Metro briefs: South St. Paul won't seek grant to move Armour gates

South St. Paul officials have decided not to pursue $50,000 in state money to pay for moving two historic Armour gatehouses to a new location.

The brick gatehouses' presence at Armour and Hardman avenues has made developing that corner difficult, a city memo said. But in order to use the Minnesota Historical Society grant, the city would have had to formally apply by April 1. Council members agreed at a recent work session to forgo it.

The city doesn't have a "definitive plan" of what it wants to do with the gates, and the $50,000 wouldn't cover the project's estimated cost of $150,000 to $500,000, said City Administrator Joel Hanson.

The gates date to 1918, when the area bustled with livestock and workers heading to their meatpacking industry jobs.

Erin Adler

County buys private land to add to park

Washington County will pay $1.26 million for a privately owned 80-acre parcel and fold it into Big Marine Park Reserve, adding to the green space and lakefront that first opened to the public in 2008 after years of planning.

The purchase was made with Land and Water Legacy Program funds, and the county plans to ask the Metropolitan Council to reimburse the LWLP fund for 75% of the cost.

Matt McKinney

City extends offer to police chief

After one of two finalists withdrew his candidacy and resigned as interim police chief in Golden Valley, the city extended a conditional offer to the only candidate left in the running.

Virgil Green accepted the offer Monday after a tour of the city and final interviews with staff. Green, security manager for the Oklahoma City Convention Center, will be the city's first Black police chief upon passing background and reference checks, medical and psychological exams and the state of Minnesota reciprocity exam.

Golden Valley hired a Texas-based consultant to find its next chief, though the other finalist, interim Chief Scott Nadeau, was internal.

Nadeau announced he would not move forward to the final interview after a recent City Council meeting in which Mayor Shep Harris called for an independent investigation into the police department, and community members expressed concern about the search process favoring Nadeau over Green.

Kim Hyatt

Road reconstruction planned

Ramsey County, in partnership with the city of Roseville, is reconstructing the intersection at County Road B2 and Lexington Avenue to improve safety and reduce crashes near Roseville High School.

Traffic analysis shows that widening the roadway and providing dedicated turn lanes will reduce crashes, according to a county press release. Federal funding will cover $747,000. Ramsey County is spending $754,000 and Roseville is chipping in $186,000.

Construction could start as early as this summer.