COMMUNICATIONS AND NEWS FROM THE WEEK: June 25th, 2021
Meetings and Announcements:
• The next City Council meeting will be held virtually on Monday, June 28th, with start time of 7 pm. There will also be a Council Manager Workshop at 5:30 pm to review the 2022-2026 CIP and the Washington County Highway 36 Corridor Transit Study.
• July 12th will be our first in person city council meeting. Please note that we will not have a work session before the City Council meeting but we will have a professional photographer at 6 pm for individual and group photos of the Mayor and Council.
Updates from Staff and Council:
ADMINISTRATION & COMMUNICATIONS
Senator Wiger stopped by on Wednesday to congratulate Lt. Bierdeman on his promotion. He is doubtful that our tax exemption bill will get approved but he continues to discuss it with Leadership. He also predicts that the Legislature will finish their work on time and that there will not be a government shutdown. I thanked Senator Wiger for the good work he does on our behalf.
Honoring staff celebrating milestone anniversaries
For all the work our staff completes professionally and efficiently, especially after the last 16 months, a thank you doesn’t seem like it’s enough. That’s why it is so important to celebrate and recognize your accomplishments, particularly those marking significant anniversaries. Thursday, we celebrated 360 years of service to Maplewood at a luncheon for this year’s honorees. Please take a few moments to get to know your colleagues a little better in this video.
Letter from Xcel Energy
Dear Community and Chamber Leaders:
Our electric grid is built to handle severe conditions, including long, hot spells where the system is running at full capacity. While our summer has started out with high temperatures, we are very busy making sure electricity is flowing to all customers. Electric reliability can be partially attributed to timely infrastructure investments, partially to actively monitoring and managing our grid, and partially to our participation in a regional grid organization. While the electric grid is getting smarter every day, it is still imperative for customers to let us know when something is wrong.
If you or your stakeholders experience an outage, please report it as soon as possible by calling 1.800.895.1999, through our mobile app, or online at www.Xcelenergy.com. If you have not done so lately, please take a moment to log into your account to ensure that your contact information is up to date. Outage and other important messaging may not get to you if contact information is outdated. The Xcel Energy app, available for Android and Apple users provides instant access to bills and messages and an easy way to report outages to your service.
One final note, when you are out and about, please make sure to slow down for utility workers, and move over a lane if possible when passing crews. Our crews and their families thank you!
Take care, Jake.
Jake Sedlacek
Xcel Energy
Manager, Community Relations and Economic Development
3000 Maxwell Avenue Newport, MN 55055
C: 651.214.2623
E: jake.sedlacek@xcelenergy.com
PUBLIC WORKS
Stop Signs at Arcade Street and County Road B
Last fall staff received a request from residents who live in the area of the County Road B and Arcade Street construction project to have the intersection of Arcade Street and County Road B signed as a all-way stop. The intersection is a 3 legged intersection with Arcade Street running north and south and County Road be running west of the intersection. Staff and the City’s consultant moved forward with a study of the intersection which was completed on June 18th.
As part of the City’s Traffic Control Policy the City follows the Minnesota Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MN MUTCD) for the placement of traffic control devices on City roads. The MN MUTCD provides guidance on when it may be appropriate to install an all-way stop. This guidance is provided in the form of “warrants”, or criteria, for when an all-way stop are justified. Additionally, an all-way stop should not be installed unless it meets the MN MUTCD warrants as this may result in some drivers not coming to a full stop at the intersection.
These warrants look at traffic volume and crash data to help determine if an all-way stop should be used. This intersection has low levels of traffic volume and crash history which would typically indicate that the signage should remain as it is today. Another factor that is looked at is if the intersection has unique characteristics that would benefit from a change in signage. This intersection was found to have several characteristics, when added together, results in our recommendation to have the intersection signed as an all-way stop.
Our Public Works crew have started the process of having the signs made, called for underground utilities to be located, and the installation of the new signs. We anticipate the new signs will go up sometime next week. Our crews also did some additional trimming to help with line of sight at the intersection and improved visibility of signage.
West Bound I-694 Closing Jun 25th – 28th
The following closure information was provided by MnDot this week regarding I-694:
If you’re traveling on westbound I-694 this weekend, you’ll encounter a full closure starting at 10 p.m. Fri., June 25 (weather permitting). Crews will close westbound I-694 between 10th Street in Oakdale and Highway 61 in Maplewood for concrete repairs. All westbound I-694 lanes and ramps are expected to reopen by 5 a.m., Mon. June 28.
In addition, on Fri., July 9 eastbound I-694 is expected to close between Highway 61 in Maplewood and 10th Street in Oakdale at 10 p.m., for concrete repairs. The eastbound lanes will reopen by 5 a.m. Mon., July 12.
Motorists should follow the posted detours of I-35E and I-94 and allow extra time to reach their destination.
To accelerate the road work and lessen traffic impacts, crews are scheduled to work 24-hour shifts during each closure starting on Friday evening and continuing through the weekend to complete the work by early Monday morning.
Crews plan on completing this project by Monday, July 12.
• The contractor for the Montana-Nebraska Area Pavement Rehabilitation project will begin mobilizing into the project area the week of July 5th with construction beginning shortly thereafter.
• Both projects are scheduled to be completed by mid-September.
Street Project Update
• Good progress has been made on the Southcrest-Ferndale Area Pavement Rehabilitation project. Curb and gutter replacements and utility repairs have been completed in the first phase of the project (Area south of Highwood). The contractor plans to install the first layer of pavement the week of July 12th in this area.
• Montana-Nebraska Area Pavement Project, City Project 20-09 The contractor for the Montana-Nebraska Area Pavement Rehabilitation project will begin mobilizing into the project area the week of July 5th with construction beginning shortly thereafter.
• Both projects are scheduled to be completed by mid-September.
LOCAL NEWS
https://www.twincities.com/2021/06/24/maplewood-appoints-new-public-safety-director/ Reference: Lt Brian Bierdeman, Chief Scott Nadeau
HRA passed in Ramsey CO
Kari Collin’s presentation to WBL Council about the County’s general housing initiatives. … You can skip at least the first 8 minutes to get to relevant discussion.
https://www.twincities.com/2021/06/22/ramsey-county-moves-ahead-with-tax-levy-for-affordable-housing/
That’s the news for this week. Have an enjoyable week. Please call or email if you have any concerns or questions.
Melinda
Melinda Coleman?
651-249-2055
Maximizer | Communication | Responsibility | Woo | Ideation
