The Roundabout

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Table of Contents

• Woodbury Weather via National Weather Service

• Local Governments to Set Preliminary Tax Levies

• Private School Opens in Woodbury

• Sen. Mitchell’s Trial Set for Late January

• Local Candidate Forums Planned

• Building Permits Drop But Dollar Value Holds

• Knitwits Spread Kindness One Stitch At A Time

• Volunteers Needed for School Literacy Program

• Woodbury Receives Sustainability Award

• Toilet Rebate Program Extended

• Don’t Trash It, Fix it

• Poppy Days This Weekend in Woodbury

• Author Talk: Exploring the St. Croix River Valley

• Two Events of Note Sept. 15

• Miesville Mudhens Win State Title

• Update on Woodbury News Net

Woodbury Weather via National Weather Service

Local Governments to Set Preliminary Tax Levies 

Local governments will begin discussing 2025 property tax bills this month as they prepare to meet the state deadline of September 30 to set preliminary proposed tax levies. The City of Woodbury, Washington County, and Woodbury’s three school districts will each set their preliminary levies in advance of truth-in-taxation notices being mailed in mid-November. Each local government will also hold public hearings later in the fall before a final vote on their respective 2025 levy. These meetings are open to the public with the option to watch in-person or virtually.

Woodbury City Council Budget Workshop: Sept. 11 at 4 p.m. | Public Safety Building, 2100 Radio Drive

Budget documents posted by the city note a proposed base levy increase of 6.2%, or 6.7% if the council opts to restore the Housing Redevelopment Authority (HRA) levy. The 2025 tax impact on a residential property with an estimated market value of $441,100 is estimated to be 3.5% or a tax increase of $45. The dollar impact of restoring the HRA levy is an additional $7. 

Washington County Board of Commissioners: Sept. 24 at 9 a.m. | Washington County Government Center, Stillwater 

The county board will vote to set a preliminary levy at a regularly scheduled board meeting. According to a county press release, the recommended county budget includes a 5.9% levy increase to $139.3 million. If adopted, a median-valued home, worth $412,000, would see a 3.2% increase in 2025 county property taxes, totaling about $30.

ISD #622: Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. | North St. Paul - Oakdale - Maplewood District Office Board Room, North St. Paul

The agenda and materials for the meeting will be posted here.

ISD #833: Sept. 26 at 6 pm. | South Washington County School District Service Center, Cottage Grove

The South Washington County School Board will vote on its preliminary levy on Sept. 26. Levy information will be presented to the board for discussion on Sept. 12 at a 6 p.m. board workshop.  Agenda information can be found here.   

ISD #834: Sept. 24 at 6 p.m. | Oak Park Learning Center Board Room, Oak Park Heights

The Stillwater Area School Board will hear a presentation on, discuss, and vote on its preliminary tax levy. Agenda information is here.

Private School Opens in Woodbury

A private school, Valor Classical Academy, began operating this week within the Woodbury Community Church building at 2975 Pioneer Drive. The Woodbury City Council approved a permit for the school last week. The school is not affiliated with the church. A representative said Valor has six faculty members and 52 students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Maximum capacity is 70 students. Classes are held Tuesday through Thursday from 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Students learn from home on Mondays and Fridays.

Sen. Mitchell’s Trial Set for Late January

A criminal trial on a felony burglary charge for Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, is scheduled to start January 27, according to MPR News. Mitchell is accused of illegally entering her stepmother’s home in Detroit Lakes and taking items that belonged to her late father. Mitchell has pleaded not guilty and called the incident a misunderstanding. The trial will be held during the 2025 legislative session. The first-term lawmaker has faced calls to resign. The Minnesota Senate Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct has placed its actions on hold while the criminal process plays out.

Local Candidate Forums Planned

The Woodbury Cottage Grove Area League of Women Voters is sponsoring candidate forums Thursday, Sept. 12, for candidates running for Minnesota House Districts 47A & 47B (Woodbury) and the Woodbury City Council. The forum for House candidates begins at 7 p.m. The city council forum follows at 8:15 p.m.

The forums will be aired live on the South Washington County Telecommunications Commission (SWCTC) website and recorded for later viewing on Channel 18 (Comcast HD Channel 859) or on SWCTC's YouTube channel.

