Week of January 1, 2018
I was cleaning out city files I accumulated the past year. The volume of paper and e-docs is immense. We are provided information from all sorts of agencies. In doing so, I came across a table of how much money each community is taxed by the Rice Creek Watershed. Last year is was $28,000. This is a lot of money by an agency that does not have an elected board and yet has taxing powers.
John Waller is the Washington County manager for a five-member board. He has spent countless hours encouraging Birchwood to look for ways to engage RCWD’s resources. This past year, the Board did authorize the reconstruction of the flow control on Hall’s Marsh. That was a project that was long overdue. Thanks to the neighbors, and specifically Bud Jenson, it finally got done. As a result, Tighe-Schmitz Park has greatly improved due to the lower water table.
Another storm structure and holding basin that is in need of attention is the one at Nordling Park. Is anyone willing to help get that issue started? It will take some time, but seeing the space improve will be welcomed by all. Please let me know.
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m
Week of January 7, 2018
It is impressive the positive feedback I receive from posting bits on this forum. So let’s noodle on another issue:
Primary elections are held in August and the general election is in November. For those two dates the city is required to have a landline phone connection to the county to transmit the election results. So really, for less than a total of 10 minutes every two years, we need a landline phone. The rest of the time during the whole two years, the line has no value. Yet the cost of installing, keeping it for three months, then removing it eats up the cost of removing it for the duration. And it has to be a landline, no internet connection allowed–Don’t want those pesky Russians hacking into our computers.
So what ideas do you have to solve this expensive proposition that we are currently stuck with? I look forward to hearing from you!
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m
Week of January 14, 2018
Last week Sara Markoe-Hanson of the White Bear Lake Historical Society met with a number of leaders from around the lake. She reminded me that Birchwood’s 100th year anniversary is coming up in 2021. This is a wonderful opportunity to look back at where we have come from, who we are, and what can we accomplish in the future.
Now is a good time to start that discussion on how to commemorate this event. Are you interested in being part of history? Let me know…it should be a lot of fun.
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m
Week of January 21, 2018
I love January. The days are getting longer and there are critter sightings that spring is around the corner. Last week was a great week to be a birder. Cedar waxwings were chattering at me as I walked the back pond, the next day I saw a bald eagle posted on a snag on Lost Lake’s shore, and last night I spotted a snowy owl as I came home after suffering through the last Vikings game. The owl was seen just outside Katherine Abbott in Mahtomedi–it was unmistakable as its white body took flight in the dark night. I haven’t seen a snowy owl since the last time the Vikings were in a Super Bowl. Seemed like yesterday, or maybe an eternity.
Of course, the heavy snow has dramatically changed the scenery again.
But, winter is not nearly rough when everything is beautiful. Enjoy.
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m
Week of February 4, 2018
Wow. What a week. The Super Bowl is over and we are back in the winter doldrums. I was out of town for the festivities and am now catching up by reading the newspapers that accumulated. One of the stories was on all the technology that was installed to make sure everyone’s texts, tweets and emails were instantaneously delivered from US Bank stadium on the big day.
That got me thinking about some of our residents in the “hollow” on Wildwood Avenue who don’t have cell reception. This dead zone is a serious problem as many folks are dropping their landlines and could be without direct access to emergency 911 services.
Perhaps we can entice these cell providers to use some of that micro technology they used at the stadium in our community. Bridget Sperl as volunteered to look into this. If you can help in any way, let me know. I am anxious to get a solution to help our neighbors.
stay warm.
m
Week of February 11, 2018
I was talking with the recycling truck driver this past week. As you probably know, Tennis Inc recycles clothing if it is put in a separate bag on top of your bin and marked “Linen”. Tennis offers this service to us as a convenience. About 2% of the total material collected is clothing. The clothes are then washed, sorted and given to charities that can reuse them.
For this reason, clothes and shoes that are worn out are not recycled, but rather thrown out.
The good news is Goodwill takes old clothing and creates rags from them and Nike (Eagan Outlet Mall) takes old shoes and chips them up for use in track and field surfaces. If you can’t get to either of these places, let me know and I will take them in for you.
This winter has been more “normal” than our recent warm, snowless ones. One of the things that we need to be mindful of is adopting a hydrant that is near you and shoveling out a passage to it just in case. The city and your neighbors would appreciate any help you can give in clearing such a path. It does take a village.
