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THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2017 VOL. 14 NO. 1 www.readthecitizen.com $1.00
COUNTY COPS REPORTS: Best of 2016 PAGE 13
2016 year in review
Permitting process ‘stone in road’ for water reuse BY DEBRA NEUTKENS EDITOR
Top 10 stories a mixed bag Every year, The Citizen compiles a look back at front page stories and inside news. Topping the top 10 list in 2016 on our website was a human interest piece on a female Samoan chief who owns area Snap Fitness franchises and heads the Quad Area Chamber of Commerce. The hunt for the Golden Spike gathered lots of hits during Hugo Good Neighbor Days as treasure hunters went online to get the clues. Families looking for day care had another option in a new facility called Growing Generations, which ranked third. That was followed by features on a ham radio operator in Centerville who recalls connecting loved ones impacted by 9/11; and Hugo’s Good Neighbor of the Year, who is the American Legion’s goto person for fundraisers. A proposed housing facility at the old Waterworks
Beach Club in Centerville received mixed reactions from residents and garnered sixth place. That project is on hold after a developer withdrew. Space dedicated to a contentious school closing was justified as two stories on the Stillwater School Board’s BOLD proposal were in the top 10. That issue involves the fight to keep Withrow Elementary School open in rural Hugo. Appearing for the second year in a row is the nowarchived story on the sale of a petting zoo. The owners were successful in selling the Lino Lakes business in 2016 and have relocated to a small farm in Hugo with a few favorite animals. Rounding out the top 10 was a story on a Hugo resident who was crowned King Boreas at the St. Paul Winter Carnival. It’s good to be king. For more highlights of 2016 stories, turn to pages 8-11.
HUGO — Buzz words like reuse and repurpose are taking on new meaning when it comes to water, and the city is taking point on the concept for keeping grass green. The concept is stormwater reuse. Hugo has been taking advantage of Mother Nature’s runoff since the fi rst project three years ago at Oneka Ridge Golf Course. In that system, water drains through 1,000 acres into a ditch system that leads to a retention pond by the 18th hole. The water is used to irrigate the greens, eliminating the need to pump groundwater. “There is a lot of interest around the state for these systems,” City Administrator Bryan Bear told the City Council at its Dec. 19 meeting. “The money is following that interest, and there are agencies willing to fund these projects.” In an update to council regarding water reuse, Bear said the city will be applying for permits for several new projects in 2017. Among them are irrigation systems for cityowned property along County Road 8 and a second phase for the Water’s Edge neighborhood. There is also interest from Victor Gardens homeowners to use water from Clearwater Creek to irrigate the townhomes’ green space. The Rice Creek Watershed District is receptive to the CSAH 8 irrigation project and the timing is good, Bear said. “There is a program that will allow up to $50,000 from the district for this project. The staff and board have been extremely helpful in recent months in advancing the cause of water reuse.” Also noteworthy, the watershed district now allows the city to get infi ltration credits for using stormwater, instead of the credits going back to the district. Bear is also hoping for another round of grants from the Metropolitan Council. The Beaver Ponds Park irrigation system installed last fall was partially funded by a Met Council grant. It will be in full operation this summer to irrigate soccer fields. Approved by the City Council and in the design stage is the fi rst phase of the Waters Edge project. The townhome community uses significant water for its green space, Bear said. To offset that groundwater withdrawal, the city is investing up to $300,000 to reuse stormwater from nearby ponds along Oneka Parkway. The money will be recovered by selling the water to the homeowners association. That system should be completed this spring. One hangup in the planning process is permit applications. The city must apply to the SEE STORM WATER REUSE, PAGE 3
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