West metro briefs: Minnetrista water treatment project is underway

The plants, to be built near Westonka School District property on the north end and adjacent to the King's Point water tower on the south, will treat well water for contaminants such as iron and manganese. The facilities will include forced draft aerators, process pumps, well pumps and motors, and chemical feed systems.

The north plant will run 500 gallons per minute and be built with enough space to expand capacity to 1,000 gallons per minute. The south plant will be built to handle 1,000 gallons per minute. The general contractor is Knutson Construction of St. Louis Park. Work began on Nov. 18, and is scheduled to be finished in November 2016.

STAFF REPORT

The Minnetonka Rotary raised $26,502 at its "Links & Libations" event this year, which will be disbursed to various organizations in Minnetonka and Hopkins.

"We set a goal to raise $25,000 and we exceeded that target," said Scott Johnson, chairman of the fundraising event at Glen Lake Golf Course. "We all know that goal-setting works and I am happy to say that we kept our focus and made it."

Last year, the Minnetonka Rotary Foundation provided funding for scholarship programs at Hopkins and Minnetonka high schools and the Hennepin County Home School, and the Minnehaha Creek Revitalization Program. It also helped foreign exchange students.

The club meets weekly at 7:15 a.m. on Wednesdays at Eisenhower Community Center, 1001 Hwy. 7, Hopkins.

The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train will stop Dec. 12 for the 17th straight year in Loretto, where last year it raised more than $28,000 for area food shelves.

Festivities in the west Hennepin County city are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m., including the chance to take pictures with Santa Claus and his reindeer. Other draws include kiddie train rides, a hot air blower, hot chocolate and bonfires.

The train will pull into town at 4:15 p.m., followed by a musical show sponsored by Canadian Pacific at 4:30 p.m.

Everything is free and open to the public, but people are asked to donate either cash or nonperishable food items. Monetary donations will be shared by food shelves in Hanover, Maple Plain, Rockford and Delano.

The train, which crosses the United States and Canada annually, has raised more than $10.6 million for food shelves and collected 3.3 million pounds of food since 1999.

STAFF REPORT

A foundation honoring the short life of an 8-month-old boy is hosting the annual Angel of Hope Vigil in Chanhassen Sunday.

The William's Wings Foundation, established by the parents of William Luecke, will host the event to remember the lives of children gone too soon. It will include a ceremony and refreshments.

Visitors are asked to arrive at 7 p.m. and bring white flowers for the Angel of Hope Statue, located at 841 Santa Vera Drive. Similar memorial events will be held Sunday at Angel of Hope statues placed in communities across the nation, including a candlelight memorial at the Maple Grove Arboretum's Angel of Hope Statue.

The William's Wings Foundation brought the statue to Chanhassen and held a dedication ceremony in September. Todd Luecke, the foundation's president and William's father, said the statue is a place for families to grieve the loss of their children. William Luecke died of sudden infant death syndrome.