Author: Jeff Strate

Photo of Jeff Strate

An Eden Prairie resident since 1994, Jeff has served as an organizer for local open-space initiatives and get-out-the-vote parks referenda. He has also served on the Eden Prairie Human Rights and Diversity Commission, conservation area task forces, the Southwest Light Rail Community Advisory Committee and the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Land Trust. Jeff studied journalism and mass communication at the U of MN and has been a producer/writer and occasional on-camera figure in the Twin Cities, New York, Boston, and Trenton. Jeff has written for websites and magazines and has produced award-winning access programing through Southwest Community Television (SWTV).

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The Metro Green Line Extension project is accepting reservations for its popular, escorted walking tours of light rail construction sites. The tours resume in late July in each city along the route. • Hopkins – Excelsior Boulevard LRT Bridge, Wednesday, July 20, 11 a.m. to noon. • St. Louis Park – Louisiana Avenue Station Area, Wednesday, July 20, 1 to 2 p.m. • Eden Prairie – Golden Triangle Area, July 23, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. • Minnetonka – Opus park bridges and walls, July 23, 1 to 3 p.m. • Minneapolis – Kenilworth LRT Tunnel, Tuesday, July 26, 2…

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A Wells Fargo branch with an ATM in Prairie Village Mall has been replaced by a shop that deals in CBD wellness and organic lotions, salves, teas, candles, muscle soaks, tinctures and something called “goo.” Jes Naturals held a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony for its second store on May 8. Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce reps and a few friends attended the invitational. The public grand opening is slated for Friday at 5 p.m. Details below. Emily Gilk, a University of Minnesota marketing graduate, is manager of the new store. Her mom, Patty Gilk, a licensed registered nurse, opened the first…

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The Metro Green Line Extension project anticipates the following road, lane and ramp closures in Eden Prairie as summer begins. ● June 1 through June 3: Expect inside lane closure of westbound Highway 62 for the installation of the permanent roadway barrier. ● June 1 through June 2: Expect overnight east and westbound lane closures under the Shady Oak Bridge for LRT bridge work. ● June 3 (evening) through June 6 (5 a.m.): Weather permitting, expect full closure of east and westbound Highway 212 near Shady Oak Road. Ongoing in Eden Prairie: ● The entrance ramp from Valley View Road…

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A largemouth bass, a black crappie and a northern pike were caught, posed for snapshots and then quickly released into Mitchell Lake on Saturday by Alex Strate. The three fish were among those the Eden Prairie resident had caught mid-morning on May 14 — the Minnesota Fishing Opener. A light breeze rippled the waters. The temperature hovered in the low 70s. The cold spring and the week’s violent weather had retreated. Strate was not alone during what he described as “the hottest opening on Mitchell Lake I can remember.” He has been shore and ice fishing Mitchell since he was…

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As winter slowly retreats in the metro area, light rail construction crews are returning to the 14.5-mile Metro Green Line Extension corridor. Project officials say that although most of the heavy construction in Eden Prairie has been completed, drivers can expect a few traffic disruptions in the coming weeks. The project website recommends detours for each closure. EP road closures The Viking Drive intersection with southbound Flying Cloud Drive is slated to close on April 14 for several days. Traffic flaggers will be on-site to direct drivers to the businesses and hotels affected by the track work. The intersection of…

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Watch our video of Sunday’s Eden Prairie Eco Expo at the Community Center. The Eden Prairie A.M. Rotary Club and the City of Eden Prairie co-hosted the new event. It was created to inspire residents to “go green” by fulfilling the city’s sustainability goals and “do good” by helping to fund the Rotary Club’s community and global grants. There were plenty of family-friendly activities for residents, including browsing more than 30 informative eco-vendors and listening to a slate of eco-speakers. Editor’s note: Writer Jeff Strate is also a member of the EPLN Board.

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The official name of Minnesota’s biggest public works project has been changed from Southwest Light Rail to Metro Green Line Extension. Out with “SWLRT” and in with “MGLE” or “GLE.” The rebranding may be difficult to adapt to, but future light rail riders, news media and cynics have nearly five years to get used to it. Metro Green Line Extension trains will likely not carry passengers until 2027. LRT project websites (see above) implicitly suggest that the handles “Southwest Light Rail” and “SWLRT” still have life. But a Metro Transit spokesperson wrote to Eden Prairie Local News that “Green Line…

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January announcements of a re-calculated $2.7 billion price for the Southwest Light Rail project and the delay of passenger service to 2027 continues to be a dust-up. This is not the 14.5-mile project’s first rodeo, but it has been roped and tied down by a short stretch in Minneapolis with a water problem. The project’s controversial cut-and-cover tunnel a bit north of Lake Street is the largest chunk of what the Met Council calculates will be a $450 million or more price hike. The re-inclusion of Eden Prairie’s Town Center station into the project at $4 million, and the mile-long railroad…

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