I thought we threw that away

Star Tribune Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:00:39 GMT
State gets ready to dig in at Washington County landfill

The three-year cleanup in Lake Elmo -- at a cost of $27.6 million -- will be the most expensive for the state remediation program. Call it the big dig. State officials have elected to clean up a Washington County landfill that's releasing toxic gases and polluting area groundwater by digging out the waste, lining the landfill and then burying the waste again. The project will start later this summer and is expected to take three years. Its cost is estimated at $27.6 million, making it the most expensive landfill cleanup in the history of Minnesota's landfill remediation program. From 1969 to 1975, Ramsey and Washington counties used the 35-acre landfill, in Lake Elmo, as a garbage disposal site. 3M Co. also used the site to legally dump materials, including the chemical PFBA, a coatings compound used in photographic films and other products. In the past year or so, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has been weighing several options to clean up the site. Recently, agency officials chose the dig-and-line approach, over the objections of some Lake Elmo citizens and city leaders. They had lobbied for removing the waste permanently, either by hauling it away in trucks to a different landfill or by incinerating it on site using a futuristic technology called plasma-torch incineration.

[[keywords: LandUse;PublicWorks;Metro;]]

Spandex optional

Star Tribune Tue, 08 Jul 2008 05:10:30 GMT
From freeway to greenway as workers dust off bikes

Rush hour hits the bike lanes as high gas prices push people to pedal to work. When Marian Hayes took an evening bicycle ride along the Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis last year, she felt as if she had the trail to herself. Now the greenway is a freeway. Fast cyclists pass slower ones on the left. Commuters get on and off via exit ramps. Traffic moves along at 15 miles per hour. "You feel like you're in rush hour," said Hayes, who commutes 25 miles roundtrip from Mendota Heights to downtown Minneapolis. The latest bicycle boom has little to do with fitness and everything to do with $4 gas. People are hauling long-neglected bikes to repair shops and snapping up bicycle saddlebags. In Minneapolis, already home to the nation's second-highest number of bicycle commuters, the network of bicycle paths is getting crowded.

[[keywords: PublicWorks;Living;Metro;]]

New path to walkable communities

Star Tribune Sun, 06 Jul 2008 01:59:51 GMT
Fuel bills and budgets challenge east metro cities and counties

The ones that aren't burning up money set aside banded together to buy gas and diesel in bulk. ... In Ramsey County, the Parks and Recreation Department alone is likely to come up $40,000 short in gas and diesel expenses by the end of the year, said department director Greg Mack. More cities and counties are joining forces to buy fuel in bulk, as Woodbury did this spring. Woodbury's involvement with St. Paul and other east metro cities in a purchasing consortium already reduced its gasoline and diesel costs by $7,764 on its first fuel order. Roseville, Maplewood, Shoreview, New Brighton and Ramsey County also belong.

[[keywords: PublicSafety;PublicWorks;Maplewood;]]

Quote of the day: "remarkably underwhelming"

Pioneer Press 06/12/2008 04:34:39 AM GMT
Central Corridor station designs get cool response

It's either simple and sleek or simple and lame, depending on whom you ask. And since there will be at least 15 of them, the question of whether the design of the Central Corridor light-rail stations is cool or stupid matters. Kyle Williams, an architect for the planned light-rail line linking St. Paul and Minneapolis, presented the early design to members of a key advisory panel Wednesday. An apprentice of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe might smile at the simplicity of the concrete platforms anchoring flat glass-and-steel shelters, but a fan of Frank Gehry might stare blankly â€" as Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak did. "This is remarkably underwhelming," Rybak told Williams. "This idea about being 'simple and transparent' is not going to give the lift to University Avenue we want."

[[keywords: LandUse;PublicWorks;Metro;]]

U-turn

Star Tribune Thu, 12 Jun 2008 05:20:45 GMT
U changes direction on light-rail trains

University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks said the university will support running the trains on Washington Avenue. The University of Minnesota will set aside its long-held objections and support the running of light-rail trains on Washington Avenue, University President Robert Bruininks said Wednesday. "The university does not want to be in the position of bringing this project to a grinding halt or jeopardizing its possible future," said Bruininks, who will urge the Board of Regents to approve the route in meetings today and Friday. In an interview at Morrill Hall, he said the university's negotiations with other public agencies have resulted in "enormous progress" on concerns such as traffic, hospital access and the impact on sensitive research equipment -- and who might pay for solutions.

