Briefs: St. Therese plans senior care, housing complex in Woodbury

St. Therese, a faith-based senior care and housing organization, is planning to build a new 275-unit senior community in Woodbury, just south of the intersection of Radio Drive and Bailey Road in the Bielenberg Gardens retail/residential center now under development.

Guided by a rich tradition in the Catholic faith, St. Therese has been serving older adults and their families for more than 45 years. The Woodbury campus is scheduled to break ground on the first phase of the development in late fall 2013, opening its doors in late 2014 or early 2015.

The St. Therese senior community is the second major project planned for the site. Edina-based Jerry's Enterprises Inc. — which operates 37 grocery stores in three states under the retail banners of Jerry's Foods, Cub Foods, County Market and Save-A-Lot — plans to begin building a 68,000-square-foot store there in June.

The St. Therese project is a continuum-of-care model, meaning that whenever possible seniors receive a comprehensive array of health services on a single campus. The community will include one- and two-bedroom independent-living apartments as well as assisted-living and memory-care apartments with a variety of amenities and services.

Private nursing-care suites for long-term, memory and transitional care, including cardiac care, also will be available where residents will live in small neighborhoods. The living options will be connected by a town center with conveniences such as a chapel, movie theater, cafe, beauty and barber shop, and state-of-the-art wellness and rehab center.

"St. Therese is delighted to be expanding in the east metro," said Barbara Rode, St. Therese president and CEO. "Woodbury is a progressive city supported by innovative leaders seeking the best options for their aging population. We look forward to serving all Woodbury and east metro area seniors and their families as they journey through the aging process."

Globe University has appointed Jenna Goveronski as its new Veterinary Technology program chairwoman at the school's Woodbury campus.

"The more hands-on the better. Students learn and retain information better when they can actually be physically involved," said Goveronski, who lives in Spring Valley, Wis.

Students in the veterinary technology program at Globe University work with animals early in the program, perform laboratory procedures and learn how to communicate with vets and pet owners.

Washington County's SWAT Hostage Negotiation Team was presented the top award last week by the Special Operations Training Association of the Upper Midwest, a nonprofit group of public safety officers dedicated to improving responses to crisis situations.

The county's team, which includes officers from Woodbury, Cottage Grove, Stillwater, Forest Lake and the Washington County Sheriff's Office, was named Negotiations Team of the Year.

In addition to the team award, Chris Rheault, a detective with the Woodbury Police Department, was named Hostage Negotiator of the Year. Rheault was honored for his work to free a group of young people who were being held hostage Aug. 31 at the Red Roof Inn in Woodbury.

Demetrius S. Ballinger, 25, of North St. Paul, had taken a dozen young people hostage, according to a criminal complaint charging him with more than two dozen felonies. One hostage, Mark E. Henderson, 19, was killed during the crisis as he tried to flee.

Jeff Zerwas, another detective with the Woodbury Police Department and also leader of the county's SWAT negotiations team, said, "The professionalism and dedication to doing exceptional work as a crisis negotiations team was acknowledged with these awards. We are fortunate to have the right mix of people in our organization."

Access Communications will install fiber-optic cabling from the Washington County Government Center in Stillwater to Manning Avenue. The contract for the project is for $139,559.

This section of fiber-optic cabling will complete a fiber ring that will connect Washington County to the state of Minnesota and the Internet via existing fiber in Anoka and Ramsey counties. This connection will provide network backup for the Government Center during the years when a new St. Croix River bridge is being built.

Caleb Brunz of Woodbury will serve on the Washington County Public Health Emergency Preparedness Advisory Committee, representing District 5, for a term expiring Dec. 31. The committee makes recommendations to the County Board on matters relating to public health duties.

Cottage Grove is seeking nominations for Volunteer of the Year, an honor recognizing exceptional service to the community over the past year. The city also is accepting nominations to recognize long-term service to the community.

Download a nomination form at www.cottage-grove.org or pick one up at City Hall. Return the completed form to City Hall at 12800 Ravine Parkway S. by April 12.

Organizers of the Nature Valley Bicycle Festival are seeking host families for professional cyclists competing in the Nature Valley Grand Prix, which runs June 12-16.

Several families are needed to provide housing for 300 racers who will compete in Stillwater, St. Paul, Cannon Falls, Minneapolis and Menomonie, Wis., for five days. Host families must provide a place to sleep, a bathroom with a shower, laundry area and refrigerator space, said housing coordinator Mike O'Day.

Anyone wishing to volunteer can contact O'Day at 612-309-7192 or go to host@naturevalleybicyclefestival.com.

For more information, visit www.naturevalleybicyclefestival.com.

Washington County will conduct a public hearing concerning a tax abatement request from the city of Lake Elmo for a property at 8665 Hudson Blvd.

The city is requesting that Washington County approve an economic development tax abatement for Valley Cartage, a transportation logistics company from Hudson, Wis., that wants to relocate to a site on Hudson Boulevard. A city abatement was approved Feb. 19.

The transportation logistics and call center operation expects to add 50 new jobs to its current 30 if it comes to Lake Elmo. The abatement would amount to $20,000 total over four years.

The public hearing will be held April 9 at 9 a.m. in the fifth-floor boardroom of the Washington County Government Center.

Lakeview Hospital in Stillwater needs the ability to communicate with its staff in a timely fashion during emergency and nonemergency situations, Sheriff Bill Hutton said.

The hospital will pay the Sheriff's Office $50 per 100 employees and $150 in annual fees. The agreement runs through 2013.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will install a monitoring well in Washington County's Square Lake Park to provide long-term information about groundwater quality.

The MPCA will be responsible for costs and risk associated with well installation and monitoring activities and will minimize any interference with the county's use of the property, the county said. MPCA will restore any disruptions to the park.

Sampling results and data collected from the monitoring well will become public information, the MPCA said.

The County Board agreed March 19 to pay $37,800 toward the project. The roundabout is part of the county's long-term Capital Improvement Program.