Home Care In Lake Elmo, MN

FARGO — Leo Gruba’s past eight weeks have been a whirlwind.

On the ice, the Hill-Murray product has blossomed into one of the USHL’s top defensemen, especially in the offensive zone. Gruba leads Fargo with 14 points (5-9-14) through 10 games and he leads all USHL defensemen in both goals and points. Along with a plus-9 rating — which ranks sixth among USHL blue liners.

Off the ice, Gruba has been just as busy, whether it be cooking, watching Stars Wars or reading — a hobby he’s taken up with Fargo goaltender Anton Castro. All in an attempt to relax and enjoy some time away from the game.

Accomplishing that task has been easier said than done though.

Ever since he decommitted from St. Cloud State in early September, Gruba’s phone has been buzzing with texts and calls non-stop. Along with college coaches waiting for him after every game as the 19-year-old goes through the recruiting process for a second time.

However, that process is now complete, as Gruba has committed to the University of Minnesota.

“It was a really hard decision but what drove me to Minnesota is the history, the winning culture and the rivalries every night,” Gruba told The Rink Live Tuesday evening. “So many defensemen have gone there too and went on to be successful in the NHL, so I’m pumped to be a Gopher.”

The 6-foot-2, 209-pound defenseman continues a recent string of success for Bob Motzko’s program on the recruiting trail, especially in the USHL.

Dubuque forward Erik Påhlsson — who is currently the league’s leading scorer — committed to the Gophers on Sunday while Lincoln defenseman Jacob Rombach, NTDP forward LJ Mooney and Sioux Falls forward Hayden Reid also announced their pledge to the maroon and gold in September.

Gruba and Pahlsson are both expected to arrive on campus next fall.

Gruba received plenty of interest throughout his recruiting process — including from multiple future Big Ten rivals — but after weighing all of his options and talking with those around him, he’s excited to be staying in his own backyard.

“It’s kind of funny... My dad (Tony) was a St. Cloud guy and played at SCSU, so I grew up going to watch the Huskies. But I’ve gone to a couple Gopher games and seen the atmosphere," Gruba said. "Plus living here you know how special Minnesota is. So I can’t wait to get on campus. And I know my family and friends are all really excited too.

"The recruiting process was a lot at times and it was pretty eye-opening, but it was a lot of fun and it was great for me. I did a few tours, I talked to a lot of different coaches and people from all over the country, and I had a lot of great opportunities that I could’ve seen myself at any of them honestly. But I really liked what (Minnesota) had to offer. I thought it was the best option for myself and my development, so I’m really blessed to have this opportunity.”

As for this season specifically, it’s Gruba’s third year of junior hockey and second in the USHL. Along with a three-year high school career, Gruba spent part of the 2021-22 season with the NAHL’s St. Cloud Norsemen. He played 60 games with the Force last season, along with nine in the playoffs.

Fargo won the Anderson Cup and made it to the Clark Cup Finals, where Gruba played a key role on Fargo’s top pair.

However, he wanted to return for another year of junior hockey and felt he had something left to prove.

“This season I’ve really tried to push my limits and work on my game however I can,” Gruba said. “When you say you’re pushing your limits as a defenseman, some people might grab onto their chair. But I’ve really tried to get more involved in the play and almost be a fourth forward out there while also being smart defensively.

“I’m feeling really good out there right now and I think another big thing is I’m trusting my game and my shooting ability, and I’ve got a lot of talented players around me too. Plus I’ve been able to have a bigger voice and be a leader in our room, and that was one of the things I was really looking forward to and excited about coming back.”

“Whether it was watching Leo in high school, talking to Nick (Oliver) last season or doing homework on our players this summer, I knew Leo was a talented player and his offensive tools speak for themselves,” added Fargo head coach Brett Skinner, who has the Force off to a 10-0-0 start. “When you’re a defenseman you can’t go all the time and you have to pick your spots. I think Leo has done that really well and I know he’s a second-year player in our league, but he has really good instincts and is a smart player.

“He’s a really good kid too, and for myself trying to get up and running with a new team, he’s been someone I’ve leaned on and he’s been great in our room. I know he had a bunch of goals coming into this season and felt there were some things that he needed to get better at too, and so far he’s really taken a step.”

