City of Lake Elmo, MN

The City of Lake Elmo is soliciting proposals from firms interested in providing a wide variety of general engineering services and related technical services. The firm selected will be designated as the City Engineer for 2024-2028.

Request for Proposals available here.

Deadline for submittals is Wed., October 18th, 2023 at noon.

Please contact City Administrator Kristina Handt with any questions at khandt@lakeelmo.org or 651.747.3905.

The City of Lake Elmo will be seal coating a number of city streets starting the week of September 4th, 2023.  The seal coat application adds approximately 7 years of life to the bituminous by keeping the moisture from entering the pores and leaching into the subgrade.  The small trap rock chips will be swept up twice after the application, again at the end of October and again next spring.

Please travel safely around workers and equipment. 

Northern Natural Gas will be conducting work at their odorizing site on 50^th Street N (just east of Lily Avenue N). This site is utilized as an odorizing station where the odorant (mercaptan) is added to the pipeline. Mercaptan smells similar to rotten eggs. Residents in the area can expect strong odors of mercaptan in the area while this work is being performed. The natural gas pipeline will continue to be in operation as the work goes on. The time line for this work is Tuesday, August 2^nd – Saturday, August 5^th.  

The Valley Branch Watershed District (VBWD) is a public organization tasked with protecting and managing local water resources within an area spanning 14 cities and townships in Washington and Ramsey Counties. The VBWD is seeking input from you as it begins updating its Watershed Management Plan which will guide VBWD actions for the next 10 years. Please take a brief (5-10 minute) survey to help the VBWD better understand your concerns and priorities regarding our local water resources.

Link to survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VBWD_Planning

THE CITY OF LAKE ELMO WILL BE OUT ENFORCING THE NEW IRRIGATION RESTRICTIONS STARTING THURSDAY, JUNE 1st, 2023.

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR IRRIGATION SYSTEM IS SET TO FOLLOW THE NEW 2 DAY A WEEK RESTRICTIONS ACCORDING TO THE IRRIGATION ZONE MAP.

NO IRRIGATING IS ALLOWED BETWEEN 5 AM AND 5 PM.

PLEASE CONSIDER WATER CONSERVATION TO ENSURE THE CITY WELLS CAN MAINTAIN WATER LEVELS IN THE TOWERS.

Adopt-A-Park Program Objective
To organize a volunteer effort to clean, beautify, develop and build pride in the city parks of Lake Elmo.  This program aims to generate a safe and enjoyable atmosphere for individuals and organizations who participate in assisting with beautification of our city parks.  Participants in the Adopt-a-Park Program will assist in an effort to improve the appearance and quality of our community and lead toward a cleaner, healthier environment.

Adopt-a-Park Information
Who can participate?
The program is open to individuals, families, groups, religious organizations, service organizations, schools, businesses, and other community organizations. Those under 18 must have a parent/guardian co-sign the waiver of liability form and be supervised by an adult during service.

What are the program benefits?
Participants will volunteer to positively impact the appearance, quality, and safety of our city parks while creating teamwork and the satisfaction of bettering our city as a group.  Participant’s name/group/business will be acknowledged on an Adopt-a-Park sign placed in a designated area of their adopted park. This is a 2-year program and may be adjusted or extended.

Will this cost me any money?
No, tasks are available under supervision/direction of the Public Works Department. Service tasks may include: picking up Litter/Sticks/Rocks/Debris, sweeping, raking, pulling weeds, watering vegetation, and reporting graffiti, broken equipment, or other unsafe conditions.

How do I get started?
Please reach out to Rebecca at rmcguire@lakeelmo.org with any questions and/or to sign up.

Statewide Tornado Drills – Thursday, April 20 - 1:45pm & 6:45pm
The most important events during Severe Weather Awareness Week are the two annual statewide tornado drills. Outdoor warning sirens will sound in a simulated tornado warning. These drills are an excellent opportunity for residents to prepare their homes, families, neighborhoods and communities!

