Living In Carver County Minnesota

Policing has changed radically over the past several years. Bad policing makes the news and affects public opinion, making a hard job, even harder to do and a challenge to recruit new officers. Given the fact that the Carver County Sheriff's Department are responsible for policing everywhere in Carver County except Chaska, we thought an update from Carver County Sherriff Jason Kamerud was due.

Jason is a lifelong Carver County resident and is fully invested in the community. He talks about recent challenges and the proactive way the department is addressing those issues. As our area continues to grow, the spotlight will get even brighter. Innovations and strategic thinking will make all the difference. We hope you enjoy this fast paced conversations with Sherriff Jason Kamerud. (This episode was recorded before the Burnsville shootings. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this terrible and senseless tragedy)

Back for another visit is long time Chaska community advocate Bob Roepke to discuss happenings in Chaska and broader Carver County Minnesota. Bob has a great deal to be thankful for and we discuss that in detail and as always, Bob drops a ton of wisdom for anyone wanting to make a difference in their community. We also talk about some important changes happening downtown Chaska with Cooper's Grocery store and Bob graciously acknowledges the decades of contribution the Coopers have made to Chaska and Carver County. Please enjoy this conversation with one of my very favorite people!

Thank you for your interest in Living In Carver County Minnesota and our hyper-local podcast. What started as a bit of a lark is now in season 6 and we've been humbled by your feedback and inspired by your feedback and guest recommendations. Our lofty objectives are to educate listeners about local events, happenings and introduce them to the people who make them happen. We try to do that in an informal and hopefully entertaining way, we are not "60 Minutes" so we don't try and trip people up to make them look bad, but we do try and go beyond a Facebook Meme or a bumper sticker and ask the questions you would ask if you were sitting down for coffee. Lastly, we hope to inspire you to get engaged and maybe even involved in Carver County organizations, activities and for you to make your difference.

This season we have some wonderful guests who have already agreed to talk and of course we are always looking for interesting people, stories and causes, so please reach out to me with YOUR ideas. Greg :-)

What Minnesota institution of higher learning has the highest ROI (return on investment) on tuition dollars spent relative to earning???

Dunwoody College of Technology has been turning out highly productive workers since 1914 and according to several metrics, has the best return on investment for your educational dollar.  President Rich Wagner talks about the innovations, initiatives and programs their students are having wild success in being a part of for their post high school training.  He also talks about the opportunities and the challenges in providing a robust, well-trained workforce in 2022 as well as touching on some of the things people say about learners that are unproductive. Rich is a smart, committed educator and innovator who has some very talented staff implementing programs to be inclusive of a changing population and Dunwoody is wanting the graduates to be reflective of the community.

I invite you to listen to this fast-paced interview with someone committed to making productive graduates.

Have you ever thought about being a foster parent? Good :-)

Carver County Foster Care Supervisor Clint Mack explains what the needs are here and how you can be a foster parent so you can support kids and families.  Opportunities beyond being a host family include being a "respite care" family who helps out when a break is needed.  One other very cool way to help is through "Forgotten Initiative" where you can support families with gifts of meals and gift cards to help offset the stress of a family transitioning to sometimes a multiple child family all at once. 

We also discuss how kids end up in the program and what the objectives are for reuniting families going through tough times. There's real need here and we want to be on the solution side of things. 

Visit www.co.carver.mn.us/foster care for details about how your family can help.

Charlotte Zielin is Mental Health Coach who takes her clients beyond therapy.  Her method involves not just dealing with the issues around the source of the trauma but going beyond with a strategy to equip her clients with the tools and distinctions to function at their best going forward.  We discuss the way those things work together on the this fast-paced conversation.  She is funny, smart, vulnerable, dedicated and committed to making people's lives better.  She was fun to talk to and I hope it comes through on this episode even though we talk about hard stuff that people are going through as well as hearing her talk about her personal challenges and how she thinks that makes her better because of her life's lessons.  You can find out more by visiting her website at www.charmariecoaching.com

Pastor Greg Snow has been the pastor at St Johns in Chaska since coming out of the seminary, first as a Vickers and then as Pastor. He is heavily involved in community outreach programs and was one of the original leaders that were involve with starting Love Inc here in Carver County. St Johns is one of the three historic churches in town and the only one with an elementary school.  We talk about legacy faith communities and some of the changes brought about by changing times, Covid-19 and the emergence of a whole group of people not choosing to engage with a faith community.  Greg has a passion for the community and a calling to lead people to faith. I enjoyed our talk and although he has a South Dakotan sense of understatement, we covered loads of ground. To find out more about St John's Parish, visit- https://www.stjohnschaska.org/

