Metro briefs: St. Paul Library Director Kit Hadley to retire Oct. 2

St. Paul Library Director Kit Hadley will retire Oct. 2, city officials announced last week.

Hadley became the city's library director in 2009 after heading Minneapolis public libraries and helping to engineer the merger of that system with the Hennepin County Library system.

Since then, she has overseen the renovation of several St. Paul branches and was instrumental in developing the library at the Arlington Hills Community Center.

She also helped implement Mayor Chris Coleman's efforts to expand community-based and after-school programs.

Hadley said she had been privileged to work for the library, which she called "an essential foundation for civic life and learning in St. Paul."

Hadley, 62, is not a librarian by training; she has a law degree from the University of Minnesota and is a former commissioner of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. Coleman is expected to announce an interim leader in the near future.

KEVIN DUCHSCHERE

The county is advising people to remove boats and docks from Lake Byllesby by then as well. The lower water level will give workers access to the aging dam for repairs, including fixes to the concrete face of the dam and its gate and intake systems. Work on the dam will continue into spring 2016.

The drawdown will lower Lake Byllesby's water level by about 8½ feet until Nov. 21, when the county will allow lake to rise to its normal winter elevation.

Staff report

The city of Victoria is promoting water conservation with a rebate program for residents buying water-efficient appliances.

Victoria residents are eligible for a rebate of up to $100 for the replacement of a clothes washer or dishwasher with the purchase of an Energy Star-qualified water-efficient clothes washer or dishwasher and a rebate of up to $50 for the replacement of toilets, shower heads, and faucets with WaterSense labeled products.

STAFF REPORT

Wayzata's 41st annual community festival, James J. Hill Days, will be held Sept. 11 to 13 in Wayzata.

It includes a street market, carnival, water-ski show, car show and fireworks. The event, which is expected to draw more than 30,000 people, celebrates the Lake Minnetonka town's history. To learn more, go to jamesjhilldays.com.

STAFF REPORT

The Citizens' Climate Lobby will host meetings in the west metro this month featuring, by national conference call, Jerry Taylor, the president of the Niskanen Center, a libertarian think tank.