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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023 Summer Source Water, Water, Read All About It! The City of Lake Elmo has been working on a number of water related issues over the past year. Efforts have been focused on improving both water quality and water quantity. Water Quality. Lake Elmo has been dealing with issues related to PFAS contamination for nearly two decades now. The City continues to play an active role in the 3M State Settlement Work Groups. The plan adopted by the state in 2021 provides for flexibility in allowing Lake Elmo to explore pursing clean groundwater sources, implement a treatment plant or connect to surface water as our water supply. With the EPA’s pending rules lowering the safe level of PFAS in drinking water expected to be out this fall, the city has been proactively exploring all of these options again. The city’s well #2 is expected to exceed regulatory new levels so the city has decided to take it out of the rotation while we explore temporary treatment options. Because of this and our continued focus on water conservation (quantity), we also implemented a number of new local ordinances to reduce water usage. Water Quantity. The City has had two requests to increase our water appropriations amount to 540 million gallons a year denied by the DNR. Our current permit allows for 260 million gallons a year while in 2022 we actually pumped 400 million gallons. Our system is capable of producing more than we are authorized for but this regulatory restriction has led to further changes in our local water policies. During the past year, the city reviewed best practices and approved a number of ordinance changes aimed at reducing water use. These included an update to the irrigation standards, promotion of storm water reuse and improved topsoil requirements for new developments. In April, when the year was up on the moratorium on development in the southeast portion of the city, the City Council was still concerned about operating in violation of their water appropriation permit from the DNR and took another pause in approving new developments while waiting for a legislative solution. Thankfully, our state legislators passed language in the final week of session that allows the DNR to increase Lake Elmo’s water appropriation to be consistent with our water supply plan in the comprehensive plan. The new law is effective for four years to provide time for Lake Elmo and other municipalities in the east metro to work with our state agency partners to develop a comprehensive plan to ensure communities in the White Bear Lake area have access to sufficient, safe drinking water to allow for municipal growth while simultaneously ensuring the sustainability of surface water and groundwater resources to supply the needs of future generations. Over the past year, we have seen our daily water usage go from 560,000 gallons a day in the winter to over 3 million a day in the summer. This has resulted in the city’s per capita usage exceeding the state goals of 90 gallons per capita per day for all uses. (Water Issues Continued to Page 2) Summer 2023 3880 Laverne Avenue North - Lake Elmo, MN 55042 (651) 747-3900 Permanent Watering Restrictions. Knowing we must continue to take efforts to reduce our water usage since we are well above state goals and see our water usage increase nearly 600% in the summer, the City Council adopted a new permanent water use restriction for irrigation use. New code, effective May 19, 2023, limits irrigation to two days per week. No watering is allowed any day of the week between 5 am and 5pm. Attended hand-watering of plants, shrubs, trees, and gardens is allowed and not required to follow this schedule. You can find out which two days you are allowed to water by visiting the city’s website at www.lakeelmo.org . The city has been divided into four zones split north/south along CSAH 14 (34th St./Stillwater Blvd) and east/west along CSAH 17(Lake Elmo Ave). Thank you to our 2023 Lions Park Sign Sponsors The vintage style signs posted on the outfield fencing at Lions Park help support projects at Lions Park such as backstop improvements and a 45th parallel marker. This year we have 19 new and renewing sponsors: Aaron Runk – State Farm Insurance Lake Elmo Bank Anita White – Coldwell Banker Lake Elmo Loves Reading Apex Construction, Inc. Lake Elmo Rotary Club Bolton & Menk Nutrition Cave Capra’s Utilities, Inc. Jay Pernue Dan Stoudt, State Farm Insurance ShaneCon, Inc. Hagberg’s Country Market Stilly Spirits, LLC Krinkie Heating & Air Conditioning Stoudt Law, Ltd. Krueger Tree Farm Tiffhanie Zheng – Guardians Real Estate Group Zignego Agency Court Improvement Projects Both Tablyn Park and Pebble Park will receive upgrades to the existing tennis court areas this summer. At Tabyln Park, the two tennis court surfaces will be completely removed and replaced with new playing surfaces. The courts will be striped to accommodate one tennis court and four pickle ball courts. At Pebble Park, the tennis courts will also be completely renovated and the new surface will be striped to accommodate one tennis court and six pickle ball courts. Both locations will also see additional updated amenities to include paved trail access, a rebounding wall and benches. The lighting will also be updated to LED with new