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“You Cannot Build Character and Courage By Taking Away People’s INITIATIVE and Independnece” - abraham Lincoln ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SIXTH YEAR
BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA, june 28, 2017
75¢ SINGLE COPY
NUMBER 26
Belle Plaine, Area Continues Slow, Steady Growth City Gains 40 Households, 240 Residents Since 2010 Census
If you’ve noticed a few more people on the streets of Belle Plaine the past few years, you’re right. The community is slowly growing. After a few years of stagnant population growth, the latest estimates indicate Belle Plaine is growing. In 2010 – the last formal count of residents by the U.S. Census Bureau – Belle Plaine was home to 6,661 people living in 2,362 households, just a tick over 2.8 people per household. The city’s 2010 population, the Census Bureau says, was 3,789 in 2000. The Metropolitan Council – the agency charged with planning regional growth and services – issues annual population estimates. Its calculated 2010 Census CITIES Pop. Workers reconstructing West Main at Crest streets inadvertently clipped a 2-inch natural Belle Plaine 6,661 gas line Monday afternoon. The leak sent gas fumes throughout the area. Police warned area Jordan 5,470 residents to avoid open flames. Firefighters cleared the gas line while waiting for a repair crew Shakopee 37,076 Cologne 1,519 from CenterPoint Energy to arrive. Carver 3,724 Chaska 23,770 Scott Co. 129,928 Carver Co. 91,042 Region 2.85 million
Gas Leak
Board Adopts Tight Budgets for 2017-‘18 School Year With a stagnant enrollment that hasn’t increased much in the past five years and legislative aid being outpaced by increasing costs of doing business, the Belle Plaine School Board approved its budget for next year. The budget calls for $17.185 million in general fund spending, about three-fourths of
which go to negotiated salary and benefits of the district’s staff. The district expects to take in just over $18.144 million in general fund revenue. The district’s general fund in 2016-17 called for $16.03 million in revenue and $16.21 million in spending. Overall, the school district expects to spend $21,911,393 in
B.P. OKs Co-op Ice Hockey Deal Belle Plaine’s Matt Fink knows where he’ll play ice hockey this winter. And even if he doesn’t make the school varsity team, Fink is thrilled knowing he’ll be playing in familiar territory with friends and teammates he’s known for years. The BPHS sophomore-to-be is one of a handful of students expected to take advantage of a new cooperative agreement allowing Belle Plaine students to join a team based in Le Sueur-Henderson and including students from St. Peter, Tri-City United, and Cleveland high schools. Those school districts’ school boards all voted earlier this month to accept Belle Plaine as part of the coop team. Monday (June 26), Belle Plaine formalized its plans to join the cooperative ice hockey program. Talks on a proposed move to join the cooperative have been ongoing for months. The member schools had to dissolve the previous arrangement and then reform with Belle Plaine as a member. “It’s a great opportunity for our kids,” said Superintendent Ryan Laager. A defenseman, Fink isn’t quite certain he’s good enough to make the varsity yet. He can accept improving his skills as a member of the junior varsity. “There are some guys who are ahead of me,” he said. Fink grew up playing ice hockey in the Le Sueur youth system. “I’m just happy I’ll be able to play with my friends. I’m really excited. I’m happy they approved it so I can play with my friends again.” Fink played last year on a Le Sueur bantam team. Because of
his age, his options are limited. He could either play on a high school team or play on a junior gold team in Prior Lake, a team designed for high school-agers who are not playing on a high school team. “I don’t know anybody over there,” he said. Aiming to provide more Belle Plaine students with a wider array of opportunities to keep them from leaving, BPHS Activities Director John Bergs held preliminary behind-thescenes talks on forming an ice hockey cooperative with New Prague. Separate talks on joining the Southwest Christian/ Richfield co-op were also held before the possibility of joining Le Sueur-Henderson/St. Peter/ TCU/Cleveland. An easing of rules on how enrollment figures into the class the team plays in allowed Belle Plaine to join the cooperative team without pushing it from Class A to Class AA. “New Prague seemed really attractive, but things just kind of stalled,” Bergs said. He expects less than 10 Belle Plaine students will want to play ice hockey. Most will be boys, he said. Fink and any other Belle Plaine students who want to play high school hockey on the Le Sueur-Henderson/St. Peter/ TCU/Cleveland will be responsible for their own transportation to and from practices and games. Fink doesn’t yet have a driver’s license and he’s not sure how he’ll get to practice and games. For now, he’s not too worried about it. “I have no idea what I’ll do,” he said. “I’m just excited they approved it.”
