Minnetonka Tutors Come To You

Minnetonka, Minnesota, wants to make sure its residents are happy—now and in the future. That’s why in 2016 they started a campaign called “Imagine Minnetonka.” Residents were asked, “How do you want your city to look and feel in the next twenty years?” It then collected comments at places like farmers markets, senior centers, and community forums; on strategically placed chalkboards around town; and online on MinnetonkaMatters.com, via virtual town halls, and through social media. In all, residents offered 576 unique ideas to help the city remain relevant, a place that people would want to move to. Now what to do with all that information?

The city had already arranged for “futurist” Rebecca Ryan, founder of Next Generation Consulting, to make sense of the data. At a March 6, 2017, City Council meeting, Ryan presented her findings, which fell into three themes: character, connection, and citizens.

For Minnetonka residents, “character” meant maintaining Minnetonka’s unique character, including open space, parks, wetlands, tree canopies, and the large single-family lots that characterize Minnetonka’s suburban feel.

“Connection” referred to increasing walkability via more sidewalks and trails that connect to the city, exploring and developing public transit options, and enhancing opportunities to build relationships among residents.

The “citizens” theme included concern for maintaining the current outstanding features of life in Minnetonka as well as making the city a place where people from all cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds could live, work, and succeed. That included students and their parents, who want the strong school districts, teachers, and tutoring in Minnetonka be maintained.

With its next comprehensive plan due in 2018, the city is gearing up to act on several requests and assign others to future years. The issue of mountain biking trails, which were requested frequently during the visioning process, is getting immediate attention, thanks to Minnetonka High School VANTAGE program students, who took on the task of researching the issue. In their presentation to the park board, the students said that mountain biking trails should be added to Big Willow Park and the city’s civic center campus. With the teens’ suggestions for trail routes in hand, the park board is taking the next step of contacting the public for further input, investigating maintenance needs, and planning for funding.

The City of Minnetonka is smart to tap into its teens’ talents to help shape the city. Students who work hard in school, arranging for Minnetonka tutors to achieve their educational goals, and stay knowledgeable about the city and its challenges can be a great asset to city staff and have a big say in what a future Minnetonka looks like.

With 99 percent of current residents rating life in Minnetonka as good or excellent, the city can be commended for jumping the gun on coming challenges and improvements. Studies show that Minnetonka could add 10,000 new residents to its current 50,000 by 1940, and the Imagine Minnetonka campaign has given city leaders a road map on how to get there.