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COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: Activity in Hugo down slightly PAGE 2
City feels the bulldozer BY LORETTA HARDING CONTRIBUTING WRITER
CENTERVILLE — The city has been down this road before, according to Centerville City Administrator/Engineer Mark Statz. That road is the one on which higher government, such as the state Legislature or unelected agencies, try to take power away from municipalities and counties. Recently, the power creep has turned into the power leap, following an illuminating day on Capitol Hill. City officials, including Junior Council Member Avery Sauber, had an eye-opening experience during City Day on the Hill. In addition to meeting their representatives at the state Capitol, the delegation from Centerville were gob-smacked to find that the Legislature had put forth bills to preempt local zoning control. In a stated attempt to solve the state’s housing crisis, both chambers of
SHANNON GRAHNOLM } PRESS PUBLICATIONS
Aurora Urgent Veterinary Clinic is likely the first stand-alone pet urgent care in the Twin Cities. Pictured (from left) are Dr. Liz Sitter and Technicians Anny Yang and Riley Jorissen.
Local vet meets urgent need with Twin Cities 1st stand-alone clinic BY SHANNON GRANHOLM MANAGING EDITOR
Local veterinarian Dr. Liz Sitter is hoping she can fill a need in the north metro. The Marine on St. Croix resident recently opened Aurora Urgent Veterinary Clinic in
White Bear Lake, which is likely the first stand-alone pet urgent care in the Twin Cities. “There’s a high demand. It is hard to get into your regular vet, and a lot of times you have to wait for weeks, and the emergency clinics are at capacity,” Sitter explained. “I saw a big need in the
market for urgent care. It’s kind of a newer thing.” Before the pandemic, general practices could generally carve out time for both regular visits in addition to urgent care, but now SEE AURORA CLINIC, PAGE 7
the Legislature are working on passing HF4009, SF3964 and SF3980 to eliminate the ability of municipalities to zone for single-family housing exclusively. If they are passed and signed by the governor, the bills would take effect in July. The bills currently working their way through the process will tell cities they must allow duplexes, triplexes and even octoplexes in all residential areas of the city, regardless of whether there is enough parking or infrastructure to serve the high density brought on by these multifamily dwellings. Sewer, water and storm sewer systems may be overwhelmed, public schools may be beyond capacity, traffic patterns could be disrupted, home values could plummet and pedestrian safety might be impacted — and there may be nowhere to park a car, opponents say, if the bills become law. While purporting to be SEE CENTERVILLE, PAGE 8
Seed libraries set to open in Washington County “So far, it’s been a lot of in seeing seed libraries de- ress. “I’m excited we were excitement,” said Wildveloped at both libraries. able to move this forward wood Library Branch Librarians Kara Sundin in just under a year,” Wildwood Library in Manager Lara Frese and Cristina de Sobrino, Sobrino said. Mahtomedi and Hardof the public response. from Wildwood and HardSobrino said the goal wood Creek Library in “There’s already so much wood Creek, respectively, of the seed libraries is to Forest Lake have somesupport for Wildwood responded enthusiastical- encourage people to reuse thing special planned Library, and now there’s ly to the proposal. what they plant. “We for gardeners and yet plant from this, Sobrino noted that her hope people If at all possible at thismore late hour, it too.” info about the landscaping is separate and will borrow lovers. Both locations A patron suggested the love for gardening and seeds from our library would be nice to separate seed the LEBENthe Garden Center info is separate as well. will unveil two newly libraries last May. In Sundin’s knowledge of and grow them in the SCAPE logo it's own box notthe have Just put some green between the 2. Or, developed seedin libraries anand email, patron said seed library development in that theyin were interested helped project prog- is putSEE LIBRARIES, PAGE 13 it April. in the same box as the verbiage pink. what may bethe better visually, theSEED logo BY ERIK SUCHY STAFF WRITER
That way the
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Libraries have received donations from the Washington County Master Gardener Association.
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