South metro briefs: New Trier again seeking a mayor for ballot

New Trier, which on county maps is a dot in Hampton Township, has four seats to fill in the Nov. 8 election.

One candidate is running in a special election for City Council, and two more are running to fill an additional two council seats.

But when the filing period ended Aug. 16, no one had filed to replace Mayor Patti Brown.

It's the second time in two years that the office has gone begging for candidates. Brown, a former council member, became mayor after no one else had stepped forward.

Officials hope this year that someone will write in their own name on the ballot, said City Clerk Hannah Regensheid. Otherwise, a vacancy will be declared at the first council meeting of the year and a mayor will be appointed.

Emma Nelson

Deer hunters, armed with bows and arrows, will descend on Kelleher Park in southwest Burnsville this fall in an effort to manage the city's deer population.

The nonprofit Metro Bowhunters Resource Base (MBRB) will conduct the hunts.

Participants already have been selected, and all must receive training and pass a proficiency test before being allowed to hunt.

Kelleher Park will be closed to the general public one hour before and after each hunt, which have been scheduled between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m.

For more information, visit www.mbrb.org/.

Emma Nelson

Tuesday's vote directed county staffers to "develop findings of fact to deny the permit," according to Scott County Administrator Gary Shelton. The findings spell out why the permit is being denied.

In an e-mail, Shelton said that it was "safe to say that the board is poised to vote no to this permit on Sept. 20," but cautioned that nothing was "a done deal" until the vote is finally taken.

The project obtained a permit from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in April.

The mine has been controversial since 2009, when the County Board began discussing it.

Residents say it is too close to the water table and fear the aquifer will become polluted with agricultural runoff when the area floods, affecting drinking water.

The Carver County Board approved a conditional-use permit Tuesday for one solar garden project in Waconia Township, while denying a permit for another solar project in Watertown Township.

More than 70 people attended the County Board meeting, with at least six speaking against the 15-acre, three megawatt solar garden project proposed by GreenMark Solar in Waconia Township.

Their reasons for opposing it included the way it will look, possible property value decreases, stray voltage concerns, noise and the suitability of its location on agricultural land.

The board approved the GreenMark project on a 3-2 vote.

However, it also denied a 26-acre, five megawatt project proposed by Nextera and TruNorth for Watertown Township on a 3-2 vote.

Apple Valley's Urban Affairs Advisory Committee is looking for a new member.

The City Council will fill the committee vacancy by appointment. The seven-member committee, which according to the city's website "investigates issues related to subjects of a general nature," meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month on an as-needed basis.

Those who'd like to be considered must submit an application to the city clerk by 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 30.

For more information, call 952-953-2506.