Force set a franchise record with 10th consecutive win, determined to avoid getting complacent

The Fargo Force fell three wins short of the Clark Cup last spring. However, it gave them plenty of motivation and valuable experience as Fargo is off to a 10-0-0 start this season.

Multiple sources have indicated Gruba’s decision to return to the USHL ultimately led to his decommitment from St. Cloud State. However, Gruba reiterated he has no hard feelings and “all the respect in the world” for Brett Larson’s program.

Along with his offensive uptick this fall, Gruba said he really emphasized his skating and speed coming into this season.

His summer actually featured some hurdles at the start as Gruba dealt with a pulled groin. However, he was back to 100% in July and was able to finish his summer strong before heading to Fargo's camp.

The results are showing so far.

“He’s been phenomenal and it feels like every game he’s doing something you’ve never seen in the offensive zone,” said Fargo forward Mac Swanson, who has been one of Gruba’s teammates for each of the past two seasons. “He’s good defensively and I just think he’s playing with a lot of confidence. He’s someone you love having on your team.”

“He’s just playing with more confidence and the offensive side of his game really took off this summer,” added Castro, who was also teammates with Gruba last season. “He did a lot of skills skates and I actually went to a few of them too, so I saw the work he was putting in first-hand.

“So I think he was able to just really carry that into this season and he seems really confident stepping up in the rush and playing his game. I think last year he was playing a little bit safer, which is okay, especially as a first-year guy in the league. And obviously getting another year of experience is going to help with that. But I think he’s just playing his game really well right now and I’m excited to see what he does the rest of this season.”

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As for what Force fans can expect the rest of this season, Gruba hopes to build on the impressive start. Both individually and collectively.

One top of being among the league leaders himself, the Force are the league’s final undefeated team and currently hold a three-point lead atop the Western Conference.

Fargo has been the league’s best defensive team too as the Force have allowed just 16 goals through 10 games — 11 clear of the next closest team (Madison). And its penalty kill (93.8%) and power play (38.7%) rank first and third in the USHL respectively.

Especially after coming so close to last season, those inside Fargo’s locker room have their eyes set on winning the franchise’s second Clark Cup next spring.

Gruba is hoping to achieve that goal and he wants to hoist another title in the future too. Except this time in maroon and gold.

“Man, that would be a dream come true,” Gruba said. “Winning is the ultimate thing you want as an athlete and to raise a trophy for your hometown team, that would be incredible. And I think we’re going to have the talent to do that.

“It’s going to be a dream come true putting that sweater on in general and the cool part of being a Minnesota guy is there’s an extra element of pride when you wear that M. That’s something that I know I’m not going to take for granted and I can’t wait to be a Gopher.”

The city says it sometimes uses a contaminated well to meet water demand. But blended with clean water and it's not a threat.

LAKE ELMO, Minn. — The city of Lake Elmo is exploding so much that it's now the fastest-growing city in Minnesota.

What was a town of about 6,700 in 2005 is now nearing 14,000. Officials predict it could grow past 18,000 by 2030.

"I think people in Lake Elmo are really invested in the community and they want to see it survive and thrive," said Lake Elmo Mayor Charles Cadenhead.

The population boom is so big that up to 300 homes are built every year and now includes the city's first apartment complex.

Add in an expected 1,000 new students in the next decade and the school board recently approved a resolution to hold a $175 million bond referendum on November 7, 2023.

And then there's the water issue.

"Everybody thinks it's the land of 10,000 lakes, you've got a ton of water, right," said Cadenhead. "Well, not necessarily so."

The city gets all its water from the ground, but the Department of Natural Resources says it can legally only pump 260 million gallons of it every year. Cadenhead projecting it needs two times that by 2027.

"We are actively trying to make sure we're good stewards of the resource," he said.

What's worse is that some of the water is contaminated with chemicals called PFAS or per- and polyfluoroalkyl. For years, 3M Co. made the chemicals that leaked into underground aquifers after being disposed of.

To meet the water demand, the city says it has to use that contaminated water, but blended with clean water, Cadenhead says it's not a public threat. He says the city's two other pumps do not contain PFAS.

"We're just trying to manage it best with the pumps we have online now," said Cadenhead. "And we're trying to make sure we have neighborhoods get hooked up to clean city water; it just makes it a little more difficult in the long run."