There will be no in-person audience at the candidate forums. Viewers of the live broadcast/stream will be able to call or text their questions to a phone number that will be displayed on the screen. They can also submit questions in advance to [email protected].  

SWCTC also is inviting city council and the Minnesota House of Representatives candidates to record a short candidate profile video. Videos will available after Sept. 20 on government access Channel 18 (or Comcast Channel 859) and online at swctc.org.

Election Day 2024 is Tuesday, Nov. 5. The first day to vote early in person is Friday, Sept. 20.  For more election information visit: www.Vote411.org, sponsored by the League of Women Voters, or the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Elections & Voting website.    

Building Permits Drop But Dollar Value Holds

City residential building permits for the first half of 2024 show a decrease of 37 percent compared to the same period in 2023. But the total dollar value fell only 1.7 percent. The city administrator said the drop in permits was mainly due to fewer roofing replacements permits. The number of single family homes fell slightly, while townhome construction continues to exceed last year.

Knitwits Spread Kindness One Stitch At A Time

_{By Lyndsay Zadnik}

If you walked into 3rd Act Craft Brewery on a Friday afternoon, you might be surprised by the crowd. In addition to the usual brewery patrons, you’d find a fairly large group of women sipping tasty beers, enjoying conversation, and knitting like it’s going out of style. They call themselves Knitwits.

Woodbury resident Linda Wenz is the driving force behind this group of considerate crafters. Wenz first got the idea for charitable crafting back in 2021, when she and a friend started making double-lined fleece mittens to give to those in need. They dubbed their group Warm Hands, Warm Hearts.

As the years went by, Wenz’s vision for her mission grew, and after buying a loom in early 2024, she posted on local Facebook groups to recruit other knitters. Before she knew it, she had a group of around 50 women who were willing to join the cause. The group’s skillset eventually evolved to include knitted scarves, hats, and gloves - hence the name Knitwits. The weekly meetup at 2 p.m. on Fridays regularly has over two dozen attendees.

The Knitwits have made a huge impact in a short amount of time. The group has crafted and supplied thousands of woven items for local women’s shelters, elementary schools, emergency rooms, and charities. The members have partnered with Woodbury Police Department and Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office to disperse the items to people who are at risk for exposure in the winter months. The Knitwits‘ influence have even expanded beyond Woodbury to Lakeville, where residents at The Fountains at Hosanna senior center have joined the effort and donated over 100 hats.

What’s next for the Knitwits? Wenz wants to keep the momentum going. Her goal is to “reach more rural, underserved areas and reservations.” She wants to serve everyone in need. She’s hoping to partner with organizations that have access to people who need winter gear.

While the Knitwits find deep satisfaction in helping others, they get something out of it, too. “A lot of us are retired and just looking for a purpose,” Wenz said. “It’s so nice to be part of something bigger than yourself. It’s kind of a respite from the cruelty in the world, you know, and in here it’s a little corner of the world that’s full of kindness.”

Volunteers Needed for School Literacy Program

First you learn to read and then you read to learn. Volunteers for Elementary School Literacy (VESL) places volunteers - trained to provide personalized instruction to students who require an additional focus on reading - in two elementary schools serving Woodbury: Brookview and Lake Elmo.

As the new school year begins, volunteers are needed to expand the program to additional first through third grade classrooms.  For those who volunteer with the program (an hour or two a week), it’s an impactful way of contributing to a goal of all students reading by grade level by third grade.  

George Hoeppner has paid attention to the alarms about poor reading scores. “Since I had the time to volunteer, the VESL program was an easy choice…it is especially important for young boys to see males who read, whether that is their fathers, a male teacher, or a male volunteer,” Hoeppner said. Seeing the boys become more confident as they read stood out for him. “The activities we did together helped them take chances on vocabulary and complex sentences,” he added.

Woodbury resident Barbara Pletcher is a retired teacher who volunteers with Brookview first graders.  She noted that specific lesson plans, games, and 1:1 activities are prepared in advance by teachers, so she can focus her time on being with students.  “It’s fun to go back into the classroom—the kids are so refreshing,” Pletcher shared. “Being able to reinforce both early literacy skills, help develop confidence in kids who are behind, and spark an interest in reading makes this a great volunteer opportunity,” she added.

