Scott County intends to take ownership of 84 parcels along Hwy. 169 to complete an outstanding county road project.
The Board of Commissioners voted Jan. 16 to authorize eminent domain proceedings on the land near Shakopee. Eminent domain allows the government agencies to take private property for public use with compensation.
A letter informed property owners last spring that right of way proceedings would begin on their land to overhaul Hwy. 169 and the Hwy. 41 intersection. The $47 million project would also build an overpass and frontage roads to accelerate commutes.
As of mid-January, the owners of 77 of properties had struck deals with the county. Commissioner Dave Beer, who voted against the measure both times, expressed concern about the settlement rate, which he considered low.
"I really wanted to make sure that the people affected really have their time to go through this," Beer said.
Lisa Freese, county transportation services director, acknowledged that road projects typically have a higher settlement rate by this stage, but said she remains optimistic that more families will negotiate over the next month. At least six more homeowners have offered verbal agreements with the county.
"We're doing our best to try and work with all the property owners to get them information they're required to have before they can make a sound financial decision," Freese said.
To get the project authorized this fiscal year, which ends June 30, the county must push forward, Freese said. It takes 60 days to acquire the title and possession of the land once the county files eminent domain documents.
Liz Sawyer
Burnsville
City to build new archery range
The city of Burnsville has announced plans to build a new public archery range by August 2018, replacing an existing facility that will close June 30.
Dodge of Burnsville approached the City Council in 2016 about buying city-owned land at 12151 Pleasant Av., where the city's current archery range is located. That sale was approved on Nov. 6. The city got $370,000 for the parcel, which will go toward building a new range on Zenith Avenue near the Rudy Kraemer Nature Preserve, a 75-acre prairie restoration area on Chowen Avenue S.
City officials estimate the total cost of the new range at $383,000, with Dodge of Burnsville paying up to $14,000.
Officials picked the Zenith Avenue site because it was at least 2 acres in size and had room to park up to a dozen cars. In addition, it was feasible to install a berm or safety netting in the vicinity of the new site.
Erin Adler
Dakota County
Changes made at county's Recycling Zone
The Dakota County Recycling Zone (3365 Dodd Road, Eagan) will no longer accept plastic bags or packaging peanuts in 2018, according to a county news release.
Plastic bags and wrap are recycled differently than other items and many private businesses, like grocery stores, now take them if they are dry and clean, the release said. Local shipping stores such as UPS take clean packing peanuts for reuse, the release said.
The county still accepts aluminum cans for recycling but no longer pays residents for the metal, the release said.
For information about what items the county accepts and where to take other materials, go to www.dakotacounty.us and search "Recycling Zone."
Erin Adler
Carver, Scott And Hennepin Counties
Local projects get Historical Society grants
The Minnesota Historical Society announced this month that it was giving more than $3.6 million, in large and small grants, to a total of 82 cities, historical societies and projects across the state.
The Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants are called Legacy grants and funded by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment approved by Minnesota voters in 2008. The historical society awards small grants quarterly and larger grants annually.
Among the grants in Carver, Scott and Hennepin counties:
• Carver County Historical Society, Waconia, $97,224 to better organize museum collections, and another grant of $9,782 for a professional to translate the Andrew Peterson diaries;
• City of Eden Prairie, $8,000 to design and install sigs for the Riley-Jacques Farmstead;
• Hennepin History Museum, Minneapolis, $75,000 for a consultant to help preserve the Christian Family Residence, home of the museum;
• Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis, $7,750 to transcribe an oral history about Knut Koupee music store;
• Minnesota Independent Scholars Forum, Bloomington, $9,999 for a consultant to research the history of refugees in Minnesota;
• Municipal Building Commission, Minneapolis, $38,000, to better organize the archives;
• Scott County Historical Society, Shakopee, $9,192 to microfilm Scott County-area newspapers;
Emily Allen
Shakopee
Shakopee High School to host NFL event
A charitable giving challenge has earned Shakopee High Schoolers an NFL pep rally on Jan. 31.
The teens recently won the Salvation Army's Warm & Fed Challenge by collecting the most food and clothing items for donation, said Assistant Principal Scott Doran.
Administrators led tours for NFL representatives, who later chose the southwestern suburban high school as the host site for the Family Football Fest. The event will include a surprise speaker, player autographs and football-related activities from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
Liz Sawyer
