5 Prior Lake stories to watch in 2018

Prior Lake American

Prior Lake was plenty busy in 2017 and that trend is likely to continue in 2018.

Here are five stories to look for in the upcoming year.

1. Elections

Minnesotans overall will have a big election year in 2018. The U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, State Auditor, Attorney General and State Representative seats will be on the ballot. Prior Lake City Council also has two seats open — those of council members Annette Thompson and Mike McGuire. McGuire said he hasn’t decided on whether he’s running yet and said he will in the summer. On the school board side, the seats of Board Chair Richard Wolf, Board Treasurer Stacey Ruelle, member Ben Hanson and member Todd Sorensen are open.

2. Road projects

The city of Prior Lake is planning some big projects in the upcoming year, many of them having to do with roads. One project that is already well underway is the County Road 21 and Highway 13 reconstruction project, which consists of putting roundabouts and three-fourth accesses in downtown Prior Lake. There will also be the second phase of Franklin Trail. Improvements will also be done to Woodside and Huron as well as general overlay projects across town. Dual left turn lanes and permanent traffic signals will also be done on County Road 42.

3. Entertainment

During Super Bowl weekend, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel will be a major draw to the Prior Lake area. Names like The Chainsmokers, Gwen Stefani, DJ Kygo and Florida Georgia Line are expected to bring thounsands of concert goers each night, meaning a busy weekend for traffic, events and police. Not only that, but all eyes are on Prior Lake for this season of ABC’s “The Bachelor.” This season features Prior Lake native Becca Kufrin.

4. Overcrowding in schools

The Prior Lake-Savage Area School District is implementing overcrowding solutions for the next few years until a new school can be built in 2020. The work on this will continue in 2018, including open enrollment options, using existing spaces as classrooms, constructing additional classrooms and temporarily changing boundary district lines.

5. Big purchases

The city of Prior Lake will have some new faces in 2018. There will be a new police officer, maintenance employee and a part-time community service officer. The city will also need a police squad car for the new officer as well as a new fire engine. The city is also purchasing a street sweeper. “We’re trying to provide good people with good equipment and then have the residents expect superlative service,” City Manager Frank Boyles said.