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<br />Ramsey travel policy will be created after state auditor's opinion <br />surrounding it" it's hard to get the proper feel of how it works, he said. <br /> <br />Page 3 of3 <br /> <br />Councilmember David Eivig agreed. <br /> <br />1 member of the Ramsey Town Center Task Force, Elvig went on the 2001 Chicago trip. <br /> <br />The town center was a concept at that time; "now we are asking specifics," he said. <br /> <br />By going to these projects, the staff and council are determining if they are going about this right and if they are <br />building this properly, said Eivig. <br /> <br />Elvig spent a lot of time with public works in Chicago, seeing how they were stacking traffic, how 24-foot roads work <br />and how they designed pedestrian-friendly crossing, he said. <br /> <br />The core of the town center is different from another suburban centers in Minnesota and that's why the group went out <br />to see how they did it in the Phoenix and L.A. developments, said Norman. <br /> <br />"We were trying to see how it all comes together," he said. "The city is trying to create a true designation and a sense <br />of place." <br /> <br />"We are negotiating what should be brought in, such as a cinema, how a community center fits into the core, how parks <br />system fits, how to further define it so we want to look at different developments," he said. <br /> <br />Although some residents claim there is a huge uproar about these trips, Gamec and Elvig said they have not received <br />any negative comments. <br /> <br />city did receive a couple of calls following the release of the auditor's report, said Norman. <br /> <br />Although it is difficult to specify what the specific benefit of the trips will be to the city, the Chicago trip benefited the <br />city by the creation of the town center project, which has added thousands of dollars per year to the tax base and will <br />bring down taxes for the residents, he said. <br /> <br />M~ney' from the Arizona/California trips were paid:from staff development funds. Gamec's China trip was paid <br />through the council's contingency fund. .. , . . . <br /> <br />Top of Page <br /> <br />ABC Newspapers <br />410 I Coon Rapids Blvd. <br />Coon Rapids, MN 55433 <br />763-421-4444 <br />Fax 763-421-4315 <br /> <br />Copyright i9ECM Publishers, Inc. All Rights Reserved <br /> <br />http://www.abcnewspapers.com/2005/Julyl7travel.html <br /> <br />7/18/2005 <br />