HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-10-25October 25, 2024
Public Meetings Next Week:
None
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Join us on Nextdoor
Full meeting packets and meeting minutes can be accessed here:
Agendas and Minutes
Early/Absentee Voting for the General Election Available Now
Voters may request a ballot be mailed to them at SOS or vote in person at four vote
centers Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. See the county’s website for more
information: WashingtonCountyMN.gov/elections.
The Early Vote Center locations are:
Cottage Grove Service Center: 13000 Ravine Parkway, Cottage Grove.
Forest Lake Headwaters Service Center: 19955 Forest Road N., Forest Lake.
Washington County Government Center: 14949 62nd Street. N., Stillwater.
Woodbury City Hall: 8301 Valley Creek Road, Woodbury.
Oakdale City Hall, 1584 Hadley Avenue N., Oakdale.
Bridgewater Bank Groundbreaking
Bridgewater Bank broke ground this week on a new location in Lake Elmo near the intersection of
Stillwater Way and Manning Avenue. Mayor Cadenhead, Councilmember Jeff Holtz and members of city
staff were on hand to welcome Bridgewater to Lake Elmo.
What do my property taxes pay for?
Property Tax Calculator
The City Council adopted the 2025 Preliminary Levy on September 17. City Finance Dept.
staff has developed a downloadable tool that estimates 2025 city taxes (not other
jurisdictions) on your home and shows approximately how much of your taxes go toward
each service area. Check it out at
https://www.lakeelmo.gov/departments/finance___utility/property_tax_calculator.php
City Seeking Commission and
Economic Development Authority
Applicants
The City of Lake Elmo is currently accepting applications
to serve on the Parks and Planning Commissions and the
EDA. For more information and application form, please
visit the city's website: City Website
Upcoming Road Closures
Union Pacific Railroad will be performing maintenance work on their rail line
throughout Washington County in the coming weeks. Union Pacific crews will be
replacing track railroad ties along their entire line. Some road/railroad crossing
locations will get a new crossing surface, requiring a closure of the road at the
railroad crossing.
The estimated dates and locations in and near Lake Elmo are:
o County Highway 15 (Manning Ave) will be closed from October 28 - 29, with the
closure anticipated to start early Monday morning.
o County Highway 14 (40th St) will be closed for an anticipated 1 to 2-day period
between October 29 – November 4.
o County Highway 17 (Lake Elmo Ave) will be closed for an anticipated 2-day period
between October 29 - November 4.
o County Highway 13 (Ideal Ave) will be closed for an anticipated 2-day period
between October 29 - November 4.
Locations with bridges will be unaffected by this railroad work and will remain open
at all times. This includes Interstate 694, County Highway 6 (Stillwater Blvd), and
Highway 95 (St. Croix Trail). Detour map is included below.
HUDSON BOULEVARD - TRAFFIC CHANGE
Starting Monday, September 16th Hudson Boulevard will be open to traffic
eastbound only between Inwood Avenue and Eagle Point Boulevard. Please
see the detour in the exhibit below.
Traffic impacts
I-94 Oakdale to Lakeland project area map
View full-size map
All traffic impacts are tentative and weather-dependent.
Lane closures
Through 7 p.m. Wed, Oct. 30
EB I-94 is reduced to three lanes between Century Ave. and Woodbury Dr.
Traffic going east past the Woodbury Dr./Keats Ave. N. exit should
use the left two lanes
Traffic exiting onto I-494, I-694, Radio Dr./Inwood Ave. N. or
Woodbury Dr./Keats Ave. N. should use the right lane
WB I-94 is reduced to two lanes between Woodbury Dr. and Century Ave.
