Newspaper Clipping - Newspaper Clipping Scan - Population Growth Creates Challenges continued - y _
_Growth.................l........................................................0 0 0 0 00 0 00 0 0.....0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0•
(Continued from front page) per 1,000 residents. Thanks to times for emergency calls. want their involvement be- schools for fifth through eighth
Technolo successful grant applications, But technology cannot re- cause it helps reduce crime," grades in October 1997: Heri-
the city. will be able to boost solve all concerns. said Swanson. tage in the West St. Paul area
Although 2,000 to 39000 resi- that ratio next year to 1.1 per The force has needed to cut Despite an increase of popu- and Friendly Hills in the Men-
dents are moving to Eagan 1,000 through the Clinton back on some of its services, lation and area to cover, re- dota Heights-Eagan area. Ele-
each year, Hedges said city COPS program. including house checks while sponse times have increased mentary schools now-cater to
offices have been able to But having a large. enough residents are away, and limit- slightly from 3.7 minutes in students in kindergarten
maintain the same level of force and keeping officers on ing assistance in lock-outs, ex- 1991 to 4.1 minutes in 1997. through grade four.
service. the streets are two different cept when.a child, animal or a Violent. crime, such as rape "This is a direct result of
The saving grace for city of- issues. handicapped individual is in- and homicide, has dropped population. Eagan just ex-
fices is technology, said In 1996, the force acquired a volved. from 85 offenses in 1992 to 64 ploded," said Jodi Schmidt,
Hedges. digital dictation system. In- The city is also fining busi- in 1997. But calls for service the student information and
The city's Web site is avail- stead of spending time typing nesses and residents with a his- have jumped from 23,000 in education coordinator.
able for. inquiries. Plans are inup a report, officers can now tory of numerous false alarms. 1986 to 45,400 in 1997. Enrollment is expected to
the works to make city code call in their reports over the Despite these cutbacks, the Youth increase slightly, from 4,805 in
and application forms avail- telephone. force is able to maintain its , 1995-96 to a projected K-12
able on the Internet. P Duane Pike, who is Eagan's enrollment of 4 900 in 2000-01
Other technological ad- community policing program, >
Software programs currently vances, such as the facsimile said Capt. Rick Swanson. Offi- multi-housing officer, said however, the later estimation
monitor street maintenance, what takes the largest chunk of is based on no new major de-
machine, allow the department cers are assigned to beats and j
water treatment plants and the _ to send out memos immedi- grids of land so residents and Police officers time is juvenile velopments in the area.
city's tree nurseries. atel to neighboring hborin communi- businesses become familiar issues. - As of October 1997, 1,311
Eagan's Police Department Y g g Juvenile issues take more --
ties, watch groups and busi- with an officer. and more time, and they're Eagan students attended Dis-
has also countered a rising nesses. Swanson also said the force he said. trict 197.
with technolo more complex,
population gy. Squad cars are now being depends on information Officers are facing more Redevelopment
Initially, the force had trouble equipped with defibrillators, gleaned from its residents. cases involving neglect, tru- But for any city with a past,
maintaining a ratio of 1 officer allowing quicker response "We want them to call. We J anc , incorrigible juveniles,_ y g there is the issue of r`evitaliz-
and runaways. ing and maintaining the same
■ Statistics indicate the juve- quality of living in both old
nile population will also peak and new neighborhoods.
PAYROLLHASSLES? early next century. "Part of what we're looking
School District 196 coped at also is getting into redevel-
NO TIME TO DO ACCOUNTING?• with a rising juvenile popula opment," said Hedges.
tion by building schools. Since The city recently hired a firm
1987, nine new schools have to look into the Cedarvale
untinTax, nc■ been built in Eagan. neighborhood.
e a e cco Currently 27,000 students at_ The life cycle has changed
CAN HELP! tend the district, with 9,655 a lot there in the last 20 years.
from Eagan. Buildings are now sitting idle,"
We offer FREE checks with preparation of payroll with Cal Zwiefel, director of ele- said Hedges.
Direct Deposit available. mentary education, said the Hedges said staff needs to
population boom is losing mo- determine what is the highest
We offer complete write-up services, plus tax preparation mentum. and best use for the commu-
for business entities and individuals all year round. "We're starting to level off- nity. What is best for existing
Call today-for a FREE business consultation! We aren't quite getting as businesses? Staff needs to ex-
huge of growth as we were 10 amine how the city can main-
FOR ALL YOUR ACCOUNTING&TAX NEEDS years ago," said Zwiefel. tain what is still in existence
One way to determine this, and integrate new develop-
Phone: 612-432-3140 he said, is by comparing the ment, Hedges said.
(Located in Apple Valley in the Anchor Bank Building at Galaxie and 147th) ratio of kindergarten students "We don't know, what the,
Ulm to high school seniors. ElemPn- best mik is," said Hedges.
■ tary schools are the first' to "We need to develop a good
x
drop in enrollment when a master plan."
o ulation is starting to level {
P p g Another area under redevel- '
IN
I&W.'M I I
i