[[keywords: LandUse;PublicWorks;Living;Metro;]]

MnDOT: Oh, by the way, we are closing most of your road

Star Tribune Thu, 12 Jun 2008 04:34:01 GMT
Roseville road construction means slow going on Snelling

As executive director of the Roseville Visitors Association, Julie Larson keeps on top of city events. So she was surprised when a neighbor stopped by the association Wednesday and informed her that Snelling Ave. N. was about to undergo significant construction -- effective immediately. "It would have been helpful to know in advance," said Larson, whose office is in the HarMar Mall, directly in front of the construction zone. "Traffic will be down to a single lane." Larson was among the Roseville residents and businesses surprised by a construction project that will dramatically curb northbound traffic this summer on Snelling from Roselawn Avenue to Hwy. 36. It is expected to be finished before the State Fair begins at the end of August. The project will add another lane of traffic on northbound Snelling, as well as make improvements to two intersections. About 40,000 vehicles a day use this stretch of Snelling Avenue, according to Roseville city officials. Long in the works, the project apparently was short on community outreach. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is not obliged to inform residents because the project is not large enough to warrant public hearings, said Kent Barnard, department spokesman.

[[keywords: PublicWorks;Metro;]]

Doing it right, one building at a time

Star Tribune Wed, 04 Jun 2008 06:21:14 GMT
Richfield garage's low-impact design stands out

The Earth-friendly new home for Richfield public works sets a high standard of efficiency. ... The building should be 30 to 35 percent more efficient than a structure built to standard construction codes, said architect Nancy Schultz of Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. in Minneapolis.

[[keywords: LandUse;PublicWorks;Metro;]]

U pluribus nonum

Pioneer Press Wed, 28 May 2008 17:51:26 -0600
Met Council approves rail route over U's objections

The U is now officially alone, and an influential lawmaker says arrogance has landed them there. The University of Minnesota cast the lone dissenting vote this afternoon against a Central Corridor route through campus along Washington Avenue at a meeting of a key advisory panel. The 11-1 vote by the advisory panel was affirmed by the Met Council in an overwheliming voice vote this evening , officials said. Among the 11 were representatives of the following entities and interests: cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Ramsey and Hennepin counties, state departments of transportation and finance, Met Council, neighborhood groups and the business community. The university, which initially wanted a tunnel under campus and now is advocating for a detour along the northern edge of campus, has maintained a series of objections for months, centered around disruptions as a result of removing cars from Washington. The impact of the university's opposition is unclear, but local officials fear it will delay, or possibly kill, the project, as costs increase with inflation and the federal government â€" needed to fund half the nearly $900 million line from St. Paul to Minneapolis â€" regards local discord as cause for denial.

[[keywords: LandUse;PublicWorks;Living;PropertyTax;Metro;]]

Dinkytown to become Dinkydepot

Star Tribune Thu, 22 May 2008 04:01:35 GMT
Light rail's route through U on hold, again

The University of Minnesota continues to lobby for a northern route, but Met Council still likely to endorse Washington Av. plan. The debate over the route of the Central Corridor light-rail line is a bit like the Democratic presidential race: there's a likely winner, the second-place contender isn't giving up, and just when you think it might be over, it goes on for another week. On Wednesday, public officials planning the 11-mile line almost voted to approve a Washington Avenue route through the University of Minnesota -- something they had done once before -- but they decided to give the university one more week to make its case for a route through the northern part of campus. The decision came after Metropolitan Council Chairman Peter Bell said that he had received a call on the matter from Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who in turn had received a call from University President Robert Bruininks. University officials are concerned that closing Washington to cars would spread traffic congestion on campus and in surrounding neighborhoods, so they've been paying for studies of a Dinkytown route.

[[keywords: PublicWorks;Metro;]]

Go ahead, flush!

Star Tribune Sun, 18 May 2008 03:29:42 GMT
Feeling soaked over a minimum charge for water

Adam Stang doesn't use anywhere near 40,000 gallons of water every year. But that's what he pays for, because the city of Lonsdale, in Rice County, charges a minimum fee based on 10,000 gallons of water use every three months. "Maybe 10,000 gallons for a family isn't much, but I'm single and live in a condo," Stang said. "It doesn't make sense to bill me for more than the standard 1,000 gallon billing rate, especially when fresh water is getting harder to come by. I could probably use less if I conserved water, but I have no incentive to do so."

