Shorewood is experiencing a 2+ decades decline in its natural spaces, trails and woodlands. Invasive species litter our parks. Trails need critical repairs and the growing number of dead or diseased trees desperately need removal.
The blame falls on city leaders, from the top down.
By Barry Brown, Freeman Park Advocate —
Freeman Park has 30 acres of ball fields for baseball, soccer and a variety of events, but there’s also 30 wooded acres that until now, has been neglected for decades. Now that 20+ acres of buckthorn has been removed, what do we do with the wooded areas and walking trails? Many people have contributed to a vision for the wooded areas, but City officials would not allow me to share this vision with City Council. So, I am sharing it broadly with the SCA readers. Our modest vision for 2024 improvements is affordable and realistic.
A Citizen’s Guide to Becoming a Candidate
Running for local office requires dedication, effective communication, and a genuine commitment to serving the community. Running for local office involves a series of steps and considerations. Here’s a general overview of what is typically involved:
On May 13th Council approved the sign ordinance on a 4-1 vote.
This includes clear rules for placing campaign signs during the election season.
Some turf experts are warning about the downside of taking a crucial month off from lawn care for “No-Mow May.” The concept of No-Mow May spread widely in recent years. The idea was to encourage people to stop cutting their grass for the month, to help the environment and boost pollinator habitat. An academic study supporting the theory that a month off from mowing helps bees was retracted in 2022. Some experts say the one-month mowing hiatus doesn’t help bees all that much. The Star Tribune recently reported that Rosemount, Roseville, New Brighton, and Columbia Heights now officially advocate for “Mow Less May.” Letting your lawn go for a month at a time of year
State Rep. Heather Edelson (Edina) defeated Marisa Simonetti in the special election held May 14th to decide who finishes the term in a now-vacant District 6 seat on the Hennepin County Board. Read more here .
It’s the Shorewood/Excelsior Lift Station L20 Project The narrow lanes on Hwy 19 entering Excelsior from the west, are the result of Metro Council constructing a new regional gravity sewer pipe between sewer lift stations (pumping stations) L19 and L20. Work will also include decommissioning the old lift station. Meanwhile, drive skillfully, or try to avoid the area completely. The final phase, now in progress, is along Oak Street going west to Beehrle Avenue and L19. Expectations are that the project will wrap up this spring. Landscape restorations will be completed in fall, 2024. For more information: info@excelsiorL20project.org or call 952.737.4681. For a deeper dive go to Excelsior Shorewood Lift Station project.
View the full meeting here. (Links to video of each discussion for a deeper dive.) There were 11 items on the Consent agenda-9 passed without verbal identification by the mayor, or discussion by the Council. Matters from the Floor included presentations on Requesting support for SoHi Community Park, Buckthorn project at Freeman Park, and Failure by the city to provide statutory notice for discussion of an ordinance revision and two-vote Council approval of “blanket” herbicide spraying on soccer fields. Presentation and approval of the Park Commission’s 2024 work plan. A variance was approved for new home construction at 25955 Wild Rose Lane. Northwest Asphalt was awarded the bid for mill and overlay and drainage improvement
Two massive volunteer clean-up efforts took place in April and May, making significant headway in the removal of the buckthorn debris. 60+ residents volunteered to remove buckthorn fragments left behind by the deforestation equipment. Volunteers worked primarily in Area 1 (see map) and completed approximately 90% debris cleanup. Members of Scout troops 409 and 424 were part of the team. City workers have been chipping the piles as the next phase of the project. Volunteer feedback will be shared with the Parks Commission. Overall, feedback for the events was positive, but suggested there should be more focus on organization, instruction and community outreach for future projects. “…it was good, well organized, etc. Maybe widen the
The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District (MMCD) oversees the “control” of the nuisances in the metro area. MMCD is funded through a line item on our property tax bills. We all pay for it.
