News from the City of Lake Elmo
November 16,  2018
Meetings next week:  

 
 
 
 
Monday, November 19th: Parks Commission Meeting 6:30PM
Tuesday, November 20th: Finance Committee Meeting 5:00PM
Tuesday, November 20th: City Council Meeting 7:00PM


Note: City Offices Will be Closed on Thursday and Friday November 22nd and 23rd in Observance of Thanksgiving.



Links to the 2018 City Meetings, Agendas and Meeting Minutes: 

City Meetings
 
                                                                               

City Offices Closed Thursday and Friday, November 22nd and 23rd for Thanksgiving

City offices will be closed on Thursday, November 22nd and Friday, November 23rd in observance of Thanksgiving.  Offices will reopen on Monday, November 26th at 8:00AM.

Ordinance Change Notice

Council will be discussing changes to the snow removal ordinance at their 11/20 meeting.

Potential changes will relate to the requirements for snow removal on sidewalks.

11/19 - Parks Commission Agenda

11/20 - Finance Committee Agenda

11/20 - City Council Agenda


CSAH 15 (Manning Ave.) & CSAH 14 Construction Update

Project Schedule

Last Week:
  • Milling occurred on the south end of Manning Avenue.
  • Crews worked on all traffic signals to prepare them to become fully operational.
This Week:
  • Crews will work rough grade bike trails.
  • Crews will finish work in both ponds.
  • Temporary paving will take place.
  • Both traffic signals will be fully operational.
Upcoming Work:
  • Crews will continue to work to prepare the site for winter conditions.

**Due to weather, crews will begin preparing the site for winter conditions. Traffic will be switched into its permanent configuration and the new alignment of CSAH 14 will be opened in the coming weeks.**
Lion's Park Signs

The City is taking orders for new signs at Lion's Park for the 2019 season.  If you'd like to purchase a sign to advertise on the Lion's Park ballpark fence, or renew your current sign, the deadline to do so is April 1, 2019.

The cost of the signs are $500 per year for a 4'x8' sign, and $900 per year for a 4'x16' sign.  To begin work on designing your sign, email Kathy Weeks at weeksendsigns@aol.com.  For all other questions contact City Administrator, Kristina Handt at khandt@lakeelmo.org or 651-747-3905.


Online Bill Pay Now Available

The City of Lake Elmo has launched a new online bill pay option for utility bills.  To pay your bill online, visit the City's website at: www.lakeelmo.org.  

Once on the website, click on the "Online Bill Pay Now Available" article under the City News & Events heading.  Click the "Pay Online" button and create new account using the "First-time User" button on the next page.  

After your account is created you will be able to login with your email address and your newly created password.  Please note that your "Utility Account Number" will be required to create a new login, so have your utility bill ready!
Streetlight out? Report it to Xcel Energy

City Staff has recently been receiving an increased volume of calls relating to street lights that have burnt out throughout the City.  These lights are the responsibility of Xcel Energy to maintain and replace.


If you notice a street light that is no longer working, please
visit:  https://www.xcelenergy.com/outages_and_emergencies/Outdoor_Lighting_Outages  to report the outage.  You will need to provide the approximate address, or general area, where the light is located.

City's Insurance Deductible Reduced

In 2016, due to significant issues amongst council members and substantial staff turnover,  the City had special underwriting conditions placed on its insurance coverage by the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust (LMCIT). Those conditions included raising the city's deductible from $500 to $200,000 for liability and land use claims. 

This week the LMCIT Board met again to review Lake Elmo's coverage.  Noting the significant progress made over the last two years, the board voted unanimously to eliminate the special underwriting conditions with the City's January 1, 2019 renewal coverage. The City's deductible will return to $1,000; a change made by the city last year after a cost benefit risk analysis. For more information and to view the memo from League staff click here.











Summaries of the October meetings of the Government and 3M Working Group and the Citizen-Business Group are now posted on the 3M Settlement website. Also available is a presentation from the Minn. Department of Health on the spatial extent of the PFAS contamination. 

Other maps showing PFC contamination in Washington County are available on the MDH website.

The next round of working group meetings are scheduled for December 18 and 19.

Meeting agendas will be available soon. All 3M Settlement work group meetings are open to the public, and time is reserved at each meeting for questions from attendees.

Winter Parking Ordinance Now in Effect!

City plow truck on Marquess Lane blocked by cars parked on the road

With winter weather rapidly approaching, the City's winter parking ordinance is now in effect.  The winter parking ordinance prohibits parking on Lake Elmo streets from November 1 through March 31 between 2:00 AM and 7:00 AM, or during a snow event outside of those hours.


 

Remember, if the City's trucks are blocked they can't plow your streets!
Now Hiring Seasonal Ice Rink Attendants!

The City of Lake Elmo is looking for ice rink attendants at Lion's Park. Rink attendants will represent the City of Lake Elmo and are responsible for the warming house and surrounding ice rinks during hours of operation. The Attendant will maintain a safe, clean environment during each shift. These are seasonal positions; dates and hours of employment are subject to seasonal warming house/rink operation requirements. 

If you are interested please fill out the application below.  






Completed applications can be mailed to:
City of Lake Elmo
Attn: Jake Foster, Assistant City Administrator
3880 Laverne Ave. N., Lake Elmo MN

or emailed to: jfoster@lakeelmo.org
Ed Gorman's Restaurant Windows into the past
By Rolf Larson

Since taking over the White Hat Restaurant in 1980, Ed Gorman has surrounded himself with the memorability from his past, growing up in Lake Elmo. The Gorman Family Restaurant resonates with antiques and photos from Lake Elmo's 150-year history.

Each article and photograph in this collection has it's own stories. Moreover, each acquisition has it's own story. Some of these items were offered to him because he represented a good home for family heirlooms, some were discovered through local searches in area historical societies or by simply asking family if they had anything they wished to be a part of his collection. Each item represents memories of searches that have taken half a lifetime to collect.

Every antique and photo-window is like a telescope pointed at the light of another time and place. Today, we see the physical space, but lose sight of the journey that has brought meaning to these places.

His effort brings the heritage of the Lake Elmo area into focus and shares it with the community.

In coming weeks, I am going to focus on some of the photos and photo collages from the Gorman Collection. If you're lucky, maybe you can peel restaurant owner, Ed Gorman out of his kitchen to share a story or two from his extensive collection.


 

November Kindness Campaing

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world."  - Desmond Tutu
 
Last month our challenge was to help someone with their Fall leaf cleanup. I was the recipient of unexpected help last week and what a wonderful surprise that was! It was just awesome to come home and see the grass instead of a yard full of leaves! It is with a thankful heart that I present this month's challenge...
 
"A warm smile is the universal language of kindness." - William Arthur Ward
 
World Kindness Day  is an international day of observance on November 13th. It was introduced in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement a coalition of nations kindness NGOs. It is observed in many countries, including Canada, Japan, Australia, Nigeria and United Arab Emirates. In 2009, Singapore, Italy and India also observed the day for the first time. Please take the time to visit randomactsofkindness.org to learn more about kind acts happening throughout the country. In observance of World Kindness Day, I challenge you to smile at every stranger you encounter. Just think of how many happy moments that will create during the next 30 days!
 



As always, we can't wait to hear your story. Please share your moments with us at www.lakeelmorotary.org and always remember...
 
Kindness is unifying!