Some solutions include imposing residential water restrictions for now and building a water treatment plant later. The city also applied for grants from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to fund treatment of the water and another line to divert more water from the cleaner pumps.

"We’re tying to be very solution-orientated," said Cadenhead. "But then it's our responsibility to make sure it grows in the right way."

As for the bond request, it would cost taxpayers with a median priced home of $500,000 about $17 per month.

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LAKE ELMO, Minn. — A 13-year-old girl from Minnesota has taken her talents all the way to New York City this holiday season. Savannah Manzel snagged a coveted role in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular show.

Manzel doesn't take a day off. When she's not in school, she's at Larkin Dance Studio in Maplewood making herself a better, stronger dancer. That discipline paid off in a big way when she landed the role of a lifetime.

"I made it through every cut," she said. "I was so surprised."

It was taken as a team win for the Larkin family when they learned one of their own was cast as Clara in the Nutcracker performance Radio City Music Hall presentation.

Manzel and her mother made the move to Manhattan in early November, and she started performing as Clara a week before Thanksgiving.

"I've never danced on a stage quite this big," Manzel said. "It's the most magical feeling ever, because you can just imagine all the hours you spent training and it's all paid off."

Mackenzie Larkin, one of Manzel's dance teachers, is proud to see her succeed on a national stage.

"Savannah is definitely one in a million. She goes above and beyond in all of her training," Larkin said. "We just can't wait to see her shine even more, come back even stronger and be on that next level."

Manzel's accomplishments are an inspiration to many young dancers, including her little sister Scarlett.

Manzel will be performing at Radio City six days a week between now and New Year's Day.

Marielle Mohs

Marielle Mohs is thrilled to be telling stories in her home state of Minnesota. She grew up in Eden Prairie and South Minneapolis.

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The demand for city water in Lake Elmo has been so strong in recent weeks that staff sometimes have had to pump from a well that is known to be contaminated with PFOA, a toxin in the class of chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

The problem spans a short period of time, usually on Fridays, when the water is blended with clean water to a degree that it doesn't present a public health threat, according to city officials.

Still, the presence of the contaminant in Lake Elmo's No. 2 well came as a shock when it was found in recent weeks, said a City Council member. The discovery adds another layer of complexity to city efforts to find enough clean drinking water to support a housing boom that has made Lake Elmo the fastest-growing city in the state.

Used in nonstick pans, firefighting foam, carpets and food packaging, the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals were made for years by Maplewood-based 3M Co. and legally dumped into area landfills. The chemicals have since leaked into underground aquifers that provide drinking water to many east metro communities. The manufacturing and use of PFAS chemicals elsewhere by 3M and other companies has contaminated water and soil around the world.

Lake Elmo's No. 2 well, located about a half-mile southwest of Stillwater Area High School, was found to have 9 to 10 parts per trillion of PFOA before being blended with water from uncontaminated wells, according to City Administrator Kristina Handt. Regulations proposed earlier this year by the Environmental Protection Agency would, among other things, limit PFOA contamination to 4 parts per trillion.

Measures taken

Lake Elmo already has issued residential water restrictions this summer, dividing the city into four zones and allowing each zone to water lawns two days a week. Two zones can water on Fridays, and that's when the city has had to draw from the No. 2 well for short periods, Handt said. No irrigation is allowed from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. for anyone connected to the city water system.

The city issued 300 warnings to first-time offenders of watering restrictions, Handt said. Forty second-time offenders were handed $100 fines. Five third-time offenders were given an additional fine of $200, and one city resident was threatened with a water shutoff after four violations. The resident agreed to disconnect their sprinkler system to avoid losing city water service, Handt said.

For now, the city has submitted two grant applications to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to help mitigate the problem.

The first would help the city pay for temporary treatment of water from the No. 2 well. A permanent treatment plant would require a sewer connection and none is available in that area, Handt said.

The second MPCA grant would help pay for a second trunk line to move more water from two uncontaminated wells to the city's water system.

The city considers it likely that it will have to build a water treatment plant, perhaps in Stonegate Park near the city's densest neighborhoods, Handt said.

Benefits from lawsuits

This isn't the first time that Lake Elmo discovered PFAS contamination in its drinking water. Lake Elmo shut down wells and sued 3M when the chemicals were first discovered. The resulting legal settlement in 2019 saw 3M give $2.7 million and 180 acres of farmland to Lake Elmo.

