Briefs: Time to step forward for elections

Residents who want to run in city and school district elections in which no primary is held can file from Tuesday until 5 p.m. on Aug. 14.

Dozens of school boards and city councils have openings to be filled in the Nov. 6 general election.

The Lakeville City Council has three openings, including a two-year mayor's term. Two seats will be up on the Apple Valley City Council and Farmington will have races for mayor and two council seats.

Candidates must be at least 21 and eligible to vote in the cities where they live.

Additional information, forms and handouts are available at the secretary of state's website, www.sos.state.mn.us.

The filing period is over for cities that will hold an Aug. 14 primary to narrow the list of candidates to two per open seat. Burnsville, Eagan, Rosemount and Inver Grove Heights and the Dakota County Board are among the cities that hold primaries.

Park, roads recovering from last month's storm damageMiesville Ravine Park Reserve still is closed while Dakota County works on cleaning up damage from storms in mid-June.

The water left several inches of mud and debris on trails and parking lots. It ripped a hole 20 feet deep and 40 feet wide through an earthen dam dating back to the 1950s.

"It has taken a lot of weather, but that's a deep cut in there. Wow," County Commissioner Paul Krause said after seeing a photograph of the dam.

Damage to the park in southeastern Dakota County is estimated at $1.4 million.

The county also is working on fixes for roads near the park that sustained $2.1 million of damage. All have been reopened except for a portion of County Road 91 where a small culvert bridge washed out.

The county is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state to apply for aid to cover at least some of the repair costs.

The $1.4 million expansion added indoor space and a covered platform. It also changed the boarding area where buses pull up, matching the curb to bus entrances to eliminate a step up for riders.

So-called "level boarding" is a key piece of the bus rapid transit line planned for Cedar Avenue. It will try to mimic the feel of light rail, with buses running in dedicated shoulder lanes between curbside stops.

Renovations were prompted by the popularity of the station, which reached capacity shortly after opening in January 2010.

The station is served by the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority, the bus service provider for Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Rosemount and Savage.

For more information on MVTA and its routes, go to www.mvta.com or call 952-882-7500.

For starters, grilling on decks is prohibited, with the exception of some hard-wired grills, or within 15 feet of any apartment building.

And while the fire department discourages smoking on any wood or plastic patio or deck, those who choose to do so should use a metal, fire-resistant container, stored far from the house or deck, to dispose of smoking items. In a news release, the department pleaded in particular that people not dispose of cigarette butts or ashes in the trash or planter boxes.

The department also asks that residents who are painting or staining their deck or house let the towels or rags they use dry thoroughly before throwing them away. If residents want to keep those items, the department said, they should be stored in a metal, fire-resistant container.

For more information go to www.burns ville.org/fire or contact the Burnsville Fire Department at 952-895-4570.

Two parks to get new playground equipmentThe City Council has approved the purchase of new playground equipment for two city parks.

The council also voted to spend $65,000 to have a consultant study the future of the city's park system. The study is to cover the next 15 years.

Council Member Dennis Madden voted for the consultant along with the rest of the council but said, "I would like to see our people do a little more and consultants do a little less."