Tennis Tigers Have MRC Title in Hand
Auditions Set for Belle Players Holiday Show
BPHS
Volleyball Team Has Tough Schedule Ahead Page 17
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ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SECOND YEAR
BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA, SEPTEMBER 18, 2013
75¢ SINGLE COPY
NUMBER 38
Met Council Sees Big Changes School Board Eyeing Maximum for B.P. Scott County by 2040 Levy Hike, Reduce From There In the next 27 years, Belle Plaine’s population will almost double and the number of people who work here will increase dramatically, too, according to estimates by the Metropolitan Council. The recently-released preliminary estimates of population, households and jobs included in the Metropolitan Council’s Thrive MSP 2040 study on the metro area shows Belle Plaine’s population will increase by 72.65 percent and the number of people working in the community will also jump. The Thrive 2040 numbers for Belle Plaine reflect an adjustment from 2008, the last time the Metropolitan Council released formal population estimates for 2020 and 2030. Five years ago, the city and Met Council expected Belle Plaine to have 11,800 residents by 2020 and 16,300 by 2030. The 2010 Census had Belle Plaine with 6,661 residents. Since the city was required to plan for growth to the 2030 projections, there has been “sufficient land identified for this growth within Belle Plaine’s planned growth boundaries,” said Chelsea Alger, the city’s director of community development. “This is not the same area as the city’s municipal boundary and will likely require additional annexations to achieve,” she said. Although the housing and economic recession within the past half-decade has prompted the Metropolitan Council to back off its estimates, Alger said
What We Are, What We May Be
The Metropolitan Council estimates Belle Plaine and Scott County will grow and be home to more jobs in the decades to come.
Population Community
Belle Plaine Jordan New Prague* Shakopee Prior Lake Savage Scott County Chaska Cologne Carver Carver County
Jobs
Community
Belle Plaine Jordan New Prague* Shakopee Prior Lake Savage Scott Co. Chaska Cologne Carver Carver County
2000
2010
3,789 3,833 3,157 20,568 15,917 21,115 89,498 17,603 1,012 1,266 70,205
6,661 5,470 4,280 37,076 22,796 26,911 129,928 23,770 1,519 3,724 91,042
2000
2010
1,428 1,321 2,282 13,938 7,972 5,366 34,931 10,955 294 176 28,740
* Portion of city within Scott County/metro area
1,847 1,587 2,142 18,831 7,766 6,753 41,534 11,123 270 187 31,836
2040
11,500 7,200 7,400 49,800 34,300 34,400 175,010 30,500 3,300 6,900 131,130
2040
2,700 2,450 2,480 28,800 11,800 9,900 62,290 15,200 510 340 48,140
Source: Metropolitan Council
the growth this area has seen modate much of the expected historically means, “it is not growth. Of the roughly 400 unreasonable to expect that it available acres available within could increase another 73 perBig Changes cent by 2040.” (continued on page 15) However, there is still a significant amount of acreage available within Belle Plaine’s municipal boundaries to accom-
City-Wide Garage Sale Starts Friday
Belle Plaine will hold its annual Fall City-Wide Garage Sale this Friday and Saturday (Sept. 20-21). All registered sales will be posted at www.belleplainemn. com. For more information, call Skelley at 952-873-2467. Proceeds from the sale will benefit Huntington’s Disease research.
Kelly Milo, left, and Sony Mesenbring, both of Belle Plaine, recently accepted jobs with the Belle Plaine Chamber of Commerce. Milo is the executive director in charge of promoting local businesses and Mesenbring is the festivals and events coordinator.
In other words, Smith advised directors, levy for the most you can and reduce the impact on local taxpayers when more accurate and reliable numbers come from the state. The district hopes to have a good idea by Monday of the When the Belle Plaine School impact the proposed increase Board meets Monday (Sept. will have on most property 23), expect the board to seek the maximum levy with the expectation of reducing it later this year. That’s the proposal Superintendent Kelly Smith had for the school board when discussing the proposed preliminary levy at last Monday’s (Sept. 9) workshop. Why take such a circuitous ap- The Belle Plaine man severely injured when a the street proach? “We just got these numbers sweeper he was driving along earlier this afternoon,” Smith Highway 60 was struck by a told the board. He and the dis- semi Sept. 5 passed away from trict’s Finance Director Chuck the injuries he sustained. Keller had barely two hours to Thomas Cody of Belle Plaine review a 38-page report on the died Thursday (Sept. 12) at St. Minnesota Department of Edu- Mary’s Hospital in Rochester. cation’s initial draft of numbers He was 53. supporting Belle Plaine’s levy A celebration of Cody’s life is potential and prepare a recom- scheduled for Saturday (Sept. mendation to the board. Smith 21) at First Lutheran Church in noted revisions from the state St. Peter. Cody’s obituary apare routine. “This data is bound pears on page 3 of this week’s issue. to change.” Cody was driving a street
District Looking for Ways to Better Test Scores
taxpayers. That impact will be minimized by the decline many forms of property in the school district have seen the past few years. Last year, the overall increase of all property in the district grew by less than one-half
School Board
(continued on page 4)
Belle Plaine Man Dies From Injuries in Highway Crash sweeper along Highway 60 west of Lake Crystal, Minn. A passing semi truck driven by Justin Grimmius of Lake Wilson, Minn. crashed into him around 1:40 p.m., sending the street sweeper into the median according to the Minnesota State Patrol. Cody was ejected from the vehicle. Paramedics transported him by air ambulance to St. Mary’s. He had remained in critical condition for several days after the crash. Grimmius was not injured in the crash.
