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August 1, 2000 <br />Mr. Brad Scheib <br />Awards Committee Chair <br />Hoisington Koegler Group, Inc. <br />123 North Third Street, Suite 100 <br />Minneapolis, Minnesota <br />55401 <br />RE: Distinguished Leadership Award <br />Dear Mr. Scheib and Award Committee Members: <br />c � <br />Please accept this letter of support for the Distinguished Ceadersflip A ward to Dennis P. <br />Welsch from the Minnesota Chapter of the American Planning Association (MnAPA). <br />I had the e�raordinary pleasure of working with Dennis from 1995 to 1999, in which time <br />I was the Community Development Director for the City of Ardcn Hills and Dennis was my <br />counterpart for the City of Roscville. Dennis and I worked on numerous proj ects together, <br />some large some small. No matter what the proj ects size or complexity, Dennis' words and <br />actions always placed ensuring the publics t�ust as the first priority. <br />Dennis was solely responsible for bringing the planners of the surrounding cities together to <br />discuss issues of mutual interest. Under Dennis' direct tutelage, this group of planners <br />started seeing opportunities to collaborate with each other that directly benefited their <br />respective communities, which previously were not seen nor acted upon. Dennis' unique <br />blend of leadership and friendship allowed this group of planners (and ultimately, City <br />Administrators and Mayors) to blossom into the North Metro I-35�1i Corridor Coalition <br />(Coalition). The Coalition now consists of eight cities. two counties, four school districts, <br />and numerous supporting agencies and organizations whose vision is to jointly and <br />cooperatively plan for and maximize the opportunities for regional community <br />development, quality growth and diversification through a system of collaboration. All of <br />this is a direct result of Dennis' desire to make a difference. <br />Dennis shared with me his ideas regarding the sharpness to which our zoning codes kept us <br />inside of our discreet boxes when our citizens moved freely between those boxes. Soon we <br />were working on another proj ect to coordinate plans, zoning codes, design guidelines, and <br />public improvements along a common bordcr between our two communities. The <br />Neighborhood Commons project would attempt to reconnect the linkages between <br />neighborhoods that years of bureaucracy had allowed to be disassembled. <br />�ii� ���� �i11f1@SOta One City Hall Plaza 55318-I 962 Phone 612/448-2851 Fax 612/448-93CC <br />