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m
Week of February 18, 2018
Two months ago, a resident at a council meeting had some questions about Birchwood’s financial health. That inquiry got me thinking that we should give our residents an update from time to time about the city’s progress. The following is the “State of the City” report I gave at our last council meeting to bring folks up to date on where we are as a community:
STATE OF THE CITY OF BIRCHWOOD VILLAGE
The state of our City is very sound. I’m proud to report that the end of this year, November of 2018, we will be completely out of debt. I know that when we came onto the City Council, we had over $400,000 in debt– which is over a year’s budget. Our water fund is sound; our sewer fund is really good; in Capital projects we have over $60,000 – that was a fund that didn’t even exist six years ago. We use that fund to maintain our roads and keep our infrastructure strong.
We have great community participation. We’ve got a whole lot of committees where people stepped forward who are interested in participating–people who are dedicated. We now have Barton Winter who has come forward and will be our White Bear Lake Conservation District representative, so we’ve filled that position. It’s nice to have people who have an interest in seeing good things happen and being part of the solution.
We have had more law enforcement. We’ve got fine money coming in that never used to come in – we can thank City Attorney Alan Kantrud for that, and the Washington County Sheriff is very diligent in enforcement. These are revenue streams that we’ve never had; it’s silent – nobody knows about them – but I think it’s important to bring it up.
The sewer maintenance we had previously was generating costs every day for manpower. That cost has now dropped way down with White Bear Township. It has been a success. It’s taken us a little while to get out of the gate on that one but now its been a couple years and its running very smoothly – seamless, actually. White Bear Township is very good to work with. It just shows that we’ve networked very well with various communities out here and solved our issues regionally.
Our environmental stewardship is good. We’re dealing with less salt on the road, thanks to our roads committee that came up with the plan to pre-treat our streets. We have leaf pick up that prevents enormous amounts of phosphorus from going into our lake stopping algae blooms. We have a Lake Links route that’s going though our community that Megan’ s [Malvey] dad has been so instrumental in getting started. That’s going to be a great resource and asset to all of us.
John Manship has come to the table and done so much for us in terms of keeping our infrastructure going. In fact, six years ago there was a hydrant that had a sign on it that said “This hydrant is out of service”. It had been there for about 6 months. At that time, a survey had been done that showed we had a number of hydrants that weren’t being “exercised” (kept maintained). We had a different contractor at the time. John has got all of our hydrants working. These are little things that people don’t pay attention to but like I said, the state of the City is sound.
We’re in the black again this past year, in terms of our overall year-over costs. And the best part now is Tobin Lay is onboard as our Administrator and we’ve got Paul Carroll who’s stepped up and is now our Treasurer. We’ve got great staff. So I am really delighted that we are really hitting on all cylinders. We couldn’t do it without everybody here on the Council and I think we just need to step back and say “we’ve done a lot of heavy lifting”.
So that’s the state of the Community. I just want to put it out there because I think we deserve at least the acknowledgement that we’ve done well – thank you all.
– Mary Wingfield, Feb 13, 2018, presented at the Regular City Council meeting.
Week of February 25, 2018
We had a bit of tree mortality last year and so the council authorized replanting those river birch that were weed whipped to death. We have purchased a fair number of bare root trees from Cold Stream Nursery in Michigan in the past. Their stock has been hardy and they stand behind their product. Bare root trees usually transplant well as they are smaller and less stressed than if fully leafed out. If you would like to add any of their products to our order, you will save the shipping costs (plus there is no tax!). Go to www.coldstreamfarm.net/ and see if you are inclined to join us with an order. As the Chinese Proverb notes: “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
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m
Week of March 4, 2018
The Birchwood newsletter went out this week. You should be receiving it soon. Mahtomedi sent theirs out recently as well. Coincidentally, both include information on sewer and water rates. Here is what I noticed:
Birchwood rates are very similar to Mahtomedi’s. We have a few more tiers that cover higher usage amounts. Yet, the big difference is our water is partially softened by the City of White Bear Lake before we buy it. That means most of us do not have water softeners and the hassle and cost that goes along with that. Mahtomedi on the other hand, is hard water and that takes its toll on pipes and fixtures.
