South news briefs: Financial assistance available to repair erosion in Scott County

Scott County landowners can apply for disaster recovery assistance funding to repair erosion damage caused by heavy rains in June 2014.

The Scott Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) expects to receive the money from the state. It can be used by property owners to repair gullies, landslides, stream banks and culvert washouts. It cannot be used to repair flood damage to structures, such as water in the basement or garage.

The funding is limited. To get more information on qualifications or an application, contact the Scott SWCD at 952-492-5425.

The City of Jordan expressed thanks this month with a letter of appreciation to the Tri-City SWAT Governing Board for footing the bill for the costs of assisting with a Feb. 3 standoff.

The Tri-City SWAT team includes members from the Scott and Carver County sheriff's offices and the police departments of Shakopee, Savage and Prior Lake. SWAT member agencies piled up 217 hours of overtime during a standoff that ended when David M. Winters, 41, killed himself inside a Jordan home.

Winters led law enforcement on a daylong manhunt after exchanging gunfire with officers in St. Louis Park that morning. Overtime costs totaled $12,643, but the Tri-City SWAT Governing Board decided not to bill the City of Jordan.

Volunteers are needed for the Clean Water Clean Up event in Prior Lake from 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday.

Volunteers will receive free food and a T-shirt and be eligible to win prizes from local business. Volunteers should bring rakes and gloves.

Preregistration is required to guarantee a T-shirt. Participants can preregister on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cleanwatercleanup or at sites.google.com/site/cleanwatercleanup.

The public is invited to a grand reopening of Wakota Civic Arena, 141 6th St. S., on April 30.

The event from 5 to 7 p.m. will feature a short program and ribbon cutting at 5:30 p.m. There will be free open skating and tours of the facility's new locker rooms, community meeting room and refrigeration improvements. The arena will also host the Taste of South St. Paul during the reopening celebration.

The 2014 park referendum provided funding for the arena improvements.

The annual flushing of the water mains and fire hydrants removes sediment and stagnant water from the pipes. The process will begin May 4 and last for about three weeks. If residents' water is discolored, the city said it is not harmful to people or animals but may leave spots on clothing.

The city is also encouraging people to flush their homes' water system by running all the cold water taps, filling the washing machine and flushing the toilets.

For more information about the city process or flushing home water lines, call Utility Services at 952-224-3440.

Dispose of personal documents during West St. Paul's Sixth Annual Shred Day on May 2.

Residents can bring papers — credit card offers, receipts, banking and loan information, tax records, etc. — to the West St. Paul Municipal Center, 1616 Humboldt Av., between 9 a.m. and noon. Staff from Pioneer Secure Shred will be in the parking lot to collect and shred the material before taking it to a recycling facility.

For more information, call 651-552-4144.

Prescribed prairie burns are planned for multiple locations around Shakopee in late April and early May.

The intentional fires, tended by the city's natural resource division and fire department, simulate natural fire events and offer ecological benefits. The sites on the list for prescribed burns are Cloverleaf Park, 2777 Crane St.; Shakopee Community Center area, 1255 Fuller St.; 17th Avenue Sports Complex, 2600 17th Av. E.; and Westminster Park, 801 Valley View Road. The slope on the east side of Independence Drive between 17th Avenue and Thrush Street and the northwest corner of County Road 21 and Eagle Creek Boulevard are also being considered.

Updates on burn times and locations will be available on the city website, www.ShakopeeMN.gov, and on the city's social media accounts.