Newsbriefs - South-West Review

Work on County Road 8 from Highway 52 to County Road 14 in South St. Paul began late last week with minor utility adjustments and concrete work. This work will take approximately two weeks to complete.

Landscape restoration along Warrior Drive and Marie Avenue in Mendota Heights is almost complete. One of the pedestrian access points along Warrior Drive has been determined as non-compliant with ADA standards.

Mendota Heights rehabilitates sections of sanitary sewer each year to prevent inflow and infiltration from ground water and storm water into the city’s sanitary sewer. Contract was awarded to Insituform, Inc. at the May 19 City Council meeting.

Dakota County Sheriff Tim Leslie announced May 26 the creation of the Sheriff’s first-ever Citizen Advisory Board. This board will meet regularly to discuss issues facing the office and suggestions expressed by Dakota County’s citizenry.

Soil from 24 locations identified as contaminated
Turning up pavement can be a little like turning over a rock: there may be unwelcome discoveries underneath.
In the case of the Robert Street makeover, an environmental site assessment found soils to be contaminated at 24 locations along a two-and-a-half mile span of South Robert Street in West St. Paul.

In 2013, the West St. Paul City Council joined a handful of Minnesota cities in passing a ban on in-store sampling of tobacco-related products, including e-cigarettes.

A Brooklyn Park woman was denied a personal massage license and thus the right to practice massage in West St. Paul upon recommendation from the police department at the city council meeting Tuesday, May 26.

Calvin Kellerman advised civilians on agriculture

Calvin Kellerman, 89, keeps a small brass statue of an aged Vietnamese man hauling a load of firewood for cooking on display at his residence in Mendota Heights. He's not sure who made it, but he speculates it's made of artillery shells that had been fired by U.S. soldiers — collected, melted down, and turned into a gift given to him by the local farmers he advised. 
A World War II veteran, Kellerman signed up in 1966 to serve during the Vietnam War as a civilian agricultural advisor.

Sales await City Council's go-ahead
Though it might not help improve swing technique per se, golfers in Inver Grove Heights may soon have the option to partake in adult beverages with an alcohol content a bit higher than the 3.2 beer Inver Wood Golf Course has been selling.
A new bill that was passed by the Minnesota Legislature at the beginning of May will allow the city-run golf course in Inver Grove Heights to sell hard liquor drinks to its patrons.
According to Mayor George Tourville, this is an old idea, but because it's only now coming to life, the city "has yet to figure out most of the logistics," he said.
"We've never sold any alcohol other than light beer there; never liquor," Tourville said.

Mayor vetoes council's approval

West St. Paul Mayor David Meisinger recently exercised his veto powers by shooting down a bid award for the Marie Avenue improvements project that was approved by a 4-2 vote at the special city council meeting May 19.

Ultimately, he got what he was after — a rebid on the project to try to attract more than one qualified bid. With added competition, he predicts the city will be able to save money on a lower bid.