HomeMy WebLinkAbout05_09_25 The Fresh NewsletterMay 9, 2025
PUBLIC MEETINGS
Schedule
Planning Commission Meeting.
Monday, May 12, 2025, at 6:30 P.M .
City Council Workshop Meeting.
Tuesday, May 13, 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
The Month of May Proclaimed as Arbor Month in Lake Elmo
The City of Lake Elmo has proclaimed May 2025 as Arbor Month in Lake Elmo, Minnesota.
Read the Proclamation
Congratulations to the Stillwater Leadership in
the Valley 2024/25 cohort!
Nicole Miller, Lake Elmo City Administrator, and Dustin Kalis, Lake
Elmo Fire Chief, graduated from the 2024/25 Greater Stillwater
Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership in the Valley program on
Thursday, May 8, 2025.
The Leadership in the Valley program brings together emerging and
existing leaders to explore new leadership responsibilities in the
community and enhance and develop their personal leadership skills.
Leadership in the Valley, a nine-month leadership practicum, is part of
the Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce’s Foundation.
Lake Elmo Fire Department's ISO rating of 4
may enable Lake Elmo residents to qualify for
lower homeowners' insurance rates.
The City of Lake Elmo recently received a Class 4 Public Protection
Classification (PPC) from the Insurance Services Office (ISO),
effective June 1, 2025.
The Public Protection Classification program is a tool developed by
ISO to help insurance companies measure the risk of fire losses in a
community and is used when determining which businesses to write,
coverages to offer, or prices to charge for personal or commercial
property insurance.
PPC scores range from 1 to 10, with Class 1 representing superior
property fire protection and Class 10 indicating that an area doesn't
meet the minimum fire suppression program criteria set by the ISO.
The City of Lake Elmo previously held a Class 5 rating.
According to ISO, the PPC program is vital to communities and fire
departments, as communities with improved PPC ratings may be
eligible for lower insurance rates. PPC also provides fire departments
with a valuable benchmark and is used when planning, budgeting,
and justifying fire protection improvements.
Property owners are encouraged to contact their insurance company
and inform them of the upgraded ISO PPC Rating for the City of Lake
Elmo, as this may result in improved insurance rates.
The Lake Elmo Fire Department continually strives to improve
service delivery to our community and residents through positive
working relationships and long-term planning between our public
works and emergency communications partners.
The New Lake Elmo Elementary School
officially broke ground Monday, May 5, 2025.
Lake Elmo City Council and City staff met senior officials from
Stillwater Area Schools/Lake Elmo Elementary, teachers, and senior
staff from Kraus Anderson to celebrate the groundbreaking
ceremony for the new Lake Elmo Elementary School on Monday,
May 25, 2025.
The new school is on track to open for the 2026/2027 academic year.
New Playground at Kleis Park
City Council approved the recommendation for a new playset at Kleis
Park, at Jamaca Blvd N and 53rd Street N in Lake Elmo.
Public Works is prepping the new playground site and ADA asphalt
trail in the coming weeks. Installation is scheduled for June.
Road Closure: Westbound Hudson Blvd
Between Julia Ave and Eagle Point Blvd
Construction resumes on Hudson Boulevard between Julia Avenue
and Eagle Point Boulevard and will continue until it is completed later
in May. During the duration of this project, Hudson Boulevard will be
restricted to eastbound only traffic.
The detour route for westbound traffic from Keats and Hudson
Boulevard goes west on Hudson Boulevard to Julia Avenue. Then,
head north on Julia Avenue to 5th Street North, heading west to
Inwood Boulevard.
Road Closure: Stillwater Way N From Little
Bluestem Trail North to East Stillwater Way
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.
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.
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 soon!
Watering and Irrigation Season
The irrigation season is upon us; please note that the city ordinance
allows properties connected to the city water system to irrigate twice
a week, as indicated on the city's 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 llakeelmo.gov.
Thank you for doing your part to ensure we all have sufficient
drinking water and fire protection.
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.
Lake Elmo Night Out Informational Meeting
Lake Elmo Night Out, scheduled for August 5, 2025, will host an informational meeting for businesses and
organizations on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. at the Lake Elmo Library.
To learn more, email lakeelmonightout@outlook.com.
May Recycling Focus - Plastic Bags
Plastic bags are the most common unacceptable item found in the
recycling bin. Please don't put them in your curbside bin. Instead,
drop off plastic bags at local retailers, including grocery stores,
supermarkets, retail stores, convenience stores, and drug stores.
These are all common places to find plastic bag recycling bins.
Minnesota's fishing season kicks off at
midnight.
The day anglers have been waiting for — the official start of the
fishing season — begins at midnight tonight.
2025 marks the 77th season of the Minnesota Governor's Fishing
Opener, which takes place in Cross Lake, MN.
You can apply for your fishing license online here.
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
Our Spring Fundraiser was on Tuesday, and we had a great turn out.
Thanks to the Lake Elmo Inn Event Center, our featured speaker
Layne Kennedy, our auctioneer George Johnson, all of our staff and
volunteers who helped out, and of course to all of our supporters for
their generosity throughout the years. Thank you!
Saturday, May 10, is our monthly Buckthorn Removal Day. We'll be
meeting at the SMINC at 9:30. (An earlier communication mentioned
the pup-park, but we’ll be using our usual meeting spot after all.)
We’ll have tools and
On May 17th, we have a double header! At 10 a.m. Keith Zilinski, a
local rock hound and member of a number of geological
organizations, will be here to talk about Minnesota rocks and agates.
It’s a free event, open to rock lovers of all ages, and you’re
encouraged to bring rocks that need identifying!
That afternoon, at 1 p.m., Washington County Master Gardener
Peter Fritz will be here to give a guided tour of our Tree Trek exhibit.
The trees are just starting to leaf out—and hopefully, one or two will
have flowers—and we’re anticipating a beautiful spring walk for this
event. This occasion is also free and open to the public.
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.
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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
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