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Date:	Feb. 22, 2022
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 Feb. 22, 2022, Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting at the Government Center in Stillwater, Minnesota

County Board makes several appointments to advisory boards
The Washington County Board of Commissioners made several appointments to county advisory boards and committees Feb. 22.
The appointments are:
* Howard Markus, Woodbury, to a partial first term beginning Feb. 22 through Dec. 31, 2024, as the Citizen Member on the Groundwater Advisory Committee;
* Mathias Baden, Woodbury, to a partial first term beginning Feb. 22 and ending Dec. 31, 2023, as the District 5 Representative on the Historic Courthouse Committee;
* Mike Yanda as the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development representative for a first partial term beginning Feb. 22 and ending Dec. 31, 2024, on the Workforce Development Board;
* Jodie Monson, Stillwater, to a partial first term beginning Feb. 22 and ending Dec. 31, 2023, as the District 3 representative on the Community Corrections Advisory Board;
* Dave Olson and Lacy Levine, Cottage Grove, to partial first terms, as the District 4 representatives on the Parks and Open Space Commission; and
* Tom Bader, Stillwater, to a partial first term expiring Dec. 31, 2023, as the District 3 representative on the Historic Courthouse Committee.
Contact: Jennifer Ochocki, Coordinator to the County Administrator, 651-430-6010
Country Services may expand work to older adults
Country Services Inc., which provides case management services for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities in Washington County, will have the option to expand those services to others with disabilities and adults older than 65 after the County Board approved a not-to-exceed $210,00 contract through Dec. 31, 2023.
The County Board agreed to the contract extension Feb. 22.
Washington County is responsible for providing case management services to more than 1,655 children and adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities, as well as 1,085 children and adults receiving case management services related to other disabilities. The case management for these individuals is performed by social workers and registered nurses in the county or contracted through private agencies.
Country Services Inc. has a history of providing quality services and has previously contracted with Washington County for these services.
Contact: Beth Pierce, Community Services Division Manager, 651-430-8389

County approves collective bargaining agreement with LELS
The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved a bargaining agreement with Law Enforcement Labor Services (LELS) Local #215 Deputy Sheriff Sergeant’s Unit for 2022 and 2023.
The county’s tentative agreement with the unit came through collective bargaining, and states:
* a two-year contract in effect from Jan. 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2023; 
* for 2022, employees shall be eligible for a 4% range movement, not to exceed that year's salary range maximum; and 
* for 2023, employees shall be eligible for a 3.5% range movement not to exceed that year's salary range maximum.
The contract sets out the county’s contribution to health insurance premiums. Also, the county will add Juneteenth on June 19 as a paid holiday, remove Christmas Eve, and add a floating holiday.
Contact: Angie Nalezny, Human Resources Director, 651-430-6075

Library receives donation from Friends of Lake Elmo Library
The Washington County Library received a donation of $2,394 from the Friends of the Lake Elmo Library, which the County Board accepted Feb. 22.
It is recommended that the funds be used to improve the juvenile Spanish collection at the Lake Elmo Library. The Library will also add furniture to support the expanded juvenile Spanish collection and general display furniture at the Lake Elmo Library.
Contact: Kim Ukura, Social Media Specialist, 651-275-8511

County Board approves applications for liquor licenses
The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved liquor license applications Feb. 22 for events that will take place in the county in the coming months.
The approval of applications went to:
* a temporary one-to-four-day liquor license for the Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce for an event at the Washington County Fairgrounds June 18. The fairgrounds are in Baytown Township.
* a temporary liquor license for VFW Post 323 for an event June 3 through June 5 at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Baytown Township;
* an application for the renewal of the on-sale and Sunday liquor license for the Stoneridge Golf Club in West Lakeland Township; and
* an application for the renewal of an on-sale and Sunday liquor license for Afton Alps in Denmark Township.
Washington County processes all liquor license applications for the townships in the county.
The county Sheriff's Office, County Attorney's Office, and the Public Health & Environment Department complete compliance/verification checks.
Contact: Debra Ledvina, Property Records and Taxpayer Services Director, 651-430-6182

Sheriff’s Office will receive grant to fight sex trafficking
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office will receive a $580,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to fight sex trafficking, after the County Board accepted the grant Feb. 22.
The grant will fund personnel, overtime, equipment, training, travel, and program expenses for the East Metro Sex Trafficking Task Force. The grant term is from Jan. 1, 2022, to Dec. 31, 2023. There is no match required for the grant.
Contact: Sheriff Dan Starry, 651-430-7601