Ramp closures
5 a.m. Tue, Oct. 15 through Thu, Oct. 31
The ramps to/from EB I-94 and Radio Dr./Inwood Ave. N. are closed
EB I-94 to Radio Dr./Inwood Ave. N. detour: EB I-94, Woodbury Dr.,
WB I-94 and Radio Dr./Inwood Ave. N. (PNG)
SB Radio Dr./Inwood Ave. N. to EB I-94 detour: Radio Dr., Hudson Rd.,
Woodbury Dr. and EB I-94 (PNG)
5 a.m. Tue, Oct. 15 through mid-November
The ramp from NB Radio Dr./Inwood Ave. N. to EB I-94 is closed
7 p.m. Wed, Sept. 18 through Mon, Oct. 28
The ramp from NB I-494 to EB I-94 is closed
Detour: NB I-494/I-694, 10th St. N., SB I-694 and EB I-94 (PNG)
The ramp from EB I-94 to SB I-494 is closed
Detour: EB I-94, NB I-694, 10th St. N. and SB I-694/I-494 (PNG)
Through Wed, Oct. 30
The ramp from Century Ave. to EB I-94 is closed
Detour: Century Ave., Hudson Rd., McKnight Rd., Burns Ave. and EB I-
94 (PNG)
Through mid-November
The ramp from 10th St. N. to NB I-694 is closed
Detour: 10th St. N., Inwood Ave. N., Stillwater Blvd., Ideal Ave. N., 34th
St. N. and NB I-694 (PNG)
Upcoming
Lane closures
7 p.m. Wed, Oct. 30 through 5 a.m. Thu, Oct. 31
EB I-94 is reduced to one lane between Century Ave. and Woodbury Dr.
5 a.m. Thu, Oct. 31 through mid-November
I-94 is reduced to two lanes in both directions between Century Ave. and
Woodbury Dr.
Ramp closures
5 a.m. Thu, Oct. 31 through Sat, Nov. 9
The ramp from WB I-94 to SB I-494 is closed
Detour: WB I-94, NB I-694, 10th St. N. and SB I-694/I-494 (PNG)
The ramp from NB I-694 to WB I-94 is closed
Detour: NB I-694, 10th St. N., SB I-694 and WB I-94 (PNG)
Traffic stops
Mon, Oct. 28 through Wed, Oct. 30; 1:30-5 a.m. nightly
EB I-94 traffic will be stopped intermittently for 10-15 minutes at a time
between Century Ave. and Woodbury Dr.
Attention – NEW Utility Billing Payment Portal
We have moved to an intuitive new Utility Billing Portal called Paya.
Grab your City of Lake Elmo utility account number and proceed to Paya at the link
below to register, manage your account, set up autopay, or make payments.
LakeElmo.PayaCP.com
If Autopay isn't for you, try out the new Text-and-Pay option.
If you need assistance, reach out to us at RNess@LakeElmo.gov or call 651-747-
3906.
Safe Drinking Water Meeting
Replay is Available
The City of Lake Elmo, along with the
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
(MPCA) and Minnesota Department
of Health (MDH) hosted an
informational meeting regarding
PFAS, safe drinking water and private
wells on July 25, 2024, where
presentations were given by MPCA,
MDH and Lake Elmo’s City Engineer
as well as a question and answer
period for the participants. The
presentation slides are
available here as well as printed
copies are available at City Hall. A
recording of the meeting is
available here.
Private Wells
and PFAS
If you have questions about your private well water quality, please reach out to the MPCA.
You can request your well be tested here: https://webapp.pca.state.mn.us/gw-
sampling-req/
PFAS well sampling FAQs: PFAS Well Sampling Frequently Asked Questions
(state.mn.us)
Water filtration FAQs: PFAS Water Filtration Frequently Asked Questions
(state.mn.us)
MDH website about PFAS filtration PFAS and Home Treatment of Water - MN
Dept. of Health (state.mn.us)
Private well sampling interactive map: Private Well Sampling in the East Metro Area
(arcgis.com)
If you have questions about private well testing in the East Metro, call 651-757-
2903, or email
east_metro_pfas_private_well_sampling_inquiries.mpca@state.mn.us
Information about PFAS from the department of health can be found Per- and
Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) - MN Dept. of Health (state.mn.us)
MPCA blueprint for Minnesota and PFAS. Minnesota’s PFAS Blueprint | Minnesota
Pollution Control Agency (state.mn.us)
Good information to reduce your exposure to PFAS can be found Reducing
Exposures: Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)-MN Dept. of Health and
PFAS - SixClasses.org
Please visit the City of Lake Elmo’s water resources webpage to learn more
at lakeelmo.gov/residents/index.php
If you know someone who has concerns about their water, please forward this newsletter
to them and encourage them to sign up for the FRESH HERE
Community Thread Offers Yard-Raking Assistance to Older Adults, Seeks Volunteers
Community Thread will host its annual Rake a Difference Days on Saturday, October 26, Friday,
November 1, and Saturday, November 2. Through this service event, volunteer groups are
matched to adults age 55+ and adults with disabilities who need yard raking assistance in
Washington County.
