Editor's Notebook: Oakdale Postpones Redrawing Precinct Map, Seeks Grant for Boardwalk

Council Pushes Off Decision on New Precinct Boundaries: The Oakdale City Council voted Tuesday, March 13, to postpone a decision on new precinct boundaries. The city is now split at 10th Street into two legislative districts, and voting precincts must fall within those new boundaries. The item was on the council’s consent agenda, but council member Lori Pulkrabek asked that it be removed to allow for further assessment of the new lines. The plan proposed by staff would have adjusted the boundaries of the city’s three southernmost precincts—2, 1 and 8—putting the entire portion of the city between 10th Street and 15th Street into Precinct 2. Oakdale’s deadline for setting new precincts is April 3, according to a report by city staff.

City Seeks For Grant for Lake Crossing: The City of Oakdale is applying for a $100,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to help fund a floating boardwalk across Mud Lake that would connect the existing trails in the to the peninsula on the other side of the lake. The council approved the application at its meeting Tuesday, March 13. The grants will be awarded this summer.