Honey, you want to? No? Headache? Not anymore!

Warrant: Police responded about 4 p.m. July 5 to a report of a man damaging property in the 200 block of Fifth Avenue North. Police then received another report that he was causing a disturbance in the 200 block of Sixth Avenue North. He was found in the back yard of a home and a check showed he had a warrant out for his arrest. The 23-year-old man had several pills in his pockets, which he said were “sex pills.” He identified the various pills as Viagra, a seizure medication, aspirin and “Horny Goat,” which the man said he got out of a dispenser in the bathroom of a bar. He was arrested on suspicion of having a warrant and possessing legend drugs without a prescription.

As a follow-up to my post a month ago about the Apple Valley Cedar Avenue Bus Rapid Transit Display, I had Kim run over to the Apple Valley Cub to snap some photos of the North American Bus Industries Inc. (NABI) 60-BRT Hybrid that was on display as a preview of what is to come in the future for Dakota County.

For whatever reason, it wasn’t in the cards for me to see the BRT vehicle up close. I suppose I have vacation on the brain because yesterday (Tuesday) I thought that it was really Wednesday and drove over to Cub to find the parking lot missing one large bus. After Kim straightened my internal calendar out I planned on heading over today after we got back from work. Due to us both being stupid we ended up at the Apple Valley Transit Station while our car was safely parked at the overflow lot at 28th Ave in Bloomington which, by the way, will be closing on the 23rd and will be replaced by the newly constructed parking garage directly adjacent to the LRT platform! I’m not quite sure why Metro Transit decided that paper fliers stuck to windshields on a day when it was supposed to thunderstorm (it didn’t thankfully) would be a better way than say a large sign that everyone would be able to see, but hey, they’re funded by public monies, what better way to waste it than to print 100s of fliers and then have someone come and pick up the litter later?!

While Kim didn’t talk to anyone about the bus as she didn’t think she would be able to recall everything I really wanted to know such as the specific plans for the Cedar Ave Corridor itself and how that would affect the way bus service currently operates in and out of downtown, she did pick up several pamphlets and other media that they had available. According to NABI’s promotional materials for the bus that was on display, it offers:

• Five doors, two on the left hand side
• Air disc brakes on all three axles
• Optional all-electric air conditioning
• Low-floor entry at all doors
• Frame less side windows
• Fender skirts on all three axles
• Full-height door glazing
• Multi-function driver’s display
• Advanced multiplexing with integral diagnostics
• Hybrid-electric, diesel, or natural gas propulsion

To me it looks like a cross between the Light Rail (I’m sure on purpose) and your typical city bus. The interior doesn’t look any different than any other bus that is currently running with the MVTA aside from the fact that it’s a double connected with the accordion that I never feel comfortable sitting in. None of the promotional materials either from the county or from NABI discuss what type of “propulsion” we will utilize here in the South Metro nor how much it will cost.

While Kim didn’t ask any questions about possible route changes, a single sheet distributed by Dakota County shows the Cedar Avenue Bus Rapid Transit Corridor map with current and future stations marked starting at 215th St and Cedar and stopping just a little north of 494. Stations that have not yet been constructed yet appear to be planned for Cedar/MN-13, Cliff Rd, 140th St, 147th St, 180th St, and 215th St. Currently the 477 route out of Apple Valley makes no stops between Apple Valley and Lake St in Minneapolis (which is only by request) and during our daily trips to Minneapolis we only stop there 1 out of 4 days a week (I typically telecommute on Fridays). Is this map suggesting that the “rapid transit” out of Apple Valley will make five stops between the transit station and what appears to be the Mall of America? Overall, a nice preliminary thought, but as of right now, I’m just not as excited as the county seems to want me to be about this bus or their future plans for Cedar transit options.

I plan on contacting Sam O’Connell, the Dakota County Transit Specialist, who is listed as the contact for more information on the promotional materials, tomorrow to get some more of my questions answered and I will be sure to post them as a comment below. If you happen to have seen the NABI BRT vehicle today and have more information about the planned routes please let us know. In addition to contacting Sam, the county will be offering news, information and refreshments at several public sessions to be held at the Dakota County Western Service Center (which, ironically, is on a pretty shitty transit route) on the following Thursdays throughout the summer, fall, and winter at extremely inconvenient times for pretty much any typical mass transit rider (hey Dakota County, if you’re reading this, let’s see some new times offered that are acceptable, ok?)

July 24th (3:30 to 4:30pm)
August 28th (7:30 to 8:30am)
September 25th (3:30 to 4:30pm)
October 23rd (7:30 to 8:30am)
November 20th (7:30 to 8:30am)
December 18th (3:30 to 4:30pm)

See all the pictures from the NABI 60-BRT Hybrid Vehicle on Flickr here.

