The Eagan Foundation recently awarded $8,600 to 10 local nonprofits to support a wide variety of initiatives to help make the city a better place to live, learn, work and play.

The recipients and their projects:

• 360 Communities, to purchase food for meals prepared at its shelter.

• Caponi Art Park, to support the park's 2014 Summer Performance and Family Fun Tuesdays series.

• Cheerful Givers, to provide program support and purchase birthday gift bags for people needing the services of local shelters and food shelves.

• Dakota Center for the Arts, for the 20th anniversary of the 2014 Eagan Art Festival.

• Eagan Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, to help Eagan become a proclaimed Yellow Ribbon Community that connects service members and their families with community support, training, services and resources.

• Eagan FIRST Robotics Boosters, to purchase EV3 Lego robotic central processing units to support the continued growth of the community's STEM program.

• Eagan's Men's Chorus, to help it present concerts at senior citizens facilities in Eagan or Dakota County during the year.

• Eagan's July 4th Funfest, for the Eagan Ambassador program, in which young people network with neighboring communities through community events.

• Kids 'n Kinship, for weekly youth activities for children ages 5-16.

• ProAct Inc., to help replace a wheelchair bus.

West St. Paul

Maple syrup time again at Dodge Nature Center

Dodge Nature Center will demonstrate maple syrup making from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on March 22, and March 29.

Visitors to the nature center, at 365 Marie Av. W., will see how maple trees are tapped and how sap is collected for syrup. People will be able to visit the evaporator used to make the syrup and sample the finished product.

DAKOTA COUNTY

Citizens can nominate health difference-makers

The Dakota County Public Health Department is seeking nominations of people and groups who are dedicated to improving public health in the county for the annual Public Health Achievement Awards

Community health leaders are recognized in three categories: youth, individual and community group (coalition, partnership or organization). Winners will be selected based on their leadership, contribution to solutions to public health problems, collaboration, advocacy, role modeling and evidence of influence.

The awards will be presented before the County Board on April 8 as part of Public Health Week.

Nominations must be submitted by March 14. For a nomination form and instructions, see www.dakotacounty.us and search Achievement Award or call 651-554-6100.

SOUTH St. Paul

City offering water bill credit for running taps

Worried about frozen water pipes? The city is offering a way for municipal water customers to leave a tap running to prevent freezing without taking a big hit on their water bill.

The city will provide a credit of up to $20 for customers who notify the city of their intention to run a tap during March to avoid a frozen water line.

The $20 credit is calculated based on 11,800 gallons of water consumed, assuming a 1/16" diameter stream. Sanitary sewer billing will be adjusted to 2013 winter-quarter consumption levels. The city emphasizes that the credit is only available to those who notify the city beforehand of their intent to run the tap.

For more information, call 651-554-3200 or e-mail finance@sspmn.org.

LAKEVILLE

Applications sought for city advisory groups

The city is looking for volunteers to serve on a variety of advisory boards, including the planning commission, the economic development commission, the finance committee and the arts center board. The groups meet regularly and make recommendations to the City Council on matters in their areas of specialty.

For more information and applications, see http://tinyurl.com/lgc7q5l.

SUSAN FEYDER, DYLAN BELDEN and LAURIE BLAKE