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VOLUME 32 NUMBER 50

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2014

www.quadcommunitypress.com

At a

Centennial Fire dedicates bell, Glance gets retired chief’s uniform

Police Reports Theft occurred on Apollo Drive on May 29. Read more police reports on page 3.

Community Briefs

Grant Lino Lakes received a grant for a thermal imaging camera. Read more on page 5.

Centennial Fire’s Honor Guard represents Circle Pines and Lexington at ceremonies and public events.

Centennial Powerpacks

By Emma Theis Staff Reporter

Calendar Find fun events happening in your community and nearby neighborhoods! The community calendar is on page 6.

– Photo by Emma Theis

All was quiet in the Centennial Fire Station 1 as those gathered there on the brisk, sunny June morning observed a moment of silence for fallen Centennial Fire Chief Robert LaValle and others who had come before them. A ceremony was held Saturday, June 6 to dedicate Centennial’s Honor Guard bell to LaValle who died in the line of duty on November 1, 1980 and to accept retired Fire Chief Basil Guggisberg’s uniform as a dedi-

cation to the station. Centennial Fire’s Honor Guard was co-established through the fundraising efforts of the Circle Pines-Lexington Lions Club and Centennial Fire District Relief Association and represents the cities within the fire district at parades, funerals and other public events. When the Honor Guard was established, the team needed to purchase uniforms, flags, ceremonial axes and a bell. The dedicated bell will remain at Centennial Fire Station 1.

Fire Dedication/see page 12

Sports Cougars Track and Field place at State. Read more sports on page 7.

Weather Tidbits Week of June 10-16, 2015 Weather tidbit: On average this is the wettest week of the year with 1.24”. Year Ago this week: Rained on all but two days. Rain totaled 2.26 inches for this week with 1.96 inches falling from June 14-16. High temperatures rode the rollercoaster starting off in the 80’s, falling into the 60’s and rising back into the 80’s.

Weekly Averages High Low %Sun PCP 78° 58° 61% 1.24" (More weather on sports page)

Look Inside Letters............................5 Sports ............................7 Classifieds ................8-11 Public Notices ................2

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Lexington crowdfunding for new park By Emma Theis Staff Reporter

A Lino Lakes man was co-awarded a patent and a Lion Lakes truck driver was named a region winner. Read more Community Briefs on page 5.

A local Eagle Scout improves his school’s Powerpack Program. Read more on page 5.

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– Photos by Emma Theis

At left, Fire Chief Robert LaValle died in the line of duty on November 1, 1980. Right, Centennial’s Honor Guard bell was dedicated to fallen Chief LaValle.

The city of Lexington is using unconventional means to fund the development of a local park. In an attempt to avoid using tax dollars, city leaders have elected to summon the powers of a popular online fundraising medium called crowdfunding to raise money for DuWayne Avenue Park. The city’s plan for DuWayne — which currently consists of a fenced area with dirt and a volleyball court — includes building a basketball court, a playground, and a picnic area with a shelter and grills. According to a city press release, parks are a good financial investment for a community and provide environmental, aesthetic, recreational and economic benefits. But city staff and elected officials are constantly trying to balance the challenging task of managing community wants and needs while navigating budgetary limitations. According to city staff, no tax dollars will be used for the planned improvements. The city’s parks master plan includes renovations for DuWayne Avenue Park and Memorial Park, and was approved by the City Council in February. Two crowdfunding campaigns were initiated by staff in April. The crowdfunding site indiegogo.com is being used to raise money for the playground equipment, basketball court, swingset, benches, and drinking fountain at DuWayne Park. Another crowdfunding site called fundly.com is designated to raise money for the picnic area, shelter, colored concrete and grills. Crowdfunding is a fairly new and innovative online fundraising method which largely utilizes social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to connect friends, family, colleagues, and other supporters with campaigns they can decide to financially support. Up to this point, crowdfunding has traditionally been used to fund private projects and personal campaigns. Lexington is paving the way for city governments to use these mediums in the public sector to garner community support for local projects. “With the popularity of crowdfunding, we thought we would give it a try,” said city Finance Director Tina Northcutt. Lexington’s Fundly campaign has currently raised $25 of its $55,000 goal and the City’s Indiegogo campaign has raised $40 of its $42,000 goal.

Crowdfunding/see page 5

Creative financing will make city's second fire station a reality But taxpayers will pick up higher cost of lease revenue bonds By Louise Ernewein Contributing Writer LINO LAKES — By the end of the year, the city will have a new, state-of-the-art fire station. The new South Station at the intersection of Birch Street and Centerville Road in southeast Lino Lakes will boast 13,319 square feet of space to house and train the 45 or so newly hired firefighters. But there's a cost that comes with that. In the 12 short months since the initial Fire Department Analysis was created by Springsted Inc. in May 2014, the estimated cost of the fire station has more than doubled. Further, to speed construction through to have a building in place by the end of the year, city councilors opted to use costlier lease revenue bonds (see sidebar) to fund the fire station. "[The city chose to finance through lease revenue bonds] to expedite the building project," said City Administrator Jeff Karlson in

a written statement. "The withdrawal period [from the Centennial Fire District joint powers agreement] is two years, so this was the only way the city could build a second fire station and have it ready to go by the end of 2015." By financing the project through lease revenue bonds, the city avoided having to obtain voter approval, required by statute for the use of general obligation bonds. Karlson said the city would levy residents and businesses to cover the cost of the bond. Annually, the bond levy will amount to $323,000 — $47 per year for the owner of a home in Lino Lakes worth $250,000 — for the 20-year life of the bond. Karlson added he could not provide an estimate of how much Lino Lakes might have saved by financing the fire station through general obligation bonds rather than lease revenue bonds, pointing instead to the city's financial advisor, Springsted, for a financial analysis. Terri Heaton, who represents Springsted

at Lino Lakes City Council meetings, did not respond to voicemail or emailed requests for information. However, according to one calculation by the Legislative Analyst's Office (the California Legislature's nonpartisan fiscal and policy advisor), lease revenue bond funding typically adds an additional 10-15 percent cost to a project. The League of Minnesota Cities handbook's chapter on debt and borrowing states: "Revenue bonds typically ... carry higher interest rates than general obligations because of the slightly higher risk of nonpayment." A spokesman for the League of Minnesota Cities said the organization would not comment on the issue of lease revenue bonds or the frequency with which they were used to fund civic projects in Minnesota, and instead suggested contacting Springsted or Ehlers for comment. The two companies routinely provide guidance to public sector clients on matters of financial and debt planning, bond issuance and economic development.

Fire Station/see page 2

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