2017-18, an increase of nearly $1.08 million over 2016-17 spending thanks to a lighting improvement project and other maintenance work. Its revenue in 2017-18 is expected to exceed $22.84 million, up from $20.607 million thanks to bond sales. The approved 2017-‘18 budget includes over $364,735 in reductions to the growth of the budget. Those cuts include staffing positions, elimination of classes with low registration, funding for mentors and professional learning community leaders, supplies, and more. The approval comes at a time the district is expecting only a slight increase in enrollment. The school board is negotiating contracts with the unions representing its teachers (BPEA) and clerical, para-professional and custodial staffs. The board is assuming salary and benefits for all employees will increase 3 percent next year to allow for steps (experience) and lane (education) increases for current contracts. That translates to an additional $184,000 in steps and lanes at the start of 2017-18.
TOWNSHIPS Belle Plaine St Lawrence Blakeley Helena San Fran Benton Dahlgren Hancock
878 483 418 1,648 832 786 1,331 345
approximation of Belle Plaine says the city had 6,742 residents in 2015 and 6,901 residents as of May of 2016. That’s a gain of 240 people over the six years since the Census Bureau’s formal count. Cynthia Smith Strack, Belle Plaine’s director of Community Development, says there’s no reason to believe the Metropolitan Council’s approximation isn’t reasonably accurate. Strack Smith agreed with the notion the increase over six years hasn’t exactly placed a huge burden on city services. “We added almost 40 single family homes last year and anticipate at least that many new homes this year. Our most sluggish development years during great recession were actually on the rebound in 2011 and 2012,” she said. “We’ve been trending positive since then and I expect that to continue. I foresee steady growth over next year.”
Jordan took a good-sized bite out of the population disparity between it and Belle Plaine. The 2010 Census indicated Belle Plaine had 1,191 more residents than Jordan. But between 2010 and 2016, Jordan gained 743 new residents to Belle Plaine’s 240. Jordan also gained 251 new households to Belle Plaine’s 40. Cologne is one of the faster growing communities in the area. It gained an estimated 184 residents between 2010 and 2016. The city also enjoyed the benefits of 54 new houses during the same span. Both Carver and Scott counties saw significant growth since the 2010 Census. Carver County has topped the 100,000 mark with 10.5 percent growth since the decennial census. Scott County’s population grew by more than 12,000 people since 2010, an increase just shy of 10 percent.
2016 Met Council Pop. Estimate 6,901 6,214 40,643 1,703 4,469 26,439 142,436 100,617 3.04 million
2010 Census Households 2,362 1,871 12,772 539 1,182 8,816 45,108 32,891 1.12 million
2016 Met Council Households Est. 2,402 2,122 13,692 593 1,412 9,823 48,789 36,417 1.2 million
934 507 426 1,795 835 777 1,322 335
310 161 165 548 307 297 494 127
324 168 169 587 311 297 500 126 Source: Metropolitan Council
Facilities Investment
The board also approved its operating capital budget, a plan that will have the board dipping into its reserves. The district plans to spend $277,907 in operating capital projects next year. The money will go toward payments on an energy savings project at Chatfield Elementary, textbooks, technology equipment and repairs, site and grounds improvements, and other needs worth a total of $279,935. The array of projects will reduce the operating capital fund balance by $1,828 to $349,340.35. Director Dan Gardner, the school board’s chairman, lamented the loss of the “Minnesota Miracle,” a system of legislatively-approved funding of public schools in the 1970s through the early-2000s. Director Joe Vandermark said the
School Board
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The Wyman family of rural Belle Plaine -- (from left) Jack, Wyatt, Terry, Chris, and Daniel -- recently opened Belle Plaine Motor Company on East Enterprise Drive.
B.P. Motor Company Opens for Auto Sales, Service, U-Haul Rental Chris Wyman recognizes the new home of Belle Plaine Motor Company may remind people of the convenience store that once occupied the building. He and his family are working to bring new life to the property. The Wyman family recently opened Belle Plaine Motor Company at 405 Enterprise Drive East. The business has brought life to a vacant lot by offering previously owned vehicles, auto service and U-Haul items and materials for moving. Chris and his wife, Terry, purchased the property at auction in April of 2016. Chris and sons, Jack, Daniel and Wyatt, will run the business. The family’s plan is that eventually the three boys
– all Belle Plaine High School graduates – will eventually take over the operation. “It’s a perfect fit for them,” Terry said. The property seems well suited for the business. Unlike a convenience store, they don’t need direct access off Highway 169 the way the convenience store did. Chris knows people looking for a vehicle, purchasing moving supplies or renting a U-Haul truck or trailer will find their way to the business. They are the only U-Haul rental outlet in the area. “The loss of access really hurt them,” Wyman said of the former owners who couldn’t survive the loss of the access to Highway 169. “It went from
a thriving business to almost zero.” The Wyman family has been working for over a year to prepare the building for opening. Gone are the coolers and display shelves from the convenience store. They have an eye to the future. Offices will eventually replace the walk-in cooler. The family looks forward to the day when they can resurface the parking lot and convert the car wash building into a service area. Belle Plaine Motor Company will be open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. “When we get busier, we’ll keep the hours open more,” he said.