Dinosaur extinction.

Two images:








There is a 2008 election where a majority of Ramsey council seats will be up for reelection. Wards 4 and 2, one at large seat, and mayor.

For those interested in the dinosaur extinction question, there are over a million Google returns, including one University of Vermont geology professor's favored extinction theory, with the lead photo a part.

KURT ULRICH. Ramsey Resident reports hiring of our new City Administrator.

Unless there is a change at some point soon, hopefully postponing any switch-over to beyond the 2008 elections and a new sitting 2009 council, Mr. Ulrich's position will change from City Administrator to City Manager - a change I disapprove of, favoring the weaker administrative head system -- stronger council system, that goes with having a "City Administrator" rather than a "City Manager." The last guy, to my thinking, had way too much actual power and used it unwisely, so that I hesitate to give the next guy more.

The October Ramsey Resident Newsletter, online and print versions, carry the lead page story on Mr. Ulrich - noting a formal reception Tues. Oct. 23, 3:30 - 5:30 pm, at City Hall. Some biographical background is given. Check the link for details.

Googling "Kurt Ulrich" gives much info about a German film actor named, surprisingly, Kurt Ulrich.

I then did a google = "Kurt Ulrich" minnesota

That, with Google or any other search engine, winnows the actor out of things.

I reviewed initial hits here [DNR days], and here [Mounds View days]. Generally uneventful stuff. The Mounds View strategic goals effort looks like the comparable stuff the Ramsey council and staff does that way. There shouldn't be much difference expected. "We want to give taxpayers the greatest possible bang for the buck, by having priorities ...". Proof is in the pudding. We wait. We see. I don't expect public data requests will be handled any less effectively than during the interim period - where responsiveness was exemplary from everything I saw. Public data law and open meeting law are our protections for having open government, in the sunshine, and it is always more an ideal to have fully open government, than an actuality day-to-day when officials having family land agendas always can be a complication. But the aim of public data and open meeting law is toward propriety.

And let's hope this guy puts the most interesting and crucial stuff on each meeting agenda at the start, so those attending or watching on TV need not watch a catalog of minutia before the real sausage gets made. That was a vexing thing with the last guy, and his use of last minute non-agenda'd things, handed out at the council table without copies for the citizen's copy table was an extreme and repeated insult. It insulted the council - not having advance time to think things over with the last-minute exercise repeated too often; and it was a general insult that citizen open meeting law rights were disrespected.

It is promising to have the search ended and I hope others agree with my thinking that the interim period with Heidi Nelson serving as lead administrator went well, and Ms. Nelson handled all I saw extremely well. I hope the new guy keeps that up. From all I see, he should work out better than the last one. Beyond faint praise, I expect Kurt Ulrich will do well. Again the planned welcoming session is:

Tues. Oct. 23, 3:30 - 5:30, Alexander Ramsey Room, City Hall.

Not every dog barks like Ramsey Town Center barks.

Today's Strib online has an article on condo woes in Minneapolis. While a general refelction on the housing market, Susan Feyder's article had one pair of paragraphs that really was an attention getter:

Minnwest Bank M.V. is in the midst of foreclosing on one completed and another proposed condo project.

The Minnesota bank recently was the high bidder at a sheriff's sale of Mill Trace Condominiums, a 50-unit project at 619 SE. 8th St. that was developed by Niles Schulz of Dolphin Development. Russ Bushman, chief credit officer for the bank, said the developers have until March 2008 to redeem the property.

Wow. They foreclosed, AND bid this one. They have treated the Ramsey Town Center situation as toxic waste. Buy it by bidding at your own foreclosure sale, you own it and you owe the assessments - or are on the hook. That's the key reason I see as possibly underlying the perpetual Minnwest-TC pattern - schedule a sale, back out, etc., etc., at least three times with a fourth scheduled sale for this month - Oct. 12, 10 am, Anoka County Courthouse is my recollection. Bets -- will they or won't they again? That Mill Trace project must be less a dog than Nedegaard and the award-winning architects left us in Ramsey.

Them and our town "leaders." A legacy. For Steffen of Met Council and the other poohbahs in city government and other positions who happily were key people at the fall 2003 TC groundbreaking.

