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4 Winter 2013-14 Earlier this year, city leaders in Lake Elmo came together to assess and prioritize the many challenges facing the city in 2013 and beyond. One of the core challenges they identified was the need to balance the rural, open space character of our city with the impact of managed growth. In an effort to respect diverse opinions and beliefs, the city embarked on a journey to improve the level of civic engagement. The Speak Your Peace initiative was officially launched on April 16th. A broad coalition of civic leaders came together in the spring and summer and agreed on a mission to “enhance a culture of civility throughout the Lake Elmo community.” This group, led by Mayor Pearson, continues to provide guidance and leadership to the Speak Your Peace campaign. Why civility and why does it matter? The Institute for Civility in Government believes that the effectiveness and efficiency of our governing process is being threatened by a lack of civic participation and civil dialogue at every level of government. They define civility as “claiming and caring for one’s identity without degrading someone else’s in the process.” Here’s how Speak Your Peace is being integrated into the Lake Elmo community: • Introduced to the community with a pledge signing event on May 21, 2013 • Resolutions passed by City Council, Planning Commission, and Park Commission • A specific tenet of Speak Your Peace is highlighted at each City Council meeting • The city has a website www. speakyourpeacelakeelmo.org dedicated to inform and update residents on Speak Your Peace initiatives • Toolkit and other Speak Your Peace promotional material are available for groups and organizations • Customized Speak Your Peace programming can be facilitated with your organization • Discussions are ongoing with several local organizations about how civility can have a positive influence on their mission and goals As an example of programming meeting needs, Speak Your Peace representatives from the city facilitated a discussion about civility and the Speak Your Peace project with the 6th grade class at Lake Elmo Elementary School on October 25th. The program served as a kick off to a Speak Your Peace curriculum that the students will be completing during the 2013-2014 school year. “This isn’t just a feel good initiative, it’s about speaking openly and respectfully about our differences in pursuit of more effective public policy” said Mike Reeves, city council member and campaign representative. “I think our discussions at the council level have been more collaborative and less confrontational which moves us down a path to long term problem solving taking into account the needs of all citizens. I appreciate the leadership that Mayor Pearson and City Administrator Zuleger have provided to this effort.” To learn more about Lake Elmo’s Speak Your Peace initiative or to schedule a meeting, visit www. speakyourpeacelakeelmo.org or call Alyssa MacLeod, 651-747-3908. Speak Your Peace - Building a Stronger Community Following a 3” snowfall, no parking is allowed on City streets until after they have been plowed. Citations may be issued, or vehicles towed. Lake Elmo residents are reminded that the City has a snow plowing policy which must be followed so plowing can be done as efficiently and safely as possible. Snow must not be cleared from driveways or sidewalks onto City streets. Please keep your snow on your property. Violators will be cited. Trash containers must be placed in driveways, not onto City streets. Trash and recycling containers placed on streets create traffic haz- ards and increase plowing time. It is the policy of the City to main- tain the streets in good winter driv- ing condition by sufficient plowing and sanding. To that end, the Public Works crews strive to open all streets within 10 hours of starting the plow- ing. On the following day, streets will be widened to the maximum width. The crews strive to keep all streets passable at all times, even in severe weather conditions. Snow Plowing and Winter Parking Regulations The City snow removal team strives to keep your streets safe and drivable through all conditions.