Latest news with #WoodburyHS
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Work underway on Woodbury's new water treatment plant; traffic impacts expected
By 2028, Woodbury will have a long-term solution to removing PFAS from its drinking water as construction of a new treatment plant is in the works. 'It is the largest capital improvement project in the history of the city of Woodbury,' assistant public works director Jim Westerman said. The $330 million plant will connect all 20 of Woodbury's groundwater wells through 17 miles of pipe to a central location for treatment. The plant will treat for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances using granular activated carbon, which can remove PFAS chemicals to ensure safe drinking water, according to Westerman. The scope of the project means there will be some challenges for residents and visitors during construction. 'This effort is going to have significant disruption to the city of Woodbury and the community at large because of those pipeline projects and the traffic impacts,' Westerman said. Roads closures from April through June include Dale Road, Interlachen Parkway, Pioneer Drive, Bailey Road and Arbor Drive, according to the city of Woodbury. Other communities like St. Paul and Minneapolis rely on surface water or a combination of surface water and groundwater, while Woodbury's municipal water system comes from a 100% groundwater-based system, Westerman said. Nine of the city's wells, which have had health advisories placed on them by the Minnesota Department of Public Health, are being treated for PFAS by four temporary plants, the first of which was constructed in 2020 and has since expanded. The new, 32 million gallon per day treatment plant will add two new wells to the system and is being built on 22 acres of land south of Hargis Parkway and east of Radio Drive. The new system will replace the temporary plants as a long-term solution for addressing water contamination. More than 90% of funding for the permanent plant and pipelines will come from a 2018 PFAS settlement reached between 3M and the state of Minnesota. Additional funding for the project will come from federal sources and the city's water utility fees. Woodbury launches a new visitors bureau and website Stillwater schools make leadership changes Woodbury attorney disbarred after being convicted of swindling client Charges: Woodbury HS student had replica gun in backpack, ran from school Report of student with gun at Woodbury HS leads to search, apprehension A number of other cities in the east metro are stepping up efforts to handle the 'forever chemicals' after the EPA finalized new standards last year for PFAS in drinking water. While some communities are able to comply by shutting off certain wells or blending water with cleaner wells, others including Hastings, South St. Paul and Stillwater will have to install costly new filtration systems to remove the chemicals. Westerman said he asks community members to have patience during Woodbury's construction and understand that the ultimate goal is to provide everyone with high-quality drinking water. For more information on PFAS and Woodbury's water treatment program, go to and click on 'Water Treatment.'
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Yahoo
Woodbury attorney disbarred after being convicted of swindling client
The Minnesota Supreme Court has banned Woodbury attorney Kristi McNeilly from practicing law in the state, three years after she was convicted of theft by swindle for stealing $15,000 from a man who hired her to defend him in a drug case. The high court's opinion, rendered Wednesday, upheld a referee's decision, which found that McNeilly 'committed a criminal act that reflected negatively on her honesty and trustworthiness,' according to the opinion. 'She stole $15,000 from a client by telling the client that the money was needed to bribe government officials to dismiss pending drug charges.' The referee recommended McNeilly, who waived her right to an evidentiary hearing, be disbarred, and the court agreed. 'Misappropriation of client funds 'is a breach of trust that reflects poorly on the entire legal profession and erodes the public's confidence in lawyers,'' the opinion states. She also was ordered to pay $900 in costs related to the case, the court's opinion said. McNeilly did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment. McNeilly, a criminal defense attorney, was sentenced in Hennepin County District Court in 2022 to 180 days in the county workhouse after being convicted of theft-by-swindle two months prior. She also was ordered to pay back the $15,000 to her client. She was hired in May 2018 to represent a 39-year-old Minnetonka man suspected of keeping illegal drugs in his home. The drugs were discovered during a search by the Southwest Hennepin Drug Taskforce, according to the criminal complaint. Although the man was a suspect, Her client was not immediately charged with a crime. In November 2018, McNeilly told her client that she had spoken with the lead investigator and prosecuting attorney in his case, and that it could be resolved if her client made a payment of between $35,000 and $50,000 to a police union. McNeilly's client was able to collect only $15,000, which he handed over to McNeilly. Three days later, her client changed his mind and asked McNeilly for his money back, but McNeilly said she already forwarded it to the police union, according to the complaint. After McNeilly's client hired a new lawyer, police discovered that McNeilly had never been in contact with the lead investigator or the prosecutor, and that she spent a portion of her client's money on mortgage and credit-card payments, the complaint said. Charges: Woodbury HS student had replica gun in backpack, ran from school Forest Lake 'career offender' gets 12½-year prison term for swindling businesses, homeowners Report of student with gun at Woodbury HS leads to search, apprehension 'Like having a bunch of nice friends': Volunteer phone line for positive messages marks 30th year Oakdale celebrates 50 years of Arbor Day tree giveaways The director of the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility filed a petition for disciplinary action against McNeilly in connection with the case. McNeilly, who was admitted to practice law in Minnesota in 2004, had twice been previously disciplined by the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility. She was publicly reprimanded and placed on probation for three years in 2015 and admonished in 2016, the opinion states.
