Our Mission:  Providing quality services through responsible leadership, innovation and
the cooperation of dedicated people

Date:	Sept. 28, 2021
Contact:	Kirsta Sanchez, Senior Communications Specialist
Phone:	651-430-6008
E-mail:	kirsta.sanchez@co.washington.mn.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The following actions were taken at the Sept. 28, 2021, Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting at the Government Center in Stillwater, Minnesota

County will receive grant for victims’ services
Washington County will receive a $280,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to be used for victims’ services, after the County Board accepted the grant Sept. 28.
The money will be spent for programs during 2022 and 2023. Funding will be used to pay for staff providing victim services in the County Attorney's Office.
State law requires that victims be notified of events in the criminal and juvenile justice systems. State and federal funding for personnel costs associated with victim and witness services has been in place since 1990, providing varying amounts.
The grant includes federal funding, and no local match is required.
Contact: Pete Orput, County Attorney, 651-430-6115

County Board accepts grant to support veterans programs
The Washington County Board of Commissioners accepted a $17,500 grant Sept. 28 from the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs to enhance services to veterans.
Washington County has received funding from the department since 2012. This Operational Enhancement Grant will allow the Washington County Veterans Service Office (VSO) to provide outreach to the county's veterans, assist in the reintegration of combat veterans into society, enhance services offered to veterans and veteran homelessness, and enhance the overall operations of the office.
Contact: Ryan Carufel, Veterans Service Officer, 651-430-6857

County Board approves May Township plat
The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved a plat for Oldfield Acres in May Township Sept. 28.
The two-lot plat is west of Oldfield Road North and north of Square Lake Trail North.
Contact: Nancie Schwintek, Property Records and Taxpayer Services Division Manager, 651-430-6758

County Board accepts annual grant to support SHIP programs
The Washington County Board of Commissioners accepted an annual grant of $514,487 from the Minnesota Department of Health Sept. 28 to continue to support the county’s Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) programs. 
The SHIP grant is intended to support upstream prevention of chronic diseases, which are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality throughout the state by promoting healthy eating, active living, smoking cessation, and mental well-being. This grant covers five years. The second year's funding for the county is $514,487, which is the same amount as the previous year’s SHIP funding. Funding is contingent on legislative approval each biennium. The funding amounts for each subsequent year are yet to be determined.
Contact: Rebecca Leighton, Public Health Program Supervisor, 651-430-6786

County will receive grant to assist in waste reduction
Washington County will receive a $786,495 grant from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to use for waste reduction and recycling activities.
The County Board accepted the grant, called Select Committee on Recycling and the Environment (SCORE) funds, Sept. 28. The funds are sent annually to metropolitan counties, initiated in 1989 when the Minnesota Legislature adopted a comprehensive set of laws, commonly referred to as SCORE, geared towards improving the solid waste management and recycling systems in the state. The grants are provided to metropolitan counties for recycling programs, as well as waste reduction, management of household hazardous waste, and problem materials.
The 2021 Minnesota Legislature enacted new, additional base funding for SCORE to counties, with a 5% increase for 2022 from the amount received in 2021.
Contact: Nicole Stewart, Environmental Resource Manager, 651-430-6713

County Board approves license agreement for deer management in 3 county parks
The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved a license agreement with Metro Bowhunters Resources Base (MBRB) Sept. 28 to manage deer management in three county parks.
The parks are Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park, Lake Elmo Park Reserve, and St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park. This would be an archery harvest conducted in partnership with the MBRB to reduce the deer population in the parks.
The license allows MBRB to assist with deer management in designated areas of the parks. The plans are supported by helicopter aerial surveys, which show deer populations are two to three times the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recommended population of 10-20 deer per square mile at each park. The county has held more than eight deer harvests at Lake Elmo Park Reserve, with the last one in 2015 when 38 deer were harvested by 38 hunters.
The MBRB was established in 1995 to aid municipalities in the Twin Cities area to control deer numbers in a safe, efficient, and cost-effective way. It assists communities when needed in planning and administering special hunts, and it supplies qualified, proficient, and responsible bowhunters for the programs.
The MBRB carries liability insurance and will work with the county on any regulations specific to each site that go beyond rules of the DNR. In addition, the MBRB will help the DNR with sampling for Chronic Wasting Disease, Neonicitinoids, and Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
The communication plan for the hunt includes posting notification within the park prior to the hunt, sending out letters to adjacent neighbors three weeks prior to the harvest, and signage with trail/road closures for all three locations.
Contact: Dan MacSwain, Natural Resources Coordinator, 651-430-4323
Interstate Improvements Inc. will do concrete grinding on Valley Creek Road
Interstate Improvements Inc. will do concrete grinding for pavement preservation on Valley Creek Road, after the Washington County Board of Commissioners approved a $395,270 contract with the company Sept. 28.
The work will be done from Bielenberg Drive to County State Aid Highway 13, or Radio Drive, in the City of Woodbury.
Over the last few years, the pavement quality of Valley Creek Road has started to decrease, and this project will grind the concrete pavement to improve smoothness.
The county will work with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) on the project to monitor the performance of the concrete grinding by performing annual testing for five years. Under an agreement with MnDOT, the agency will provide all testing and reporting, and Washington County will provide all traffic control.
Contact: Andrew Giesen, Engineer II, 651-430-4336

