News from the City of Lake Elmo
                                                                                                                                                                       May 29, 2020
Public Meetings Next Week:

City Council Meeting Tuesday, June 2* 7:00PM

Links to the 2020 City Meetings, Agendas and Meeting Minutes: 

 

*The City Council is returning to in-person meetings June 1st, but we still encourage residents to submit their Public Comments ahead of time via phone or email. Accommodations have been made in the Council Chambers to promote social distancing and there will be limited space for people to attend.
                                                                               

COVID-19 Update

With the recent outbreak of the Corona Virus/COVID-19 the City of Lake Elmo is taking precautions to mitigate exposure and illness. Lake Elmo City Offices, Public Works, and Fire Department are closed to the public until further notice. Starting April 7th public meetings will be telephonic. Information regarding accessing public meetings will be available on meeting agendas and on the City website www.lakeelmo.org.

City Staff will be working and will be available via phone and email. If you need to drop something off at City Hall there are drop boxes outside the building and administration departments.

City Contact information can be found here.

If you need to apply for a zoning or building permit we encourage you to visit our website for guidance on permitting as well as permit applications here.


For more information about the outbreak please refer to Washington County or Minnesota Department of Health
June 2  City Council Meeting Agenda


Meeting materials can be accessed here

Restaurants and bars may begin serving food and alcohol outdoors on June 1

Mayor Mike Pearson issued a proclamation on May 26, 2020 to allow regulatory flexibility so that restaurants and bars may begin to serve food and alcohol in outdoor areas on June 1st. Restaurants and bars may sell and serve food and alcohol in outdoor areas provided that the restaurant or bar has submitted a site plan that is reviewe d and approved by city staff.

The full proclamation can be read here and more information is available on the City website.

A helpful and informative guide to outdoor dining has been prepared by the Department of Employment and Economic Development is available here. 
Drinking Water Update

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency held two informational meetings in Lake Elmo to update residents and share drinking water supply options. A draft Conceptual Drinking Water Supply Plan is expected in late Spring. The plan will cover public water systems and private wells, and lay out long-term projects addressing quality, quantity, and sustainability of drinking water contaminated by PFAS. The plan will evaluate options such as alternative drinking water sources, treating existing wells, and/or connecting homes with private wells to municipal systems. There will be a second series of meetings later in the Spring to share information on the long-term plan for use of the 3M settlement funds. The latest information on the 3M settlement, details on future meetings, and a sign-up form for email updates can be found at 3msettlement.state.mn.us/

To find out if your private well is eligible for testing go to www.health.state.mn.us/pfas and follow the link to the MPCA's interactive map to see if you are in the sampling area. If so, complete the MDH Well Sampling Request Form.

For questions and health concerns, contact the Site Assessment and Consultation Unit at he MDH at 651-747-4897 or health.hazard@state.mn.us
Well No. 5 and Pumphouse Project Update
The City will begin drilling a new high capacity well in June. Well No. 5 will be located in Tana Ridge Park and will be the third high capacity well supplying water to the City's municipal water system. Traut Companies has been retained to drill the production well. This work will begin in June 2020 and be ongoing for two months. A test pumping period will occur towards the end of the drilling work which will direct groundwater into Goetchel Pond.
 
Once the well is complete the City will begin construction of the pumphouse. This work will begin sometime in September, 2020 and will take until the summer of 2021 to complete. The pumphouse is a building to house the production well, pump, mechanical and electrical devices, and chemical feed equipment needed to operate a well.
 
The schedule is to have the production well online and producing water for the City by summer of 2021. The City received about $2 million from the State of Minnesota 3M Settlement Grant Funds for the new well and the sealing of Well No. 1 in the Old Village area.

Project updates will be published in the FRESH, online and in the City newsletter. Up-to-date information can be found on the website, here.

The 201 9 Consumer Confidence Report Is Available Now

The 2019 Lake Elmo Consumer Confidence Report is now available. The full report along with past years reports can be found  here . Hard copies of the report are available by request at City Hall, 3880 Laverne Ave N. Ste 100, Lake Elmo, MN 55042.

There has been a shortage of toilet paper in stores, this may cause people to use alternative products such as tissues, paper towls, baby wipes, flushable wipes, and simlar items. Only toilet paper breaks down, other products can cause backups in the sanitary sewer, which can further public health concerns. Please help prevent sewer backups and only flush toilet paper.


 
Water Conservation Rebate Program

The City of Lake Elmo, in partnership with the Metropolitan Council, is offering a rebate program for purchases of eligible WaterSense Toilets and Smart Irrigiation Controllers. Qualifying purchases of a WaterSense Toilet are eligible for a $100 rebate on your water bill, purchases of a Smart Controller device are eligible for a rebate of up to 90% of the cost of the device (up to $200).

Program details and documents are available
here 


 



 

The City of Lake Elmo wants your input!
The City is using Polco, a community engagement tool, to gather feedback from residents. If you'd like to provide your feedback to the City on topics ranging from budgeting to parks amenities and everything in-between, visit www.polco.us/lakeelmo  and create an account!