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Special Interest <br />Articles: <br /> <br />• New Arrangement for <br />Public Works <br /> <br />• “Water Summit” in <br />September <br /> <br />• City News, Page 4 <br />Scheduled Recycling <br />Dates: <br /> <br />• July 13 <br /> <br />• July 27 <br /> <br />• August 10 <br /> <br />• August 24 <br /> <br /> <br />Check the Facebook <br />page for updates on <br />recycling pickup. <br /> <br />See page 3 for the <br />Facebook page link. <br /> <br />Public Works Taken on by Township <br /> <br />Effective June 1, White Bear Township has taken on <br />all public works duties for the City of Gem Lake, <br />including snow plowing, road maintenance, lawn <br />mowing, fire hydrant flushing, etc. This is an <br />arrangement that has been worked out over the <br />course of the last year through a Joint Powers <br />Agreement between the City of Gem Lake and the <br />Township. Prior to this arrangement, the City <br />contracted out various tasks to a variety of <br />companies for specialized services such as tree <br />trimming and sewer flushing. At times this meant the <br />city was paying more or was assigned a lower priority <br />when it came to scheduling of services. <br /> <br />Working with the Township is expected to add a new <br />level of coordination and professionalism to service <br />delivery. “While it’s not expected to lower overall <br />public works costs, it is expected to ensure better and <br />more efficient service,” said Gem Lake Mayor <br />Gretchen Artig-Swomley. <br /> <br />(Continued on page 2) <br /> <br /> <br />Life-Long Gem Lake Resident Passes Away <br /> <br />Kathleen (Kathy) Brown, a life-long resident of Gem <br />Lake, passed away on May 10 at the age of 80. She <br />was the daughter of Anyrine and Henry Hoffman, <br />Gem Lake’s first Mayor. Her mother was born a <br />Nadeau, and her sisters Shirley and LaVonne <br />married into well-known local families. Shirley <br />Hoffman married Dick Arcand and LaVonne married <br />“Shorty” Urban. As a result, Kathy was related to <br />about half the residents of the city as she was <br />growing up. Kathy also had a brother named Chuck <br />Hoffman. <br /> <br />When Kathy was born in 1942, Gem Lake was a <br />sleepy hamlet, best known for the produce markets at <br />Hoffman’s Corner, which was named after her father. <br />Her childhood home was across from the present-day <br />site of White Bear Floral. She married Gerald Brown <br />in 1963 and moved into a rambler on Goose Lake <br />Road, where she lived for the rest of her life. The <br />couple divorced in the 1970’s and she was a single <br />parent to three children, Todd, Jeff and Jackie. <br />(Continued on page 2) <br /> <br /> <br />Gem Lake News <br />July 2022 | Volume 16 | Issue 4 Gretchen Artig-Swomley, Newsletter Editor <br />