Afternoon Tornado Drill - 1:45 p.m.
Schools, businesses and other facilities are encouraged to conduct a tornado drill at this time to practice their tornado sheltering plans.

Evening Tornado Drill- 6:45 p.m.
The reason for a 6:45 p.m. drill is that severe weather including tornadoes occurs most often between 3 and 8 p.m. The statewide 1:45 p.m. drill gives institutions, first-shift and day workers a time to practice, but it does not allow second-shift workers the same opportunity. The 6:45 p.m. tornado drill also allows families to practice their sheltering plans.

Outdoor Warning Siren Network
The City of Lake Elmo owns and maintains 9 outdoor warning sirens throughout the city. Our siren network is tested and activated through the Washington County 911 Commination Center. Outdoor warning sirens are meant to be heard outside. When sirens sound, residents should always seek shelter and tune to local weather information on radio, television, or NOAA weather radio for more information. When the sirens are sounded, they will run for three minutes and then stop. The threat of severe weather does not stop when the sirens stop. Residents should continue to shelter and stay tuned to local weather information on radio, television or NOAA Weather Radios for the duration of the warning period.

Outdoor warning siren activation is based on the following criteria:

• Washington County Sheriff’s Office 911 Communication Center tests/activates all sirens in the Washington County at 1:00 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month, from March through October.
• When a Tornado Warning is issued for Washington County by the National Weather Service.
  • Sirens are activated for each Tornado Warning issued by the National Weather Service. It is possible for a new Warning to be issued before a previous Warning expires.
• When the National Weather Service indicates sustained wind speeds of 70 miles per hour or more.
• When a City or County Public Safety Official (Sherriff, Fire) requests activation due to imminent danger to life and/or property. In this situation, Washington County also notifies the National Weather Service Office in Chanhassen.

Beginning Saturday April 15^th, Washington County will open a temporary tree debris drop-off site for RESIDENT USE ONLY at Belwin Conservancy. Washington County residents are invited to bring their tree debris from the ice/snow storm event that occurred on April 1, to the temporary site located at Lucy Winton Bell Athletic Fields at Belwin Conservancy, 15601 Hudson Rd. N., Lakeland, MN 55043.

Since the site at Belwin is for residents only, all commercial debris removal by the cities and contractors must be directed elsewhere. This is mostly due to debris volume control and site limitations. Several commercial sites available are as follows:
Gertens – Denmark Township
Rumpca Companies – Denmark Township
County Yard Waste Site in Hugo
District Energy – St. Paul

The site will be open through May 31. The site is free and open to residents only. (No business waste.)
The site will accept wood waste from storm damage only. No root balls, stumps,  yard waste, or grass clippings.

Hours: Sundays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. 
The site will be closed on Saturday, May 20 due to an event.
Learn more: WashCoRecycles.com/YardWaste | 651-275-7475

With the warmer weather expected this weekend, city staff has installed the pickleball nets at Ivywood Park.
Please be respectful of the court rules.

See you next season!!
~Lake Elmo Public Works

Weight Restrictions (Seasonal)

Weight Restrictions
Axle weight limits are restricted on certain streets within the City of Lake Elmo to protect the streets from damage when road and weather conditions warrant in accordance with State & City regulations.

All City streets are limited to SEVEN TON AXLE per axle weight limit unless otherwise posted.  Residents are encouraged to plan ahead for moving or construction projects during the spring thaw season since weight restrictions will be enforced & large trucks will not be allowed on restricted streets.

Dates
Weight restrictions take effect during the spring thaw season, which is usually around March 1st to May 15th, dependent upon the weather.  City of Lake Elmo follows the Seasonal Load Limits established by the State of Minnesota.  Check the MN DOT website for dates. http://dotapp7.dot.state.mn.us/research/seasonal_load_limits/sllindex.asp

Exemptions
No exemptions or permits are given during this time period, except for vehicles responding for emergency situation.

