As questions about La Crescent’s future development looms on the horizon, some residents fear an increase in drug use.

The concerns, voiced in response to a survey sent out in late July in preparation for a visit from the Minnesota Design Team, ranked “an increase in drug use” as a major concern if apartment buildings and urban development are in the plans.

Don Smith of La Crescent, who is working on Design Team preparation, has said the survey was sent out to all township and city residents, with 14 percent being returned completed.

Smith has said the average age of the respondents was between 46 and 60, and have lived in the community for 20 years.

Some residents, when asked what issues could pose the greatest threat to the community, if not taken care of, responded with concern about drugs and crime. And, as one respondent noted, the “growing crime and drugs used by teenagers.”

“If you think there’re no drugs out there, you’ve got your head buried in the sand,” said La Crescent Police Chief Todd Nelson.

Nelson, who said he recognizes the city needs more drug enforcement, said the Houston County Sheriff’s office has recently assigned a county-wide drug enforcement officer who will visit schools and communities to help out.

“We’re looking forward to do more drug enforcement once the officer completes his training in this area,” Nelson said. But, increasingly, Nelson has relied on a local practice that has served him and the force well over the past couple of years.

“Some of the best successes we’ve had have been working with the landlords,” he said. “We’ve had some changes in the landlords in the community and they’re doing a great job right now of ridding the complexes of drugs. When landlords don’t screen who they rent to,” Nelson said, “and don’t care about who moves into the community, trouble can arise.”

But that’s only half of the equation. The other part is about talking to one another, he said, and he regularly gets phones calls from landlords alerting the force to any potential problems and just to give a status update on how things are going.

“In the past couple of years, we’ve had more communication with the landlords than I can ever remember,” he said.

Nelson also cited a nuisance ordinance, implemented in June 2007, cracking down on disorderly conduct within apartment complexes, as a significant step forward in enforcement.

La Crescent Mayor Mike Poellinger said getting kids of all ages involved in the community and programs is key to helping the drug problem.

“It’s got to be more than just the enforcement side of it,” Poellinger said. “You’ve got to look at all sides of it.”

Poellinger said local sports and theater activities get kids off the streets and involved with adults before they turn to drugs.

“I think we need to do anything we can to move forward and improve the situation,” he said. “You need to be proactive and give those kids something else to do.”

Poellinger also cited the interstate pact with La Crosse, in which the two cities can freely share information and keep each other informed, as an important factor in the curbing of drugs coming into the community.

Cooperation with the school district, which Poellinger described as “great,” has also been instrumental with drug problems, and he praised the school-wide camera system as making a tremendous impact.

“It has helped tremendously in the past and will be key moving forward,” he said.

With four universities and a technical college within a 30-minute drive of La Crescent, high school principal Rick Wolter said if the kids go out looking for drugs, they’re going to find them.

Despite the accessibility, he said, the discovery of drugs at the school is not common.

“We have a few incidents that have happened,” Wolter said. “Over the last four years, we’ve had the dogs come in each year, but we’ve rarely found anything.”

There was a police liaison at the school for a year, he said, but the grant-funded position ran out of money, and they haven’t reapplied.

“It was kind of nice to have him there,” he said, “but they’re (the police) only a phone call away and they’re always there when we need them.”

Wolter said the police are supportive and easy to work with, but he realizes how big a concern drugs are.

“I hear there’s quite a bit of activity, but I don’t see it in school,” he said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not in the community.”