Summit Food Service will continue to provide food at county jail
Summit Food Service Inc. will continue to provide food at the Washington County Jail, after the County Board approved an extension of the company’s contract from Feb. 22 to the end of February 2027.
The Sheriff's Office entered into an agreement with Summit Food Services LLC in 2013 and has been pleased with the food product, services, staffing, and leadership during this time. The company also scores the highest out of all the bids submitted and is one of the nation's largest corrections-focused managed service providers.
The contract runs through Feb. 28, 2027. The county agrees to a yearly Consumer Price Index (CPI) cost per meal increase to start on March 1, 2023, and continue annually through the remainder of the agreement; the CPI cost per meal increase will never exceed 3% annually.
Contact: Sheriff Dan Starry, 651-430-7601

County renews contract for Microsoft products
The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved at $2.6 million contract Feb. 22 with SHI to purchase subscriptions for Microsoft office products to be used through Jan. 31, 2025.
The agreement with Microsoft covers key products that are used throughout the county, such as Word for word processing, Excel for spreadsheets, Outlook for email, PowerPoint for presentations, Publisher for brochures, books, and publications, and Access for databases.
The contract also provides Windows Desktop Operating System, Enterprise Client Access Licenses (CALs) to access the county’s cloud and network file servers, and provides communication and workflow management with SharePoint.
The contract includes cloud-based email and productivity tools, as well as security management.
The pricing structure is governed under the state’s contract with SHI, which provides significantly discounted pricing for state and local government agencies. It locks in pricing and provides support for 36 months beginning Feb. 1.
Contact: Renee Heinbuch, Information Technology Director, 651-430-6421

Clean Harbors will continue to operate county’s Environmental Center
Clean Harbors will continue to operate the Washington County Environmental Center after the County Board extended the contract with the company Feb. 22.
In addition to the operation of the Environmental Center in Woodbury, the county also conducts several one-day collection events each year to provide service for residents who do not live close to the Environmental Center.
The county has contracted with Clean Harbors for more than eight years for services at the Environmental Center. Clean Harbors has provided the county with highly-trained staff who provide excellent customer service.
The current contract began Jan. 1, 2019, and ran for three years, with two one-year renewal options. The county seeks to exercise the renewal option and Clean Harbors has requested a labor rate increase of 7.5%, which is estimated at $69,000 annually. The first three years of the contract the labor rates stayed level, so the increase over the three-year term averages out to 2.5% per year. The total labor cost in 2021 was $841,735. This amendment will extend the contract term to Dec. 31, 2022.
In addition to household hazardous waste services, under this contract Clean Harbors provides logistics and operations support to the county's Public Health Emergency Preparedness program, which has been a valuable service during the department’s pandemic response.
The Environmental Center hosts the Free Produce Room, as well as confidential paper shredding.
In 2021, 65,637 participants dropped off materials at the Environmental Center or at remote events sponsored by the center, and 654,119 pounds of household hazardous waste were collected, along with 581,427 pounds of recyclables and 273,128 pounds of kitchen scraps.
Contact: Jeff Travis, Senior Community Health Program Manager, 651-430-4033

County will receive additional grant money for maternal, infant, early childhood care
Washington County will receive an additional $556,000 from a federal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting grant, after the County Board accepted the grant Feb. 22.
This is an extension of the grant through Dec. 31.
Washington County has been a recipient of the grant since 2013. The current grant award was scheduled to end Feb. 28. This extension funds the program through 2022.
Evidence-based home visiting includes interventions and other prescribed service delivery that have been researched and proven to achieve positive outcomes for families facing significant stress. Goals include school readiness, positive parent-child relationships, improved parent/child attachment, healthy pregnancies, and normal child growth and development. Two public health nurse teams provide the services of the program.
The county has implemented the Healthy Families America model since 2007, serving approximately 90 to100 families at any point in time. In 2022, using this extended funding, the county is moving to the Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting model. Once fully implemented, it is anticipated that 150 or more families will receive service at any time.
The transition will allow for less administrative burden on nurses and supervisors doing the work, significantly reducing excessive documentation demands and resulting in more time to serve families. The focus with families shifts to "adapt and self-manage," promoting self-sufficiency and increased use of community resources and supports. Ultimately, this allows the county to serve more families in the community.
Contact: Jill Timm, Public Health & Environment Deputy Director, 651-275-7286

