Metro briefs: Ice castles will return to Long Lake Regional Park

Ice Castles will return to Ramsey County's Long Lake Regional Park in January.

The Utah-based company responsible for the attraction leases park space in New Brighton to build a structure that includes tunnels, caverns, towers, fountains, slides and crawl spaces. The castle is built from icicles that are created onsite and placed by professional ice artisans.

This year's attraction will also include an ice sculpture garden and a winter light grove, according to a Ramsey County press release. Construction typically begins in November.

Presale tickets will be available in December on the company's website, icecastles.com. Minnesota is one of five Ice Castles locations in the country.

Shannon Prather

For the second straight year, Blaine city leaders invited state lawmakers to the city to see first-hand the problems on Hwy. 65, in hopes of winning money to fix the traffic-choked road.

The north metro city, in partnership with Anoka County and the Minnesota Department of Transportation, outlined the problems on Hwy. 65 during a presentation Oct. 18 at Blaine City Hall.

Blaine wants to make improvements to the highway between 97th Avenue NE. and 117th Avenue NE. to alleviate congestion, reduce crashes and improve transit. The section of highway has several of Minnesota's worst intersections in terms of fatal and serious injury crashes, including four intersections MnDOT has listed as "high priority" for upgrades.

More than 54,600 vehicles use the corridor each day, according to MnDOT traffic counts.

The city has secured $23 million for the redo, but estimates it will take $163 million to complete the project.

Tim Harlow

The Washington County Board hired Kraus-Anderson Construction to oversee a $5 million renovation of the county's Historic Courthouse, including work on the roof, dome and cupola. Bids should go out in early 2023, with work slated for the summer and fall, according to Washington County public works engineer Eden Rogers.

A preliminary inspection earlier this year found a critical break in one of four roof trusses. The building, in Stillwater, was temporarily closed due to safety concerns. The truss has since been repaired at a cost of about $100,000, Rogers said. Roof insulation and a host of other minor repairs were included in the cost.

The oldest standing courthouse in Minnesota, the Historic Courthouse opened in 1870 and saw official business until 1974. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Matt McKinney

Dakota and Washington counties have partnered to create Aspen House, a shelter for youth ages 12 to 18 in Mendota Heights that opened in mid-October, a Dakota County news release said.

The shelter, which is run and staffed by Plymouth-based Nexus Family Healing, has 12 beds and can serve more than 100 teens each year, a Nexus news release said. Staff will work with community organizations, social workers, therapists, law enforcement and government agencies such as child protective services, the release said.

Youth will be referred to the shelter by social services or juvenile probation services. The shelter provides temporary housing for teens in crisis and also offers mental-health related services, including assessments, educational instruction and recreational activities.

Erin Adler