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Editor's comments: Well. After sitting through two years of Planning Commis- sion meetings myself, I must agree with the sense of frustration expressed in Mr. McCloskey's letter. The conflict of interest problem and the too -late meetings are also very apparent to a regular observer. called Mr. McCloskey about his letter and found that his main concern I ' is for the remaining undeveloped land in Arden Hills, which he estimates to be I around 159. He said if this land is not carefully planned, we will end up with a lovely city pockmarked with areas of ugliness, rather like a gorgeous ' woman with a wart on her chin. Or several warts. To prevent this from happening, Mr. McCloskey suggested that the agenda of the Planning Commission be limited by ordinance and/or the Commission meet twice a month. Some minor things need never appear before the Planning Com- mission; they could be handled by the Building Inspector or the City staff. He also thinks that the City Council should do a better job of leading the way in planning. For example, Mr. McCloskey feels the Council made a very poor decision in allowing our own Public Works building to expand directly adjacent to the lovely townhomes in Arden North. His point is that Arden Hills is no longer a small town and the maturity of the community requires a different, more efficient,approach to planning. The Planning Commission and Council should not spend 45 minutes each on a five - yard fence setback. However, I have seen that even when the agenda of the Planning Commission is very short, they manage to discuss things until midnight anyway. That, apparently, is one of Parkinson's Laws. The crux of the matter is really the leadership from the Council. Our current Council seems to have chosen a path that enables them to keep an eye on every small detail in Arden Hills. This naturally requires more time from them and from the Planning Commission. It appears as though it is the desire of the Council to have Arden Hills remain as "small town" as possible, while at the same time recognizing economic limitations. (It was the prohibi- tive cost of relocating the Public Works department that caused the expansion next to the Townhouses.) So perhaps Mr. McCloskey has brought the main problem into focus: Should Arden Hills remain as it is or try to streamline its operations at the cost of reduced personal contact between the citizens and the regulating bodies? Which system would do a better job of planning? If you have any thoughts on this, give me a ring. POTPOURRI: The Council has given Presbyterian Homes the OK to go ahead and renovate the old Johanna Elementary School into 19 apartments for the elderly. However, many neighbors are very concerned over the use of the rest of the land ..... Looks like the gas station on Cleveland and County Road D is finally settled. Someone is going to tear the whole thing down and erect a small of- fice building.....Personnel change at the Village Hall: Shirley Marshall is our new receptionist, working part-time from 9:00 to 1:00. She really does lovely have Scholls, Inc. has. ebeen c • OK'dto build a million dollar warehouse on the west side of .Round Lake. Scholls is a wholesale distributor of health and beauty aids.....Stewart Lumber is going to add lean-to coverage of some of their -out- side lumber storage...,..The first meeting of the County Road E businessmen from "downtown" Arden Hills and the representatives of the City has been held and it was discovered, not surprisingly, that while AH is concerned.with the appearance of the area, the businesses are concerned with function. We're going to have to put our priorities in order and then, hardest of all, decide who will pay for what..... Additional radar patrolling has been requested for Arden Hills and the particular areas to be covered include: County Road E, Lake Johanna Blvd.,