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<br /> ownship says no tobridge, urbanization
<br /> Y
<br /> By Dennis Cassano aside almost 200 acres at the bridge velopment areas from the compre- their own industrial park at -the
<br /> Staff Writer landing for a light industrial park. hensive plan it is writing. But last bridge landing, but the township's
<br /> Dahlke's ticketmates, Paul Nasvik week the committee rejected the debate stalled their plans.
<br /> Inspired by the prospect of a new and Scot Fogelberg, defeated their directive and decided to discuss the
<br /> bridge over the St. Croix River link- opponents with 76 and 70 percent, issue further. Whatever the commit- They also are moving their home--
<br /> ing the Twin Cities with St. Joseph respectively.Nearly 80 percent of the tee's recommendation will be, the from White Bear Lake to St.Josepi3:
<br /> Township,Wis.,the hopeful develop- voters approved an antidevelopment board will have the final say. The cost of land, taxes and expense
<br /> er stood in Lloyd Dahlke's yard and statement in an advisory referendum. for their home and business will:be.
<br /> asked how much he wants for his But Deborah Morken thinks the"fi- less,they said. vqm..
<br /> 370-acre farm. The election results were a stark nal say" will be transitory. She and t ix
<br /> punctuation of a long-simmering de- her husband,Tom, own a metal fab- They already have a potential cfis:"
<br /> Dahlke told him he had stopped at bate in the township of an estimated rication business with plants in Still- tomer for an industrial park in t*
<br /> the wrong farm. About a month be- 3,000 people, which has added 400 water and North St. Paul and an Joseph. Thomas Giebel, owner of iv
<br /> fore the man's April visit, Dahlke residents since the 1990 census. The office in Maplewood. They are mov- robotics manufacturing firm in Oak-,c
<br /> led a three-man antidevelopment census showed that nearly 70 percent • ing the whole operation to Somerset, dale, also is considering a more,"
<br /> ticket that swept the Township Board of its workers cross the St. Croix Wis., this fall, where they are con- "That bridge is an open invitation'•'••
<br /> election..? every day to work in Washington, structing an$800,000 building in the he said. "Companies will fly acro s
<br /> Ramsey and Hennepin counties. industrial park there. that bridge." 11:4
<br /> Capturing 63 percent of the vote, he
<br /> defeated Bob Orf, a board member But the debate continues.The Town- They wanted to move to the Houlton . Township continued on page 3B `''�
<br /> who sat on a committee that had ship Board recently told its Planning area and have a purchase option on a +Ey,'
<br /> recommended that the township set Committee to remove industrial de- 70-acre parcel so they could develop - ,,r
<br /> y •szv+.se
<br /> • ...
<br /> Township High hopes for new bridge .
<br /> Continued from page Residents in St.Joseph Township,Wis.,are planning for the future once er r.
<br /> new bridge improves the road links between Minnesota and Wisconsirr.
<br /> Orf and the township's Industrial De- Some want to take advantage of the new span and roadways to encouge
<br /> velopment Committee thinks that is industrial growth,while others would opt for resira
<br /> dential development.
<br /> welcome news because the township
<br /> !needs to broaden its tax base to help
<br /> ,':?°°.,..'i ,
<br /> keep taxes from rising rapidly. He '//
<br /> said that he knows that industrial MINNESOTA ss �v WIS.
<br /> •development will not lower taxes,
<br /> but that it should slow the increases
<br /> that will be needed to build schools � Stillwater ' t 5th
<br /> for children of families moving into Township �` �;� St.
<br /> the township. Existing V as
<br /> lift bridge of`° say New Hwy.64)
<br /> Orf said the newcomers oppose in-
<br /> dustrial development, but the split " "! Houlton
<br /> Detween farmers and those with ex- Hwy.36 to be ® , "' C�
<br /> pensive suburban houses on 3-acre upgraded from St.Joseph Township
<br /> lots is not well-defined. Dahlke, 60, County Rd.5
<br /> Also was born and raised on the farm 15, to Hwy.95 5 '�
<br /> he operates just south of the pro-
<br /> Proposed
<br /> posed industrial park, a Stillwater as\ industrial
<br /> park site
<br /> Wash.Greeley Osgood
<br /> His farm sweeps in rolling hills from St. St. Av. 1 _c, P
<br /> Hwy. 35 to the horizon in a way that l_.11._J A Proposed
<br /> 'would make developers drool. But, //"�"""(r"'"T�""""ii bridge
<br /> he said, "You don't farm because //// s�
<br /> there's money in it. You farm beOak Park Heights
<br /> cause of the love of the land." Star Tribune Graphic
<br /> III Most people want to keep the area as The Morkens are hanging onto their bridge going up. St. Joe is going to
<br /> it is, he said. The others want to option to buy and their plans for have to work through its growing
<br /> develop the township"too much,too developing a park for light industry. pains. It is not going to be able to
<br /> fast,"he said. stop the growth. We're a little ahead
<br /> Deborah Morken said she thinks the of our time, but [industrial develop
<br /> Developers, he said, "are circling township "won't deal with the [de- ment]will come.We will wait."
<br /> around us like vultures." velopment] issue until they see the
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