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Ram�ey travel policy will be created after state auditor's opinion surrounding it" it's hard to get the proper feel of how it works, he said. Councilmember David Elvig agreed. As a member of the Ramsey Town Center Task Force, Elvig went on the 2001 Chicago trip. The town center was a concept at that time; "now we are asking specifics," he said. Page 3 of 3 By going to these proj ects, the staff and council are determining if they are going about this right and if they are building this properly, said Elvig. Elvig spent a lot of time with public works in Chicago, seeing how they were stacking traffic, how 24-foot roads work and how they designed pedestrian-friendly crossing, he said. The core of the town center is different from another suburban centers in Minnesota and that's why the group went out to see how they did it in the Phoenix and L.A. developments, said Norman. "We were trying to see how it all comes together," he said. "The city is trying to create a true designation and a sense of place." "We are negotiating what should be brought in, such as a cinema, how a community center fits into the core, how parks system fits, how to further define it so we want to look at different developments," he said. Although some residents claim there is a huge uproar about these trips, Gamec and Elvig said they have not received any negative comments. The city did receive a couple of calls following the release of the auditor's report, said Norman. Although it is difficult to specify what the specific benefit of the trips will be to the city, the Chicago trip benefited the city by the creation of the town center project, which has added thousands of dollars per year to the tax base and will bring down taxes for the residents, he said. Money from the A�izonalCal��o�ia trips were paidjfrom staff development funds. Gamec's China trip was paid thraugh the council's contingency fund. �� Tap o f t'��e ABG Newspapers 4101 Coon Rapids Blvd. Coon Rapids, MN 55433 763-421-4444 Fax 763-421-4315 Copyright OECM Publishers, Inc. All Rights Reserved Iris��:r:+�+rw.�ir�n�.++v;�p��+l.'1`�,�.�151{�t�r�3 � a�� I r�� ?�+�'��.�t�F �; I;�r?E?�k