North/East metro briefs: Oakdale residents can comment on lake roadwork

Kevin Giles

The Anoka County Library will host a "History Day Hullabaloo"at its Mississippi branch in Fridley on Dec. 9.

Students competing in the 2016 National History Day contest can drop by the Anoka County event for help in narrowing and developing topics and identifying library materials. Minnesota History Day staff and college mentors will be present to assist students.

"This type of program demonstrates Anoka County Library's mission in action," said Dan Greensweig, Anoka County library board president. "Students are gathering information, developing ideas for their research and getting inspired about using the library."

National History Day began on an Ohio university campus in 1974, and has spread to include students across the country.

History Day Hullabaloos are coordinated by the Minnesota Historical Society and sponsored by the Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA).

The Dec. 9 event will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. at 410 Mississippi St. NE. in Fridley. For more information, call 763-571-1934.

Roseville has joined a list of cities launching online discussion forums to allow more citizens to add their two cents' worth on civic issues.

The digital engagement tool, called Speak Up Roseville, went live earlier this month.

The software, officials say, is designed to give residents "the opportunity to give feedback on proposals, participate in discussions, submit ideas and ask questions in a convenient, online format."

So far, city staffers are being diligent about weighing in with responses to comments, and not just perfunctory responses, either; at times they go into some depth.

For instance, one early participant wrote:

City planner Paul Bilotta weighed in with a more-than-400-word response, outlining the limits of what the city can do when private property is involved but arguing that the city does also push for the right thing to be done.

"The city's involvement is generally constrained to supporting and encouragement for owners that want to preserve their historic properties," he wrote. "There also isn't a standing source of private, nonprofit or public funding available for us to work with in order to proactively acquire historic properties to our knowledge."

Staff report

A New Hope citizens task force has recommended that the city build a new City Hall and police headquarters.

The group determined that the existing building requires substantial maintenance and that renovation would not solve the problem.

The project could cost an estimated $17 million. The city held an open house last week to "expose the need to the public," said city spokesman Jerry Beck. The City Council will evaluate community feedback and determine how to proceed.