Town briefs

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture seeks your help eliminating a highly toxic plant known as Grecian foxglove.

It's growing in parts of Washington, Dakota, and Wabasha counties.

The greatest concern is the potentially lethal threat of human and livestock poisoning. Leafy portions could be mistaken for lettuce or other leafy greens.

It's a perennial that will come back year after year if it isn't treated.

The weed is growing in roadsides, residential yards, grasslands, and forest margins along the St. Croix and Mississippi Rivers.

Residents in those areas are being asked to look for the weed and report any sighting to the state.

If possible, take digital photos of the whole plant, rosettes, flowers and seed stalks that can be e-mailed for identification. Contact the state by e-mail at arrest.the.pest@state.mn.us or voice mail at 888-545-6684.

Prior Lake has reached its highest levels since regular measurements began in 1971.

And officials say that "extremely high lake levels will persist for the foreseeable future."

It could be weeks before boaters are no longer asked to slow down and leave no wake behind to help protect shorelines.

City officials say they're getting lots of questions about "opening the floodgates," adding:

"The outlet is simply an overflow structure – once the lake level reaches 902.5 feet, water flows out of the outlet structure and through the outlet channel, eventually into the Minnesota River."

Give them a call at 952-445-0378 or e-mail info@scottcountyhistory.org with any questions on salvaging flood-damaged items.

The organization is also asking for help in documenting the events themselves.

Please send photos, videos and other records of high water, flood damage, mud slides.

The society can scan or copy them if you wish to keep the originals.

Scott County has extended no-wake restrictions to boaters on O'Dowd Lake, Thole Lake, Cedar Lake, and Fish Lake

An inspection found that all the lakes had water level elevations exceeding established "Ordinary High Water levels," Nelson said.

Amid forecasts for additional rain, potential for additional damage and safety concerns from debris in the water, deputies will patrol the lakes for violations.

Slow no wake is defined as "the operation of a watercraft at the slowest possible speed necessary to maintain steerage, but in no case greater than five miles per hour."

Questions can go to the Scott County Sheriff's Office at (952) 445-7750.

Work on one of Shakopee's busiest intersections will be done in three stages to keep traffic flowing but will still cause delays, officials are warning.

The goal is to decrease congestion and improve safety in the Marschall Road corridor.

The Vierling-Marschall intersection has "consistently recorded the most crashes of any intersection in Shakopee," officials say.

Changes include a second left-turn lane from northbound Marschall to westbound Vierling; a second left-turn lane from the 169 southbound exit ramp to southbound Marschall; a traffic signal at Tasha Boulevard; and upgrades to trails and sidewalks.

It also includes pavement resurfacing on Vierling from Sage Lane to Miller Street and on Marschall from St. Francis Avenue to 10th Avenue

Work will be staged to maintain at least one travel lane in each direction during construction. It should wrap up by October.

In related news, the mini-roundabout at Spencer Street and Vierling should be done before work on the Marschall and Vierling intersection begins.