[[keywords: PublicWorks;Metro;]]

Keeping up with the Richfields

Star Tribune Thu, 15 May 2008 04:27:41 GMT
Richfield council approves plan to build a new, roomier City Hall

Although not as showy as new municipal buildings in some other suburbs, the structure will add space. Richfield will get a new City Hall. The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to proceed toward construction of a $21.6 million police, fire and city government building. "Our citizen task force has told us that the current facility is inadequate and that a new facility will in the long run be a better investment for the city than trying to make repairs on the old one,'' said Council Member Sue Sandahl. While he supported the plan, Council Member Bill Kilian said he worries that the building will not provide enough of a signature for Richfield. "I thought that it should be built in a more desirable place where it had more visibility, and I felt that it should have had more public space,'' Kilian said.

[[keywords: PublicWorks;Metro;]]

Transportation costs in transition

Star Tribune Thu, 15 May 2008 04:07:05 GMT
Transit fares could be raised

The Metropolitan Council will hold a series of public hearings this summer that could pave the way for higher fares for Twin Cities bus and light rail riders. Details about the potential fare increase are still being developed, but the Met Council said that without one, the regional transit system will face a $15 million projected shortfall in fiscal year 2009. The shortfall would be caused primarily by fuel cost increases. The regional agency sets fares for Metro Transit and several suburban transit operations. If approved, any fare increase will go into effect on Oct. 1 and would be the first price hike in three years, the agency said. ... Public hearing schedule: ... THURSDAY, JULY 10: 6:30-7:30 p.m. Maplewood Community Center 2100 White Bear Av., Maplewood

[[keywords: PublicWorks;Living;PropertyTax;Maplewood;Metro;]]

Roads

Star Tribune Wed, 14 May 2008 00:27:46 GMT
Washington County favors low-impact plan to soften road's curves

Washington County wants to stick with the same route as it makes County Road 8 safer. A fix favored by Washington County officials to make a curvy road in Hugo safer would not affect protected waters but it would have an impact on farm land, wetlands and private properties. The plan to partially realign County Road 8 was one of 13 possibilities studied by county transportation officials. At a committee meeting last week, they endorsed "Alternative 2c," which calls for a partial realignment of the road and 30 mph curves. The plan sticks with the existing alignment while softening the road's dangerous curves, said Jacob Gave, a design engineer with the county and the project manager.

[[keywords: PublicWorks;Metro;]]

Form a line, please

Star Tribune Sun, 11 May 2008 03:31:02 GMT
Fridley tries to jump to the head of line for transit sales tax funds

The city's proposed Northstar commuter rail station missed out on $10 million in federal money. Fridley officials are hoping the new quarter-cent transit sales tax will be a lifeline for the city's proposed station on the Northstar commuter rail line. This week, contractors will begin preparing the Fridley site for construction, which is scheduled to begin this month, even though the $10 million needed to build the station was left out of the state bonding bill this legislative session. In the meantime, Fridley officials are urging Anoka County commissioners to put the station high on the list of projects competing for money from the sales tax. The Northstar line is set to open in late 2009, but the Fridley station was left out of federal funding for the project. "We're going to be very eager to try to get some of the county's quarter-cent sales tax money for our site," said Fridley City Manager Bill Burns. "We think we should have a legitimate claim to some funding in the near future." But Fridley will face tough competition from the other transit-related projects in the metro area to get some of the $100 million the tax is expected to raise by 2009.

[[keywords: PublicWorks;Metro;]]

How about a scooter?

Star Tribune Sat, 10 May 2008 04:01:04 GMT
Suburbs feel sting of gas costs

County governments and businesses are taking a hit, along with commuters. ... "Do we really need to drive that dump truck to the park across town," she asked, "or will a pickup work just as well?"