Some of the other Strib-reported condo shenanigans are interesting. Success has a dozen parents. Failure a dozen lawsuits. Sometimes. For now, I guess we are short of a dozen for Town Center. There's Heisel pleading guilty to a federal crime and the City litigating with Minnwest [buyer of the Mill Trace Condominiums in their foreclosure there, and presumably the same Minnwest foreclosing Town Center with the same Russ Bushman as spokesperson]. That Heisel-related thing's still an ongoing investigation, or appears so from the outside. There was Commerce Dept. closure of Powerhouse Title. And again - there is the City of Ramsey litigating against Minnwest about Master Development Agreement priority matters. There is the mystery of the Swiss bank accounts. And there is more weed growth than crabgrass in those vast town center open spaces these days. Where is James Norman these days? China?

TODAY: Another Ramsey 2008 Comp Plan Session. Gordon Gecko, "Greed is Good."

The RAMSEY3 sessions drew better, but crowds for these ending City-sponsored sessions have dwindled to worse than nothingness - primarily those with meat in the fire for their acreage, and the process is totally failing to involve general Ramsey residents who have lived for years in established neighborhoods. They are people with something to lose. They are so tuned out, either by indifference, other time demands, stress and pressures of daily life, or being jaded so frequently in the past that there is no trust in them any longer and they say, "Why bother?"

It is hard to answer - but, Arnie Cox is gone from the scene. James Norman is gone from the scene. The Kuraks and Todd Cook are infrequently sighted. And on the other hand, there was the sewer-water routing cram-down for the gun club. In-laws are not necessarily outlaws --- but from my view the process has been clearly flawed.

Here is a picture of Michael Douglas, as Gordon Gecko in the 1987 film, Wall Street.



Source: Internet Movie Database.

Here is a link to the clip of the "Greed is Good" script segment. It can be viewed or the text read at that link. Taking only a bit of liberty with the script, the key segment is:

Greed is right.

Greed works.

Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.

Greed, in all of its forms -- greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge -- has marked the upward surge of mankind.

And greed -- you mark my words -- will not only save Town Center, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the City of Ramsey.

I post this in honor of Ramsey, Town Center, the north-end landowners showing up in numbers each session, and how things have happened and can be anticipated to be made to happen in the future, by those who have evolved over time a "Done Deal" approach of allowing but ignoring things like this 2008 Comp Plan situation of citizens venting and vetting - to each other not to the council-table decision-makesr.

But "Done Deal" indiference among those of us with other views of what's best will end up being a self-fufilling prophecy. It's cause to SCREAM.

So far it's a clear failure. Show up, please. Change that.

Another 2008 Comp Plan Session - Tomorrow, Wed. Oct. 3. Do we want Peterson Density from Trott Brook north to the town line?

"Housing Choices, Appropriate Density, & Neighborhood Design," the notice of topic discloses. Subtitle, "What are the characteristics of ideal neighborhoods?" If you could have a sincere belief your opinion on these things will make a difference, that those having decision power will give a rip, you might show up, right? Well ---

Show up anyway to at least go on record with what you think and feel.

Here's the city website notice image:



Now, the question is do we want Peterson density from Trott Brook to the bounds of Ramsey, 4-5 units per acre? If not, then we fight it. Remember, there also is a lot of land elsewhere -- within our existing neighborhoods -- where Peterson density would be out of character - way out of character, as it is in his Alpine Woods (or whatever cheesy name he gave that thing he did at Sunfish between Alpine and Hwy 5, where he brought sewer-water across Sunfish to ultimately route it to the Gun Club and cornfield, whatever cheesey names he's chosen for those two locales).

And I call it Peterson density. He is a developer, and the blog is called Developers are Crabgrass - go figure.

As information, I close with picturs of Mr. Peterson's own home, on a nice big lot, with well and septic [unless changed recently] and certainly not, for his quiet enjoyment of hearth and home, crowed in among others. First pic is from last Fall. Second is from Fall, 2004.






My guess is those with a discerning eye may speculate on why many, many, many of the older "experienced" Ramsey residents are not bothering to show up at the sessions, where many on council barely bother to show up either.

Whether thinking, "Done deal," is correct or not, if you do not try you are later in a worse position to carp over what those having more power (and less discernment and good taste) than you, go and do absent your input. Sooooooo -- Show up, speak up, or later when you are unhappy, you will be asked by those having authority, to shut up. Not those words. That message, in substance. It is Ramsey, after all.

I think this is a photo, from last fall, a few weeks later in the year than now, photo showing land I think is part of Jim Deal's 26 +/- acre TC land.

I think the picture is Deal's land, across Sunwood Drive from his insurance company building. From before the Nedegaard Town Center failure "cat" was let out of the bag. The bankruptcy papers were not filed against Nedegaard until late-November, 2006.

As one taking on years, today I focus on The Ramsey Town Center Old Folks Home.

Sure, political correctness says, "Senior center," and not "Old Folks Home."

