Metro briefs: Freeman, Hutchinson accept 2019 salary hikes

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman and Sheriff David Hutchinson said Wednesday that they will accept a pay raise approved by the County Board last week.

The board's action raises their pay by 2.5% from now until the end of the year and for all of 2020, and by 2% in 2021. By 2021, Freeman will make $195,065 a year and Hutchinson, $188,775.

The raises are consistent with those approved for county employees in 2018.

Because Freeman and Hutchinson are elected officials, the board establishes their pay rate. They had to inform county officials by Friday whether they would accept this year's pay hike, and will have to do the same by Dec. 1 for the 2020 raise and by Dec. 9, 2020, for the 2021 raise.

David Chanen

The Fridley City Council last week appointed David Ostwald, a flight department manager and lifelong Fridley resident, to fill out the term of recently retired Council Member Bob Barnette.

The council interviewed four candidates at Tuesday's meeting and unanimously chose Ostwald, a Fridley HRA and charter commissioner who lost to Barnette in the 2016 council election. His appointment to the at-large seat runs until the 2020 election.

Barnette, a retired educator who served on the council for 32 years, resigned his seat on Sept. 15 to move closer to his children in Andover. "Bob Barnette Appreciation Day" was held Sept. 14 in Fridley to celebrate his "commitment, dedication and hard work."

KEVIN DUCHSCHERE

Ramsey County will work with the Metro Bowhunters Resource Base on fall hunts to manage the deer population in county and regional parks.

The hunts, which start Oct. 11, are slated for Poplar Lake and Otter Lake parks and Tamarack Nature Center, White Bear Township; Battle Creek park and Fish Creek Open Space, St. Paul and Maplewood; Vadnais-Sucker Lake park, Vadnais Heights; Rice Creek North Regional Trail and Turtle Creek Open Space, Shoreview; and Pig's Eye park, St. Paul.

Two separate hunts will be held at each location. During a hunt, the entire park or a portion of it will be closed. Dates for the hunts can be found on the county website.

Shannon Prather

A short but significant section of the future Lake Marion Greenway Regional Trail was completed this month, the result of a partnership between Burnsville and Savage.

The segment, called the Rose Bluff trail, is a half-mile stretch that connects Savage's Rose Hill neighborhood with Burnsville's Rose Bluff development and links to Kraemer Nature Preserve in Burnsville.

Savage Mayor Janet Williams, who recently strolled the new stretch with Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, called it an example "of how two cities … can successfully work together on efforts that are mutually beneficial."

When finished, the Lake Marion Greenway will run 20 miles from Burnsville to Farmington and link the Minnesota River with Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve in Savage and Credit River Township.

KEVIN DUCHSCHERE