Greg Swan wants you to be his neighbor.

After a year and a half long battle with the empty house next door, Swan isn’t even looking for a good neighbor at this point. Almost anyone will do.

“We just want neighbors,” said Swan.

Turns out for Swan, even bad neighbors are a better prospect than no neighbor at all.

According to the latest National Weather Service info, the river at Jordan hit 26.21 feet at 1 p.m. July 2. The current projected crest is Saturday at 26.3 feet, before the levels begin to drop.

That means Chaska should peak about Monday at 6.3 feet over flood stage. Of course, more rain would change that estimate.

While the northwest corner of Highway 41 and Chaska Boulevard has sat vacant for nearly two years, the future looks a little brighter for those hoping to keep the corner green.

At its June meeting, the Park Board approved a motion to “strongly recommend” to the council that the corner be preserved for recreational use only, extending the scope of the existing Firemen’s Park.

Monday night the Chaska City Council voted 4-1, with Councilor Greg Boe dissenting, to lease water tower space to rival Internet provider Clearwire.

The Clover Ridge water tower is one of three locations Clearwire wants to install an antennae for its Wi-Max service. It has lease agreements with District 112 for the other two locations.

Several councilors, including Boe, expressed concerns about entering into a lease agreement because Clearwire will compete with the city-run Wi-Fi Internet service Chaska.net.

Bavarian Shores will get an unexpected overlay this summer. According to the latest report from City Administrator Matt Podhradsky, the spring thaw revealed significant issues on Bavarian Shores just north of Lake Bavaria.

Though the road was originally scheduled to get an overlay next summer, the project is being moved up to negate any further damage that could not be rectified by an overlay alone.

Hazeltine National Golf Club will close on July 5 for the replanting of the course. The site of last year’s PGA Tournament is undergoing a number of renovations in advance of the 2016 Ryder Cup.

Last fall, the clubhouse was torn down and has been under construction. It should reopen later this summer.

The Met Council has released the latest estimated population numbers for Chaska. Chaska is now estimated to have a population of 24,177 in 8,895 households.

Figures are based on Census 2000 numbers and adjusted annually taking into consideration the number of housing starts and average residents per household as of April 1, 2009.

Last year, the Met Council estimated Chaska’s population at 24,048 across 8,716 households.

Among the items included on tonight's Chaska City Council agenda are:

*General obligation improvement bonds

*Governmental refunding bonds for the Carver County CDA

*Lease agreement with Clearwire for water tower space

Chaska City Council meetings are held the first, third and fifth Mondays of each month at 7 p.m. at Chaska City Hall, One City Hall Plaza.

We are not alone.

For many, Chaska is familiar as the name of the city they call home. But around the world, “Chaska” can be found on everything from endangered bears and Navy tugs, to guitarists and candy.

Around here, Chaska was the Dakota name generally given to a first-born son. (Winona went to first-born daughters.)