Brainerd Dispatch: News | Brainerd, Minnesota | Brainerd Lakes Area News on brainerddispatch.com

Home > NEWS >

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

E-mail

Forums

Lakes area could be top growth area in Minnesota

By JODIE TWEED

Staff Writer

While it's difficult for experienced planners to gauge how the Brainerd lakes area will fair after this economic downturn, one thing is for certain:

The region is at an advantage because it has had the highest projected growth rate in the entire state, state demographers say.

The Brainerd School District hosted its second community forum Thursday at the Brainerd High School Little Theater. The topic covered demographic trends within the district and featured three panelists: George Orning, a community regional planner; Mark Ostgarden, Brainerd city planner; and Todd Holman, a Baxter City Council member who also is a former planner for Baxter and Crow Wing County. Moderator was James Hunt, retired BHS principal.

The forum on demographics comes at a time when Brainerd School Board members are attempting to decide by December how to effectively handle elementary school growth projected over the next five years. School administrators have presented the board with five options to consider, which include reopening Whittier or Washington schools, adding portable classrooms at Lowell or Riverside schools or moving Baxter fourth-graders to Forestview Middle School.

Todd Holman (left), a Baxter City Council member and a former Baxter and Crow Wing County planner; Mark Ostgarden, Brainerd City Planner; and George Orning, a community regional planner, spoke Tuesday night at a community forum on demographics at the Brainerd High School Little Theater sponsored by the Brainerd School District. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
» Purchase reprints of this photo.

Pointing to projections by the state demographic center, Orning explained that Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing counties are projected to grow by 65 percent between 2000 and 2030, the fastest growing pocket of the state. The counties north of the metro area were projected to grow by 55 percent.

Orning said it will likely take about five to 10 years now for the projected growth to catch up, following the recession, and he said the lakes area will have more competition with other urban centers with similar amenities: hills, trees and water. He said the area needs to brand itself since many people, including lawmakers in St. Paul, don't perceive this area as a large growing urban center. He said the area needs to build strong systems, which can include parks, transportation and school systems, to compete.

Orning criticized state planners who are building to "old geography" and not to where the projected growth is, such as the Brainerd lakes area. For example, he said there is talk about extending light rail to Duluth, which is not one of the fastest growth areas in the state. He said Crosslake is one of the fastest growing areas yet no freeways lead to it.

Holman stressed that the community has to build toward the future. He said there was a time when most students rode the bus to school. Yet at Forestview a large percentage of students are driven to school by their parents, which needed to be planned for. Holman said the Brainerd lakes area is functioning as a regional center. He said 80 percent of the sales tax spent in Baxter comes from those who live outside the city.

Ostgarden said most people identify the lakes area with the city of Brainerd, the largest city in the region. He said it's important for the city to remain viable, healthy and strong for the entire region. He said planning documents for cities need to be relevant and created by the community.

"The decisions we make as a community should be guided by goals, policies and principles decided by the community," said Ostgarden.

Ostgarden said the city of Brainerd has physical constraints for growth, except for the Riverside Drive/Wise Road area to the north and land to the south, particularly more than 600 acres south of the city known as the Mills property. Ostgarden also mentioned about 300 acres toward the airport that also could possibly be developed someday, although it would require an approximately $500,000 investment to get city utilities extended one mile to that location.

Ostgarden said the city of Brainerd in the mid-90s became more aggressive in annexation but at a cost. He said the experiences left many neighboring townships and residents living outside the city bitter and mistrustful of the city's intentions.

While the region is projected to experience a 65 percent growth by 2030, Ostgarden said the city of Brainerd would be considered to be growing well at a 3-5 percent annual growth rate.

All three panelists agreed that the school district can bring all government entities within its boundaries together.

"The school district crosses geo-political boundaries and gets everyone to the table," said Holman.

Ostgarden said the city is planning for the aging population, something that the community has not experienced before.

"There will be a lot more people on a fixed income and it's important for school districts and other municipalities that if we think it's difficult now to get referendums passed or building schools, what's it going to be like in 15 years?," asked Ostgarden.

"I think the demographic of the whole state will be aging, but this area will be more affluent and better educated and used to more services," said Orning. "These people want good services, demand good services and could be good for the school."

Orning said as the community's population ages, it also means a higher demand for caregivers, too.

Panelists were asked their thoughts on the district's attendance boundaries and where they should be in the future. Orning said Brainerd and Baxter has zoning so that's not so much a concern. He said outside the city, zoning can easily be changed depending on developments, making it difficult for school districts to plan.

"School districts could buy land within these zones to build neighborhood schools," Orning said, which he felt would be a good choice.

Ostgarden said it's up to individuals, not branches of government, to take action and decide what they want to see within their community in the future.

"I don't think elected officials or the chamber can lead it," said Ostgarden. "If the average people don't care, nothing's going to happen. I see a lot of apathy here. It boils down to each individual caring and getting involved."

The forum was videotaped and will be rebroadcast several times on cable channels 8 and 15 on CTC and Charter Communications. A third community forum on school district's fund balance and finance will be planned later in the year. A forum on class sizes was held in April.

JODIE TWEED may be reached at jodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.

Note: Comments are not edited and don't represent the views of The Brainerd Dispatch. Please read our posting rules in the terms of service policy. To report a post that may be inappropriate, click the triangle alert icon.