SAFETY DEPARTMENT: Recommendations revolve around increase in staff
“Your fire crew staffing model is very fragile and inconsistent in the ability to staff enough people 24/7, 365,” Gary explained. “The police department is not at fully authorized strength and also lacks 24/7 field-level supervisors.”
He added that equipment and public safety facilities are adequate but would need changes in the long term moving forward.
At a City Council workshop in February, Citygate consultants
Jack Serier and Landon Stallings provided a midpoint update regarding Citygate’s study on the public safety model. Serier said Citygate deemed the current model of the Public Safety Department as no longer functional due to the lack of personnel participation (See “Public Safety model ‘no longer functional,’” Quad Community Press, Feb. 11, 2025).
“Your biggest challenge is low staffing and difficult geography, which yields long response times,” said Gary. “If there’s not enough people on duty or pre-positioned around the community, either on patrol or at the fire station, response times suffer.”
Citygate recommended that fire and police be split into two distinct departments that report to the city administrator, and that the city acquire dedicated police and fire chiefs to pursue best practices within both agencies. The report also recommended that both agencies set a goal to become a destination employer to slow down turnover. For that to occur, it stated, the police department needs to be at full strength and supervisors need to be available 24/7. Lastly, Gary said Citygate recommends that the fire department needs a small increase in staffing for a two-station minimum guaranteed response supported by local paid oncall firefighters.
During the study process, Gary said that the consulting firm reviewed relevant city and department data, conducted listening interviews
and surveys with key project stakeholders, reviewed and evaluated administrative support functions, and more.
Police Department
Jack Serier, police services specialist for Citygate, provided a more in-depth analysis about what is working and what is not working within the police department.
“We came into this environment in the fall of 2024,” Serier explained. “We found a department that, at that point, only had four people who were cross-trained from the police side.” These members included the public safety director, police captain and two additional sworn members.
According to Serier, a study showed that police spending per capita is in the middle range when compared to other communities, the police division is a consistent contributor to state and national crime reporting systems. Furthermore, the city consistently has a low rate of crime relative to selected benchmark cities, all Minnesota cities and overall national rates.
One thing that Serier said they found concerning was that between 1-6 a.m. there was a lack of sergeant supervision in patrol.
“That period of time is fairly large, and in an urban/suburban environment the best practice is to have that 24-hour patrol supervisory coverage,” he explained. “They (a sergeant) take care of a lot of problems that can occur in decisionmaking, on-scene command of events and things of that nature.”
Serier recommended that the council consider adding two patrol sergeant positions. This would close the gap in coverage and provide 24hour patrol supervision.
Currently, there are three parttime community service officers (CSO) within the department. Two positions are currently vacant.
Citygate is recommending that one full-time CSO position be added to the department because it would provide organizational consistency and allow
the two remaining part-time positions to be utilized for recruitment.
“Once at full staffing, we’re confident that you will have adequate police coverage for the schedule and type of patrolling that is done here in the city,” he added.
Other recommendations included training new officers early when open positions are anticipated in the future, working to enhance the department to become an “employer of choice” and destination for those seeking a police career, and plan for future population growth in the community to determine any additions to patrol staffing.
Fire Department
Gary said that the department’s strengths include a strong culture of duty and cooperation. He noted that stations and apparatus are in good condition and there is a strong foundation for the department to continue to build upon.
He explained that their findings showed the department is experiencing challenges in terms of adequate response times, onboarding delays and administrative demands and peer relationships.
Gary said that short-term
recommendations include the adoption of revised response performance measures and asking staff to return with costs and phasing to implement the study’s recommendations as desired by the council.
Long-term recommendations include the possibility of working with other local fire departments and the Anoka County Dispatch Center to improve 9-1-1 response performance times for serious emergencies. The report also recommends that the department monitor response performance against adopted goals and consider applying for federal firefighter staffing (SAFER) grants. He added that the missing element within the department is adequate staffing to bring the speed and weight of response to appropriate levels for a high-functioning suburban city.
“I commend the council for commissioning this in a master plan…” Gary concluded. “You now have a road map with which to make great policy decisions and drive public safety going forward.”