control boxes that will provide a significant cost savings on electricity. Work is expected to begin by early July and be complete in October 2023. Dragon Ladies breast cancer survivors group at Ivywood Park Summer 2023 Lake Elmo Public Safety Recreational Fires and Open Burning Permits Recreational fires continue to be a great way to gather and enjoy the summer weather in Lake Elmo. Hosting a recreational fire on your property comes with a certain level of responsibility. Be a good neighbor and consider the wind speed and direction of smoke before starting the fire. Consider knocking on your neighbor’s door to let them know ahead of time that you will be burning. This drastically reduces the number of nuisance calls made to 911 regarding smoke. Keep the size of the fire to a limited 3x3x3. Three feet wide, three feet tall, and nothing larger than three inches in diameter is to be burned. Remember, recreational fires do not include burning leaves or yard waste! If the fire gets out of hand don’t wait or hesitate, call 911 immediately. Open burning permits are required for large scale burning. Permits are issued only after an inspection is performed on site to ensure safe practices are being followed. City Ordinance only permits the burning of dead/diseased vegetation, bee hives, ground thawing, and prairie restoration. A variance can be issued for special burning, such as storm debris. More information can be found on the City of Lake Elmo website, under Public Safety > Fire Department > Open Burning. Fire Department Staffing and Operations Changes Your Lake Elmo Fire Department is excited to continue transitioning toward a fully staffed combination fire department of career and paid-on-call staff. Four new shift firefighters will start late summer 2023 and join our two existing career firefighters. With the addition of four new staff, the six firefighters will work in pairs of two, and spend 24 hours on duty per shift. Additionally, a paid-on-call firefighter will be eligible to work alongside the career staff to complement our response as part of the duty crew. This will allow your fire department the opportunity to have a predictable initial response of three, on duty and ready to respond, firefighters. In instances of large scale incidents the remaining paid-on-call staff will be called back to duty from work or home. With the anticipated operational switch to the new central Fire Station / City Center this summer, the fire department will be adjusting its response operations to a single station. The central station will signify the closure of the City’s original 1957 downtown fire station (Station 1) and Fire Station 2 on Jamaca Avenue North. Residents will not be impacted by response times to either location. Keeping in mind that for its entire operation, Fire Station 2 has been served by paid-on-call firefighters. Response times were dependent on an unpredictable number of responders. With the addition of a primarily career based staffing model, and having responders available in the new station 24/7, the response time to the former Fire Station 2 area will decrease. This is based on the amount of time saved by firefighters not having to report to the fire station from home for an emergency. Paid-On-Call (POC) Firefighter Hiring The Lake Elmo Fire Department will continue to support our organizational structure of a combination fire department with paid-on-call (POC) firefighters working with career staff. POC firefighters are everyday people who most often have other full time jobs, and are looking to give back to their community. POC firefighters are provided with education and maintain all the necessary certifications to support our agency. They are paid per hour for their time and all training, uniforms, and equipment is provided. POC firefighters will work alongside our career staff to complete the standard response company of three on duty personnel. Day, evening, and overnight shift options will be available. We anticipate kicking off our recruitment process in late summer of 2023. Check back on the City’s website, Facebook, and other job information sites for more details. Interested persons may contact Chief Kalis to be placed on a job interest email list. The Lake Elmo Fire Department 2022 Annual Report is available for download on the fire department tab on the City’s website: www.lakeelmo.org Summer 2023 Water Rebate Program The City of Lake Elmo, in partnership with the Metropolitan Council, is offering rebates for new installations of water saving devices. With numerous water supply issues, there has never been a better time to improve our water conservation efforts. Water utility customers in Lake Elmo are eligible for up to $200 for installing Smart Irrigation Controllers and up to $500 for an irrigation audit. Rebates are also available for the replacement of washing machines up to $150 and $100 per EPA WaterSense toilet. Purchase and install a qualifying device and submit a completed rebate form with a copy of your reciept. Upon approval, a credit will be applied to your water account. Applications and additional information are available on the City’s website. New City Staff The City has welcomed three new staff members in the past few months. Please join us in welcoming them to Lake Elmo! Ryan Ness – Utility Billing Clerk. Ryan is a Lake Elmo resident who