Loading...
Newspaper Clipping - Newspaper Clipping Scan - History of YMCA in Eagan - 7/10/1991• me,/ EA'GAN ' St" . PO.i t.I : 'lam amI Ci I'll' r • 11��G'SS • • .Li,..14 to lad ► BEN CHANCO STAFF..WRITER 'An unusual swap'that was supposed to result in a' new $3 million.YMCA facility., in Eagan has been placed; on hold, .but the project is far from dead, a YMCA'official .says. "People shouldn't worry," said John Traver, president and chief excutive offi- cer of'the YMCA of `;Greater Saint` Paul: "It's building momentum .. The • proposal calls for' the 'city `of Ea- gan to swap some of its land to the YMCA to build' a , facility that would serve about 5,000 people in Eagan, Apple Valley and Rosemount. In exchange, the A on hold- uch` alive city would be given, the use of. meeting rooms in the new building. Thomas. • Hedges, Eagan city adminis- trator, said 'the YMCA was interested in two sites, one south of City Hall at 3830 Pilot Knob Road and. the .other at the southwest corner. of Lexington Avenue and Diffley Road. But at the city' --council meeting- last week, the YMCA''asked that action on the proposal be postponed. Traver said:,he sought a delay of 30 to 60 days to give the local YMCA time to research YMCA arrangements in other 'r YMCA CONTINUED ON 2 ► lem? ■ Where do minors obtain ciga rettes and other tobacco products? • Is shoplifting of. cigarettes by minors a problem? Witt said the' task force ;will 'meet at least once 'a'month and. make its recommendation to the council by .the end of October. : " "All cigarette licenses are up for renewal in December, and the council .wants to make a. decision before that," she said. Witt said the group will be looking .at the decisions! of • other ' city councils in the Area. Last week, Shoreview'. adopted what is believed to be the most restrictive rule on cigarette sales in Minnesota, when its city council banned sales of tobacco by clerks younger than 18, as well as prohib- iting merchants from openly dis- playing cigarettes or other tobac- co products in single, double . or triple. packages: , Later in the week, however„ the Shoreview council met ' again in emergency session to delay effec- 41vi. '.indna nn 4hn nwnvioinn intsnln_ �.V1YYrWM, U1 WULA LlIV.IY .14Y.�.{.W141 efforts," Henderson said. With bluebird houses' springing ,up all over the state, the . popula- tion is soaring..' "We've had cases where people put up the birdhouse and 20 min- utes'later the birds showed up," he said. , Many people put up several houses on rural fence poststo cre- ate what is known as a "bluebird trail." Typically, a series of five houses is placed, on posts about 100 yards apart. Bluebirds frequently nest in the, same , house year after year. In Minnesota, the birds normally have two broods a year. "As soon as the young leave, the parents start over and raise anoth- er family," Henderson said. "The young leave 19 days after . they hatch." Henderson recommends that the manager of a -bluebird house keep track of the situation so all the; old nesting material can be cleaned "` gin necc as the firs nest. • :Take: pens so yy your failure • The I� bluebirds i birds in th by Doreen ly at natur bookstore ing with ni out before tl a new nest. The popul state's songl cause their South and•C forests is b birds, • . howe southern Uni more stable "Now the3 urban, and p in ' their bai said. -YIV�CA T- CONTINUED FROM 1 parts of the country, particularly • in Nebraska and Texas. "We want to study how to put together this prototype 'private - public partnership for ,the good of the community," Traver said. Rather than transferring prop- erty, for example; some . YMCAs, have lease -management agree' ments under. which the YMCA,is brought in to manage existing :or new community centers, he said. Traver said that for a new facil-: ity, the YMCA still raises the mon- ey and constructsthe building. '"But the public sector also comes in and asks, `How can we help?' "'he said. He said • the Eagan postpone- ment has nothing to do with the objection raised by the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union, 'which told the city council it believes the • swap would 'be a violation . of kthe separation of church and state.. • William Roath, executive direc- for of the MCLU, said -the YMCA is. a religious organization that , should not be supportedy,, by .the government. • • But Traver said the YMCA does not see this as a church -state is- sue. • "We're a not -for -profit, charita- ' ble organization," Traver said. "We are not a church." ;Traver said no target date has been set for construction' of the: • YMCA. in Eagan. "But it will hap= pen in the next 'few years;" he said.' . . • After the YMCA completes its research, Traver said, it will go back to the Eagan council with a proposal for some. kind 'of private- -public partnership. Initial plans for YMCA in Ea-, gan called for a facility with a ' 'gymnasium with • basketball :courts, indoor_pool with children's wading pool,' racquetball courts, 'indoor running,track; weight room ! :and aerobics floor. i A pair of. ue,y! ;' birds were photo- graphed at.Carrol Henderson's backyard T-feed: er. Ithas a hol- - (owed -out area In , which he places mealwormsfor the birds to feed to their young. With a camerar`4 on a tripod near.. the feeding sta tion, Henderson retreats to his., patio 30 feet y ; away to take £, photos by remote control. The male bluebird, on the right, is the bluer of the pair. • 2 PHOTOS BY; DOE ODEN STAFF, PHOTOGRAPHER`; 1 is being lured �ttings cade ago. It shows just how well'tde. )ird recovery program is going. : he bigchange now is we're getting backyard . birds," Henderson said.: used to tell people not to expect ,.erA h;,.Ao henn..co ;. 41.n ,n...► - II-'s III WI II�a 1 Public gets sneak preview of new Eagan YMCA Membership coordinator Mary Peter gives Dave Perlich of Eagan a tour of the YMCA during last Saturday's open house. The grand opening is expected in April. (Bill Jones/Staff Photographer) Teen center slated for Eagan draws praise, criticism • Some youth say center needs to be in a more convenient, central spot AMY SHERMAN STAFF WRITER Teen-agers in Eagan share a common complaint: -There just aren't enough places to hang out. But young people will have another choice this winter when the Southwest YMCA Area YMCA in Eagan finishes addinga teen center to its building at 550.Opper-. man Drive. Teen-agers who plan .to use the building can't wait for the center to open, but not all youth in the city are satisfied with the center. Teens for Tomorrow, a small group of youth and adults, say they need a place in a more central location in the city. The group, which formed about a year ago, hopes to raise $50,000 to build a teen cen- ter in the Eagan Civic Arena, off Pilot Knob Road in the center of the city. • CONTINUED FROM 1C cess. A teen council will help design the room, which could include computers, a television, a ping pong table and couches. This spring, the City Council dis- cussed both teen center proposals. Many council members preferred the YMCA's plan because the city wouldn't have to worry about pay- ing for staff or upkeep: However, Mayor Tom Egan said that the civic arena proposal is not dead and that the council may chose to contribute money to that project in the future. "We hope we are so successful with the facility at the Y that we will find ourselves needing the teen center at the mezzanine at the civic arena," Egan said. Teens who now use the YMCA have lots of ideas about what to put in the new room. Steve Shelito, a 13-year-old Eagan resi- dent who attends the YMCA's day camp, hopes to play cards and pool in the center. Teen-agers now compete with younger children for space in the game room, he said. .30k it's going to be great," "The (YMCA) location is ,way out of the way, " :said Katie Tilley, a member of the.: group. "The Y is located in the very corner of Eagan, right near Inver Grove Heights. It's near nothing. For some people it would be a 20-minute drive to get there." Location isn't Tilley's only concern. "Teens don't really want to be affiliated with the Y; it's for_families," said the 16-year-old Eagan resident. "What I wanted is a teen center somewhere we could get away from said Kaarina Hokkanen, a 12-year- old Rosemount resident who also attends day camp. "It will give something for -teens to do when people are really bored." Hokkanen is one of 700 youth ages 12 to 18 who are members of the YMCA. About 250 other teen- agers also have been involved with programs or activities but aren't members. Construction on the YMCA's teen center will start next month. The 960-square foot room will share space in the annex with the computer lab and the nursery. The teen center is part of a $300,000 renovation and expansion. The City Council pitched in $75,000 to the teen center portion, and the YMCA will pick up the tab for the remaining $15,000. The YMCA also will build a kids -and -family room — for open gym and preschool classes — and a multipurpose meeting room. The kids' gym will become an aerobics studio. Teen-agers from neighboring communities also will use the YMCA's teen center. About 80 percent of the YMCA's general membership comes from Eagan. Teen-agers who belong to the YMCA say one cool thing about the teen center is that they can families, to hang out with our friends." Tim Staley, YMCA executive director, noted that 1,000 teen-agers managed to get to the YMCA last year. Plus, the YMCA is exploring providing transporta- tion for teen nights this fall by sending out vans to pick up and drop off teen- agers in central locations in the city. And YMCA leaders say they plan to make their center a big hit with youth by including teens in the planning pro - YMCA CONTINUED ON 2C ► recruit friends who aren't mem- bers. A $25 teen card will buy teens a year of time at the teen center and adjacent computer lab. Additionally, the entire YMCA would be accessible during special programs, such as teen nights. Teens also would have the option of buying a normal monthly mem- bership to use the entire YMCA. The center will be open afternoons and evenings, and all day on the weekend. Meanwhile, the Teens for Tomorrow continue to talk about building a center at the civic arena. Karen Luchka, a 16-year- old Eagan resident, hopes to build a place .where she can talk with friends and find information about jobs, community -events and volun- teer opportunities. She said teen-agers need their own place because they are not always welcome in other spots around the city. "A lot of teens are kicked out of areas where they hang around," Luchka said. "A lot of businesses fear teens hanging out even if they are not causing trouble." Sandy Masin, a council member who has been meeting with the Teens for Tomorrow, agrees that they city needs another center. "We have such a large (teen) pop- ulation, we definitely need more than one location." Amy Sherman covers Eagan, Inver Grove Heights and Rosemount. She can be reached at 228-2174 or at asherman®ploneerpreu.com Faint ilsOVair i1AI 11, �i�� iwo Eagan teen centers proposed YMCA, CAN present opt,ons By Sue Hegarty Minnesota Sun Publications Two separate teen center proposals were presented to the Eagan City Council last week during a March 24 work session. The first in- volves a $300,000 reno- vation and ex- pansion of the Southwest Area YMCA in north- east Eagan. The second proposal originated with a group of teenagers who comprise a youth organization called Community Alliance Network (CAN) which has been meeting for several months. The YMCA teen center would be housed in 1,300 square feet of the proposed addition. Teenagers would have access to a -gym and computer lab facili- ties, as well as a room to just "hang out," said YMCA Execu- tive Director Tim Staley. They would not have to be a member to use the teen center, but there would be a $25 annual fee for non-members. Membership at the YMCA ex- ceeds 7,000 members. About 80 percent are Eagan families. "But the one area we don't have room for is the teens," Staley said. �av� Suva C,�rve Aril 1, 10,01d There are —more -than 700 teenagers that are members of the YMCA and another 300 have been involved as non- members in activities such as Teen Nights. Teenagers com- prise about 11 percent o: the users of the facility, at,55(0 Op- perman Drive. TEENS: To Page 13A Teens: Professional staff from YMCA would supervise From Page 1A If the center is built, teens would be able to use the phone, listen to music or play in the gym. Supervision would be provided by professional staff from the YMCA, which employs a full-time person to work on out- reach programs. Staley is requesting a $25,000 contribution from the city