The Roundabout

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^{Newsletter Editors: Pat Mack and Manali Shah | Copy Editor: Beth-Ann Bloom}

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Woodbury City Administrator Retiring In June

Woodbury City Administrator Clinton Gridley will retire June 6 after 21 years in the role. In closed session, the council conducted its annual evaluation of Gridley, and in open session last night City Attorney Kevin Sandstrom reported that evaluation was “very positive.” The council is beginning a process to find Gridley’s replacement. David Unmacht, who retired last year as executive director of the League of Minnesota of Cities, will serve as a consultant to help the city with the search.

Cannabis Retailers Limited To Lowest Legal Number

Up to seven cannabis retailers will be allowed in Woodbury next year, the lowest number legally possible.

State law requires cities to allow one licensed establishment for every 12,500 residents, which adds up to seven for Woodbury. “We can allow more registrations than that but not less,” City Attorney Kevin Sandstrom said. “That’s the minimum.” The city council last night then set that as the maximum number as well.

The council also set the registration process for retailers selling cannabis plants, cannabis flower, cannabis products, lower-potency hemp edibles, and hemp-derived consumer products.

Sandstrom said state statutes define the registration process. Once a retailer applies with the state the city will be notified. The retailer then applies to the city clerk and pays the required fee. If the application meets ordinance requirements, there’s no option to deny it. Licenses must be renewed annually.

The state Legislature approved adult-use cannabis businesses in 2023 but allowed cities to impose a one-year ban to consider their approach to regulation. Woodbury’s ban expires at the end of the year and its new rules will go into effect in January. That’s when the state Office of Cannabis Management is expected to give these businesses approval to launch. In October, the council restricted signage by cannabis and hemp businesses. The council has committed to reviewing the rules after one year.

Council Approves Cherry Meadows Subdivision

The Woodbury City Council last night approved the Cherry Meadows subdivision that proposes to add 27 homes along Century Avenue near Kalen Drive in southwest Woodbury. Another subdivision, Cherrywood, with 114 homes, is planned across from Cherry Meadows on Century Avenue in the City of Newport. The developer agreed to add a sidewalk on the east side of Century Avenue for the Woodbury subdivision in response to criticism raised during a planning commission meeting.

Local Governments To Hold Truth In Taxation Hearings

Property owners will receive an estimate of their 2025 property taxes in this week’s mail. The “truth in taxation” notices are based on potential maximum tax levies passed by local units of government earlier this fall. Local governments will begin holding hearings in the coming week prior to voting and certifying their final budget and tax levies. These public meetings are an opportunity for taxpayers to address elected officials regarding budgets and proposed taxes for 2025.  

Washington County Board of Commissioners | Tuesday, Nov. 26, 6 p.m. | Washington County Government Center, 14949 62nd Street N, Stillwater

Woodbury City Council | Wednesday, Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m. | Woodbury City Hall, 8301 Valley Creek Road

South Washington County School Board (ISD #833) | Thursday, Dec. 12, 6 p.m. | District Service Center, 7362 E Point Douglas Rd S, Cottage Grove, MN |  

Stillwater Area School Board (ISD #834) | Tuesday, Dec. 3, 6 p.m. | Oak Park Learning Center, 6355 Osman Avenue North, Stillwater  

North St. Paul-Oakdale-Maplewood School Board (ISD #622) | Tuesday, Dec. 17, 6 p.m. | District Education Center, 2520 E. 12th Avenue, North St. Paul

Woodbury’s Celebrity Chef Spreads Joy Of Cooking

_{By Lyndsay Zadnik}

For Laurie Crowell, food is the language of love. She spreads that language through her Golden Fig Fine Foods store on Grand Avenue in St. Paul as well as through regular guest appearances on TV’s “Twin Cities Live.” The Woodbury resident has become a local celebrity since appearing on the first episode of the TV program over 18 years ago.

Opening her charming specialty foods shop was a natural progression for Crowell, a lifelong aficionado of local and gourmet provisions. Growing up she learned by watching her mother and grandmother preserve goods, ferment homemade sauerkraut, and bake holiday cookies. Cooking and baking were both a labor of love, and a powerful source of life lessons.

One particular memory that stands out in Crowell’s mind was shucking and freezing sweet corn to save for the winter, an annoying task that fostered her strong work ethic. “Grandpa McCann showed up with four gunny sacks full of sweet corn. We had to shuck it, cut it off the cob, can it and freeze it, and we always begrudged it.” Crowell said. “But in January when we were eating that sweet corn, it was so delicious and worthwhile.”

Before life as an entrepreneur, Crowell began with a much less glamorous job - working at a Pick ’n Save grocery store in her hometown of Eau Claire, Wis. That changed when she visited a friend who was working as a nanny in the Hamptons one summer.