VESL is sponsored by the Stillwater Sunrise Rotary and is open to volunteers of all ages and time commitments, with most dedicating one hour a week. Interested volunteers can contact David Waldschmidt at [email protected] to learn more.

Woodbury Receives Sustainability Award

The City of Woodbury has received the 2024 Sustainable City Award from the League of Minnesota Cities.

“We give our awards to the very best, and we’re so excited to do that tonight,” Luke Fischer, executive director of the League, said in addressing the city council last week.

Woodbury was recognized for its Woodbury Water Wise Implementation Plan. The plan has led to less water use for landscaping, lawns, and toilets as well as increasing stormwater reuse. The program could save an estimated 282 million gallons of water per year.

The city had to be part of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency GreenStep Cities program to be eligible for the award. The program helps cities achieve their sustainability goals through adopting best practices.

In 2023, Woodbury showed improvement in eight metrics: energy use, renewable energy, city fleet, stormwater management best management practices, water usage, and waste management. One highlighted metric was the Enhanced Street Sweeping Program that prevented 800 tons of material from roadways from entering the city’s stormwater ponds or water resources last year.

Craig Johnson, the League’s senior intergovernmental relations representative, said the award is the group’s highest honor for this type of work. “Setting and achieving environmental and sustainability goals goes a long way toward improving the quality of life in any city, and Woodbury has led the way on that,” he said.

Toilet Rebate Program Extended

Woodbury has received a state grant to extend a program offering rebates for low-flow WaterSense toilets. From July 2022 to June 2024, a pilot program replaced 692 residential toilets with more efficient models, which saved an estimated nine million gallons of water per year. With the extension, residents can still receive a $100 rebate for replacing toilets with low-flow WaterSense models. The Metropolitan Council awarded the city a $44,000 grant, which required a city match of $11,000.

Don’t Trash It, Fix it

Here’s your chance to get some help in fixing your broken household items. A Fix-It Clinic will be held Saturday, Sept. 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the South Environmental Center at 4039 Cottage Grove Dr. in Woodbury. Volunteers will help troubleshoot and repair items for free. First come, first serve. There’s a three-item limit with the last items accepted at 1:30 p.m. Here’s a list of items you can bring to the event.

Poppy Days This Weekend in Woodbury

Woodbury American Legion Post 501 and VFW Post 9024 are holding their Poppy Days fundraiser this weekend. It’s the primary way they raise money for scholarships, Boys State, Legionville summer camp, Woodbury Legion baseball, and local charities that support veterans. The event will be Sept. 6-8 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Walmart, Hy-Vee, Sam’s Club, Total Wine & More, and Cub Foods.

Author Talk: Exploring the St. Croix River Valley

Angie Hong, the author of Exploring the St. Croix River Valley, will introduce her book Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. in Stillwater. The Washington County Historical Society is hosting the event at 1862 Greeley St. South. Hong has been a conservation educator for more than 20 years. The book is described as an authoritative and entertaining nature recreation guide to one of the most scenic areas in the Midwest. The event will be streamed live on the Society’s YouTube Channel.

Two Events of Note Sept. 15

Two events worth noting will be held next Sunday, Sept. 15, in Woodbury.

• Woodbury Vintage Base Ball Game at 1:30 p.m. at Lake Middle School, Field 3. The Saint Croix Base Ball Club will take on a Woodbury Mystery Team. The game is sponsored by the Woodbury Heritage Society. We’re told 1860 New York Rules will be enforced on the field. Tickets are $5-10 each. Tip: Bring your own chair since seating is limited.

• One Woodbury will be 4-7 p.m. at Ojibway Park. The event celebrates the diversity of people and perspectives in the community. Performances and food trucks as well as resource tables by community partners will be included. The City of Woodbury is hosting the event this year.

Miesville Mudhens Win State Title

The Miesville Mudhens won the Minnesota Baseball Association Class B State Championship Sunday. The amateur baseball team defeated Air Freight Unlimited 12-1 for the title. The Mudhens roster lists 10 players from Woodbury, including two players - Quinn Kruger and Ronnie Sweeny - who were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Update on Woodbury News Net

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