Leave politically correctness for those who cherish it. Old Folks Home is the term here. I am one. So the term is not intended to be pejorative. Only descriptive.

The people wanting to build the Ramsey Town Center Old Folks Home, right there next to the busy, busy, busy railroad tracks, were praised for an effort in Blaine, presumably not by a loud and busy rail line in Blaine.

I hope the sound insulation is good or they cater to the hard of hearing in Ramsey.

If it were me, my aim would be to retire to a quiet retreat, not adjacent to the BNSF Railroad's busiest track in the nation. If it's not that, it seems so. How the "planners" planned that one is a neat question. Perhaps one of them might answer it sometime. Right next to the tracks ---

And putting it and the morgue next door to one another ---

That's indelicate. I would not in my dwindling years want the morgue next door.

Would you? The feeling the people next door are waiting.

Anyway, here's the ABC Newspapers link and excerpt, make of it what you will:

Blaine senior campus gets a positive review
Thursday, 27 September 2007
by Tim Hennagir
Life Editor

The corner of Paul Parkway and Ulysses Street in Blaine has become the proposed site of a new senior housing retail, restaurant and office space mixed-use development.

According to background provided by Bryan Schafer, community development director, Woodbury-based BrightKeys Building & Development Corp. initially made a presentation last spring involving the location.

While that proposal was conceptual, it outlined a senior campus containing a variety of housing and service options, according to Schafer.

BrightKeys has since partnered with Crest View Senior Communities and during a Sept. 13 city council workshop, Brightkeys and Crest View representatives shared proposed development details for the 16-acre site.

Crest View is a charitable Christian organization that helps develop, market and manage senior communities.

Christians in the old folks home business. I'd like to see the balance sheet, and the shareholder track-down, see whose pocket is being served in all this.

Continuing the excerpt - and wouldn't you expect, Jesus does not just save, he TIFs.

Two issues that would need attention or require council action would be a land use amendment and the developers’ request for tax-increment financing, Schafer said.

“They want tax increment assistance on the senior housing portion only,” he said. “What’s being proposed is fairly typical with a senior housing project of this type.”

Chief Executive Officer Shirley Barnes represented Columbia Heights-based Crest View at the Sept. 23 Blaine City Council workshop.

BrightKeys was represented by Vice President Philip Dommer.

NOW -- Brightkeys? Brightkeys? Isn't Brightkeys the genius group that inflicted "Town Center Gardens" on our community, over much community objection? If they have a part of this thing in Blaine; watch out Blaine. It may end up looking ugly on the ground, is my thought. Unless I am mistaken, Town Center Gardens is the Brightkeys "track record" in Ramsey, and we should be unforgiving.

That Dommer guy talked for them in front of the Ramsey council. Elegant marketing.

Good luck Blaine. The article continues:

As proposed, private investment of $25 million would be used to finance a three-building campus at the site.

A total of 110 senior apartments, a mix of one- and two-bedroom units, would be built in one, four-story building.

Sixty memory care units, assisted living and future nursing beds would be included in a separate three-story building.

A total of 72,000 square feet of retail and office space would be featured in separate three- and four-story buildings.

Restaurant space of approximately 8,000 square feet would also be included in the proposed mixed-use project.

According to Schafer, the proposed site’s land use is currently designated planned industrial and commercial.

While that designation is appropriate for office, retail and restaurant use as well as assisted living and memory care, Schafer said the 110 senior units would require a land use modification as high-density residential.

Previous senior housing projects in Blaine have not been completed without some form of assistance to lower costs, reduce interest or provide tax reductions, Schafer said in his background memo to the council.

“We did this for the senior housing at Cloverleaf Courts and other senior housing projects in Blaine,” Schafer said.

BrightKeys and Crest View are proposing use of a “pay-as-you-go” housing tax increment financing plan with a term of 25 years, according to Schafer.

And in case you did not already know:

TIF is a mechanism used by cities to fund land redevelopment, acquisition, demolition and renovation work.

City officials calculate how much tax revenue new developments can generate and then borrow money against the future income.

Over time, the tax revenue generated reimburses a developer for the cost of work on the improved site.

TIF support would guarantee a rent write down for approximately 20 percent of the independent units as well as the base housing cost for 20 percent of the assisted units.

Schafer said this would make the entire senior project more feasible.

According to Schafer, an early estimate indicates 80 percent of the available tax increment would be returned to the project.

That means the city of Blaine would provide total TIF support of $200,000 annually over the 25 years.

The old folks won't likely last as long as the TIFing, but is that anyone's surprise?