Theft Depot:

Burglary (Eagan). All Saints Lutheran church at 3010 Lexington Av. S. was broken into. A hammer and screwdrivers were missing from the pastor’s office.

Burglary (Eagan). Two officers responded to a similar call to take a report at the Trinity Lone Oak Church at 2950 Hwy 55.

Theft (Jordan). A drill valued at $1,500 was taken from an unlocked vehicle in the area of 3rd Street and Broadway Street.

Doesn’t everyone have $2000 worth of shit in their gym bag?:

Theft. A man from Burnsville reported that his gym bag with all the contents was stolen from his locker at a business in Savage. Estimated loss about $2,000.

My, what a big third leg you have:

Obscenity. A business in the 5800 block of Egan Drive reported a male fondling himself. Upon arrival officers determined that the man had a leg injury.

• Apple Valley - 24th
• Burnsville - 43rd
• Eagan - 17th
• Lakeville - 26th

We own everyone!

Long Meadow Lake Bridge originally uploaded by bolobilly

I posted before that during this year’s legislative session, $2 million was set aside to finally get a pedestrian/biking bridge to replace the currently condemned truss bridge that spans the Minnesota river between Burnsville and Bloomington. The bridge was closed to all traffic, including foot, in 2002 and there has been no pedestrian/bike route from the South of the River to North of the River on this side of town since. At this time, the only option is to ride your ass all the way down to Shakopee and cross near 169.

According to the Star Tribune, because federal money was set aside for this bridge, there is a clause that requires it be evaluated by historians to determine if renovation should occur rather than outright replacement. The bridge is apparently eligible to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places and several people who have a vested interest in seeing it remain as a historic place are fighting to do just that. Denis Gardner, author of a book about historic bridges in Minnesota, Larry Granger of the Bloomington Historical Society, and Sen. Jim Carlson DFL-Eagan are all interested in keeping the bridge as is but only if it’s financially feasible. The other side of the coin is that during its most recent tests, the bridge just wasn’t structurally sound. Jim Gates, Bloomington’s deputy director of public works, said that repairing the bridge would be more expensive than just replacing it.

Estimates including road repair, trail building and bridge costs total about $4.5 million and, at this time, will come from federal funding, Met Council dollars, and Bloomington taxpayers. The city hopes that they will be able to get additional dollars from Hennepin and Dakota counties, Burnsville and Eagan who will hook their hike/bike trails to this bridge. While costs for replacement have been considered, no one is quite sure what the cost would be for renovations. A historical assessment will begin in August and will take approximately two months. Once that is complete it will give everyone a better idea of just how much historical preservation would run but I really wonder what the decision makers consider “financially feasible”.

dgbrong, a commenter on the Star Tribune said:

It’s a bridge. It’s old and worn out. Replace it already.

What do you think? Should the bridge be replaced or should it be renovated, possibly adding a larger tax burden on Dakota and Hennepin taxpayers along with Bloomington, Burnsville and Eagan residents?

According to this article in the Pioneer Press, the Minnesota Supreme Court returned the case back to the lower courts saying that it would be permissible for Eagan to rezone the land as parkland if there was no reasonable way for the developer to generate revenue from the land. Well, considering that plenty of other developers and cities are having issues developing on land prepped for building, I can certainly see how Eagan would come out on top here. Unfortunately, the Eagan City Council caved and decided to enter an agreement where they would put it up for taxpayer vote in November. One resident just doesn’t understand how the land could be valued at 10.25 million dollars:

Dan Bailey, a neighbor of the golf course who has long opposed its development, wonders how the land came to be valued at $10 million. He thinks the price will prevent Eagan voters from protecting the site, which is no longer an operating golf course.

Bailey thinks he’ll probably vote against the referendum, so community members can once again persuade the City Council to turn down the development and go back to court.

“The deal is great in the sense that the people get to make the choice,” Bailey said, “but it’s bad in that both choices are bad for the people.”

Bailey is spot on here. The value of land, especially due to the fact that no one can turn a profit after developing on it anyway, has dropped significantly since this argument began over 4 years ago. While I don’t agree with Bailey’s assessment that voters should reject it outright and hope that Eagan takes the developer back to court, I think that the land is way overvalued and that the Eagan City Council made a big mistake by agreeing to these terms. With the economy the way it is and the fact that it’s only going to get worse as November rolls around, I’m not quite sure that this was the way to go about recapturing this land for green space.

The public has an opportunity to offer the City their input at two public meetings coming up in July. Meetings are scheduled for 6 PM Tuesday, July 15th, at the Eagan Community Center, and 6 PM July 29th in the Eagan Room at Eagan City Hall. Check the City of Eagan’s website information about the open houses here.

