May 20, 2020

Contact

Nicole Frethem
Commissioner, District 1
651-266-8362 or 651-425-9580 
Email

Sheena Denny
Principal Aide
651-266-8355
Email

Nancy Larson
Administrative Assistant

Follow on Facebook

Commissioner Frethem is sharing information and access to resources in real time on Facebook. Follow us there for more COVID-19 and other county content.

Virtually meet with Commissioner Frethem on Zoom

We will be holding virtual chats and check ins via Zoom on Thursdays at 11:30 a.m.

• May 21 Facebook event
• May 28 Facebook event

Learn more at the Facebook Event Invites or join in by clicking the link https://zoom.us/j/4574765166 and entering the Meeting ID: 457 476 5166 at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 21.

Flooding Meeting Reschedule and comment on feedback

We will be hosting a VIRTUAL community conversation on the flooding issues on Tuesday, June 9 from 5-7 p.m. This will include the presentation we had planned to provide on March 12, 2020 which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. We plan to include a Q&A opportunity, but are still finalizing how that can be done virtually.

I have received several emails and calls on the proposed master plan update at Vadnais-Snail Lake regional park. Response to these has been postponed both due to my work addressing high-priority pandemic planning but also to provide time for me to reach out to partners to better understand and address the concerns. I plan to follow up by the end of the week and provide a broad response to all.

In the six months that I have been at the board, collaborating to address flooding has been one of my top priorities. I have spent countless hours reviewing studies and meeting with community members and staff to understand the complexity of this issue. There are multiple factors leading to the flooding and not all of them are within government control. Although it is (probably always) true that our governments could have responded faster, more comprehensively and more transparently, I haven’t met anyone working on this at the city, watershed district, Met Council, or county level that isn’t sensitive to the significant negative impacts it is having on our community and residents.

I want to speak specifically to a consistent message some of the feedback that I've been copied on related to the Vadnais-Snail Lake Parks Amendment that pits pumping against park changes to install more resilient structures for trails. I support pumping as a solution to try and restore the condition of wetland A. However, I don't want to oversell the idea of pumping to anyone. We don't know that it will be fully effective because there will still be high rain incidents and snow melt that could result in overflow. Climate change in our community means that water is acting differently than it did decades ago. Further, before a pumping program could be fully implemented, downstream improvements must be made to prevent flooding of habitable structures in our neighboring communities. This is not an either/or situation. We can build resiliency in the park area AND pursue solutions to restore the wetland area. I will not stop pushing for restoration, but there is also significant community demand for reliable access to  parkland and the COVID-19 pandemic has elevated the need across the county for investment in community park spaces.

I hope to continue this conversation with all of you on June 9 and provide some of the additional background and context that I've been learning in this role.

Public Works and Parks Updates

Board of Commissioners Virtual Board Meeting

Today's board meeting was a virtual board meeting via Zoom. You can hear our discussion and watch the board meeting on Ramsey County's website.

Census Update

District 1 cities are doing great at completing their census forms - well above the state and national average. Take a look at these response rates:

1. White Bear Township – 85.8%
2. Shoreview - 84%
3. North Oaks - 83.1%
4. Arden Hills - 81.9%
5. Gem Lake - 82.4%
6. Vadnais Heights - 81.1%
7. Blaine - 80.1%
8. Spring Lake Park - 77.5%
9. Mounds View - 75.7%

If you haven't completed your census yet, you can do it online at my2020census.gov to report who is living in your home. The census helps define our representation and funding allocations at the national level so a high response rate is critical. Your information is confidential and cannot be shared for any other purposes.

For more information about the census, check out ramseycounty.us/census.

Stay up-to-date on COVID 19

Ramsey County launches new data dashboards

Data about the COVID-19 outbreak specific to Ramsey County is now available in a public health dashboard on the Ramsey County website. This data dashboard includes city-specific case data and is updated daily. 

A separate data dashboard shares data about usage of modified service delivery sites and activity.

Resources

Ramsey County continues to provide information and updates via our website at https://www.ramseycounty.us/coronavirus. The best actions to keep yourself, your family, and your community safe are:

• Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds
• Wear a mask or face covering in public
• Stay 6 feet apart from people when in public
• Cover your coughs and sneezes
• Stay home when you are sick

Additional resources and information can be found at:

• Ramsey County Community Resources page
• #StayHomeMN FAQ
• CDC Coronavirus updates
• Domestic violence national helpline or 24/7 domestic abuse crisis hotline call 866-223-1111 or text 612-399-9995
• Hunger solutions has resources for families facing food insecurity or those willing to help
• Mental health crisis services are available 24/7 for all adults and children. In the event of a mental health crisis call:
  •  Adult Mental Health Crisis Line: 651-266-7900.
  • Children’s Mental Health Crisis Line: 651-266-7878.