11 November 2009 Gem Lake News - Laserfiche WebLink

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Gem Lake News Page 3 of 6 Nine property owners in Gem Lake also share ownership of a private road that provides access to their homes from County Road E. The road is owned by the South Road Owners Association and divides two Hansen family parcel that front County Road E. The association has decided to rename it “Daniels Farm Road” in honor of the rich history of the original Daniels estate that once stood there. There were several factors in the group’s decision to seek a new name. For instance, seven of the nine parcels in this small residential area have structures on them, yet none of the parcels have any frontage on County Road E. In fact, none of the affected properties are within 900 feet of County Road E, although all had street addresses on the county road, which led to confusion for people trying to find the addresses. Potentially, this could also have led to confusion for any emergency personnel trying to provide services. The South Road Owners Association also decided that it was time to pay homage to their past. “Most people describe the area where we live as the old Daniels Estate,” says home owner Tom Rasmussen. The Daniels family built an estate on the south end of Gem Lake around 1930. It was later sub divided and settled by a larger number of families, who built homes on the property in the 1970’s and beyond. The change has been cleared by county and city officials, as well as the U.S. Postal Service. A new street sign will be up by the end of November. Volunteer Tutors Needed Begun in 1995, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Literacy Plus Program is an after-school curriculum designed to improve an “at-risk” child’s literacy skills. Athletics is also a vital part of the program. Private Road Becomes “Daniels Farm Road” Literacy Plus students (ages 6-10) meet Mondays and Wednesday from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at McDonough Recreation Center. Volunteers assist students with written and spoken language skills and homework assignments, etc. Volunteers will receive training in the nationally- recognized “Read Naturally” curriculum and are asked to commit to a minimum of two hours a week. Training sessions will be held January 20 and 21 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. at McDonough Recreation Center, 1544 Timberlake Road, St. Paul. To sign up for one of the two sessions, or for more information, contact Literacy Plus Program Coordinator Susan Vang at 651-266-9391. (Susan.Vang@co.ramsey.mn.us) Volunteers are also needed to assist middle and high school students with their homework on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at McDonough Recreation Center. Contact Susan Vang (see information above) if you are interested in this opportunity. Assessments for South Scheuneman Road Repair Project to be Discussed on November 17 There will be a Public Hearing on November 17 at Heritage Hall to discuss how the costs for local road repairs will be assessed to affected property owners. The road and sewer repairs are now in the process of being completed on a stretch of South Scheuneman Road in Gem Lake’s business district. Part of the cost of project will be covered by a settlement with Ramsey County when it turned over the road to Gem Lake. The rest will be divided up among property owners along this stretch of the road. Methods for fairly dividing costs will be discussed at this public hearing. A notice on the public hearing was also published in the White Bear Press. An aerial shot of the Daniels Estate taken about 1930. Present day owners of the road shown in the center have decided to rename the road “Daniels Farm Road.” “Single Sort” Recycling Proposal to be Considered by Gem Lake City Council A proposal has been received from Waste Management Co. to move Gem Lake residents to “single sort” recycling next year for a slightly higher per household cost. Waste Management would provide each household in the city with a 64 gallon recycling cart for curbside collection of all recycling materials at no additional cost (for the container). The single sort program allows residents to put all their recyclables together in one green/yellow cart including glass bottles, jars, metal cans, plastic bottles and jars, newsprint, junk mail, phone books, magazines, box board and corrugated cardboard. The service would be provided every other week at a cost of $4.68 per month per house, versus $2.91 for current service. Your feedback is requested. The proposal will be discussed at the November City Council Meeting on November 17.