of Rose- mount and a $75,000 contribution from the city of Eagan. Rosemount youth comprise about 10 percent of the facility's users. The YMCA would provide a "safe, neu- tral zone" where teenagers can meet with friends, Staley said. The second option for a teen center was planned by teens, for teens, said Michael Vincent, a member of the city's Parks and Recreation Commission and CAN presi- dent. Vincent is the adult facilitator for the teen discussions, which have focused on their desire for a teen center. CAN proposes to add a room to the sec- ond floor of the Civic Arena which cur- rently is undeveloped space. Because the city is building a second sheet of ice and installing additional bathroom facilities at the arena, construction of a teen cen- ter could be folded into the current ex- pansion project, Vincent said. CAN proposes that the teenagers raise $50,000 to be given to the city to pay for the estimated cost of a second floor room. Community businesses have been ap- proached to see if they would offer mone- tary and in -kind contributions, Vincent said. Support has been good, though dis- cussions are still preliminary. The teens are suggesting that closed cir- cuit monitors linked to the Eagan Police De- partment across the street could help pro- vide supervision of the center. They also are suggesting that the center be staffed and governed by the city's parks department. Karen Luchka, 15, said there are nu- merous programs for young teens but not a lot of places for high school students to assemble after school or on weekends. "Students are looking for a safe area," said Karen, a student at Eastview High School. She and Vincent said that both the YMCA and the Civic Arena sites could operate successfully at the same time. Council members plan to discuss whether they would support one, both or neither of the proposed facilities. In the meantime, both plans are headed for the next Advisory Parks and Recreation Commission meeting April 20. ASSESSED PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS A/ COMPLETED IMPROVEMENTS COMPLETED ASSESSMENTS A/ PLANNED IMPROVEMENTS PLANNED ASSESSMENTS (CIP) A/ PENDING IMPROVEMENTS PENDING ASSESSMENTS N A APRIL 21,1998 u WW I: = Q! E- SN" po lB.ilDna=:���lipc I1u111u6 ./ aglgaqqqW9 p91�'I E�9FWi Fp uampr rlN s�- 1 1 2 Miles D:ARCVIEW/ASSESSEDPUB... no to d m on ®41 .0 le ill a ® ffist,12 EMI qg Eil Is Elm KO RES INVESTMENT CO City Eagan of E n Hwy 55/Hwy 149 Triangle Area Ownership Information Ownership Legend City of Eagan Industrial Equities (John Allen) Imre (TMI) Spectrum (Henrich) Wispark Corp. . �.. Pepsi (Wispark purchase agreement) Kor (Wispark purchase agreement) Parcel Lines Water Buildings 300 0 Ick 4/16/98 300 600 Feet Map prepared by the City of Eagan Community Development Department, Planning Division using ArcView 3.0a. CITY OF EA #City of Eagan Sale Survey Map fi.Kfit.104; 200 Survey Sent Survey Returned Willing to Discuss Sale Buildings Parcel Lines 0 4/15/98 200 400 600 800 Feet Map Prepared by the City of Eagan Community Development Department, Planning Division using ArcView 3.0a. 12A F SAINT PAUL PIONEER PRESS SUNDAY, JULY 15, 1990 YWCA/Controversy has followed organization's executive director CONTINUED FROM 1A irogram. The St. Paul city attor- z ey'-s office is investigating the fired manager's allegations; a pre- liminary report found inadequate record -keeping and management procedures but no criminal wrong- doing. McCrea said she will not comment on the housing manager's claims because the lawsuit is pend- ing. Similar allegations of improper record -keeping had been raised last year by Ray Hedrick, a 55- year-old security supervisor who was dismissed from his job. Hedrick said he told McCrea the daily lists of residents of the YWCA's emergency shelter pro- gram included people who were no longer living there but were listed in order to get more money from Ramsey County. McCrea said there are too many safeguards built into the YWCA's system for that to have happened. "Our system is totally automated, and I have no problem with anyone coming in and totally looking at it," she said. •Jn May, the United Way of the St' Paul Area reduced funding for the YWCA by $65,450. The money had been earmarked for a program to help women learn job skills, but United Way officials said the pro- gram was doing poorly. A United Way survey of 10 women who went through the program showed that only two had been able to get jobs afterward. McCrea has questioned the va- lidity of the United Way's survey • and said more factors should have been considered before the deci- sion was made to cut the YWCA's funding. ■ Since the mid-1980s, the YWCA has operated Ramsey County's largest emergency shelter for fam- ilies with children; for the past two years, it has been the only shelter that would take homeless women and their children. But county offi- cials recently decided to seek pro- posals from other agencies to pro- vide that service. Although county officials say this does not necessarily indicate dissatisfaction with the YWCA — the county may want a network of smaller shelters in neighborhoods, instead of one large program in a downtown building — loss of the program would be a major blow to the YWCA. In her defense, McCrea says she has helped turn the agency around financially by bringing in private and public grants. When McCrea began at the YWCA, she said, the agency was losing $47,000 a month. But at the end of last year, she said the YWCA had cleared debts of $300,000 and that revenue had ex- ceeded expenses by $85,000. Earlier this year, the YWCA moved from its older downtown headquarters building to new of- fices in the Cathedral Hill develop- ment at 198 N. Western Ave. McCrea said she considered it an accomplishment that she negotiat- ed the sale of the old YWCA build- ing for $3.8 million to the St. Paul school district without the help of a real estate agent. ' McCrea counts among her sup- porters several YWCA board mem- bers and employees, and city offi- ccials in Eagan and St. Paul. One of her - most vocal supporters is YWCA board president Marion Watson. "She maintains an even keel and poise and civility in dealing with funders and critics that I think is astonishing," Watson said of McCrea. "I think she has as tre- mendous amount of poise." Others, including several former YWCA board members, are criti- cal of the way McCrea has run the agency. Vanne Hayes, the former presi- dent-elect of the YWCA board who resigned in January, said she had questions about McCrea early on, and often wished McCrea were more polished and presented a more professional image to the women the agency serves. Hayes and another black wom- an, Tonye Hannah, who was board president at that time, both re- :si1Ind because of what they saw as '?fadist treatment from some other ;;pnaxd members. They said, howev- ;;Fe,-they had no complaints of rac- *asm regarding McCrea. t ayes and other former board :naernbers said the process by which "i4 erea was hired was question- able and that many red flags were raised during McCrea's interview- ing process for the permanent posi- tion. They said McCrea's responses to questions changed from one in- terview to another. Yet other board members seemed to support her in spite of the questions, Hayes said, adding: "She was seen as hot property." Several people on the search committee for the executive direc- tor's position said McCrea was not the strongest candidate they inter- viewed. One of them — Yusef Mgeni, di- rector of the Urban Coalition — said McCrea was chosen only after other, more qualified candidates dropped out of the running. JUDY GRIESEDIECK/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Pam McCrea, the executive director of the St. Paul YWCA since June, 1989, in the new building the organization recently purchased in the Cathedral Hill district. "Pam was not someone who stood out as having a feel for low- income people or women of color," Mgeni said. Kelly Tanzer, one of two white former board members who re- signed in support of Hannah and Hayes, said she had observed an agency that was in a chaotic state. "I felt confused from almost the second I walked in the door as a board member. It seemed like the budget was always in trouble," said Tanzer, personnel manager for the city of St. Paul. "I'm accus- tomed to government, where you don't spend money if you don't have it.' Tanzer said, however, she was impressed with McCrea's vision for the YWCA. "She seemed to have a really good sense of where she wanted the Y to go," Tanzer said. "I thought that was good." Watson says the criticism by for- mer board members and others is misplaced. "Everybody comes with strengths and weaknesses," Watson said. "Pam's strengths are: She is one of the smartest women I ever knew, she's completely dedicated to the Y and the mission of the Y, that is, serving women and chil- dren in need. She is well -organized and thorough. "I feel that if she were a man, she'd be said to have a tremendous sense of civic duty in all the activi- ties she's attempting to do." v McCrea, who grew up in Hop- kins, cut her political teeth early by distributing campaign litera- ture for her father, a Republican attorney who three times ran un- successfully for judge. The political part stuck; the Re- publican part didn't. McCrea says she decided to become a Democrat because of her early experiences in working with the poor. At age 17, as a Hopkins Recre- ation Department employee, she was involved in a program that brought inner-city children from Minneapolis out to the suburbs. Later, after getting a bachelor's degree in psychology and sociology from Mankato State University, she worked for a year as a social worker at Greeley Elementary School in Minneapolis. Among her students were many who were poor and neglected at home. "I used to take the little kids home to wash the lice out of their hair," she said. "I never forgot about it, and then I wanted to do something about it." She returned to college to get a master's degree in vocational reha- bilitation, worked for a couple of non-profit programs, then became deputy director of the Minnesota job training office. When the YWCA executive di- rector position was advertised, she said she was bored with her state job and anxious to find work that used more of her skills. She was named interim director in October 1988 and the permanent director eight months later. At about the same time, McCrea was becoming more involved in Eagan city politics, an interest that began shortly after she and her husband, Mark McCrea, moved to Eagan. The couple, who at the time were both working in state govern- ment, had hoped to start a small business. Based on a market sur- vey, they chose a liquor store. "Why I got involved in politics is, I went to my first City Council meeting eight months pregnant and with a black husband, and ap- plied for an off -sale liquor license, and I felt I was treated really rude- ly," she said. 