If you are a City of Eagan resident, what would you rather see? The possibility of nearly 500 empty homes sitting on a 120 acre plot that costs nothing except the knowledge that those houses may not fill for at least several years or the possibility of empty space never to be filled which cost the taxpayers of Eagan over $10 million? Perhaps you’d prefer what Dan Bailey suggests and force the issue back to the courts and hope to get the land for free. What if you lived in another city, what would you prefer your city council to do in this situation?

There has been plenty of press coverage about this topic since I began paying attention back in March and I took some bits and pieces from articles not linked above from many of these including this article (at Thisweek Live), this article (StarTribune), and also this article with pictures (Thisweek Live).

The second nasty thunderstorm in a week uprooted trees along Garrett Dr in Apple Valley and I took some photos (forgive me for the blurry ones) as we were driving along on our way back to the house. One family was already out cutting up a downed tree in their front yard with a chainsaw. I was worried about my vegetable “garden” on the porch but thankfully they survived just fine and while there were two downed trees in our development, nothing happened to our side.

Please link to any other photos of South Metro thunderstorm damage you may have!

Check out the rest of the photos on Flickr here (camera).

I have been closely watching a new skyway location at 225 S 6th St called The Original SoupMan which was slated to open today at 11 AM. After being reminded when I got off the bus by a sign outside the restaurant, I asked if Kim wanted to join me for lunch to try out this new place. She agreed and asked that we do it at 1 PM but after a meeting was rescheduled (and later rescheduled again to tomorrow) we ended up there at its busiest time at noon on the dot.

As Kim and I walked up the line was nearly out the door with people, just like us, looking to try out this place. I have a feeling that many were interested in name alone as this store is loosely based on the NYC location that was mentioned in that fucking god awful show Seinfield (the Soup Nazi). They had been renovating the L-shaped space for a long while but had paper over all the openings so you couldn’t see in until today. It was cleanly decorated with some seating and plenty of space to line up. A sign with the Nazi’s likeness was situated by the main entrance and it displayed the soups of the day without any prices listed.

As we were waiting in line we squinted to try and read the menu from afar and were soon offered a small sample of New England Clam Chowder. Knowing that this is at least based on the NYC favorite, I figured that the NE Clam Chowder would have to be somewhat decent. While Kim thought it was good (she said she would not normally eat this type of soup) I thought it fucking sucked. It wasn’t as bad as canned but it certainly wasn’t anything I’d be clamoring to return for and it does absolutely no justice to NYC or the Soup Nazi. I guess that something is lost in translation in the ~1000 miles between NYC and Minneapolis. At this point were were about halfway through the line and could begin to read some of the menu items. I was absolutely shocked at how fucking astronomically expensive this lunchtime restaurant was. Who the fuck are they kidding charging anywhere for $5 to $9 for a cup of soup?!

As we continued our long wait (now stretching over 10 minutes), a man came up and began chatting with one of the staff members dressed in a white coat (those wearing white coats seemed to be management level) and the worker told him that the best soup they had available was the Lobster Bisque. For $8.99 for a cup and $10.99 for a bowl (even more for a pint obviously), that better have been their best soup and it better have been made with live lobster living in a tank in the front, served in a golden chalice and offered to you by someone wearing white gloves and a tuxedo. From what I could tell, no live lobsters and no luck with any of the rest of it either.

As we came to see the menu better, we saw that they were offering soup with a half sandwich for $3 more or $5 more for a whole. I’m not quite sure how they feel that they can compete with any of the other downtown locations such as Eddington’s or even Panera. I assume that they need to have exorbitant rates to cover the “Soup Nazi’s” name and the fact that they are mentioning “as seen on Seinfeld”. Now knowing the prices Kim said to me that this would be our last lunch there. I could only agree.

Their sandwiches are much more reasonably priced starting at $2.39 for a half and going up to $7.49 for their most expensive whole. I really don’t see why you would want to eat here as opposed to any of the 1000 other options nearby unless you were some sort of huge fan of that fucking terrible show and really thought that eating overpriced food would bring you closer to Seinfeld and the Soup Nazi himself.

They have a variety of sandwiches listed and include everything from Grilled Chicken Balsamic to a Mexican Burrito. Several are wraps, some are paninis and the rest are your typical deli-like usuals. The only one that popped out at me was their Egg Salad and Parmesan which I decided on before I saw that they were all pre-wrapped in plastic and sitting upright in a cooler in the front. Their paninis are probably your best bet as they are made to order.

All combos come with soup, sandwich, salad and includes a beverage, baguette, fruit and a piece chocolate. The fruit, for me, was not ripe but one of Kim’s coworkers who ate there this afternoon said that his was over-ripened and he wasn’t quite sure how you could be selling black bananas on your opening day. Kim’s orange was tiny and was just slightly larger than a Clementine. I believe that they also had some tiny apples but I might be remembering incorrectly.

