West metro news briefs: St. Louis Park City Council OKs $5.5 million street, sidewalk project

Some St. Louis Park neighborhoods will be getting more sidewalks and narrower streets, following a City Council decision earlier this month that provoked mixed emotions from residents.

The council voted unanimously Feb. 5 to adopt a $5.5 million pavement project that will make some street changes in the Elmwood, Brooklawns and Brookside neighborhoods. The project is based on a study from last fall, when the city temporarily changed part of Oxford Street from a one-way to a two-way and made other changes in order to slow traffic.

Those against the move, such as residents with small driveways, said at the council meeting that they won't have anywhere to park if the street is narrower, and added that such streets also might be more difficult to navigate in winter. Many residents said that changing one-way streets to two-ways will increase neighborhood traffic and noise.

City Engineering Director Deb Heiser said that engineers also recommended the council fix and add some sidewalks. Ryan Griffin, who lives in one of the affected neighborhoods, told the council about having to walk with his young children in the street where there wasn't a sidewalk. "Even if there aren't a lot of cars — and there aren't — it still feels like we're taking our life in our hands once in a while," he said.

EMILY ALLEN

Minnesota musicians looking for that potential big break may have to look no further than the Hennepin County Library system.

The library has launched a pilot project to feature musicians on MnSpin, an online music streaming and download resource that has been introducing local artists to new audiences since its launch last year. Musicians and bands of all genres can submit one song for consideration until March 28.

Anyone can stream from the platform, and Hennepin County Library cardholders can download songs for free. The collection can be heard at www.hclib.org/arts-culture/.

"Minnesota is such an incubator for musical artists," said library director Lois Langer Thompson, in a news release last week. "MnSpin is an opportunity for the music community to have its music heard and for all music lovers to have access to the rich talents of local musicians."

Music featured on MnSpin will follow the same genre guidelines as in the general collection, including bluegrass, country, blues, jazz, classical, gospel, folk, pop, rock, rap, hip-hop and children's music.

DAVID CHANEN

Eden Prairie High School is searching for a new principal, following the recent announcement by Principal Conn McCartan that he will be retiring at the end of the school year.

He started his career as a teacher, coach and adviser at Park Center Senior High School in Osseo, and later served as assistant principal at both Park Center and Maple Grove Senior High School. He worked as principal at Maple Grove and Blaine High School before moving to Eden Prairie High, where he was principal for 14 years.

"Honestly — it sounds so cliché — everyday is a highlight," McCartan said. "I have found that the person that I am fits the leader that works well at this school, so that's been just a real gift."

McCartan said that the school's growing diversity was "a source of great pride" and that staffers and teachers had worked hard to help students feels like "this can be a place for them, it's a place where they can be successful."

School officials are collecting input from community and staff focus groups and surveys on what they want to see in the next principal, he said. Officials hope to announce a new principal by late March, he said.

KELLY BUSCHE

The private Christian school has signed an agreement to hold classes at Redeemer Bible Church, located 5 miles from its current location, starting in the 2018-19 school year.

Headmaster Jed Culbertson said the new location allows the school to continue growing. "[Families] are loving the facility and are excited to be able to stretch out a little bit and not have to be quite so cozy," he said.

The school teaches students from prekindergarten through eighth grade, and school leaders hope to offer a high school curriculum at some point. The school was started five years ago with only 12 students, Culbertson said.

Agape Christi will hold an open house on March 1 at the new location, 16205 Hwy. 7, for current and prospective families.

KELLY BUSCHE

Wooden Hill Brewing Company, located at 7421 Bush Lake Road, will be the city's first taproom, brewing and serving its own craft beer, according to brothers James and Sean Ewen.

Workers moved brewing tanks into the 9,000-square-foot warehouse late last year and brewed the first beer on Dec. 29. The Edina City Council granted the brewery a liquor license earlier this month.

Wooden Hill is owned and operated by the Ewen brothers, both of whom have backgrounds in science and technology. They have developed almost 100 unique beer recipes, according to the brewery's website.