WinterFest celebration
Back at school
Reindeer, parade and fireworks – oh my!
Cancer survivor springs into action
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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2011
SAVAGE
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Sports dome meeting Crowning achievement Savage woman selected as Miss Minnesota USA 2012 set for this Tuesday BY AMY LYON editor@savagepacer.com
BY AMY LYON editor@savagepacer.com
Savage residents and property owners living within 500 feet of the proposed sports dome just north of Community Park received letters last week and were invited to a neighborhood meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6 in the Savage City Council Chambers. During the meeting, city staff will present a brief history of the project, as well as a conceptual site plan of the proposed park expansion area and the proposed indoor sports facility. The project calls for the construction of a 110,000-square-foot inflatable structure and a 5,000-square-foot permanent building that would house restrooms. The estimated project cost is just over $5 million. The neighborhood meeting is the fi rst step in moving the process forward. Next, if city staff members
N
itaya Panemalaythong was skeptical when a friend suggested she look into the Miss Minnesota USA competition last year. She’d done some modeling before, but thought, “No, that’s not my thing. I’m not a pageant person.” But then she did more research and read about the scholarships that are available to winners. “I was going back to school and that prompted me because education is really important to me,” she said. Less than a year later she was crowned Miss Minnesota USA 2012 during the pageant finals Sunday night at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center. At 26, Panemalaythong was the oldest contestant in the competition, which is open to unmarried women ages 18 to 26. “This was my only chance,” she said. There were 22 other contestants from around the state who competed in a private interview process with judges, then moved on stage for the evening gown and swimwear competitions. Panemalaythong has now changed her tune about pageants. “I liked getting ready back stage, dressing up and getting to know the girls,” she said. “A lot of people get a misconception about pageants.” Several of the other contestants were “first-timers,” Panemalaythong said, and there were some who have competed for many years. “This is my first pageant ever. Some girls do it because they want to earn the title and others just want to have fun,” she said. According to the state pageant offices at Future Productions, Panemalaythong will receive
JOIN THE CHAT WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE PROPOSED SPORTS DOME AT COMMUNITY PARK?
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choose to move forward, they would determine potential users of the dome to get an accurate picture of usage and annual operating revenue. “We need to make a decision if we’re moving forward by December or January to meet an October opening,” City Administrator Barry Stock said during a November Council meeting. The City Council has not approved a plan for the project; however, Stock said that if the project is approved, it “could commence in the spring of 2012 with a fall 2012 completion date.”
Marschall hired by CAP Agency County Commissioner recently served as the agency’s board chair BY SHANNON FIECKE sfiecke@swub.com
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Nitaya Panemalaythong of Savage competed with 22 other women from around the state on Sunday and was crowned Miss Minnesota USA.
About Nitaya Panemalaythong Age: 26
You might not know:
Occupation: Corporate job; going to school at Normandale Community College
I Nitaya Panemalaythong was born in a refuge camp in Thailand
What she loves about Savage: The peaceful neighborhood she lives in and the city’s focus on preserving nature
Miss MN to page 9 ®
I Miss Minnesota USA was her first pageant I She is the first Asian-American to represent the state in the Miss Minnesota USA competition
Scott County Commissioner Barbara Marschall of Prior Lake has accepted the position of vice president of programs for the CAP Agency, a nonprofit partnership of Scott, Dakota and Carver counties. Marschall, who recently served on the agency’s board of directors, will oversee programming such as Head Start, heating assistance and weatherization from the agency’s Rosemount office. The agency, which relies on government and private funding, offers 26 programs and services for the three counties. The program manager position was established as part of a restructuring that CAP Agency President Carolina Bradpiece undertook after being hired in 2010.
“We are so excited to have her,” Bradpiece said of Marschall. “The CAP Agency is evolving into a strong nonprofit with all of its core competencies develop e d . We’r e involved in a very outcomes-based sociBarbara ety. She will put into Marschall use her good management skills and create processes and systems that effectively implement the programs.” Marschall competed with three other finalists for the job and was selected by a panel of nonprofit professionals who came from outside the local agency. The panel didn’t include any CAP agency board members or staff. A county commissioner since 1997, Marschall said she served as the county’s representative to the CAP Agency board at the beginning of her tenure and rejoined earlier this year when a
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Scott, Carver counties consider merger of 911 dispatch centers Savings could be up to a half-million dollars per year BY SHANNON FIECKE sfiecke@swpub.com
Emergency dispatchers in Scott County could be taking 911 calls from residents in Carver County – or vice versa – in the future under a merger being considered by the neighboring counties. Supervisors from the two sheriff’s offices met with commissioners from
each county Tuesday in Chaska to share steps they are taking to learn what it would take – and how much they could save – by melding the two counties’ 911 dispatch services. It’s too early for definitive costsaving fi gures, but Carver County Commissioner Randy Maluchnik said following the meeting that he’s hopeful the counties could save up to a half-million dollars per year if they consolidate. “Three to six people on duty, 24/7, that could be a lot of potential savings,” said Scott County Board Chair Tom Wolf. Last year, the counties of Scott,
Carver, Sibley and McLeod completed a $125,000 state-funded consolidation study of their dispatching services. Sibley and McLeod were content with their current situation, Scott County Sheriff Kevin Studnicka said, but Carver and Scott thought consolidation was worth a closer look. “We’re only three to four miles – as the crow fl ies – away from each other,” Studnicka said. The counties must determine which dispatch center would be best to close and how technology would be merged. Two architectural fi rms
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PHOTO BY SHANNON FIECKE
Carver County 911 Telecommunicator Linda Mullenbach awaits a call Tuesday. If Scott and Carver Counties merge their dispatch centers, one would have to close.
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