News and Notes from the Woodbury City Council

The Woodbury City Council tackled a few minor items last week, good news for the local high school students who attended as part of a class requirement—it was a relatively brief meeting.

Public Works Update

City Administrator Clint Gridley and Public Works Director David Jessup gave a few updates on seasonal items for the city.

Street sweeping is set to begin April 11 and continue for five days, Gridley said. The city will recycle the sand collected for use next year. Once the sweeping is complete, the city will flush fire hydrants.

Crews are also busy repairing potholes on Woodbury roads, Gridley said, and the city’s will end April 1.

Jessup, meanwhile, talked about the potential for flooding issues in Woodbury. The city is not generally susceptible to , he said, though the city keeps an eye on its storm water system.

Woodbury has not committed any resources to nearby cities that are bracing for spring floods, but staffers have been in talks with officials elsewhere, Gridley said.

The snow that hit Woodbury early last week forced plows out for 13 hours, Jessup said. They primarily focused on major roads and neighborhood arteries. Because the bulk of the winter snow had melted around city trails, crews were not plowing them because of the potential to damage boulevards and grassy areas, he said.

The city will be planting trees during the third week of April for Arbor Day, Gridley reported. Those interested in lending a hand can call the city’s Parks and Recreation Department at 651-714-3500. (Editor’s note: Patch will be participating in the tree-planting effort. Gridley said the holes would be pre-dug.)

Volunteer Week

The city council proclaimed the week of April 10-16 as Volunteer Recognition Week in Woodbury.

Councilman Paul Rebholz, who chaired the meeting with Mayor Mary Giuliani Stephens absent, thanked local nonprofit organizations, athletics associations and others who help engender a “terrific spirit of volunteerism in our community.”

Rebholz also encouraged Woodbury residents to lend a hand around the area where flooding is likely to occur. Later in the meeting he also mentioned the city’s Volunteer Emergency Response Team (VERP). For more information call City Hall at 651-714-3500.

Liquor Licenses

Councilman Christopher Burns asked that a resolution regarding liquor license renewals be pulled from the consent agenda.

He asked city staff to look into other cities’ liquor license fees, while acknowledging that the applicants this time around “are in perfect shape.” The city has previously discussed Woodbury’s liquor license policy at length, fellow council members reported, but with Burns being new to the council it would make sense for the information to be rehashed.

The council unanimously approved renewing liquor licenses for: , the , , , and Country Inn & Suites. Licenses for and the are contingent upon them paying delinquent water/sewer and false alarm fees.

Watershed District

Matt Moore, administrator of the South Washington Watershed District, gave the council a quick update on the latest happenings with the body.

Most of his talk centered on establishing new boundaries for the watershed and county plans for an overflow project near the Cottage Grove border.

He also discussed the watershed district contributing funds for city capital-improvement projects in an effort to improve water quality.

A Little Levity

There was a light-hearted moment at the start of the council meeting Wednesday when City Clerk Kim Blaeser called the roll. As she got to the mayor, she accidentally asked if former Mayor Bill Hargis—who previously held that job for 17 years with the city—was present.

That drew a few laughs from the council and those in attendance.

“Neither one of them is here,” acting mayor Rebholz said with a chuckle. “The good news is we still have a quorum to conduct tonight’s business.”