The high cost of water tower maintenance in Shorewood

The Lakeshore Weekly News had a blurb about the costs to clean and maintain a water tower in Shorewood near Highway 7.

http://weeklynews.1upmonitor.com/main.asp?SectionID=25&SubSectionID=36&ArticleID=3576&TM=66063.52

While I know that water towers require special crews and equipment to maintain, I had no idea that the price tag could get into the $250,000 to $300,000 range. That's real money.

No major point here, other than it is interesting to be remind ourselves what kinds of regular maintenance our property tax dollars have to fund. While Shorewood's tax base is large enough so this price tag won't break the bank, it can be eye opening to get a glimpse into the line items of a city budget.

Does the South Lake share Stillwater's noise problem?

A metro story that didn’t get a lot of airtime recently was Stillwater’s effort to curb traffic noise in their community. Much like the South Lake area, Stillwater has a combination of restaurants, bars, and scenery that makes it a destination. Much like the South Lake area, Stillwater draws “cruisers’, whether by bicycle, motorcycle, or car. And much like the South Lake area, Stillwater can be a noisy place because of the small minority of cars and motorcycles that create a whole lot of noise.

What Stillwater did, while unique, wasn’t all that extreme. They decided to enforce existing state noise laws. No new laws were passed, and no unreasonably stringent noise thresholds were introduced. They simply made an announcement that they would step up enforcement of the noise ordinances that are in place for the entire state.

Some bikers saw it as an affront. There were suggestions for motorcycle groups to boycott Stillwater, saying that Stillwater had become unfriendly to motorcycles. While I’m not sure how often the bikers were stopping on Stillwater’s main street for coffee or to buy antiques, I haven’t read anything about the businesses suffering. According to a Strib article from July, there had only been two noise citations written so far, but residents said that noise had noticeably decreased.

It got me thinking about what our rights truly are. Is it more important for a loud motorcycle rider to be able to ride as they please, or for a resident to have relative peace and quiet in their home? I began to liken it to the smoking bans, but a main argument for that bans is that second-hand smoke kills people. I guess excessive noise doesn’t really harm people. I think the issue more closely resembles city building codes. Building height and material rules ensure that what you see when you look outside isn’t ruined by excessive and distasteful development. A noise ordinance ensures that what you hear isn’t distasteful or excessive.

Tonka Bay, Excelsior, and the entire community abutting Highway 7 and Minnetonka Boulevard get their fair share of “cruisers”, especially in the summer. If enforcement of the statewide noise ordinance could curtail those excessive 1-2% of bikes and vehicles that are causing 30% of the noise, I think it makes sense to do so. I have heard anecdotes that a stock Harley Davidson coming off the assembly line is not loud enough to cause a noise violation. Not sure if it is true, but the point is that most of the excessive noise is created by aftermarket products designed solely to make the vehicles louder.

International Baccalaureate: 2 years later

A topic that was all the buzz at this time two years ago was the Minnetonka School District International Baccalaureate (IB) program. As I recall, it was quite a controversy within the School Board elections of 2005, when the program was in its first year and there were calls to abandon the effort.

In a nutshell, the supporters of IB were saying that it would broaden horizons for students beyond the traditional high school coursework, help them prepare for increasing globalization, and boost incoming open enrollment numbers. The opposition claimed that it was the wrong thing to do at a time when money should be spent on more basic things (I should mention that IB is not cheap) and that many of the concepts teached would be anti-American or anti-Christian.

It was hard for me to buy the Anti-Christian or American argument. Isn't school supposed to be a place where students are taught to think? Sure, you need to do it at an age where a teen has the maturity to separate a concept from a fact. But if the student has mastered basic history and literature, what is wrong with introducing concepts that will require more reason?

The cost point, on the other hand, seemed more compelling. If we truly are cutting back on some of the more basic services provided, did it truly make sense to begin spending money on what many perceive to be a "bonus" of education, and not part of the core?

The reason I post this topic is that I really haven't heard much about IB in the past year. I'm very interested in hearing from readers who still have strong feelings, and would be especially interested in hear from parents or students who have first hand knowledge of the IB program. Did it broaden your education? Did it give you a leg up in college?

Big school board election this fall (4 seats turnover). Will it be a big issue again?

Should Excelsior be home to fewer charter boats?

An article in today's West Metro section of the Strib discussed a suggestion that Excelsior convert one existing charter boat dock into a combination residential and transient dock. In case you haven't been following, Excelsior is considering adding a 4th dock. They have been directed by the Lake Minnetonka governing board to ensure it is at least partially transient, so as to not simply add more boats to the lake. This proposal, to convert an existing charter dock instead of build a new dock, is interesting and probably deserves consideration.

The article pointed out that while the city does quite well from the revenue of residential docks, they actually subsidize (lose money) on the charter docks. This is because while charter boats pay a fee to use the docks, they also require services that exceed that fee.

It seems like the question central to this issue is: Do the charter boats attract business that is good for Excelsior? Or do they simply attract people who use the charter boats? If it is the former, that people who wouldn't otherwise go to Excelsior patronize the gas stations, the restaurants, the Pubs, the ice-cream shops and so on, then you can make the case that the boats are a boon for the city. However, if the people who use the charter boats tend to drive to Excelsior, park in the free lots, consume their liquor and food on the boats and then go home, I can see how there is a case for converting the docks to residential or combination.

The fact is that there are relatively few locations that work as well as downtown Excelsior for the charter boats. It is close to ample, free parking. It requires that people who live in Minneapolis take a relatively fast highway (7) for most of the drive to the boat. It is a heck of a lot closer for most Twin Cities residents than most other options. And it has a Commons area and downtown for people to hang around in before and after the cruise.

Perhaps Excelsior is perfect for the charter boats.... but are the charter boats perfect for Excelsior? Would Excelsior be better or worse off without the charters? I'm interested in your thoughts.

Welcome To the South Lake Minnetonka Blog

Who am I, and why did I create this blog?

I'm a resident of the South Lake Minnetonka neighborhood. As is the case with most area residents, I've developed a deep connection to our area during the time I've lived here. I think it is important to be civically involved, but there are many different ways to do that. Some volunteer for the fire department, others run for city office, others join the Chamber or the Rotary. How do I want to contribute to the area? Well, I'm going to do two things. First, I want to have this blog in order to facilitate constructive discussion among residents. We have smart people and alot of thought leaders who can really contribute some great ideas. Second, I want to keep my yard looking good. I'm alot further along on the first one.

So why did I create this blog? I've seen alot of blogs out there that are highly partisan, very one-sided, and are essentially created to promote a special interest. I don't want this one to be like that. I want a place where residents can advance the thought of the area by contributing ideas that stand by themselves. I want all views to be represented... that is the only way we truly get somewhere.

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me." -- Dudley Field Malone