West metro news briefs: Lars Erdahl to step down as Minnehaha Creek Watershed District head

Lars Erdahl announced that he will step down as administrator of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District at the end of February.

In a statement, Erdahl said the time is right for transition now that the district is ready to implement its new 10-year watershed management plan.

"I feel especially proud of the tremendous work from our staff, board and various stakeholders in moving the plan forward and felt this was the right time for me to leave the district and pursue new opportunities," he said.

The new plan will align programs, staff and budget to meet growing challenges faced by one of the largest urban watersheds in the country.

It was approved in December by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources, and the district board will vote on its adoption this month.

Sherry White, president of the district board, thanked Erdahl for his leadership over the last three years.

David Chanen

Minnetonka will hold a special election on April 10 to select a new City Council member for Ward 3 to replace Brad Wiersum, who was sworn in this month as mayor.

There will be a two-week filing period for potential candidates, according to City Clerk David Maeda. Because it is a special election, there will be no primary election even if more than two candidates file for office.

Wiersum replaced Terry Schneider, a longtime city official who retired as mayor last month.

The council last year debated filling council vacancies by appointment rather than special election, with some members arguing that it would be the faster option.

Miguel Otárola

Edina police received about 70,000 calls for service last year, representing a 52 percent increase over 2013, according to a report from City Manager Scott Neal.

Though the numbers were not yet finalized, it appeared that calls in 2017 jumped 18 percent over 2016, according to Neal. That was a slightly smaller increase than in the previous year.

Contributing to the rise were calls for mental health crises, drunken driving, drugs and identity theft or other types of fraud.

Edina firefighters also saw an increase in calls for service in 2017. About 4,700 emergency service calls were reported, 9 percent more than the previous year.

Fire crews were called to 40 structure fires and assisted with 22 other fires, according to the report.

Miguel Otárola

Golden Valley City Council members are divided on which steps to take to preserve the city's affordable housing.

The council last week reviewed a draft of the housing chapter for the city's 2040 comprehensive plan, which must be finalized by the end of the year. They went back and forth on policies that housing advocates say could help lower the cost of housing and grant more rights to low-income tenants.

Mayor Shep Harris called for draft ordinances that included some of the policies, including 90-day protection for tenants and a "just cause" clause for landlords looking to upscale their buildings.

But most council members were apprehensive and asked for more time to see what surrounding cities do with their own housing policies.

There are 9,387 affordable-housing units in Golden Valley, according to the comprehensive plan draft. Only 1,606 of those units are available to people who make less than 50 percent of the area's median income.

Miguel Otárola

The Hennepin County Library system has improved its notification and renewal service to make it easier for library users to manage their accounts.

When the due date is approaching for materials, the library will automatically attempt to renew it for the patron. But if there are more holds on a title than copies available, the material won't be renewed and a renewal notice will be sent to those patrons with e-mail addresses.

Some items, such as downloadable materials, book club kits or interlibrary loans, won't be automatically renewed.

Patrons will continue to get up to three renewals, whether automatic or manual, for each item. Renewals may be done in person, online or by phone at 612-543-8811.

David Chanen

The American Pond Hockey Championship will be held Thursday to Sunday, Jan. 21, on the shores of Lake Minnetonka in Excelsior.

The event features pond hockey brackets for men and women, an outdoor beanbag competition, three benefit concerts and a 5K walk-run, plus games in the Club Cambria tent.

It also will include a Saturday night show by Nashville country artist Eric Paslay.

The event will be held outside Maynards restaurant, 685 Excelsior Blvd.

The event raises funds for equipment for at-risk urban youth in south Minneapolis and St. Paul, and the ALS Association.

Since 2013, the event has raised more than $800,000 for charitable organizations.

David Chanen