Metro briefs: Fridley scooters are a no-go for 2021

Electric-powered scooters are unlikely to roll in Fridley this year after the City Council tabled an ordinance that would have allowed them. The council is expected to resume discussion Aug. 23.

Bird Inc. had requested a license and permission to operate in Fridley, where 30% of residents don't own a car. The council approved a preliminary ordinance June 28, but city code prohibits scooters from being charged at residences.

City staff learned that a Bird fleet manager was charging scooters for Minneapolis at a residence in Fridley. The discovery led staff to recommend delaying passage of the ordinance.

Even if the ordinance passes in August, the city won't issue a license for 2021 because it will be too late in the season to do so, said environmental planner Rachel Workin.

Tim Harlow

Demolition of the building housing the Crystal Police Department began Aug. 2 to make way for a new, 23,800-square-foot police station scheduled to open in summer 2022.

The station will feature a secure, centralized evidence storage area, dedicated space for K-9 officers, up-to-date detention space, an expanded locker room and an indoor parking garage.

Crystal is spending $16 million on the project, with $12 million from the city's building fund and other capital funds and $4 million from the recent state bonding bill.

Tim Harlow

Inver Grove Heights officials announced at a City Council meeting Monday the hiring of Kristine Wilson as city administrator, a news release said. Wilson, currently the assistant city administrator in Bloomington, will take on the role that Heather Rand, community development director, has held on an interim basis since February.

The council chose Wilson from a pool of 29 candidates. Her first day is Sept. 1, the news release said.

Joe Lynch, who held the position before Rand, negotiated a separation agreement the council approved in December. Lynch had been suspended for three days in 2019 after an investigation found he made suggestive and insulting comments to a female employee.

A group of 30 St. Louis Park residents now have rain gardens on their property, as part of the city's Rainwater Rewards program.

The program offers financial and technical assistance for residents to create stormwater management projects on their property. Eligible projects include rain gardens, permeable pavement, green roofs, rain barrels and planting trees.

Projects can receive between $100 and $3,000 in funding from the city. Though funding for this year has already been allocated, the city is encouraging residents to apply for funding in 2022.