East metro town briefs

Postal Service makes concessions on move A letter sent last week appears to settle a dispute between local officials and the United States Postal Service over a mail-sorting facility long planned to move from St. Paul to Eagan.

In the letter, the Postal Service said it would build an extension to Denmark Avenue and forgo a new traffic signal on Lexington Avenue as part of the move, apparently eliminating sticking points that have caused conflict with Eagan and Dakota County officials over the past three years.

The Eagan facility would take the place of a St. Paul sorting center that the postal service is slated to vacate to make way for a major transit station at the Union Depot in downtown St. Paul.

SARAH LEMAGIE

Environmental cleanup grants The state awarded grants for environmental cleanup to redevelop a handful of sites in the east metro area, including $2.1 million designated for the St. Paul Port Authority project turning an auto salvage site into commercial/industrial space.

Twice a year, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development issues grants to investigate or clean up contaminated land and prepare it for new use.

According to a news release from the agency, these east-metro projects are included in 11 grants awarded around the state:

• St. Paul Planning and Economic Development received about $770,000 for the old Schmidt Brewery site, which is contaminated with lead, mercury, arsenic and other substances. The redevelopment plan includes restaurant and office space, townhouses and affordable rental units.

• St. Paul received $25,000 for the Winnipeg Apartments site, a half-acre area contaminated with organic vapors and other materials. The former gas station site will be turned into a three-story building with 28 affordable apartments, indoor parking and retail space.

• In a second phase of the Carleton Place Lofts project, St. Paul received about $644,000 for cleaning up a nearly 2-acre site that had two gas stations and a warehouse. It was contaminated with metals, PCBs, volatile organic chemicals and other materials. The new development includes 175 rental units, a gallery and underground parking.

• The South St. Paul Housing and Redevelopment Authority received about $128,000 for about a half-acre that was used for stockyard pens and bulk petroleum storage. That space, when combined with nearly two acres next to it, will be turned into an office/warehouse building. The cleanup plan includes installation of vapor barriers and remediation of volatile organic chemicals, other materials and petroleum-contaminated soil.

• New Brighton received $2.6 million for cleanup of the Northwest Quadrant, east of Old Hwy. 8. The 46-acre site is contaminated with petroleum and methane-generating debris and used to be the site of rendering plants, a railroad spur and a private dump. Plans call for a 200-room hotel, two office buildings, a commercial building, retail and housing.

Senior seminar offers information The Arthritis Foundation's North Central Chapter will present an educational seminar about living with arthritis, preventing falls and vitamin D at 2 p.m. July 11 at the Maplewood Community Center, 2100 White Bear Av.

Space is limited and registration is requested for the free seminar. For more information or to register, call 651-644-4108. Information on upcoming speakers is also available at that number.

STAFF REPORT

New section of hiking trail opens this week The Rice Creek North Regional Trail this week opens the newest section of its hiking and canoeing trails, a segment running through the old Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant property in Arden Hills.

The new trail allows users to hike or bike a two-mile trail or paddle the creek through an area that previously was not open to the public.

STAFF REPORT

Washington High's old days reunion The St. Paul Washington High School 50-Plus Club (all students who attended between 1929 and 1958) will hold its 24th annual banquet at 11 a.m. Sept. 6 at the Prom Center, 484 Inwood Av. in Oakdale. Last year more than 600 classmates attended.

For more information, call Nancy Chamberlin Slater, Class of 1957, 763-689-1539.