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Date:	Aug. 14, 2018
Contact:	Yvonne Klinnert, Public Information Manager
Phone:	651-430-6026, after hours 952-807-3723
E-mail:	yvonne.klinnert@co.washington.mn.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The following actions were taken at the Aug. 14, 2018, Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting at the Government Center in Stillwater, Minnesota

County Board approves comments on draft comprehensive plan for City of 
Lake Elmo
The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved comments Aug. 14 prepared following review of the draft comprehensive plan for the City of Lake Elmo.
All local governments within the seven-county metropolitan region must prepare a comprehensive plan and update that plan every 10 years. The Metropolitan Council is charged with reviewing local comprehensive plans.
Before formally submitting local comprehensive plan updates to the Met Council, local governments must provide adjacent and affected jurisdictions the opportunity to review and comment on the draft plan during a mandatory six-month review period. Comprehensive plans must be submitted to the Met Council by Dec. 31.
The county’s comments stated support for the city’s goal of seeking to expand the range of housing options in the city, and the support the city expressed for solar resources in the city. The county’s comments also expressed encouragement for the city’s commitment to maintain current parks and trails and in exploring new opportunities for parks and trails and enhancing their connectivity. The county also noted that the city has water resources goals that recognize the need for the preservation and protection of groundwater resources, and references the county’s Groundwater Plan.
Contact: Colin Kelly, Senior Planner, 651-430-6011
County will receive grant money to enhance services to veterans, designates parking spaces for veterans
The Washington County Board of Commissioners accepted a grant of $17,500 from the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs Aug. 14, to be used to enhance services to veterans.
The grant will be used by the Washington County Veterans Service Office to provide outreach to the county's veterans, to provide outreach to the county’s veterans, improve services offered to veterans, provide continued education for staff, and enhance the overall operations of the office.
The County Board also approved the use of parking spaces at county-owned properties for vans used to transport veterans within Washington County to and from Veterans Administration medical appointments. The county will provide 24-hour access to one parking space at the Washington County Government Center, 14949 62nd St. N. in Stillwater, and one parking space at the Headwaters Transit Center, 19987 Fitzgerald Trail N. in Forest Lake, for Veterans Administration transportation volunteers to park a government-owned vehicle.
Contact: Ryan Carufel, Veterans Service Officer, 651-430-6857

County works with state on anti-heroin task force
The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved a joint powers agreement Aug. 14 with the state, on behalf of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, to participate in the Minnesota Anti-Heroin Task Force Program.
Detectives assigned to the Washington County Narcotics Task Force continuously investigate illicit activities related to the distribution of heroin. By participation in the task force, overtime incurred during an opioid related overdose death investigation will be reimbursed. The task force is not housed in a central location. Participants of the task force continue to work heroin investigations at their home agencies. The agreement expires Oct. 31, 2019.
Contact: Sheriff Dan Starry, 651-430-7601

MPCA says thanks for work on waste management plan
Dave Benke, division director from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), brought thanks to the Washington County Board of Commissioners Aug. 14 for the county’s work in revising its Waste Management Plan 2018-2036.
Metropolitan counties are required by state law to revise their waste management master plans after an adoption of a Metropolitan Solid Waste Policy Plan. A revised Metropolitan Solid Waste Policy Plan was adopted in April 2017. The County Board adopted the Washington County Waste Management Master Plan 2018-2036 in November 2017, and submitted the plan to the MPCA, which approved the plan in June.
Benke commended the board on the plan and the board’s partnership with Ramsey County to oversee the purchase and designation of waste to the Recycling & Energy Center in Newport for processing and exploring new ways to better manage materials such as food waste at the center; the county’s support for the Biz Recycling Program to improve recycling in the commercial sector; and performance measurement for accountability of the plan.
Contact: Nicole Stewart, Senior Environmental Resource Manager, 651-430-6713

SEH, Inc., will do final design on Woodbury Drive project
SEH, Inc., will do the final design on the Woodbury Drive improvement project, after the Washington County Board of Commissioners approved a $1.039 million contract with the company Aug. 14.
The road capacity and safety improvement project will add corridor improvements from Interstate 94 to Tamarack Road, including through lanes and turn lanes on Woodbury Drive and Tamarack Road, and capacity modifications at the Commerce Drive and Hudson Road intersections. Improvements to local roads are being coordinated with the City of Woodbury as a part of the project to maximize benefits and minimize construction delays.
Woodbury Drive, also known as County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 19, is a north-south minor arterial roadway with traffic volumes among the busiest in the county and it continues to get more congested, especially during morning and afternoon commute times. It has aging pavement, poorly functioning intersections, gaps in pedestrian facilities, and is in need of drainage improvements.
The final design will identify the needs of the roadway in 2030 and 2040 to determine the “right-sized” solutions for the roadway, as well as determine how to improve traffic operations.
Final design will be complete by winter 2019, with construction in the 2020 construction season.
SEH will do project coordination, public engagement, detailed final design, utility coordination, a traffic management plan, drainage analysis, environmental documentation, and geotechnical evaluation.
The County Board also approved a cooperative design and cost share with the City of Woodbury. The county will pay about 36 percent of the cost, with the city paying the remainder.
Contact: Nathan Arnold, Engineer, 651-430-4384

Inspec will perform exterior inspection of Historic Courthouse
Inspec will perform an exterior inspection of the Washington County Historic Courthouse, after the Washington County Board of Commissioners approved a $24,500 contract with the company Aug. 14.
This spring, Washington County completed an assessment of the Historic Courthouse site in Stillwater by Oertel Architects. Included in the report is the recommendation to perform a review of the roofing system, window sill restoration, and maintenance of the retaining wall adjacent to County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 23, or Third Street, and Pine Street. That wall is being rebuilt as part of reconstructing Third Street this summer and fall.
The proposal from Inspec, Inc., is to perform an exterior building survey, which will include a visual survey to assess the condition of the roofs, exterior masonry walls, and windows to deliver a report with photos, repair recommendations, and an opinion of probable construction costs. It is expected that a final report will be available in November, and maintenance projects will be chosen from a priority list next year.
The cost of the contract will come from private funds.
Contact: Morgan Abbott, Engineer, 651-430-4359

SRF Consulting, Inc., will oversee Radio Drive improvement project
SRF, Inc., will do design work for the Radio Drive multi-use trail, signal improvement, and pavement replacement project after the Washington County Board of Commissioners approved a $146,400 contract with the company Aug. 14.
Radio Drive is also known as County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 13.
Washington County and the City of Woodbury are working together to coordinate improvements from CSAH 16 (Valley Creek Road) to Afton Road/Pioneer Drive, which include constructing a trail on the west side to fill an existing gap. After the county and the City of Woodbury reviewed the project, aspects of the project were added to the original scope, including signal maintenance and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrades, replacing existing trail pavement, and parking lot pavement replacement for the City of Woodbury's Public Safety Building, which results in the need for additional design services.
The County Board also approved a cooperative agreement with the City of Woodbury to oversee the project and share the costs.
Public involvement and preliminary design will be complete this fall, with final design completed over the winter. Construction is planned for next June.
About half of the revenue for the project will come from highway state aid funds, and half will come from a local cost share.
Contact: Morgan Abbott, Engineer, 651-430-4359







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