Our sewer rates are a bit different. We charge a base rate of $36 for every user; Mahtomedi charges $16. However, the unit costs are also very different. For every 100 cubic feet of water disposed, Birchwood charges $3.12…Mahtomedi charges $5.64. That means for anyone who uses more than 1000 cubic feet (or 7500 gallons) per quarter, the Mahtomedi costs begin to exceed ours. For a point of reference, the average consumption in Birchwood is about 2000 cubic feet. So in the end, our savings are greater. Either way, the big takeaway is it is very expensive to pipe and treat sewage.
But the real difference between us and Mahtomedi is the $20 per quarter storm water fee and $8/quarter recycling fee. We have neither, as these costs are already included our annual budget.
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m
Week of March 11, 2018
The American Birkebeiner Ski Race (50 or 55 km) was held two weeks ago. Birchwood had a strong showing with Andy Sorenson, Ben Creagh, Chris Creagh, William Sikorski and I all present and accounted for. John Winter joined in at the Korteloppet (25 km). The snow was excellent and the trails were in perfect condition. This group of six are regulars, so no doubt we will be at the starting line in 2019. Wish us luck!
I look forward to the Birkie after a long winter. To me it marks the beginning of spring. All of a sudden the sun is up longer and the birds are flying through. Last week I heard seven trumpeter swans flying overhead as well as some great horned owls hooting in the woods. The pileated woodpeckers are busy and I spotted a bald eagle as well. Believe it or not, spring really is on the way.
One sad note: Linda Moore passed away a month ago. She was a good neighbor and will be missed. Our condolences to Charlie.
m
Week of March 18, 2018
Spring is coming despite the next round of snow predicted. Here is proof:
–Paper birch trees have been ordered to replace the ones killed in Tighe-Schmitz Park.
–A grant is being submitted to the Mahtomedi Garden Club to help with plantings at the Birch Easement rain garden.
–And thanks to Dr. Mike McKenzie, White Bear Lake High School students will be helping us eradicate buckhorn from Bloomquist Park next month.
If you would like to help in any of these projects, let me know.
Here are the latest phenological sightings: A flock of Snow Geese passing overhead yesterday. Red wing black birds (males for now) staking out their claim in the marsh. Honey bees out celebrating St.
Patrick’s Day.
m
Week of March 25, 2018
More folks are again out walking these days. This past week I met Homer and his owner Jackie. You have probably seen Homer sticking his nose out the window as he goes by on his daily drive through Birchwood. He is one happy Basset hound. Be sure to wave when you see them!
Washington County is again offering document (and CDs or other media) shredding. Drop off is April 18th between 8 am and 4:30 pm. Limit is 6 boxes each less than 30 pounds.
m
Week of April 1, 2018
The White Bear Press last week ran a story on municipal water consumption for the surrounding cities. Birchwood was not included in the analysis. So Let me fill you in. Good news! We are at the bottom of the chart–45 gallons per person per day. That is well below the highest user Vadnais Heights (83 gallons) and well below the mark of 75 set by court order. North St Paul was the lowest user with 55 gallons per person. Well done!
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m
Week of April 8, 2018
The Mahtomedi Garden Club generously awarded us another grant. This year it is to help with the vegetative plantings in the soon-to-be redesigned Birch Easement swale. The plantings are needed to prevent erosion and reduce pollution by trapping leaves, sediments, nutrients and chemicals before reaching White Bear Lake. The goal is to create a more “wild” site with minimal maintenance plantings (sedges and dogwood) that thrive in this leafy, intermittent wet/dry area while crowding out invasive weeds. The members have even offered their help in planting the area.
Thank you Mahtomedi Garden Club and all your members who donate their time and energy to make our communities that much better!
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m
Week of April 15, 2018
City Administrator Tobin Lay and I met with the leaders of the White Bear Lake Conservation District a week ago. They informed us the WBLCD will forego the request for funds from each of the District communities because they have accumulated an excess fund balance. The city of White Bear Lake initiated this request and the City of Birchwood joined in. We applaud the WBLCD for their fiscal responsibility in managing their expenses. We also respect the board’s willingness to address our concerns quickly and favorably.
The board leaders informed us they will review their fund balance next year as well.
Thanks to the WBLCD board for all their time and effort in protecting our areas greatest resource!
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m
Week of April 22, 2018
The White Bear Lake High School Ambassadors will be coming to help pull Buckthorn in Bloomquist Park Saturday and Sunday April 28 and 29 starting at 10 AM each day. Please come and join this hardworking group of young people who are dedicated to improving the environment…it is a belated Earth Day event. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and the ground will be thawed.