Our original order came to just over $23, quite expensive for a simple lunch like you would see at Panera (and which would be much, much better) but for those that work in the building (just say you do, seriously) you get a 25% off card (no information required as of today at least) and that brought it down $5.25 to a total of $17.37. After paying, Kim found a flavored decaffeinated raspberry tea and I grabbed my pop. They have no caffeine free and sugar free options available and they only have caffeine free root beer. As I was getting my drink, Kim worked her way through the line and found a place to sit along the windows. My chair was half off the tile and half on an unsteady grate. I was a little uneasy sitting on it and tried my best to move the table a bit more forward (into the line) so that I wouldn’t have to sit like that. While I’m sure it’s safe, I didn’t appreciate the precarious nature of my seating arrangement none-the-less.

After some quick photos, I tasted my food. The soup, while meaty, was basically awful. I like goulash just fine but this, this was nasty and had the texture of shit. Kim’s bisque was also quite meaty but I didn’t find anything special with it. It wasn’t nearly as good as other similarly priced bisques that I have had in much nicer restaurants and neither were items I’d ever order again. My wheat baguette was ok and my egg salad sandwich was nothing better than I could have had anywhere else including my own kitchen. Kim’s panini looked pathetic especially when they wrapped it in lame foil with more face time for the Nazi. I didn’t even bother to taste it and I didn’t hear a peep about it from Kim. Kim pretty much refused to drink her raspberry tea and I gave her my root beer. Because it was decaffeinated, I sucked it up and drank the tea which had the distinct flavor of Vicks 44. Nothing like bringing back memories of being sick as a kid! Blech. The best part of my meal? The small square of Dove chocolate that was offered as a desert.

As you can tell, this isn’t looking good for The Original SoupMan in Minneapolis. Soon after eating I posted this to Twitter and it pretty much sums up what you probably already know in 13 words:

The Original SoupMan fucking sucks the cock, stay far the fuck away. Yuck.

Seriously, don’t come here, it’s not worth your time or your money. Eddington’s next door or any Panera kick the living shit out of this place and as Kim mentioned, “no unlimited breadsticks kills them right there.” I’m assuming that something has been lost in translation coming from NYC to Minnesota via a mass produced chain store because there’s absolutely no fucking way that the soups and sandwiches we had today were anything even close to being Zagat rated as the original store is. It’s seriously a scam.

After I finished work today I stopped in the little store across the way to nab a Fresca and some gum before going to get Kim from her office. The friendly cashier inside asked if I had eaten at the place across the hall from him and when I said I had he mentioned that he couldn’t justify spending that kind of money for soup but even so he mentioned that people said the soup was ok but the food was too expensive. I just shrugged and said I didn’t care for the food or the prices and moved along. Did you try The Original SoupMan yet? If so, what did you think?

Address:
The Original SoupMan
225 S 6th S
Minneapolis, MN 55402

See all the pictures from The Original SoupMan in Minneapolis on Flickr here (camera).

From an overview of what Lakeville cops were doing late last month aside from waking up sleeping homeowners and taking pictures of drunken teens… I’m not quite sure what theft doesn’t include a questionable motive, but apparently ~4% of them are questionable:

June 19 - 27: 16 traffic crashes, 38 alarms, 37 animal complaints, 18 medical emergencies, some 251 traffic stops, and 27 thefts. One theft in particular had questionable motives. An officer responded to a construction site regarding a missing portable outhouse.

It seems that the Star Tribune just started adding a little note at the bottom of their police blotters but I’m too lazy to go back and look for fear that the links might be dead anyway. It reads, “Items are selected from reports made to police departments and are not intended to provide a comprehensive picture of crime.” Just in case you were wondering.

There was already some discussion here about whether or not this was a justified act. According to the Pioneer Press’ article linked above, the officers have not been disciplined but that Lakeville is planning on reevaluating their policies. While Lakeville City Administrator Steve Mielke believes that this was a justified and well intentioned action, Charles Samuelson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota said that the authorities should only be allowed to enter a home when chasing a suspect or when they have a search warrant. Samuelson also said:

Frankly, I (have) left my garage door open at night,” Samuelson said. “It is distressing the officers felt they had a duty to do this. It’s lucky, in their case, the guy wasn’t armed.

While a decent lawyer and probably even a public defender would have gotten the guy off if the Lakeville police officers had found anything in his house that day, I do fear for our civil liberties when there isn’t a larger public outcry against an event like this. While at first I was on the fence, more or less, now that I look back I really think that this could become a serious issue.

We’ll see if Lakeville responds within the next nine days before Troy Molde moves forward with his threat of legal action. I’m personally behind him 100% but I wonder what the courts will do — probably nothing…