HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022 Vol 16, Issue 3 May Gem Lake NewsSpecial Interest
Articles:
• Comprehensive Plan
Presented
• Water Plan – Part 2
• City News, Page 4
Upcoming Recycling
Dates:
• June 1
• June 15
• June 29
• July 13
• July 27
Gem Lake Comprehensive Plan Presented
Are you curious about what Gem Lake might look
like in 2040? There will be a joint meeting of the
Gem Lake City Council and the Gem Lake Planning
Commission on May 17 to present the final draft of
the Gem Lake 2020 Comprehensive Plan.
Gem Lake submitted its draft plan on time, as
required by the Metropolitan Council. Each
municipality in the metro area must submit a plan
every ten years to this agency that deals with long-
term planning for areas such as housing and
development, transportation, water sources, septic
and sewer planning, demographic and employment
trends, etc. The plan projects some items as far
ahead as 2040. It is not unusual for plan approval to
take several years. Please join us to learn more
about the Gem Lake of the future. The meeting will
start at 7:00 p.m. at Heritage Hall. See page 3 for
some highlights of the current plan.
City Clean Up Day is May 21
Meet your neighbors and help clean up the city!
Gem Lake will once again sponsor a city clean-up
day on Saturday May 21, starting at 9:00 a.m. The
event will have two parts – a street clean-up and a
“trash to treasure” exchange.
For the street clean-up, you can stop by Heritage
Hall between 9:00 a.m.-Noon to pick up industrial
strength trash bags. Then, you pick a street or block
you want to clean up. Your filled bags can then be
left in the Heritage Hall parking lot. At noon, hot
dogs, chips and soft drinks will be available for your
hungry crew.
The second part of the event is called “Trash to
Treasure”. Put any useable items you are longing to
give away at the end of your driveway in the
morning. Put a sign on the item that clearly marks
your items as “FREE”. You can also drive around
and see what everyone else has put out—maybe
you will see some treasure. You will be responsible
for hauling your things back from the street at the
end of the day in the unlikely event that nobody falls
in love with them. This event will run from 9:00 a.m.
to 4:00 p.m.
Gem Lake News
May 2022 | Volume 16 | Issue 3 Gretchen Artig-Swomley, Newsletter Editor
Gem Lake News Page 2 of 6
Municipal Water Systems Being Studied by City
Late last year, the City Council of Gem Lake began to
look at options for putting in a municipal water system,
following the discovery of small amounts of pollution in 22
private wells in the city.
The process began with the commissioning of a
comprehensive municipal water study that would evaluate
what options are available for obtaining water from a
neighboring city, should it become necessary and how
the system might be implemented.
The first portion of the study was presented by the
engineering firm Short Elliot and Hendrickson (SEH) at
the January 2022 Council Meeting. The January report
detailed two potential sources for obtaining municipal
water, The City of White Bear Lake, and White Bear
Township, both of which border Gem Lake. The study
concluded that a viable system that could supply the
entire city efficiently is possible, from an engineering
perspective, from either of these neighbors.
SEH evaluated factors such as water pressure, water
quality, water treatment standards, etc. to draw their
conclusions. They did not reach out to either neighbor to
explore whether they would be able or willing to supply
Gem Lake’s water needs at this point. The ballpark cost
of a system from either White Bear Township or the City
of White Bear Lake was estimated at between $11-12
Million.
At the February City Council meeting, SEH was asked to
develop Part Two of this water study. This second part
evaluates options for phasing in a water system to the
part of the city potentially most in need of municipal
water.
It also looks at possibilities for municipal water that could
involve working with the City of Vadnais Heights. This
portion of the water study is scheduled for discussion at
the May 17 City Council Meeting.
Because many residents of Gem Lake don’t currently
want a municipal water system, and the majority of wells
have not been impacted by contamination at present, it
was the duty of the council to evaluate options such as
moving from private wells to municipal water in phases,
on an as needed basis.
Therefore, Part Two of the Water Study explores
additional potential options of providing safe, reliable
sources of water within the City, with a goal of prioritizing
those areas with known well water contamination and the
areas with a higher likelihood for potential future well
water issues. The area affected by well issues is
generally in the Northwest part of the City.
The goal would be to feed these smaller, localized water
service areas by the nearest surrounding community’s
distribution system, to limit project costs and
complexities.