Come with sturdy gloves and a spade shovel and help make Birchwood Look Great Again (aka BLGA). FFI. Contact me at wingfield.mary@gmail.com.
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m
Week of April 29, 2018
White Bear High School Student Jada Brown from Hugo lent her buckthorn removal skills to Birchwood last weekend. She took off work to go after the stubborn bush. The removal was made much more difficult because a prior crew years ago did not remove the roots allowing the plants to sucker up much more vigorously. We spent loads of elbow grease digging out the entire plant–each and every one.
On Saturday Jada and I tackled a swath at the southeastern corner of Cedar and Birchwood Ave. On Sunday we got reinforcements from the community and we made traction on the southern edge of the Cedar. We are now buckthorn free for a great portion of the park south and east of the tennis court.
Thanks to Doug and Megan Hough, Kevin Woolstencroft, Bridget Sperl, James Nelson, Joy Hogenson, and of course Jada! See our intrepid crew below and note the opened woodland in the background. This will make much better habitat for birds and wildlife in the years to come.
Enjoy!
Week of June 3, 2018
Bon jour mis amis. It is a lovely time to ride a bicycle. I just completed a delightful bike and boat tour in France. Here is another biking opportunity. You will enjoy the scenery around the lake…although no Eiffel Tower. Enjoy. m
Lake Links 2018 Ride Around White Bear Lake
You are invited to join friends and neighbors in the Lake Links Association’s second annual Ride Around White Bear Lake Sunday, June 17. Groups will leave West Park In White Bear Lake at 1:30 and 2:30 with participants in the 1:30 contingent stopping at local establishments along the way for beverages and treats or joining Lake Links co-chair Steve Wolgamot for a brief Mahtomedi history tour. Social hour and ice cream to follow in West Park. For more information or to volunteer to be a ride marshal, email nebikewalk@gmail.com. Lake Links is a non-profit organization promoting safe routes for active mobility through the communities surrounding White Bear Lake and beyond.
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m
Week of June 10, 2018
Early Saturday morning Gene Ruehle and I went down to the hockey rink to paint pickleball lines. No sooner than we got done and we had a team of players ready to test it out.
I am happy to report the court worked well and we got a couple new converts. Julie and Mark Simanski joined Mark and Mary Cahill and me for a quick class of Pickleball 101. In no time we were all on the same page and having a great time.
We will be doing another intro course on Saturday June 23 at 9 am at the hockey rink. Join us then or let me know if you want to be included on a list of players looking for a pickup game from time to time.
Or feel free to use the courts on your own. There is one court in place and the lines for the second will go in when the weather permits.
m…and I’m a two.
Week of June 17, 2018
Rachael Drew and I put out the Community Club flags on the telephone poles last week– just in time for Flag Day. It is always nice to hear from folks who appreciate the effort. And we receive many waves and an occasional toot when we are posting them.
Here is an added bonus: Rachael loves to sketch things that brighten her day. Here is her drawing from last year. Having just returned from France and many museums with impressionist artists’ works, I’d say we have a star in our midst. And thank you to all our military personnel (past and present) in their dedication to serving our country so well.
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m
Week of July 8, 2018
This Blog has been silent the past two weeks on account of the Fourth of July Parade and Across the Lake Swim events. The parade was shortened with the rain but the smiles and laughter were full-sized as everyone made the best of it. Thanks to all our volunteers who pitched in to make it happen.
The Across the Lake Swim was Saturday–a beautiful day with the lake to ourselves. Here is a picture of the happy group of 15 before we set off to the other side of the lake to stroke home.
m
Week of July 22, 2018
Barn Quilt “trails” are found throughout Minnesota and the country.
My mom and I first came across such when we got off the beaten path in Iowa on a trip to see my brother in Omaha a number of years ago. We were able to spot a number of “quilts” in Sac County that added a vibrant texture to an otherwise snowy, drab landscape. Here is a picture of the “Barn Quilt” that John Lund and I recently installed at city hall.
I am hoping others around town or around the lake will add their creativity to our area and create a quilt to display at their homestead. They can be any size and any shape, although a square lends itself best to most designs.
If you would like help in getting started or need some paint colors to borrow, let me know. I would love to help. And if anyone has an extra sheet of plywood at least 3 feet by 3 feet, we can balance out the city hall with a second quilt!
m
Week of July 29, 2018
Last week I got an inquiry from the Star Tribune about the city bell tower that is going up as a Boy Scout eagle project. The reporter liked the “feel good” story. I think there will be a story coming up in the Strib in a couple of weeks. Be sure to look for it.
