April 2011 Gem Lake Newsletter - Laserfiche WebLink

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Gem Lake News Page 4 of 6 City News Page Tips for Spring Clean Up As you are doing your spring clean up, please keep a few important things in mind. First, you should avoid placing your yard materials in the street. This would include things like leaves and twigs. Many residents lost trees or tree limbs as a result of last November's ice storm. You are asked seek out one of the area's compost sites for disposal of the wood, rather than burning it in your yard, which is not permitted. There are compost sites on County Road J and on Phalen Boulevard in St. Paul. (See the Ramsey County web-site for more information.) New Sign for City Hall This summer a permanent sign will be installed in front of Heritage Hall. Gem Lake and White Bear Township will share the cost of the sign, with Gem Lake underwriting 20% of the bill. Bids for the sign project will be sought in the next few months. The sign will advertize Heritage Hall as Gem Lake's city hall, the township's alternate meeting space and the sub-station for the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department. New Stop Light to Affect Gem Lake Residents The City of Vadnais Heights awarded a contract to one of the bidders for a new traffic light on County Road E at International Drive. The new stop light is necessitated by increased traffic in the area of the new Vadnais Heights Sports Complex. The contract was awarded at the Vadnais Heights City Council meeting on April 19. Incentives for Developers to Be Discussed The subject of possible city sponsored incentives to developers will be discussed at the City Council Workshop on June 6. The Gateway District Zoning Ordinance, which was passed over a year ago calls for a creative vision on mixed used development. (The Gateway District is located on County Road E.) One section of the ordinance creates the possibility that the city might be willing to allow, for instance, increased density, in exchange for more open space. In addition, other incentives could be created at the city's discretion, in order to foster development activities. Ideas on this subject will be discussed at the workshop. You are asked to attend and provide your feedback. Policies and Procedures Formalized for Planning Commission In order to insure good communication between the City Council and the Planning Commission, both groups have formalized a short list of policies and procedures to be followed. These deal with things like agendas, minutes, responsibilities regarding developer requests, and when actions are ready to pass onto the City Council. The list was the subject of discussion at several City Council and Planning Commission meetings. Money Available to Help Property Owners with Landscaping Projects and Rain Barrel Purchases The Vadnais Lake Area Water Management Organization (VLAWMO) has money available to help property owners with certain landscaping projects. Projects that protect water quality are eligible and include the installation of rain gardens, shoreline restorations, pervious asphalt or pavers, as well as purchasing rain barrels which collect rain water from your gutters, which you can use to water plants and your yard. “We now have two cost share programs for property owners,” said Kristine Jenson, VLAWMO Project Coordinator. “One is geared for rain gardens, shoreline improvements and putting in driveways and patios that allow water to infiltrate through pervious asphalt and pavers. The other program is just for the purchase of rain barrels. Both applications are relatively easy to fill out. The rain barrel one can receive approval right away. The other program has to be approved by the Technical Evaluation Commission which meets monthly.” The Landscaping Cost Share Program will give up to $1000 to cover 50% of the cost of materials and approved labor for a project. The Rain barrel Program gives up to $250 to cover 50% of the cost of two rain barrels. If you are planning to do some landscaping or if you want to purchase rain barrels, let VLAWMO help you pay for it. More information is on the VLAWMO website (www.vlawmo.org) or contact Kristine Jenson at (651) 204-6074.