Briefs: Eagan plans two meetings on lake water quality

The City of Eagan will hold public meetings from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 11 and 12 about the Neighborhood Lakes Project, a water quality study of 12 lakes.

Both meetings will have formal presentations at 7 p.m. The forums will be in the Eagan Room on the second floor of City Hall.

The Dec. 11 forum will focus on Bald, Bur Oaks, LeMay, North and O'Leary lakes. The Dec. 12 forum will highlight Carlson, Cliff, Fitz, Hay, Holz, Quigley and Southern lakes.

The study is partly funded by a $167,000 grant from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and a $5,000 contribution from the Gun Club Lake Watershed Management Organization.

Minnesota Transportation Commissioner Charlie Zelle and Metropolitan Council Chairwoman Sue Haigh will host a town-hall meeting on transportation from 4 to 6 p.m. Dec. 17 at Burnsville High School's Mraz Center for the Performing Arts at 600 E. Hwy. 13, Burnsville.

The Burnsville meeting will be the last of five such sessions about how transportation affects quality of life and Minnesota's economy. Zelle and Haig will argue the importance of investing in transportation.

They will also take feedback and answer questions about Minnesota's transportation system. Other MnDOT staff will be available to answer questions, as well.

The first state plan on ports and waterways is open to public comment through Dec. 27 with the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The state has four ports on Lake Superior and five ports on 222 miles of the Mississippi River which provide transportation connections to national and international markets. The plan identifies opportunities, challenges and strategies to improve freight movement along this system and establish consistent federal and state funding sources.

"We must improve and use Minnesota's aging ports, channels and locks and dams along the Mississippi River and Great Lakes to their fullest industrial extent if we are to help businesses move products, compete for jobs and talent and contribute to economic growth," said Commissioner Charlie Zelle.

The plan recommends improvements to system infrastructure, capacity, technology and logistics and a mix of public and private investment.

For more information about the plan or to make comments, contact Matthew Pahs, MnDOT freight planner, at 651-366-3694 or Matthew.Pahs@state.mn.us.