The Engineering Firm SEH mapped out three priority
service areas and described prices and options for each
of these areas
Priority Level 1 Service Area would provide water to
either 40 or 48 houses, depending on which sub-option
selected. Water could come from one of two surrounding
cities. This option might cost somewhere between
$2,261,029 and $3,478,076.
Priority Level 2 Service Area would provide water to
either 70 or 72 households depending on which sub-
option selected. Water could come from one of three
bordering communities. The options might cost
somewhere between $2,487,613 and $2,771,100.
Priority Level 3 Service Area would provide water to 2-4
households, depending on the sub-option selected.
Water would come from one or two of the surrounding
communities. The options might cost $367,021 and
$478,820.
Many engineering factors would have to be considered
while determining the best and most feasible options for
Gem Lake. These factors include water quality, system
efficiency, topography, and the ability to reach agreement
with surrounding communities to supply the city with
water.
This extensive Water Study will be discussed and
evaluated over the course of the next few months. Your
participation in this process would be welcomed.
Gem Lake News Page 3 of 6
Purple Line Route Changes
are Under Consideration
Plans for the Metro Purple Line, a new Bus Rapid
Transit line in Ramsey County are getting another look.
Project staff is looking at ending the now 15 mile line
somewhere along County Road E, between Highway
61 and Interstate 35E in Vadnais Heights, or at the
Maplewood Mall Transit Center.
Both options would include offering connecting bus
service between the Maplewood Mall Transit Center
and downtown White Bear Lake. Keeping the route as
planned, with the northern end in downtown White Bear
Lake, is also being evaluated.
The suggested modifications respond to a White Bear
Lake City Council resolution that requests the Purple
Line not enter the City of White Bear Lake.
The options were discussed at the Purple Line’s
Corridor Management Committee (CMC) on April 29.
Presentation slides can be found on the project
website. The committee includes elected and appointed
officials from the project partner agencies, and was
formed to advise the Metropolitan Council and Ramsey
County on the Purple Line’s design and construction.
At the meeting, committee members expressed support
for the effort to consider alternative routes. The public
will be invited to share feedback this summer. The
current timeline calls for Purple Line construction to
begin in 2024. Stay up-to-date on the METRO Purple
Line project by reaching out to Liz Jones, Senior
Community Outreach Coordinator, at 651-602-1977 or
Elizabeth.jones@metrotransit.org.
Ramsey County Attorney John
Choi Speaks to Council
Ramsey County Attorney John Choi was a featured
speaker at the April 19 Gem Lake City Council meeting.
He discussed recent increases in crimes such as
carjackings and auto thefts in Ramsey County and
highlighted efforts to curb these trends.
Strategies included more coordination between law
enforcement and community groups, keeping an eye
on deterrents that have worked in the past, monitoring
charging statistics, etc.
Choi also provided an analysis of crime trends during
the pandemic and how some crimes increased, while
others decreased. The Council expressed their
gratitude at Choi’s attendance.
Gem Lake of the Future:
Highlights from the
Comprehensive Plan
The population of Gem Lake has grown from 216 in
1970 to over 500 currently. (528 according to the 2020
Census.) Since 1990, the population is expected to
grow about 27% by 2030. The growth trend is
expected to continue, with populations approaching
600 in the years ahead. Employment within the city has
grown from 230 jobs in 1970 to over 640 estimated for
2040.
The median age of a Gem Lake resident is 37.5, which
is about two years older that the U.S. average of 35.3.
This slightly higher average age is found in both the
City of White Bear Lake and White Bear Township.
In terms of residential development, Gem Lake citizens
are overwhelmingly housed in single-family owner-
occupied homes. This makes up 89% of dwelling units.
The adjoining communities range from 74 to 93 percent
for the same factors.
Housing values are very similar in Gem Lake and White
Bear Township. Gem Lake has a median home value
of $295,500 based on 2016 estimates. This compares
to $253,700 for White Bear Township. The median
home value in the City of White Bear Lake was
$206,400, again based on 2016 estimates.
The 2020 Comprehensive Plan contains much more
detail on trends, demographics and future plans. You
are encouraged to attend the next Council Meeting on
May 17 to find out more.
Gem Lake News Page 4 of 6
City News
Certain licenses to Transition to Calendar Year
Renewals
Some of Gem Lake’s licenses ran for the calendar year
and others ran from mid-year to mid-year, which could
cause confusion and processing inefficiency. The City
Council recently voted to transition to calendar year
licenses for everything.