Sheriff’s Office will receive grant to enforce DWI laws
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office will receive a $124,564 Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) officer enforcement grant for 2022 after the County Board accepted the grant from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Sept. 28.
The grant funds the salary and training of one officer for one year with the purpose of identifying and arresting intoxicated drivers. A previous grant allowed for the creation of a new full-time position. This grant will continue the position for a fourth year and will be effective Oct. 1, 2021, through Sept. 30, 2022. No local match is required.
Contact: Sheriff Dan Starry, 651-430-7601

County receives funds for ongoing response to COVID-19 pandemic
Washington County will receive $58,306 from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, for the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The County Board accepted the grant Sept. 28.
The program assists local governments with their public health and emergency management activities for the prevention, preparation, and response to the ongoing coronavirus disease. The grant will support staffing for mitigating the spread of COVID-19 through testing and vaccinations.
The grant requires a 100% match, which is covered by funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
Contact: David Brummel, Public Health & Environment Deputy Director, 651-430-6662

Sheriff’s Office will continue to provide law enforcement in Hugo
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office will continue to provide law enforcement services to the City of Hugo, after the County Board approved a contract with the city Sept. 28.
The agreement renews Jan. 1, 2022. The county will furnish and supply all necessary labor, supervision, equipment, communication facilities, dispatching, and supplies necessary to provide the services required by the agreement.
The city will pay the county on a semi-annual basis for the direct costs and expenses from the services of six full-time deputies, one full-time sergeant, and one full-time deputy detective, which includes salaries and fringe benefits that will be known no later than Aug. 1 of each year.
Contact: Sheriff Dan Starry, 651-430-7601

County Board declares Oct. 4-8 Customer Service Week in Washington County
The Washington County Board of Commissioners declared Oct. 4-8 as Customer Service Week in honor of the county’s Property Records and Taxpayer Services staff.
The board made the declaration Sept. 28.
In 1992, the first full week in October was proclaimed National Customer Service week by the U.S. Congress to recognize the work of customer service professionals throughout the year and the importance of that work in a wide range of businesses, including government. 
The employees in Property Records and Taxpayer Services serve county residents on a daily face-to-face basis at a number of locations throughout the county, and their high-quality service is recognized and appreciated.
Contact: Debra Ledvina, Property Records and Taxpayer Services Director, 651-430-6182

County will provide ARPA funds to City of Stillwater for sewer, water project
The Washington County Board of Commissioners agreed Sept. 28 to provide $750,000 of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to the City of Stillwater for a sewer and water project.
The County Board received public comment on the plan at the Sept. 28 meeting, and then approved the use of the money.
The money is part of the $51 million allocation that the county received from the U.S. Congress’ passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), which provides fiscal relief funds to state and local governments aimed at mitigating the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Washington County received its first payment of $25,487,946 in May, to address the expenditures required by and the impacts of COVID-19, and to replace revenue shortages related to the pandemic.
The City of Stillwater submitted an application to the county for financial assistance for the extension of trunk water and sewer utilities, allowable ARPA expenses under the U.S. Department of Treasury guidance.
The funds would supplement a $2 million investment that the city is making in a sewer and water utility line to support economic development within a hard-to-reach area of the city. The area of Highway 36 and Manning Avenue – which is being reconstructed with a separated-grade intersection – would support commercial and residential development, as well as a hospital and healthcare campus. It is estimated that new development in the area would generate between $20 million and $53 million in market value, starting later this decade.
Contact: Kirsta Sanchez, Senior Communications Specialist, 651-430-6008



A great place to live, work and play…today and tomorrow

Government Center  •  14949 62nd Street North — P.O. Box 6, Stillwater, Minnesota 55082-0006
Phone:  651-430-6001  •  Fax:  651-430-6017  •  TTY:  651-430-6246
www.co.washington.mn.us
Equal Employment Opportunity