David Doughty is the eagle scout. Gene Ruehle is acting as the project coordinator with the engineer (Bill Becklin), and contractor (Andy Sorenson); volunteering their time. Also volunteering are engineer Steve Thatcher and architect Doug Danks. Thanks to everyone!
Expect to see substantial progress on it at the city hall in the next week or two. The project must be done by early September as Dave turns 18 and it must be completed by his 18th birthday.
Thanks to all for making this project a reality. It will be a nice addition for our 100 year celebration in three years!
m
Week of September 16, 2018
Wow. Summer has flown by. I just got back from bicycling in the San Juan Islands in Puget Sound. It is a beautiful place that seems remote, but it is very noisy with ships, airplanes and various industrial goings on. So it is nice to be back in our quiet, comfy corner of the world.
One of the things we were able to accomplish just before I headed out was solidifying our contractual relationship with our reader meter company. It might seem like a small thing, but it would be a daunting task to go back to the days of writing down each meter’s usage number then subtracting it from the prior quarter’s number, then hand entering the data into the billing program to create each bill. That is what we were facing last month. All that is currently included in our meter reader service. The alternative of going high tech with the data being “beamed in” to our office is even more problematic–the cost of upgrading our meters would be in the $100,000+ and we have too many trees that would interfere with the transmitting units.
So last month we were able to convince our service provider that we wanted a long term relationship rather than have them phase us out.
We are paying more for the service (about $2.60 per household), but it is still much more cost effective for us unless technology can morph into a more user friendly opportunity.
Who knew water meter reading was so complicated?
m
Week of September 30, 2018
Wow. It has been a busy week at city hall. The Bell Tower celebration on Sunday was a wonderful way to pay tribute to everyone who worked together to make it happen. Many thanks to all who brought this chapter of Birchwood history back to life.
The council also met to work out the 2019 budget. The end result is the levy will increase by about $10,000 or 2.68%. The total levy approved is $364,000.
m
Week of October 7, 2018
Good news! A neighbor (Joyce Marienfeld) reached out to me to offer gentle yoga classes at city hall. The community club is sponsoring this great opportunity as it is a wonderful way to improve our mind/body and meet your neighbors…one yoga class at a time.
We will be meeting Tuesdays from 5 to 6 pm starting October 16th. Classes are open to all as yoga is a practice within yourself. Mats will be available if you don’t have one. Come 15 minutes early for tea and conversation.
Feel free to bring a friend, too. All are welcome.
A donation of $5 to $10 is appreciated but not necessary. Let me know if you have any questions. 651.653.1022 (c)
m
Week of October 21, 2018
We had our local contractor out grading the pleasure skating rink this past weekend. The goal is to make sure the road water drains off the parking lot and along side the rink in a swale until the water connects with another swale behind the ball field. The next step before winter is to grade the rink flat and make it easier and quicker to flood this winter. Now we just need the temperatures to cooperate for a good skating season.
And if you missed Week 1, we had a great time and a super teacher getting us limbered up and relaxed at yoga. You can join us for more basic yoga tomorrow, Tuesday October 23, at 5 pm. If you can’t make it, send me a note and we will add you to the list for the next reminder. Here is a pix of the group…lots of good chi (actually, cat and cow)
m
Week of October 28, 2018
The White Bear Lake HS Ambassadors and the National Honor Society groups were pulling buckthorn in Bloomquist Park this weekend. They did a stellar job and cleared out the whole section from the entrance path at Cedar and Birchwood Ave to the tennis court steps. There is now twice the open space and clear sight lines to help users feel more safe. The birds and wildlife will appreciate the improvement as well– Buckthorn is not a good habitat for either.
Here is a picture of some of the Sunday group. Also, many thanks to Cyril Kapsner, Larry and Judy Walker, James Nelson and Mary Wingfield who all helped in the endeavor. It will have a lasting benefit to the whole community.
One other note: NO YOGA NEXT WEEK. We will limber up again starting November 13…after the election.
m
Week of November 4, 2018
It is always nice to see so many residents on election day making their way to city hall, especially on such a blustery day. Despite news reports that many voted early, it seems many in Birchwood still enjoy the social aspect of seeing their neighbors and sharing a story or smile or two regardless of party preference.