Editor Madeline Dolby can be reached at 651-431-1226 or quadnews@
SCHOOL SUCCESSES: Centennial meets standards in math, high graduation rates
FROM PAGE 1
The Mahtomedi School District regularly informs parents of academic data through annual community reports. Each report includes the district’s enrollment numbers and test scores across various grade levels. The district also has a Teaching and Learning section on its website that outlines academic data and curriculum for all grades.
“In Mahtomedi Public Schools, we pay for every Grade 11 student to take the ACT, and we devote an academic day for the assessment,” said Seuffert. “Nearly 80% of colleges are now test-optional or test-blind for admissions, meaning they don’t require or even consider standardized test scores like the ACT or SAT.”
The district uses local assessments, such as FastBridge, to assess elementary students’ progress throughout the school year. According to its website, FastBridge’s assessments are to help “educators identify students’ academic and social-emotional behavior (SEB) needs faster, align the right
WEEKLY WAG
Purdue is a sweet, intelligent young lady. She is a 1-year-old pit bull terrier/Labrador retriever mix and she weighs about 53 pounds. Purdue is playful and affectionate, and she loves nothing more than being with her people. She bonds
interventions at the right time and measure whether interventions are helping students catch up — all in one platform and in up to half the test time.”
Additionally, the schools adjust core, intervention and enrichment programming based on the data received. Secondary schools use local assessments, grades and unit assessments to determine which students need additional support.
According to the website Minnesota Report Card, which ranks the number of students meeting standards in math, reading and science over time, 55.6% of Mahtomedi High School students in 2024 met math proficiency standards. For the same year, 51.7% were found to be adept at understanding science and 65% for reading. Since its most recent update in 2023, the overall graduation rate is 97.1%.
Cynthia Mueller, a special assignment and district literacy specialist for the White Bear Lake School District, also noted that the pandemic significantly impacted student learning.
“Teachers were very concerned about students,” said Mueller. “If you carried it
deeply, easily and very quickly. When she is not playing, she loves to cuddle and snuggle with her favorite people or person. Purdue is smart and well-mannered. She knows her basic commands and she is treat- and food-motivated to learn so much more. Purdue is house-trained and kennel-trained. She is social with other pets and animals, even cats, and she is friendly to everyone she meets. However, slow introductions are best. Purdue would be a good only dog for a
LINO LAKES CITY COUNCIL SNIPPETS
loving forever family or companion, but she would also do well in a home with a calm, respectful companion dog. Purdue arrived at Ruff Start Rescue from a local impound and is anxiously awaiting her new family and home. If you are interested in learning more about Purdue or adopting her, please fill out an application at www. ruffstartrescue.org. Once your application is received, Ruff Start Rescue will contact you as soon as possible.
• City staff will obtain a drainage and utility easement associated with the 2025 street reconstruction project following council approval of the purchase. The city is reconstructing 62nd Street east of West Shadow Lake Drive. The proposed improvements require additional drainage and utility easement from the property located at 760 62nd Street. The easement will be 13 feet by 225 feet. This property is currently occupied by a single-family residential home. Through negotiations with the property owner, a memorandum of agreement has been reached in the amount of $2,300.
• Chris Chandler is now the city’s new building inspector. Chandler has over 20 years of experience in construction and municipal building inspection. He currently is the building inspector for Lake Elmo. Previously, he worked for the cities of Apple Valley, Lonsdale and White Bear Lake. The starting wage for Chandler will be $45.33 an hour, which is step 7 of a 7-step wage scale. He will start work May 21.
• The Rookery will hire multiple part-time personnel. Five lifeguards and one aquatic lead will be added to staff. Start dates will vary based on the position and training schedules.
• The final findings of the operational study performed by Citygate Associates regarding the current Lino Lakes Public Safety Department model was presented to council (See full story in this week’s issue).
• The council has approved a site improvement performance agreement for the ALDI grocery store proposed to be built on the commercial lot located south of Main Street, east of I-35E and west of Otter Lake Road.
The next City Council work session will be at 6 p.m. Monday, May 12, at City Hall, followed by a regular meeting at 6:30 p.m.
