If you didn't think that residents of the Lake Minnetonka area had enough recreational amenities, there is now one more to enjoy. The Dakota Bike Trail is complete from Navarre west past Mound and Gale Woods Farm to St. Bonifacious, and is nearly complete from Navarre east to Wayzata. It is a paved trail that runs through wooded areas and city centers. The paved piece is nice for those who ride road bikes or like to rollerblade. While I'll always be partial to our "home" trail, the north leg of the LRT trail that cuts through Tonka Bay, Excelsior, Greenwood, and Deephaven, the Dakota is nice to have as an option.
You can catch the trail by cycling on Hwy 19 (wide shoulder) 4 miles north of Excelsior, or about 3 miles north of where the LRT trail intersects with Hwy 19 in Tonka Bay. You'll meet the trail just before the Lord Fletcher's turnoff.
Monday, April 20, 2009
New Bike Trail is Open
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Jim Ramstad's Town Hall Meeting
Jim Ramstad will begin his series of summer Town Hall meetings tomorrow, with a forum at the Minnetonka City Hall. The Forum will take place at noon, and there is a 2nd area forum in Mound at 7pm.
These Town Hall meetings are a great chance to see the Congressman and ask your questions. The typical format is Congressman Ramstad giving a 10-15 minute presentation on current capitol hill activities, and then opening up the remainder of the hour for Q&A. You get a combination of very specific questions along with some more general topics of discussion.
What Congressman Ramstad does by having these forums is somewhat unique. We might take it for granted, but it is not part of a Congressperson's job description to have these Town Hall forums. I don't know for sure, but I would guess it is a small fraction of our Representatives that even have these forums. In the case of Ramstad, he knows very well that there will be groups from Move On and other organized movements who are there to heckle him, but he still shows up and opens himself up to questions and criticism. I respect that.
It is good that we have a Congressman who values dialogue with constituents above staying safe in an office behind staffers. It is also good that during a month of highly publicized Congressional recess, our Congressman is using part of his vacation to make the rounds in his district.