City Council Okays Credit in Water Bill for Property Owners Who Keep New Sod Alive After Street Work by Dan Ruud It can be argued that preparing the ground and rolling down the sod is the easy part of creating a new section of lawn. The hard part is trying to keep that grass alive and green in the months that follow. According to one online expert, “improper watering is the number one culprit when sod lawns bite the dust.” With street, utility and sidewalk improvement projects an annual occurrence in Belle Plaine, a number of local property owners can attest to the difficulty of keeping the sod installed “by the contractor” alive after the project is complete. Daily sprinkling is often a necessity if the battle is to be won, which comes at the expense of a higher water bill. In an effort to reward property owners who provide the
city-owned boulevards on their lawns the proper care to keep the sod alive, the Belle Plaine City Council Monday night approved the establishment of the Boulevard Sod Maintenance Credit Program for the affected properties of the 2013 street and utility improvement project. “At the last council workshop and again at the public hearing
for the 2013 street improvement project, there was discussion from the audience and council about helping residents on the project with the watering of sod,” reported Public Works Superintendent Al Fahey. “There have been a few options
City Council
(continued on page 6)
Nearly 1 Inch of Rain Helps Crops, Lawns Local crop fields, lawns and gardens got a badly-needed drink during the overnight hours Saturday as .91 inches of rain fell, according to the Scott County rain gauge on the Ewald and Adella Gruetzmacher farm in Belle Plaine. That brings the total amount of
rain received here in September to 1.07 inches. Only .92 inches fell in all of August. Ewald Gruetzmacher said the overnight rain will probably help some soybean fields ripen faster, but it’s most likely too late to be of much help to corn, most of which was already dented.
Kelly Milo, Sony Mesenbring Join Chamber of Commerce Harvest Coin Kelly Melo of Belle Plaine re- 15 and 20 hours a week respec- Hunt Begins cently became the new execu- tively. Melo can be contacted Next Week tive director of the Belle Plaine at belleplainecc@gmail.com or Chamber of Commerce, replacing Donna Woodard, who resigned this summer to become principal at Saint Thomas More Catholic School in St. Paul. Melo, who is office manager for RE/MAX in Chanhassen, has a number of responsibilities, ranging from promoting local businesses to collecting membership fees to overseeing donation forms. Sony Mesenbring, also of Belle Plaine, is the chamber’s festivals and events coordinator. She is the chief organizer of local events, most notably Bar-B-Q Days and the Scenic Byway races and Harvest Festival. Melo and Mesenbring both works part-time, approximately
952-873-2262. Mesenbring can be reached at the same phone number or belleplainefestivals@gmail.com. Earlier this year, the Belle Plaine Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors elected to divide the local chamber into two separate entities – one to promote local businesses and the other to plan for and coordinate local festivals. The board had concluded that over the years, the role of the chamber has grown and become multifaceted. The director had taken over the lead role for Bar-B-Q Days, chaired the Scenic Byway races and numerous other functions that are more focused on community building than the promotion of local businesses.
The first clue for the second annual Harvest Coin Hunt will be published in the Wednesday, Sept. 25 Belle Plaine Herald. The Harvest Coin Hunt is a prelude to the annual Belle Plaine Scenic Byway 5K and Half-Marathon races, which this year are scheduled for Oct. 12. If the medallion is not found the first week, a second clue will be published Oct. 2 Herald. A third clue, if necessary, will appear Oct. 9. More information about the hunt and its rules will accompany the publishing of next week’s first clue.
Judging Kiss Mary Jewell of Eden Prairie was one of a number of judges who graded this year’s creations at Emma Krumbee’s 30th annual Scarecrow Festival that got underway Saturday and will continue through Oct. 27. This particular display is of the rock group Kiss. A list of winners and more photos appear in page 18.