South metro briefs: Pedestrian tunnel being built in Lakeville for kids

An old conveyor culvert is being converted to a greenway tunnel under County Road 46 to make walking to school safer for students of East Lake Elementary School, Lakeville's newest school.

The tunnel will join the existing North Creek Greenway north of County Road 46 (in Apple Valley) to the new school south of County Road 46 (in Lakeville). Paving has been completed through the tunnel to connect the new and existing trails. Staff is looking for estimates to complete the remaining work, including tunnel lighting and painting.

All work should be complete by July 1.

East Lake will be the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan district's 19th elementary school and open in fall 2017. It is the district's first new elementary school since Red Pine opened in 1995. Funding for the school was included in the bond referendum in November 2015.

Erin Adler

Carver on the Minnesota will host its fifth annual canoe trip and picnic June 18.

This Father's Day, guests are invited to take part in a four-hour excursion on the historic Minnesota River between the Jordan boat landing and Carver's Riverside Park.

To reserve a canoe or get information about the event, contact Ken Forner by Monday at 952-368-3052 or kenforner@visi.com. Participation is free, but donations are accepted. The event will take place, rain or shine.

Liz Sawyer

Neighborhood streets in dire need of repair will get a face-lift this summer when city workers seal coat 9.5 miles of road in Savage.

Streets selected through the Public Works' Pavement Management Program, which prioritizes maintenance requests by evaluating each street in its database, will receive a fresh seal coat to extend its life span. Work is expected to begin this week, weather permitting.

Applying oil back into the road assists in sealing small cracks in the surface of the street. The small crushed rock provides an added wear course to the top of the road.

Irrigation systems should no longer operate after the "no parking" signs are placed, officials said. That limitation continues until 24 hours after the placement of the fog spray. Anyone with questions should contact Public Works Superintendent Trent Jutting at 952-224-3404.

Liz Sawyer

City leaders will hold an open forum Tuesday for residents to meet with city department heads.

Directors will be available to answer questions during a panel-style forum in the Community Room of the Community Center, 1255 Fuller St. S. The event, held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, is free of charge.

Liz Sawyer

Bonnie Pautsch-Dyakin, of Lakeville, Reid Scheller, of Rosemount, and Heather Tidd, of Lakeville, completed the program this spring.

Pautsch-Dyakin has three sons, including one with Down syndrome, another with autism and a third with dyslexia. Because of the program, she said she was able to testify in a State Capitol hearing against the parental fee added to medical services and to better advocate for her sons so that they are fully integrated into their schools.

Tidd, the mother of four teenagers, has interacted with her county commissioner and met her state representative through the program. Her children have a variety of diagnoses, including Asperger's syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder and Tourette's syndrome.

Scheller said he learned the appropriate language to use when addressing people chairing a meeting and found the experience valuable overall.

The program was developed by the Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities. In its 30-year history, it has helped 900 people advocate for themselves or others. Sessions are held once a month for eight months. A new session will begin in September. The application deadline for the free program is July 10. The application is online here.

The Dakota County Library and Scott County Library recently issued fine-free library cards to nearly 2,000 students in grades nine through 11 at Burnsville High School. The Dakota County Library is working with the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan district to plan a second pilot of the student cards for everyone enrolled at Apple Valley High School.