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Blaine • Circle Pines • Lexington • Lino Lakes
VOLUME 33 NUMBER 47
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2015
Press Publications 4779 Bloom Avenue White Bear Lake, MN 55110
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Finding roots in Norway
Glance
By Gene Johnson Publisher Emeritus
A moment in History 1936 Wedding dress is on display at Anoka County Historical Center. See the blast from the past on page 2.
Cougar Swim Team Fourth meet and fourth defeat in a 92-84 wind against the Osseo Orioles Sept. 17th. Check it out on page 11.
Autumn is Here Check out autumn attractions calendar on page 3. – Photo courtesy Centennial Public Schools
Chopper visits Special Section for helping fix up your home. See pages 7-9.
Weather Tidbits
Week of SEPT. 23 - 29, 2015 Weather tidbit: Severe thunderstorms hit southeastern Minnesota on September 24, 2005. Owatonna totals 3 inches of rain and the city of Minnesota Lake is hit with 1.75 inch hail. Year Ago this week: Unseasonable mild temperatures. High temperatures hit 82° and 81° on September 27 and 28. Rain totals .19 inch with high of 65° on September 29.
Weekly Averages High Low %Sun PCP 66° 47° 61% 0.46” (More weather on sports page)
Look Inside Letters............................5 Sports ..........................11 Classifieds ..............14-17 Public Notices ...... 10 &13
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Minnesota State Trooper Michael Olson, pictured with his wife Danyel and daughter Emma, brought his helicopter to Centennial Middle School last week. Trooper Olson demonstrated takeoff and landing, showed students how his helicopter operates and provided safety tips.
Norway/see page 12
City keeps an eye on the future Franconia sculpture with project approvals an ode Drainage system, municipal water improvements help prepare for development By Louise Ernewein Contributing Writer LINO LAKES — A trio of projects with an eye to the city's future development were given the green light at the Sept. 14 council meeting. First up was the commissioning of a report to improve the northeast I-35E drainage area — 1,400 acres of land split equally either side of the Interstate just north of the Hugo/Centerville exit, stretching from the Hugo city line on the east to Peltier Lake on the west. Though storm sewer lines, stormwater runoff and infiltration may not be the most glamorous of subjects to appear on an agenda, city councilors heard the proposed improvements were necessary, as parts of the existing drainage system on the property date back to the early 1900s. “We need to move forward with more detail,” said Community Development Director Michael Grochala, who requested authorization of the feasibility study, to be performed by engineering firm WSB. “Based on the current modeling we've done, this will overall improve water quality as we convert this over ... We are hopeful that we end up with a better product than
what we have out there now draining these agricultural lands.” The cost of the $69,000 report will be covered by the surface water management fund and, ultimately, will be borne by landowners as they develop property within the drainage area and benefit from the work the city performs. “There are a variety of properties that are going to benefit from this,” said Mayor Jeff Reinert. “As some of those property owners take advantage of the benefits that will take place, all of those dollars will be replaced.” As developers submit applications to the city to build on land, they are charged a fee per developable acre, varying from $3,300 to $6,000. Part of that fee reflects whether the developer plans to mitigate stormwater runoff or simply connect to the city's drainage system. “We will actually have more developable property at the end of the day to put value on [by doing this work],” added Grochala. Councilors approved the completion of the report, which is expected to take up to three months. Next up on the city's agenda to prepare for future expansion was the subject of a new well pump house. In December, Lino Lakes be-
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Fall Home Improvement
When our plane touched down in Oslo a few weeks ago, my eyes were watery. This was a bucket list trip to connect with my family and walk the mountainside where my grandfather was born and lived until he immigrated to Kenyon, Minnesota at age 21 in 1893. After spending a couple days in Oslo, we made our way to Bergen via rail, ferry, bus and again rail. Snowcapped mountains were still visible in August. We traveled 20 miles to Myrdal to ride the steepest standard gauge rail line in Europe. With all the switchbacks, it was picturesque and exciting. Bergen was the highlight as we met my second cousins and their four families. One of the cousins, Berit, had done an enormous amount of research and was well prepared for our visit. We had the opportunity to go to the small family farmstead on the side
gan digging a sixth municipal well in Birch Park (part of The Preserve at Lino Lakes project) and construction is nearing completion. Now, Grochala explained, authorization was needed from the City Council to approve the plans and specifications for the approximately 900-square-foot pump house, prepared by engineering firm Stantec, before he could advertise for bids on the $770,000 project. “This was a well we had planned to build in 2006 but with conservation efforts and the slowdown in the economy, we managed to hold off — but the time has come,” said Grochala. “[The well] isn't for any specific purpose other than to strengthen our system.” With approval granted by the council, Lino Lakes will advertise for bids on the project Sept. 29. Bids will be opened Oct. 21 and the contract awarded Oct. 26. Completion of the pump house project is anticipated in August 2016. The third and final project to ensure future preparedness was the rubberstamping of a professional services agreement with engineering firm WSB to acquire 19 parcels of land in the city to allow a proposed Aqua Lane trunk water main improvement plan to proceed.
Projects /see page 5
to axes and logs By Suzanne Lindgren SHAFER — Before Paul Howe, artist in residence at Franconia Sculpture Park, had a chance to start chopping, visitors were already leaving signs of their curiosity. Howev often finds his recently raised sculpture – a tower of wood, from which a log and giant bowl of stones hang in balance – different than he left it. “People like messing with it,” he smiled wryly, unscrewing a vice to remove a cluster of long grass someone pulled from the lawn. “That’s not supposed to be there. Neither are those rocks.” He pointed to stones strewn near the counterweight that keeps the log from sinking, then begins picking them up.
Franconia/see page 5
MONDAY - Step over to see Jake at Liquor Barrel next door! (Get a sales receipt for 20 cents off per gallon at Shell Stations ALL DAY!) TUESDAY - Nacho Tuesday - $2 Buck Nachos 5-7 pm WEDNESDAY - Women’s “Whine” NIGHT - 1/2 price Wine 4-9 pm THURSDAY - “BLUE’S BROTHER’S DAY” Get your Sunglasses and Fedoras on (dress like the Bros) Get a free draft beer ALL DAY!
7997 Lake Drive, Lino Lakes MN • Phone 651-330-5266 • 11am-11pm Mon - Sat & 11am-8pm Sun 799