North/east metro briefs: Decisions are near on Roseville School District upgrades

At a time when enrollment is growing and expected to continue and a push is on to expand early childhood education, the district's physical plant dates mainly to the 1950s and '60s, Superintendent Aldo Sicoli told the Roseville City Council in late October. The trends are combining to create "space challenges," he said, include statewide approval of all-day kindergarten.

Meanwhile, things like roofs and parking lots must be attended to, he said. The last big district overhaul dates back to the 1990s, and participants at an August meeting were told that "parts of the community center are in extremely tough condition."

The potential for improvement is great, Sicoli said, although it's "easy to be excited now, when no price tags are attached and no [specific] solutions yet" have been determined.

Committees are at work examining conditions and options, he said. Findings will be presented to the public Nov. 29, and final decisions are expected in May.

The district covers all or portions of seven suburbs. People with questions may call the superintendent's office at 651-628-6452 or send a message to facilitiesplanning@isd623.org.

David Peterson

A Blaine senior living facility nearly a decade in the making recently welcomed its first residents.

"After all these years and the blood, sweat and tears that go into a project, we can say it was all worth it," said Shirley Barnes, CEO of Crest View Senior Communities, which also runs sister facilities in Columbia Heights.

Plans for the 152-unit complex stretch back to 2007, when land was first acquired for the facility. But progress on the development was halted during the Great Recession, and organizers finally broke ground on the $30 million project in July 2015.

The Blaine complex offers 66 independent-living apartments, 51 assisted-living apartments, 24 memory care units and 11 memory care suites. While all the independent housing units have been reserved, there are still openings for the assisted-living and memory-care units, Barnes said.

The facility's two separate wings — divided between the independent and memory-care units — are joined by a common area, where residents can take advantage of amenities such as a beauty salon, fitness center, club lounge and chapel, Barnes said.

To mark the facility's debut, city and county officials attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week. There will be a holiday-themed grand opening sometime in early December.

Stillwater city officials will hold a community workshop on Nov. 15 and an open house on Nov. 17 focusing on updates to the city's downtown plan. Several changes and improvements are being considered for when the new St. Croix River bridge opens in 2017 and the Stillwater Lift Bridge closes to vehicle traffic.

The community workshop will be held 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Stillwater Library, 224 N. 3rd St., in the Margaret Rivers Room. The open house will be held 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the City Council chambers at City Hall, 216 N. 4th St., where residents may review and comment on concepts developed during the Nov. 15 workshop.

Questions and comments before the public meeting can be directed to Bill Turnblad, Stillwater community development director, at bturnblad@ci.stillwater.mn.us.

Kevin Giles

Planners of a proposed Rush Line transitway from St. Paul running into the suburbs are narrowing options and getting ready to present their latest report to residents along the route.

• Nov. 29, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Lake Phalen Community Church, 1717 English St., St. Paul, for residents along the county/rail right of way, including the Bruce Vento Trail;

• Nov. 30, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., White Dragon Hall, 1600 White Bear Av., St. Paul, for residents and businesses on Maryland and White Bear avenues;

• Dec. 6, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Hayden Heights Recreation Center, 1965 Hoyt Av., St. Paul;

• Dec. 14, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., White Bear Lake school district, 4855 Bloom Av., White Bear Lake;

• Dec. 15, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Maplewood Mall, near Sears/Southlawn Drive entrance, Maplewood.