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Drafters of new comprehensive plan list location as Princeton's top assetBy Joel Stottrup A gathering of input on what Princeton's top assets are has produced some irony. The input is for the formulation of a new comprehensive plan for the city. A few months ago the city hired Thibault Associates to help the city draft a new plan to replace the old one. The old one in place, for example, had based some of its projections on the assumption that much more growth would happen on the east and north sides of town than has actually occurred. One of the first actions to draft a new plan was on Aug. 27 when a group of 23, including the five council members, ranked the city's assets, as well as its needs, defects and areas that need strengthening. The group also suggested a vision and goals and the benefits and drawbacks that can come with annexation. Besides the council the group consisted of representatives of the airport and park boards, the townships of Princeton and Baldwin, the school district, Mille Lacs County, utilities managers, economic development authority, city staff, Sen. Betsy Wergin and representatives of the downtown and local industry. On Oct. 3 the council reviewed the tabulations of the results. One irony is that the group listed the city's location and the fact that it is on two major highways as the first and third assets, yet listed the town's traffic congestion as a major concern. Comprehensive plan consultant Bill Thibault said it is not surprising that one thing can be listed as an asset but can also be listed as needing improvement. An example could be the Rum River, he said. He explained how many consider it an asset, yet many also suggest much more could be done to take advantage of the river. Sen. Wergin, R-Princeton, reflecting on helping list the town's assets and needs, said the river's wide floodplain makes utilizing the river more difficult. Yet, trails and walkways could be added, she said. Wergin spoke highly of Princeton overall, though she said she wished it had more shopping selection and a movie theater. As Wergin talked last week about traffic congestion, she said she had just learned from the state that it is still planning to replace the bridge on Highway 95 over the Rum River just east of Rum River Drive. But the state has moved the date back to 2009, she said. The group's top goal or desired policy for local transportation was to end traffic congestion in the downtown. Traffic data Thibault's statistics on daily traffic in Princeton came from the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Its data shows that traffic has greatly increased on highways 169 and 95 at Princeton and increased on Rum River Drive that goes through the city. Traffic has increased slightly on Seventh Avenue North that runs past North Elementary and decreased some on First Street. The Highway 169 count shows that it nearly doubled between 1990 and 2002 where it meets Rum River Drive on the south edge, going from 10,900 vehicles daily to 20,800. Where Highway 169 intersects with Highway 95, the daily total jumped from 8,400 to 18,600 in the same time period. The traffic count on the same highway in the area of the exit about a mile north of Highway 95 shows the traffic count rising from 8,300 to 15,900. City Administrator Mark Karnowski recently commented that the report shows how the traffic drops by more than 2,000 cars from the time they are counted on Highway 169 on the south edge and at a point farther north at Highway 95. The indication, Karnowski said, is that a lot of those cars are coming through the downtown. The daily traffic count on Highway 95 on the city's west edge jumped from 4,100 vehicles in 1990 to 7,000 vehicles in 2002. The count on the same highway on the east edge shows it going up from 4,500 to 10,400. Traffic on Rum River Drive increased on the south end between 1990 and 2002 by nearly 50 percent, going from 10,500 to 15,300. The middle section rose from 12,100 to 14,100, while farther north it went from 5,800 to 9,800. "I was very surprised by the highway usage since the last report," said council member Lee Steinbrecher last Thursday, referring to the changes from 1990 to 2002. Other input Princeton's schools were also listed among the top three assets, while the next seven rankings were the city's close proximity to the metro area, followed by growth potential, hospital, businesses, parks, river and the city being a safe community. Forty-seven assets were listed. Besides congestion being listed in the ranking of needs, defects and areas to strengthen, the list in that category through 10th place included lack of space for industrial growth, controlled growth, need for bigger school facilities, community center, big box retail (large chain stores such as Target), need for a second bridge, traffic patterns and need for more industrial park roads. Vision The group said its top vision for the community was for people to live, work and shop without having to leave town. Ranking in the next nine spots were a second industrial park, a "home for all ages," having an outstanding school district, having Princeton be the No. 1 place to raise a family, have adequate facilities from birth to death, have better planning and design standards, have a friendly and cooperative community, and have integrated community support for health and schools. Goals The top 10 goals the group chose were better traffic flow, employment opportunities, remain a one-city community, retain and enhance appeal, recreation/entertainment, planned high density and rural areas, give youth reasons to stay, retain and enhance business, attract family recreation and shopping, and have orderly annexation. The downtown While the downtown is just one segment of a community, taking a sampling of some viewpoints last Friday brought out the fact that people do notice things from how friendly it is to its aesthetics. Monica Blue, a shopper in the downtown who has lived in the Princeton area for 26 years, agreed that the city's location is an asset. But she added that she wouldn't mind if the city had some so-called big box retail, although not right in the city. She also said she would like more food selection other than fast food places. Blue said she feels Princeton is still a small community and that a downside is its two malls. "It's a friendly town," said middle-aged pedestrian Helen Brown. Kevin Sahlstrom of Milaca, in Princeton's downtown Friday, said his impression of the city is that it is "very booming," and the people are friendly. "But the traffic is a real problem," Sahlstrom added. He said he has sometimes wanted to stop at the Conoco station on the south end of Princeton but then decided not to because of the heavy traffic there. Sahlstrom said he likes the addition of the clock tower built about five years ago, but would like if there were more clothing stores. Sahlstrom said he really notices if a town takes pride in itself, citing Orange City, Iowa, as an example of a town that seems to have that with its tulip theme. "That really perks a person up, making you want to live there," he said. "In some other towns nothing has been done in 50 years and you want to keep driving through." Princeton has a "lot going for it," including that it has so many churches, Sahlstrom continued. He then pointed out how in Milaca the growth is happening more on its outer edges. Princeton might see growth stop in its downtown unless its people "put their heads together and take a little risk," he said. Judy Storgaard, owner/ operator of Spirit River Gifts in Princeton, is known for being outspoken about what she thinks should be done to bring more business into the downtown. What she suggested last Friday was not unlike what Sahlstrom hinted at. The city could set more guidelines for people to remodel their business buildings to make them more appealing, she said. The two malls, for example, are due for some updating on the outside since they were built in the early 1980s, she said. Storgaard applauded what Frank Pharmacy/Hallmark has been doing to its exterior with awnings and other treatments. It's the "beginning" of what should be done in the downtown, she said, suggesting that some facades could be added to the front of one or more of the malls to make them more interesting. The city could also enhance pedestrian safety by making the downtown crosswalks more visible to the motorists the way Cambridge does, she said. Also, setting up a system whereby people would have to pay a fee if they want to park all day in front of a store would help make more open spots for shoppers, she added. Whatever is done in the downtown will require some money to do something significant and a way should be searched for to make the investment, said Storgaard. "We need to spruce the joint up," she added. "Act like company's coming." Storgaard said she is not looking to make people feel bad about their businesses but to get them to take a new look at what could be done. When big chain stores come to the city, she said, those owners won't care about businesses downtown. Mayor Brian Humphrey, commenting last Thursday about the move to update the plan, said the timing is right. People don't have to argue whether there is growth that requires planning for the future because they can see the signs in Princeton, he said. Princeton Union-Eagle |