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Home My WebLink About04-30-2021April 30, 2021 Public Meetings Next Week City Council Meeting Tuesday, May 4 7:00PM City Agendas and Minutes Visit our website City Offices are once again be open to the public. City Council, Commission, and Board Meetings are held in the Council Chambers. Tuesday, May 4 City Council Meeting Agenda Meeting Materials Can Be Accessed Here Public Facilities Project Update Regular updates and documents are available here. East Metro Water Resource Education Programs Raingarden Workshop – May 11, 6-7:15pm 2021 Workshops for the Public The City of Lake Elmo is Accepting Applications for the Following Positions: Building Official Public Works Seasonal Employees Paid on Call Firefighters Visit our website The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Reduce Your Wasted Food Challenge launches Monday, April 19th. Sign up to get tools to track your wasted food at home, prevent waste(by repurposing leftovers and food scraps), and save money. Sign-up to receive follow-up information and join the Washington County team. Lake Elmo businesses are invited to sign up to attend National Night Out on Tuesday, August 3rd. This event will bring together old and new residents of Lake Elmo in a community building campaign to promote partnerships with law enforcement and local businesses. If you are interested in participating please fill out the linked form below. Sign Up Here New Construction Update Available Follow the link below to see the latest Construction Update: Construction Update: March 2, 2021 To learn more about the project, visit the project website at: www.co.washington.mn.us/Manning36Interchange County Highway 13 (Ideal Avenue) Phase II Washington County in partnership with the City of Lake Elmo are providing an online project update on the proposed improvements to Ideal Avenue between County Highway 14 and 44th Street. The project website provides program information and updates. Project Website Storm drains in our city help to protect neighborhoods from flooding, but they also carry litter and polluted runoff from streets and parking lots into nearby lakes and streams. You can make a difference by volunteering just 15-minutes, twice a month, to keep their nearest storm drain clear of litter, leaves, grass clippings and dirt. To sign up: go to www.Adopt-a-Drain.org and use the map to find your neighborhood storm drains – then click and sign-up to adopt. Xcel Energy providing $17.5 million to help residential customers behind on electric bills Xcel Energy will soon begin delivering $17.5 million in assistance to residential customers who have fallen significantly behind on the electric bills during the COVID-19 recession, which has caused economic hardship for many in our communities. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved the plan this week, which will help customers who may have the most trouble catching up on their bills. Temporary Rate Discount for Small and Mid Sized Businesses from Xcel Energy If your business has experienced a material impact from the pandemic, along with an electric load decrease of 25% or more in electric demand as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic or civil unrest, you may be eligible for a temporary 25% discount on base energy and demand charges. Information Available Here Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center Update What Happened to All the Trees in the Park? Friends of Lake Elmo’s Sunfish Lake Park won a grant called “Restoration of Sunfish Lake Park” From the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Conservation Partners Legacy program to remove buckthorn from 40 acres of Sunfish Lake Park. Work continues on the project on which the City of Lake Elmo, the Minnesota DNR and the Friends are the "Partners". For background, please visit https://www.legacy.mn.gov/outdoor-heritage- fund and https://www.leg.state.mn.us/lrl/agencies/detail?AgencyID=957 Buckthorn is a very invasive plant that is detrimental to the park. Over time it takes over large areas and outcompetes native plants that are needed for a healthy ecosystem. Late this Winter, subcontractor Stantec completed “forest mulching” with heavy equipment in the southwest portion of the park. In this process, a track-mounted device ground up whole buckthorn trees (some were 40 years old!) and deadfall tree trunks to make a suitable cover for planting native species that had been displaced by the buckthorn. Click on the buckthorn tab on our website www.sminc-lake-elmo.org to see it on a map. Much of the buckthorn has been mowed down and mulched. If you take a walk in this part of the park, you will notice that the air is permeated with the unforgettable and invigorating aroma of freshly ground buckthorn. There are a few more areas that will require some hand work. We are looking for volunteers to help with this project in the coming year. Please visit www.sminc-lake-elmo.org for up-to-date information or call George at 651-757-5610. Now that the old-growth buckthorn has mostly been removed from the 40-acre restoration area, buckthorn stump sprouts will be sprayed next fall to kill off any new growth. This Spring about 15 acres of the area will be seeded with native woodland grasses. In addition to improving wildlife habitat, the grasses will help provide fuel for a prescribed burn (probably Fall 2022 or Spring 2023). Spot applications of broad-leaf herbicide are also planned for late Spring to help control other broad-leaf weeds (like burdock). A Stantec ecologist will be walking the woodland during the 2021 growing season to monitor recovery of the native ground layer plants and guide weed control efforts. Of course these dates are estimates and the actual times depend on weather and growing conditions. The Friends recently received a beekeeping license from the City of Lake Elmo for an educational beehive project at the Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center. It includes an apiary area surrounded by a fence (electrified at night to keep out hungry bears), and one hive will be set up so you will be able to see the bees at work making honey and more bees. The Friends are working with the Lake Elmo branch of the Washington County Library to set up a story walk around the nature center, and to have outdoor readings for kids on Friday mornings at 10 AM this Summer. Please check the website for details. The Friends of Lake Elmo's Sunfish Lake Park are excited about the result of our latest cooperation with the Washington County Library! Andrew, Rebecca, Teresa and Olivia from the Library (left to right in pic) installed story boards on our holders along the trail, and video-recorded the story reading, and other activities around the Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center (including beekeeping progress). Andrew even suited up to visit the bees "up close and personal". You may come any time the Park is open, walk the trail around the nature center, and read the story "One Dog Canoe" by Mary Casanova. Well sampling in the east metro area If you live in the area that is a priority for testing, you can request that your private well water be tested. To see if you live in the priority sampling area, use the interactive map. If you live in the priority sampling area, you can request to have your well tested by filling out and submitting this online form. More information about the priority testing area is available on the Well sampling in the East Metro Area webpage. 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 Irrigation Controllers. Qualifying purchases are eligible for up to a $200 credit on your water bill. Program Details Available Here Washington County Library branches arecurrently open for Express Service. Visit the library during reduced hours to browse materials, pick up holds, and use a computer for up to one hour. Curbside service is also available for community members who cannotenter our buildings. Learn how we’re keeping the library safe for everyone atWashCoLib.org/COVID19. Washington County Library now has mobile hotspots and Chromebooks available to check out. Get internet at home or on the go (for free!). Devices can be checked out for one month at a time, and can be renewed three times if there are no other holds. You only need a library card registered in Washington County to borrow a device. More information is available at WashCoLib.org/devices. Washington County Library Events