Tina Stofferahn of MRCI discusses the many services they offer for people in the community with special needs get trained, develop interpersonal skills, find employment, and continually get educated about a myriad of things.  They do amazing work.  I have several friends who have family members as clients of MRCI and the work they do changes lives.  (I know that can be an overused description but, in this case, it is completely warranted) One thing we discussed is how much work means to all people for dignity and purpose regardless of what limitations one might have.  MRCI has been around since the 1950's and started by helping Polio victims and returning veterans.  Today they serve individuals with disabilities and disadvantages throughout the state. Tina is a local who grew up here in Eastern Carver County, received her degree in Psychology from Crown College in Waconia and lives here in Chaska. She is a real asset to Carver County. To find out more about MRCI, visit www.mymrci.org

Len Simich Chief Executive Officer Len Simich has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Southwest Transit Commission since 1997. He has received numerous awards for his personal and academic achievements including being selected as the Minnesota Transit Professional of the year, and one of the top 40 business leaders in the Twin Cities by the Minneapolis – St. Paul Magazine. Under his leadership SW has grown into a thriving enterprise beyond just a bus company branching into real estate development, short trip ride providers and a leader in green innovation.  Len is passing the torch at the end of Feb but will remain a leader in the community.  Len describes SW Prime is one of those innovative services that allow eastern Carver County to be a place for everyone regardless of what stage of life there are in currently.  Please enjoy this loaded conversation.  Also- be sure and download the SW Prime app if you or anyone you care about needs transportation to shopping or Dr appts.

Carla Beaurline is one of those people you know you know, even if you're not sure from exactly where from.  She's been a local beauty pageant participant, a MC for numerous charity events, a television talk show producer and host for the show, "Around Town" for going on 20 years, as well as a dedicated caretaker for her parents as they were going through end-of-life stuff.  She's smart, funny, and as polished of a professional as you'll ever meet.  I enjoyed talking to her about her upbringing, how beauty pageants shaped her career wise, her love and admiration for her parents as well as her adventures as a female entrepreneur.  Please enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with a very professional communicator.

Sarah Carlson is one of those people who make things happen, quietly leading on social justice and housing issues.  She chairs the commissioners on the CDA.  She is active on the Chaska Human Rights Commission. She is active with the League of Women Voters.  She volunteers with Launch Ministries.  She forgot to mention her work with the Historical Society and she was one of the original founders of the "Blessed Bee Thrift Shop."  Sarah was fun to talk to because she is passionate and smart.  We are a better community because of her commitment to doing good work.

In case you've been living outside the area, Chanhassen has just exploded in the past several years.  New restaurants, a new brewery, a funky barber shop and lots of new homes have created a major shift in what was at one time, "the first town on your way out of town."  Mayor Elise Ryan is leading the city during this shift.  She is smart, driven and fun to talk to because of her passion for Chanhassen and it's direction keep her inspired.  In this interview, we discuss the recent past, the booming present and the city's realignment to a set of values going forward.  Please enjoy my visit with Elise Ryan.

Recently elected to represent Waconia's Ward 2 city council, Carl Pierson dishes on some new things on the horizon for the City of Waconia and then we talk about connecting civics in a classroom setting with "Boots on the ground" involvement in local government.  We discuss how things have changed for local governance in a hyper-politized world and his optimism for the power of a local, involved community.  We riff on the demise of "Just the news" and the responsibility of people in a democracy.  Carl is engaged, unchecked and in the midst of coming to grips with a changing political landscape. This conversation could have gone on for another hour, easy. 

Bob Moeller has been a major driving force behind the biking/ walking trails that connect several cities in Carver County.  What started out as a response to the frustration from getting run off the road by irritated and/or distracted drivers has become a serious group of citizens committed to making Carver County a place where people can walk, run or bike between the cities and connect to amazing regional trails.  Bob along with many other residents have become a major force after starting out as a small ad-hoc group trying to advance something they all thought would be a huge benefit to our area. Quality of life, economic benefits for local businesses and a places for residents to fulfill our ranking as Minnesota's Healthiest County, are outcomes of years of work.  (I love this about our area that a small group of committed citizens working with local government, property owners and businesses can have a profound long term positive impact for years to come.)

Bob and his wife Sharon have been active volunteers and leaders in a wide variety of service initiatives, so much so that several years ago, they were jointly awarded the "George C. Klein, Service Above Self Award", something that had never been done jointly before or since.  Both Sharon and Bob are two of the kindest, most competent, humble people you'll ever meet.  Please enjoy our talk.

With the 212 expansion looking like a near term reality, the western part of Carver County will soon experience a rush of new people moving out.  Long time resident, educator and civic volunteer and now Mayor Carol Lagergren is guiding NYA (The "Mini-Twin Cities") into this new era.  Her passion for small town living and her enthusiasm for her community are evident in this conversation.  Carol seems to be the right leader for times.  She is thoughtful and engaged and has a strong sense of service.  Please enjoy this conversation with one of Carver County's leaders.