The Friends of the St. Croix Boom Site will host four public meetings to discuss the site's future. The 26-acre park, made up of four segments on the St. Croix River and Hwy. 95 just north of Stillwater, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The meetings will be held:
• Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. at the Water Street Inn, 101 S. Water St., Stillwater.
• Feb. 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the St. Croix River Association, 230 S. Washington St., St. Croix Falls, Wis.
• Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. at Council Chambers, Stillwater City Hall, 216 N. 4th St.
• Feb. 25 at 6:30 p.m. at Stillwater Township Hall, 13636 N. 90th St., Stillwater (at the intersection of Hwy. 96 and Norell Avenue N.)
The Friends group is working with state agencies, the National Park Service and Washington County. The effort is being supported by a federal grant, and is called "Restoring and Enhancing a National Historic Landmark."
For more information on the meetings, visit www.FriendsofWashingtonCounty.com or send e-mail to FriendsofWashingtonCounty@gmail.com.
Stillwater
Nominations sought for volunteer awards
Community Thread and the Washington County Board are accepting nominations for the 2015 Community Involvement Awards. The awards recognize volunteerism through six categories: Youth, Group/Family, Exemplary Employer, Outstanding, Lifetime and Legacy. Nominees are residents or organizations in Washington County. Go to www.communitythreadmn.org to download the nomination form, or e-mail Paige Stein at paige@communitythreadmn.org (Subject: CIA) to request a nomination packet. Nominations are due by 5 p.m. on Feb. 16.
Mahtomedi
Nominations needed for volunteer award
The Hill Legacy Award committee is seeking nominations of outstanding volunteers who have spent years giving of themselves to benefit the White Bear Lake/Mahtomedi area. Committee members representing the Century College Foundation, the Mahtomedi Area Educational Foundation and the White Bear Lake Area Educational Foundation are searching for candidates who emulate the examples of community service set by J. Stanley and Doris Hill, longtime area residents.
Nomination forms are available through: Century College Foundation, 651-779-3356, www.century.edu/foundation/awards.aspx; Mahtomedi Area Educational Foundation, 651-407-2006, www.maefgives.org; and White Bear Lake Area Educational Foundation, 651-407-7696, www.wblaef.org.
Deadline for nominations is Feb. 20.
Forest Lake
Rotary Club plans plunge fundraiser
The Forest Lake Rotary Club's "Gettin' Cold for a Cause" Winter Plunge 2015 will be held Feb. 21 at Forest Lake Lakeside Beach Park. The event featured more than 700 participants last year. Teams are continuing to form and register on the event website at www.winterplunge.kintera.org.
Participants must be 10 years of age, in good health, and able to raise at least $75 in pledges to participate.
The club has raised more than $620,000 in pledges over five years of the plunge.
Cottage Grove
Bigham chairs Red Rock group
Karla Bigham, Washington County commissioner from District 4, was elected chairwoman of the Red Rock Corridor Commission at its monthly meeting Jan. 22.
The Red Rock Corridor is a proposed 30-mile transitway connecting the Twin Cities' southeastern suburbs to St. Paul and Minneapolis. The transitway originates in Hastings with stops in Cottage Grove, Newport and St. Paul's Battle Creek neighborhood before connecting to St. Paul's Union Depot, the University of Minnesota and the downtown Minneapolis Interchange Station. Future plans call for extending the corridor to Goodhue County with potential stops at the Prairie Island Indian Community and the city of Red Wing.
The Red Rock Corridor Commission oversees corridor planning and development. It is composed of 11 members representing the counties and cities along the corridor. In addition, representatives from Goodhue County, the city of Red Wing, Prairie Island Indian Community and the Canadian Pacific Railway serve as ex officio members.
The commission meets monthly at the Cottage Grove City Hall. See the commission's website at www.redrockcorridor.com for more information.
Woodbury
Groundwater meetings begin
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will share information on a draft groundwater management area plan for the north and east metro region at three public meetings in February. Meetings will run from 6-9 p.m. at the following locations:
Feb. 9: Eagle Valley Golf Course, 2600 Double Eagle Lane, Woodbury.
Feb. 18: Century College East Campus, 3300 Century Av. N., Lincoln Mall conference room (second floor), White Bear Lake.
Feb. 26: Blaine Public Works Facility, 1801 101st Av. NE., Blaine. (The large black building located directly behind the Schwann's Super Rink. Enter through the main entrance on the southwest, glass corner of the building.)
The DNR will introduce the proposed plan, describe the process used to develop it, explain the goals and actions in the plan, and gather feedback. It will accept comments on the draft plan through the end of March.
Comments can be submitted by e-mail to NEMetroGWMA.dnr@state.mn.us, or by completing a survey posted on the project Web page. The draft plan and a fact sheet will be posted on the same Web page.
The North and East Metro Groundwater Management Area is being established to make sure that groundwater supplies remain adequate to meet current and future needs, while also protecting ecosystems such as lakes, streams and wetlands. It includes all of Ramsey and Washington counties, southern Anoka County, and a small portion of Minneapolis east of the Mississippi River.
The area is one of three groundwater management areas being established around the state. The others are in central Minnesota near the cities of Brooten-Belgrade and around the Straight River near Park Rapids.
The areas are being established because Minnesota's increasing reliance on groundwater creates the need to plan for sustainable use that protects the environment while allowing for economic growth and development.
Kevin Giles
