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Home My WebLink About04-18-25 The Fresh NewsletterApril 18, 2025 PUBLIC MEETINGS Schedule Parks Commission Meeting Monday, April 21, 2025, at 6:30 P.M . Meetings are held at City Hall, 3880 Laverne Ave N., Lake Elmo, MN 55042. Changes or cancellations will be posted at Lakeelmo.gov/calendar. How to Watch Watch online or on cable television here. Find meeting agendas and minutes at City of Lake Elmo, MN Arbor Day Proclamation Celebrate Arbor Day The City of Lake Elmo has proclaimed Saturday, April 26, 2025, as Arbor Day and May 2025 as Arbor Month in Lake Elmo, Minnesota. The City will celebrate by hosting the annual Free-Tree giveaway on Saturday, April 26, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at Lake Elmo Public Works. Trees will be distributed one per household on a first-come, first-served basis until supplies run out. You must reside in Lake Elmo to receive one. Read the Proclamation Road Closure on Stillwater Way N, Wednesday, April 23, 2025 The City is planning a road closure on Stillwater Way N. from Little Bluestem Trail North to the east end of Stillwater Way N. on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. The closure will facilitate turn lane construction, including saw cutting, curb and pavement removal, storm sewer installation, and road sub-base construction. During the road closure, cars may use Stillwater Blvd. and Manning Avenue. Celebrate Earth Day Tuesday, April 22, 2025 Here are some ways to celebrate Earth Day: Take a hike at Lake Elmo Park Reserve. On April 22, Washington County Parks will waive daily vehicle permit fees, allowing free entry to the county parks in honor of Earth Day. Keep your neighborhood clean and ADOPT A STORM DRAIN. Encourage your friends, family, and neighbors to positively impact our waterways! From April 15 - 30, anyone who adopts a new drain will receive a reusable Adopt-a-Drain string backpack as a thank-you for their commitment to keeping our communities clean! Here’s how you can join in: 1. Adopt a new drain – Whether you're a first-time adopter or a returning one, getting involved is easy! You can make a difference by volunteering just 15 minutes twice a month to pick up the garbage and debris near your drain. Sign-up at mn.adopt-a-drain.org 2. Receive your free backpack—To show our appreciation, we’ll send you a reusable Adopt-a-Drain string backpack when you adopt a new drain. Visit Sally Manzara Interpretive Center on April 19, at 9:30 a.m. and help with reseeding cleared areas with grasses and native plants. Tools and seeds are provided. Visit here to learn more. Lake Elmo Crosswalk Update Public Works crews have started working on two new crosswalk markings: one at Laverne Ave. N. and 39th Street, and the other at 39th Street and Wildflower Dr. The project is expected to be completed by May. Find the Lake Elmo Crosswalk Policy, adopted by the city council on December 3, 2024, here. Fire Hydrant Flushing Lake Elmo Public Works will conduct a water main and fire hydrant flushing program starting April 14 and continue through the end of the month. This notice informs our customers that the flushing and valve operation may cause temporary water outages and a decrease in pressure in certain areas, which could affect automatic flushing and pressure-sensitive equipment. Residents may also notice mineral particles in their water that can affect laundry operations. If mineral particles are detected, run cold water to clear household water lines. If the problem persists, residents should contact Lake Elmo Public Works at (651) 747-3941. New Website Design Launching Soon! We've been busy behind the scenes refreshing our City of Lake Elmo website, and we're excited to share it soon. It's been redesigned from the ground up, with a fresh look and feel and packed full of new features. We've made it easier than ever to navigate, so you can find what you're looking for in no time. Coming in May! Watering and Irrigation Season As we head into the irrigation season, please remember the city ordinance allows properties connected to the city water system to irrigate 2 days per week (according to the city irrigation zone map). Irrigation is restricted from the hours of 5:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Hand watering is allowed at any time, and new sod waivers are available if needed. Using a smart irrigation controller device can further reduce your water usage. For more information on watering restrictions, please visit lakeelmo.gov. Thank you for doing your part to ensure we all have sufficient drinking water and fire protection. April 21 - 25 is National Work Zone Awareness Week As we move into summer and road construction, it's important to stay alert and respect the work zones while driving. National Work Zone Awareness Week is a nationwide campaign that highlights the importance of roadway work zone safety through education, events, and awareness. Learn more here. Mosquito Season is Coming The snow has melted, and the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District (MMCD) is working on preventative measures to reduce the summer onslaught of nuisance and disease- carrying mosquitoes in the Twin Cities. An added tool to assist with operations this year will be the addition of more treatment drones to the MMCD fleet. For the first time in 2025, drones will be used to treat mosquito larvae in standing water in every county of the District. MMCD trucks, helicopters, drones, and staff may be seen in neighborhoods, parks, and near wetlands. This year, MMCD expanded its UAS/drone program, and it will now be active in every county so that residents can see them more regularly. At times, MMCD employees may need to cross private property to access and check areas for mosquito larvae. If you have questions about mosquito control activities or concerns about an