Briefs: St. Croix River bridge project expands to night work

Those bangs heard on the St. Croix River at night are coming from round-the-clock work on bridge foundations that will continue into early December as work to build a four-lane bridge accelerates.

Work on four of the five pier locations in the river is ongoing, and the fifth pier should be under way in late September, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) said.

In addition, night hauling from Oak Park Heights to Baytown Township, to remove excess soil from the Hwy. 36 approach site to where the new bridge will be built, will continue through early September. Additional night hauling is possible later in the season.

The Minnesota approach project will be complete by fall 2014, and the new bridge will be complete in fall 2016, MnDOT said.

Additional details are available on the project website at www.dot.state.mn.us/stcroixcrossing/.

A trail along Radio Drive between Hudson Boulevard and Interstate 94 will be constructed along county and Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) right of way.

The Washington County Board requested a permit from MnDOT for the trail at its meeting Aug. 20.

A small section of this trail will extend into MnDOT right of way.

The St. Croix Valley Sports Hall of Fame and its sponsor, St. Croix Valley Athletic Association, have announced the class of 2013.

The inductees are: Don Buege, 1948; Adam Berkhoel, 1999; Molly Miller Casey, 1999; Coach George Hoeppner and Coach Duane Mutschler. Also being recognized are the two state championship teams of Coach Scott Christensen, the 2011 Boys Cross Country and 2012 Boys Track and Field.

Every five years the Hall of Fame committee recognizes 12 individuals for their accomplishments and contributions to Stillwater High School sports from the early 1900s into the 1970s era.

Hall of Fame 2013 Legends/Past Achievers Class members are: In the 1940s, Howard Hanson, Joe O'Brien, Dorothy Simonet Kilty; in the 1950-60s, Gerhard "Get" Riebe and Jim Doe; in the 1970s, Robert Bliss, Kevin Meinke, Mary Blickenderfer, Dean Anderson, Daniel Carlson, Jim McLaughlin (longtime supporter and sports columnist for the Stillwater Gazette) and Jim Ratte, "Voice of the Ponies."

Reservations can be made via e-mail at scvaahalloffame@yahoo.com for $30 per person or $240 for a table of eight. Checks payable to S.C.V.A.A. also can be sent to the Hall of Fame Committee, Box 44, Stillwater 55082.

In November, Washington County created a new website for its residents to find information and conduct county business. Users wanting to convey concerns and impressions can do so through a survey on the site.

Go to www.co.washington.mn.us and find the survey on the left side of the home page, under the Search function, and click on "Give Us Feedback." The survey will take a few minutes to complete.

A portion of 70th Street South in Cottage Grove will receive a new county highway number on Oct. 1.

Washington County is constructing a new alignment of 70th Street extending east from the existing southern intersection of 70th Street and Keats Avenue. After the project, this intersection will be a single-lane roundabout with roadways from all four directions, while Military Road will become a "T" intersection with Keats Avenue when the east side of the intersection is moved to the south.

Police officers Robin Kivel, Michael Flansburg and Jonathan Miller were sworn in by Chief Lee Vague during a brief City Hall ceremony attended by family, friends and fellow officers on Aug. 21.

At the same meeting, the council also appointed a full-time firefighter and two part-time paramedics.

Kivel previously lived in Spring Valley, Wis., and worked as a Pierce County deputy. Flansburg, a former St. Paul police reserve officer, worked as a property custodian for the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and is pursuing his master's degree in criminal justice. Miller also served as a reserve police officer in St. Paul and worked as a community service officer with the New Hope Police Department and a security officer at St. Catherine University in St. Paul. He has lived in California, Pakistan and the Philippines.

The department also hired three other officers in January to fill vacancies resulting from retirements and resignations.

In-person absentee voting for the Nov. 5 elections will open Tuesday at various locations around Washington County.

The offices will be open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays, including the Monday before the election, as well as 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 2. The absentee voting will continue through Nov. 4.

Absentee ballots are also available through the mail by printing and filling out an application online and mailing it to the Washington County Government Center. Mail applications must be received by 3 p.m. on Election Day.

For more information call, Washington County Elections at 651-430-6175.

Dan Heschke has joined the Youth Service Bureau board of directors. He is executive director of information technology at Imation Corp. in Oakdale and responsible for all business applications, IT infrastructure, systems security, support and IT strategy.

Heschke joins nine other board members who represent communities throughout Washington County and a variety of backgrounds, including law enforcement and mental health service.

Watershed district governance, required by state law, helps to control or alleviate flood damage and protect groundwater, among other responsibilities.