2014–2015 Partner: Rosemount

2014-2015 Rosemount banner

 

RCP’s community partner for the 2014-2015 academic year was the City of Rosemount, located in Dakota County. Today Rosemount is a rapidly developing outer-ring suburb located only 15 miles from the Twin Cities, but the city has a long, rich history and retains a small-town atmosphere. Settled by Scottish and Irish immigrants in the early 1850s, Rosemount organized as a township in 1858 and was incorporated as a city in 1974. During World War II, nearly 15% of Rosemount's land area was acquired by the federal government as the site for an ordnance works plant that operated for only a few months before the war ended. Today, that land is owned by the University of Minnesota and is known as UMore Park, the proposed site of a future sustainable community. With a land area of nearly 36 square miles, Rosemount is home to industry, commerce, agriculture, and a rapidly growing residential community. 

RCP partnered with Rosemount on 29 projects that engaged 45 courses across 18 departments and 11 colleges at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and Duluth campuses, and provided hands-on, applied research opportunities to more than 400 graduate and undergraduate students. University and city personnel celebrated the partnership at an end-of-year event on May 1, 2015. You can view a summary of the partnership and projects, or learn more about individual projects and browse news items about the partnership below.

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Housing, Transportation and Land Use

Private Student Housing for DCTC

Goal: Investigate options for private student housing for Dakota County Technical College students. 
Project Lead: Eric Zweber, Senior Planner, City of Rosemount

HSG 4461: Housing Development and Management (Dr. Lyn Bruin and Dr. Becky Yust)Akron Flats: Proposal and Poster  |  Callan Circle: Proposal and Poster

Non-Motorized Transportation Assessment

Goal: Evaluate the impact of non-motorized transportation plans and investments in Rosemount and recommend strategies to increase biking and walking. 
Project Lead: Jason Lindahl, Planner, City of Rosemount

PA 5311: Program Evaluation (Dr. Hanife Cakici and Jodi Sandfort)Report

Travel Shed Analysis

Goal: Conduct a travel shed analysis of where Rosemount residents and employees work and live that can inform future transit and transportation planning, and provide recommendations for increasing transit use. 
Project Lead: Eric Zweber, Senior Planner, City of Rosemount

PA 8202: Networks and Places (Dr. Yingling Fan)Posters

GEOG 5564: Urban Geographic Information Science and Analysis (Jeff Matson)Report and Poster

Community Gathering Spaces

Goal: Research the characteristics of place-making in a suburban setting and identify opportunities for place-making through redesign or redevelopment. 
Project Lead: Dan Schultz, Parks and Recreation Director, City of Rosemount

LS 5100: Revitalizing Environmental Reform: Re-Imagining the Arts for Public Parks (Dr. Roslye Ultan)Report

URB 3751: Understanding the Urban Environment (Paula Pentel)Posters and Presentations

Communications and Public Engagement

Neighborhood Cohesion

Goal: Identify strategies to support healthy neighborhood cohesion among residents, as well as integration of neighborhoods into the larger Rosemount community. 
Project Lead: Alan Cox, Communications Coordinator, City of Rosemount

SW 8551: Advanced Community Practice: Assessment, Organizing, and Advocacy (Liz Lightfoot)New Immigrants Report  |  Senior Residents Report  |  Rosemount Woods Report

Homeowner Association Collaboration

Goal: Identify opportunities for collaboration and partnership with homeowners associations to provide public benefit and improved services. 
Project Lead: Christine Watson, Public Works Coordinator, City of Rosemount

LAW 7750Community Practice and Policy Development (Dr. Nancy Cook)Report

PA 8081: Public/Private Partnerships (Jim Westcott and Kevin Gerdes)Report, Presentation, and Handout

Resident Preferences and Community Amenity Capital Planning

Goal: Identify strategies for publicizing existing community amenities and engaging residents in future capital improvement planning.
Project Lead: Tom Schuster, Parks Supervisor, City of Rosemount

PA 5145: Civic Participation in Public Affairs (Dr. Kathy Quick)Report

Cultural Integration

Goal: Inventory, evaluate, and identify gaps in services and programs geared toward new immigrant groups in Rosemount. 
Project Lead: Lisa Maurer, Recreation Supervisor, City of Rosemount

PA 5281Immigrants, Urban Planning, and Policymaking (Dr. Ryan Allen)Report

SW 8551Advanced Community Practice: Assessment, Organizing, and Advocacy (Liz Lightfoot)New Immigrants Report  |  Senior Residents Report  |  Rosemount Woods Report

