Backyard hockey rinks nurture local talent

Above: A group of White Bear Squirt hockey players practice on Jon Norman’s backyard rink. He said that backyard rinks are “rearing ponds for hockey players,” and offer a lot of freedom for players to develop skills and a natural love of the sport.

At right: A group of girls recently participate in a spirited hockey game on the lighted rink outside the Greer family home that is a neighborhood attraction in Mahtomedi.

Along with the Hockey Day Minnesota youth games, a celebrity game is scheduled for Thursday, Jan 26 and a White Bear alumni game is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 27.

BY NOELLE OLSON SHOREVIEW PRESS EDITOR

VADNAIS HEIGHTS — The Vadnais Heights City Council is on board to get the ball rolling on the County Road E Corridor Development Action Plan.

“We're really trying to create a community-driven vision that could transform County Road E into a place that fosters the sense of community and connects people to economic opportunities,” said Gretchen Nicholls, project coordinator with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Twin Cities.

According to the Action Plan Summary Report and Final Recommendations, the initiative is a collaborative endeavor between Vadnais Heights, Gem Lake, White Bear Lake and Ramsey County to create a more cohesive and connected corridor along County Road E and to guide future development of key opportunity sites located in each city.

“Both of the sites in Vadnais Heights were fairly large, significant parcels so they offered a lot of different variations of what could happen on them,” Nicholls said.

The trio of cities, as well as developers and other community partners, held six community workshops last fall for residents to brainstorm ideas for developing the opportunity sites along the County Road E corridor.

Those sites are as follows:

• Vadnais Heights: A 12-acre parcel at a vacant site in the southwest quadrant at Interstate 35E and County Road E and a 44-acre parcel at a vacant site in the northeast quadrant at Interstate 35E and County Road E.

• Gem Lake: An 18-acre parcel east of Daniels Farm Road and north of County Road E and a 12-acre site south of County Road E and west of Highway 61 along Hoffman Road.

• White Bear Lake: Five sites located on the four corners at the intersection of Bellaire Avenue and County Road E. Site A in the northeast corner is 2511 County Road E East and is owned by the city; Site B in the southeast corner is 2502 County Road E East; Site C in the far southwest corner is 3577 Bellaire Ave.; Site D directly to the north of Site C is 2490 County Road E East; and Site E in the northwest corner is 2491 County Road E East.

“We had over 100 people participate in the process and many came for multiple sessions, so it was a really good set of reactions and ideas that were generated through the conversation,” Nicholls said. “There was a strong desire to explore an overall identity and sense of place for the corridor.”

She continued, “We really wanted to gain the insights and perspectives of the community that knows the area very