Editor's Notebook: Banning Toxic Sealant Sparks Interest, Nature Center Garage Project Moving

Environmental Commissioner Brings Up Sealant Ban: In a discussion Jan. 9 about goals for the year, Oakdale Environmental Management Commission chair Keith Miller said the city ought to take a look at whether to ban coal tar-based sealants, often used to sealcoat asphalt driveways, as many other Minnesota cities have done. Coal tar sealants contain high levels of a type of chemical called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that harm fish and pose a cancer risk in humans with prolonged exposure, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Over time, the coating can flake off and run into lakes and rivers, according an agency factsheet. The alternative asphalt-based sealant is less resilient, but also less toxic, the factsheet says. Roseville, White Bear Lake and Maplewood have all banned coal tar-based sealants.

Garage to Match Discovery Center: Oakdale City Council members generally supported plans, Jan. 10, to construct a garage large enough to store items and vehicles at the . Plans are to locate the new garage slightly south of where the . The proposed cost of the building went up significantly, from about $20,000 to about $90,000, with a proposed quadrupling in size, however about $46,000 of that cost increase is being covered with money saved on the project, said Parks Superintendent Randy Bastyr. The bigger garage will provide protection for the city’s In the Streets van, which contains thousands of dollars worth of electronics, Bastyr said. He said he planned to try to match the garage’s siding to that of the , while using a different type of siding that will be less appealing to woodpeckers. Council members said they still wanted to be sure that the garage won't stick out or detract from the natural beauty of the park. They said they wanted to see decorative brick used around the building where appropriate, and some windows in the garage.