Comprehensive Planning Public Engagement Process

Goal: Develop a proposal for a broadly inclusive public engagement process for Rosemount's upcoming 2040 Comprehensive Plan update.
Project Lead: Kim Lindquist, Community Development Director, City of Rosemount

PA 5253: Planning and Participation Processes (Dr. Carissa Schively Slotterback)Learn, Participate, Lead Proposal and Presentation | MyRosemount Proposal and Presentation | PowerUp 2018 Proposal and Presentation

Youth Wellness

Safe Youth Driving Behavior

Goal: Investigate successful programs and partnerships to reduce teen traffic accident risks.
Project Lead: Chad Rosa, Police Officer, City of Rosemount

YOST 5032: Adolescent and Youth Development for Youthworkers (Dr. Ross VeLure-Roholt)Report and Poster

Healthy and Safe Youth Behavior

Goal: Conduct a program inventory, evaluation, and gap analysis of mental health services and substance education and prevention programs that serve youth. 
Project Lead: Chad Rosa, Police Officer, City of Rosemount

YOST 5032: Adolescent and Youth Development for Youthworkers (Dr. Ross VeLure-Roholt)Report and Poster

City Administration

Daytime Staffing at Fire Department

Goal: Develop a strategic plan to increase the amount of on-call firefighters available during work week hours. 
Project Lead: Rick Schroeder, Fire Chief, City of Rosemount

HRIR 6301: Staffing, Training, and Development (Dr. John Kammeyer-Mueller)Report

PSY 5707: Personnel Psychology (Dr. Deniz Ones and Dr. John Campbell) and PSY 5708: Organizational Psychology (Dr. Aaron Schmidt)Report and Poster

Employee Stress and Wellness Programming

Goal: Assess the health and wellness issues that are most prevalent for Rosemount city employees and provide recommendations for a comprehensive wellness program. 
Project Lead: Emmy Foster, Assistant City Administrator, City of Rosemount

PSY 3960: Stress & Trauma (Dr. Patricia Frazier)Presentation

Parks, Open Space, and Recreation

Recreational Programming for Children’s Interaction with Nature

Goal: Assess opportunities for nature-based recreation and play, and recommend improvements to park and recreation systems to provide more nature-based opportunities for children.
Project Lead: Tom Schuster, Parks Supervisor, City of Rosemount

REC 3281: Research and Evaluation in Recreation, Park, and Leisure Studies (Dr. Tony Brown)Group 1 Report and Presentation | Group 2 Video

LS 5100: Revitalizing Environmental Reform: Re-Imagining the Arts for Public Parks (Dr. Roslye Ultan)Report

EnEd 4315: Operations & Management (Dr. Ken Gilbertson) (UM Duluth Campus)Report and Presentation

Recreational Opportunities for Underserved Populations

Goal: Evaluate how well current recreational offerings meet the needs of underserved populations (people with disabilities, seniors, new immigrants) and recommend improvements to better serve the needs of these groups. 
Project Lead: Lacelle Cordes, Recreation Supervisor, City of Rosemount

PA 5281: Immigrants, Urban Planning, and Policymaking (Dr. Ryan Allen)Immigrant Resident Needs Assessment Report

REC 3281: Research and Evaluation in Recreation, Park, and Leisure Studies (Dr. Tony Brown)No report available

EnEd 4315: Operations & Management (Dr. Ken Gilbertson) (UM Duluth Campus)Report and Presentation

Community Gardens

Goal: Assess Rosemount’s existing community gardening program and recommend programmatic changes to improve gardeners’ success, reduce the administrative burden on staff, and balance the use of public spaces for gardening against other recreational uses and needs. 
Project Lead: Tom Schuster, Parks Supervisor, City of Rosemount

PA 5311: Program Evaluation (Dr. Hanife Cakici and Jodi Sandfort)Community Garden Program Evaluation Plan

Mississippi Riverfront Greenway Restoration

Goal: Evaluate existing restoration activities in the Mississippi River Critical Area Corridor and recommend an overall restoration strategy or plan that builds on these efforts and incorporates additional public access opportunities. 
Project Lead: Eric Zweber, Senior Planner, City of Rosemount

HORT 5071: Ecological Restoration (Dr. Susan Galatowitsch)Presentation and Site Restoration Plans

Turf Management and Athletic Stadium Turf Options

Goal: Identify strategies or opportunities to reduce long-term turf and landscaping maintenance costs; analyze the lifecycle costs of using synthetic turf versus natural turf grass on athletic fields.
Project Lead: Jim Koslowski, Public Works Supervisor, City of Rosemount; and Tom Schuster, Parks Supervisor, City of Rosemount

