2008-02-22 Friday NewsLovely Weather – for a skate!
While many of us are trying to survive a “typical” Minnesota winter, Teresa Gangelhoff
reports that the weather has been great for ice skating! The rink had to close for a couple
days when temps were below zero, and a couple days when the ice was wet, but rinks
have been open over 50 days (so far). Here are some numbers on rink activity:
Friendly Hills Hockey – 1414 Pleasure Rink – 243
Marie Hockey – 1644 Pleasure Rink – 551
Wentworth Hockey – 1189 Pleasure Rink – 369
Totals: 4247 1163
Dakota County Forclosures
The Dakota County CDA held a conference this Thursday about
foreclosures in Dakota County that Jake and I attended. In the past 5
years the number of foreclosures in Dakota County have increased by
500% going from 159 to 2700. This trend is projected to continue
through at least this year, and even the next couple of years. Farmington
has the worst record in Dakota County, and Mendota Heights has the best
(only 15). The problem is occurring nationwide. Only five years ago,
lenders were letting buyers purchase a home without putting anything
down when homes were appreciating at 10-13% a year. Interest rates
were also dropping, so even existing homeowners were refinancing for
lower rates and to take out equity to go on vacations or “whatever”. Now,
home values are dropping and many homeowners have homes with more
owed on them than they are worth, sometimes way more. There are 10-
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February 22, 2008
Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) Meeting
Jake Sedlacek missed out on our “First Annual NPDES Poetry Night” on Tuesday night to
attend a MAC meeting held at the Thunderbird Hotel in Bloomington. This is the first time
in quite a while that MAC has held a meeting outside of the tightly-controlled confines of
the Airport. The meeting was an opportunity for the public to more easily attend a MAC
meeting and see just what they do.
Jake counted 55 attendees in the audience, filling most of the seats that were set up. Along
with Jake, Mendota Heights Airport Relations Commissioners Liz Petschel, Robin Erlich,
Ken Reed and Lyle Odland attended the meeting; easily making Mendota Heights the single
best represented community in attendance. Other attendees included MAC staff, bidders in
a pet board facility RFP and other community and airline industry representatives.
14 homes available for every potential buyer. Builders are the worst, many have lots of va-
cant product with no buyers and they are giving them to foreclosure. Hense the big problem
in Farmington and Rosemount, which are the fastest growing Dakota County communities.
The CDA informed us that they have implemented a Mortgage Foreclosure Prevention Pro-
gram to help homeowners to either avoid foreclosure or to determine other options. They
also have a small amount of funding to assist qualifying homeowners. (See Attached)
Page 2 FRIDAY NEWS : FEBRUARY 22, 2008
Attachments
Just the Facts, Pipeline, Planning Commission Meeting Agenda, TwinCities.com Article
“Lilydale’s plan for housing on bluff hits snag” and MNSUN.com Articlee “Dakota County
set to ponder park plan”. Dakota County CDA “Home Ownership Connection” and
Obituary for Philip D. Bruce, Lambert Derks Brother-In-Law .
Other dates to Remember:
2/22/08 - Washington’s Birthday
2/29/08 - Leap Day
Braedon Eldon Fitzgerald is here
Firefighter Justin Fitgerald and his wife welcomed a new member into their family. Braedon Eldon
Fitzgerald was born on January 23, 2008 at 10:13 p.m. Braedon weighed in at 7lbs-7oz and 22' long.
Mother and Baby are doing well. Congratulations to the Fitzgerald’s!
The most contentious issue of the meeting was the awarding the Minnesota Humane Society the rights to open
a pet boarding facility in a vacant building on Airport Property. The highlight of the meeting was a review of
MAC Noise Abatement activities, including the role of the Noise Oversight Committee and a review of the
Noise Lawsuit Settlement actions. Jake reported that the meeting was worth attending, providing a better in-
sight into the type of activities MAC deals with, and the way the organization operates.
ll MAC Meetings are open to the public – meetings times, agendas and other relevant information can be
found at www.mspairport.org.
February Dates To Remember
Planning Commission Meeting 2/26/08
15 Minutes of Fame?
Jake Sedlacek, his wife Heidi and their Richfield house are going to be featured on the show My House is
Worth What? on the Home and Garden Network. The show airs Monday night at 6PM (check your provid-
er’s listings). After 9 hours of filming on July 12, the segment is expected to be around 10 minutes. The
context of the show is families who are debating doing improvements to their home, and whether or not it is
worth the investment. We’ll all be lining up for Jake’s autograph after he makes the big jump from local ca-
ble access to national cable