The article continues:

Details of proposed BrightKeys and Crest View’s proposed plan would need to be reviewed and approved by the Blaine Economic Development Authority and made part of a TIF assistance agreement, Schafer’s council memo concluded.

The 80,000 square feet of commercial office and retail would not be part of any TIF arrangement with the city.

BrightKeys and Crest View would pay an expected $200,000-$250,000 per year in annual property taxes

“There’s a lot of positives with this,” said Councilmember Katherine Kolb. “I’d like to see this happen, but we still have to talk about the tax increment financing request first.”

Councilmember Dick Swanson said the project is needed by the Blaine community.

He agreed use of the “pay as you go” financing would be critical so there would be no lump-sum payment involved if the city participated in the project.

“I like the project,” said Councilmember Russ Herbst. “I think it’s a heck of a deal. Let’s get it set up.”

Barnes provided supporting demographics for the project during her brief remarks to the council.

She said 23.6 percent of people age 75 and older in Blaine have incomes of $15,000 or less.

Another 25 percent, Barnes said, have income that range from $15,000 to $25,000 annually.

According to Barnes, the senior housing project would bring 55 new jobs to the city with a $1.3 million annual payroll.

Crest View also will be developing and sponsoring a continuum of care retirement community at the Ramsey Town Center, according to information posted on its Web site.

That facility is scheduled to open in 2009, the Web site stated.

How the old folks income demographics factor into the thing is unclear. Perhaps the numbers show how much they can be taken down for before rock bottom's reached. Why report that anyway? Old folks usually don't have high incomes. That's not exactly news. Unless they're old Crabgrass, I guess. Then they are wealthy. I wonder who the landholder - land speculator is in this Blaine deal. I wonder if there's a relative on the Blaine city council. The Crest View website, has this to say, with a mention of Town Center:

Our Mission
Crest View Senior Communities, founded as a charitable Christian organization, in cooperation with the community and Member Churches, exists to serve people by offering a continuum of quality care and services and by providing for their spiritual, emotional and physical needs.

Crest View Senior Community at Ramsey Town Center is currently taking applications. [see opening photo, above, that's advance reservations - well in advance] We are blessed to be able to caring out our ministry of serving older adults.

We continue to be pioneers today in carrying out our strategic plan, which is based on our mission and vision. We welcome you to Crest View Senior Communities and hope that you experience a feeling of what we call the "Ruth Experience", which is carrying out our mission through a sense of calling, not obligation. We are called to serve and we are blessed. If you ever wish to reach me, you may call 763-782-1645.

I am not too sure about that "able to caring out" sentence, but I think it means something about "able to be carrying out," apart from any concept of outsourcing care, or any other such possible meaning. The ABC Newspapers article did not link to the old folks home business website, but I found it with Google. Would you believe, "crestviewcares.org"? Isn't that sweet? They care. There must have been a bunch of "crestview" URL registrations already, hence the ...cares.org??

Interestingly, in Googling, I found a "Crestview Manor" old folks home in Escondido California - "gracious living for the retired" - so it, "Crestview," must be a popular name in the trade, single word as in Escondido, or "Crest View," as the Minnesota variety calls itself. My favorite Google hit is this one, "Senior Music Show," which will be touring, and playing at Crest View, at the existing Columbia Heights [yes, Nedegaard land] locale.

Springsteen is coming to town soon, playing downtown. By now, he's "Senior Music," isn't he? Getting on in years like Bob Dylan. Springsteen probably has an AARP card, as well as a musicians' union membership card, Visa, and Capital One.

But "The Boss" he is not like that neat "Senior Music" act Crest View's booked.

"Jim is the best Elvis impressionist I have heard in Minnesota" - Marilyn Andersen

That's one of the credits/endorsements the act posts on its website. Good luck, old folks with that act. Probably the Alzheimer's patients will enjoy it. Lawrence Welk probably was pleasing to Terry Schiavo while she was hooked up. A failing mind makes it sound better, all that, I guess.

"Senior Music," indeed. I'm old. And I'm insulted. Old does not equal "likes schlock."

And by the time it's built in Ramsey, we'll have that Community Bank, across the street. Whoever owns it. By then. In Jim Deal's building. Maybe he's buying the bank. Maybe renting out the space. All a stone's throw from City Hall. And when the old folks get tired of that perpetulal train whistle and the enduring accompanying rumble, they may be throwing stones at City Hall, trying to hit those who thought it a fine idea to make "Crest View By The Tracks" a part of a glittering Ramsey Town Center extraveganza experience.



Live Here. Play Here. Work Here. Bank Here.