Grad Spotlight: Matt Hardegger

To many of his peers, Matthew Hardegger has an enviable resume. The Burnsville Senior High graduate was one of seven valedictorians of the class of 2011, the tennis captain and was commended by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

But what really sets Hardegger apart is this: For the last year-and-a-half Hardegger has been a voting member of the of the Parks & Natural Resources Commission, a board that advises the Burnsville City Council. Until his final meeting on June 6, Hardegger was the youngest member of the commission by at least a couple of decades.

The opportunity arose during Hardegger's junior year, during an Advanced Placement Environmental Science class. 

"One day our teacher asked if there were any juniors interested in a volunteer opportunity. She had applications for this commission," Hardegger recalled. "The city council was really interested in having a youth member again. They hadn't had one for a couple of years." 

He joined the commission when he was just 17. According to Hardegger, the board dealt with few controversial issues, though the question of whether to close the ice rinks during winter did become heated at one point.

"A lot of it was housing variances, where the house would be in relation to the lake," Hardegger said. "The major ones that I felt my input was most used for were decisions about what to do with parks."

When the city was revamping its plans for parkland, Hardegger often voiced an opinion for the youth. 

"That was my biggest area of interest, making sure that what they do with the parks has youth input," Hardegger said. 

Hardegger lobbied for preservation of the tennis courts at Neill Park. At the time, the commission had considered reducing the tennis courts from six to four.

"Tennis is becoming more popular in our community again. I might be a little biased, but they asked for my input," Hardegger added. "I told them that I see a lot of people playing tennis when I'm out there and that it would probably be a bad idea to downsize the court."

All in all, Hardegger described his tenure on the commission as a valuable experience.

"I kind of learned how the city government really works. I learned a lot about the environment and who what we do as a city impacts that," Hardegger said.

Soon Hardegger will be going to the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. He will be leaving for school in August. He plans to study engineering, though he has not yet decided on a definite career path.