Group seeks donations for Eli Hart memorial playground in Mound

A group is trying to get money together to build a playground at Mound's Surfside Park in memory of Eli Hart, the 6-year-old murdered by his mother. The effort has a long way to go — just over $32,000 has been raised, with a goal of $200,000 — but the playground has taken important steps forward.

Earlier this month, the Mound City Council approved a resolution in support of the project. The council directed city staff to help get the Eli Hart Foundation through the permitting process to build the playground. The city had been planning to build a playground at Surfside Park but budget constraints put the project on hold. The memorial playground aims to be funded without city money.

The foundation has also found a vendor willing to offer playground equipment at cost, according to city documents, and is working to become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Josie Albertson-Grove

The Ramsey City Council has signed off on the Anoka Ramsey Athletic Association's plan to build a 180,000-square-foot domed facility that would be the largest of its kind in Minnesota, and possibly in the continental United States.

The facility near the intersection of Hwy. 10 and Armstrong Boulevard will have eight full-size basketball courts; volleyball courts; batting cages; a weight training area, and turf fields large enough to play two softball games at once.

"This will be a world class facility for a community-based price," association president Dustin Reeder said before the Feb. 14 vote. The association plans to pay for the project with money raised through charitable gambling and by saving the $250,000 it pays vendors annually to rent gym and field space, Reeder has said.

The association still has to obtain building and stormwater permits from the city, and approval from the Lower Rum River Watershed Management Organization before construction can begin. The dome could open in the fall.

Tim Harlow

The Apple Valley Police Department purchased its first robot in the fall, and officers were trained last month on how to use it.

The robot, which cost $2,600, is 14 inches long, 11 inches wide and nearly 7 inches tall, with a wheel on each side and a clamp for a cell phone or body camera between the wheels.

It's a tool that can be used when officers want to monitor an area that might be dangerous for an officer to enter, or in situations when an officer might add stress for the people involved, such as during a mental health crisis, said Sgt. Adam Tschida.

"The robot can go into a space that would be pretty dangerous for an officer to go into," he said.

The robot offers a way for an officer to talk with a person from afar through a video call.

Robots have long been a part of law enforcement, Tschida said, but were previously very expensive and used by specialized units.

Erin Adler