Business briefs: Another winter of soccer under Burnsville dome

The owner of a soccer dome that has been erected each of the past six winters in Burnsville got the go-ahead last week to operate the dome for one more winter -- or maybe two.

Soccer Blast, located at 3601 W. 145th St., got permission in 2004 to erect the dome for six years, as long as it was only up for six months out of the year. That permission expired in June. The owners plan to replace the dome with a permanent structure, but that project has been delayed, so the business came back to the city asking for one more year under the dome.

The city's planning commission didn't see a problem with that -- in fact, it extended the permission to two more winters, in case the building doesn't get done in time for the winter of 2011-12. Soccer Blast runs winter recreational soccer leagues for kids and adults as well as player development programs.

Any Time? Well, almost

A fitness center whose owner wanted to operate 24 hours in Eagan, but was turned down by the city after a handful of neighbors objected, got the go-ahead last week to operate from 5 a.m. to midnight instead.

Any Time Fitness will open at 1012 Diffley Road, near Cub Foods in the Diffley Marketplace area. The original 24-hour plan was nixed by the city's planning commission earlier this year because the city's rules for the development area allow businesses to operate only from 6 a.m. to midnight. The owner came back with a plan to deviate from the rules by just one hour, and the city went along with it last week.

"Welcome to 'Almost Any Time' Fitness, I guess?" said Mayor Mike Maguire.

A site that isn't quite up to environmental standards for commercial or industrial property might work out just fine for a new dog-training facility in West St. Paul.

Dog trainer Maureen Haggerty of Mendota Heights wants to open a new Canine Coach location on the northeast corner of Lothenbach Avenue and Marthaler Lane. It would have an outdoor dog training area surrounded by a 4-foot chain-link fence.

The soil on the site is not so contaminated that it's considered polluted, but the city says it would cost $300,000 to fix the soil for an office or industrial building. But it's workable for a dog-training center.

Haggerty and the city are working out some of the particulars, so the plans are briefly on hold. The Canine Coach has six indoor locations in the Twin Cities.