Dakota County
Tribune
Farmington | Rosemount and the surrounding areas
www.dakotacountytribune.com
NEWS Farmers market to open
June 11, 2015 • Volume 130 • Number 15
The Class of 2015
Everest Path now closed during construction
Downtown Farmington Farmers Market will run on Thursdays through the summer on Third Street. Page 2A
Too many drivers ignoring stop signs by Andy Rogers
OPINION
SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Missed opportunity The ECM Editorial Board says pet projects should not stall state budget negotiations. Page 4A
THISWEEKEND
The Tigers final toss Farmington graduates throw their caps in the air after they all received their diplomas. Many of the caps were decorated with the logos of their future college, home country of foreign exchange students, or other novelties. (Photo by Andy Rogers)
Music amid the animals The annual Music in the Zoo concert series kicks into high gear this month with concerts by Buddy Guy, the BoDeans and others. Page 17A
SPORTS
Rosemount students celebrate Tigers race to top 10 at state Justin Hyytien helped the Farmington boys track team, which had four top-three finishes to put team eighth at state. Page 10A
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PUBLIC NOTICE Minutes of the Intermediate School District 917 School Board meeting of June 2 are inside this edition. Page 15A
INDEX Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A Announcements . . . . . 6A Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 10A
Rosemount High School‘s graduation ceremony took place Saturday, June 7, in the school’s gymnasium. The event was moved indoors after inclement weather was expected to approach the area that evening. The ceremony was highlighted by performances from the Rosemount High School choir and band and students and faculty speakers. (Photo by Hannah Gullickson)
Drivers looking to go north and south across 195th Street at Everest Path in Farmington will need to look elsewhere for now. Everest Path is now closed and will remain closed through the second stage of the 195th Street reconstruction project. It was originally supposed to remain open, but when 195th Street closed on Monday, too many vehicles failed to stop. “There’s been a stop sign there since forever,� said Kevin Schorzman, city engineer. “There a lot of (road construction) trucks that cross that need to cross through there every day.� During the first day, Farmington Police Chief Brian Lindquist said officers pulled over more than 50 vehicles for running the stop sign. With the trucks traveling through the intersection, it became a serious risk, so the city, county, police department and contractors made the decision to close the intersection. “Something bad was probably going to happen,� Schorzman said. “It just didn’t seem like a safe situation. There were too many close calls.� The project includes a reconstruction of 195th Street from Flagstaff Avenue to Diamond Path. Stage 1 began earlier this year from Akin Road to Diamond Path, which will remain closed. Stage 2 includes the closing 195th between Flagstaff Avenue and Everest Path. It began as soon as school closed to be complete before school starts in the fall. The third stage will be the reconstruction of the middle section of 195th Street. It will also include the closing of the intersection at Pilot Knob Road. Schrozman said drivers should get used to traveling north or south using Cedar Avenue. The police will be issuing tickets to anyone driving around the barricades or moving them and encourage anyone who sees it happen to call 911. The city also plans to monitor traffic at the intersection of 200th Street and Pilot Knob Road, which will see increased traffic during the closure. Email Andy Rogers andy.rogers@ecm-inc.com.
Williams brothers find Splash pad cut balance upon graduation from Farmington’s Rosemount has prepared Dimitri and Jiren for college
More cuts coming to keep property tax levy low
by Hannah Gullickson SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Hurricane Katrina blew many New Orleans residents up to Minnesota in 2005. Some chose to stay for a while; others made a lifelong home with new friends. Looking back, Rosemount High School seniors Dimitri and Jiren Williams have seen how they’ve “thrived� in school because of support from family, faculty, and coaches. The road hasn’t been easy for them, but Dimitri, the younger of the two, said that Katrina didn’t really affect them as it would have some other people. Dimitri told the Pioneer Press that he remembered bits of the hurricane, including the loud winds and floods. “Obviously it affected us the way we are today, but I don’t think it had that big of a change,� Dimitri said last week. “A lot of people use the word ‘resilient,’ like we’re so resilient to all the things that we’ve been through.� The brothers said their father wanted them to stay in Minnesota because of the aftermath in New Orleans. Since then, the brothers have stayed with rela-
2016 budget by Andy Rogers SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Rosemount High School graduates Jiren and Dimitri Williams participated in the school’s graduation ceremony on Saturday, June 6. (Photo by Hannah Gullickson) tives while their parents and other siblings have remained in New Orleans. They started by attending Scott Highlands Middle School in Apple Valley, then went to Rosemount High School without knowing any friends initially since Rosemount Middle School is the primary feeder school. Ever since coming to Apple Valley, the brothers said no one really knows their story at school, because they don’t normally tell it. “We don’t just (say), ‘This is what we’ve been through; you See WILLIAMS, 6A
A splash pad in Farmington looks like it will be on back order for a while. Given the current budget situation, the Farmington City Council and city staff won’t include a splash pad in the 2016 budget. The Farmington Pool opened for the summer on Wednesday, beginning its final year of operation. The pool originally opened in 1971 and has fallen into disrepair. This time next year it will be a big grassy area. “There’s no money for a splash pad right now,� Mayor Todd Larson said. City staff is working on the city’s budget for 2016,
and everyone knows it’s too high. There are expected increases in human resources, information technology and data processing costs. “There aren’t a ton of new requests (from city staff),� said Brenda Wendlandt, human resource director. “They’re ongoing (information technology) costs and equipment replacements.� She said the city needs things like new servers, credit card equipment and other ongoing maintenance. Fire Chief Jim Larsen has a priority list for updates to safety equipment and more radios, something many board See BUDGET, 6A
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 12A Public Notices . . . . . . 15A News 952-846-2033 Display Advertising 952-846-2011 Classified Advertising 952-846Delivery 952-846-2070
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