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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 2021 VOL. 45 NO. 37 www.vadnaisheightspress.com $1.00
SWEDISH NINJA: TV competitor juggles workouts, fatherhood PAGE 14
School district looks forward to a postCOVID future BY JACKIE BUSSJAEGER STAFF WRITER
PAUL DOLS | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
Playground honors longtime city employee Above: Children immediately began using the playground equipment following a dedication ceremony for the new ‘Joe Momsen Playground’ at Kohler Meadows Park in Vadnais Heights last week. The playground was dedicated in memory and appreciation of employee Joe Momsen’s 37 years of service to the city of Vadnais Heights. During the ceremony it was noted he would have appreciated the playground because he was “a child at heart.” At right: Friends and family members, including Joe Momsen’s widow Rita and stepsons Jerry Cobenais and Jason Bellis, posed for photos near the dedication plaque at the playground following the ceremony.
It was a school year like no other, and the members of the school board congratulated all White Bear Lake students for getting through the worst and best of it at their last meeting of the 2020-2021 school year on June 14. “Graduation is commendable on its own, but the many twists and turns that the class of 2021 experienced as they finished up their high school career put them in a special place in history,” said Superintendent Wayne Kazmierczak. “The grace and resilience these students have developed during the experience will help them continue to thrive as they meet and overcome adversity in the future.” The district will continue to see changes in the near future—the more welcome kind—as North Campus will be expanded to include grades 11-12 and South Campus will be remodeled to be a home for future Sunrise Park Middle Schoolers by 2024. The changes will require a lot of structural work spread across the district. At its June 14 meeting, the school board awarded the sale of facilities maintenance bonds to J.P. Morgan in the amount of $27.9 million. These bonds will primarily be used to fund the expansion at North Campus over the next several years. The district accepted bids from developers Kraus-Anderson in the amount of $148.9 million for this North Campus project. At the same time, the board also accepted bids in the amount of $6.3 million for phase 2 of an addition and renovation project at South Campus. This phase of the project includes a classroom and office addition, as well as renovations and the creation of flexible learning spaces for when the Sunrise Park staff and students transition into the building. Phase 1—the construction of a gymnasium to serve SEE WELCOME CHANGES, PAGE 13
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