joined the City of Lake Elmo in February of this year. He has a degree in business management and a long history of work in retail management, real estate, and customer service. Clarissa Hadler – Finance Director. Clarissa brings 10 years of municipal experience and 15 years of small business ownership to the lead role in the city's Finance Department. She is excited to put her love of spreadsheets and process improvement to work in Lake Elmo. Karissa Goers – Administrative Services Director. Karissa joined the City of Lake Elmo in April. She has over 15 years of experience in Human Resources, specifically in employee relations, benefits, and developing HR procedures for smaller organizations. Left to right: Ryan Ness, Clarissa Hadler and Karissa Goers 2022 Consumer Confidence Report Now Available The 2022 Lake Elmo Consumer Confidence Report is now available. The full 2022 report along with the reports from past year can be found by visiting the Water and Sewer Utility page under the Public Works & Engineering tab on the City’s website at www.lakeelmo.org. Hard copies of the report can be requested at City Hall, 3880 Laverne Avenue N. Summer 2023 Development Updates Kokoro Volleyball Early this spring, Kokoro Volleyball broke ground on a 27,540 square foot building on 2.7 acres on Lake Elmo Avenue and 39th Street. The facility will he home to a year round volleyball training facility. Drake Motor Partners Approval has been granted to Drake Motor Partners for development of a four lot subdivision to facilitate the construction of an auto dealership (Tesla) and a fast food restaurant (Dairy Queen). This development is located on Hudson Boulevard just west of Keats Avenue. Kokoro Volleyball Enterprise Holdings Enterprise Holdings has started construction of a new facility on 4.29 acres on Jade Trail, just north of Hudson Boulevard and east of Inwood Avenue. The site will be home to an Enterprise Rent A Car facility that would include the sale and rental of vehicles. GWSA Land Development GWSA has started work on a new housing development on 98.76 acres at the northwest corner of Lake Elmo Avenue and Stillwater Boulevard. The development will consist of 200 single family homes with open space and community amenities. Construction will take place in several phases with the first phase being located in the northern section of the property. Summer 2023 National Night Out 2023 National Night Out will be held once again Tuesday, August 1st from 6-8 PM at Lion’s Park downtown. This is a great opportunity for everyone including residents, businesses, and public services to join together as one city. Last year nearly 50 businesses and organizations participated in the event. We had an incredible turnout last year and hope to do so again. Look for updates on the City website, social media, and the FRESH E-newsletter for how you can get involved. National Night Out 2021 The City of Lake Elmo is seeking volunteers for the Adopt-A-Park Program. The program is intended to make parks more appealing through general spring, summer and fall clean-up to remove debris, flowers, and weeds. All materials are provided by the City and coordinated through Public Works. Adopt-A-Park is a program for volunteers who are interested in cleaning up Lake Elmo’s parks, and is an excellent way for residents and organizations to make a personal contribution to the community. The program is open to individuals, families, groups, religious organizations, service organizations, schools, businesses, and other community organizations, adoption terms are for 2 years. Adopt a Storm Drain Volunteer fifteen minutes, twice a month, for cleaner waterways and a healthier community. Storm drains flow directly to our lakes, rivers, and wetlands and act as conduits for trash and pollutants. Adopt a Drain asks residents to adopt a storm drain in their neighborhood and keep it clear of leaves, trash, and other debris to reduce water pollution. Sign up, keep your drain clear, track your impact, and lead by example. Summer 2023 3880 Laverne Ave. N. Lake Elmo, MN 55042 PRSTD STD US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 19 LAKE ELMO, MN POSTAL PATRON LAKE ELMO MN 55042 The City is on Nextdoor! In an effort to reach as much of the com- munity as possible we’ve joined Nextdoor to post important updates for residents. The City Wants Your Input! The City has been using the Polco platform to collect the opinions of residents to better improve City services. Questions have been related to the City of Lake Elmo’s streets, parks, public safety, and more. A publication of the City of Lake Elmo 3880 Laverne Ave. N., Lake Elmo MN 55042 • 651-747-3900 New questions are posted regularly. If you are interested in sharing your opinions, please Mayor Charles Cadenhead Council Lisa McGinn Matt Hirn Katrina Beckstrom Jeff Holtz City Administrator Kristina Handt Internet: www.lakeelmo.org Email: comments@lakeelmo.org POLICE-FIRE Emergency: 9-1-1 Non-emergency: (651) 439-9381 www.facebook.com/LakeElmoMN visit www.polco.us/lakeelmo and create an account! Public Works Contact Info: Public Works: 651-747-3940 Emergency: Monday – Thursday: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Friday – 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon City Hall: 651-747-3900 All other hours and weekends, Washington County Dispatch: 651-439-9381