2019 Vol.13 Issue 1 February - Laserfiche WebLink

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Gem Lake News Page 2 of 6 The huge development would include multiple housing units in several types of planned neighborhoods, as well as commercial development throughout. The project would significantly increase the population of Arden Hills. The County and City are still discussing affordable housing numbers, safety issues and sewer and water issues. According to Huffman, it is getting to be crunch time, especially given the fact that the economy is strong right now, which would help get the development off the ground. The County recently hired an experienced planner from the City of Roseville, who will help drive the development project. The Rush Line Bus Rapid Transit project is progressing through into the environmental impact stage. This project would place a dedicated bus line from Union Depot in downtown St. Paul to a station located somewhere in downtown White Bear Lake. The bus would have multiple stops along its route and would run from 5 a.m. to Midnight seven days a week. Huffman says construction will begin in 2024 with completion projected for 2026. The project will cost nearly half a billion dollars and will serve a projected 97,000 people annually. Other notable items that the commissioner brought up included the election of a new sheriff. Former Sheriff Bob Fletcher has retured to office after his election last November and has appointed his key staff. Also, a major initiative is underway at the county level to get businesses to do more recycling and keep more material out of the landfills. For more information on any of these projects, consult the Ramsey County website. Fire Department Contract Approved for 2019 The Gem Lake City Council voted to approve the fire services contract with the White Bear Lake Fire Department at the January 15 council meeting. The department services not only the City of White Bear, but also four other cities, including White Bear Township, Gem Lake, Dellwood and Birchwood. Costs were allocated on the basis of population. The department services 38,896 people in these cities. Update from Commissioner Huffman (continued from page 1) Due to rising service requests and expectations, in addition to the purchase of new equipment, the cost of providing fire fightling and fire inspection services in 2019 has risen significantly over 2018. The major factor involved is the decision on the part of the White Bear Fire Department to end its reliance on paid on call fire and ambulance personnel in favor of full-time and part-time employees. For Gem Lake, which represents a total population of approximately 447, the increase amounts to 28% over the year before. The cost of our 2019 fire and inspection services amounts to $21,680 per year. Sewer Billing Did you know that your quarterly sewer bill can be emailed rather than sent to you via the US Postal Service? If you would like your bill emailed, contact Gloria Tessier at Gloria.Tessier@gemlakemn.org. Send the email address you want the bill sent to, in addition to the property address associated with the bill. Or, call 651-747-2792 and leave your email address and property address. The next bill will be emailed! Don’t want to write out a check four times a year? Take advantage of our automatic bill pay through your checking account. Call the above listed phone number to set it up! Liqour Ordinance Revised In order to comply with new features of the State Liquor Ordinance, and allow for several local changes in liquor sales, the City of Gem Lake recently revised City Ordinance Number 9. This ordinance licenses and regulates the sale and consumption of intoxicating liquor and provides penalties for violations. The changes were approved at the January 15 City Council Meeting.