Company rewards
Netters make statement
Norex has sunny outlook despite recession
Lakers 5-0 following 6-1 win over Eagan
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PRIOR LAKE
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2011
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AMERICAN Residents fight to save downtown homes Homeowners in limbo as city weighs County Road 21 bypass proposal BY LORI CARLSON editor@plamerican.com
A
nd rea Mu l lenmeister sits at her dining room table, looking at the title of the house she bought in 2007 and marveling at its history. Suel. Simpkins. O’Keefe. Many of Prior Lake’s founding families have owned Mullenmeister’s home at one time, including her uncle’s great grandparents, who built the home in 1919. Three weddings and a funeral took place over the years at 4667 Pleasant St., one of the original Village of Prior Lake homes. Mullenmeister’s wistful smile fades as she pulls out another document – a map given to residents at a recent open house on the County Road 21 realignment project. If approved by the Prior Lake City Council this fall, the $23 million reroute of County Road 21 further south of its existing location would destroy 34 downtown homes, including Mullenmeister’s. The map, created by Maxfield Research, a city consultant, indicates where future development or redevelopment could occur. Mullenmeister’s home sits in the “unbuildable” block of properties shaded on the map. If her home is taken, it likely would be for an extension of Pleasant Street that would provide an alternate entrance to the downtown area and serve as the southern gateway to downtown, according to a feasibility study issued in January by engineering fi rm Bolton and Menk. But even those Pleasant Avenue properties that initially would not be buildable could eventually have redevelopment potential.
PHOTOS BY LORI CARLSON
Above – Andrea Mullenmeister stands outside her home on Pleasant Street, which could be bulldozed if Prior Lake City Council members approve the County Road 21 bypass option. At left – Lee McGrath, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Institute for Justice, gets residents riled up about fighting the possibility of eminent domain. McGrath said his group takes on cases that could have national implications. He told homeowners that private property cannot legally be taken by eminent domain for the purpose of economic development.
County Road 21 to page 5 ®
JOIN THE CHAT SHARE YOUR OPINIONS ABOUT THE PROPOSAL
Far left – Thirty-four homes and one business – Stems and Vines flower shop – eventually would be toppled if the council approves the plan.
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McCloud may lose law license for two years BY SHANNON FIECKE sfiecke@swpub.com
Shakopee criminal defense attorney Sam McCloud will be allowed to practice law again – about six months after his release from prison – if the Minnesota Supreme Court approves an agreement McCloud reached with the Minnesota Office of Lawyers’ Professional Responsibility. Mc Cloud , 6 8 , i s s er v i n g a n 18-month federal prison sentence for hiding nearly $600,000 in income from the federal government from 2004 to 2006. He agreed to a two-year sus-
pension of his law license after the board filed a petition Aug. 3 for Sam disciplinary action McCloud from the Minnesota Supreme Court, which can range from no suspension to disbarment. T he Supreme Cou r t usua l ly adopts the recommendation of the lawyers’ board. The suggested 24-month suspension is effective July 5, the day McCloud was to report to a minimum-security penitentiary in Duluth.
McCloud to page 13 ®
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Rewards in a time of recession As other companies hunker down, Norex treats its employees to picnics, car washes and a shopping spree BY LORI CARLSON editor@plamerican.com
Norex’s 40 employees are wearing jeans on a Wednesday, laughing and applauding and sounding more like a family gathered for a holiday feast than a staff meeting in a conference room. A popcorn machine beckons nearby. Cars sit in the parking lot sparkling clean, courtesy of the company’s top
managers. And that’s just the start. The Prior Lake-based IT company not only is treating existing workers to some generous rewards, but it’s also hiring new employees. Yes, this really is happening in an economic recession. This week, the 40 “team members” employed by Norex enjoyed a pig roast on the shores of Cleary Lake, those
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Norex to page 3 ®
“The message isn’t that Norex is making money hand over fist, because we’re not. The message is confidence in our team.” Joe Reger Norex vice president
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