Trees, trails, trash hot topics in Mahtomedi

BY LORETTA HARDING CONTRIBUTING WRITER

With the spring greening comes the annual Arbor Day focus on the planting of trees. Annual Arbor Day Proclamations recognize that trees are of great value for providing clean air and water, shade and energy savings, wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, wood products and jobs. Trees also capture carbon dioxide to convert to oxygen. To this end, council proclaimed April 28 as Arbor Day and the entire month of May as Arbor Month in Mahtomedi.

Arbor Day and Arbor Month give the community the opportunity to properly plant and care for a diverse mix of trees, which makes local forests more resilient by minimizing the impacts of diseases, insects and other stressors such as climate change. Declaration of Arbor Day is a requirement of the Tree City USA program, of which Mahtomedi has been a member for the past 13 years, said Public Works Department Director Bob Goebel. Another requirement of membership is to plant one tree each year, and that is what Mahtomedi does, with the input of the city arborist, he said.

Occurring simultaneously with concern about trees is watchfulness about the health of the community’s greatest gem, White Bear Lake. Mark Ganz, one of Mahtomedi’s two representatives on the White Bear Lake Conservation District (WBLCD), along with Chris Churchill, attended the meeting to talk about the district’s activities and answer questions. Currently, there are no disputes going on in Mahtomedi regarding the lake. “It’s been pretty quiet on this side of the lake,” he said. “We are fortunate to be on the east shore, where we get sunsets every night.” There is a concern, however, about the amount of trash generated by ice fishing on the lake, he said. “Littering is getting worse — I saw a boater just whip a beer bottle into the lake last year,” he said. Boy Scouts volunteer around the lake each year to clean up all the trash, and the WBLCD sets out signs about proper disposal of plastics to help reduce the amount of trash around the lake, he said. Changes are coming in the way students walk and bike to school. An infrastructure plan to make it safer and easier for non-motorized traffic moving around town may not arrive before the end of the current school year, but the city is committed to providing safe pathways starting immediately. Kate Andersen, Mahtomedi Public Schools community education director, and Safe Routes to School (SRTS) lead volunteer Erin Roche presented their ideas for a safer, easier and more enjoyable way for students and families to walk/bike/ roll to school. SRTS is a volunteerdriven, multipartner collaborative effort that advances Mahtomedi’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan and

Sustainability Plan goals, and brings community groups together to form a plan for infrastructure improvements.

Safety improvements are scheduled for 2025 and for 2024. Improvements include setting slower speed limits, adding sidewalks and trails, adding signage, striping and more. Improvements are proposed throughout Mahtomedi, but especially near school zones along Warner Avenue and CSAH 12. SRTS volunteers plan to reach out to neighboring communities within the Mahtomedi School District to invite their input.

Other action taken by Mahtomedi City Council was to extend the life of new pavement, many cities have found that a new material called Reclamite has proven effective. The petroleum-based asphalt rejuvenator could add five to seven years of service life to new pavements. On staff recommendation, council approved the contract with Corrective Asphalt Materials to apply Reclamite to a list of 13 roads for a total cost of $26,885.12. Reclamite, a spray-on application similar to sealcoating, sets up faster to allow traffic to resume sooner; costs about the same as sealcoat; is easier to clean up; has no runoff issues or overspray issues; and does not require restriping, since the paint shows through. The city used Reclamite last year and is still evaluating it. “My jury is still out, but Woodbury and St. Anthony Village are praising it to the moon,” said city engineer John Sachi. “Only one company makes the product, so a competitor is awaited to potentially drive the price down.” Beach season is just around the corner, so the city is securing lifeguarding services for the summer. Council approved the contract with the YMCA of the North in the amount of $50,893.92 for lifeguarding services that will begin June 10 and continue through Aug. 20. There will be additional coverage on weekends only, Aug. 26 to Sept. 4. Council Member Jeff Charlesworth noted the 2% increase in lifeguarding services, saying it was money well spent. The guards will be on duty from noon to 8 p.m., and a third lifeguard will be on call during the weekends for hot, busy days.

Expect development to begin very soon at the northwest end of Old Wildwood Road. At its March 21 meeting, council approved the final plat for the Old Wildwood Oaks subdivision with several conditions, including requirements that the developer, Owasso Beach LLC, enter into a development agreement with the city and execute retaining wall maintenance agreements for the two lots where walls will be constructed adjacent to the city stormwater pond. The council next meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, at City Hall, 600 Stillwater Road.