks;Officials;PropertyTax;]]

Keeping up with the Richfields

Star Tribune Thu, 15 May 2008 04:27:41 GMT
Richfield council approves plan to build a new, roomier City Hall

Although not as showy as new municipal buildings in some other suburbs, the structure will add space. Richfield will get a new City Hall. The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to proceed toward construction of a $21.6 million police, fire and city government building. "Our citizen task force has told us that the current facility is inadequate and that a new facility will in the long run be a better investment for the city than trying to make repairs on the old one,'' said Council Member Sue Sandahl. While he supported the plan, Council Member Bill Kilian said he worries that the building will not provide enough of a signature for Richfield. "I thought that it should be built in a more desirable place where it had more visibility, and I felt that it should have had more public space,'' Kilian said.

[[keywords: PublicWorks;Metro;]]