Madeline Dolby
Enjoy the comforts of home with Luke’s Soup
Luke’s Soup, a foodservice distributor in Shoreview, will now serve the Lino Lakes, Circle Pines, Blaine and Lexington area. Luke’s Soup offers three meal programs that can be delivered to your home, or you can pick up. The weekly soup and meals program
over in terms of academic outcomes for our kids, it was that loss of time for those social interactions for developing oral language, which is really critical to academic achievement. In that space, it was more challenging.”
Like Mahtomedi, White Bear Lake schools rely on FastBridge and MCA tests for local assessments. The high school does not require students to take ACT tests. However, Alison Gillespie, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning, says the district remains unsure whether they will change this decision in the wake of several other schools that have chosen to make it a requirement.
“I think people are thinking about the best way to measure what our students are able to do so they can be successful at the next level,” said Gillespie. “We’re doing the same thing in secondary, but not as a tool to select students to be with us or in our public schools. Some of the leading schools with people who immediately didn’t require the ACT are now changing that. I don’t know if we 100% will flip that.”
While the Minnesota Report Card does not provide data for White Bear Lake High School reading, math and science levels, the current graduation rate is listed at 93.5% from 2023.
Markus Grossklaus, who serves as executive director of teaching and learning in the Centennial School District, sees both good and bad in remote learning.
“I don’t think anyone’s saying that for all kids, it’s good to be online all the time,” said Grossklaus. “For some students, the benefit of Minnesota is that there’s multiple ways of getting educated. We’re a progressive state. We have parents that choose homeschooling for various reasons. There’s charter schools. There’s all kinds of options for the students. Is online good for
everyone? I’d say no. It depends on the student’s needs.”
According to Grossklaus, students are required to take the MCA test but have the option of opting out with a parent’s approval. “That’s how students are required to be tested at the high school level by the state of Minnesota,” said Grossklaus. “We are always working to improve our curriculum and provide the most current thing. The state has curriculum cycle guidelines they provide us, and it says dates of implementation. In recent years, there’s been more curriculum implementation expectations.” Although ACT tests are offered, Grossklaus said that the MCA test is the only required assessment for students.
For middle and high school students, after-school tutoring and summer programs are available if they struggle. “The goal is for all students to graduate and meet the standards that the state has provided,” said Grossklaus. “If we see a student struggling, we’re going to provide extra support.”
According to the Minnesota Report Card, 53.3% of Centennial High School students in 2024 met math proficiency standards. The percentage for reading sits at 63.5% and 51.4% for science. The graduation rate is currently at 94.3% from 2023.
The Mounds View School District declined a request from Press Publications to be interviewed for this story.
For a comprehensive list of high school graduation rates and proficiency standards, visit the Minnesota Report Card website at www.rc.education. mn.gov.
Staff Writer Erik Suchy can be reached at 651-407-1229 or lowdownnews@ presspubs.com
provides chef-made soups and meals every week ready for pickup or delivery. The grab-and-go partnership program provides a soup kiosk for those who live in apartments or residential complexes to enjoy. The third program is a day care meal service, which provides soup tailored for day care programs. To learn more, go to lukessoups. com.
Ice ridges form on shorelines due to ice expansion, which pushes the soil and creates mounds or ridges.
CITY BRIEFS
Water restrictions begin May 15 in Lino Lakes
Starting on Thursday, May 15, watering restrictions will be in effect in the city of Lino Lakes. These restrictions will last through Monday, Sept. 15. Restrictions state that there will be no watering from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Oddnumbered addresses can water on even-numbered calendar dates and evennumbered addresses will be able to water on odd-numbered calendar dates. For more information, go to linolakes.us.
City of Lexington turns 75 this May
The city of Lexington will celebrate its 75th anniversary as a town on Wednesday, May 21. The town started out with a population of 569 residents. According to the 2020 census, 2,460 residents now reside in Lexington. There has been a total of 19 mayors; the current mayor is Mike Murphy.
Lexington flushes hydrants 2nd week of the month
Hydrant flushing will occur through the city of Lexington during the second week of May. As a result of the water line flushing process, residents in the immediate vicinity of the work may experience temporary discoloration of their water. This discoloration consists of harmless silt and air. If you experience water discoloration after crews have been flushing in your neighborhood, clear the pipes in your home by running water faucets on cold for a few minutes.