'They eventually got the liquor li- cerse and opened Eagan Liquors, but it never turned the corner financially and they later sold it. They tried one other enterprise — a vxdea store with McCrea's friend anc four -term Eagan mayor, Bea Blanquist, and her husband — but theMcCreas sold their interest be- fore the store opened. McCrea and herhusband have since divorced. ler career in public service be - gas with a six -year stint on the Eaban Planning Commission. In the 1987 Eagan mayoral race, she sujported Vic Ellison, a City Coun- cilmember who ran against Blom- qui;t. When Ellison won, he ap- pohted McCrea to fill out the two yeirs left in his council term. She wa re-elected to a four-year term in989. Ier tenure on the Eagan City Council also has been stormy. Her vde on a controversial rezoning pnmpted about a dozen angry neighbors to sign a petition asking Dakota County Attorney James Btckstrom to look into McCrea's real estate activities. About a year before taking of- fice, McCrea acquired a real estate license and obtained listings on two pieces of land, one of which was sold to a developer who wanted to put up an office building. Soon after she joined the City Council, she cast the deciding vote "Everybody comes with strengths and weaknesses. Pam's strengths are: She is one of the smartest women ever knew, she's completely dedicated to the Y and the mission of the Y ." MARION WATSON YWCA BOARD PRESIDENT on rezoning that property. The move angered neighbors, particu- larly when they learned she had received a real estate commission of about $13,000 for the sale. Al- though the sale took place before she was appointed to the council, she did not receive the bulk of the commission until around the time she voted on the property's rezon- ing. Assistant Dakota County Attor- ney Bob King said the neighbors' concerns were investigated by the sheriff's office but investigators were unable to substantiate any of the allegations. McCrea said she did nothing wrong in voting on the rezoning. She said the sale of the land was not contingent on the rezoning, and she was advised by the Eagan city attorney that it would not be a con- flict of interest for her to vote. She said she felt unfairly accused by the neighbors' petition. "All of these are allegations, and no one has found any merit to any- thing," McCrea said. "There are a couple of people who really don't like me. God knows why they say these crazy things." Some of her colleagues in Eagan say McCrea seems overwhelmed by the demands of her YWCA job, her political position and her three school -age children. Eagan Mayor Tom Egan said ' she has taken on too many respon- sibilities and that the stress is be- ginning to show in how she handles her City Council work. He men- tioned one .example in which she called a meeting with community leaders, then failed to show up. Af- ter she was telephoned midway through the meeting, she showed up nearly an hour late, then acted as if the meeting had not yet be- gun, Egan said. Ellison, the former mayor who was defeated in 1989, said McCrea has a lot to handle, particularly with the criticism that has been • leveled at her in the past few' months. "No one should have to go through the personal trials and tribulations she's had to go through ' the past couple of months," he said. "She's got a handful of folks she's worked with who have a personal or professional ax to grind right now, and they're making life hell for her. If they're successful in chasing her out of office, that will be unfair and we will all lose." McCrea said she has always maintained a hectic schedule, made more tolerable by merging her personal and professional lives.- And she insists she is not overwhelmed, although she is con- sidering a change: "I will probably, finish out my four-year term (on the City Council), but I probably won't run again," she said. knee BUY ONE PAIR. GET ONE FREE. IN ONE HOUR. Now you can express your Every mood —freely, with glasses from Pearle Express. With famous brand name frames like Cheryl Ties, Elastt, Jordache, and Seiko. Just present the coupon and buy any complete pair of glasses. You'll get a second pairfree from our specially tagged collection. And you'll get both pairs in one hour* Or buy a pair of Pearle SoftTM brand Contact lenses and get a second pair free. Be sure to look inb our scratch -resistant, UV guarded, tintable Pearle LensTM Or choose the Pearle Thin Lens;"" which offers you all th; same features but in a thinner, lighter lens. And, while you're t Pearle, look into a thorough eye exam from a professional Doctor of Optometry. r FREE GLASSES Buy a complete pair of glasses at regular price and get a secondpair(same prescription) free, from our specially tagged collection. Offer includes most single vision and bifocal prescriptions. Some lens restrictions apply. Valid through August 18, 1990 at all participating Pearle locations Minimum first pair purchase $75. Progressives, tints and coatings available at additional charge on second pair. Complete glasses include frames and lenses. Coupon must be presented at time of order. No other discounts or insurance benefits apply with this coupon. Get your free glasses at: FREE CONTACTS Buy a pair of Pearle SoftTM brand contact lenses at regular price and get a spare pair (same prescription) free. If you would like to take advantage of this offer at Pearle, ask your doctor about Pearle Sofr brand contact lenses. Coupon must be presented at time of order. No other discounts or insur- ance benefits apply with this coupon. Valid through August 18, 1990 at all participating Pearle locations. Eye exam and care kit not included. Get your free contacts at: L. • Peale Express MNB_ • Pearle Express NN j P9ILEEKPRESJTM GLASSES IN ONE HOUR* Burnsville Center Eden Prairie Center 435-8821 944-3131 Ridgedale 546-4414 Edina 7062 York Ave. So. (in Target Center) 926-6149 Offer also valid at *In most cases. Day, Evening Pearle, Pearle Vision Center and Pearce Express are ademarks of Pearle, Inc. Northtown 784-4081 Brooklyn Center 5900 Shingle Creek Parkway (next to Children's Palace) 560-1636 participating Pearle Vision Centers including: Brookdale 566-8580 and Saturday eye exams available. Maplewood Mall 770-3923 Maplewood 2950 White Bear Avenue (across from Maplewood Mall) 779-8116 Voted Best Glasses in the City Pages Best of the Twin Cities Poll 5-16-90 l d SAINT PAUL PIONEER PRESS :RATC? ■ • Bradley's professional exterminators get the job done ... quickly and economical- ly ... and results are guaranteed! Call for same -day service and FREE estimates. Out of town inquiries welcome. National Pest Control Association 11 AMERIC N X ) ECPRE55: Bradley Exterminating 298-0919 0utstate Minn.1-800.241.0019 . Western Wisc. 1-800-328-2908 Quality Service Since 1965 CORRECTION NOTICE In Today's Sale section, Sunday, July 15, we advertised a #14071 Nintendo action set as a super buy at $89.99. The price is an error. It is a super buy at $99.99. The RCA #31529 TV is incorrectly described as a 26" TV. The correct size is 20". The Trench -Style Misses Blouse in this week's ad mailer is not available. We will take 28% off of the extra value price of any Misses Spring Blouse thru 7/21. In addition, our July 8 jewelry mailer showed an incorrect sale period. Jewelry prices are good thru August 11 only. We apologize for any inconvenience to our customers. Montgomery Ward The fence of the future Maintenance Free —It is everlasting Enjoy BUFFTECH'S beauty and eloquence for a lifetime Call Today For A FREE Estimate 451-2224 MIDIIVEST FENCE & MFG. CO. SUNDAY, JULY 15, 1990 The new Politburo The new Communist Party Politburo has 24 members. The only incumbents are General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev and his deputy, Vladimir Ivashko. Dates of birth are indicated if known. Mikhail Gorbachev, elected to Politburo in October 1980, Soviet president and Communist Party general secretary since March 11, 1985. Born March 2, 1931. ■ Vladimir Ivashko, elected to Politburo in December 1989, deputy general secretary. Former president and party chief of the Ukraine. Born 1932. • Vladimir Movsisyan, leader of the Communist Party in Ar- menia. • Ayaz Mutalibov, party leader in Azerbaijan. Born 1938. • Yefrem Sokolov, party leaderin Byelorussia. Born April 25, 1926. • Enn Arno Sillari, party leader in Estonia. ■ Givi Gumbaridze, party leaderin Georgia. Born 1945. • Nursultan Nazarbav, party leader in Kazakhstan. Born 1940. • Absomat Masaliyev, party leader in Kirghizia. Born 1933. ■ Alfreds Rubiks, party leader in Latvia. Bom Nov. 24, 1935. • Mikolas Burakevicius, party leader in Lithuania. • Pyotr Luchinsky, party leader in Moldavia. Bom Jan. 27, 1940. • Ivan Polozkov, leader of Russian Federation Communist Party. Born Feb. 16, 1935. • Kakhar Makhkamov, party eader in Tadzhikistan. Born 1932. ■ Sappar Niyazov, party leader h Turkmenia. Born 1940. ■ Stanislav Gurenko, party leader in Ukraine. Born 1936. • Islam Karimov, party leader inUzbekistan. Born 1920. • Alexander Dzasokhov, chaiman of the Supreme Soviet International Affairs Commission. Responsible for party ideolo- gy. Born 1934. • Yuri Prokofiev, Moscow Communist Party chief. ■ Galina Semyonova, editor-inchief of "Peasant Woman" magazine, responsible for women's issues. Born 1937. • Gennady Yanayev, head of tie Central Council of Trade Unions, responsible for international affairs. Born Aug. 26, 1937. • Oleg Shenin, party leader in Kasnoyarsk region of Siberia, responsible for organizational issues. Born July 22, 1937. • Igor Stroyev, responsible for agriculture. Born February 1937. ■ Ivan Frolov, editor of the pary newspaper Pravda. Born Sept. 1, 1929. Associated Press ASSOCIATED PRESS Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, center, and other Soviet leaders stand and sing the "Interna- tional" Saturday at the close of the 28th Commu- nist Party Congress in Moscow. @Charterhouse & Co. 1990 Wanted: Gold Charm Bracelets Wanted: Pearls and Pearl Jewelry Wanted: Diamond Bar Pins Wanted: Sterling Silver Items Wanted: Jewelry From the Forties Wanted: Important Diamond Jewelry Wanted: Finely Carved Old Cameos Wanted: Charming Antique Jewelry Wanted: Pocket Watches Wanted: Bracelets with Diamonds, Rubies, Sapphires or other Precious Stones We Buy Old Jewelry FIND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS You could have thousands of dollars worth of jewelry or watches gathering dust in a dresser drawer or safe deposit box. Maybe you have inherited items you never really liked, or perhaps you have some jewelry that no longer fits your lifestyle. Nearly everyone has something they don't need and ought to sell. This is your chance to sell your unwanted items. Come see us this week. FRIENDLY AND FAMILIAR We know there are many people in the twin Cities, area who have thought about selling their unwanted jewelry, but didn't know who to trust. Well, now there is a familiar and friendly firm that will be glad to help you to dispose of your unwanted valuables...Bockstruck's. We're one of'ILvin Cities' oldest jeweleis. You can rely on our fine reputation, as have generations of others. FAMOUS EXPERT APPRAISER We have invited a nationally known expert on antique and estate jewelry to join our qualified appraizers this week. Together we'll be making top cash offers for old jewelry, diamonds, wrist- watches, pocket watches and antique sterling silver. Come visit us at the location nearest you. PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL We buy at the top prices and pay immediately. All transactions are strictly confidential. Of course, there is never any charge for our advice. BRING EVERYTHING Don't make the mistake of thinking your things aren't good enough for us. We have helped many people discover items of great value among the most unlikely things. Whether you think your things are worth a little or a lot bring them to us. Maybe we'll help you find a treasure this week. A lady brought us these unwanted items. We paid her well over a thousand dollars. Look around your house. and through your safe deposit box, to see what you might have to sell. ONLY 3 DAYS! EDINA JULY 16, 17, & 18 GALLERIA IN EDINA 70TH & FRANCE (612) 929-3143 Buying Hours: 10:00 A.M.- 6:00 PM. MONDAY, TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY ONLY! JULY 16, 17 & 18 Check to see if you have any of these items we're buying. ❑ Pocket Watches ❑ Stick Pins 0 Rolex Watches 0 Antique Bracelets 0 Diamond Bar Pins ❑ Platinum Jewelry 0 Antique Lockets 0 Victorian Jewelry ❑ Old Mine Cut Diamonds 0 Georg Jensen Items 0 Diamond Earrings 0 Famous Autographs ❑ Diamond Bow Pins ❑ Diamond Bracelets 0 Historical Documents 0 Older Cocktail Rings 0 Antique Sterling Silver 0 Gold Charm Bracelets 0 Patek Philippe Watches WE PAY RECORD PRICES We have purchased hard stone cameos for as much as $2000. We have paid over $30,000 for unusually complicated pocket watches. We once purchased a blue diamond for $300,000. The experts visiting us this week are one ofAmerica's largest buyers of antique jewelry and vintage wristwatches. This is your chance to get the nation's best price right here in town. O Large Pearl Necklaces 0 Pendants & Necklaces ❑ Diamonds Over 1 Carat ❑ English Georgian Silver O Elaborate Masonic Items ❑ Older Marcasite Jewelry 0 Jewelry from 20's, 30's, 40's O Ruby & Diamond Jewelry ❑ OlderAmethyst Jewelry O Nicely Carved Old Cameos ❑ Valuable & Important Jewelry 0 Gold & Platinum Cuff Links ❑ Emerald & Diamond Jewelry ❑ Mens Old Gold Wristwatches 0 Sapphire & Diamond Jewelry ❑ Older Pins, Brooches & Clips ❑ American Gold & Silver Coins 0 And Much More! ONLY 3 DAYS! ST. PAUL JULY 19, 20, & 21 FINE JEWELERS SINCE 1883 ♦�E\EO GEMQ�O s Nor. U � 04N GEM,�` DOWNTOWN ST. PAUL 27TH W. 5TH STREET (612) 222-1858 Buying Hours: 9:00 A.M. - 5:00 PM. THURSDAY, FRIDAY & SATURDAY ONLY! JULY 19, 20 & 21 f �11A POLITBURO V CONTINUED FROM IA 12 members to 24 :t "'lt#i;4`i a room for the party secrallfi0 'tf the 15 Soviet republics. Membership for them was intended to emphasize Gorbachev's hope of seeing the party survive more as a decentral- ized political instrument now that its days as the nation's monolith are over. While the Politburo changes were a further measure of the par- ty hierarchy's separation from ex- ecutive Kremlin power, its middle - level officials remain formidable across the land. The Communists have vast property holdings, dispense