Just an update on a grant we were seeking from the Greater White Bear Lake Foundation to help with digitizing the city historical records (including many pictures and community club documents). We were hoping to have assistance with getting this information on the web in time for our centennial coming up in 2021. Unfortunately, the application was denied. We will continue to look for help as this is an expenditure that is beyond our means right now.
Yoga resumes Tuesday, November 13th at 5 pm at the village hall. All are welcome!
m
Week of November 18, 2018
Birchwood Village commemorated the 100th anniversary of the World War I Armistice on Sunday with the ringing of our newly installed bell. The bell was tolled at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. David Doughty (our bell tower builder) did the honors for us while about 20 residents looked on. Other bells in the White Bear Lake area also sounded for the august moment. It was fitting that we finished off with tolling the bell 11 times. Here is a picture of Dave in action.
m
Week of November 25, 2018
The city administrator and I met with our snowplow contractor last week to fine tune the tough plow spots around town. We talked about where snow storage should go to allow for accumulation over the winter.
One of the issues last year was making sure the edge is plowed to full width to avoid having to haul snow away by truck. Thankfully, residents understand that the road right of way extends about 10 to 15 feet off the pavement. The plowers will do their best to avoid stuffing lawns by lifting their plows up a little.
Also, they wanted you to know the salt brine was not available until last week so we got straight salt for that early snow in November.
We are hopeful this conversation will result in good results all winter.
m
Week of December 2, 2018
I was digging into the history of our city hall recently as we are looking into addressing some issues with the exterior. And since our 100 year centennial is coming up, it seemed like a good time to reconnect with the past.
When I was growing up, the hall used to have vertical siding and was white. I also knew the ornamentation around the front door was hidden behind the current boards because we saw it during the recent sidewalk reconstruction project.
The White Bear Historical Society did not have any old pictures of the hall so I was referred to the Washington County Historical Society. We hit the jackpot! It turns out our “town hall” was profiled in the August 30, 1932 edition of “La Revue Moderne Illustree des Arts et de la Vie” as a notable Art Deco example by architect Magnus Jemme. M. Jemme also designed the Women’s Museum of Art that is at Cedar and Kellogg in St. Paul, and that building is often regarded as a unique treasure.
This is a picture of our “town hall” replete with the original shutters and lintel adornments. What a beautiful piece of history we have!
m
Week of December 9, 2018
Every once in a blue moon we get an unexpected visitor in these parts. While we might not actually see the critter, they leave an indelible mark on the landscape. A fresh, thin layer of new snow helps provide the evidence. A few years ago a bear had traipsed through our yard. This week it was a pair of otters. What a surprise to see their tracks. Here is a picture of their happy trail….trot, slide, trot, slide…
m
Week of December 16, 2018
Santa’s helper came to the village hall last week. He was greeted with smiles and happy faces as kids gathered around to share their stories and get a hug. This is a scene that has been a tradition in Birchwood for over 60 years and it never gets old.
Recently, I had the opportunity to join a mission trip to Uganda. We went to help build housing but we came away so much richer from the love and joy of the Ugandan people, especially the kids.
The joy of these children is the spirit of our future. Here are pictures of that spirit here and there.
I wish you all a safe and joyous holidays.
m
Week of December 30, 2018
Last week the St Paul Pioneer Press ran a story about the sewer rates of communities in the area. Birchwood was not noted, so I was curious to see where we sat relative to others. Here are some of the rates listed in the report (the PDF can be found by googling “2018 Met Council Municipal Residential Rates Survey”).
North Oaks (lowest cost)$157
Birchwood $281
Median cost $303
White Bear Lake $317
White Bear Township $325
Mahtomedi $512
Independence (highest cost) $672
About two-thirds of our costs pay for treatment, the other costs are for maintenance, electricity, and repairs. Our maintenance costs have gone down significantly since we began contracting with White Bear Township for maintenance a few years ago.
It should be noted that Met Council said Birchwood produced an 8% increase in volume over last year and will be raising our rates accordingly. The Birchwood Utility Committee has been reviewing our rates and it is recommended that we increase our use rate for 2019 by 8%. The council will be addressing this at our January meeting.
As an aside, I will be taking a tour of the Pigs Eye treatment plant in January. The tours are free. If you are inclined to join me, let me know. We can make it a field trip with a lunch stop after.
Have a Happy New Year!
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m