Eagan News
Congratulations to City of Eagan employee, Ashleigh Sullivan for receiving the Aaron Sather Award for Emerging Leaders. The award recognizes and celebrates members who have made contributions to the profession, their organization, and/or APMP, and have demonstrated significant promise of leadership and continuing service.
The awarding committee acknowledged Ashleigh’s passion for ensuring that outcomes are fair and equitable. Specifically, she was recognized for her work to identify and eliminate barriers in the application and selection process for advisory boards has resulted in an unprecedented number of applicants – up 30% from 2022 to 2023. Her thoughtful, researched approach and clear commitment to the values laid the ground for a deep and meaningful policy conversation.
Ashleigh’s other work that was cited in her nomination by peers and supervisors was the initiative she has taken to ensure equitable access to learning and development for her colleagues. In 2023, she came up with a new idea to enrich the experience of interns and promote the professional opportunities within local government. In part, this was due to her recognition that our early-career workforce is more diverse than those with longer tenures, and in part her straightforward desire to help everyone learn, grow, and succeed. This year, that program is expanding this enrichment opportunity to include almost 300 seasonal staff. Also, more than 50 of her coworkers have benefited from Ashleigh’s management of an intensive, yearlong leadership program.
This award is an honor to Ashleigh and a value to our organization and community, and her professionalism and enthusiasm make a huge impact on everyone she works with.
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The City of Eagan is developing a Climate Action Plan (CAP) to address changing environmental conditions. The climate action plan seeks to be a tool supporting the City, businesses, and residents in identifying and implementing actions to increase our resilience and meet sustainability goals.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
We already know that eight in 10 Eagan residents surveyed see climate change as a threat — that's why the first step in creating this plan is to gather as much community input as possible.Please take our Climate Action Survey to help us better understand the community’s interests, ideas, and concerns!
GET INVOLVED
You can join the CAP Team to co-create the City's plan by exploring, creating, reviewing, refining, and supporting the prioritization of actions to achieve the City's climate goals. The CAP Team will include City staff members, representatives of other public agencies, consultant team members, and community members. Learn more and submit your interest to participate on the City's CAP Team.
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Honoring Those Who Make Eagan Shine: The Annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner
On April 11, 2024, the City of Eagan hosted our annual volunteer appreciation dinner at the Eagan Community Center for our amazing volunteers. Mayor, Mike Maguire, and several city leaders showed up to give a round of applause to these folks who make Eagan better every day.
Maguire shared that in 2023, Eagan had over 550 people volunteer over 7,500 hours for an average of nearly 13 hours per volunteer. And an overall community benefit worth nearly $250,000.
Mayor Maguire also highlighted how community members have choices on where to invest their energy and where to make an impact. He highlighted how community members have chosen to give back in the following ways for the greater good of our community:
- volunteering with the 50+ Senior Group, at the Eagan Art House, with Friends of the Farm, preschool programs, communitywide events, or other places in our community.
- volunteering to preserve our water quality and green spaces, and helping keep Eagan clean.
- helping with our free and fair elections as election judges
- capturing moments as a community photographer, or helping preserve them in our historical society.
- volunteering as a board member or commissioner or giving your time to make Eagan a great place to live, work, and play!
The Mayor also gave a shout-out to two volunteers: Peter Dugan and Jeff Spartz — both finished 10 consecutive years on their respective advisory commissions. That's a lot of dedication. And he praised volunteers with Access to Democracy (a local access show on ETV) — in 2023 this group collectively broke the 10,000-hour mark on volunteerism and in 2024 is celebrating their 25th year of service to the community.
Mayor Maguire closed his remarks by sharing that a part of what makes Eagan such a strong community and successful city is because of the volunteers in our community.
In Eagan, volunteering isn't just something people do now and then—it's a big part of who we are. It shows that when we come together and lend a hand, amazing things can happen. See all opportunities at cityofeagan.com/volunteer, and find the perfect way to get involved with or give back to our community.
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We’ve all noticed the lack of snow and record-setting warm temperatures over the past winter. The Minnesota DNR even dubbed it “The Lost Winter.” Along with warmer temps and scant snow came an unusually short season of ice cover on our lakes and very little snow.
As always, the City’s water resources team have kept a close eye on local lake conditions, and they fully expect fish populations to pull through safely into spring. However, less snow cover and warmer air temperatures allow more sunlight to reach deeper into lakes through the winter, leading to warmer water temperatures and less hibernation time for lake plants. Putting it plainly, there’s a good chance you’ll see more algae and aquatic plant growth than usual this spring and summer.
