Laserfiche WebLink
Special Interest <br />Articles: <br /> <br />• Nuisance Ordinance <br />Revisions <br /> <br />• City Applies for <br />Funding <br /> <br />• City News, Page 4 <br />Scheduled Recycling <br />Dates: <br /> <br />• March 29 <br /> <br />• April 12 <br /> <br />• April 26 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Nuisance Ordinance Revisions Underway <br /> <br />During the past year there has been a significant <br />increase in the number of complaints by residents <br />about a problem that is hard to tackle but needs to be <br />addressed. Although the vast majority of people who <br />live here like to keep their property looking fine, there <br />are a number of neighbors who feel like they are living <br />next door to the local junkyard. This is where a city’s <br />nuisance ordinance comes into play. <br /> <br />Gem Lake’s current nuisance ordinance covers all the <br />basics, such as junk cars, uncut grass, garbage, even <br />meth labs. Increasingly, the city has had to deal with <br />folks who are doing things like storing large amounts <br />of junk and clutter in a manner that affects neighbors, <br />running commercial businesses in their front yard, <br />renting out their home without a rental license, parking <br />an unusual number of cars on the street, burning their <br />garbage in the backyard, etc. <br /> <br />(Continued on page 2) <br /> <br />Gem Lake Applies for Water System Grants <br /> <br />The City of Gem Lake is seeking funding from the <br />State of Minnesota for a proposed new water supply <br />system. It is needed to provide potable water to <br />residents and a local golf course because of recently <br />discovered contamination of 22 local private wells. <br />With the majority of the City’s residents served by <br />private wells, a new water distribution system to be <br />supplied by neighboring communities is proposed to <br />ensure that those affected by the recently discovered <br />water quality issue can be provided a safe, reliable <br />potable water service. <br />Sampling performed recently by the Minnesota <br />Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and the Minnesota <br />Department of Health (MDH) detected 1,4-dioxane, a <br />likely human carcinogen, in some private wells in <br />Gem Lake. Results of the sampling showed levels in <br />22 wells exceeded the MDH health-based guidance <br />for 1,4-dioxane. Due to these higher levels, and the <br />associated health concerns, the City of Gem Lake <br />decided to explore the feasibility of a municipal water <br />system to supply safe drinking water to affected <br />properties. <br /> <br />(Continued on page 2) <br /> <br /> <br />Gem Lake News <br />March/April 2023 | Volume 17 | Issue 2 Gretchen Artig-Swomley, Newsletter Editor <br />