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IF Residents in Arden Hills III closeto Northwestern College banded together to give weight to their input and views regarding the College's plans for its Fine Arts Bldg., and presented some objections and questions at the May 4 Planning Commission's Public Hearing. Northwestern is requesting a Special Use Permit for this expansion and neighboring residents are asking the Planning Commission to take a hard look at the impact this will have on our community. Debate will continue on this for sometime in the Planning Commission. The cast of players will include not only P.C. members, Arden Hills residents and representatives from Northwestern; some speaking parts will also go to the City of Roseville, the Rice Creek Watershed, the Metro Council and the City Engineers, to name a few. Check with the Village Hall prior to P.C. Meetings to determine if the subject is on the agenda next P.C. meeting is June 1. Two other "hot" Public Hearings were those on the upgrading of Lexington Ave., Hamline Ave. north of 694 and County Road F between Hamline and Lex. The Hamline Ave. issue brought out about 150 residents for the Public Hear- ing. Pemtom Villages has a Homeowners Association and members of this group were vocal, as were other residents on or adjacent to`Hamline. Coun- cil's present plan is to fill the chuck holes, dips and depressions.in the road from County Road F to Highway 96, seal the surface, and propose a 40 wide crushed limestone shoulder on the west side as a pedestrian/bicycle, path`. Re the Lexington Ave. upgrading - From County Road J to Victoria: Maintain as an improved two-lane road with a detached bike path on the west side. From Victoria to County Road E: Improve and up -grade to four lanes, providing extended turn lanes as needed for safety, with a detached bicycle lane on the east side. From County Road E to County Road D (Lex- ington Ave. residents from this area let the Council know they don't want a four -lane road): Improve and up -grade to two-lane roadway, 32' from curb to curb with a bicycle lane attached to the curb on each side. Editorializing: Through the years in Arden Hills a frequently used tool for providing "clout" to residents' viewpoints or arguements on an issue, either pro or con, has been to use a signed Petition to Council. These petitions do, of course, carry considerable weight. However, their ef- fectiveness can be diminished, and perhaps should be, if their content is not clearly understood by each signer or if signatures appear in a pat- tern suggesting neighborhood peer pressure is the influential factor in a signer's declaration of agreement rather than his thoughtful and personal consideration. Writers of petitions, signers of them and readers of them (normally local Village Officials) all have a responsibility to weigh ne- titions carefully. The Newsletter Publication Committee (comprised of Board Members of the Ar- den Association responsible for defining and maintaining the editorial pol- icies of the Crier) met April 19. Members of this Committee reviewed re- sponses to our request for citizens' reactions to the Crier and were pleased at the positive reactions of our readers, based on letters and telephone com- ments to Committee members. The Committee wishes to re-emphasize its desire for resident input. A Village Official recently stated that Committee com- munications to the Crier should first be approved by Council. We want to make it clear we do not agree with this position. What a Committee does in a public meeting should be made known to residents -- not what Council ap- proves for release to the media. Citizens input will let other citizens know what is actually happening in the Village.