thousands of patronage jobs, control most of the press and maintain a virtual choke hold on much of the administrative bu- reaucracy. The new Politburo, heavy with Gorbachev allies, is supposed to serve as an internal policy board for the party rather than as the oli- garchic underpinning it was for over six decades. "Now the party will be compet- ing with other social and political forces and seeking to establish its predominance mainly through an ideological and political struggle," said Ivan Frolov, chief editor of the party newspaper Pravda, who was elected to the new Politburo. Other newcomers are Yuri Pro- kofiev, the Moscow party leader who is an outspoken moderate re- former; Aleksander Dzasokhov, chief of the Parliament's Interna- tional Affairs Committee, who will be the new party ideology chief; Oleg Shenin, chief of organization- al affairs; Gennady Yanayev, head of the trade union council, who will be responsible for international is- sues; and Galina Semyonova, edi- tor of the party magazine Peasant Woman, who will handle women's issues. Igor Ligachev, the hard-line leader who failed in a last -stand challenge to Gorbachev at the con- gress, had announced hisretire- ment from the Politburo. He was replaced as the party's agricultur- al specialist by Igor Stroyev. Ligachev's role as leading spokesman for the party's hard- line faction, so embittered by all the Gorbachevian change, seems certain to be assumed by the new chief of the Russian federated re- public's Communist Party, Ivan Polozkov. The only holdovers from the old Politburo were Gorbachev, who stays as party general secretary, and Vladimir Ivashko, the- deputy general secretary. As promised, Gorbachev's chief political strategist, Aleksander Yakovlev, also left the Politburo to concentrate on his Kremlin.duties. Gorbachev has indicated that he might some day prefer to take a less active role as party: leader, perhaps as chairman, with his loy- alists running party affairs. But he decided against this step. at the congress when party leaders con- tended that the nation's critical economic and political problems required dual roles for him., The Politburo was electe1 by the party Central Committee, a 412- member policy board, which was itself revamped more to, Gorba- chev's liking on the final day of the party congress, which was attend- ed by 4,700 delegates. The Central Committee also elected a 16-member Secretariat, the party's day-to-day executive group. The main issues of the congress were whether the 19-million-mem- ber party would be split by its mi- nority of insurgents demanding democratization, and whether the hard-line traditionalists. might muster a policy counteroffensive to threaten Gorbachev. Neither event occurred and the congress disbanded with much the same sense of drift and uncertainty that has dogged it through. the ad- vent of Gorbachev's perestroika program of gradual democratic re- form. But opposition figures, who went into the congress with plans to form a single breakaway party if their demands were not met, seemed by the end of the meeting to be planning a broad but loose co- alition. The formation of ati opposi- tion coalition slowly began to take shape during the congress. , Insurgents such as Boris Yeltsin, president of the Russian republic and chief populist critic of Gorba- chev, left the party to pursue their own politics of challenging central authority in the republics and cit- ies and encouraging multiparty de- mocracy. The party's few democratic in- surgents, grouped as the Demo- cratic Platform, conceded that the creation of a rival political party would be a complicated process, in large part because the Communist machine still controls the jobs of many of the members who might like to withdraw. The Democratic Platform is pre- paring a drawn -out challenge of re- gistering supporters and then trying to sue the party for a share of the nation's pofitiedl''rresources that the Communist?3y§'l' Wionopol- �r- 1 ize. 3 • APPLE VALLEY • BURNSVILLE ■ EAGAN • FARMINGTON • HASTINGS ■ INVER GROVE HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOODS soum c &_) 4buo r- ' LAKEVILLE ■ MENDOTA HEIGHTS ■ ROSEMOUNT ■ SOUTH ST. PAUL ■ WEST ST. PAUL ■ ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS AND DISPATCH Reuel Harmon is honorary dinner dance on Nov. 9. chairman Sully Doroshow/Staff Photographer of Dodge Nature Center's annual fund-raising benefit WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1985. Reuel Harmon enjoying fruits of lifetime spent close to nature By Thomas B. Koetting Staff Writer Above the fireplace in a woody cabin on the shores of Loch Gregor, a section of Norway pine oversha- dows Reuel Harmon when he retreats from the rest of the world. The pine tree survived seven fires in the Cloquet Forest Experi- mental Station before it was cut down in 1953, each blaze searing one side while leaving the other unharmed. The section on the fire- place reflects that history, with one edge jagged and scarred, the other rounded and smooth. It carries many of the same traits as Harmon, who has em- erged from his years as a civic leader with a sagacious roughness that leaves him as comfortable talking about the development of unions as about the destiny of the soul. The cabin, near the back of 97 acres in Inver Grove Heights that I've done what I can do. If that isn't enough, then the hell with it. Reuel Harmon Harmon calls home, is his "recipe for sanity," a place where the weaving rings of pine offer a tran- quil alternative to telephones and televisions. "I can read, sleep, write, rest ... or just do nothing, which is sometimes very satisfy- ing!, » Harmon draws out the last phrase with a smile, and punctu- ates it with a childlike giggle. Eighty-one years have sapped him of deft movement, and decades at the helm of Webb Co. have left hini with a gruffness that allows him to sprinkle his speech with mild pro- fanities that tease more than of- fend. But there is that giggle, light and soft, every few moments. It's the giggle of a boy growing up near Lake Elmo and discover- ing the fascination of exploring the woods, kicking up leaves and plant- ing shrubs. It's also the giggle of a man who has carried that fascina- tion through his career, and is help- ing numerous nature -oriented causes with time and money. Harmon and his wife, Margaret, will be honorary chairmen of the annual fund-raising benefit dinner dance for the Dodge Nature Center in West St. Paul on Nov. 9. The honor follows Harmon's long sup- port of the center, which was capped by his aid in acquiring for the center three sections of land that executive director James Mal- kowski said will solidify the nature Please see Harmon/2 Tough laws boost child support collections By Ann Baker Staff Writer County collections of child sup- port payments will hit record highs this year in the St. Paul area as officials enforce tough collection laws and use sophisticated track- ing techniques to locate divorced fathers. Ramsey County, for example, will collect $7.3 million in child support payments from absent parents this year, a 12 percent in- crease from last year when collec- tions were 20 percent higher than the year before. More than half of the collected amount comes from fathers of children on welfare and is kept by R-KIDS argue for `other side' of child support By Ann Baker Staff Writer At the same time county collec- tions of child support payments are hitting record highs and a gover- nor's task force is pushing for even stronger collection rules, an oppo- sition group has formed to battle the state's collection procedures. The group, R-KIDS (Remember Our Kids in Divorce Settlements), is made up of fathers and their sec- ond wives and has grown from 15 to 500 members during the past six months. Group members claim that the payments are too high, that the col- lection procedures are too rigid and that the fathers' rights are being ignored. "We have men paying $500 to $800 a month for one or two chil- dren," said Sheryl Lopez of Lake Elmo, president of the opposition group. "We have some men that are below welfare guidelines with the money they have left over." Judges who write the child sup- port orders are one target of her group. Also targeted are the county Please see Support/2 the government to offset welfare costs. The other half is collected from fathers who have not been paying their child support on time. Eagan candidates [ seek involvement By Thomas B. Koetting Staff Writer New roads, new housing, new offices and new stores. In the city with the only contested races in northwestern Dakota County, the focus of the cam- paign is much the same as the focus of most of the Eagan City Council meetings — how to manage growth in the fastest growing area in Minnesota. However, when Eagan voters go to the polls Tues- day, they will be casting their ballots without a rally- ing issue. The growth in the largely conservative sub- urb is undeniable and unavoidable, but it is not necessarily undesirable, and while individual projects have come under heavy debate in past years, the over- all movement of the city has not produced a divisive election. Most of the candidates simply want to be involved in city government. The mayoral position and two council positions are open, with incumbents seeking re-election in all races. In the race for the two-year mayoral position, incum- bent mayor Bea Blomquist faces challenger Michael Beard, who is running for his first elective office. Blomquist, a three -term mayor, said she stands on her record of involvement in the city's recent growth. "There are no single issues," she said. "Obviously Eagan's doing a good job. We're not turning them off." She said she thinks she has drawn the public into the Please see Eagan/2 Freeway, growth issues in IGH race By Les Suzukamo Staff Writer Interstate 494 runs along the top of Inver Grove Heights. The freeway also has been topmost in the minds of at least three of the four City Council candi- dates, who have been asking themselves one question: Where should the city put the businesses and homes that will follow the completion of the freeway? Incumbents Sheila Tatone and George Tourville, both running for their second consecutive four-year terms, have said the city has answered much of that question in a revised master zoning scheme, the city's Comprehensive Plan, which was recently submitted to the Metropolitan Council for approval. But challengers Bernie Beermann, a former council member and areawide political pot -stirrer, and Gre- gory Grover, an electrician whose grandfather was once mayor, disagree. Beermann said the council needs to make "bold moves" to ensure business does not get stunted. Grover said the city needs to pay more attention to the Concord Boulevard area where he lives. The development question is the major issue in a near -silent campaign, which ends on election day Tuesday. Mayor William Saed, 56, is unopposed for a third two-year term. Please see Raye/2 4 Counties serve as collection agents for non -welfare mothers and children, at their request, on the theory that child support pay- ments will enable single -parent Learning a new trick families to stay off welfare. Every year for more than a dec- ade the amount collected by Min- nesota counties has increased. "It's climbing for a lot of rea- After helping draw faces on a row of pumpkins for Halloween, 7- year-old Dietrich Payne gets back to drawing of a different sort. He INSIDE ROAD WOES/ Some Dakota County suburbs are upset that there won't be a Minnesota 55 interchange when Interstate 494 is completed. Page 3S CHURCH DEALINGS/ St. Paul's United Meth- odist Church has sold its building to a Hmong congregation and is looking to build in Dakota County. INDEX CIVIC CALENDAR EVENTS IN BRIEF NEIGHBORS VITAL STATISTICS THE KID'S PAGE SCHOOL REUNIONS PREP SPORTS BUSINESS BRIEFS fr Page 3S 3S 5S 8S 8S 9S 10S 11S 12S sons," said Monty Martin, who heads Ramsey County's collections unit. "We have a hard-working staff, more computer terminals, more pleasant offices. Unemploy- ment is going down, so more fa- thers have paychecks. And we have. better tools. We can more easily garnishee wages and intercept, state and federal tax refunds." The collections cost taxpayers about $1 for every $3 collected. The Parent Locater Service, nicknamed "Dad -Net" by its oppo- nents, enables counties that are hunting for an absent parent to hook up with wage files in the state Department of Employment Se- curity and with vehicle registra- tion files in the Department of Transportation. Computers connect to federal files in the Social Security Admin- Please see Collections/2 Liz Hafalia/Staff Photographer