“As one who always worked, after a couple of weeks I was pretty bored. I was walking around East Hampton and there was a little fine food shop and grocery, and it said ‘help wanted for the summer’ and I thought ‘I can do that!’” said Crowell, regarding her time working at Ina Garten’s storefront, Barefoot Contessa. “I applied, they hired me, and the rest was history!”

That experience further ignited her passion for handcrafted food, and pushed her onto the culinary path she’s now been on for decades.

When asked what inspires her when it comes to putting together a recipe, her answer is to keep it simple and accessible. “Often it’s something that anyone could make, like any cooking level. You don’t have to have fancy ingredients! There’s not much that’s as delicious as a fresh roasted chicken and veggies for dinner, right?”

That’s not to say that she doesn’t stay abreast of the latest trends. Last year she made the popular ‘spatchcocked turkey’ for Thanksgiving, but this year she’ll go with a butter basted bird, which is currently in vogue.

“You soak a cheesecloth in melted butter and lay it over the top of the turkey so it protects it from browning too much, but then when you take it off, it’s got this beautiful, browned, lovely skin,” Laurie gushed. “So that’s what I’m doing, the butter basted turkey is my M.O. this year. I mean, wouldn’t everything be yummy with a butter blanket?”

Crowell could give endless cooking advice, but her ultimate holiday hack is to take the time to enjoy yourself.

“If you spend all your time worrying about what’s cooking in the kitchen, you won’t get to spend any time with your family, and that’s kind of the whole point.” she said. “Don’t overdo it, just enjoy it!”

Local School Nurse Recognized For Immunization Efforts

South Washington County Schools nurse Tara Goebel was named Minnesota’s 2024 Immunization Champion by the Minnesota Department of Health. She was recognized for “her incredible effort and leadership in increasing immunization rates in children,” according to a news release.

“Tara has demonstrated incredible leadership and care for students and her community,” said Jessica Hancock-Allen, director of the Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division at MDH. “She has used her passion to partner and collaborate with key partners to provide better access to vaccinations and protect the health of students in her school district from vaccine-preventable diseases.”

District 833 saw a plunge in immunization rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Goebel, who also serves a health services coordinator, and her team contacted every family in the district urging needed vaccinations. They organized immunization clinics district-wide. With about 4,000 students receiving vaccines the measles, mumps and rubella immunization rate increased from 84.8 percent to 93.4 percent for kindergartners.

“Tara’s relationship with families in the school community was key to the success of these outreach and access activities to increase immunization rates,” said Emily Robb, a colleague from the Washington County Department of Public Health and Environment. “What sets her apart from others is that she understood how to leverage the trust and sense of connection that many families have with their schools to help students access needed vaccines to protect them against preventable diseases.”

Each year, the national Immunization Champion Awards honor just one person in Minnesota for their exceptional work in encouraging immunization for children or adults in their community. The Immunization Champion Award was presented to Tara by the Association of Immunization Managers.

Ground Broken For County Emergency Housing In Stillwater

Washington County officials broke ground Nov. 12 on the county’s first permanent, short-term emergency housing shelter for homeless adults. The $12 million Emergency Housing Services Building will be located on the south end of the county’s government center campus in Stillwater.

In a release, the county stated it lags behind housing options for adults without children compared to other Minnesota counties. An average of 166 people in Washington County experience homelessness at any given time. Due to the lack of capacity, approximately 54 residents seek shelter in neighboring counties annually. 

 It will be a two-story, 30,000-square-foot facility with 30 living units with private bathrooms, an onsite computer lab to aid job searches and workforce development, a commercial kitchen, dining area, storage space, and parking. Around-the-clock staffing will be provided. Professional services will help residents move toward stable housing.

Winter Parking Restrictions In Woodbury

Parking restrictions are now in effect for the winter season in Woodbury through April 1. On-street parking is prohibited:

• Between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. from Nov. 1 through April 1

• Any time 2 or more inches of snow have accumulated

The city ordinance bans vehicles parked in driveways from extending beyond the driveway into the street or obstructing a trail or sidewalk. This keeps vehicles out of the way of plows. Violators face fines. The ordinance applies only to public streets, not to private roadways. Questions about winter parking regulations should be directed to the Public Works Department at 651-714-3720 or [email protected].

Local Swim And Dive Teams Place In Top Five At State Meet

Local swimmers had strong performances at the MSHSL Girls State Swim and Dive Meet this past weekend. The MSHSL reported in the state meet recap that East Ridge sophomore Logan Havermann was the only Class AA competitor to win multiple titles, capturing the 200 individual medley in 2:00.06 and the 100 breaststroke in 1:02.47. Havermann was also the only AA swimmer to set a new record at this year’s meet with her performance in the 200 individual medley. 

