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AUG-04-2000 :I�21 �:"� �F �P� o,�� Aug 4, 2000 MI. Brad Scheib Awards Committee Chair Hoisington Koegler Group, Inc. I 23 North Third Street, Suite 100 Minneapolis, MN 55401 Dear Mr. Scheib and Award Committee Members: It is with extreme pleasure that I request that you please accept this letter of support for the Distinguished Leadership Award to Dennis P. Welsch from the Minnesota Chapter of the American Planning Association (MnAPA). Beginning in 1977 I had the pleasure of working with Dennis when he was the City Planning Director for the City of Red Wing and then again when he was the Community Development Director for Apple Valley. In particular, I worked with Dennis as he planned for and then organized the redevelopment of downtown Red Wing and then when he did it a11 over again for the "downtown" in Apple Va11ey. For those of you that don't know, Dennis is responsible for the planning and construction of the largest red light district in the state of Minnesota, the Ring Route in Apple Va11ey, where only candy apple red historic period light poles were allowed. Additionally, Dennis and I are fellow Doctoral students at Hamliae University, as a result our friendship and professional relationships not only continue, but go back a long, long way. I support the nomination for Dennis for this award because he is the type of person both professionally and personally that I would like to be. He is both a professionally innovative and very competent planning professional, but he is also a mentor to every body he knows. This goes far beyond the many interns he sponsors, but also to his staff, the planning commissions and city councils and even his supervisors. This is a very unique talent that few people have and which Dennis uses very nicely. Dennis also has the very rare talent of being able to handle hostile crowds and meetings in a way where the public thanks him afterwards for his help. I envy that. I believe Dermis Welsch is truly an outstanding leader, and his presence in the field of planniag has made a difference to the profession and to the communities and the individuals he has worked with. Sincerely Yours Thomas M. Melena Oak Park Heights City Administrator