practices his spelling in Florence Butler's first grade class at St. Anthony Elementary School in St. Paul. - Dakota will join waste project but only if treated as equal By Les Suzukamo Staff Writer Dakota County will join the Ramsey -Washington waste recov- ery project but only as an equal partner, county officials say. So far, however, Ramsey and Washington counties have not been treating Dakota County as an equal in negotiations about the $22 mil- lion waste -to -energy project, Dako- ta County solid waste planner Ter- ry Guggenbuehl told the county board last week. In one instance, Guggenbuehl said, negotiators for Ramsey and Washington counties said they want to reserve landfill space in Dakota County so Washington County does not have to build a new landfill. The purpose of the waste recovery project, which con- verts trash into fuel for electricity production, is to reduce all three counties' dependence upon landfills by 1990. Ramsey -Washington Waste -to - Energy Project Manager Mary Richardson declined to comment on the negotiations. She did say, though, she is opti- mistic the three counties can reach anagree4kent before the end4f the year. If Dakota County joins the project, the county's estimated 400 tons of trash a day would lower the cost of the fee the counties would pay Northern States Power Co., which is building the plant. The cost could drop anywhere from $2 a ton to $10 a ton, officials said. Dakota County needs to see more progress in negotiations by the end of the week before deciding whether to continue talking, Plan- ning Director Jeffrey Connell said last week. Please see Project/2 2S !FRO THE COVER on/ Nature is important to civic leaser Continued from Page 1 center's future. A vivid example of his work came last year, when the center was attempting to buy a $100,000 plot of land that offered a southern entrance that would have been sealed off by development. The center had raised $64,000 and asked the St. Paul Foundation, which Harmon served on, for the additional $36,000. The foundation could provide only $10,000, but Harmon asked for a personal tour of the site to determine its value to the center. Malkowski showed him around, but heard nothing for months. "Then on April 13, 1984 — I'll never forget the day — a handwrit- ten envelope arrived with a regu- lar check, just like you or I would write. It was made out for the $26,000," Malkowski said. "It was the type of thing that just doesn't happen much." However, it was just one chapter for Harmon, who also helped in founding Fort Snelling State Park, Afton State Park and other smaller parks around Minnesota, and who is working on Farm America, an agricultural interpretive center in Waseca that will be both an educa- tional museum and a working farm. Harmon acknowledged that those interests might seem ironic when combined with his publishing career at Webb and his long list of civic posts, which include stints as president of the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Civ- ic Center Authority, president of the Printing Industry of America and director or trustee in numer- ous other organizations. "I don't think that corporate in- terests and environmental inter- ests are necessarily incompatible," Harmon said. "That's the trouble. It gets to be a black and white is - Continued from Page 1 Tatone, 36, was appointed to the council in 1980 and elected in 1981. She is married, runs her own deputy registrar business and has two school -age children. "We all see the greatest challenge is how are we going to respond to the challenge of all the develop- ment that's going to come in," Tatone said. All four candidates agree that there should be busi- ness development in Inver Grove Heights. The city will need to expand its tax base and become more self-sufficient rather than just a suburban bedroom community, they said. Tatone said the revised Comprehensive Plan spells specifically the areas where the council would like to see businesses, single-family homes, and apartments and other multifamily housing. Tourville, 35, also elected in 1981, agreed. Tour- ville, who is married and has three school -age chil- dren, is a communications sales consultant. He said the council is also working on a plan for a 200-acre area adjacent to the Lafayette Freeway and I-494, where heavy business and possibly high technol- ogy development is expected. "We have got the raw resource of land that puts us in a position to look at the future with a smile on our face," he said. But Beermann said about 200 homeowners are any- thing but happy because of poor planning by the city. The city let them build in areas that do not have sewer and water and then charged them large assess- ments when the services arrived unexpectedly later, Beermann said. He said he would restrict residential development to areas served by sewer and water. "The key word is the city should have orderly growth and development," Beermann said. Beermann, 46, owner of his own garbage hauling service, is the better known of the two challengers. He is a familiar figure at the state Capitol, the county seat in Hastings and a variety of city halls. He is married and has three sons, all involved in the family business, and was on the council from 1969 to 1971. Some people in the city, including Grover, say Beer- mann is running because he's trying to settle a score with the council. A neighbor of Beermann's business complained this summer that he was violating his conditional use agreement to keep the area clean, a charge Beermann Continued from Page 1 staffs that collect child support payments when they are not paid directly by the absent parent (usu- ally the father) to the custodial parent. R-KIDS is lobbying for a bill re- quiring courts to grant joint custo- dy to both parents unless one is un- fit. Lopez thinks that would lower support payments and lessen con- flicts over visitation. "We want there to be a link be- tween support and visitation and St. Paul Pioneer Press and Dispatch sue, and most issues are gray." Harmon pointed with pride to the construction of Webb's Shepard Road plant, which he said carries all the normal aspects of a factory without being ugly or abusive to the surrounding land. "Actually, you don't own the land anyway," he said. "You have the right to use it, but you don't own it. It amounts to a steward- ship; therefore anyone who has the land should not spoil it." Harmon enjoys waxing some- what philosophical on the essence of land, and he admitted that part of that is based on his desire to pass along to coming generations the same chance to enjoy nature that be had as a child. "Kids growing up in urban areas now, you ask them where milk comes from and they say, 'a supermarket,' " he said. "They have little understanding of farms and the importance of agriculture. has denied. The council handed the matter to a state administrative hearing officer, rejecting Beermann's request that it wait 120 days for Beermann to try to settle the matter informally. Beermann denied he was campaigning because of the dispute. Tatone and Tourville said they doubted he was running for that reason. Beermann filed for elec- tion to the council in 1983 and 1981. Beermann said his greatest concern was that prime business development land will be eaten up by less controversial residential development. "We should make bold moves in those areas where commercial -industrial development is possible to pro- tect them from the encroachment of residential devel- opment," he said. Among the areas he would protect are the land next to Inver Hills Community College, Concord Boulevard and, most crucial of all, Cahill Avenue, he said. Grover, 33 and single, was born and raised in Inver Grove Heights and comes from a politically active family. A grandfather, William B. Grover, was mayor of Inver Grove village in 1936, he said. This is Grover's first foray into electoral politics. He said the council needs a breath of fresh air, and said the incumbents have not been responsive to city needs. Grover said Tourville has not appeased angry neighbors who have complained of noise from the city's three -year -old hockey bubble, a structure Tour- ville supported. He also said Tatone, while quick to require condi- tional uses permits on rezoned properties, never fol- lows up to make sure the permits are obeyed. Tourville disputed Grover's charge, saying numer- ous hearing were held on the neighbors' complaints when they first surfaced years ago and that a state investigation found the noise to be under legal limits. Tatone said the city recently hired a zoning code enforcement officer to make sure permits are fol- lowed instead of relying on just the police or fire de- partment. Grover's main concerns, though, revolve around the Concord Boulevard area, which he said is deteriorat- ing from neglect by the city. "They've done nothing to clean it up at all," Grover said. He said he would propose the former Rock Island Railroad Yard off Concord Boulevard, now aban- doned, be developed as a small business park. custody, and we want some ac- countability," she said. "Now, there is no accountability. The mother doesn't have to tell the judge how she spends the money. And the majority are working mothers. They don't have their in- come considered. The courts only look at the father and his (current) wife's income." That probably was the way some cases were decided in the past, said St. Paul attorney Mary Louise Klas, head of the governor's task Collections Continued from Page 1 istration, the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of De- fense. Agreements to trade files on absent parents are being made with other countries, including Canada, France, Spain and Hun- gary. But collections staff members in the county attorney and human services offices said they cannot track everybody. Some fathers still manage to stay lost by taking their salaries in cash and avoiding use of their Social Security number. "There's an increasing number on the no -found list," said Anoka County collections chief Ruth Mundinger, who certifies 3,500 to 4,000 cases a year for interceptions of state and federal tax refunds. Anoka County, which many ob- servers call one of the most ag- gressive in making collections, ex- pects to get a total of $5.5 million in child support payments by the endf this year. Dakota County will collect $3.3 million to $3.5 million. Washington County will collect $1.4 million. The majority of cases are for welfare families, but the non -wel- fare families usually have much larger payments. In suburban counties, more than half the pay- ments that are collected are sent directly to the non -welfare fami- lies. For example in Washington County, only a fifth of the 2,700 collection cases are for non -wel- fare families. But they receive more than half the total amount collected. Last year a federal law ordered that when a payment is collected from the father of a welfare fami- ly, the first $50 should be passed on to the family and not deducted from its welfare check. However, that $50 does cut the amount of food stamps a welfare family can claim, deducting $15 from the stamp allotment for a mother with one uOild. '(", force on child support. But Klas said that support or-' ders have become more fair and more consistent since 1983, when the Legislature established guide- lines for courts based on a percent- age of the non -custodial parent's income. The task force found that Minne- sota courts consistently follow the guidelines and order support that amounts to 14 percent to 50 per- cent of the father's income, de- pending how much he earns and how many children he has. If he earns $500 a month, he is ordered to pay $70 to support one child, $85 for two. If he earns $3,000 a month, he is ordered to pay $750 for one child, $900 for two. The incomes of mothers and stepmothers is not calculated in the formula, Klas said, but "the whole financial picture" of the in- volved families is reviewed if one of the parents brings the case back to court asking for the child sup- port order to be raised or lowered. In a report issued Oct. 1 the task force opposed any links between custody and child support, calling instead for laws to stop parents from using either as a "bargaining chip." The report also- recommended that: • Judges be allowed to issue im- mediate wage withholding orders on some divorcing parents, instead of waiting until they miss pay- ments. • Late fees be charged. • The obligations of a new spouse be made clear when there is a remarriage. In order to inform people, you have to first get their attention." Organizations such as the Dodge Nature Center grab that attention, Harmon said. "An area that big