The city also is eligible for some of the $850 million PFAS-contamination settlement, which Minnesota reached with 3M in 2018, for funds to help pay for a treatment plant. Lake Elmo initially didn't consider building a plant because it was thought that the three sites in the northern third of the city — the Nos. 2, 4, and 5 wells — were PFAS-free, Handt said.

City Council Member Jeff Holtz said it was a shock to find contaminants in the No. 2 well, but he's also heard that private well owners in the northern part of the city — north of the known plume of PFAS contaminants — are now testing positive as well.

"We're taking extremely strong measures to reduce demand," Holtz said. "This is not going to be a one-year issue. It's going to be a multiyear issue."

Demand increases

The rapidly growing city's average daily use has skyrocketed in recent years as new homes are built, from 570,000 gallons per day in 2017 to 1.1 million gallons per day last year. Those are average numbers, and the demand can go much higher during dry stretches in the summer when homeowners water lawns and gardens.

The No. 4 and 5 wells can provide 3.5 million gallons of water a day, City Engineer Jack Griffin told the City Council during a workshop session last month, and to meet demand during the busiest times, the city also can draw up to 1 million gallons a day from the No. 2 well.

The city already is pumping more water than the 260 million gallons a year that the state Department of Natural Resources allows, pulling some 400 million gallons from the Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer last year. The city's water plan calls for taking 521 million gallons by 2027, Handt said.

The DNR rebuffed the city last year when it asked for more water, citing a long-running dispute over water levels in White Bear Lake. A 2017 Ramsey County District Court order put restrictions on communities, including Lake Elmo, that use water from the same aquifer that feeds the lake. Special legislation passed this year that directed the DNR to provide Lake Elmo with enough water to help it meet its needs.

Hoping the new legislation would ease the permitting process, Handt said the city asked last month for a larger water appropriation, but the DNR hasn't granted it so far.

A DNR spokesperson said Friday the agency considers Lake Elmo a high priority, and the agency is looking for a solution that would satisfy the legislation and court orders restricting the use of waters that supply White Bear Lake. "Our evaluation includes ensuring the request meets Minnesota water law sustainability standards for groundwater use," the DNR statement read.

"It's just disappointing that it hasn't happened," said State Rep. Mark Wiens, R-Lake Elmo, a legislator who helped push the special legislation through the process this year.

Stillwater Area School District officials say they may need to look for a new site for a new Lake Elmo Elementary School because of issues regarding access to city water.

The Lake Elmo City Council met Tuesday night to review an initial sketch plan of the project, and some council members raised concerns about hooking up city water to the 47-acre parcel on the northwest corner of Lake Elmo Avenue and 10th Street North — kitty-corner to Cimarron Park, a mobile-home community in Lake Elmo.

District officials are now working with the seller of the land to extend the purchase agreement, which was set to expire on Nov. 28, for three months, to give district officials time “to collaborate with our community partners to come up with a solution that best meets the needs of our students and community members,” Superintendent Mike Funk said.

The district’s $175 million bond referendum, which will be used to fund a new school to replace Lake Elmo Elementary School, passed with 57 percent support. The school was built in 1920.

District officials over the summer entered into a $4.5 million purchase agreement for the land at Lake Elmo Avenue and 10th Street North contingent on the passage of the referendum; the undeveloped, wooded land is owned by Tom Kindler.

Lake Elmo, the fastest-growing city in Minnesota, is dealing with a multitude of water issues, including PFAS contamination and restrictions on pumping as a result of a court order regarding the water levels of White Bear Lake.

“We’ve been struggling with our water issues for a long time now,” said City Administrator Kristina Handt said. “I think that’s really important that people understand that Lake Elmo has had water issues for quite some time that we’ve been struggling with because of the White Bear Lake court ruling.”

The city enacted a moratorium on development in 2022 after the city’s request to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for an amendment to its water appropriations permit was denied in May 2021. City officials applied for the amendment to increase the city’s allowed water usage due to rapid growth — 1,400 new houses, 300 new apartment units and numerous businesses — over a five-year period, Handt said.

But DNR officials, citing the White Bear Lake court order, denied the city’s request.