Last year, Community Thread organized 225 volunteers to rake yards for 39 older adults and
adults with disabilities throughout Washington County. Volunteer groups typically include families,
scout troops, service clubs, school groups, and businesses. A total of 298 bags of leaves were
raked.
“This was our first-year volunteering with Rake a Difference Day,” shared one volunteer. “We had
so much fun, and the kids really felt like they were making a difference. What a cool experience!”
If you are interested in volunteering for Rake a Difference Day, visit our website at
www.CommunityThreadMN.org or call 651-439-7434 to learn more.
For 57 years, Community Thread has been connecting people, neighborhoods, and lives together
to strengthen the community. The nonprofit’s mission is to maximize resources and engage
volunteers to improve the quality of life for adults and families in our community.
What would our cities look like if kids were in charge?
The Mayor for a Day Essay Contest is back to find
out!
To enter, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders can
answer the prompt, “What would you do if you
were mayor for a day?” for a chance to win $100
and recognition in Minnesota Cities magazine.
The deadline for submissions is Dec. 12. Students
and parents/guardians can submit essays via an
online form, a PDF email attachment, or through
the mail. Details can be found here: LMC
Food Scraps Pickup Program
now available in Lake Elmo
Ramsey and Washington counties’ Food Scraps
Pickup Program, a new way for residents
to recycle food scraps from home, is now available
in 19 new communities in Washington County,
including Lake Elmo.
Twenty percent of trash in Ramsey and
Washington counties is food scraps, such as fruit
and vegetable peels, eggshells and bones.
This program offers an easy, accessible and environmentally friendly way for
residents to manage food scraps at home. The program will roll out over multiple years and eventually
be available to all residents of Ramsey and Washington counties.
Residents interested in participating in the program can sign up and place a bag order at no cost on the
Food Scraps Pickup Program website or by calling 651-661-9393. An annual supply of 6-gallon or 13-
gallon food scrap bags will ship directly to participants’ homes with an instruction guide on how to start
collecting food scraps. Each week, or when a food scrap bag is full, residents will tie a knot at the top
and then place the bag inside their trash cart or dumpster to be collected by their trash hauler. The
program-provided food scrap bags are designed to be extra durable, so they don’t tear open during the
trip in the garbage truck.
After collection, food scrap bags and trash are hauled to the Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy
Center (R&E Center), where the food scrap bags are sorted from the trash using robotic sorting
technology and sent to an industrial compost facility to become compost. This program is making
progress toward Minnesota’s 75% recycling goal for metro counties and is a significant step forward in
helping the counties reduce their climate impact.
Construction of the New
Pebble Park Playground is
underway. Installation of
the new playground set will
continue for another week
before it is open to users.
The Public Works Department has begun preparing Demontreville Park for a new
playground set. Removal of the 34 year old playset is complete. Visitors can expect
some construction of the area over the next few weeks to prepare the new location.
The new playground is expected to arrive in October 2024.
Winter Parking
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!
The Lake Elmo Community Development
Department is happy to share our new Sign
Guide, created to help local businesses and
residents understand the sign regulations in
our community. This guide offers information
on the types of signs allowed, size
requirements, placement, and more. Whether
you are a business owner looking to advertise
or a resident curious about neighborhood
guidelines, this is a good resource for you.
Check out the Lake Elmo Sign Guide (linked
here: Sign Guide) to learn more.
City of Lake Elmo | 3880 Laverne Avenue North | Lake Elmo, MN 55042 US
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