right in a metro and urban environment is priceless," he said. "The kids, espe- cially, have a place to get an ap- preciation for all kinds of natural things." Harmon shares his appreciation with his wife, whom he affection- ately calls Peg. The two were both widowed — she from Frederick Weyerhaeuser — when they mar- ried in 1971. Harmon had lived in Sunfish Lake, and his wife had lived in St. Paul, so the couple sold their homes and bought the land in Inver Grove Heights. They also own a home near Pompano Beach, Fla., where they live during the winter months. Harmon had spent years plant- ing seedlings around his Sunfish Lake property, and he did not let up when he moved to the new home. Hisland, which is cared for by a retired farm couple, is loaded with his plantings — including all 10 varieties of pine - and Harmon spends his days walking the trails or gazing out the back window of his home onto the property. His tours include a running com- mentary on all the plant life in sight, complete with giggling re- collections of going on vacations with his wife and bringing back seedlings wrapped in wet toilet pa- per in their suitcases. Despite a belief that coming gen- erations need that conviction to na- ture and open spaces, Harmon said he doesn't worry much about death or passing on some kind of legacy. He prefers working in the sunlight rather than the spotlight. "I know what I am, so I don't care what the hell anyone else thinks," he said. "I've done what I Continued from Page 1 decision -making process by forming numerous citizen task forces and advisory groups. "We've learned this is a working tool ... that's what the city government is about on the local level," she said. Blomquist said she also thinks the growth of the city has not been at the expense of the city's taxpayers. "We've kept it to a minimum cost as far as running city government," she said. "We've done the best we can." Beard said he thinks he can do better. After being motivated to enter politics because of religious oppo- sition to abortion, Beard became heavily involved in the machinations of the Independent -Republican Par- tY- "I'd like to leave this place a little cleaner, a little better for my kids," he said. "I hope I can be a breath of fresh air, maybe provide some new answers to old questions." Beard also said that he is not against anyone or anything in his campaign, although at a recent cam- paign forum he took a swipe at Blomquist by empha- sizing the need for fair zoning laws, a clear reference to an $8.7 million lawsuit pending against the city over a zoning request that was rejected because of voting by Blomquist and council member Thomas Egan. Beard said he also rejects tax increment financing, which he said he thinks is also part of the fairness question in Eagan. Council incumbents Jerry Thomas and Egan said they think the council has been fair and said they are standing on the council's record in seeking re-election. They are being challenged by Mac Carll, Vic Ellison and David Goodell. Like Blomquist, Thomas and Egan point with pride to the advances the city has made in recent years. Thomas said that more than 70 percent of the issues that come before the council pertain to development. He said that the growth, including the current con- struction of the Northwest Airlines headquarters and a United Parcel Service center, are transforming Eagan into much more than a bedroom community. "The jobs are here, the tax base is here," Thomas said. "I like that, and I want to continue to be a part of it." Egan said he also wants to continue to be a part of it. He said the campaign has put him in a reflective mood and has forced him to see if he has kept his Continued from Page 1 Commissioner Steven Loeding said the bargaining terms were "totally unacceptable" at this point. But Board Chairman Russell Streefland took a softer tack. "There's lots of opportunity for compromise here," he said. "They need us and we need them." Construction already has begun on the processing plant in New- port. It will turn 1,000 tons of burn- able garbage from Ramsey and Washington counties into a paper - like fuel for NSP's Red Wing and Wilmarth power plants. Dakota County, which has been searching for an alternative to bu- rying its garbage in landfills, de- cided in August to negotiate to join the project. Ramsey and Washington coun- ties need a landfill to bury up to 450 tons of trash daily that cannot be converted into the fuel, Guggen- buehl said. The waste would in- clude non -burnable trash, he said. Washington County has been or- dered to create a new landfill by 1993, but the county would prefer not to build it if it could get space in Dakota County, Guggenbuehl said. Dakota County negotiators have rejected the trade-off. "As an equal partner, we think all the counties should share the risk equally," Guggenbuel said. Dakota County would be better off joining the Ramsey -Washington project as an equal partner is all ways but one, Guggenbuehl said. The one disadvantage is that if the project should fail financially in its first year, Dakota County would have to shoulder its she of Wednesday, Oct. 30, 1985 can do. If that isn't enough, then the hell with it. It's like the last words of a French sea captain: Chaque un pour soi" "Each one for himself." What Harmon would like is to leave the same message that adorned the gravestone of Hephzi- bah Ritchie. The woman was a dis- tant ancestor of Harmon's friend, Wallace Ritchie, a St. Paul surgeon who died in 1969. The doctor, who in tracing his family history, found his ancestor's grave marker in a small burial ground in New Eng- land, and on the stone was the in- scription, "She hath done what she could." "That could mean she did a hell of a lot, or she didn't do a damn thing," said Harmon, winking at the ambiguity. "That would be plenty for me." Then he let his thick glasses slide down his nose, too busy letting that soft giggle come through to care. commitment to the voters on issues such as a strong planning guide, integrated park and road system, cable television, professionalism in city services and overall community safety. He said he thinks his report card grades are good, and said he is most pleased about the strengthening of the city's staff. That staff has helped the council bring cable television to most residents, develop a detailed plan for growth in the city and bring Egan's pet inter- est of a strong park system to reality. Egan also took a jab at Beard and council opponent Vic Ellison by emphasizing his belief in the non -parti- san aspect of city politics. Both Ellison and Beard are vocal Independent -Republicans. Ellison also is vocal about other basic issues in the city, largely because he perceives voter apathy in this election. "My concern is with three groups — taxpayers, businesses and families," he said in a recent speech. Ellison said that keeping property taxes to a mini- mum leads his list off taxpayer concerns. As for the business sector, he emphasized the need to treat busi- nesses fairly and joined Beard in calling for an end to tax -increment financing and what they perceive as in- consistent zoning enforcement. For . families, Ellison said, "A new community is growing up around us, and it must be well -managed." He cautioned against "pornography in the news- stands," and said that the hallmark of a suburban community such as Eagan should be its park system and law enforcement. That last issue strikes home with Carll, an Eagan Fire Department veteran who thinks safety is the top issue in city government. He said he was impressed with the way the city has been run, but simply wanted to get in on the action. "I think I can be instrumental when police and fire issues come up," he said. David Goodell said he thought he could be instru- mental in the race a few weeks ago when he filed for candidacy. At the time, only incumbents were running for the open positions and he said he did not think that was healthy for the community. However, he said that with the addition of other candidates, he had not campaigned aggressively for a council seat. But he said that he remains in the run- ning and that the only real issue in the city is the scope and control of development. "You want to develop not in terms of short-term growth, ... but based on what's best in the years down the road," he said. the burden 'even though it will not have used the plant, Guggenbuehl said. Dakota County will not be able to process its garbage at the New- port plant when it opens in 1987 be- cause there will be no place to burn the fuel then, officials said. Ramsey and Washington counties will use up all the capacity at the Red Wing and Wilmarth power plants. NSP plans to convert its coal - burning Black Dog power plant in Burnsville to burn trash fuel from Dakota County by 1988, one year after the Newport plant is opera- ting. Richardson said the disadvan- tage to Ramsey and Washington counties if Dakota County joins the project is that Dakota County's waste would use up the plant's ex- tra capacity to expand — capacity that Ramsey and Washington coun- ties had reserved for their future use. The two counties are also wor- ried that Dakota County's rapidly expanding population would shoul- der aside the other two counties, Guggenbuehl said. In a related move last week, NSP agreed to pay hall of Dakota County's cost to apply for $12.5 million in industrial revenue bonds to finance joining the Ramsey - Washington project. The bonds would decrease the cost of financing the project, lowering the fee the counties would have to pay to process trash. The state requires a 1 percent deposit, or $125,000, Guggenbuehl said. NSP agreed to put up the money, assuming Dakota County is com- mitted to the Ramsey -Washington project, General Counsel and Vice President Raymond Haik told the board last week. NEIGH DS Editor: Steven A. Smith Assistant editor: Marilyn Frey Copy editor: Norm Visner Deadline: Noon Wednesday for publication the following Wednesday. Please send news items to Neighborhoods, St. Paul Pioneer Press and Dispatch, 345 Cedar St., St. Paul, Minn. 55101 Telephone: 228-5475 News clerk: Rick Notch Staff writers: Ann Baker: North Scott Carlson: City Arno Goethel: Sports Sean T. Kelly: City Thomas B. Koetting: South Charles Laszewski: North Joann Linsley: Northeast Jim Nagel: Southeast Les Suzukamo: South Lydia Villalva: City Clerk/typists: Carolyn Meyer Robert Gurrola GET THE WANT AD HABIT--IT-PAYS! WANT ADS WORK-222-1111 10A—Apple Valley/Rosemount/Eagan Sun•Current—Wed., Jan. 5, 1994 DISTRICT 196 LETTERS Apple Valley/Rosemount/Eagan Sun•Current—Wed., Jan. 5, 1994-7A OPINION can vary from trimester to trimester." Consistency is needed, Nora said. "We can't even put weight to the class ranking when the grading is different. No one can be sure when the teachers and the workloads are so varied." Nora said the academic stan- dards were changing. "OBE is pushing the percentages down," she said. In one of her biology classes, 85 percent or higher on a test scored an A. Board Director Margaret Gohamn said variations in grades were different before OBE, and the ideal of all teachers grading the same won't happen. "It is inherent in the fact that we are all human beings," she said. The OBE plan of re -teaching students who do poorly on tests and assigning enrichment pro- jects to the better students also varies widely. "It is a total grab bag at our school (Apple Valley)," said Nora. "Where .it works best is in classes with a resource center where students can go for help," she said. This is fairer to other students, who then don't have to sit a second time through the materials they've already learned, she said. All students at the meeting agreed that re -teaching an en- tire class slows down the learn- ing process. Students who have trouble with the materials also tend to fall behind with OBE, said Joy Sutton of Eagan High School. "If a student doesn't know the material, and then has to learn new material in addition to retaking the old test, they fall further and further behind," she said. Annie Nielson of Rosemount High School said, "If someone doesn't understand the old materials, it is even harder to keep up with new materials." The District OBE Reveue Task Force has four public hear- ings scheduled to discuss OBE. Three of the meetings are for parents, district residents, students and employees: Jan. 20 at Rosemount High School at 7 p.m., Jan. 25 at Dakota Hills Middle School at 7 p.m., and Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. at Apple Valley High School. A Jan. 31 meeting at Scott Highlands Middle School at 7 p.m. is open to the public, but only students and recent District 196 