Streets Regulated
The City of Lake Elmo only regulates the city streets. 

All County roads are regulated by Washington County and all Highways are regulated by the State of Minnesota.  Private roads are not regulated by the City, but by the homeowners associations or designated responsible party.  The City does not maintain any information on contracts for private roads.

MAP
Weight Restriction MAP

We hope you will consider helping Lions Park ball field by advertising your business and/or cause with a vintage sign. In addition to helping create a vintage feel at the ball field, your $500 advertising funds are used solely for improvements to the Lions Park Ballfield area that benefit our youth and community, and ensures your sign stays up for that season. None of the funds are used for general city expenses.

To participate, all you need to do is send your contact information and a check payable to the City of Lake Elmo-Lions Park Sign 2023, 3880 Laverne Ave N, Lake Elmo, MN 55042 by April 30, 2023. We are not able to take payment by credit card at this time. After it is received, staff will contact you and support you through the process of making the sign and getting it placed for the season.

We hope that you will consider a sign subscription at Lions Park for the 2023 season.  Again, thank you for your support of this community asset.

LIONS PARK ICE RINK NOW OPEN!!

Open skating is now available at the ice rink. Park hours are from 7am until 10pm.

In order to make the repair,  water will need to be shut off to about 23 houses.

Water will be scheduled to be shut off at 9:00am and expected to last until 12-noon.

Map location click here.

The all day snow event on Tuesday has resulted in snow packed down on residential streets. Plows are concentrated on high priority roads which includes hills, curves and high volume traffic areas until the snow ends. Plows have been out the last couple of days and all city plows are out today scraping the slush and hard pack from the city streets.

Please remember that the City of Lake Elmo has a winter parking ordinance that prohibits parking on city streets from November 1st through March 31st between 2:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. This gives crews a window of time for clearing streets curb to curb more efficiently. Plows will be out again Saturday morning around 2:00 a.m. to improve roadways after tonight’s winter weather event. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with minimizing parking on the streets today and Saturday night.

Get out and enjoy the freshly groomed trails! Public Works staff has recently groomed all multi-use trails within the Sunfish Lake, Reid, Pebble and Demontreville Wildlife Parks.

Sunfish lake offers 248 acres of nature and fresh white snow. Walk/run/bike or ski the 5.5 miles of groomed trails within the park. Gates to the park open at 7 a.m. and close at 9 p.m.

The City of Lake Elmo is seeking interested residents to serve on the following:

-Economic Development Authority (EDA)

-Planning Commission

-Parks Commission

-Capital Improvement Committee

Application and more information on each committee are available here: http://www.lakeelmo.org/.../commissions_and_committees.php
Applications will be accepted until positions are filled.  First review of those received by Friday, December 16, 2022. Thank you for your interest!

Next week, Public Works will be completing a fall street sweeping on city streets that are known for high volume of leaf debris.  Also being swept again will be all roads that were chip sealed in 2022. To ensure a full sweep from curb to curb please park off city streets during this time.

The City of Lake Elmo is requesting proposals from qualified firms of certified public accountants to audit its financial statements for the fiscal years ending December 31, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. These audits are to be performed in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards. The City may require a single audit in any year of the engagement.

For more information, please click here.

Lake Elmo Public Works Staff will be flushing dead end hydrants beginning Tuesday, October 3, 2022 and lasting the remainder of the week.

Unlike our spring flushing, not all hydrants will be flushed during this time.  The flushing of hydrants may cause some fluctuation of water pressure and/or discolored water and particles to flow in into homes. If this does occur, cold water should be ran to clear household water lines.

If you have any questions, please contact the Lake Elmo Public Works at 651-747-3940.