That order, issued in 2017 by Ramsey County District Judge Margaret Marrinan following a trial, effectively prohibits the DNR from issuing new or expanded groundwater pumping permits within five miles of the lake. The ruling put restrictions on communities, including Lake Elmo, that use water from the same aquifer that feeds the lake. Special legislation passed earlier this year allows the DNR to consider an increase to Lake Elmo’s water appropriation, in part to accommodate water needs associated with connecting homes on private wells contaminated by PFAS onto the city water system. Issuing an increase in the permitted volume, however, would not have been permissible under the court order, DNR officials say.

“We thought the legislation would help, but it’s not going to result in an appropriation that will provide for the city to continue growth and not be in violation of our permits,” Handt said. “So the City Council is now taking a closer look at developments.”

The proposed new school site is not the first proposal to come under scrutiny, she said. The council last week did not approve a proposed Bridgewater Bank and commercial development at Manning Avenue and Stillwater Boulevard, she said.

“The building that people see going on is from developments that were approved a year ago or more,” she said. “There was a subdivision that was a day care and townhomes that got held up initially, but we thought the legislation was going to help, so we let it go through, but we haven’t approved any other developments.”

City officials also have instituted a two-day-a-week watering ban, she said.

“We’re at a point where there’s nothing more that we, as a city, can do,” she said.

Handt encouraged anyone upset about the possibility of a new school not being located in Lake Elmo to contact Gov. Tim Walz or Attorney General Keith Ellison.

“They’re the ones who can advocate for us with the judge,” she said. “It’s frustrating to us that the golf courses can be allowed enough water to maintain green grass and the level of White Bear Lake can be kept artificially high, and yet we can’t get a school to serve our kids.”

Handt said city officials in June alerted district officials about concerns about limitations of water usage that are being imposed on the city by the DNR; Funk said district officials were not told about the city’s water concerns until a meeting on Sept. 15.

“The district administration would never have recommended a purchase agreement for a property that needed a well, especially with local PFAS issues, without consulting the DNR first,” Funk said Thursday. “This isn’t my first time doing this sort of stuff, so there’s no way I would have told our board, ‘Oh, I want you to spend money on buying this land, but I can’t guarantee that you’re going to have water.’”

City officials told district officials earlier this year that the 47-acre plot of land “was a solid choice, as the city administration told us we would not need to rezone, it had good road access, and we could build there with simple council approval,” Funk wrote in a letter to city officials this week. “The administration was clear that although there was a sewer hook up across the street, we would likely need to have 4/5 council approval to change the MUSA. Water was never brought up as a concern.”

District planners were subsequently told in planning meetings in October by the city administration that they did not have the votes on the City Council to hook up to city water, according to Funk’s letter.

When Funk contacted the DNR to ask about the feasibility of digging a well at the location, Joe Richter, the agency’s district appropriations hydrologist, recommended that the district hook up to city water for the water supply of the school “due to the presence of the pollution in the groundwater in this area.”

“I believe that by hooking up to the city water supply, you would avoid possible litigation should someone claim that the quality of the school drinking water is harming the student’s health,” Richter wrote in an Oct. 23 email.

The bond referendum for a new school in Lake Elmo passed by a margin of more than 2,000 votes throughout the district. In the Lake Elmo precincts, it passed with almost 70 percent approval, Funk said.

“As it appears that the district does not have council approval to hook up to city water (which the DNR states is safest for our students), and it appears unlikely that we will gain approval in the near future, we are going to have to look at other options outside of Lake Elmo for our students, to keep with our planning timeline of opening a school by the fall of 2026,” Funk wrote in the letter to city officials this week.

“The district has until November 27th to cancel our current purchase agreement on the 47 acres,’ the letter continued. “Unless there is some movement of support to keeping a school with water (and preferably septic), I will be recommending we cancel this purchase agreement. This is a difficult recommendation to make, as the school has been part of the community for over a century. Being upfront on this issue earlier in the process would have been quite helpful.”

Funk recommends that people interested in keeping an elementary school in Lake Elmo “put pressure on their elected officials at all levels to get this thing done.”

“I am confident that if we work together with community partners in the district, we will arrive at a successful solution that meets the needs of our students, whether that is in Lake Elmo or elsewhere,” he said.