graduates will be allowed to address the task force. If a district resident is unable to attend a task force meeting or would like to express an opinion on OBE in writing, forms are available in the district newslet- ter "Spotlight" and at District 196 schools after Jan. 10. EDUCATION DIGEST Winter brochures available The District 197 Community Education winter catalogs have been distributed to district residents. The booklet contains infor- mation on adult and youth classes, childhood family education programs, senior adult events and programs, swim lessons and more. For more information call 681-2389. In the beginning... Tooth decay or other problems even more serious can start at an early age. So we suggest begin- ning a program of regular exami- nations and personal care early on. Most insurances accepted. Early or late appointments available. With caring, personal dentists and personalized treatment plans. Come see or call us soon. PARK DENTAL Eagan 686-6678 1885 Plaza Drive, Eagan Salem Square 450-9579 5350 S. Robert Trail, Inver Grove Heights Students voice concerns about OBE standards By Paul Bergquist Outcome -based edcaution's outcome doesn't look too good from the student point of view. At a Dec. 20 Youth Advisory Council to the Board of Educa- tion meeting, 12 students from Apple Valley, Eagan and Rose- mount high schools met with District 196 board directors to share opinions and concerns about OBE. Students said OBE didn't have an exact definition, and the ef- fects of OBE on grades and classes were varied and confusing. "There is no set definition of what OBE is," said Nora Rosichan of Apple Valley. "Everyone has their own ideas and there is a wide range of standards from class to class. There needs to be a set of guidelines as to where to go with OBE." Tonia Johnson of Rosemount High School said she was wor- ried OBE courses will babysit students by letting students retake tests and slack off. "Colleges don't have OBE," she said. "It could be very hard for students, college could be a rude awakening." Andrea Singh of Apple Valley 5 trees or less $2/tree More than 5 trees $1 /tree Hours:. Mon. -Sun.,. 9am-5pm For more information, call 423-6994 or 681-4380 High School agreed. "It sets up bad habits. I saw seniors at my school slacking off because they knew they could retake the test." The effect of OBE on students' grades was a big concern. "What is the standard?" asked Mike Bietz of Eagan High School. "There is no standard. How will I stand out when I app- ly for college when the majority of your class has a 3.0 or better average? How can a college tell where you are?" Mike said a weighted grading system might compensate for OBE. A grading scale would set accelerated students apart from average students, making a GPA stand out more when ap- plying for scholarships, he said. Grading standards vary wide- ly at Apple Valley High School, said Nora. "They (the instruc- tors) try to do it by department, try to keep the grades consis- tent. But it doesn't always hap- pen. Grades are all over the spectrum between A-B-C-D-F and A-B-incomplete." Brendan Kelly of Apple Valley agreed. "I have heard OBE call- ed 'OB perfect,' " he said. "Students do not know what they are faced with (concerning grades). Teachers and classes Near Hwy. 1498, Yankee Doodle Rd_ In Eagan, Use Class Attractions to find the someone of your dreams. Ca11 896-4817 for more information Minnesota Sun Publications You must be 18 years of age or older to use this service. roon'r cur our a photo from mis paper. For $15 you can purchase an 8x10 black & white copy of any photo printed in our publications.* SUNMNNESOTA * For personal use only. Not for reproduction. All rights reserved. Submitted photos excluded. For more information call 896-4700 FATHER TIME Recently retired gen- tleman with time on his hands seeks calendar girl with an hour -glass figure. I like to watch the seasons change, take life day by day, but never waste a minute. Time marches on so don't delay, call today. w Overhaul state tax system To the editor: I take serious exception to the articles in your Dec. 22 paper, "analyzing" the outcome of the vote on the School District 197 bond referendums, by laying the defeat of issues 2 and 3 to the residents of West St. Paul and specifically to senior citizens. The defeat can be laid squarely on the members of the school board and school administration — who put together the poorly thought plans under issues 2 and 3 — who could not answer specific questions at the "truth in taxation" meeting — who "put down" both young and older citizens who gave com- ment — and the total arrogance of certain school board members. On issue 2, the younger people (Eagan and Mendota Heights) criticize the idea of paying for high technology over 20 years, when it will probably be obsolete in two to three years. On issue 3 — the estimate for building costs of a new school were admittedly two years old — the estimate for fixing the Grass school was almost as much as building a new school, and with no details — no real relocation study was available, except to locate next to the high school (which is subject to serious question) and no plans were given for the use of Grass and or the property. Further, if Mr. Jackson had demographic studies and/or projections, why were they not presented? Also, contrary to his thinking the voters were more informed on the issues than he gives us credit for. Let's disregard the comments on senior discounts and Social Security. Most seniors remember the Depression days, the years that followed, when one family member was work- ing and unlike today did not have company pension plans to look forward to. Instead of placing blame and pointing fingers, let's work together and urge our state legislators to completely overhaul our state tax system. Ken Markwardt West St. Paul No regard for politicians To the editor: On Nov. 9, I sent a letter to the Eagan mayor, with a copy to the city administrator, suggesting that the city of Eagan enact a so- called stalking ordinance similar to the one in effect in Superior, Wis. Absent a response, I called the city administrator on Dec. 6 (pa- tience is a virtue) and left a message for him to call me and stated the reason for my call. As of this writing, Dec. 28, I'm still waiting for his call. Since I had provided Mr. Egan and Mr. Hedges with copies of a newspaper article describing the Superior or- dinance, and since I had ex- pected them to be interested in measures aimed at forestalling crime, I assumed they would give serious consideration to my suggestion. Ironically, they didn't even have the courtesy to acknowledge receipt of my letter. A fundamental prerequisite of good government is meaningful responsiveness to the needs of its citizenry. The city ad- ministrator, unlike the mayor, is a full-time public servant. As such, his failure to respond pro- mptly to non -frivolous cor- respondence is an unwarranted laxity that should not go unnotic- ed. Topical suggestions, par- ticularly those for municipal regulation, deserve a better reception than to be ignored, or relegated to low -priority status. If the mayor can't do it himself, he ought to follow up unfailingly to ensure that whoever has the delegated authority responds quickly to each letter received, especially those from Eagan taxpayers. To do less is negligence — an inex- cusable deficiency in anyone paid to serve the public. Is it any wonder that politicians and, to a lesser degree, bureaucrats are not hightly regarded? Ray Conley Eagan Vote reflects low priorty To the editor: I am saddened by the results of the bond referendum vote of Dec. 12 here in District 197. It seems to reflect the low priority children and education appear to hold too often in this country. We need to remember the children of today and how they are educated are the future of tomorrow — each of our futures. The teachers and staff in this district are to be commended for their work especially given the lack of support provided to them through materials and resources to augment their teaching and salaries that fail to be commensurate with other districts. How long will this district be able to hold on to these professionals? This community in the long run will pay far more than what would have been required by taxes resulting from the referen- dum. Already buildings are scheduled to be closed which will result in the district leasing space for programs currently housed in these buildings. The district will continue to lose students to private and parochial schools, home school- ing and other districts, decreas- ing state funds to the district. Property values will drop. The overall climate in this community could ultimately be affected. If students are not be- ing challenged and programs continue to be cut what will our children do with their free time? Mr. Annenberg with his recent $500 million donation to educa- tion has the foresight to realize that changes in this country start with our children. Why could we not realize the same and provide adequately for the children in our own district? Mary -Louise Clary Mendota Heights Our news deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesday J/M UN&ENFELTER /213 GUEST COLUMN Recommit to creating meaningful experiences for our children This time of year often brings memories of times spent with family and loved ones, especial- ly from our childhood. We might remember special times when a parent read to us a spellbinding tale or shared a book filled with colorful and imaginative pic- tures. Or we might recall family outings where we shared both special times and learned about our community or the world. These recollections can be very pleasant, but they also represent very important learn- ing experiences. Families, after all, are the first and usually the most influential teachers. Researchers have found that most of a child's intellectual capabilities have been formed prior to or shortly after his or her entrance to school. Further, research has established that parents and families can and do make a crucial difference in a child's intellectual development and the extent to which children use their innate abilities. Simple things like reading, talking and listening to children appear to have the most positive influence insofar as success, particularly in school. Telling or reading stories to our children, especially stories requiring im- agination, can help our children become better leaders. Listen- ing as they tell us their own stories or describe their own ex- periences can be helpful in developing verbal and composi- tion skills. Related research has shown that highly successful people are likely to have above average, James Rickabaugh but not exceptional, intelligence. What appears to make a dif- ference is perseverance, ability and willingness to focus on a task or a goal, and the develop- ment of the social skills necessary to get along with and lead others. Development of these skills can, and usually does, begin at home. According to Herbert Walberg, a noted educational researcher, children who understand the importance of education and who value hard work and responsibility tend to have higher academic achieve- ment and fewer discipline pro- blems than children without these values. By modeling the concept of hard work in our own lives, pointing out the respon- sibilities of daily living and em- phasizing the importance of education, we can provide a positive example for our children. In addition, we can en- courage friendships between our children and youngsters whose families hold similar values. Many of us parents face addi- tional life challenges that in- terfere with the amount of time we can spend with our children, yet we remain concerned with how we contribute to the in- tellectual development of our children. There appears to be two major considerations for parents in these circumstances. First, we can reserve some of our limited time for participa- tion in such activities as those described earlier, particularly reading, talking and listening to our children. Second, special attention should be given to child care ar- rangements. A significant por- tion of the lives of many children will be spent with a child care worker. Those who provide child care will influence the skills, values and experiences of the children for whom they are responsible. We should try to en- sure that the people with whom our children have significant contact will impart values that are compatible with ours. Finally, the skills we parents teach and the experiences we of- fer to our children should be aimed at preparing them for future success in school and life without pushing them beyond the limits of