Examples of mid-year renewals were dog, golf cart and
contractor licenses. It was decided to bite the bullet this
year and make a change. If you have a dog and
recently received a renewal notice for your canine
companion’s dog tag, you noticed the change in the
letter you received. (The dog tag was manufactured
before the change was made). To make the transition,
this year the types of licenses listed above are running
from up to 18 months for the same price. In other
words, you will renew you dog, golf cart or contractor
licenses in the same mid-year time frame this year but
it will not need to be renewed again until December of
2023 for January of 2024. The price charged this time
for this longer renewal will be the same that you would
have paid for a 12-month renewal.
License Required for Rental Properties in City
If you are renting out your house in Gem Lake, you
need a rental license. If you own rental property but are
not currently renting it, you still need to fill out a rental
license application to keep the City updated. The
application process is easy. Fill out our form located on
our website, which can be found under “Permits” or
contact Melissa Lawrence, City Clerk, pay a license fee
(if you are actively renting), and go through a brief
inspection of the property by our code enforcement
officer. We check for things like smoke detectors. Call
651-747-2790 to find out more.
Free Notary Services
Residents of Gem Lake and White Bear Township can
get notary services at Heritage Hall for no charge. The
service is available only during normal business hours
for our city hall—which is Monday to Thursday from
7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Non-residents can utilize this
service for a fee of $5.00 per document certified.
Charitable Gambling Donations Made
The Gem Lake City Council voted to donate $500 to
the White Bear Lake Emergency Food Shelf and $500
to Newtrax for food delivery services to the needy.
These donations were approved at the April 19 Council
Meeting and were done as a result of charitable
gambling receipts the city received. More donations are
expected to be approved at the May Council Meeting.
After Hour Emergency Number for Public Works
In the event of a public works emergency after our
normal business hours, there is a number you should
call. Gem Lake’s normal business hours are 7:30 a.m.
to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. A public works
emergency is defined as a threat to public safety or
critical infrastructure. (Not a pothole, or something that
can wait.) Examples of an emergency would be a water
main break, (please don’t call City of Vadnais Heights),
a city sewer line back up or the collapse of a manhole.
The phone number to call after business hours is 651-
755-9828. The City of Gem Lake has a cooperative
agreement with White Bear Township to handle these
emergencies.
Tardy Recycling Pick Up—What to do?
In the beginning of 2022, many recycling pick-ups in
Gem Lake have not happened on the day appointed by
Waste Management as our city’s pick-up day.
When we call our contractor, we are told the delay is
due to “operational issues.” This typically means driver
shortages. Cities around us are having similar issues.
That doesn’t make it any less annoying.
What should you do? For now, we suggest holding tight
if your recycling is not picked up for one extra day. After
three days, email one of your city council members or
call Heritage Hall. Typically, we know they are late
because council members live all over the city and their
bins are still full of cardboard. Try to leave the bin out
for a few days so you don’t get skipped when they get
to us. The first pick-up date in March was up to five
days late, depending on your part of town.
Gem Lake News Page 5 of 6
Draft Report on Water Gremlin Released by MDH
The following is an excerpt from the draft report by MDH
concerning a public health assessment for the Water
Gremlin facilities, which was recently released for
comment.
In January 2019, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
(MPCA) discovered that the Water Gremlin Company,
located on Otter Lake Road in White Bear Township, was
emitting significantly more trichloroethylene (TCE) into the
air than was allowed by their MPCA air permit. As a result,
it was believed that some people living in the area and
working nearby were exposed to airborne TCE
concentrations above Minnesota Department of Health
(MDH) health-based value for TCE inhalation. TCE use at
the Water Gremlin facility stopped in January of 2019.
MPCA requested MDH assistance to evaluate health risks
and collaborate on community involvement activities. This
draft report is part of that effort and attempts to record and
explain events and finding most relevant to understanding
the potential implications of this site for the health of the
community that lives, works and plays near the Water
Gremlin facility.
Water Gremlin began manufacturing lead fishing sinkers
from a garage on family property in 1949. The current
facility was built in stages over the years, with major
expansions in the 1970’s and 1990’s. Water Gremlin
fabricates lead metal products from purchased, refined
lead materials. Lead acid battery terminal posts are
currently a primary product for the company. TCE was
used as a coating for these posts, likely from 1992 up until
January of 2019.
In March of 2019, MPCA and Water Gremlin signed a
Stipulation Agreement that provided information on the
facilities violations and description of the accepted
penalties. It outlined a scenario that allowed the company
to resume operations using an alternative to TCE. The
Stipulation Agreement required Water Gremlin to conduct
extensive environmental investigation by sampling
groundwater, soil, soil vapor, sediment, surface water, and
private and municipal wells in the area. The MDH
summarized public health data from the Minnesota Cancer
Reporting System, the Birth Defects Information System,
and the Blood Lead Information System to respond to
questions about health impacts in the surrounding
community and the workings at the facility
By analyzing this data, it was discovered that some
Water Gremlin workers were inadvertently exposing their
families to take-home lead contamination from the
workplace.
After much analysis of existing data and environmental
testing in the area over the course of several years, MDH
reached seven main conclusions:
1. Past TCE air emissions may have harmed some
people’s health.
2. Past or current t-DCE and lead air emissions are
not expected to harm people’s health.
3. Groundwater contamination is not expected to
harm people’s health.
4. Soil vapor contamination is not a risk at
properties near Water Gremlin.
5. Soil, sediment and surface water contamination
from Water Gremlin does not pose a health risk
in the community.
6. Indoor air at the Water Gremlin facility may be
harming or may have harmed worker’s health.
7. Indoor air at the Water Gremlin facility may have
harmed the health of Water Gremlin workers and
their families.
For each conclusion, the MDH provided extensive
information and possible next steps and
recommendations. For instance, in the case of conclusion
number 1, the MDH said it is possible that post exposure
to TCE in air near the facility may have been sufficient to
increase the risk of health effect in a small number of the
most exposed individuals. However, TCE exposures may
be too low to cause any observable health effects for
most, if not all people who lived or were regularly near
the Water Gremlin facility.
MDH staff does not expect to see meaningful changes in
cancer patters and trends in this community, especially
over the short term, Nevertheless, due to the lag time
between the time of the highest TCE exposure and
possible occurrence of cancer, MDH would consider a
reanalysis of Minnesota Cancer Reporting System data in
the future, such as in 10 years, if the situation warrants.
People with questions about the report in its entirety are
encouraged to contact the Minnesota Department of
Health at 651-201-4897 or email to
health.hazard@state.mn.us. Their website is
www.health.state.mn.us.
The City of Gem Lake
Phone:
(651) 747-2790
Fax
(651)-747-2795
City Hall Address:
4200 Otter Lake Road
Gem Lake, MN 55110
General E-mail:
city@gemlakemn.org
Newsletter E-mail:
Gretchen.artig-
swomley@gemlakemn.org
This newsletter is also posted
on the city’s website under the
“Documents” section and the
“News and Updates” section.
www.gemlakemn.org
After Hours Public Works
Emergency Number:
651-755-9828
(For water main breaks, main
city sewer back up, collapse of
manhole, etc. Or call 911)
Meetings: June and July 2022
The following Gem Lake
meeting will be held in the
months of April and May.
All meetings are held at
Heritage Hall unless
otherwise indicated.
See also the Gem Lake
web-site for more
information.
June 13, 2022
City Council Workshop is
CANCELED
June 14, 2022
Planning Commission
Meeting at 7:00 p.m.
June 21, 2022
City Council meeting at
7:00 p.m.
July 11, 2022
City Council Workshop at
7:00 p.m.
July 12, 2022
Planning Commission
Meeting at 7:00p.m.
July 19, 2022
City Council Meeting at
7:00 p.m.
Your Gem Lake City Council
Mayor:
Gretchen Artig-Swomley
Email: gretchen.artig-
swomley@gemlakemn.org
City Council Members:
Laurel Amlee
Email: laurel.hynes-
amlee@gemlakemn.org
Len Cacioppo
Email: len.cacioppo
@gemlakemn.org
Ben Johnson
Email: ben.johnson
@gemlakemn.org
Jim Lindner
Email: jim.lindner
@gemlakemn.org
You can also reach each
city council member by
calling 651-747-2790. After
hours you can follow the
prompts for the city council
directory.
CITY OF GEM LAKE
4200 Otter Lake Road
Gem Lake, MN 55110