NAMES IN THE NEWS
Lino Lakes resident releases poetry collection about ‘living, life and grace’
Thia Nova, from Lino Lakes, has released a book of poems titled “Cause Mama Said So.” Nova has been writing poems since 1967. She explained that the collection features poems “from the heart about living, life and grace.”
Nova’s book can be found online on Amazon. For more information about the author, go to thianova.com.
Girls on the Run Minnesota to provide gear to 915 girls
Over 900 girls at more than 125 schools across Minnesota are receiving new running shoes, athletic pants, and/or sports hijabs, ensuring they have what they need to confidently and comfortably participate in the Girls on the Run (GOTR) Minnesota spring 2025 season.
Through Project Gear Up, GOTR Minnesota is eliminating barriers to participation by providing essential gear to girls at no cost to them.
Meeting twice weekly for eight weeks, more than 3,300 girls are participating in Girls on the Run’s 13th season at nearly 200 teams statewide, supported by over 800 trained volunteer coaches.
“Girls are powerful, capable and full of potential — and every girl deserves to feel that way,” said White Bear Lake resident Kathleen Cannon, GOTR MN executive director. “This is more than a running program — it’s a community that shows up for girls, surrounds them with encouragement and reminds them that they belong just as they are. With the right support, every girl can build confidence, connect with others and realize her own limitless potential.”
Girls on the Run team locations in Press Publications’ coverage area Lincoln Elementary and Matoska in White Bear Lake
• O.H. Anderson in Mahtomedi
• Centennial Elementary in Circle Pines
• Emmet D. Williams in Shoreview
In addition to shoes and pants, GOTR MN is also providing more than 100 specially designed sports hijabs in partnership with Kalsoni, a local Muslim woman-owned activewear brand. For many Muslim girls, access to modest athletic gear that aligns with their cultural and religious values is essential for participation.
The spring 2025 season will culminate in a series of celebratory, noncompetitive 5K events on Saturday, May 31, at the State Fairgrounds in St. Paul and on Sunday, June 1, in Rochester and Duluth.
For more information about GOTR, visit www.gotrmn.org.
GIRLS ON THE RUN BY THE NUMBERS
35,000 5,000 $400,000 1,350 1,800 200 served in Minnesota since 2012 girls served annually in financial aid awarded annually shoes, pants, sports hijabs provided annually community impact projects since 2012 team locations across Minnesota
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CENTERVILLE TIDBITS
• The property owners at 7037 Eagle Trail will be able to replace their 4-foot chain link fence within city’s drainage/utility easements on the side and rear yard of their property. All appropriate documents have been submitted and fees paid. The application was reviewed by the building inspector and found to be within the guidelines of approval.
• The city’s consulting planner, Phil Carson, will retire in June, and the city will need to obtain planning services for day-to-day planning work. Staff requested authorization to put out a request for proposals (RFP) inviting planning firms to provide proposals for the work and received the green light from council. The RFP would go out in April. Proposals would be received and evaluated in May, with the intent for the new planner to begin work in June.
• The Centerville Lions has presented its annual donation of $500 to offset costs associated with park maintenance, and council formally accepted the donation with thanks and appreciation.
The council next meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 14, at City Hall, 1880 Main St.
Loretta Harding
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RSVP is required. Sign up at tinyurl.com/32z7k6we. The workshop will take place at Anoka County Sheriff’s Office, 13301 Hanson Blvd. NW, Andover.
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Cougar softball has 4-0 week, leads NWSC
BY BRUCE STRAND SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR
Centennial rolled to four victories last week, improving 10-2 overall. The Cougars lead the Northwest Suburban Conference (NWSC) at 8-0. Maple Grove is 7-1.
Riley O’Connell twirled a three-hitter with eight strikeouts in a 4-0 win over Spring Lake Park. Ellie Mundale belted a two-run home run and Kendall Seidenkranz hit a solo home run. They had six hits, three walks and seven stolen bases.