their current age and development. This time of year, in addition to recalling memories of our childhood, can be an important time to recommit to creating for our children the special ex- periences , and memories we treasure and that have played an important role in our development and our success as adults. Editor's note: Dr. James Rickabaugh is superintendent of schools for District 191. LIBRARY APPLE VALLEY 891-7045 All children who are not yet able to read on their own are in- vited to join Galaxie Library's Read To Me Club between Jan. 10 and March 18. Children will have their names put on a puppy or kitty cutout on the library board. Col- ored stars will be placed on the animals, one for each book read to the child by their parents or anyone else. The club's final celebration will be March 19. Eagan 1340 Wescott Road 452-9600 The Read To Me Club begins Jan. 10 and runs through March 25. The club is for children who cannot read on their own. Children will have their names put on a funny bird cutout on the bulletin board. Colored stars will be put on the cutouts, one for each book read to the child. Free films are planned at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Jan. 11. The films are "Mole and the Rocket," "Morris the Midget Moose" and "Ugly Duckling." Films are recommended for ages 3 to 6. Registration is not required. A Bedtime Storytime is plann- ed at 7 p.m. Jan. 13 for ages 3 and older. The entire family is welcome. Registration is not re- quired. Storytime lasts 30 minutes. Two storytime sessions for 4-6 year olds are Thursdays, Jan. 20-Feb. 10, at 2 p.m. Registra- tion begins Jan. 6. The other ses- sion is Fridays, Jan. 21-Feb. 11 at 10:30 a.m. Registration begins Jan. 7. Two storytime sessions for ages 2 and 3 are planned Wednesdays, Jan. 26 and Feb. 2 and 9 at 10:15 a.m. and the other session is Wednesdays, Jan. 26, Feb. 2 and 9 at 11 a.m. Sign up once and come for all three ses- sions. Registration begins Jan. 12. A parent must stay with the child during storytime. 8A—Apple Valley/Rosemount/Eagan Sun•Current—Wed., Jan. 5, 1994 Apple Valley/Rosemount/Eagan Sun•Current—Wed., Jan. 5, 1994-9A YEAR IN REVIEW Review: City gained political muscle at state, county level From Page lA to the Metropolitan Council representing District 15. Howe, 58, replaces Margaret Schreiner, 42. Eagan, whose term had expired. • Armed robbers hit two businesses in Eagan, getting away with an undisclosed amount of money. Eagan Police believe the robberies were unrelated at the PDQ on Silver Bell Road and the U-Haul on Nicols Road. • A proposed road improve- ment at Lone Oak Road and Lexington Avenue fails to move forward after City Council members could not garner enough votes. • Dakota County Board of Commissioners convened with two more members to begin 1993. Patrice Bataglia, District 3, and Dee Richards, District 4, become the first women to serve on the board. February • The fourth time proves the charm for Eagan resident Lois Laurie who was named Klon- dike Kate 1993 for the St. Paul Winter Carnival. • Eagan Police states criminal reports increased near- ly 8 percent in 1992, while the number of non -criminal reports fell 4.3 percent. Arrests fell almost 11 percent for adults and 27 percent for juveniles. The number of reported assaults, burglaries and thefts concern law enforcement officials. • Cat licensing becomes an issue in Eagan. City officials will explore licensing cats, only to retain its current policy that encourages such licensing. • School District 191 does not comply with gender equity in sports, will explore adding to girls sports. • School District 196 Board of Education drops its listening hour because of low and no attendance. March • Eagan High's drum line takes first place in state competition. • Former City Council member and lifelong resident Arthur Rahn dies at age 86. Rahn and his family helped shape Eagan of today. • Work begins on the first six of 130 homes eligible to receive free noise insulation and remodeling under the Part 150 Airport Noise Insulation Program. • School District 196 to con- sider cablecasting its School Board meetings. • The Eagan community has until the end of 1994 to raise an estimated $600,000 in donations to build a multi -use ice arena. The City Council set that challenge as a condition to releasing $1.4 million in special money for the $2 million project. • A proposed billboard ban is dropped when the City Council agrees to a "no total" increase of billboards in the city. This allows for the relocation of billboards. • School District 197 begins preparation for a $33 million bond referendum May 18, to build a new middle school, con- vert Grass Junior High into a community center, and make fire and safety improvements. • Sibley High boys' hockey team places third in the Tier II state high school hockey tournament. • Dakota County Attorney's Office reports a 4 percent rise in felony offenses in 1992. • The Williams Pipeline Co. announces plans to clear trees from its 75-foot easements con- taining buried fuel pipelines through Apple Valley and Eagan. • School District 191 elects to add girls ice hockey as its newest sport after 225 students voted for ice hockey to 101 students for ice ringette. • An Eagan Police officer escapes serious injury after his handgun explodes during a regularly scheduled firearms training session. • Girl Scouts from the Eagan West Service unit begin a Tobacco -Free Youth Project, urging businesses to request identification before selling tobacco products. • Tim Christofore, 9, of Eagan lands a role in the national tour- ing cast of "Les Miserables." • The Eagan Library celebrates its loth anniversary. The library is one of six in the Dakota County library system. April • Diffley Road closes for reconstruction from Pilot Knob Road to Highway 3 in Eagan. • Eagan's three hotels and the Eagan Chamber of Commerce request the city impose a 3 per- cent lodging tax to create a Con- vention and Visitors Bureau. • Burnsville High School's Braves logo will be eliminated in place of a more politically cor- rect name, "Blaze." • The Canada goose popula- tion at Cedar Pond off Diffley Road will be reduced to reduce geese droppings around the park. May • The Lepley family of Eagan has successfully eliminated the need for regular trash collec- tion. Recycling, composting, reuse and smart buying has reduced their throw away gar- bage to a half of a grocery bag a month. • Mary Ajax is selected as the Community Action Council's ex- ecutive director. • Eagan High senior Maiysha Simpson ties state speech record for receiving a medal in state competition four years in a row. Rachael Kulick, Steve Shanley and Sarah Sherwood took their respective speech categories. • School District 196 selects John Haro as superintendent for the Rosemount -Apple Valley - Eagan school district. • After numerous meetings, the Eagan City Council ap- proves the go ahead to reconstruct the Lone Oak Road/Lexington Avenue in- tersection despite its unsuc- cessful bid to allow left -turn movement near the intersection. • Eagan High School's first class prepares for graduation. • School District 196 voters elect Mary Hamann -Roland and Kevin Sampers to the School Board. • School District 191 voters elect Bruce Copp and Vicki Roy to the School Board. • School District 197 voters elect David Jaskson and Barb Tani to the School Board. • Parents protest gay book reading to first -graders at Cedar Park Elementary School in Gawkers flocked to the Minnesota River which spilled over its banks during the summer's floods. Eagan escaped the river's wrath, unlike other cities along the winding river. District 196. • A new ordinance caps the number of billboards allowed in Eagan at 14. • School District 197's propos- ed $33 million bond referendum fails. June • Sibley High's baseball team wins conference title for the first time since 1976. • Four Eagan neighborhoods band together to fight a propos- ed multi -family housing development that would clear- cut and grade 10 acres off Slater Road, west of Cedar Avenue. Their concerns would lead to the indefinite tabling of the propos- ed development. • Eagan woman, Nancy Ur- banski, sues computer com- panies for repetitive stress syn- drome caused by what she said are "design flaws" in computer keyboards. • Eagan High's girls softball team finishes in second place in the state Class AA softball tour- nament, losing to Park of Cot- tage Grove. • In an effort to save more than $100,000 a year, the City Council approves a move to self insurance in workers' compensation. • Explosion severely injures Bill Wolfe, a Wenzel Mechanical employee, when he cuts into an empty fuel tank. • Andy McElligott, 5, of Eagan takes first -place in The Great Create LEGO building competition. • A new bike patrol programs begins in the Eagan Police Department, patroling north central and northeast Eagan. • An Eagan couple discovers a murder confession left on their telephone answering machine. St. Paul Police later arrest Francis Perlmutter who believ- ed he was calling a friend. • Six former and current Community Action Council employees question Mary Ajax's appointment as ex- ecutive director. July • A new 3 percent lodging tax receives City Council approval to fund a Visitors and Conven- tion Bureau to promote Eagan. • Police seek man who grabb- ed three girls as they walked Flowers adorn a semaphore at the intersection where Eagan Police in- vestigator Lou Jeska was killed in a car accident. during the day in Eagan and Ap- ple Valley. Prevention tips are offered in dealing with sexual assault. • City begins tagging property owners to remove oak wilt in- fested trees in an effort to con- trol the spread of the deadly disease. • A 126-lot single-family hous- ing development receives preliminary approval for 90 acres north of Eagan High School. August • Eagan hires new communi- ty development director, Peggy Reichert, replacing Dale Runkle who resigned in November 1992. • Dakota County moves one more step away from building a controversial garbage in- cinerator in favor of non -burn alternatives to landfills. • The Eagan Community Partnership Forum undertakes a campaign to promote com- munity values each month in schools, civic groups and other organizations and individuals. • Questions regarding home location prompt freeze on Eagan's involvement in an airplane noise sound insulation program. • Deer hunting in Eagan city limits will no longer be allowed, except for special hunts as re- quested by the Minnesota Department of Natural REVIEW: To Page 15A m Lu M Pavillon SeB Wildemess Run Road Thin ice People are urged to use cau- tion and avoid marked areas on Schwanz and Fish lakes in Fagan. Aeration systems have begun operating to help main- tain the lakes' fish population through the winter. Signs and fences warn people away from the aerated areas where thin ice and open water can occur. Danger area Public Access Fishing Pier —( Aeration System CASH IN YOUR CLOSET! Hate to give away those fine threads you paid dearly for? WE HAVE THE ANSWER! Consign with us your Better Quality. Name Brand lVonlen s Fashions Now Accepting Spring Appointments Hours: M-Th 10-8 • Fri 10-6 • Sat 10-5 • Sun 12-4 686-5i77 Thomas Lake Center • 1565 Cliff Road • Eagan :mpg, ICE ICE FISHERMEN & anyone else who plays outside! U.S. Gov't issue Mickey Mouse Winter Pak Boot $7995 Compare at $100+ These are genuine U.S. Gov't issue -Brand new. Rubber exterior -interlined with warm felt insulation Flannel Lined Chino Pants $30 Value Walls Snowmobile Suits U.S. Made $6995 Poly Pro Underwear Top or Bottom. ea.$900 Ragg Wool Fingerless Gloves pr.$600 "A1vmyS. The first Mae Th $hop.' ............................. $1500 4.20% INTEREST RATE 4.21% ANNUAL PERCENTAGE YIELD (EVEN HIGHER FOR PREFERRED CUSTOMERS!) Our CDs Come te Earn this excellent rate, guaranteed for the term of your CD. At this rate, you can't afford to pass it up. Call 784-1818 or stop in your local Firstar Bank to obtain information on Certificates of Deposit or becoming a Firstar Preferred Customer. FIR_STAR BANK Minimum deposit of $1,000 required for 17 month CD. Advertised APY is accurate as of 12/30/93. A penalty may be imposed for early withdrawal. © 1993 Firstar Bank Member FDIC We Buy & Sell Used Musical Equipment! We're Buying Now! •Band Instruments *Keyboards [.Guitars & Amps •And Much More! Open to Buy Jan. 7th 898-3393 MUSIC• Gc Open to Sell Jan. 17th McAndrews Center • 14025 Grand Avenue South Burnsville We Bu & Sell Used Com iuters We're Buying Now! •Computers •Printers •Monitors •And Much More! Open to Buy Jan. 7th 898-4438 ComputerNAISSANCE McAndrews Center • 14023 Grand Avenue South Burnsville Open to Sell Jan. 17th