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2050 Main Street · Centerville, Minnesota 55038 · Ph: (651) 429-9990 . Fax: (651) 429-9993 . www.nfpmn.com December 7,2004 Dear Centerville City Council, I wanted to share some comments with you relating to the Special Meeting that I attended on Wednesday, December 1st relating to the Anoka County CR 14 project. I appreciate the fact that a meeting was held, and that efforts were made to develop a list of concerns to address with Anoka County. My concern is whether the Council is committed to efforts that will challenge Anoka County on issues that could be detrimental to the future of the entire community of Centerville. The County's website indicates that one of the challenges of this project is to "achieve community consent". I feel that there needs to be a stronger and more committed effort in displaying a united front from the Council, the business community and the residents. This is a defining moment for the future of Centerville, and the project can have a positive impact on the community for years to come. Again, I am appreciative of the efforts made by some Council members to develop the list of concerns at the meeting. I was frustrated by comments made by a few Council members at the end relating to the following topics: . Suggesting that certain audience members had taken a negative approach to the meeting, and that future meetings needed to be done with a more constructive approach. I was hopeful that this would have been the tone that the meeting started with, but in my opinion, it started with a very negative tone from one Council member (Linda) in terms of what could be done. I admit that I became very frustrated and challenged the Council in a way that I wish had not transpired. But it was insulting to hear this "constructive approach" speech from a Council member who had created a significant majority of the negative tone early in the meeting. . Statements that the County had received point by point lists from the Council at various design meetings in the past, and that these lists had been disregarded in many instances when a new plan was published. After the meeting, I asked one of the Council members if I could receive copies of the lists previously given to the County. The response I received was that the County would have the record of the lists, as most of them were filled out on "comment cards" gathered during the meetings. I appreciate the fact that the "comment cards" were filled out by certain Council members, but I don't think this is an effective way for the Council to have their voice heard as a unified Council. I feel that the current list of community concerns should be spelled out in a letter that is official City Council correspondence. Also, my suggestion is that the tone of the letter be stated in a manner firm enough to make it clear that "community consent" will not be obtained if the issues are not addressed with reasonable responses and data to back up decisions. 1