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Date:	June 19, 2019
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 June 18, 2019, Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting at the Government Center in Stillwater, Minnesota

County Board reappoints Dressel to Workforce Development Board
The Washington County Board of Commissioners reappointed Christine Dressel to the Workforce Development Board June 18.
Dressel is a resident of West Lakeland Township, and serves as a business representative on the board. Her new term will end June 30, 2022.
It is the responsibility of the Workforce Development Board to determine the most effective designation of administrative entities, grant recipients, and program operators for the Workforce Service Area. It also jointly plans for collaboration, and provides for on-site review and oversight of program performance. 
Contact: Yvonne Klinnert, Public Information Manager, 651-430-6026

County Board approves application for gambling permit for Carpenter Nature Center
The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved an application for an exempt permit for lawful gambling from the Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center June 18.
The application is to conduct a raffle at the Afton Alps Golf Course in Denmark Township July 22.
After approval by the County Board, the application will be sent to the Minnesota State Gambling Control Board for its consideration.
Contact: Steve Gransee, Taxpayer Services & Election Division Manager, 651-430-8272
County Board approves agreements to provide funds for park improvements
The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved three agreements with the Metropolitan Council June 18, all of which will provide funds for improvements at Lake Elmo Park Reserve.
The grants are:
* $445,825 to fund improvements to the Eagle Point Trail on the west side of Lake Elmo Park Reserve, running four miles around Eagle Point Lake. The turf trail is used for hiking, biking, and cross-county skiing. The project will regrade segments of the trail that have drainage issues. To access Eagle Point Trail, users park in the parking lot within the park, or have been parking on the west border of the park along Inwood Avenue (County Highway 13). Having park visitors parking along Inwood Ave or local side streets is challenging as they must cross a high-speed, high-volume roadway. To address this problem, the project includes the addition of a parking lot off of Inwood Avenue within the park. 
* $167,187 for Lake Elmo Park Reserve to fund the design and reconstruction of the campground play area. Improvements will include site grading, replacing equipment, landscaping, and providing access to playground structures.
* $390,097 to complete the design of various Lake Elmo Park Reserve Swim Pond improvements, including restrooms, maintenance areas, the lifeguard station, the concession stand, playground, filtration system, and pavement improvements.  
Project construction is scheduled for this fall for the trail and campgrounds, and project design will begin this fall for the swim pond improvements. The projects and will be funded with state and Metropolitan Council bonds.
Contact: Sandy Breuer, Parks Director, 651-430-4371

Washington, Ramsey counties will cooperate to repave Century Avenue
The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved an agreement with Ramsey County June 18 for the repaving of Century Avenue, or County State Aid Highway 25, which is the border between the two counties.
The pavement is in poor condition, and needs to be replaced. Ramsey County is taking the lead on the project, and will oversee the repaving from Carver Avenue to Linwood Avenue. Washington County’s cost portion of the project is estimated at $237,261.50. Funding will come from the county’s pavement preservation fund, which is supported by the wheelage tax.
Contact: Andrew Giesen, Engineer II, 651-430-4336

County agrees to work with state health department on health study
Washington County agreed to work with the Minnesota Department of Health on a study of the health implications for exposure to certain contaminants in drinking water.
The County Board approved the memorandum of understanding for the study June 18.
The agreement regards a potential Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study on the health implications of exposure to Per- and Poly-Fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)-contaminated drinking water. The state department of health submitted a grant application to the CDC and will be notified in late summer or early fall if the five-year grant is funded. The state sought a local partner to implement the clinical aspects of the grant, should the application be funded.
There is no cash match required from the county. Washington County would use grant funds to hire personnel, and implement the clinical study with the public.
The study would recruit residents from affected communities in the east metro area.
There is very little toxicity data on the majority of the PFAS chemicals, and information on adverse health effects is inconsistent. This is a research opportunity to better understand the health impact of the chemicals.
The CDC has funding for up to six studies in the country. The studies would recruit 6,000 adults and 2,000 children across the six study sites, and evaluate clinical biomarkers of residents exposed to PFAS chemicals.
The Minnesota Department of Health is the grant applicant; the county would be a subcontractor and clinical partner. 
Contact: Jill Timm, Public Health Program Manager, 651-275-7286

County will transfer grant funds to complete storage facility at St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park
The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved the transfer for funds between two Legacy Grant June 18 to build a storage facility that is needed in the southern part of the county.
In the current storage building at St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park, vehicles are stored outside and there is no heated work space for thawing winter equipment or doing repairs.
In the planning stage of the St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park Storage Facility and Renovation Project, costs were estimated at $100,000 for design and $705,100 for construction. Funding sources to pay for the project include $705,100 in state sales tax and $111,456 in state bonds. As the design of the storage facility progressed, costs are now estimated at $90,253 for design and $1,368,000 for construction, leading to a $641,700 gap in funding. 
The county received approval from the Metropolitan Council to move $641,700 of allocated state sales tax from Lake Elmo Park Reserve Improvements to the St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park Storage Facility to cover the increased costs of the storage facility.
The Lake Elmo Regional Park Projects, including the water and sewer upgrades to the campground, new playground and Eagle Point Trail improvements, will occur as scheduled within the grant funding. A new trailhead building at Eagle Point will be put on hold and discussed when the Central Greenway Trail is in place.
In addition, the county will receive $111,456 from the state and Metropolitan Council bonding funds to complete the St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park project.
Contact: Sandy Breuer, Parks Director, 651-430-4371

County will continue participation in Performance Measurement Program
Washington County will continue to participate in the Performance Measurement Program and submit the report on the 10 standard measures created by the Council on Local Results and Innovation to the Office of the State Auditor.
The County Board agreed to participation June 18, the ninth year that the county has participated.
In 2010, the Legislature created the Council on Local Results and Innovation, tasked with creating a standard set of 10 measures for cities and 10 measures for counties. The list of measures was reviewed by the council and revised in 2013, when the council released an expanded set of performance measures.
Participation in the standard measures program is voluntary. A county that elects to participate in the standards measures program may be eligible for a reimbursement of 14 cents per capita in county program aid, not to exceed $25,000.
Washington County has a longstanding commitment to performance measurement and quality improvement and is able to report the standard set of measures with little additional work.
The county will report the results of the 10 adopted measures to residents on the county website at www.co.washington.mn.us/performancemeasures, as well as including the report in its budget documents and filing a copy with the Office of the State Auditor.
Contact: Amanda Hollis, Senior Planner, 651-430-6021



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