Minneapolis/St. Paul south metro news briefs: Shakopee mayor's state of the city talk

Licensing of rental properties to cut down on crime and upgrades to the core area of town were featured in Shakopee Mayor Brad Tabke's State of the City address last week.

Tabke announced a revitali­zation program aimed at the historic downtown area, as well as the receipt of a grant to study the future of the Hwy. 101 corridor.

Both were among key planks in his successful bid for election. He criticized the city for failing to do enough to inject new life into downtown and for missing a chance to turn Hwy. 101 into a more-upscale place.

He also spoke of what he called a "vision for an entertainment/retail corridor from Valleyfair to Mystic Lake [Casino]."

Slides and video from the talk can be viewed at www.bradtabke.com/2013/05/08/shakopee-state-of-the-city-2013.

Auditions for the Minnesota Renaissance Festival will be held at a theater in south Minneapolis this month.

Participants of any age can audition to be musicians, street performers and stage combatants. Auditions will be held May 18 from noon to 4 p.m. Callbacks will be the following Saturday, May 25.

Several Savage businesses this month will showcase the winners of the Savage Juried Art Competition and Show.

The works will be displayed around town, and visitors will be able to vote for their favorites to win the Marion W. Savage People's Choice award.

More than 100 works were submitted to the annual competition. Art from the winners can be seen at Cal's Market, Eagle Creek Gallery, Klein Bank, Savage City Hall, Savage Library and Sterling Bank through May 29.

The taxpayers who are paying for Savage's new $5.75 million, 60,000-square-foot public works facility are invited to tour the space on Saturday.

There's an open house from 9 a.m. to noon on May 18.

Streets, utilities, parks and engineering staff are housed there. The event is a chance for folks to learn more about what they do.

The expansion added space for the city's fleet, vehicles that maintain streets, parks and the like. There also are bays for vehicle repair and washing. The open house will include tours and other information.

Public Works is located at 13770 Dakota Av.

Burnsville is asking residents to nominate their neighborhoods for buckthorn brush pickups in the third year of a disposal program.

The city notes that the sight of overgrown buckthorn in areas that once were spark­ling with native shrubs and wildflowers is "frustrating — especially since it is difficult to remove (and keep away permanently)."

For more information, visit www.burnsville.org/nominate, call 952-895-4543 or e-mail caleb.ashling@ci.burnsville.mn.us.