The following actions were taken at the Feb. 7, 2023, Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting at the Government Center in Stillwater, Minnesota County will continue household hazardous waste collections in communities The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved agreements with county communities Feb. 7 to allow the county to conduct household hazardous waste collections in those communities during 2023.

Six one-day weekend household hazardous waste collections are planned for 2023, in spring and fall. One-day collections bring the services offered at the Washington County Environmental Center closer to residents, making it more convenient and practical for them to recycle and dispose their electronics and household hazardous waste. The agreements allow the county to use sites owned by others to conduct household hazardous waste collections.

Events planned are:

• Mahtomedi – 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 22, Mahtomedi Middle School Ball Fields Lot; participants should enter at 8100 75th St. N., Mahtomedi.

• Stillwater – 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays May 20 and Sept. 23, Lily Lake Ice Arena, 1208 S. Greeley St., Stillwater.

• Forest Lake – 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, May 6, June 3, and Sept. 9, Forest Lake Transit Center, 19987 Fitzgerald Trail N., Forest Lake.

Confidential document shredding will be available at all events.

The Environmental Center will also provide paper shredding and electronics recycling at the Cottage Grove Clean Up event 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 6.

In addition to the satellite collection events, six dates have been set for confidential paper shredding at the Washington County Environmental Center. All events are from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. They will be Wednesdays:

• April 19.

• May 24.

• June 21.

• Aug. 2.

• Sept. 27.

• Nov. 8. In addition to one-day collections, the Washington County Environmental Center, 4039 Cottage Grove Drive in Woodbury, provides residents with a free and convenient disposal option for household hazardous waste, electronics, and recyclables all year round.

It is open Tuesday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The center accepts household hazardous waste, electronics, and recyclables. The center also has a Free Product Room, in which residents may browse the shelves and take home previously- owned products, such as paint, stain, automotive supplies, household cleaners, and other products. All items taken to the Environmental Center are inspected to determine if they are usable products.

Sheriff’s Office receives 2 grants to pay for equipment, operations The Washington County Sheriff’s Office will be the recipient of two grants after the County Board accepted both Feb. 7.

One is the 2023 Federal Boating Safety Supplemental Equipment Grant that will provide $73,000 for the Water, Parks and Trails Division to purchase a new boat, motor, and trailer to replace an older boat and allow for the unit to have reliable equipment. The Sheriff’s Office is responsible for patrolling and responding to emergencies on all waters in Washington County and this grant assists in enhancing overall safety on the waterways. There is no county match required.

The second is the 2022 Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Grant from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division, for $183,750 to be used from now until June 30, 2024. The program assists highthreat, high-density urban areas to build and sustain the capabilities necessary to prevent, mitigate, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism. The grant will fund planning, equipment, training, and exercises.

County will receive $1.1 million for crisis response work Washington County will receive $1,185,822 to support the delivery of crisis response services to adult and child residents of the county after the County Board accepted the funds from the state Department of Human Services (DHS) Feb. 7.

The grant will support services through 2024.

The DHS, through a collaboration of its Behavioral Health Division, was awarded funding for adult and children’s mobile mental health crisis response services. Legislation from 2021 appropriated additional funds to assist mobile crisis teams to expand services and strengthen the state’s mobile crisis infrastructure to staff 24-hour mobile crisis lines and be able to take more calls.

Crisis services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The grant will pay for services through Dec. 31, 2024.

Additional dollars provide funding to:

• Support Crisis Response Unit staff and positions funded by federal dollars that will end in 2024.

• Add an additional case aide to provide administrative support within the response unit.

• Establish new peer specialist/ family partner services.

County will use grant to explore possibility of family resource center Washington County will use a $74,763 grant from the Sauer Family Foundation to explore and assess the potential for a Family Resource Center in the county.

The County Board accepted the grant Feb. 7.

The funds will be used to analyze relevant data to focus on geographic areas most in need of services, foster engagement and conversations with families and community providers that would work with the county, and visit active Family Resource Centers in Minnesota, such as the one in Scott County and other jurisdictions that may be further ahead in this work.

A community-based support hub:

• Offers services, support, and opportunities for families.

• Is responsive to the needs, cultures, and interests of the communities and populations served.

• Is focused on a reduction of child abuse in the community and empowerment of families to be strong, healthy, and successful.

The work that the grant will support will:

• Conduct an environmental scan, literature review, and site visits.

• Gather data to inform locations, services, and partnerships.

• Create meaningful partnerships, both internally and externally.

• Collaboratively complete a community and partnership assessment.

• Discuss next steps and gain buy-in from executive leadership.

Stonebrooke Engineering will work on CSAH 3 improvements Stonebrooke Engineering will design pavement improvements and a rightturn lane from County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 4, or 170th Street North, to CSAH 3, or Norell Avenue North, after the Washington County Board of Commissioners approved a $213,151 contract with the firm Feb. 7.

The project will be centered on almost four miles of roadway through May Township.

The contract includes project coordination of final design, public engagement, utility coordination, permitting approvals, and right-of-way. The project is expected to be done in 2024. It will be paid for with highway state aid.

The project is for CSAH 3 from CSAH 7 (Square Lake Trail North) to CSAH 4 (170th Street North). It consists of roadway rehabilitation, construction of a new right-turn lane from eastbound CSAH 4 to southbound CSAH 3, and a new retaining wall at Warner Nature Pond.

The turn lane will traffic improve operations on eastbound CSAH 4 with the right-turn lane to southbound CSAH 3. The project will stabilize and protect the pond with a new retaining wall at Warner Nature Pond.