The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District (MMCD) has been conducting surveillance and treatment activities in your community to reduce the risk of disease and annoyance in an environmentally-sensitive manner.
Read the full article, including MMCD contact information for comments.
Shorewood is experiencing a 2+ decades decline in its natural spaces, trails and woodlands. Invasive species litter our parks. Trails need critical repairs and the growing number of dead or diseased trees desperately need removal.
The blame falls on city leaders, from the top down.
By Barry Brown, Freeman Park Advocate —
Freeman Park has 30 acres of ball fields for baseball, soccer and a variety of events, but there’s also 30 wooded acres that until now, has been neglected for decades. Now that 20+ acres of buckthorn has been removed, what do we do with the wooded areas and walking trails? Many people have contributed to a vision for the wooded areas, but City officials would not allow me to share this vision with City Council. So, I am sharing it broadly with the SCA readers. Our modest vision for 2024 improvements is affordable and realistic.
A Citizen’s Guide to Becoming a Candidate
Running for local office requires dedication, effective communication, and a genuine commitment to serving the community. Running for local office involves a series of steps and considerations. Here’s a general overview of what is typically involved:
On May 13th Council approved the sign ordinance on a 4-1 vote.
This includes clear rules for placing campaign signs during the election season.
Some turf experts are warning about the downside of taking
State Rep. Heather Edelson (Edina) defeated Marisa Simonetti in the
It’s the Shorewood/Excelsior Lift Station L20 Project The narrow lanes
View the full meeting here. (Links to video of each
Two massive volunteer clean-up efforts took place in April and
The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District (MMCD) oversees the “control” of the nuisances in the metro area. MMCD is funded through a line item on our property tax bills. We all pay for it.
The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District (MMCD) has been conducting surveillance and treatment activities in your community to reduce the risk of disease and annoyance in an environmentally-sensitive manner.
Read the full article, including MMCD contact information for comments.
Watch the council meeting video of the appointment discussion. Shorewood council member Patrick Johnson resigned in May. Because the remaining term was less than two years, the city council chose to appoint to fill the seat leading to an application and interview process completed on 6.26.23. Seven residents were interviewed for the opening. Former Mayor Scott Zerby was appointed to the open seat. Background on Zerby: He served as Mayor from 2012-2020. Two 2-year terms and one 4-year term, all unopposed. Source: MN Secretary of State. In 2014 he led the Council to change the Mayor’s term from two to four years, making his final term four years. City staff determined that some online applications were lost
Due to the resignation of Patrick Johnson, there’s now an opening on the Shorewood City Council that will be filled by appointment. The open position will be filled for the remainder of Johnson’s term by a vote of the remaining four council members. Three of the open seat candidates have held positions as mayor, council members or both, and will likely use that experience as their primary qualification for the appointment. One other candidate has not been previously associated with Shorewood government but has diverse background, education, interests and viewpoints.* Here are a few reasons why appointing someone from the outside may be the best choice: A city council should be representative of the population
Patrick Johnson resigned from the Council in May. The timing of his resignation, less than two years from the date of the next election, does not require a special election (start at hr. 1:41:17). The period for applications closed on June 20 at noon. First applicants interviewed on 6.12.23 were Planning Commission Chair and former Council Member Nat Gorham, former Mayor Woody Love and another former Mayor Scott Zerby. Commissioner Gorham (start at hr: 1:20:25) ran for re-election to the Council in November 2022. He lost by 10 votes. Prior to his time on the Council, he had served on the Planning Commission. Love served as Mayor from approximately 1998-2005. He dropped out of contention
https://youtu.be/IQBOUmoLBV0 Message from the SCA Editors: SCA was created to inform and advocate. Our purpose is to promote the transparency, consistency and accountability residents expect from Shorewood leadership. We educate residents on the processes used and decisions made at city hall. We hold our elected officials responsible for respect and civility toward residents and each other. We encourage residents to become more involved and respectfully find their voices for issues that matter to them. These are crucial ingredients for a thriving and engaged community. SCA creates a space for public participation and diverse perspectives through our comment sections and editorial/opinion page. We invite the public to submit an editorial or sourced article. We encourage
The Planning Commission is charged with the in-depth study of ordinance and policy involving land use in Shorewood. It makes recommendations to assist the Council in decision making. Commission Chair Nat Gorham described, with great clarity, what the Commission does best (start at 00:42).
