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Date:	Jan. 26, 2021
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 Jan. 26, 2021, Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting at the Government Center in Stillwater, Minnesota

County receives grant to continue emergency shelter
Washington County will receive $473,225 in funding through the Emergency Solutions Grant, administered by the state Department of Human Services, which will be used to provide emergency shelter for households experiencing homelessness during the pandemic.
The County Board approved the grant agreement for the funding Jan. 26.
The money will be used between now and January 2022 to cover the cost to manage shelter operations.
Contact: Sarah Tripple, Community Services Planning & Program Manager, 651-430-6480

County will continue household hazardous waste collections in communities
The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved agreements with county communities Jan. 26 to allow the county to conduct household hazardous waste collections in those communities during 2021.
Eight satellite weekend household hazardous waste collections are planned for 2021, in spring and fall. Satellite collections bring the services offered at the Washington County Environmental Center closer to residents, making it more convenient and practical for them to recycle and dispose their household hazardous waste and electronics. The agreements allow the county to use sites owned by others to conduct household hazardous waste collections. 
Events planned for spring are:  
* at the Hugo Public Works Garage, 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 17, 6900 137th St. N., Hugo;
* at the Wildwood Elementary School in Mahtomedi, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 1, 8698 75th St. N., Mahtomedi, enter at the middle school/high school driveway;
* at Lily Lake Ice Arena in Stillwater 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 15, 1208 S. Greeley St. Stillwater;
* at the Forest Lake Transit Center, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, June 5 and June 12, 19987 Fitzgerald Trail N., Forest Lake.
Fall events are:
* at the Forest Lake Transit Center, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, Sept. 11 and Sept. 18, 19987 Fitzgerald Trail N., Forest Lake;
* at the Hugo Public Works Garage, 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 2, 6900 137th St. N., Hugo.
Confidential document shredding will be available at all events.
The Environmental Center will also provide paper and electronics recycling at the Cottage Grove Clean UP event May 1.
In addition to the satellite collection events, five dates have been set for confidential paper shredding at the Washington County Environmental Center, Wednesdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.:
* Wednesday, April 21;
* Wednesday, June 16;
* Wednesday, Aug. 4;
* Wednesday, Sept. 29; and
* Wednesday, Nov. 17.
In addition to remote-site collections, the Washington County Environmental Center, 4039 Cottage Grove Drive in Woodbury, provides residents with a free and convenient disposal option for household hazardous waste, electronics, and recyclables all year round.
It is open Tuesday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The center accepts household hazardous waste, electronics, and recyclables. The center also has a Free Product Room, in which residents may browse the shelves and take home previously-owned products such as paint, stain, automotive supplies, household cleaners, and other products. All items taken to the Environmental Center are inspected to determine if they are usable products.
Contact: Adam Frederick, Public Health and Environment Environmental Coordinator, 651-430-6702

Met Council provides reimbursement for land purchase to add to Pine Point park
The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved an agreement with the Metropolitan Council Jan. 26 for 75% reimbursement of the cost of purchasing land in Stillwater Township to add almost 50 acres to Pine Point Regional Park.
The land was purchased with money from the county’s Land and Water Legacy Program.
The purchase was approved by the County Board last April for $787,740. The Metropolitan Council agreed to reimburse the Land and Water Legacy Program funds used to purchase the property up to $590,805.
The grant requires the county to enter into restrictive covenant agreement on the property, which is standard.
Contact: Sharon Price, Property Manager, 651-430-4391

Summit Food Services will provide inmate meals
Summit Food Services LLC will provide meals to inmates in the Washington County Jail through February 2022 after the County Board approved a new contract with the organization Jan. 26.
The new agreement with the organization was required after the COVID-19 pandemic caused the jail inmate population to drop. Summit Food Services requested a sliding scale be used to cover the fixed costs still required for service at lower population levels.
As the inmate counts increase, the price for meals drops, as the fixed costs do not increase for Summit. At the end of this emergency contract period, Washington County will enter into a new contract for professional jail food service following a new request for bids.
Contact: Sheriff Dan Starry, 651-430-7601
County Board receives update on COVID-19 vaccine distribution
The Washington County Board of Commissioners received an update on the county’s role and capacity in distributing the COVID-19 vaccination Jan. 26 from Lowell Johnson, Public Health & Environment director.
The state receives approximately 60,000 doses of vaccine each week, and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) allocates those doses to health systems, pharmacies, and federally qualified health centers. It is also allocated to local public health departments, such as Washington County’s, which has additional partners and contractors that are distributing the vaccines. All of them are working in some capacity to distribute vaccinations to the highest priority recipients, as determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and MDH.
The county’s health department has focused on the highest priority recipients, and plans to distribute about 4,400 doses by Feb. 1. Contractors are expected to distribute 1,200 doses to vaccinators, health care workers, and residents of assisted living and group home facilities.
The state is distributing vaccines beyond the first priority lists in pilot locations around the state, designed to test registration and vaccination operations on a smaller scale, before vaccinations are ramped up across the state when additional vaccines arrive.
School districts in the county are receiving a limited supply of vaccines, and are setting their own priorities as to whom will be vaccinated, with the goal of safely conducting in-person learning.
The general message to the public is:
* most people will get their vaccinations from their health care provider;
* health care providers will notify residents when vaccine is available, and how to schedule the vaccinations;
* clinics, pharmacies, and public vaccination locations will likely all be available for distribution when vaccine is in full supply;
* Washington County continues to work with priority groups as outlined in the Centers for Disease Control and Minnesota Department of Health priority lists.
Even after vaccination, protocols for not spreading the novel coronavirus will remain in place, as all tools will need to be in place to stop its spread.
Contact: Lowell Johnson, Public Health & Environment Director, 651-430-6725


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www.co.washington.mn.us
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