www.SunThisweek.com NEWS Hope for Tomorrow A nonprofit mentoring group is celebrating its 20th year. Page 2A
Transportation action needed To prove they can deliver on core functions of government, state officials must deliver on transportation, the Editorial Board writes. Page 4A
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April 14, 2017 | Volume 38 | Number 7
St. Paul chooses District 191’s Gothard Superintendent’s tenure in 191 was transformational by John Gessner SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
OPINION
Burnsville | Eagan
Searching for a “healer� to lead their district, St. Paul School Boar d members voted 5-2 T uesday to hire Joe Gothard as superintendent. Gothard knows the “healer� role well. In July 2013 he became superintendent of Burnsville-Eagan-Savage District 191, w hich was at a cr ossroads after the
Now Gothard is heading to Minnesota’ s second-largest school district, which has been without a permanent chief since June 2016, when the board bought out ex-Superintendent Valeria Silva’s contract. At a pr ess conference Tuesday, a r eporter asked if Gothard truly wants the top job in a St. P aul district known for strife, controversy and a School Board shakeup in the last Joe Gothard election. “Absolutely,� said often-turbulent tenure of Gothard, 45. “Y ou go his predecessor, Randall through a lot of reflection, Clegg. personally and pr ofes-
sionally, when faced with an opportunity of this magnitude. I’ve been v ery fortunate to ha ve almost four very successful y ears here in Burnsville-Ea ganSavage ISD 191 — creating relationships, putting systems in place , making sure there are clear lines of communication, instilling confidence, trust, belief and hope — in a comm unity that really needed it.� The St. P aul board chose Gothard over a second finalist, Cheryl Logan, chief academic support officer for the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, schools. “I know this is one of
by John Gessner SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Lakeville author Loretta Ellsworth discusses her new novel, “Stars Over Clear Lake,� which will be released by St. Martin’s Press in May. Page 19A
A Burnsville High School choir dir ector faces felony charges for allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old student and sending nude photos of himself to another student. Erik Michael Ak ervik, 29, was charged Wednesday with thir d-degree criminal sexual conduct and electronic solicitation of a child. Akervik has been a BHS music teacher since August 2013. “It is a felon y under Photo by Andrew Miller Minnesota law for a teachU.S. Rep. Jason Lewis, R-Woodbury, spoke at the Dakota County Regional Chamber er to have sexual relations of Commerce event April 10 in Apple Valley. with a student who is 16 or 17 years old, if the teacher is more than 48 months older than the student, � Congressman Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom said in discusses his a news release. “Criminal
Lewis’ first 100 days on the Hill first months in office at chamber luncheon SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Headline two decks only The Athena Awards honor top senior female athletes from the metro area. Page 12A
PUBLIC NOTICE Burnsville-Eagan Sun Thisweek is the official newspaper for the cities of Burnsville and Eagan and school districts 191 and 196. Public Notices are on Page 14A.
INDEX
Though Congress failed to pass the American Health Car e Act, U.S. Rep. Jason Lewis, RWoodbury, stands b y his support of the bill. “I will be the first to admit our side did not do a good job of messaging,� said Lewis, speaking April 10 at a Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce event at Valleywood Golf Course in Apple Valley. The health car e bill, which was withdrawn in March after failing to gain enough House R epublican support, is something the first-term congressman believes would have worked to resolve the “crisis in health care� brought on by the Affordable Care Act enacted during the Obama administration. “I spoke passionately on the floor about this — I stand by my support,� he
by John Gessner SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Photo by Andrew Miller
About a dozen protesters stood outside the clubhouse at Valleywood Golf Course in A pple Valley prior to U .S. Rep. Jason Lewis’ speech at the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce luncheon April 10. They told a reporter they wished to discuss health car e, women’s rights and other issues with the first-ter m congressman, and wanted to encourage him to hold an in-person to wn hall meeting. said. “The sta tus quo is untenable.� Health care was one of several topics Minnesota’s 2nd District representative discussed at the chamber event. His talk focused on his first 100 days in office, touching on tax r eform, transportation funding and other political ma tters, along with some aspects of everyday life as a member of Congress.
During his first fe w weeks in Washington, living conditions proved less than ideal. Unable to immediately secure an apartment, Lewis slept on an air mattress in his office. He’s since found living quarters within walking distance of Capitol Hill. One thing tha t struck him as pleasantl y surprisSee LEWIS, 17A
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activity of this nature is a significant breach of trust of s t u d e n t s, their parand Erik Akervik ents the school community.� The county a ttorney’s office gave the f ollowing account. On Monday, April 10, a 15-year-old male student told a BHS school resource officer that Akervik had sent him se xually inappropriate communications. The student said Akervik had added him as a friend on several social media apps and w ebsites about a year before. Akervik had been communicating with the bo y via Snapchat about three See CHARGES, 17A
Apartment project clears hurdle
by Andrew Miller
SPORTS
See GOTHARD, 17A
BHS choir director faces sex charges
THISWEEKEND
Love and loss in a time of war
the most challenging jobs in the sta te of Minnesota and maybe even beyond,� said Gothard, who will go from a district with 9,500 students to one with more than 39,000. “ And I, throughout my entire career, have taken on challenges. I think the r esults, I won’t say they speak for themselves, but I’ve been known to not sh y away from challenges. I continue to learn, r eflect, grow, each and e very day. I will not come in and say I have all the ans wers, but I will say I’m committed to find-
Burnsville’s first ne w apartment project in many years cleared a hur dle April 10 with endorsement by the city’ s Planning Commission. The commission v oted 2-1 to recommend that the City Council a pprove a four-story, upscale r ental project on 2.5 acr es at the northeast corner of Nicollet Avenue South and Travelers Trail in the Heart of the City. A council vote is expected April 18. Proposed by Burnsville-based Chase Real Estate Inc., the project would have up to 172 a partment units and 8,000 squar e feet of ground-floor retail. The property is part of the unfinished Nicollet Plaza development that includes Cub Foods and adjacent retailers, two four-story buildings of condos and
retail, an office and bank, and 30 townhomes. Chase promises an “upscale� rental project with “high-end finishes� and “expansive amenities� that will appeal to y oung professionals as w ell as empty-nesters looking to ditch their single-family homes. For years Burnsville officials kept would-be apartment projects from even reaching the r eview stage because a majority of City Council members opposed building more apartments. That changed in J anuary with a newly seated council and softening among long-term members toward the booming rental market — particularly the kind of highamenity product Chase is proposing. “I think this is a good thing for Burnsville. I’m See PROJECT, 17A
Disability service firms struggle to find workers Group lobbying for increased funding
According to industry professionals, the main issue is pay. Providers such as Midwest Social Services, which by Andy Rogers has offices in Eagan, offer SUN THISWEEK training and emplo yment DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE services for people with The disability services disabilities. They ha ve industry is in a bit of a hir- found challenges in both ing crisis. attracting and keeping em-
ployees. Midwest Social Services had the w orst turnover in its history in 2016. Almost 70 out of 160 employees left, accor ding to Lyth Hartz, pr esident of Midwest Social Services. Most of the turnover is at the entry level. “We’re fully staffed
now (in Ea gan), but it’s very likely that will change soon,� Hartz said. “I would say our industry is in crisis. Our agency competes well, but our industry doesn’t compete w ell with other industries.� When they ha ve an opening, it takes a while to find a good candidate and
“sometimes they leave in a few weeks,� Hartz said. While it can be r ewarding work, it’s also challenging. “You have people’s lives in your hands,� Hartz said. “They’re vulnerable adults. If staff members See WORKERS, 11A
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