News from the City of Lake Elmo
September 21,  2018
Meetings next week:
 
There are no meetings scheduled for next week.


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

City Meetings
 
                                                                               

9/18 City Council Meeting Summary

At their regular meeting on Tuesday, September 18 2018, the Lake Elmo City Council:
  • Reconsidered the motion to refer Tablyn Park Improvements back to the Parks Commission and decided not to
  • Approved amendments to the Environmental Performance Standards- Tree Preservation Ordinance - Ordinance 08-220; Resolution 2018-092
  • Approved Boulder Ponds 4th Addition Final Plat - Resolution 2018-108
  • Approved Boulder Ponds 4th Addition Development Agreement - Resolution 2018-109
  • Approved River Valley Church Conditional Use Permit - Resolution 2018-110
  • Set the Preliminary 2019 Tax Levy at $4,189,837 and the Public Hearing on the 2019 Budget for December 4, 2018 at 7pm - Resolution 2018-014
  • Held a Closed Session to discuss matters protected by the attorney-client privilege pertaining to the city's pending lawsuit in federal court against 3M.
 
On the consent agenda the Council:
  • Approved Payment of Disbursements and Payroll
  • Accepted the Building Department August 2018 Report
  • Accepted the Fire Department August 2018 Report
  • Accepted the Public Works August 2018 Report
  • Approved a Resolution Awarding an Equipment Certificate - Resolution 2018-105
  • Approved 2018 Street Improvements - Payment Request No. 2
  • Approved Old Village Ph4 Street & Utility Improvements - Pay Request No. 2
  • Approved Public Library Site Improvements - Pay Request No. 2 (FINAL)
  • Approved a Development Security Reduction for Southwind
  • CSAH 13 (Ideal Avenue/Olson Lake Trail) - Approved Cooperative Maintenance Agreement - Resolution 2018-106
  • CSAH 13 (Ideal Avenue/Olson Lake Trail) - Approved Cooperative Agreement Payment No. 5 (FINAL)
  • Approved 2018 Street Improvements - Resolution Declaring Costs to be Assessed, Ordering Preparation of Proposed Assessments, and Calling for Hearing on Proposed Assessment - Resolution 2018-107
  • Approved Conditional Job Offer to Part Time Fire Fighters
  • Approved a Master Service Agreement for Planning Services
3M Settlement Update

The City still has not received any of the funding from the 3M settlement.  Lake Elmo City Council members, City staff, and City contractors continue to push for the release of settlement funds to address the City's clean water needs.  The City's lawsuit with 3M regarding past expenses is on-going in federal court.

For more information on the settlement funds and expenditures, please see the settlement letter below.



Now Hiring Firefighters!

The Lake Elmo Fire Department is looking for paid-on-call firefighters.  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



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

Project Schedule

Last Week:
  • Storm sewer work continued on west end of the project.
  • Sanitary sewer installations continue west of Manning Avenue, along with stripping topsoil and building the road base.
  • As of Friday, September 14, CSAH 14 (40th Street) is re-opened to traffic and CSAH 15 (Manning Avenue) traffic has now shifted to the new alignment.

This Week:
  • Road base construction west of Manning Avenue continues.
  • Sanitary sewer installation west of Manning Avenue continues.
  • Crews will work to install traffic signal arms.

Upcoming Work:
  • Roadway work will continue on the new alignment of CSAH 14.
LEAVES + STREETS = Scummy lakes and wetlands

Got a small yard? Rake and bag leaves from your yard, sidewalk and driveway.

Got a big yard? Rake areas directly under trees and then use your mower to mulch the rest of the leaves into the grass.

Got a street? Rake and bag leaves along the curb and on top of stormdrain inlets.

It is illegal to dump leaves in your regular garbage or into wetlands, buffers or gullies.
 
Drop off leaves at:
 
Composting Concepts (4600 Cottage Grove Dr., Woodbury)
Mon.-Sat.. 8am-6pm (before Nov. 3); 8am-5pm (Nov. 5-21)
$1.50 per 30gal bag or $7 per yard
*Seniors get 50% off on Wednesdays
 
Rumpca (95th and Glendenning Rd, Cottage Grove)
M-F, 7am-7pm and Sat., 8am-5pm
$1 per 30gal bag or $6 per yard















Alternate Urban Area-wide Review (AUAR) Architecture

Lake Elmo retains a commercial main street (Lake Elmo Avenue North), lined with well-maintained commercial buildings located mostly north of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, built prior to the city's 1874 Andreas plat map. The commercial buildings were located near the railroad and depot for access to shipping and passenger transportation. This includes the grain elevator and warehouses immediately north of the tracks. This also includes the commercial properties lining Lake Elmo Avenue both north and south of the tracks. For the most part, the historical commercial buildings retain their original form, even if they have been altered. The Grain Elevator north of the rail lines and west of Lake Elmo Avenue North was inventoried by SHPO (MN State Historical Properties Office) in 1979. It retains its historical integrity.

