Orphanage project will go before Planning Commission
Posted: 4/26/02
by Erin Johnson
Staff Writer
Lawyers for Mary Jo Copeland have filed a formal application with the city of Eagan for her $30 million, 200-bed orphanage project called Gift of Mary Childrenís Home.
The plans for Gift of Mary Childrenís Home include 20 individual townhomes that would each accommodate 10 children, a married teaching couple and a family assistant to live with the children around the clock. Plans also include a community center that would house a K-12 private school, a teen center, recreational facilities, a chapel and a gymnasium.
In March, Copeland signed a purchase agreement for a 26-acre site in Eagan on which to build the orphanage. The site is an undeveloped parcel in the northeast section of Eagan, bordered by Lone Oak Road to the north, Highway 55 to the south and Inver Grove Heights to the east. Copeland said the purchase of the land is contingent upon the projectís approval.
A bill to put a two-year moratorium on the building of childrenís institutions with 50 beds or more such as Copelandís was ultimately dropped in the Senate at the end of March due to its failure in the House. The bill had passed the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and was awaiting action on the floor, but it was dead in the House after missing its deadline for consideration.
The billís defeat puts the fate of the project squarely in the hands of the city of Eagan, which is exactly where it should be according to Eagan City Council Member Paul Bakken.
Bakken formed the group HOPE (Help the Orphanage find its Place in Eagan) in protest of the moratorium legislation. The issue was one of local rights, he said, and the state passing legislation on this issue is akin to dictating what cities can and canít build.
Now that the legislation has been defeated, HOPE will focus on a campaign to educate the citizens of Eagan about the project.
ìThe amount of volunteer support weíve received has been tremendous,î Bakken said. ìNow we just need these passionate people to take the message to others in the community.î
The group plans to go door-to-door across the city to distribute an informational brochure about the project and HOPEís support of the childrenís home.
ìWeíve already gotten some decent work done behind the scenes,î Bakken said. ìIn these upcoming months weíre going to be much more visible. We believe this home needs to be built and we believe that Eagan is just the kind of courageous and innovative city to be home to this additional alternative to current foster care options.î
The group will also make presentations to community groups, plant lawn signs and hold a fund-raiser hosted by HOPE member Joe Senser. Senser, a former Minnesota Viking and current KFAN analyst, was raised in an orphanage in Pennsylvania and is an avid supporter of the project.
ìI know first-hand what a difference a place like this can make in the lives of young children,î he said. ìI couldnít have accomplished the things I have without attending the Milton Hershey School. Thatís why Iím devoting time to help HOPE make this a reality.î
The Gift of Mary Childrenís Home fund-raiser is scheduled Saturday, May 11 at Royal Cliff Banquet Center in Eagan.
Copelandís project is scheduled to go before the Eagan Advisory Planning Commission May 28. The Planning Commission will then make a recommendation to the City Council, which is scheduled to hear the proposal June 4.
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