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Thursday, March 13, 2008

Be careful what you wish for

Pioneer Press Wed, 12 Mar 2008 23:50:19 -0600
Gem Lake / Tiny city unveils its new home

It's been almost 50 years since Gem Lake became a city, and much of that time was spent operating out of the back of a car dealership. The tiny Ramsey County community is out to prove it has grown up and will unveil its new city hall on Friday. "We really needed to build a sense of community in our little town," Gem Lake City Council Member Gretchen Artig-Swomley said of the new complex, dubbed Heritage Hall. "It helps us to function a little bit more like a real city." City Council meetings had been held in a car dealership, and city files were kept in boxes in residents' basements. But after successfully fighting off a 2006 effort by developers to separate large plots of land from the city, its leaders decided it was time Gem Lake grew up. "The judge told us we'd lose the next one if we didn't become more like a city," Gem Lake Mayor Paul Emeott said of the legal challenge. "So we followed the judge's advice and made some changes."

[[keywords: Living;Metro;]]

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