County will add 80 acres to Big Marine Regional Park
Washington County will add 80 acres of vacant land to Big Marine Regional Park, after the County Board approved a $1.26 million contract with the owner of the land Feb. 22.
The land is within the Big Marine Park Reserve Master Plan, originally adopted in January 1989 and updated in 2010.  
The property acquired is north of 170th Street in May Township, and is known as the Kelley Farms – North. The purchase was initiated by the property owner who advised the county of interest in selling the property. An appraisal was completed and reviewed by the County Board, and then an offer was made to the owner, who accepted it.  
The purchase price will be funded by the Land and Water Legacy Program (LWLP) funds. The county will ask the Metropolitan Council to reimburse the LWLP fund for 75% of the acquisition and costs in 2022.
Contact: Sharon Price, Right of Way Specialist, 651-430-4391

Indian Boulevard will get new turn lanes after County Board approves contract 
County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 19 at Indian Boulevard in Cottage Grove will receive new turn lanes after the Washington County Board of Commissioners approved a $695,000 contract with Max Steininger Inc. Feb. 22.
This project is at Keats Avenue North and Indian Boulevard in Cottage Grove. The project will replace the existing northbound bypass lane with a dedicated left-turn lane allowing left turning vehicles to turn outside of the through-lane of traffic.
Funds from the project will come from the county transportation sales tax.
Contact: Kevin Peterson, Engineer III, 651-430-4330

Park Construction Company will do safety, pavement improvements project on Ideal Avenue
Park Construction Company will do safety and pavement improvements on Ideal Avenue, which is the north-south border between the cities of Lake Elmo and Oakdale, after the Washington County Board of Commissioners approved a $4.3 million contract with the company Feb. 22.
This project is from 800 feet north of Highway 14 to 44th Street North. It is the second phase of a larger project to improve the County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 13 corridor between CSAH 14 (34th Street) and 50th Street. The first phase was constructed in 2017.
The project’s purpose is to:
* improve safety;
* add a trail;
* provide adequate roadway base;
* mitigate drainage concerns; and
* streamline improvements to account for growth and development in the area.
The project will be paid for with highway state aid funds; both cities will also contribute to the cost of the project.
The County Board also approved cost share and cooperative agreements with both cities regarding the project.
Contact: Andrew Giesen, Engineer II, 651-430-4336

County will contribute to conservation easement over Science Museum property
Washington County will contribute $1.1 million as part of a conservation easement over 129 acres in May Township that is home to the Science Museum of Minnesota’s St. Croix Watershed Research Station.
The County Board approved the agreement Feb. 22. The Minnesota Land Trust will contribute the same amount of money to the project.
Washington County and the Minnesota Land Trust will place a co-held permanent conservation easement on 129 acres of high-quality rolling terrain with hardwood trees, restored tall grass prairie, tamarack swamp, fens, wetlands, ponds, and a stream along the St. Croix River on the Science Museum of Minnesota’s St. Croix Watershed Research Station.
This land is in northern Washington County in May Township, approximately one-half mile south of the City of Marine on St. Croix. It is close to William O’Brien State Park, Square Lake Regional Park, Wilder Forest, and Warner Nature Center. The property is also near Washington County’s Pine Point Regional Park, Marine Mill State Historic Site, and Standing Cedars Land Conservancy and the St. Croix Islands Wildlife Area in Wisconsin.
According to the county Land and Water Legacy Program criteria, the project ranks very high for its location on the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, and high for habitat quality and for its water bodies.
It hosts approximately 9,100 feet of shoreline, including 1,500 feet of frontage on the St. Croix River and 3,000 feet on Spring Creek. The property hosts an array of wildlife, including endangered and threatened species, and species of special concern in and around the property.
The project will protect drinking water through wetlands that clean and continuously recharge ground water aquifers.
The open and natural character of the property provides scenic views enjoyed by the general public from Minnesota Highway 95/St. Croix Trail North and the backwaters of the St. Croix River. The property has a long history as a research site and beneficiary of ongoing quality stewardship by the research station staff.
Contact: Jan Lucke, Deputy Administrator, 651-430-6003




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