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Date:	Aug. 10, 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 Aug. 10, 2021, Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting at the Government Center in Stillwater, Minnesota

Newport Transit Station area will be used for State Fair parking
The parking lot of the Newport Transit Station, as well as the adjacent lot, will be used as a Minnesota State Fair Park-and-Ride.
The Washington County Board of Commissioners, sitting as the Regional Rail Authority Aug. 10, approved its use.
The Metropolitan Council, via Metro Transit, requested the use of the Newport Transit Station as a 2021 Minnesota State Fair Park-and-Ride lot during the fair. The contract allows for the use of the paved parking area and adjacent vacant lot for 400 parking spaces. The Newport Transit Station has served as a State Fair Park-and-Ride since 2016. In 2019, more than 5,700 transit riders used the Newport Transit Station park-and-ride lot express service to go to the fair on weekends and Labor Day.
Contact: Lyssa Leitner, Public Works Planning Director, 651-430-4316

County Board approves right-of-way purchases for future road projects
The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved the purchase of right-of-way Aug. 10 for two future roadway projects in the county.
The projects are:
* County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 13 (Ideal Avenue) in Oakdale and Lake Elmo. This is the second phase of this roadway improvement, which will include improved intersection controls and safety of intersecting streets between 36th and 44th Streets, improved surface water drainage, the continuation of north-south trail segments on the west side of the road, and new signs and roadway striping. The right-of-way estimate is approximately $450,000 and is funded by State Aid and local contributions.
* CSAH 12 (Wildwood Road) in Mahtomedi. The project will include pavement replacement, signs and road striping, improved pedestrian crossings, a signal at Wedgewood Drive, a multi-purpose off-road trail on a portion of Wildwood Road on the south side, and a culvert replacement within the causeway. The right-of-way estimate is approximately $660,000, and is funded by State Aid, local funds, and funds received from the jurisdictional turnback of Trunk Highway 244 from the Minnesota Department of Transportation to Washington County.
Contact: Mindy Leadholm, Right-of-Way Specialist, 651-430-4361

County Board approves 2022-2023 Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy Joint Activities Budget 
The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved the 2022-2023 Joint Activities budget for the Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy Board (R&E Board) Aug. 10, as recommended by the R&E Board.
The R&E Joint Activities Budget is the general fund for R&E, and is paid for with county contributions, 73% from Ramsey County and 27% from Washington County. The proposed 2022 budget includes the $2.89 million needed from Washington County to support the Joint Activities Budget and funded by the County Environmental Charge. 
The Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) creating the R&E Board provides that the County Board retain the authority to approve the Joint Activities Budget of the R&E Board, which is a two-year budget. The budget is used to administer and carry out non-facility related activities of the R&E Board that meet the county's Waste Management Master Plan 2018-2036 goals and strategies and state goals, such as a 75% recycling rate by 2030.
The R&E Board approved the budget July 22 and recommended that each county board approve the proposed budget with no changes.
Contact: Nicole Stewart, Senior Environmental Resources Manager, 651-430-6713




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www.co.washington.mn.us
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