EDSR INFORMATION 07-11-2011Elk River Getting Ready to Market Itself ~ Business ~ Elk River -Rogers - St. Michael News Page 1 of 4
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Elk River Getting Ready tc~ Market Itself
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e you heard? Elk River is working on creating a brand for itself....
effort got underway last fall, when the City Council approved four goals for the city...including
:loping a brand and marketing strategy for the city.
month, the city gathered ideas and thoughts from residents through an online and mail-in survey--
e results will be released sometime next month.
he idea, city officials say is to create a "united message" that represents the entire community and
accurately reflects the thoughts, perceptions and opinions" of everyone.
branding subcommittee was formed in January to help city staff pull together the information.
.cording to the city's website, "Our goal is to £md out what people think about us, and to use that
formation to best market our community and utilize our assets to maximize Elk River's exposure."
tey re also conducting focus groups, interviewing people, doing online surveys with city employees and
uring the community for information.
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http://elkriver-rogers-stmichael.kstp.com/news/business/elk-river-getting-ready-market-it... 06/21 /2011
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM
.ttiver
TO: Economic Development Authority
FROM: Annie Deckert, Director of Economic Development
DATE: 11 July 2011
SUBJECT: Sherburne County Economic Development Authority
On August 5`h, 2008 the Sherburne County Commission adopted a resolution enabling
creation of an Economic Development Authority, excluding the power to levy.
On May 31S`, 2011 the Sherburne County Commission appointed Annie Deckert, Director
of Economic Development to the Economic Development Authority Board (District 1) fox
a two year term.
The EDA has since met twice to establish a business subsidy policy, agreement and TIF
District proposed to be used to facilitate construction of an approximately 65,000 square
foot expansion to the existing Appert's Foodservice facility in Haven Township. Staff will
continue to attend meetings as needed and update the EDA as necessary.
Is this heaven? No, it's St. Louis Park ~ StarTribune.com
Page 1 of 3
INFORMATION
StarTribune
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Is this heaven? No, it's
St. Louis Park
Article by: ,Star Tribune
Updated: July 5, 2011 - 2.50 PM
People who live in St. Louis Park are happy
with their city. Giddy, even, compared to the
ratings people in other Minnesota cities give
their hometowns. Content, even though as a
group they make less money than they did 2
1 /2 years ago.
Those are some of the results of a citywide
survey that took the temperature of St. Louis
Park residents this spring, part of a city
effort to track trends and check priorities.
Ninety-seven percent of residents rated the
quality of life in St. Louis Park as excellent or
good and 95 percent said they feel safe.
Only 4 percent of residents said they
anticipated moving in the next five years,
and 89 percent rated city services as
excellent or good.
Survey firm Decision Resources told city
officials those ratings are among the highest
they have seen in the many Twin Cities
Jacobs was pleased.
"I can go on and on about how St. Louis Park
is a different place," he said. "It stems from
the notion of neighborhoods and how
connected people are."
City Manager Tom Harmening pointed out
that just 13 percent of survey respondents
did not know the name of the neighborhood
they live in. But Harmening said the city also
has a history of setting high standards for
resident services and a tradition of working
with residents.
"We try to get citizens to be part of the public
process," he said.
Asked what serious issues face the city, 18
percent of residents cited Hennepin
County's desire to move a freight train line
from Minneapolis to St. Louis Park to make r
oom for light rail. Eight percent cited high
taxes and rising crime, and 12 percent said
they did not see any serious issues. That "no
issue" response is twice the suburban norm,
according to the survey company.
Reaction to a changing city was mild.
Seventy-five percent of those surveyed said
they thought the city's growing diversity was
a good thing. While some residents have
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http://www.startribune.com/local/west/124813844.htm1 07/07/2011
Is this heaven? No, it's St. Louis Park ~ StarTribune.com
StarTribune
Page 2 of 3
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complained that large developments such as
Excelsior & Grand have created traffic and
congestion problems, 70 percent of survey
respondents rated redevelopment in the city
as positive.
The city has lots of multifamily housing, and
28 percent of residents thought there were
too many apartments and 21 percent said
there were too many condos and
townhouses. Harmening said proposals for
more condo developments have withered as
the economy has suffered. Jacobs agreed
that the city needs to be careful not to
overbuild multifamily housing, although he
said the three light-rail stations that are
proposed for his city may result in a push
for higher-density housing in those
locations.
"I think if you build multifamily housing, you
need to make sure it's high-quality
construction so people want to live there in
the future," he said.
Past surveys have shown a strong desire
among residents for more trails, and the
latest survey reinforced that. Eighty-nine
percent of those surveyed wanted the city to
build more trails and sidewalks, although
only 47 percent would support higher
property taxes or a user fee to pay for them.
Harmening said he thought that number was
going to be lower.
"No one wants to pay more if they can help
it," he said. "There is probably a stronger
emphasis and interest in trails than in
sidewalks."
More than 70 percent of residents were
interested having a new indoor swimming
pool in the city, and similar proportions said
they'd be interested in new city indoor
walking and running tracks and a fitness
center. Harmening said that the City Council
has been mulling over the city's facilities
needs, including recreational facilities.
But he said the city may focus less on
construction than on trying to figure out
how to work with existing health clubs in the
city to perhaps offer residents a reduced
rate.
"Rather than us competing with them, why
don't we provide the amenity that residents
are looking for?" he said.
Harmening said the self-reported drop in
median annual income of $7,750 may be
linked partly to people retiring since the last
survey was taken, in 2008. Almost a quarter
of respondents were at least 65 years old.
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http://www.startribune.com/local/west/124813844.html 07/07/2011
Is this heaven? No, it's St. Louis Park ~ StarTribune.com
StarTribune
Page 3 of 3
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Ten percent of residents reported incomes
under $25,000 and the same proportion
said they made more than $100,000 a year.
The average age of people who took the
survey was 50.6 years. Median residency in
the city was 16.2 years, and 65 percent of
those surveyed owned their residence.
Seventy-seven percent of respondents were
white, 10 percent were African-American
and 54 percent were women.
The survey was conducted by telephone with
400 randomly selected households between
April 17 and May 19. Each interview took
approximately 30 minutes. To read a
summary of the survey and see more
results, go to tinyurLcoml44prdwo and
jump to page 6.
Mary Jane Smetanka • 612-673-7380
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http://www.startribune.com/local/west/124813844.htm1 07/07/2011