Author: Mark Weber

Lou Ellingson once shared that his requested transfer to Swift-boat duty in Vietnam while in the U.S. Navy didn’t quite play out as advertised. A Navy colleague told Ellingson – who was looking for a change after being assigned to the USS MountTrail in Norfolk, Va. – that Swift boats would be pretty easy wartime duty: patrol off the coast of Vietnam, occasionally stop and search a junk or Asian sailing boat, and approach U.S. destroyers and other ships and ask for ice cream. Instead, the Navy captain and his small crew used the 50-foot-long, machine-gun-toting Swift boat – all…

Opponents of the Noble Hill plan for homes near Fredrick-Miller Spring say they’ll appeal the Eden Prairie City Council’s recent decision to not order an additional environmental study. Justin DeAngelo, whose name is attached to a GoFundMe effort to raise money for legal help, said opponents have been told it might take $15,000 to $20,000 to fund such an effort. The GoFundMe page for the project indicated May 13 that about $6,500 has been raised from 112 donors. The city council voted 5-0 on May 4 to deny opponents’ request for preparation of an environmental assessment worksheet (EAW) for the…

After hearing from a developer and a geologist. After testimony from a bee expert, a poet, a farmer, a precocious child, a pastor, a therapist, an attorney, and more. After listening to folks from not only Eden Prairie but also Belle Plaine, Blaine, Burnsville, “Dakota Territory,” Excelsior, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Jordan, Marine on St. Croix, Minneapolis, New Brighton. Rogers, Savage, Shakopee, Shorewood, Victoria, Wayzata, and other cities. After hearing from more than 60 speakers and absorbing more than 1,600 pages of data and reports. And, as the clock was striking midnight Tuesday after nearly five hours of testimony and deliberation…

The Eden Prairie City Council will have several options when on Tuesday evening, May 4, it reviews a controversial plan by Pulte Homes to build houses near the Fredrick-Miller Spring in southwestern Eden Prairie. A citizen group opposed to the project has begun raising funds to potentially mount a legal challenge. A key choice for the council is to either approve or deny a request to perform additional environmental review of the 28-acre site proposed to be developed, as well as nearby areas. Moving ahead with the study would delay the project, called Noble Hill. Residents have expressed opposition to…

Eden Prairie City Council members on Tuesday, April 20, will consider approval of a new, more modern building façade at 7076-78 Shady Oak Road to accommodate SunOpta Inc.’s new headquarters in Eden Prairie. The company, which creates and manufactures plant-based food ingredients, has been based in Edina but will have larger Eden Prairie facilities for offices and a research and development center. The city routinely approves building façade changes that meet city code. The building change is one of a number of items on the city council’s agenda. The meeting begins at 7 p.m., is streamed on Facebook, EPTV Live,…

Eden Prairie may no longer be the fast-growing suburb it was in the 1980s and ‘90s, but even with slower growth there are adjustments to make. One is adjusting to the ebb and flow of sports participation and its impact on facilities built and maintained by the City of Eden Prairie. A new report gives some insight on changes that are ahead. For example, some racket and paddle sports like pickleball and badminton are on the rise and may need more courts, according to the report provided April 6 to the Eden Prairie City Council. To that end, the city…

Pulte project near Frederick-Miller Spring prompts growing opposition Neighbors opposed to a plan to build homes near Fredrick-Miller Spring in southwestern Eden Prairie have raised $3,200 to hire an environmental lawyer to help them fight the project. The GoFundMe effort called the Fredrick-Miller Spring Friends Lawyer Fund was started last week by Justin DeAngelo of Chaska, who said he’s an “environmentalist at heart” and adds that the 50-house plan by Pulte Homes will impact wildlife and plants, and not just the quality of water produced by the popular spring. He and Sue Bennett, a 35-year Eden Prairie resident, say they…

Eden Prairie City Council members on Tuesday will hear about trends in sports participation as they weigh future needs for ball fields and city staffing. The forecast is one of a number of items on the city council’s agenda for April 6. It’s a meeting that begins at 7 p.m., is streamed on Facebook, and also includes several other notable items, including: Results of the city’s 2020 Quality of Life survey.Review of plans to build a Chase Bank to replace the vacant Bakers Square restaurant near the intersection of Plaza Drive and Prairie Center Drive.And, approval of a $191,000 to…

The Fredrick-Miller Spring has become a flashpoint in the debate over a 50-home development proposed near the southwestern Eden Prairie landmark. Pulte Homes plans to build houses on steep land known as the Riley Creek Tree Farm along the east side of Spring Road between Lions Tap restaurant and the Hennepin Village neighborhood. But many opponents believe the nearby natural spring will suffer as a result. “We have 1,087 people today who are asking you not to rezone,” Rebecca Prochaska, referring to a petition to oppose the project, told the Eden Prairie Planning Commission at a hearing Monday. “My family…

Eden Prairie city officials will see an influx of COVID-19 relief dollars from the federal government as soon as April. That payment is expected to be the first half of $7.12 million that’s been allocated to the City of Eden Prairie as a result of the American Rescue Plan approved by Congress and signed into law earlier this month. The second half of that relief package will come in about a year, said City Manager Rick Getschow. “It’s definitely good news,” he added. “The anticipation is to fill a gap of lost city revenue,” he said, including revenue lost at…