PLYMOUTH

Wold Architects and Engineers has been hired by the Hennepin County Board to design a new emergency dispatch center in Plymouth for the county Sheriff's Office.

The proposed 46,000-square-foot building would be built next to the communications tower at the county's adult corrections facility. The board approved a contract with Wold for $302,600. Cost of construction is estimated at $30 million to $40 million.

Sheriff's dispatchers provide services for 23 law enforcement agencies and 19 fire departments. They receive 670,000 calls each year and expect that number to rise nearly five percent annually.

The current 14,400-square-foot dispatch center is in Golden Valley.

HENNEPIN COUNTY

The Hennepin County Board, meeting as the county's Housing and Redevelopment Authority, recently approved $4 million in grants and loans for nine housing and commercial projects near light-rail stations or bus lines.

The projects are expected to generate $149 million in development.

They were selected for their potential to create jobs and mixed-use development, aid historic preservation work and improve infrastructure. All together, they are expected to result in nearly 500 housing units, 200 of them affordable, and provide nearly 1,000 jobs.

The awards include:

• An $850,000 loan for Lyndale Garden Center in Richfield for renovated housing and commercial space;

• An $800,000 grant for the Corridors of Opportunity nonprofit partnership to promote transit-oriented development;

• A $450,000 loan for a West Broadway office/retail building in north Minneapolis to replace a vacant property with a new office and retail building;

• A $300,000 grant and a $150,000 loan for the Hi-Lake Triangle in south Minneapolis, for building a housing and retail building on a vacant lot;

• A $405,000 grant for 28th Avenue improvements in Bloomington;

• A $400,000 loan for Emerge Career and Technology Center in north Minneapolis, for renovating a library into a technology and workforce center;

• A $300,000 grant for Longfellow Station in south Minneapolis, a mixed-income housing and retail building;

• A $128,000 grant and a $150,000 loan for Dunwoody Flats near downtown Minneapolis, for renovating a hospital into mixed-income housing;

• A $67,000 grant for Seward Commons in south Minneapolis, for lighting and bike improvements.

INDEPENDENCE

Hennepin County will help the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stabilize the east bank of the Crow River along County Road 50 in Independence.

The $1.55 million project will begin this fall, with Hennepin County contributing $544,000.

The effort is designed to protect the highway from further erosion. The stream bank is about 18 feet from the edge of the roadway.

GOLDEN VALLEY

The Golden Valley Fire Department is planning three events this month to help recruit new firefighters to its ranks.

Residents will be able to talk with current firefighters and learn more about the work involved at:

• A Public Safety Open House from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, June 15, with tours of all three city fire stations.

• A Firefighter Recruitment Expo at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 23, at Golden Valley Fire Station 1, 7800 Golden Valley Road, where potential recruits will have a chance to try on firefighter gear and take part in activities such as an automobile extrication demonstration.

• Informational meetings at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Monday, June 27, also at Fire Station 1, to provide details about the hiring process, training, schedules and other questions.

To become a firefighter, recruits must be 18 or older, have a driver's license, have a high school diploma or equivalency, and live or work within six minutes of a Golden Valley fire station.

For more information, go to www.goldenvalleyfire.com.

WEST METRO

Cindy Leines, co-owner of C.E.L. in Plymouth, has been named Entrepreneur of the Year by the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce.

Ann Sangpan, co-founder and CFO of Check Engine Express in Minnetonka, was named Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year during an awards luncheon.

Other Entrepreneur of the Year finalists were George Klauser, CEO of Opportunity Partners in Minnetonka, and Jeff Peterson, president of Total Energy Concepts in New Hope.

Other Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year finalists were Gary Aiken, president of Tonka Financial Services in Minnetonka, and Brock Ray, marketing principal of Circadian in Minneapolis.

METRO

Garage sale season is upon us, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation is urging people to keep signs and sale items out of the right-of-way along state roads.

"With summer right around the corner, we are already seeing an increase in advertising signs and items for sale placed illegally along state highways to attract the attention of passing motorists," said Steve Lund, a MnDOT state maintenance engineer.

Putting signs or items in the right-of-way, including the shoulders, ditches and clear zones near intersections, is a misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. MnDOT crews remove such objects immediately and without notice.

Signs for real estate open houses and garage sales, commercial stands and even large bales of hay are also violations.

Signs and other items can be placed on private property outside the highway right of way, but only with permission from the landowner.

EDINA

The Edina City Council is seeking applicants for its Art Center and Heritage Preservation boards.

The Art Center Board oversees plans for the Edina Art Center and advises the council on arts activities. The board has one vacancy. It generally meets once a month, at 4:30 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of the month.

The 11-member Heritage Preservation Board advises the council on managing and preserving the city's cultural heritage and resources. The board has one vacancy. It generally meets at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month.

Applications are due by 4:30 p.m. on June 10. Forms are available at www.cityofedina.com or by calling 952-826-0408.

STAFF REPORTS