HORT 4061: Turfgrass Management (Dr. Eric Watkins)Final Report  |  Student Videos

Invasive Species Management and Environmental Education

Goal: Design an education and outreach approach for Rosemount residents to inform them about invasive species and how to manage them on private property
Project Lead: Tom Schuster, Parks Supervisor, City of Rosemount

EnEd 5325: Sustainability Issues Investigation (Ken Gilbertson, UMD)Report, Presentation, and Poster

Climate, Energy, and Green Technology

Alternative Sources of Energy

Goal: Assess and make recommendations for the use of solar, wind, and other alternative energy sources to power municipal facilities. 
Project Lead: Christine Watson, Public Works Coordinator, City of Rosemount

PA 5242: Environmental Planning, Policy, and Decision Making (Carissa Schively Slotterback)Report and Presentation

Climate Adaptation

Goal: Identify potential local impacts of climate change in Rosemount, as well as specific strategies to reduce the community’s vulnerability to these impacts, including an education and outreach campaign. 
Project Lead: Jason Lindahl, Planner, City of Rosemount

LAW 7012: Environmental Sustainability: Land Use and Water Policy (Jean Coleman)Report and Presentation

OLPD 5204: Designing the Adult Education Program (Catherine Twohig)Report and Poster

PA 5242: Environmental Planning, Policy, and DM (Carissa Schively Slotterback)Report and Presentation

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Study

Goal: Develop a climate action plan that identifies specific strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions throughout the community.
Project Lead: Jason Lindahl, Planner, City of Rosemount

SUST 4004: Sustainable Communities (Amir Nadav and Samantha Grover)Report, Presentation, and Poster

PA 4790/5790: Sustainable Infrastructure and Cities (Anu Ramaswami)Memo and Presentation

OLPD 5204: Designing the Adult Education Program (Catherine Twohig)Report and Poster

SUST 4004: Sustainable Cities (Julia Nerbonne)Report and Presentation

Water Management

Storm Water Management

Goal: Identify opportunities or design strategies for storm water infiltration that balance aesthetics and functionality, reduce long-term maintenance costs, manage winter snow melt, and provide opportunities for other passive uses.
Project Lead: Andy Brotzler, Public Works Director/City Engineer, City of Rosemount

PA 5242: Environmental Planning, Policy, and Decision Making (Carissa Schively Slotterback)Report and Presentation

Water Reuse and Conservation

Goal: Investigate the feasibility of reusing storm water or treated effluent for irrigation, industrial applications, or other uses. 
Project Lead: Andy Brotzler, Public Works Director/City Engineer, City of Rosemount

PUBH 6132: Air, Water, and Health (Matt Simcik)Report and Presentation

LAW 7012: Environmental Sustainability: Land Use and Water Policy (Jean Coleman)Report and Presentation

OLPD 5204: Designing the Adult Education Program (Catherine Twohig)Report

Economic Development Projects

Asset-Based Community Development

Goal: Identify community assets that can be leveraged for community and economic development purposes.
Project Lead: Kim Lindquist, Community Development Director, City of Rosemount

PA 5512: Workforce and Economic Development (Dr. Brent Hales)Report and Presentation

Analysis of Dakota County Business Clusters

Goal: Analyze existing business clusters in Rosemount and Dakota County, identify opportunities for synergies between existing businesses and clusters, and create a marketing strategy to attract or grow synergistic businesses. 
Project Lead: Kim Lindquist, Community Development Director, City of Rosemount

PA 5590: Topics in Economic and Community Development (Lee Munnich)Report and Presentation

Eco-Green Business Park

Goal: Explore opportunities for attracting green businesses and encouraging adoption of green building/manufacturing standards for a future green business park in Rosemount.
Project Lead: Kim Lindquist, Community Development Director, City of Rosemount

MBA 6504: Carlson Consulting Enterprise (Toby Nord)Report

PA 5242: Environmental Planning, Policy, and Decision Making (Dr. Carissa Schively Slotterback)Report and Presentation

PA 5512: Workforce and Economic Development (Dr. Brent Hales)Report and Presentation

Urban Agriculture

Goal: Explore opportunities to capitalize on the existing local agricultural economy in Rosemount by supporting locally grown food and value-added agribusinesses. 
Project Lead: Eric Zweber, Senior Planner, City of Rosemount 

SUST 4004: Sustainable Communities (Samantha Grover and Amir Nadav)Food Producers Final Report and Presentation Wholesale Food Consumers Final Report and Presentation

PA 5242: Environmental Planning, Policy, and Decision Making (Carissa Schively Slotterback)Report, Presentation, and Poster

RCP–Rosemount Partnership in the News