Overall, Stillwater Area High School placed fourth and East Ridge High School took fifth place at the state meet. 

East Ridge swimmers qualifying for the finals included Megyn Gillard, Jette Hadicke, Logan Havermann, Malea Johnson, Olivia McClintock, and Emma Wood. 

Stillwater Area swim team members qualifying for finals included: Claire Christianson, Rhiannon Faye, Maddie Mathiason, Lucy Pacsoza, Jayla Petersen, Margaret Reed, Neva Sanders, and Audrey Serres.

In the one-meter diving finals, qualifiers included Kiley Thrush (East Ridge) as well as Nina Faulkner and Halle Linn (Woodbury). 

“This team carried themselves as champions all season,” East Ridge Raptors Swim Coach Jay Gillard said. “It is always awesome to see hard work and dedication pay off with best performances on the state meet stage. I couldn’t be more proud of this team!”

Ponies Defeat Thunderbolts In State Adaptive Soccer Match

The Stillwater/Mahtomedi Ponies beat the South Washington County Thunderbolts Sunday 8-5 in the consolation bracket of the MSHSL Adapted Soccer State Tournament Saturday. Both teams came back from tough losses earlier in the tournament to qualify for the consolation bracket.

The MSHSL reported that Stillwater/Mahtomedi senior Mason Mora-Clark led all scorers with seven goals. Xander Hansen, a seventh-grader, tallied three assists for the Ponies. For South Washington County, junior Brett Wedan struck for three goals. Juniors Jordan Nde and Logan Curtis added one goal and one assist each.

The MSHSL CI Adapted Soccer program includes 22 teams and provides student athletes with cognitive impairments opportunities to participate in competitive high school sports. The South Washington County Thunderbolts is hosted by East Ridge and also includes athletes from Woodbury and Cottage Grove High Schools.

Events of Note

Prancer, Nov. 22-Dec. 15, at The Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson. Based on the cherished film, Prancer, this beautiful play uses a heartwarming story and breathtaking puppetry to bring warmth into your family’s holiday season.

Christmas at the Courthouse Holiday Bazaar, Saturday, Nov. 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 24 from 11 am to 3 p.m. at Washington County’s historic courthouse in Stillwater. Thirty vendors will be selling handcrafted goods. Santa Claus will be available for photos with children from noon to 2 p.m. both days.

Art Discovery Fair, Saturday, Nov. 23, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Discovery Center, 4444 Hadley Ave. N. in Oakdale. More than 20 artists selling their works in glass, crafts, cards, paintings, wood, photography, and mixed media.

Celebration Of Hmong New Year, Sunday, Nov. 24, at 9:30 a.m. at Christ Episcopal Church, 7305 Afton Rd., in Woodbury, Celebratory service followed by a meal featuring traditional Hmong dishes.

Woodbury Wobble 5K, Thursday, Nov. 28, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. This Thanksgiving Day turkey trot takes place at Colby Lake Park: 9715 Valley Creek Rd. With your paid registration you will receive a swag bag with sponsored items, There will also be the turkey scavenger hunt along the course that kids can complete for a small prize.

Blood Drive | Friday, Nov. 29 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. | M Health Fairview - Woodwinds Hospital Bloodmobile, 1925 Woodwinds Dr.

Coca Cola Holiday Caravan, Sun., Dec. 1, from noon to 3 p.m. The Coca-Cola truck will be lit up for the holidays at the M Health Fairview Sports Center, 4125 Radio Dr. Stop by to see the truck and get a picture with Santa printed onto a postcard that you can mail to a loved one. Free, family friendly event; bring the kids and help kick off the holiday season! Outdoor rink will be open for skating, weather dependent. Skating is free, skate rental is $7/pair.

A Christmas Carol, Dec. 6-30, Open Window Theatre, 5300 S Robert Trail #400, Inver Grove Heights.

Cookies and Crafts with Santa, Saturday, Dec. 7, at Eagle Valley Golf Course. Five sessions planned. Registration required. Santa takes a break from making toys to join the youth of Woodbury in decorating cookies, making a fun holiday craft, and taking pictures.

Jingle Bells Forever, East Metro Symphony Orchestra, Sunday, Dec. 8 at 2 p.m., St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 2499 North Helen Street. North St. Paul.

New Year’s Eve Winter Camp, Dec. 31, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Lake Elmo Park Reserve. A winter adventure for kids ages 7-10 years old. Outdoor adventures including snowshoeing and/ or kick sleds, fire building, animal tracking as well as indoor crafts and games, hot chocolate, and s’mores. Space is limited.

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