Health care law changes topic of forum

The impact of changes in state and federal health care laws on businesses will the topic of a Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce business luncheon starting at 11:30 a.m. Aug. 14 at Mississippi Dunes, 10351 Grey Cloud Trail, Cottage Grove.

Reservations are being accepted through Thursday, Aug. 8. Cost is $15 for chamber members, $18 for nonmembers.

"The Affordable Care Act & Minnesota Health Care Exchange & the Impact to Businesses" will be presented by Jim Sarych and Andy Weitnauer of Financial Concepts, Inc.

The discussion will include:

• Overview of the Affordable Care Act.

• Determining if your business/organization is subject to the potential penalties and how to avoid them.

• Overview of the Minnesota Health Care Exchange.

Reservations can be mailed, phone, faxed or e-mailed to the Chamber Office at Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 16, Cottage Grove; phone 651-458-8334 or fax 651-458-8383; e-mail at office@cottagegrovechamber.org.Register online at www.cottagegrovechamber.org via the calendar tab.

County Road 22 (70th Street South) has been closed to traffic between County Road 19 (Keats Avenue) and Jamaica Avenue in Cottage Grove. The closure will remain in effect for about 90 days.

The detour route will be Jamaica Avenue on the west, County Road 20 (Military Road) on the north, and County Road 19 on the east.

The Washington County road project involves consolidating two closely spaced four-way stops on County Road 19 (Keats Avenue) into one roundabout. While the county is building a new alignment of County Road 20, the South Washington County Watershed District is also building a portion of its regional drainage system in the area of the new highway alignment.

For more information, contact Mindy Leadholm at mindy.leadholm@co.washington.mn.us or at 651-430-4361 or 651-470-7754. For general project information, see the project website at www.co.washington.mn.us/.

The steel-drum band "33 Degrees North" will perform Caribbean sounds on the lawn. Bring a lawn chair or blanket.

The library is at 1010 Heron Av. N. Call 651-730-0504 for more information. The program is funded by the Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment.

Washington County is asking the public to help identify the top health issues that affect the residents of the county.

An online public opinion survey, open until Aug. 30, asks for comment from anyone who lives or works in Washington County. The confidential survey will take about 10-15 minutes to complete and covers health issues such as alcohol and tobacco use, access to medical and dental health services, children's health and environmental concerns.

The survey is available through a link at www.surveymonkey.com/s/wchealth and also can be accessed from the county's website at www.co.washington.mn.us. For questions, or to obtain a Spanish language version of the survey, contact the Washington County Department of Public Health and Environment at 651-430-6655.

The road will reopen by Labor Day.

For information on the project, contact Mindy Leadholm at mindy.leadholm@co.washington.mn.us or at 651-430-4361 or 651-470-7754.

The Washington County Board approved a labor agreement with county correctional officers and communications dispatchers July 23 after an arbitrator's ruling.

The two-year contract is retroactively effective from Jan. 1, 2012, through Dec. 31, 2013.

In 2012 and 2013, employees below the maximum salary receive an increase of 1.5 percent as of their anniversary dates. For 2012, employees at the salary range maximum receive a 1.5 percent lump sum payment; in 2013, employees at the salary range maximum will receive a 2 percent lump sum payment on their anniversary. No general adjustments were given in either 2011 or 2012.

The City of Scandia is offering full and half-day camps in partnership with Camp Lakamaga.

Camp activities include swimming, kayaking, fishing, art projects and an adventure course.

Session 3 runs Aug. 12-16. The full-day cost is $140 and includes lunch and snacks. The half-day cost is $65.

Call Judi Negus at 651-433-2274 for more information or find details and registration forms on the city's website at www.ci.scandia.mn.us.

Tickets are on sale for the 11th annual Stillwater Veterans Memorial Benefit Cruise to take place Aug. 19.

The cruise leaves the dock at 6 p.m. and returns at 8:30 p.m. Boarding will be at 5:30 p.m. Cost of the event is $30, which includes dinner.

Because the Veterans Memorial is a nonprofit organization, $15 of each ticket is tax deductible. Proceeds benefit the preservation and improvement of the Stillwater Veterans Memorial, situated at Third and Pine streets. For tickets or information, visit www.stillwaterveteransmemorial.org or call 651-344-6245.

Gander Mountain Co. of Woodbury was fined $1,000 for hazardous waste violations by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) in one of 65 enforcement cases in 42 counties concluded statewide during the second quarter of 2013.

Penalties for all the cases totaled just under $240,000. Nearly 30 percent of these cases, with penalties totaling just over $65,000, were for stormwater runoff violations.

Imposing fines is only part of the MPCA's enforcement process. Agency staff provide assistance, support and information on the steps and tools necessary to achieve compliance for any company or local government that requests it.