A detour is currently in place and is attached along with a staging map. Periodic updates are available on the project page à https://www.co.washington.mn.us/County13Phase2

UPDATE: October 11th, 2022
Final paving is expected to be completed on County Highway 13 (Ideal Ave) on Oct 12, weather dependent. We anticipate opening the road to traffic sometime during the day on Oct 13. This extra day is a buffer in the event that paving is not completed on Oct 12.  When the road opens, there will be temporary pavement markings to indicate turn lanes and construction drums and channelizers to act as center striping until permanent pavement markings are installed (week of Oct 17).

Please be aware that work will continue in the area after paving and through the week of Oct 17.

Lake Elmo Landscape Architecture RFP document

The traffic signal construction project at 30th Street and Manning Avenue is scheduled to start on September 6, 2022. This project is being led by Washington County and the proposed schedule shows work being completed by October 31, 2022. The county has a project website at:

https://www.co.washington.mn.us/3401/County-Highway-15-Manning-Avenue-and-30t

Contractors are expected to begin Seal Coating the City’s Park Trails the week of August 29^th. As part of the city’s planned program for trail preservation, seal coating is a preventative maintenance application to increase a trails lifespan. Seal coating will help to seal the surface of the pavement to fill voids, small cracks, reduce aging, prevent wreathing action and moisture infiltration.

Overall the city is looking to seal over 1.5 miles of park trails throughout Lake Elmo. Equipment used to seal the trails will make trails impassable and users will need to use alternative routes.  Trail users should also avoid areas recently sealed for about 2 hours after application. Weather permitting, contractors should complete all sealcoating within a week. 

The City of Lake Elmo is looking for your input at its September 19^TH, 2022 Parks Commission meeting! We want to know what residents would like to see as future improvements at Kleis Park and Pebble Park. Your input is valuable to us in providing the best park experience for the community of Lake Elmo! The meeting information is below. If you are unable to attend the meeting, please submit written or electronic comments no later than 5:00 pm the day of the meeting to Ben Hetzel, Lake Elmo City Planner at bhetzel@lakeelmo.org or 651-747-3911. We look forward to hearing from you!

Meeting Time: 6:30 PM

Location:   Lake Elmo City Hall, 3800 Laverne Avenue North, Lake Elmo, MN 55042

Dirt is being added. Staff should have it leveled and seeded by August 26th, 2022.

Construction on a new water tower in the City of Lake Elmo is well under way! The new tower located on Lake Elmo Avenue near I-94, is expected to hold 1 million gallons of drinking water. This will add to the city’s current 1.75 million gallons of water storage currently contained in two existing towers. Construction of the new tower is expected to continue over the next year and it is anticipated to be ready for use in the Fall of 2023. The additional storage will help support the continued growth of the City as well as providing additional aid for the fire department’s needs now and into the future.

Public Works will be exercising 1/3 of the city’s gate valves starting July 27^th.  Many of the city’s water main gate valves lay eight feet beneath the surface of the street.  Without exercising these gate valve regularly, they can seize up becoming inoperable.  Sand or rocks can also fill the access hole not allowing staff members to operate them in an emergency.  The valves are strategically placed to isolate areas of the main should a main break or leak occur.  Without these valves in good working condition large areas of the system would have to be shut down instead of isolating small segments of the water main.  Should you see Public Works staff exercising valves please slow down to prevent injury or damage to equipment.                                      

THANK YOU!

Starting July 11, 2022

Jetting is a process of cleaning the sanitary sewer lines within the city using a high pressure nozzle which is propelled from one manhole to the next. The nozzle is then pulled back slowly which scours the inside of the sewer pipe, removing any debris inside the pipe. All material is pulled back with the water and forced downstream. This routine maintenance helps to prevent blockages and sewer backups.

Please note; during this process blowbacks could occur. A blowback is a pressure surge that can cause the water in a toilet or floor drain to bubble or blow out. Obstructions, or partial obstructions, in a home’s plumbing vent stack can increase the likelihood of an occurrence.  

During the jetting period please check your sewer vents to ensure they are clear and keep the lid of your toilet down to minimize the potential of any water splashing from your toilet.