Despite all that, the water resources team members are engaged in long-term planning and management to preserve and protect Eagan’s water resources. They’re actively monitoring lake and wetland health year-round, and always working to identify and implement systems and practices to protect and improve water quality in Eagan. Stormwater treatment projects, lake water treatment, and aquatic plant harvesting for recreational access are just some of the tools they use to balance the ecological and recreational needs of our water bodies.
Join us this summer for one of our LakeFest events or visit cityofeagan.com/lakesandwetlands to learn more about our water resources team.
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SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE
Year after year, our community survey reaffirms the high value our residents place on Eagan’s natural environment. Now, with dedicated resources supporting our sustainability initiative, the City has started to roll out tangible steps aimed at helping future generations enjoy the same high-quality, natural environment we enjoy today.
SUSTAINABLE EAGAN ACADEMY
Our newest offering is the Sustainable Eagan Academy, which holds monthly community-led sessions from January through May. Suggested by community members, topics include waste reduction, tree and plant preservation, green yard resources, and water quality and conservation.
LEARNING & CONNECTING
The academy’s first sessions, which began earlier this year, attracted residents of all ages and proved so popular that some reached maximum capacity.
“Eagan residents are hungry for information and want to make a positive impact on their homes, neighborhoods, and community,” says Gillian Catano, who became Eagan’s first sustainability coordinator last June. “That’s why we’re looking to amplify these efforts and options.”
Sara Patrick, a member of the Sustainable Eagan Advisory Commission (SEAC), says the academy is about more than education. “The academy offers a forum,” she says, “bringing people together to make deeper connections with others and to raise awareness of what the City of Eagan offers residents.”
It was SEAC that dreamt up the academy, which is supported by City staff. “I’m so thrilled to be involved from the beginning with an initiative that has so much community interest and support,” Catano says. “This program empowers residents with information and resources to participate in sustainability efforts.”
NEXT STEPS IN SUSTAINABILITY
The initiative’s next focus is creating a climate action plan. Working in conjunction with the City and community, a consultant will write the plan over the next year; the final plan will outline how residents, businesses, and the City can adapt to changing environmental conditions and reduce impacts.
GET INVOLVED
Community engagement will be key in creating the climate action plan, and residents will be able to get involved through both in-person events and digital surveys. Several seats remain open for the April 23 and May 28 sessions of the Sustainable Eagan Academy. Register at cityofeagan.com/sustainableeaganacademy. Learn more about our sustainability initiative at cityofeagan.com/green.
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City of Eagan continues to earn highest credit rating
Moody's gives Eagan a Aaa credit rating.
The City of Eagan has again been assigned a triple-A rating by Moody's Investors Service. This rating reflects the City's solid economic base and strong cash and fund balance ratios. The Moody’s rating also notes the City’s good fiscal stewardship.
“Eagan’s Aaa credit rating means we have the fiscal strength to issue bonding at good interest rates,” says Eagan’s Director of Finance Josh Feldman. “This puts us in the strongest position possible to invest in our community, public places and spaces, infrastructure, and other work.”
Feldman continued, “we are proud of our fiscal continuity, low debt, and strong management, which helps our local economy and everyone thrive in Eagan.”
One visible outcome of this strong credit rating is the City’s ability to re-envision Parks & Recreation facilities including the Eagan Art House, the Goat Hill pavilion, and the Eagan Community Center. Borrowing money at good rates allows Eagan to continue to invest in recreational opportunities, which rank high on resident value surveys.
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The City of Eagan received notice from Johnson Brothers Liquor Company that they are withdrawing their Comprehensive Guide Amendment and their application for redevelopment of the former Blue Cross Blue Shield Campus in Eagan.
Upon receiving the notice, Mayor Mike Maguire stated:
"We know the path for redevelopment on large-scale properties is rarely a straight one.
Our experience with developing properties of this scale in Eagan has taught us that some proposals come to fruition, while others will not.
Just as we have in the past with the successful development of properties such as Viking Lakes, Central Park Commons, and the Twin Cities Premium Outlet Mall, we will be patient, stay engaged, and learn more as proposals come in. This approach has guided us to decisions that strengthen our community’s long-term prosperity.
As we move forward, we will continue to balance our fiduciary responsibilities, along with the needs of the sellers, the market, and our community."
Questions about the buying and selling of the property should be directed to the involved entities.
If you have questions about Comprehensive Guide Amendment proposals contact
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