News from the City of Lake Elmo

March 10, 2017
 
Monday, March 13 - Planning Commission Meeting 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, March 14 - City Council Workshop
 6:30  p.m.
 
 
Links to the 2017 City Meetings, Agendas and Meeting Minutes:
 
                                    City Meetings
 
City Agendas and Minutes
                                                                               

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Interested in Serving on the Library Board?


The City of Lake Elmo is currently accepting applications for the Library Board.  Regular meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m.  Application forms are available on the City's website:  http://www.lakeelmo.org/government/permits-applications.
Please return completed application forms to the City Clerk, Julie Johnson: jjohnson@lakeelmo.org.


Volunteers Needed for the 2040 City of Lake Elmo
Comprehensive Plan Update Advisory Panel
Are you interested in helping guide the future of the City of Lake Elmo? The City is undertaking an update to its Comprehensive Plan document that guides the City's long-term land use, growth and development in the community. The update process will primarily focus on identifying a unified vision for the future the City, updating the land use, growth, parks and trails, transportation, and wastewater facilities components of the Plan. The City is seeking 2-4 volunteer members for the Comprehensive Plan Update Advisory Panel. The Panel will provide guidance to City Staff and Consultants working to update the Comprehensive Plan chapters. We anticipate that the Panel will be most active from April 2017-November 2017 on an as need basis. The City is hoping for Advisory Panel members of diverse background, ages and interests including youth, seniors, new residents and old. For more information or to apply, please contact Planning Director Stephen Wensman at 651-747-3911. Applications will be accepted through March 27, 2017


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Heading Out of Town for Spring Break?
Keep your home safe while you're gone!

If you are planning to go out of town for spring break, here are a few tips from the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

- Going somewhere fun? Don't post about it on social media! Wait until you return  to post your pictures. Posting information about the date and destination of your trip or posting pictures while you are gone on social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter makes you an easy target for potential burglars. 

- Burglars prefer to break into homes that are unoccupied. Set timers on lights, radios and televisions to turn them on during appropriate times to make it look like someone is home. Ask a neighbor you trust to put your trash cans out on trash day and pick up your mail and newspaper. You can also temporarily stop delivery of your mail. Arrange for snow removal if the weather forecast calls for it.

- The Washington County Sheriff's Office provides Vacation Home Checks to those where we are the local law enforcement agency. More info here: https://www.co.washington.mn.us/912/Vacation-Home-Checks


A Tale of Two Visions for Lake Elmo


Until the late 1870's both the lake and village were known as Bass Lake. The city chose a new name (Lake Elmo), championed by an early resident with railroad connections in St. Paul. In 1872, the St. Paul, Stillwater & Taylor's Falls Railroad (later the Omaha Road) made it much quicker and less expensive to get to the village and lake. By 1876, a post office was built in the Old Village area. A.B. Stickney purchased land and started construction of a 58-room luxury resort hotel. As a result of the Stickney family's efforts, Bass Lake was renamed Lake Elmo in 1879. So was the village. All land south of the tracks, and north of the lake were purchased by the railroad.



To the north of the railroad tracks, there were other forces at work in the village. There were people who had a different destiny in mind for this small community. The Main Street (now Lake Elmo Avenue), was bustling with a different energy. Next to the specialty shops opened to serve tourists came businesses that served the needs of the farms surrounding the small town. North of the tracks, a different community was developing. A creamery was opened to serve dairy farmers. A granary and other storage bins were built along the railroad to connect farmer's crops with markets in St. Paul. Along Main Street (now Lake Elmo Avenue), mercantile and implement stores opened. Main Street Lake Elmo became a street bustling with the a mixture of farmers, wage earners and seasonal tourists.
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Ultimately, efforts to create a resort community collapsed but the struggle was imprinted on the community. Lake Elmo developed a determination to grow from within, resolved to develop and cultivate it's rural base, defending that heritage against outside forces.


Source: Rolf Larson and Memories of Lake Elmo, collected and authored by Gloria VanDemmeltraadt.


  
            FIRE DEPARTMENT NEWS   
 

COLD WEATHER SAFETY TIPS
Stay off the thin ice
With homes closed up - have working Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Clear snow from hydrants - (THANK YOU!)
Additional Fire Safety Tips can be found at the State Fire Marshals website by using the link below:
 

EMERGENCY CALL RESPONSE                       
January - November 2016      Fire- 106         Rescue- 42      Medical- 241               TOTAL = 389


TRAINING
Asst. Chief Mike Cornell was selected for, and completed the MBFTE (Mn Board
 of Firefighter Training and Education) Leadership Development Training Course. This is a 34 hour, 4-module
 course, held on weekends at Camp Ripley. The course is designed to prepare future leaders and Chief Officers for the fire service. The modules include Leadership, Human Resources, Financial Management 
and Marketing. Today's fire department requires far more expertise and knowledge than it did a generation ago to meet the expectations of the public - and their firefighters - and to be successful.

Members of the Leadership Class were recently recognized at the Mn State Fire Chiefs Conference. Asst. Chief Cornell is front row, right.
 
COMMUNITY TRAINING
CPR
The Lake Elmo Fire Department offers FREE "Friends and Family" hands only CPR training.  We loan out a kit provided to the department courtesy of the Lake Elmo Rotary Club.  Each kit contains a training DVD and inflatable mannequin.  It is simple and easy CPR training for the whole family.  I personally trained my kids with this kit when they were as young as 5 years old.  You only need check it out from the downtown fire station and return it when you are done.
We also offer a free basic first aid training course.  This course is conducted in the fire station by a certified instructor covering first aid basics and a variety of situations that you may be confronted with.  More advanced first aid and CPR training courses are offered for a fee with a certified instructor as well.  Completion of the advanced fee based training includes a course completion card which is valid for 2 years through the American Heart Association.
For all training inquiries, Contact Captain Nick Witter @ 651-770-5006. 

HIRING
HERE'S YOUR CHANCE!!
Lake Elmo FD is now accepting applications for our next recruit class. Applications can be found on-line or stop into our Station #1 and pick one up, or call 651-770-5006. Give us a try! 
 
 If you have questions or want additional information, feel free to contact station 1 @ 651-770-5006.
 
If you have any questions or suggestions please contact Chief Malmquist @




Next week at the Lake Elmo Library

  
For more information please click here  EVENTS

 
Spring Landscape Workshops 


The East Metro Water Resource Education Program and Master Gardeners in Washington County invite you to join us for some Spring Dreaming!
 
We are offering fun, informal workshops to help you with ideas and how-tos for your own property including:
 
*             Small landscaping projects: incorporating gardens, natural areas, and spaces for play;
*             Managing drainage and erosion issues using raingardens, swales, dry creeks while protecting water resources;
*             Creating habitat for pollinators, birds and wildlife on your property;
*             Managing invasive species such as buckthorn.
 
Enjoy an evening with your community and get helpful advice from Master Gardeners and Water Resource Educators.
 
***RSVPs received at least 2 days before the workshop will receive a free aerial print out of their property to use during the workshop***  
North Saint Paul - April 6 @ 6p.m. Casey Lake Park Building
St. Paul Park - April 11 @ 6p.m. City Hall
Oakdale - April 18 @ 6p.m. Washington Conservation District Office
Hugo - April 27 @ 6p.m. City Hall
Forest Lake - May 2 @ 6p.m. City Hall
 
RSVP to the workshops at: tinyurl.com/SpringDream2017
 
For more information contact Jenn Radtke: jradtke@mnwcd.org or 651-330-8220 x44