2022 Vol 16, Issue 6 September Gem Lake News

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Gem Lake News Page 5 of 6 Be Part of the County Road E Corridor Project You can be part of a multi-city, and multi-agency effort to revitalize an important corridor in our area. You are invited to join in workshops this fall that are aimed at revitalizing the County Road E area from Century Avenue to approximately Centerville Road. A series of planning and brainstorming events are planned in the coming months, all intended to produce an action plan and goals for attracting private investment through development and infrastructure improvements. This project is being sponsored by The Cities of Gem Lake, White Bear Lake and Vadnais Heights, as well as Ramsey County and LISC Twin Cities. (This stands for Local Initiatives Support Corporation.) Workshop I will be held Wednesday, September 14 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Century College in White Bear Lake. This kick-off workshop will focus on what is important and unique about the County Road E corridor. Land use and transportation experts will provide introductory presentations. Next, there will be a series of three city-based workshops that will target specific neighborhoods and areas. Land use experts will be on hand to share insights. These workshops will be held as follows: A. Vadnais Heights sites, Wednesday, September 28 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Vadnais Heights Fire Station, located at 3595 Arcade Street, North, Vadnais Heights B. White Bear Lake sites, Thursday September 29 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3770 Bellaire Ave., White Bear Lake C. Gem Lake site, Wednesday October 5 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Heritage Hall, 4200 Otter Lake Road, Gem Lake Following these events there will be two more workshops designed to explore opportunities and challenges of potential development and begin creating an action plan. These last two workshops will be held in October. For more information, contact Ben Johnson, Gem Lake City Council Member at ben.johnson@gemlakemn.org. MS4 Hearing Scheduled A public hearing will be held on September 20 on Gem Lake’s annual MS4 report, which is a mandatory document required by state law, covering stormwater flow within city borders. At the public hearing, an overview of Gem Lake’s stormwater situation and anything that would have impacted it in the previous year will be presented. The report will then be on file at Heritage Hall and available to anyone who wants to read more about it. What is an MS4 and what does it mean to be compliant? MS4 stands for “Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System” shortened to the “M” and four “S’s” for a catchy acronym that is all about managing runoff from storm events. An MS4 is a government entity such as a city, county, or other governmental entity, that is charged with the responsibility of preventing the spread of pollution. MS4 falls under the direction of another acronym NPDES, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. NPDES traces its origins to the 1992 Clean Water Act that was designed to protect the nation’s water supply. New Bench Dedicated to Henry Hoffman A new bench has been installed on Gem Lake’s trail area, which is located on County Road E, to the west of the Gem Lake Villas development. The bench is dedicated to Gem Lake’s first Mayor, Henry Hoffman. He was Mayor for over a decade, beginning in 1959. He was also a very active business leader, with many shops and properties in the Hoffman’s Corner area, which is named after him. His last remaining child, Kathy Brown, died several months ago and was profiled in this newsletter. Check out the new bench!