In a 9-1 win at Totino-Grace, Addison Border and O’Connell were each 2-for-4 with two RBI’s. Peyton Corbin was 2-for-3 (two runs) and Seidenkranz hit a two-run single. Abby Wallraft pitched, allowing four hits, striking out seven. Centennial cruised 13-4 at Brainerd on Friday, stroking 15 hits. Cochran slammed two home runs and a double, with four RBI’s and three runs. Rapping two hits each were Maddie Abernathy (three RBI’s), Gracie Nickel
BOYS LACROSSE
Centennial had two straight duels against undefeated teams last week, winning the first one over Anoka 15-8 on Wednesday and losing the second to Farmington 14-4 on Saturday. Centennial is 4-1, Anoka 5-1 and Farmington 6-0. Gavin Cunningham led the win at Anoka with six goals and two assists. Solomon Marshall had four goals, Gavin Krage two, David Moran two and Isaak Adams one. Matthew Frost led with seven ground balls and three caused turnovers. Alex Koehn in goal stopped five of 13 shots Ethan Massmann had four goals for the Tornadoes. Farmington was led by Drake Anderson with four goals.
GIRLS TRACK
Centennial placed second out of six teams at Spring Lake Park (SLP) on Friday. Top three were SLP with 179, Centennial 156.5 and Irondale 102. Lauren Klein won the 400-meter dash in 58.82 and the 3200 in 11:33.38. Hailey Peterson won high jump (5-0), was second in pole vault (8-6) and third in triple jump (33-10 1/4). Also
(two RBI’s), Border (RBI), and O’Connell (RBI). Kendal Saffert pitched (six strikeouts, five hits, no walks, one earned run.)
The Cougars tripped Mounds View 4-2 Saturday with eight hits and seven stolen bases, overcoming four errors. O’Connell had a three-hitter and struck out 14. Cochran hit her seventh homer, a solo. Lily Renslow and Corbin had RBI hits.
placing first were Reginae Tandoh in the 200 (25.63), Kylie Nelson in the 800 (2:27.18), and Miranda Sawvel in the mile (5:25.38). The Cougars won the 4x400 relay in 4:10.33 with Natalie Lauinger, Sawvel, Nelson and Klein, and the throwers 4x100 relay in 1:00.36 with Sydney Sears, Natalie Foreman, Emily Stokkeland and Deborah Timothy. The Cougars were 1-3-4 in the mile with Emma Delf (5:50) and Annelise Offerdahl (5:51) trailing Sawvel. They were 2-3-4 in the triple jump with Amelia Sutch (36-1/2), Peterson and Gillian Turi (33-6).
BOYS TENNIS
Centennial picked up its first two wins last week, over Coon Rapids 6-1 and Spring Lake Park (SLP) 4-3, while losing to Maple Grove 7-0. The Cougars are 2-8. Winning against Coon Rapids were Andrew Abraham, Justin Driver, Kellen Tieu, Drew Gangl/Beckett Babiash, Isaac Lutz/Caleb Nelson, and Zachary Thompson/Josh Taylor. Gangl/ Babiash won a tiebreaker 10-7 and Lutz/Nelson won one 10-8. Winning against SLP were Driver, Tieu, Gangl/ Babiash won 6-4, 6-1 and Lutz/Nelson. Abraham and Thompson/Taylor lost a close third set tiebreakers.
GIRLS GOLF
Centennial had a solid week, placing third of 12 teams in an invitational while winning two conference duals. At the White Bear Lake Invitational, Taylor Thor was individual runnerup with 77 and Taylor Nelson tied for fifth with 82, at Oak Glen in Stillwater on Wednesday. The top five teams were Maple Grove with 318, the hosts 360, Centennial 370, Totino-Grace 376 and Forest Lake 378. Annika Hendrickson of Maple Grove shot 73. Also for the Cougars, Marley Lutz shot 103 and Gabby Steele 108. Centennial beat Andover 178 to 218 at Bunker Hills as Thor shot 36, Nelson 46, Charlye Weymann 48 and Lutz 49. They edged Anoka 173 to 177 at Links in Ramsey as Thor scored 38, Nelson 39, Lutz 48 and Weymann 48.