This article was posted on NextDoor during the week of May 22, 2023. Another from the week of June 12, As the summer progresses, this topic becomes more relevant. The authors’ names are intentionally omitted. Kids, e-bikes, and sidewalks in Excelsior. Yesterday I was walking on Water St at around 6 pm between George St and 3rd when I was met with a group of middle-school boys on e-bikes riding on the sidewalk. I told them they couldn’t ride on the sidewalk here. The group sneered and dismissed this by announcing, in unison, that these were “class 2” bikes, and after some incomprehensibly mannerless behavior, they continued down the sidewalk toward Lake St, nearly running
UPDATE 9.19.23: The City is looking for resident feedback on the proposed design options for Eureka Road North. Learn more here. Residents who appeared before the Council on 3.27.23 challenged a plan for a “scoping document” of Eureka Road North, making among other points, the $125k cost for the study was too high. Further, they supported a simple resurfacing of the roadway, rather than reconstruction. A petition was presented to support their position. Later in the meeting, a question was raised by a council member about the need for the scoping. After somewhat tense council debate, a majority of the Council determined to proceed with the study, saying there would be no further discussion, and
Based on citizen feedback, city staff was asked to consider performance measurements for response time to data practice requests. Data practice policies are driven by Minnesota Statute. However, staff performance when responding, is not. The comments focused on improving staff response time. CM Sanschagrin suggested that the timeliness of responses to some data practices request has been a “pain point,” with city residents. Mayor Labadie and CM Callies both quickly responded with altered interpretations of his comments. Callies, as she has done on other occasions, narrowed the numbers of concerned residents down to a point where they did not matter. The two argued against a need for such response metrics, and declined to do
At the May 22. 2023 Council meeting, CM Sanschagrin chose to abstain from voting on a bond sale. He was challenged by the Mayor and CM Callies for abstaining. The City Attorney was asked for his opinion on the viability of the abstention. See the episode here. Note the attorney’s reply.* When can a voting member abstain? *Orono Council Member Benson recently faced a similar challenge at her first meeting. In that case, the Orono City Attorney (from the same firm as Shorewood’s attorney) correctly explained to her the meaning of an abstention. UPDATE (Jun 12, 2023): The City Attorney changed his previous opinion regarding the Sanschagrin’s “right” to abstain by saying the CM did indeed
The Legislature established the Metropolitan Council in 1967 to coordinate planning and development within the Twin Cities metropolitan area and to address issues that could not be adequately managed with individual governmental arrangements. The Metropolitan Council is the regional policy-making body, planning agency, and provider of essential services for the Twin Cities metropolitan region, including Shorewood. It provides for orderly and economical development of the metropolitan area through the Comprehensive Plan process. It is funded through the “Special Taxing District” (Line 10 of your tax statement) laws. State law requires the Met Council to create regional plans and policies to guide growth and manage regional systems for transportation, aviation, water resources, sewage and regional parks.
Watch the council meeting video of the appointment discussion. Shorewood
Due to the resignation of Patrick Johnson, there’s now an
Patrick Johnson resigned from the Council in May. The timing
https://youtu.be/IQBOUmoLBV0 Message from the SCA Editors: SCA was created to
The Planning Commission is charged with the in-depth study of
This article was posted on NextDoor during the week of
UPDATE 9.19.23: The City is looking for resident feedback on
Based on citizen feedback, city staff was asked to consider
At the May 22. 2023 Council meeting, CM Sanschagrin chose
The Legislature established the Metropolitan Council in 1967 to coordinate
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