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Good day, Wayzata. This is Wayzata Scoop: the local newsletter that gets you through the longest month of the year. Yes, it's only 31 days.

In today’s Scoop:

• Plymouth Council Seeks Half-Cent Sales Tax for $135M Recreation Project 💵

• Ooh La La: Wayzata Musicales' French Cabaret Evening at St. Barnabas 🎶

• Plymouth Launches Zoom Cooking Classes Designed for Adaptive Learning 🧑‍🍳

Let’s stay warm.

— Dustin Hart

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📢 TALK OF THE TOWN

Plymouth's $135M Rec Facilities Plan: Let Visitors Help Pay Through Sales Tax

When a city needs $135 million for recreational facilities and decides to split the bill between residents and visitors through sales tax instead of dumping it all on property owners, that's strategic financing worth understanding.

Plymouth City Council approved a resolution Jan. 13 seeking legislative authorization for a half-cent local sales tax to fund three major projects: $55 million Plymouth Ice Center expansion and renovation, $55 million new year-round Fieldhouse to replace the seasonal dome at Plymouth Community Center, and $25 million regional sports complex at the former Four Seasons Mall site. If the Minnesota Legislature approves this spring, the projects and sales tax go to Plymouth voters in November for final say.

The logic: these facilities face decades of heavy use, need repairs/replacements/upgrades for safety, accessibility, and efficiency, plus there's growing demand for year-round recreation space and outdoor athletic fields. City Manager Dave Callister calls it a response to community feedback requesting more sports and recreational spaces that keep pace with demand.

Here's the financing angle: University of Minnesota study shows about 55% of the sales tax would be paid by people living outside Plymouth. So visitors using the amenities help fund them, rather than placing the entire cost on property owners through levy increases. If approved by Legislature and voters, the tax stays in place up to 20 years or until projects and financing costs are covered.

A project website launches in coming months with detailed information about investments, timelines, costs, and public feedback opportunities. November ballot decides if this happens.

Wayzata Musicales' French Cabaret: Where Plymouth Becomes Paris (Minus the Smoke)

When a Canadian chanteuse who's been entertaining Twin Cities audiences for years decides to transform a Plymouth church into a Parisian nightclub, you show up and say "ooh la la" without irony.

Wayzata Musicales brings back its French Cabaret Evening by popular demand, featuring Francine Roche with her longtime sidekicks Mark Stillman on accordion and Jim Price on violin and mandolin. The trio promises to transport you to a small Parisian nightclub setting – except without the smoke, which honestly improves the experience for everyone's lungs while maintaining the ambiance.

Roche has built her reputation on stylish interpretations of French songs, and paired with accordion and violin/mandolin, you're getting the full chanson française experience without airfare to Europe. The show runs 75 minutes straight through with no intermission at 7 p.m., held at the new venue: St. Barnabas Lutheran Church in Plymouth (15600 Old Rockford Road).

Tickets run $26 adults, $21 seniors, $16 students – available at wayzatamusicales.org. It's the kind of evening where you can pretend you're sophisticated and cultured while actually just enjoying good music in a comfortable setting.

One evening, three musicians, zero cigarette smoke, maximum French cabaret vibes. Sometimes the best travel is the kind that ends with you sleeping in your own bed.

Plymouth's Confident Kitchen Cooks: Where Everyone Can Make Soft Pretzels

When a city designs cooking classes specifically to support different physical, sensory, and cognitive needs, that's accessibility meeting practical life skills in the best way possible.

Plymouth's launching Confident Kitchen Cooks, a series of virtual cooking classes over Zoom designed for individuals of all abilities. The format is slow-paced, step-by-step guidance through each recipe, with adult supervision required but zero prior cooking experience necessary. The goal: build confidence, independence, and actual enjoyment in the kitchen while learning safety practices.

Upcoming classes span comfort food territory: Soft Pretzels & Cheese Dip (Jan. 22, 5-6:30 p.m.), Pierogi Party (Feb. 26, 5-6:30 p.m.), Homemade SpaghettiOs & Mini Meatballs (March 12, 5-6:30 p.m.), and Mother's Day Breakfast from Scratch (May 7, 5-7 p.m.). Each class teaches practical cooking skills adapted to support different learning styles and physical abilities, making the kitchen accessible rather than intimidating.

Fees vary by class, and registration happens at plymouthmn.gov/activities with specific activity codes for each session. It's the kind of programming that recognizes cooking isn't just a life skill – it's independence, creativity, and the ability to feed yourself without relying on takeout or frozen meals.

Virtual format means you learn in your own kitchen with your own equipment. No travel, no unfamiliar spaces, just step-by-step guidance that meets you where you are.

📖 QOTW (QUOTE OF THE WEEK)

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." - Charles R. Swindoll

🌪️ WEATHER WATCH

Friday through Sunday are competing for 'most uninhabitable temperatures' and honestly, they're all winning.

Wed 21 22°/8° Snow Showers 🌨️ | 💧57%

Thu 22 5°/-21° Partly Cloudy 🌥️ | 💧8%

Fri 23 -9°/-18° Mostly Sunny 🌤️ | 💧3%

Sat 24 -2°/-13° Partly Cloudy 🌥️ | 💧6%

Sun 25 2°/-11° Partly Cloudy 🌥️ | 💧10%

Mon 26 9°/-2° Partly Cloudy 🌥️ | 💧6%

Tue 27 13°/0° Partly Cloudy 🌥️ | 💧10%

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