BOYS TRACK
Centennial placed second of seven teams at Spring Lake Park (SLP) on Friday. Top three teams were SLP with 198, Centennial 133 and Irondale
117. Owen Carter won discus (139-7), took second in shot put (43-8), and teamed with Brayden Boesch, Owen Leiter and Aiden Mock to win the throwers 4x100 relay in 52.37. Other Cougars placing first were Gavin Moore in the 200 (22.37), Maxwell Johnson in the 400 (52.07), Liban Ahmed in the 800 (2:05.31), Tristan Hanson in high jump (6-0), and the 4x400 team of Johnson, Persing, Cole Nelson and Ahmed (3:30.14). Placing second were Cole Nelson in the 400 (52.66) and Alexander Persing in the 800 (2:07.60).
BASEBALL
Jaden Anderson pitched Centennial to a 2-1 win over Rogers 2-1 last Wednesday. The Cougars (3-6) also lost to Spring Lake Park 9-0 and Totino-Grace 7-4. Anderson, a sophomore, allowed just three hits, walked none and struck out five against Rogers (6-4). Calvin Coppersmith had an RBI double, Jack D’Agostino an RBI single, and Jake Hosfield two hits.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Centennial lost to Tartan 9-8 on Thursday and beat Anoka 16-2 on Saturday. The Cougars are 3-2, Simley 3-5 and Anoka 3-3.
Bruce Strand
This Week In Cougar SPORTS
SOFTBALL
4:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 7—at St. Michael-Albertville
4:30 p.m.
4
GIRLS LACROSSE
6 p.m. Wednesday, May 7—vs. Champlin Park
BOYS GOLF
8
11 a.m. Tuesday, May 13—at Loggers Trail Golf Club
GIRLS GOLF
2 p.m. Thursday, May 8—vs. Blaine at Majestic Oaks Golf Club
10 a.m. Monday, May 12—at White Bear Yatch Club
3 p.m. Tuesday, May 13—at Edinburgh USA Golf Course
BOYS LACROSSE 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 9—at Andover
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Field May 6, 2025
Lauren Klein, Centennial junior, a state qualifier in the 800-meter run the last two years, ran two other races at the Spring Lake Park invitational Friday and won both, the 400 in 58.82 and the 3200 in 11:33.38. Klein, who has placed 11th and ninth at state, lowered her 800 personal bests to 2:12.18 to place a close second in the Hamline Elite meet April 25, and has won at two invitationals with 2:13.65 and 2:13.98. Klein has also helped relay teams place first in all three she’s run. In the fall, Klein was 14-10 at No. 1 singles in tennis and made all-conference.
BRUCE STRAND | CONTRIBUTED
Riley O’Connell pitched two wins last week, with 22 strikeouts in 14 innings.
JON NAMYST | CONTRIBUTED
Gavin Cunningham led a win over Anoka with six goals.
33rd annual St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour features 69 potters
The hosts of the St Croix Valley Pottery Tour are ready to welcome visitors to their studios Mother’s Day weekend, May 9-11.
Considered a Minnesota tradition, the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour is a series of pottery sales at seven different studios near the upper St. Croix River. Host potters invite guest artists to participate as well, offering visitors a wide range of distinctive ceramics for sale and a chance to meet artists face to face.
The self-guided tour is about an hour drive from the Twin Cities, and the studios are all a short drive from each other.
This year there will be a total of 69 potters from across the nation (with a
few international artists too) at seven different locations throughout the St. Croix Valley: Linda Christianson’s unique studio and log home nestled in a clearing in the woods; Guillermo Cuellar’s hilltop home and studio overlooking the St. Croix River where he’s joined by his co-host Alana Cuellar; Peter Jadoonath’s studio with a view of big sky and rolling farm fields; Ani Kasten’s pottery gallery-in-a-barn; Matt Krousey’s picturesque, woodland home and studio; Jeff Oestreich’s early Minnesota farmstead remade into a home and studio; and Will Swanson and Janel Jacobson’s studio close to Wild River State Park. For more information, visit minnesotapotters.com.
Guillermo Cueller
Peter Jadoonath
PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED
Tour participants will have the chance to visit various artist booths over the weekend.