Many of the oldest homes in Lake Elmo are found along this area along Lake Elmo Avenue North, extending both north and south of the rail line. A variety of styles are represented, including Queen Anne, Victorian vernacular, and Arts and Crafts types. Houses built just prior to World War II and immediately after the war are concentrated south of the rail line and include Minimal Tradition and Ranch style houses.


Source: The 2010 AUAR (Alternate Urban Area-wide Review for Lake Elmo).

(Detail view of the 1874 Andreas plat map showing Lake Elmo's Old Village area after the railroad was built but prior to the development of the Old Village commercial area. This was the first formal detail map created for Washington County.)






Upcoming Events at the Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center

September:
Senior Walk, Talk, and Snack 
Every Monday 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM  

October: 
Senior Walk, Talk, and Snack 
Every Monday 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM  

Art in the Park Weekend
October 13 & 14, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
See various local artists making artwork in various media, purchase objects of art. 

Multimedia art class with Julie Schroeder
Sunday October 14th 10:00 AM 
Class fee and additional details to be announced. There is still room for more artists. Call Connie at: 651-491-3853                                                                                                                              
Buckthorn Removal
Saturday, October 13th 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM


Volunteer Opportunities 
The Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center, and the Friends of Lake Elmo Sunfish Lake Park are looking for volunteers to fill the following roles:

Afternoon and weekend nature center staffing volunteers - Core hours 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM 

Bird house builders - Group project or individual - to define the acre that the Friends are leasing from the City of Lake Elmo, and encouraging various species of birds..

Citizen science  participants

Photo contest  organizing and management - Creating and managing a photo contest with pictures taken in Sunfish Lake Park.

Accounting/bookkeeping - 2 half days each week. Must have experience.

Visit www.sminc-lake-elmo.org for contact information.

September Kindness Campaign

"He who shows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love."                                                                                    - St. Basil     

Last month's challenge was to celebrate "National Friendship Day" by reaching out to friends, old or new. We received several stories about people reconnecting with friends they hadn't spent time with in quite a while. How beautiful is that!
 
"When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude."                                    - G.K. Chesterson
 
We have a wonderful opportunity to practice gratitude and peace this month. September 21st is both "World Gratitude Day" and "International Day of Peace."

World Gratitude Day, first celebrated in 1965, was later officially adopted by the United Nations Meditation Group and is recognized each year as a day to show appreciation for all things, big and small.  

The International Day of Peace ("Peace Day") is observed around the world each year on 21 September. Established in 1981 by unanimous United Nations resolution 36/37, the General Assembly declared this as a day devoted to "commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples."
  • Gratefulness makes us aware that life is a gift, and that treasuring and protecting this gift is paramount. We savor and steward the large and the small things alike, and take a stand on behalf of what matters. Peace matters.
  • Grateful people experience themselves as interconnected with all others, and recognize our inextricability as a global family living on this Earth. What is done to one, is done to all...
  • Gratefulness engenders love, compassion, and respect. It shapes how we relate to each other, and compels us toward kindness and generosity...towards those things that nurture peace. Grateful people are moved by love toward justice.
 
This month's challenge...

World Gratitude Day is the perfect opportunity to begin a habit of keeping a gratitude journal. Take time to write down things/events you appreciate. These things can be big or small, simple or complex. Don't overthink it, just let go and write. Puffy clouds, your favorite TV show or novel, your spouse or partner, your pet, sharing family dinner....the list is truly endless. We invite you to also journal ways you made the world a better, more peaceful place.
 
We invite you to share your kindness experiences with us at www.lakeelmorotary.org and always remember...
Kindness is a vehicle for peace!
Dink or Treat Pickleball Tournament

Stillwater Area Public Schools Community Education Department is hosting the Dink or Treat Pickleball Tournament Saturday, October 20 and Sunday, October 21, 2018 at Stillwater Area High School.

The Pony Activity Center will host this tournament with 10 indoor pickleball courts and air conditioning.

Location:  Stillwater Area High School Pony Activity Center 5701 Stillwater Boulevard North, Stillwater, MN 55082
Date:   Saturday, October 201 and Sunday, October 21, 2018.



Enjoy guided fitness hike Oct. 4 at Lake Elmo park reserve

Explore the Washington County Parks trail system with guided fitness hikes, with the next hike at 9 to 10 a.m. Thursday, October 4, at Lake Elmo Park Reserve.

The one-hour hikes involve a warm-up and fitness challenges along the way. Trails are a mix of turf, gravel, grass, snow, and pavement depending on trail conditions, time of year, and location. Plan to arrive 10 minutes early. If light rain, hike will go on as scheduled. The program is for those ages 13 and older. All minors must be accompanied by an adult.

All guided fitness hikes are at the Lake Elmo Park Reserve Thursdays from 9 to 10 a.m. and will meet at the Nordic Center. The continuing 2018 schedule is:
  • Nov. 1
  • Dec. 6
These programs are free with a parks vehicle permit ($7/day or $30/annual) with the exception of Free Tuesdays. Follow Washington County Parks on social media at @WashCountyParks.