2023 Vol 17, Issue 4 August Gem Lake News

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Gem Lake News Page 4 of 6 City News Use Caution with Recreational Fires Due to drought conditions in Minnesota currently, it is especially important to be careful with any backyard fires. Here are some guidelines: Open burn situations, called bonfires, are prohibited without a permit, but small recreational cooking and recreational fires are okay in certain circumstances. First, they need to be supervised by an adult, second, they need contained within an approved fire ring, and third, they need to be three feet or less in diameter. Here is the exact language from Gem Lake ordinance No. 77, section 6: “Open burning prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any person to kindle or maintain any bonfire, nor shall any person normally furnish as such material for any such fire, nor shall any person authorize any such fire to be kindled on or in any street, alley, road, land or public grounds or upon any private property without first obtaining a permit from the city clerk, which has been appropriately executed by the Fire Marshal. Recreational or cooking fires supervised by an adult and which are fully contained within approved fire rings, pits or appliances not greater than three feet in diameter shall be exempt from the permit requirement, providing no fire bans have been issued by the Fire Marshal or the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. All Open Burning permits must be obtained through the City of White Bear Lake Fire Department for Gem Lake residents. License Your Dog Any dog over 6 months in age is required to be licensed by the City of Gem Lake. The fee per dog is $10. Last year, it was voted and approved to have dog licenses run on a calendar year schedule. With that change, all dog licenses issued for the 2022 cycle, are good through December 31, 2023. After that, all dog licenses will run January 1-December 31. Renewal letters will be sent-out in November. Gem Lake Has a Facebook Page Acting City Clerk Melissa Lawrence has designed and published a Facebook page for the City of Gem Lake. The address is: www.facebook.com/CityofGemLakeMN The Facebook pages focus primarily on special announcements and news items, events, etc. It is intended to compliment rather than replace the city website. Please check it out and “like” and “follow” the page. We are also looking for a few appropriate Gem Lake photos. Your feedback is welcome! Spring Clean-Up Day is a Hit Gem Lake residents took advantage of the first-ever Joint White Bear Township and Gem Lake Spring Clean Up Day on May 20. During the event, it was possible to drop off a variety of unwanted items free of charge to residents of the Township and the City. Accepted items included: appliances, automotive batteries, tires, mattresses, furniture, carpeting, household fixtures, TVs, electronics, lawn mowers, etc. It is anticipated that the popular event will be held annually. Charitable Gambling Donations A donation of $1500 was approved by the Gem Lake City Council in June to be given to the White Bear Area Food Shelf. This donation comes from charitable gambling receipts that result from pull-tab and bingo sales within city limits. MPCA to Provide Well Update Key representatives from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will provide Gem Lake with an update on well contamination at the September City Council Meeting. This meeting will take place September 19 at 7:00 p.m. Several months ago, the MPCA reported to the City Council that a possible source for the 1,4-dioxane found in 22 Gem Lake wells had been located. The agency outlined a plan to do further well testing in the city and surrounding areas and to report back on the results. One of the key goals in collecting this data is to see if well contamination has increased or decreased and whether it has moved to new areas. Please feel free to attend this important meeting. Dog License GEM LAKE EXP 12-31-23 000001