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4 Business spotlight: Welsch’s Big Ten TavernWelsch’s Big Ten Tavern has called Arden Hills home for 57 years. The family-owned restaurant, bar, comedy club, and now catering company, has been passed down through five generations of Welsches since 1903. Owner Jack Welsch is getting ready to pass the baton to his son James, who is currently the head cook at the tavern and manages the catering business. The Big Ten was originally called Welsch’s Supper Club and was located on Rice Street and Maryland Avenue in St. Paul until it moved to Arden Hills in 1959. According to Jack, the Welsches have the oldest family-owned liquor license in Min- nesota. The tavern also has the first liquor license issued in Arden Hills, and is the first for-profit business in Minnesota allowed to sell pull tabs. (The pull tabs at the Big Ten benefit Roseville Hockey.) The “Big Ten” in Welsch’s Big Ten Tavern comes from the bar’s accessible location right on the big highway number 10. The landmark also serves as a meeting place for American Legion Post 513. A 105 Howitzer (a piece of heavy military artil- lery used in WWII) stands out front of the Big Ten. It was dedicated to that Legion post in 2007 in memory of their departed members. Welsch’s Big Ten Tavern is truly a stalwart tavern, as their Google profile states, that offers comfort grub and entertainment, including comedy, karaoke and live music. Its array of mouth-watering food includes house-smoked prime rib. (Yes, it even have its own smoker. Hence the giant pig statue out front.) Also on the menu are all-you- can-eat crab legs, burgers, pizza, soups, salads, pasta, and more. Additionally, Ric McCloud’s Comedy Cabaret can be found in the basement of the Big Ten. Comedy shows are every Friday and Saturday night at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be obtained by calling 651-633-7253. Welsch’s Tavern is open every day-- Mon- day through Friday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. To find out even more about Welsch’s, visit welschsbigten.com or to learn more about Big Ten Catering, visit bigtencatering.com. by Emma Theis Two Arden Hills City staffers, Sue Iver- son and Matthew Bachler, finished 2015 with significant accomplishments. Sue Iverson, Director of Finance and Administrative Services and Acting City Administrator, receiv- ed the prestigious Thomas J. Moran Award. This was presented by the Minnesota Government Finance Officers Association for her “outstanding contributions and services rendered to the improvement and advancement of the quality of public fi- nance administration.” Since the inception of this award in 1980, Sue is only the 16th recipient of this honor. Matthew Bachler, Senior Planner for the City, passed the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) exam, a rigorous assessment of a plan- ner’s abilities, and was awarded AICP certifica- tion in November, 2015. AICP provides the only nationwide independent verification of a plan- ner’s qualifications. In addition to the exam, candidates complete criteria for education and experience and write essays demonstrating a comprehen- sive approach to planning. Those certified “commit to upholding high standards of practice and ethics and to keeping their skills up to date by continuously pursuing advanced professional education.” City staffers honored by Susan Cathey This spring, the center median on High- way 10 in front of Welsch’s Big Ten Tavern is being closed permanently as part of a MnDOT safety project, according to Mark Lindeberg, a north area engineer for MnDOT. This means that traffic coming north on Highway 10 will no longer be able to make a left turn into the tavern and the neighborhoods behind. The frontage road adjacent to the tavern (which also serves as the entrance to Big Ten) will still be accessible as a right-in- right-out from Highway10 southbound. Northbound travelers will have to bypass the tavern and make a U-turn at The Mer- maid in Mounds View or navigate through the neighborhood entrance off Highway 96. “They’re gonna cut off at least 50 percent of my business,” said owner Jack Welsch. If that happens, Welsch said he would most likely have to leave Arden Hills. The median closure would also cut off Big Ten from the Rice Creek Commons develop- ment going in across Highway 10 at the old TCAAP site. The development will bring approximately 3,000 more residents to Arden Hills and business for Welsch. Welsch said he plans to unite with the neighborhood and petition for a stoplight at his entrance onto Highway 10. Unfortu- nately, that outcome is unlikely for the non- stop double lane throughway, which will presumably have a third lane added from I-35W to Highway 96 in the near future, according to Lindeberg. To find about more about the upcoming MnDOT projects on Highway 10, visit http://www.dot.state.mn.us/roadwork/cur- rent.html. Planned Highway 10 changes could impact Welsch’s Big Ten