News from the City of Lake Elmo

May 19 , 2017
 
Monday, May 22: Environmental Committee 5:30 p.m.

Monday, May 22: Planning Commission 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, May 23: Public Safety Committee 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday, May 23: Maintenance Advisory Committee 4:30 p.m.

Monday, May 29: City Hall Closed - Memorial Day


Links to the 2017 City Meetings, Agendas and Meeting Minutes: 

City Meetings
  City Agendas and Minutes
                                                                               


*PLEASE NOTE:  Due to the current forecast for a high probability of rain and temperatures in the 40s, the Sunfish Lake Park Nature Day scheduled for Saturday, May 20, 2017 has been cancelled. 



Public invited to celebrate 150th anniversary of Washington County Historic Courthouse June 3

The Civil War monument at the Washington County Historic Courthouse will be celebrated 
at the courthouse's 150th anniversary June 3rd

Washington County invites the public to a celebration of 150 years since the groundbreaking of the county's Historic Courthouse, 100th anniversary of the Soldiers and Sailors Civil War Monument, and special dedication of its 2017 Time Capsule.

The 150th Anniversary Celebration will be 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 3, at the Historic Courthouse, 101 W. Pine St. in Stillwater. There will be a time capsule ceremony, live music,
Civil War re-enactors, $1 hot dogs, old-fashioned candy, picnicking on the lawn and a Civil War exhibit grand opening. The public is invited to enjoy a picnic on the Washington County Historic Courthouse lawn.

A program by Arn Kind, "Minnesota in the Civil War," will be presented at 11 a.m. Civil War reenactor Ken Martens will be on hand at 12:30 p.m. giving a speech on Sam Bloomer, a Stillwater area soldier who fought with the First Minnesota in the Civil War. The colors will be presented by the Air Force Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps from Woodbury High School. Local officials will address attendees at 1 p.m., and the Time Capsule Ceremony will be at 1:30 p.m. A cannon firing from the Battery 1st U.S. Artillery will close the day.

During the event, the 150th Anniversary Time Capsule will be dedicated with items representing Washington County. The items in the Time Capsule will give future generations a glimpse of what life is like in Washington County. The information will represent Washington County in 2017 and ensure a legacy for years to come.

On the previous day, Friday, June 2, 10th Judicial District Judge Gregory Galler will conduct court proceedings in the Historic Courthouse Courtroom from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. There will be a short presentation at 8:50 a.m. about the Historic Courthouse and the courtroom.
The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, call 651-275-7075 and email HistoricCourthouse @co.washington.mn.us

   
Lake Elmo Street and Utility Improvements

Work has resumed on the Downtown Lake Elmo Street and Utility Improvement Project.

30th Street Upcoming Work:
  • Crews will continue work on sidewalks, driveways, landscaping and restoration in all areas that have been disturbed until everything is complete
  • The old utility poles along the south side of 30th Street will be removed by Xcel Energy in May
  • The new sod has been placed and is doing well thanks to recent rains
Lake Elmo Avenue Upcoming Work:
 
  • Roadway construction (sand and gravel)
    between 32nd Street and the railroad tracks
    will continue next week. Weather
    dependent, this work will be complete by
    the end of next week. 
  • Following the roadway construction, concrete crews will pour curb and gutter;
    followed by sidewalk on the east side of Lake Elmo Avenue.
  • Restoration in all disturbed areas will continue.
Washington County will begin sending out weekly construction updates; as they have over the 2015 and 2016 construction seasons and we will continue to share that information every week in the Fresh.  The current update from Washington County can be viewed here: update .

As in the past, copies of the Washington County updates will be available to pick up at the Lake Elmo Post Office and The Lake Elmo Inn.

CSAH 13 (Ideal Ave./Olson Lake Tr.) Project Update

Road work will begin on County Highway 13 (Olson Lake Trail) between 44th Street and 50th Street on Monday, May 22, 2017. Work will begin with tree clearing along the corridor between 44th and 50th Streets. Two-way traffic will be maintained on one-lane under the direction of flaggers. Expect delays and please consider using alternate routes.

County Highway 13 (Olson Lake Trail) will be closed to through traffic beginning Tuesday, May 30, 2017. A full road closure will occur in the vicinity of the open utility excavation. Traffic will not be allowed to pass through this area from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday - Friday. 
Please use the posted detour or alternate routes to move around the closure.
Please contact Allan Brandt at 651-430-4348 or allan.brandt@co.washington.mn.us 

CSAH 13 (Ideal Ave./Olson Lake Tr.) Project Open House
 
Washington County invites you to a pre-construction open house for the County Highway 13 (Ideal Avenue/Olson Lake Trail) Roadway Improvement Project.
We hope you will be able to join us as we:
  • Provide an update on construction
  • Present the anticipated construction schedule and staging plan
  • Discuss access coordination for private parties and businesses
  • Review the project's communication plan during construction
 
The open house will be held on Tuesday, May 23rd from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. at the Oakdale Discovery Center (4444 Hadley Ave. N. Oakdale, MN 55128).


Next week at the Lake Elmo Library

  
For more information please click here  EVENTS

  

Main Street - An introduction
 

Main Street of Lake Elmo is officially named Lake Elmo Avenue, and it's also county Road 17. To people who live there and support the many small businesses that have come and gone, as well as the ones that have stayed through the years, it's just Main Street. Main Street encompasses the four or five blocks going south from what is now Highway 14 to the railroad tracks. After that the street reverts to its official name.


In March 1975, the Oliver Towne column in the St. Paul Dispatch did a feature article on Lake Elmo's nostalgic charm. It says, "Main Street in Lake Elmo is the kind of a thoroughfare where you can look between the buildings and see a farm on the edge of town." It was charming, but beneath that charm has been a lot of action and many generations of businesses that has provided services and goods in Lake Elmo for close to 150 years.

Establishments that have come and gone, plus some that have lasted for a century and more tell fascinating tales of this part of the Old Village.

(Source: Memories of Lake Elmo, collected and authored by Gloria VanDemmeltraadt.)

(Photos: The Head from "The Oliver Towne Column", St. Paul Pioneer Press; airial view of Lake Elmo in 1961, the Gorman Restaurant photo collection; and Main Street, Lake Elmo, 1906, courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society website.)