South metro town briefs

Women's first vote after 19th amendment? Right here! Friday was the 90th anniversary of the first time women, backed by the federal government, cast ballots in the United States.

The historic first happened in South St. Paul in the summer of 1920.

On Aug. 26, the 19th Amendment was certified and gave women the right to vote nationwide. The very next day, more than 80 women in South St. Paul voted on a special waterworks bond.

Most of the women were members of the South St. Paul League of Women Voters, an organization whose purpose was to promote political responsibility through citizen participation in government.

According to news coverage at the time, the first woman to cast her vote was Marguerite Newburg, a clerk in the city engineer's office. She voted within 18 seconds of the polls opening.

Assessing environmental damage at UMore Park The University of Minnesota is asking for proposals for a phase II environmental assessment of a portion of the former site of Gopher Ordnance Works, located on the school's UMore Park property in Rosemount and Empire Township.

The 3,500-acre site, once the home of the government-owned manufacturing facility, is being evaluated for future residential and commercial development at UMore.

Studies have found that some areas of the site are polluted with hazardous substances as a result of the former facility.

Whoever is chosen to conduct the assessment must analyze the environmental conditions and how to address them, including details about how much such initiatives would cost.

Proposals are due Sept. 24, and the university is expected to announce its selection in October.

City warning on political and garage sale signs Prior Lake is warning candidates and their supporters it will enforce its rules against cluttering the sides of major roadways with political signs. And that means you, too, garage sale folks!

Check with city hall on the proper rules for yard and election signs. A statement from the city warns: "The city, county and state all prohibit signs from rights of way because signs allowed beget more signs, liability, pedestrian/motorist safety and aesthetics. Rights of way are for public purposes such as utilities, snow storage and buffering."

Libraries are celebrating grandparents Libraries across the county are hosting multiple events this month for children and their grandparents to celebrate National Grandparents Day.

The festivities at various libraries across the county start Sept. 10 with Grandparents Day Storytime at the Galaxie Library in Apple Valley. Other events include intergenerational songs, a Scrabble Scramble, a showing of the movie "Up," and arts and crafts. Children are encouraged to bring a grandparent or "grandfriend" to the library.

For a complete listing of events, times and locations, check out the Dakota County libraries' calendar at www.dakotacounty.us/library.

Check out your future parks in walking tour Scott County is inviting people to tour proposed and planned parks as it seeks advice on how to develop them in the future.

The guided walking tour of Doyle-Kennefick park, in particular, is being billed as a first chance for the average person to explore a site that is not yet open for public use.

Times and places:

• Cedar Lake Farm (already in partial use): Sept. 11, noon to 2, 400 W. 260th St. (County Road 2), New Prague

• Doyle-Kennefick: Sept. 18, noon to 2, 4275 235th Street E., Elko New Market

• Blakeley Bluffs: Oct. 2, noon to 2, Ney Nature Center (neycenter.org), 28238 Nature Center Lane, Henderson.

A hangar dance and in a real hangar Tickets are being sold for a 1940s-style hangar dance at Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie to benefit the Scott County Historical Society.

Tickets are $45 and are available at the Stans Museum, with credit cards accepted. Participants must be at least 21.

For more information, call 952-445-0378 or e-mail info@scottcountyhistory.org. The society is located at 235 Fuller St. South in Shakopee.

Winning quilts will be on display in West St. Paul Dakota County wants to pick out the best work of local quilters and put it on display for six months at its Northern Service Center in West St. Paul. County residents can send a digital photo of their quilt and a submission form to Jean Erickson, jean.erickson@co.dakota.mn.us, by Sept. 23. Download the form by searching for public art at www.dakotacounty.us. The link is at the bottom of the page.

The Dakota County Public Art Citizens Advisory Committee will recommend the finalists. Once finalists are chosen, quilts will be viewed to pick winners.

Quilts can be sewn by hand or machine but must be fewer than five years old. They can be as small as 12 by 12 inches and as big as 7 feet 6 inches by 10 feet. For more information, call Beth Adams at 952-484-7274.

Two low-floor, 40-foot buses splashed with MVTA's green and orange color scheme and logos will be running along the new route between Eagan's Cedar Grove Transit Station and the University of Minnesota starting Sept. 7. This type of bus, or one similar to it, may be chosen for the bus rapid transit system along Cedar Avenue, said Robin Selvig, customer service manager for MVTA.

The buses, each costing about $400,000, were paid for by a Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Grant. The Metropolitan Council and the Counties Transit Improvement Board will share operating costs. Eight more of the buses will be delivered in 2011.

"We are building our identity in the Cedar Avenue Corridor," said Gary Hansen, an Eagan City Council Member and MVTA board member. "The new service to the University of Minnesota has been frequently requested, and we are excited to have new vehicles to operate and promote this service."