employee, please call the MMCD front desk at (651) 645- 9149 or visit MMCD.org. Bay West to Partner with the City to test PFAS Destruction Technology On February 4, 2025, Bay West, a nationally acclaimed environmental consulting and remediation firm, presented a Site Access Request to the Lake Elmo City Council to test PFAS destruction using the General Atomics PERSES™ system at the public works facility located at 3445 Ideal Ave in Lake Elmo. The Site Access Request has been approved, and groundbreaking will take place on April 21, 2025, at Lake Elmo Public Works. Testing is tentatively scheduled to begin on May 15. Learn more here: Bay West Project. Important Notice - Utility Rate Change You will see an increase in your utility rates reflected on your 2025 Quarter 1 statement. In a concentrated effort to secure funding for the operations and maintenance of Lake Elmo's water treatment facilities and to place the utility funds on a more stable long-term footing- the City Council accepted the finance department’s recommendation for a rate increase in the water and sewer funds, effective with the Quarter 1 bills this April. No increases are planned for stormwater fees in 2025. Learn more about rate changes and sample calculations at Lakeelmo.gov. Pothole Patching Public Works crews have started to fill potholes on city streets. Please reduce speed when approaching street crews. You can report potholes by calling Public Works at 651-747- 3945 or report a pothole here. New Fish Consumption Guidelines in Minnesota As anglers prepare for the annual rite of passage known as the Fishing Opener on May 10, some new guidelines should be noted. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has released new fish consumption guidelines due to the presence of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in fish from certain water bodies in 10 Minnesota counties. Some waterbodies in the Twin Cities metro area—Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, and Washington counties —are affected.  Some waterbodies in Douglas, Martin, McLeod, and St. Louis counties are affected in Greater Minnesota. Discover information about your lake here: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/index.html Master Gardeners Plant Sale Mark your calendars now for the annual Plant Sale and Garden Expo from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 17, hosted by the University of Minnesota Extension Washington County Master Gardener Volunteer program. Home gardeners can buy a wide selection of plants, including varieties featured in ready-made garden exhibits, and get their gardening questions answered at a free Diagnostic Clinic. This event will be held inside Building A at the Washington County Fairgrounds, located at Highway 5 and Manning Avenue in Lake Elmo. Bring a wagon or cart for shopping; cash, checks, and credit cards will be accepted. For more information about the UMN Extension Washington County Master Gardener Volunteer Program, visit: washingtoncountymg.org. Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center We learned a lot from Tim Clemens from Ironwood Foraging Co. during his Intro to Foraging class on April 10 (thanks Tim!), so we’re bringing him back for an Edible Native Plant Gardening class on April 22 (6 p.m.) Tickets are $45, but you walk away with a lot of useful knowledge, and you can’t put a price on that! On Saturday, April 26 at 6 p.m. we will be welcoming Joel Seipel to teach a “Backpacking for Beginners” class. Great for scout groups, or anyone interested in venturing off on their first big hike. This event is free and open to the public. Save the date! Our spring fundraiser will be on Tuesday, May 6 at 6 p.m. at the Lake Elmo Inn Event Center. Our featured speaker this year will be award winning photographer Layne Kennedy. Tickets are $125 per person, or $1,200 for a table of 8. Nonprofits need your help now more than ever, please consider donating to the SMINC! To sign up, visit our website (https://sminc-lake-elmo.org/) and click the “Fundraiser” tab! Lake Elmo Public Works is hiring! We are currently accepting applications for Public Works Operator III. The Public Works Operator performs intermediate work, providing skilled operations and maintenance of City infrastructure (water, sewer, stormwater, parks, and streets) and equipment. We are also hiring seasonal maintenance staff to assist our full-time Public Works staff in maintaining and repairing our city streets and parks. Apply Here What do my property taxes pay for? Property Tax Calculator The City Council adopted the 2025 Tax Levy on December 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 here. Lead Service Line Inventory Project The City of Lake Elmo has completed and submitted its service line materials inventory to the Minnesota Department of Health. The service line inventory is publicly available, and you can check the materials for your service line by visiting the Lead Inventory Tracking Tool (LITT) at https://maps.umn.edu/LSL/. To complete the service line inventory, our system gathered information from building records, along with door-to-door efforts and self-verification. As of September 27, 2024, our inventory consists of 0 lead lines, two galvanized lines requiring replacement, 280 lines with unknown materials, and 3,327 non- lead service lines. You may contact the Lake Elmo Public Works Department at any time to update the tracking records. You may also contact Lake Elmo staff @ 651-747-3946. 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. 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. Join us on Nextdoor Visit our website Our mission is to provide quality public services in a fiscally responsible manner in partnership with our community. City of Lake Elmo | 3880 Laverne Avenue North | Lake Elmo, MN 55042 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice