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HomeMy WebLinkAbout4 April 2010 Gem Lake News April, 2010 Volume 4, Issue 4 Gem Lake News Special Interest Articles: • Give the City a Spring Make-Over • Willow Lane Elementary School Benefits from Gem Lake donation • City News-Page 4 • Jamie Nadeau Wins Scholarship Upcoming Recycling Dates: April 21 May 5 May 19 Gretchen Artig-Swomley, Newsletter Editor Meet your neighbors and do something great for your community! Please mark your calendar for May 1 when Gem Lake will sponsor the Second Annual City Clean Up Day. Meet at Heritage Hall at 8:30 a.m. and spend the morning helping to clean up Gem Lake roadways. Participants will be supplied with bags and safety vests. As we did last year, residents will be divided up into groups, depending upon the number of participants, and will go up and down streets picking up litter. City Clean Up Day Planned for May 1 Land Purchase Considered by City City Council Members and local residents gathered at Heritage Hall on April 7 for a public hearing on a possible land purchase by the city. The lot bordering Heritage Hall on the south side is up for sale. The hearing was held to obtain feedback from the public on the idea of purchasing the land by the city to provide for possible parking lot expansion, or a small public park, or both. Attendees at the public hearing also considered other ideas for the property, such as renting the house until the city's finances allow for construction of the park Last year's event helped beautify the city for Spring and resulted in a significant amount of trash being put where it belongs. Following the morning's work, there will be snacks and refreshments available in the Heritage Hall parking lot. Your involvement in this important event would be greatly appreciated. Volunteer coordinators are being sought to help with arrangements. For more information or to volunteer, or the parking lot. Other ideas included tearing the house down and leaving the land vacant until Gem Lake could afford to properly design a park. A bike trail stopping point for the future expansion of the Bruce Vento bike trail was also discussed. While some residents, including several who emailed comments, were in favor of buying the land, others expressed real concerns about spending the money now, given the economic conditions faced by the city and the county. please contact Jean Reiter, City Secretary at 651-747-2790. Attendance at the meeting was rather small and feedback was tilted in favor of passing on the land purchase for now. According to the mayor, the purchase will probably need to be put on the back burner and perhaps considered again in the future, if finances improve. (Continued on page 5) Gem Lake News Page 2 of 6 Charitable Gambling Receipts Fund Local Literacy Programs Last Fall, the Gem Lake City Council was able to award the Willow Lane Elementary School a total of $2500 to fund their literacy programs for local students. The award was made possible through the city's share of charitable gambling receipts. These funds were gratefully accepted and put to immediate use by the school, according to Principal Barbara Kearn. "Having the funds given to us in the beginning of the school year made a huge difference. We were able to look for on-line resources that could be used throughout the school year. We are so happy and so grateful to Gem Lake residents for all their help. I can assure you that your money was put to good use and will make a real difference in these students' lives," said Kearn. The funds were used in three main areas of the school literacy program. First, the school purchased a year's worth of access to an on- line service to improve reading and comprehension, which is called "Raz-Kids." The program allows 24-7 access to on-line tools that encourage children to read age appropriate books or have them read to them by the computer. "Raz-Kids" lets the student select a book they are interested in. The book comes up on the screen and then is either read to them, with each word highlighted, or allows the child to read the book and have their pronunciation and comprehension tested. The child can ask for help on words they don't understand. They can also access the program either in the classroom or from home. The money from Gem Lake provided for enough to cover six 2nd and 3rd grade classrooms with "Raz-Kids" access. The second way Willow Lane Elementary used Gem Lake's contribution was to buy earth science textbooks for 3rd graders. This is especially important now, because the Minnesota Comprehensive Tests lay a heavy emphasis on science and engineering. The third way Gem Lake's funds were used was to buy additional books for the 4th and 5th grade classroom lending libraries. Students in these grades have to demonstrate their independent reading skills as part of their reading grade. By reading books for the lending libraries, they can then take an on-line test through Scholastica Publishing that measures their reading comprehension. All books are published by Scholastica and coordinate with the school's independent reading program. As part of the "Reading Counts" program, Gem Lake funds financed not only more books for the classroom lending libraries, but also the independent reading assessment tools available through Scholastica. Willow Lane was able to buy a variety of interesting books such as "Once Upon a Marigold," "The Lightening Thief," "Chasing Lincoln's Killer," and other titles that will hold the attention of young readers. "In general we are always looking for ways to help students develop bigger vocabularies and improve their reading comprehension. All these tools have really helped," said Kearn. One of the most measurable signs of success with the emphasis on improved literacy at Willow Lane comes from Minnesota Comprehensive Test results. "In recent years, we have consistently scored about 10% ahead of standard expected results." If the school is lucky enough to receive similar funds from Gem Lake this fall, Kearn says the school would probably expand the "Raz-Kids" Program to include 4th and 5th graders. Also, Kearns would like to add more non-fiction books, particularly those that are science and engineering related, to their lending libraries. Kearns is principal of both Willow Lane Elementary and the Parkview Center Pointe School, recently renamed Matoska International School. Gem Lake News Page 3 of 6 A very accomplished local high school student was the recent recipient of the first Gem Lake Scholarship Award. Jamie Lynn Nadeau was awarded $500 for her post secondary education by the Gem Lake City Council at its March meeting. The recently established scholarship program is funded by the city's portion of local charitable gambling receipts. Jamie will graduate this spring from White Bear Lake High School, concluding what can only be called a "stellar" high school career. City Council Members were uniformly impressed with her list of scholastic accomplishments, including four years on the "A" Honor Roll, her work as a teacher's assistant, and her previous awards for such things as Algebra Student of the Month and Chemistry Student of the Month at White Bear High School (south campus). In addition, Jamie has been very involved in civic activities and organizations. She has been a Student Ambassador for Northeast Metro 916 School and has been involved in the Operation Troops Service Project, the Give Kids a Smile Service Project and the Valentines for Seniors Service Project. She is currently employed as a Children's Choir Piano Accompanist for the White Bear Lake United Methodist Church. "Jamie is one of the top students in our school and has excelled within the community as well," said Ryan Poepard, White Bear High School Counselor. "I believe her work ethic and maturity have helped her become a well-rounded person." Jamie Nadeau Wins Gem Lake Scholarship Award One of Jamie's teachers also had high praise for her abilities. "Jamie is one of those rare students who achieves at a consistently higher level than most others in any endeavor she pursues. Her academic excellence, desire to learn and natural leadership skills make her a truly outstanding candidate for the Gem Lake Scholarship Award," said Language Arts Teacher Jennifer K.D. Kirkham, M.A. Kirkham went on to add "rarely does a student exhibit the self-direction and motivation that Jamie does. She sets such high standards for herself that, without fail, she exceeds any expectations I have for my students. Her work is impeccable, from the smallest daily assignment to the largest class project." Jamie intends to enroll in Century College next fall to earn a degree in Dental Assisting. Her current goal is to then further her education by earning a degree in Dental Hygiene. Jamie was very enthusiastic about the news that she had won the scholarship award. She had the following advice for other high school students. "Throughout your education, stay positive and work hard. You never know when your moment will come." Gem Lake News Page 4 of 6 Get Your Well Tested for Free on June 7 The first free well water testing program in Gem Lake provoked enough interest to warrant a second round this June. If you are interested in having the quality of your well water tested for no charge, please contact Gem Lake secretary Jean Reiter at Heritage Hall to put your name on the list for the next round of free testing. Water samples will need to be collected by you and dropped off at Heritage Hall on the morning of June 7. In order to participate, you must obtain one of the county's water testing kits, which will be available to anyone who signs up. You will need to drop by Heritage Hall to pick up your kit prior to June 7. A report on your water quality is then mailed directly to you several weeks later. A total of seventeen households participated in the first of Gem Lake's free well water testing programs. The water samples were tested by the Ramsey County lab and results were mailed to participants in early February. All results were normal, but the county suggested that one well needed to be flushed. Good News... Kind of When you open your Ramsey County property tax bill, hopefully you have a little bit of good news. While the county and school district portions of the bill are beyond the city's control, and may have gone up for you a bit, the same may not have been true of the city portion of your tax bill. The Gem Lake City council worked hard to reduce the 2010 operating budget by 16.7%. If the appraised value of your home stayed the same or went down, this could mean that the bottom line is smaller for you this year. This reduction in the operating budget was made without the need to reduce services. City News Page Willow Lane Elementary Spring Fund Raiser Set for April 30 Help out your local elementary school by attending the Willow Lane School "Spring Carnival" fundraiser on Friday, April 30 between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. The event will include a huge silent auction, food and games and great door prizes, such as a bike and several electronic goodies. The fundraiser is sponsored by the school's Parent Teacher Organization. Receipts help to fund such things are buses for field trips, environmental science days for 5th graders and other special events that help students take part in fun extra activities. There is an admission fee of $1 (maximum $5 per family). Winners of the silent auction will be announced at 8:20 p.m. For more information, contact Willow Lane Elementary School at 651-773-6170. MN-DOT to Begin Bridge Repair Shortly Around May 1, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MN-DOT) will begin repair work on the bridge on Highway 61 that crosses over Scheuneman Road. There will be four phases to the project. For Phase One, Scheuneman Road will remain open. For Phases Two and Three, Scheuneman Road near Nelson Marine will be closed. The road will be open for Phase Four. Gem Lake has not yet received any construction dates for Phases Two, Three or Four. Stay tuned for more information. Gem Lake News Page 5 of 6 A series of special events are planned this month as part of the White Bear Area YMCA's capital campaign for its renovation project. One of these events will be a "fun run" (and walk) for families and individuals on April 24. The fun run will be sponsored by Vacation Sports in Lakewood Hills Park in White Bear Lake. "This event is designed for the whole family to participate in. It will be for anybody who can walk, no matter what age," said Shane Hoefer, YMCA executive director. "We're looking forward to an exciting and fun-filled month of April." Construction on the YMCA facility is already underway, and officials expect a late June grand opening of the first phase of the project, with full completion coming in early fall of this year. Hoping to reach a goal of $725,000, the capital campaign will complete the fundraising necessary for the $6.675 million renovation to the Northeast Familly YMCA, which has been renamed White Bear Area YMCA and the White Bear Lake Schools YMCA Aquatic Center. The facility will include twelve 25 yard lanes in the aquatic center, at least one diving board, an outdoor splash pool, outdoor waterslide, a 6,000 square foot fitness center, two group exercise studios, a family locker room, racquetball and handball courts, and a gymnasium. The renovation will add an elevator to the facility, making it fully accessible for the first time, accessible restrooms, and a combination step-ramp entry to the pool for those with joint troubles. Officials say a planned teen and senior center is at stake if fundraising effort fall short. This center would provide free access to local teens from 3- 5:30 p.m. weekdays during the school year for at least five years. The Building Communities YMCA 5K will start at 9:00 a.m. on April 24 at the Lakewood Hills Park, immediately behind the YMCA. There is a registration fee of $20 in advance on $30 on site. You can register on-line at www.midwestevents.com or by downloading the form from www.vacationsports.com. For more information, contact Shane Hoefer at 651-773- 2646. "Building Communities" YMCA 5K Fun Run Set for April 24 City council members in attendance at the public hearing weighed in on the matter as follows: "I think it's important to note that all but one in attendance at the hearing really just did not want a park," said City Council Member Tom Rasmussen. "I agree with the comments of others--maybe someday, but today is not prudent." Council Member Jim Lindner also wants to take a wait and see attitude towards the acquisition of any land. "While this presents a unique opportunity for the city to acquire land, there is no real sense of urgency facing us. We may consider this at some point in the future, but the city will not immediately benefit from a land purchase at this time, in my opinion." Mayor Bob Uzpen noted that the six email comments received prior to the public hearing were split, three in favor and three against a land purchase. All those against a land purchase felt it was not needed, they did not want a park, and they felt the city could not afford it. "Citizens in general rejected the opportunity to purchase land adjacent to Heritage Hall," said Bob. "Citizens felt that having a park would bring issues that they did not want to deal with. It was felt that the city could not afford buying the land and insuring its maintenance." Land Purchase Considered (continued from page 1) Bob Uzpen-Mayor Phone: 651-492-5083 City Council Members: Gretchen Artig-Swomley Phone: 651-260-9742 Rick Bosak 651-426-9695 Jim Lindner Phone: 651-429-7597 The following Gem Lake Meetings will be held at Heritage Hall through May, 2010: April 20, 2010 City Council Meeting at 7:00 p.m. April/May Meeting Dates Your Gem Lake City Council 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: gretchenas@comcast.net To reach the Gem Lake City Secretary Jean Reiter: Phone: (651) 747-2790 Jean’s E-mail: Jean.Reiter@co.ramsey.mn.us To report incidents for the Neighborhood Watch program or for information on that program contact Block Captain Chuck Watson 651-653-8319; Charles.Watson@bdk.com We’re on the Web! See us at: www.gemlakemn.org CITY OF GEM LAKE 4200 Otter Lake Road Gem Lake, MN 55110 May 18, 2010 City Council Meeting at 7:00 p.m. May 3, 2010 City Council Workshop at 7:00 p.m. May 4, 2010 Planning Commission Meeting at 7:00 p.m. Tom Rasmussen Phone: 651-426-8854 For more information on meetings, city ordinances, recent events, permit procedures, etc. please consult the Gem Lake web-site. The address is www.gemlakemn.org Each Gem Lake Newsletter is also posted on the web-site under the news section. Please email your ideas, comments and suggestions. See box at left for detailed contact information.