Metro briefs: Arden Hills tables food truck regulations

The Arden Hills City Council has indefinitely tabled a proposed ordinance that would further restrict food trucks in the city. The council voted to table the new regulation at its Monday meeting with no discussion and no date for further consideration.

Starting last summer, neighbors began inviting a food truck to their cul-de-sac on Friday evenings. While some loved the events, others grumbled to leaders about noise and trash.

The proposed rules would have required residents to get a $20 residential food truck permit. Each resident would be limited to two permits a year and would face a $100 fee for any violations. That permit would be in addition to a $30 municipal food truck license that vendors already need to operate in the city.

Shannon Prather

The public can comment on the environmental impacts of plans for a new, 3.7-mile section of the Minnesota River Greenway to be located in Fort Snelling State Park.

The project, a collaboration between the DNR and Dakota County, starts at a trailhead by Cedar Avenue in Burnsville and ends at the trailhead at Lone Oak Road in Eagan, a county news release said.

Most of the 10-foot-wide trail is in Eagan — south of the Minnesota River — within an unimproved area of Fort Snelling. Plans call for a pedestrian bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad track.

The public can view the Environmental Assessment Worksheet on the Dakota County website and comment through July 8. Comments can be sent to John Mertens, a principal planner for the county, at john.mertens@co.dakota.mn.us.

Erin Adler

There was a good reason for pomp and circumstance Friday as eight candidates graduated from the city's first Fire Cadet Academy.

The newly minted firefighters were chosen from 400 applicants to go through the 21-week program that was established in 2020 as the Brooklyn Park Fire Department transitioned from a paid-on-call model to full-time fire department.

"We are incredibly proud of these eight cadets," said Brooklyn Park Fire Chief T. John Cunningham.

The additions will give the city 30 full-time firefighters, plus seven part-time firefighters and five administrators. Brooklyn Park firefighters answer about 9,000 calls a year.

Tim Harlow

After canceling the 72nd annual Whiz Bang Days due to the pandemic last summer, the historic citywide celebration is returning with a full weekend of events.

The four-day festival, always slated for the second weekend in July, kicks off that Thursday at Birdtown Flats with an ice cream social followed by the "Woody" softball tournament and showing of "The Mighty Ducks" in Hollingsworth Park on Friday. The tournament carries on into Saturday along with the eighth annual car show, with the parade and fireworks on Sunday.

Last May, the city and the Whiz Bang Days committee announced that they were canceling the festival, like many annual events impacted by the pandemic.

More information on the schedule of events and history is available at robbinsdalewhizbangdays.com.

Kim Hyatt