The new year in Washington County brings a burst of parks and trails activity

Expect a more playful Washington County in 2015 as parks, trails and waterways prosper on the wings of economic recovery.

All by itself, the new Brown's Creek State Trail will attract tens of thousands of people. The popular Lake Elmo Park Reserve swim pond, destined for major improvements, will see even larger crowds. Riverfront parkland north and south of Stillwater will be adapted for public use. Lakes will receive more government attention to promote recreation and guard against invasive species.

Elsewhere in 2015, local governments will invest more money in buildings and services, transit proposals will gain speed and the new St. Croix River bridge will continue its rise to 215 feet at its highest point.

Outdoor amenities

• Always a tourism and weekend recreation destination, Washington County's appeal will grow with the 5.8-mile Brown's Creek trail, now predicted to become one of the most popular pathways in Minnesota. The trail opened to little fanfare in October, connecting Stillwater with the Gateway State Trail in Grant, but became a public sensation overnight.

In 2015, the effect of the Brown's Creek trail on Washington County's economy should become apparent as its reputation grows and it draws an increasing number of skiers, walkers and runners. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources plans a trail-opening celebration in June.

In Stillwater, the trail will link with a new city trail that leads along the riverfront. Downtown merchants are looking to find ways this year of enticing an estimated 75,000 people entering and leaving the trail to head downtown, leading to probable business expansion.

• Regional parks in Washington County already draw 1.5 million visitors a year. County planners will respond with a flurry of improvements in 2015, including a parking lot expansion at the Lake Elmo park's swim pond to better accommodate growing numbers of visitors. Planning for other improvements at the swim pond, such as an expanded picnic area, will accelerate in 2015.

• Design work for a new Point Douglas regional trail from Hastings to Prescott, Wis., also should be completed in the coming year. That trail is one of many that will receive increasing attention as city and county governments promote outdoor amenities to spur business growth and create more jobs.

Public works projects

As Washington County nears a quarter-million residents, public buildings that served much smaller populations are being expanded or replaced:

• In Forest Lake, city business in the new year will be conducted in a larger city hall with modern technology. The new offices opened Dec. 3, replacing a 1939 building.

• In Stillwater, a new fire station will open in midsummer near the city's western border. The $7 million station replaces smaller quarters downtown and will share training rooms with a new Minnesota National Guard armory being built on an 18-acre site along Hwy. 12, also known as Myrtle Avenue, toward the west end of Stillwater. The city's police department, cramped in the basement of City Hall, will move to the old fire station on North Fourth Street.

The National Guard will occupy about 80,000 square feet in the new Stillwater Readiness Center.

• Washington County will begin construction of a new "North Shop" for its public works division. The project involves replacing a 1960s structure that was built when the county's population was less than half of what it is today. The North Shop isn't energy efficient, costing as much to heat as the Historic Courthouse, a county-owned building in Stillwater dating from 1870.

• Perhaps the most inventive water reuse project in the metro area is happening in Hugo. This year, the city will expand its efforts to rely more on surface water and less on wells. It's not just talk — already, golf courses and major housing developments in Hugo have converted to stormwater for sprinkling and irrigation, saving at least 50 million gallons a year drawn from the ground.

• Construction of a four-lane St. Croix River bridge was championed by supporters as a "regional transportation solution" and disdained by opponents as an overbuilt monolith on a federally-protected river. In 2015, the shape of the coming bridge will become more evident as workers finish building piers and begin linking them to make the road deck.

Minor work that remains on approach highways and frontage roads in Oak Park Heights will be completed in the spring and early summer. On the Wisconsin side of the river, work will resume in the spring on a Hwy. 35 extension that will link the new bridge with the existing four-lane highway near Somerset.

Transit gets rolling

Heard of Red Rock? Gateway? Rush Line? These major public transit corridors, in various stages of planning, share a common theme. They're envisioned as a commuting alternative to congested highways. They also all lead to St. Paul.

County leaders plan to ramp up public awareness of the projects in 2015 to build potential ridership, defying criticism from some residents that too much money is being invested for too little return.

Proponents say transit won't reach its full potential for years — but say it's crucial to ease a growing hoard of commuters on Washington County highways.

Economy improves

• The iconic CityPlace development in Woodbury should put to rest any doubt about the economy's recovery in Washington County. The ambitious reconstruction of the former State Farm headquarters at Interstate 94 and Radio Drive includes a hotel, restaurants and retail stores. The first of them will open in the summer.

• Several cities will see retail expansion this year. In Woodbury, portions of the Bielenberg Gardens development will open for business. In Oakdale, a new Hyvee's grocery will open on the site where a dilapidated shopping mall once stood. Cottage Grove will have a medical marijuana production plant. Mahtomedi is pursuing plans for a downtown senior living center to augment its business district. Lake Elmo has a new plan for its Old Village business district, as well as for downtown street, sidewalk and parking improvements.

The Washington County Board, meanwhile, is expected to put its new economic development policy into practice, further strengthening the county's partnership with cities.

Public safety

• In January, two young men will be sentenced in the drug overdose death of Woodbury teenager Tara Fitzgerald. They pleaded guilty in the fall to charges of third-degree murder. The case has drawn widespread attention after investigators and prosecutors found evidence of a drug-dealing chain and charged everyone who had bought and sold the synthetic drug that killed Fitzgerald, 17..

• Methadone and other dangerous prescription drugs led to deaths and felony convictions in 2014, but prosecutors and law enforcement officials say they expect even more problems in 2015. Increasingly, opiates such as methadone and heroin are being bought and sold. They also are being mixed with alcohol.

• A lawsuit over a boy's death in August 2012 from a rare amoeba has new life because of a recent state appeals court decision. Jim Ariola sued the city of Stillwater, Washington County, and the state after his 9-year-old son Jack swam in Lily Lake in Stillwater and died from a flesh-eating parasite sometimes found in warm lake water. A district judge earlier had dismissed the suit, but the higher court revived the Stillwater portion of it, saying Ariola could sue the city.

• In another lawsuit, atheists have sued Washington County on grounds that a representative of their organization was denied registration as someone who could perform marriages. The Atheists for Human Rights organization filed suit alleging discrimination under the "free speech" clause of the First Amendment. Attorneys for the county replied that state law doesn't permit atheists as marriage celebrants.

City and county politics

City Councils and the County Board begin the year with swearing-in ceremonies for several new elected officials — all of whom bring ideas for changes in how their local governments operate.

• On the County Board, Karla Bigham takes over the District 4 seat she won in November, replacing Autumn Lehrke. The race seemed civil enough, but ended bitterly when Lehrke accused Bigham of making personal attacks. Bigham denied doing any such thing and said she's looking forward to forging stronger relationships with cities in her district and building ridership for the Red Rock transit line.

• Major leadership changes include new mayors in Stillwater and Oakdale. Forest Lake has a new mayor, too, but he's a former mayor who decided to run again after a four-year hiatus.

The new year will bring substantial changes in Stillwater, where preparations for the 2016 closing of the Lift Bridge hit high gear. Downtown merchants will make crucial decisions about a "revitalization" of their historic district to counter possible retail growth along Hwy. 36 when the new bridge opens. Mayor-elect Ted Kozlowski, who will be sworn into the job on Jan. 6, will lead the city into the new era.

Kevin Giles • 651-925-5037