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-�u,ust -l. �Ot�U Mr. Brad Scheib Awards Committee Chair Hoisington Koegler Group, Inc. 123 North Third Street, Suite 100 Minneapolis, MN 5540 l Dear Mr. Scheib and Award Committee Members: Please accept this letter of support for the Drstinguished Leadership Award to Dennis P. Welsch from the Minnesota Chapter of the American Planning Association (�1nAPA). During the period 1988-93 I had the great pleasure of working with Dennis when he was the Community Development Director for the City of Apple Valley. In my capacity as City Planner during the period I worked with Dennis there were many memorable projects we collaborated on. Of this long list, the most significant project was the coordination of the of the "Ring Route" project, as it is known among City staf£ This project encompassed the creation of policy plans, engineering designs, and implementation schedules which served to define the City's central commercial area as a unique environment within a suburban community. Ten years after the fact, this effort continues to bear fruit for the City both in terms of the ongoing commercial development activity it has fostered and in the sense of community identity and recognition that it brings its inhabitants. Not content with simply creating such an environment, Dennis proceeded to document the process by writing the pamphlet Building a Dotivntown from Scratch so that others might benefit from the experience and build their own suburban downtown. I support the nomination for Dennis for this award because of his special ability to engage those around him to work in the service of the future. Dennis is able to show people how to work cooperatively in thinlcing about what future possibilities e�st and how they can both choose and implement the one alternative that best suits their collective needs and desires. In eliciting the best from those he quietly leads, Dennis has helped everyone who has worked for and with him to grow professionally so that they are able to impart similar guidance when the opportunity to serve arises in their own lives. I believe Dennis Welsch is truly an outstanding leader, and his presence in the field of planning has made a difference to the profession and to the communities and the individuals he has worked with. Sincerely, CITY OF APPLE VALLEY Richard B. Kelley, AICP Community Development Director c:\temp�welsch doc