- February 10 – Concurrent meeting of the City Council and EDA, 5 PM (Dinner provided)
- Economic Development strategy
- February 10 – City Council Meeting, 7 PM
- February 24 – Council Workshop, 5:45 PM
- YMCA of the North and MCC Discussion
- Maplewood Festival Discussion
- February 24 – Council Meeting 7 PM
Upcoming Events:
- Skating with Public Safety, February 15, Noon – 3 PM, Wakefield Park
- Rice and Larpenteur Alliance Community Gathering, March , 5:30 – 7 PM, Washington Technology Magnet School
- State of Maplewood, March 19, 9 – 10:30 AM, Maplewood YMCA Community Center
Administration:
Contract Negotiation Team
We met this week to outline the negotiation process for the coming year and set a date for a strategy session with the Mayor and City Council. We’ll be reviewing a range of data and comparative analyses from surrounding areas.
Health and Wellness Strategic Planning Session
Thursday, our administrative team started planning discussions with NFP, our health provider administrator, to prepare for 2026 health and wellness benefits. Last fall, we surveyed our benefit-earning employees to gather feedback on the current plan and wellness incentives. In this week's session, we reviewed those results, established priorities for evaluating plans and plan designs, and discussed next steps for balancing comprehensive health and wellness benefits with financial sustainability. We will continue to provide updates on this process as part of the budget discussions.
Leadership Team Retreat
Our leadership team dedicated the day to reflecting on our accomplishments in 2024 and planning for the future. We engaged in discussions around our unified strategic anchors, our commitment to collaboration, and an assessment of both individual and team strengths. Additionally, we explored ways to work together to enhance residents' quality of life through clearly defined pillars. We look forward to sharing the outcomes of this planning process with the Mayor, City Council, and stakeholders during next month’s State of the City address.
Community Development
Century Ponds
DR Horton submitted its land use application for the proposed Century Ponds residential development. Staff is reviewing the material to determine completeness. Staff told the developer its project meets the threshold for needing an Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW).
Hmongtown Market II
Staff met with representatives from the Hmongtown Market group that presented a multiuse concept to the City Council last year. The representatives confirmed that in December they closed on the sale of the former Sears site. They continue working toward reuse of the site. They hope to do an outdoor market this summer to bring activity to that area of the mall and generate revenue. Staff will follow-up as plans develop.
Parks and Natural Resources
Maplewood Deer Management Area Expanded
Maplewood, Saint Paul and Ramsey County are partnering on deer management south of I-94. Area deer population exceeds the amount of sustainable habitat, which may result in an unhealthy, stressed herd. Overpopulation also results in damage to a wide variety of plants and greenery and high rates of deer/vehicle collisions.
Applewood Preserve has been added to the plan that already included Carver Preserve.
Management activities will continue through the end of March in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). All deer removed in this program will be donated to predetermined underserved residents of Ramsey County.
Maplewood Spring Clean Up - The event is an opportunity for residents to recycle or dispose of bulky items and those that require special processing.
Saturday, May 3, 2025
8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Aldrich Arena
- Pricing for the event will be the same as last year, with collection fees charged per vehicle load ranging from $25 for a car, $30 for an SUV, $35 for a pickup truck, up to $105 for a moving van over 10 feet and a trailer over 8 feet.
- Ramsey County (through the Ramsey-Washington Recycling and Energy Center partnership) will be covering ½ of the cost of all mattresses and box springs recycled during the Spring Clean Up.
- Ramsey County will no longer collect household hazardous waste from their satellite sites, including Aldrich Arena. Residents can now dispose of those items at Ramsey County’s new environmental center (opening in April 2025), or the Washington County environmental center in Woodbury.
- The City is reviewing electronic payment options for the event.
- Volunteers are needed for vehicle check ins, internal traffic management and directions, food shelf donation collections, and more. Please contact Shann Finwall, Environmental Planner, at shann.finwall@maplewoodmn.gov if interested in volunteering in this year’s event.
- For more information visit maplewoodmn.gov/cleanups.