North news briefs: Anoka High class of '64 to hold reunion

The Anoka High School Class of 1964 will celebrate its 50th reunion Sept. 13 at Green Haven Country Club in Anoka. For further information, send an email to Class64AHS@gmail.com or contract

For information and to RSVP contact Pat (Barrott) Hesli, 763-421-8499 or phesl@aol.com or Jill (Brock) Bonde, 763-754-8761 or jill_bonde@msn.com.

Anoka County Parks will host its annual Maple Syrup Festival on March 22 at Wargo Nature Center in Lino Lakes.

Families and participants will learn about the tradition of gathering maple sap and cooking it down to make maple syrup and sugar. Other activities include maple crafts, a spring scavenger hunt and tasting maple-syrup-inspired treats. The event runs from 2 to 4 p.m. and costs $4 a person, plus tax.

Preregistration is required. For information, call 651-429-8007 or go to www.anokacountyparks.com.

Anoka County Parks is offering a "Start Your Garden" program on April 23 at Wargo Nature Center in Lino Lakes. Participants will learn about sustainable gardening. Topics include garden plot design and layout, preparing the soil, choosing your vegetables, planting techniques, weeding, insects and diseases, and harvesting. The session, which runs from 6 to 8 p.m., is part of the Natural Living series. Preregistration is required. Cost is $5 a person, plus tax. To register, go to www.anokacountyparks.com.

The Anoka-Hennepin School District will host 2014-15 kindergarten registration at each of its 24 elementary schools this month and next.

The district will be offering all-day kindergarten free of charge to all families starting in the fall of 2014.

For more information, go to www.anoka.k12.mn.us.

Blaine residents have until April 15 to apply for financial assistance with sealing old wells.

The Minnesota Department of Health requires residents to either seal unused wells or apply for a permit to keep them open. Sealing old wells protects the groundwater supply from contamination.

Blaine has obtained a cost-sharing grant to assist residents. The city will pay the landowner 50 percent of the direct cost of sealing a well, up to $500.

For more information, contact Jim Hafner at hafner@ci.blaine.mn.us or call 763-785-6188.

Brooklyn Center is seeking volunteers for its Adopt A Park, Trail, Street or Flower Garden program.

The program is open to businesses, organizations, neighborhood associations and individuals willing to partner with the city to improve the community.

For more information about adopting a park, trail, street, rain garden, or flower garden in a city park, contact Jenny Whiting at 763-585-7100.

To adopt a flower garden or plant container at City Hall or the Community Center, contact Kelly Mertes at 763-569-3405.

The project along Broadway from Interstate 694 northward to Hwy. 610 is designed to increase safety and better accommodate all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers. Preliminary plans call for a continuous four-lane divided highway with dedicated turn lanes at major intersections and an eight-foot-wide pedestrian/bicycle trail along both sides of the street.

The open house will showcase the preliminary design plan. There will be an opportunity for public comment. The reconstruction project is scheduled to start in the fall of 2015.

For more information go to www.hennepin.us/residents/transporta tion/west-broadway-ave-brook lyn-park.

Champlin will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. on April 14 to explore a proposed streetlight utility fee.

Households would be charged $3 per month and the fee would be included on monthly utility bills. The meeting will be held in council chambers at City Hall, 11955 Champlin Dr.

Champlin is hiring attendants for its seasonal splash pad facility.

The job runs from June to August and ranges from 20 to 40 hours a week.

Responsibilities include opening the facility, setting up equipment, cleaning and maintenance, enforcing rules and scheduling duties. Applicants must be 16 or older.

The pay range is $9.50-$10.50 per hour. Applications are due Thursday, March 13. For an application packet, call 763-421-2820 or go to www.ci. champlin.mn.us.

Columbia Heights is asking residents to fill out an online survey about trash collection and recycling services. The city organizes residential refuse collection through a contract, currently with Advanced Disposal Services. The city is seeking feedback on current service as well as ideas to control costs and improve services. The 12-question survey is at www.ci.columbia-heights.mn.us.

The 2014 Springbrook Spree will start at 5:30 p.m. at Murzyn Hall, 530 Mill St., Columbia Heights.

The event includes a buffet dinner and cash bar, silent and live auctions and guest speaker Darby Nelson, an aquatic biologist and author of the book "For the Love of Lakes."

The cost is $40 for the first ticket, and $35 for each additional ticket up to a total of eight.

Tickets may be purchased by calling 612-226-1638, at the Nature Center or through the website at www.springbrooknaturecenter.org.

A committee has selected seven finalists for this year's Teacher of the Year honor in the Robbinsdale Area School district. They are Amy Frink, of Cooper High School; Mary Kunesh-Podein, Noble Elementary; Christine Dohrmann, Cooper High School; Lana Lindeman, Northport Elementary; Brook Schaffer, Cooper High School; Jacqueline Ballot, Noble Elementary and Kristine Ellis, Noble Elementary. The Teacher of the Year will be announced at an event this spring, and the winner will be nominated by the Robbinsdale Federation of Teachers as a candidate for State Teacher of the Year, sponsored by Education Minnesota, the state teachers union.

The city-owned Central Park Liquor Store will hold its Spring Wine Show on Thursday, March 20, at Bebops Opulence Room, 1009 109th Av. NE. in Blaine.

The event runs from 6 to 8 p.m. Guests can sample wines from more than 50 wineries from around the world. Industry representatives will also be available for questions. Complimentary appetizers will be served and special discounts offered at the event.

The cost is $13 per person. Preregister at www.centralparkliquor.com.