Dakota County news briefs: Senior housing complex OK'd in Eagan

Construction is expected to begin this fall on a 151-unit senior housing complex recently approved by the Eagan City Council.

Eagan Pointe Senior Living is the latest project to be developed by Southview Senior Living, a family-run business that also has built and operated senior housing properties since 1966. Its other senior communities are in Maple Grove, Inver Grove Heights, West St. Paul, Lilydale, Oak Park Heights and Shoreview.

The four-story building in Eagan at 4232 Blackhawk Road will have memory care, assisted living and independent living units. Amenities will include a dining area, fitness center, movie theater and game room. The developer expects the project to be completed in the fall of 2014.

Two organizations have won funding through the Community POWER (Partners on Waste Education and Reduction) program for projects that aim to educate residents about composting, reducing waste and properly disposing of hazardous waste.

All Star Academy of Burnsville will train immigrant volunteers in Dakota County to educate 400 residents in their communities about reducing waste, using alternatives to toxic materials and maintaining a healthy environment.

The YMCA of Eagan will teach middle and high school students about the benefits of composting and how to create and manage compost bins. The students will then present the information to their peers and families.

The Community POWER program is funded by the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board, a joint powers board comprised of Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey and Washington counties.

Starting this month, the LeDuc Historic Estate will honor the man who donated it to the Minnesota Historical Society 55 years ago.

Carroll Simmons, an antiques dealer who purchased the estate and based his business there in the mid-1900s, turned the property over to the historical society in 1958, according to the LeDuc Estate.

Stories about him will be included in the regular guided tours of the LeDuc house starting during Rivertown Days on July 20 and continuing through Oct. 27. These special tours will include a video in the library and an explanation of how the life of Carroll Simmons and the LeDucs was intertwined.

Simmons continued his prosperous antique business until 1985 and died in 1992. With the help of legislative funding, the estate was restored and doors were opened to the public in May 2005.

The next month, the property was turned over to Hastings and is now managed by Dakota County Historical Society. For further information, see www.dakotahistory.org.

The event starts with a traditional Polka Mass at 4 p.m., and at 5 p.m., activities begin around the parish center, with food, face painting, an inflatable obstacle course, mini golf, a duck pond, bingo and more.

The church is at 3333 Cliff Road. For more information, call Julia Taube at 952-890-0045, ext. 236.