[[keywords: PublicWorks;PropertyTax;Metro;]]

Dawning

Star Tribune Sat, 10 May 2008 04:14:21 GMT
Riders, gas prices surge, so might bus and light-rail fares

Twin Cities residents are flocking to buses and trains, but the increased revenue from riders can't make up for the higher operating prices. Thousands of Twin Cities residents have escaped soaring gas prices by crowding onto buses and trains. But the cost of riding may soon catch up with them. The Metropolitan Council's transportation committee will be asked Monday to set up a series of public hearings into possible fare increases for the region's buses and light rail, in response to the surging costs of fuel. How much they might go up could become clear in June, according to spokeswoman Bonnie Kollodge. The regional agency sets fares for Metro Transit and several suburban transit operations. The rising fuel prices are partly responsible for a surge in riders. Metro Transit ridership for January through March was up 7.2 percent over the same period last year, and 16.4 percent more people rode the Hiawatha light rail line than in the first quarter of last year. The 19.2 million Metro Transit riders were the most since 1984.

[[keywords: PublicWorks;Living;Metro;]]

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

Star Tribune Fri, 09 May 2008 04:14:17 GMT
LRT battles flare in new round of e-mails

A U of M memo to the feds over Central Corridor routing has both sides trading more barbs. The current timeline for planning the Central Corridor light-rail line is "overly aggressive and potentially unrealistic," federal officials said this week, sparking some pointed words among local planners of the project. The University of Minnesota's preference for a northern alignment through campus and a memo that the U sent to the Federal Transit Administration in March are jeopardizing the project's application for federal funding, according to Council Chairman Peter Bell and others involved in planning the line. "My request of the U is that they just be very clear on what it is they want," Bell said Thursday. "If they want the northern alignment and are willing to delay or perhaps lose the project, they should be honest about that."

[[keywords: LandUse;PublicWorks;Metro;]]

Little carping at Sprawl Lake train station

Star Tribune Wed, 07 May 2008 04:42:37 GMT
Northstar puts the big in Big Lake

A groundbreaking ceremony for the commuter rail line's westernmost station focuses on the city's future growth as a magnet for commuters heading to Minneapolis. With hundreds of acres of potato fields to the south and Minneapolis a good 40 miles east, it's hard to envision tiny Big Lake as the "center for commuter rail for the state," as longtime Big Lake City Council Member Chuck Heitz did Tuesday. But just wait until next year. The ceremonial groundbreaking for the Big Lake commuter rail station took place Tuesday, a week after a similar event in Coon Rapids. But the station site in Big Lake marks a beginning -- both for the Northstar line, which extends to Minneapolis, and for Big Lake. "It really puts Big Lake on the radar screen," said Heitz, head of Big Lake's Transit Oriented Development Committee. He said he envisions a "spider web" stemming from the Sherburne County city of 9,200. In addition to the Northstar line, which is scheduled to open in November 2009, new bus routes are expected to funnel commuters into Big Lake so they can hop on the train to Minneapolis.

[[keywords: PublicWorks;Metro;]]

St. Paul street budget falls in pothole

Star Tribune Wed, 07 May 2008 03:53:06 GMT
Less TLC for St. Paul streets as budget gets attention

The city's public works director underestimated the cost of street maintenance last year but has plans to make it work this year. Maintenance crews will visit less often and crud will hang around a little longer on the streets of St. Paul, now that the city's Public Works Department is determined to stay within its budget. After a shortfall in the fund used to maintain streets and plow snow last year, the city is looking at cutting back on street-sweeping and seal-coating, among other actions, to save about $1.3 million and ensure the $27 million budget this year is met. Putting money back into cash reserves is another goal.

[[keywords: PublicWorks;Ramsey;Metro;]]

Washington County: waste deep

Star Tribune Wed, 07 May 2008 02:18:17 GMT
Hazardous waste site to open in Woodbury

A building for collecting household materials in Washington County will be moved from Oakdale. ... Commissioner Dick Stafford, who represents Woodbury, said he's received inquiries from residents concerned about the nature of the materials, which include paint, oil, computers, mercury light bulbs and other substances deemed environmentally unsafe for landfills. "I'm sure that some people in Woodbury, perhaps a few, think that the building is going to light up at night without electricity," he said, explaining that the building isn't as frightening as it sounds. "There's nothing in this facility or process that's any different from what most of us have in our garage." The county has used space in Oakdale's public works building for its household waste operation. Don Theisen, the county's public works director, said Oakdale now needs the space and the county needs more room for its growing operation. The new $4 million building in Woodbury will have about 18,000 square feet, he said.

[[keywords: LandUse;PublicWorks;Metro;]]