GOLDEN VALLEY BOUNCES BACK FROM JUNE STORMS

As we continue to recover from the powerful storms of June 20-22, which ripped through Golden Valley and the west metro area, it is important to know of the dramatic aftermath and the remarkable resilience of our city.

Nearly half of Golden Valley residents and businesses lost electricity, some waiting as long as the following Thursday for power to be restored.  Many basements, streets and even Brookview Golf Course were flooded.  Hundreds of trees were uprooted, scattered about our city streets and parks, and damaging numerous homes. 

On the positive side, there were no fatalities or significant injuries to report; only inspiring stories of neighbors sharing generators, working together to clean up tree-littered properties, and even setting up an impromptu charging station for the passerby whose cell phone battery was low on power.  It was this hospitality and resourcefulness which helped residents endure the longest power outage in decades.

Golden Valley staff also displayed a quick and impressive response.  Fire and Police Departments answered over 54 calls in the first 24 hour period of downed power lines and tripped alarm systems.  Community Development staff reviewed the structural integrity of numerous homes and buildings.  The Park and Recreation Department ensured that its city programs and services could continue as soon as the next day.  Public Works staff worked overtime to clear trees from roads and parks, set up a city-wide temporary tree debris drop-off site and curbside pick-up schedule, and most importantly, averted the worst water emergency in city history.

The Joint Water Commission, consisting of Crystal, New Hope and Golden Valley, receive water from the Mississippi River via the City of Minneapolis.  But power was knocked out to the Golden Valley water reservoir pump and our back-up generator was down for repairs.  The “fail-safe” was the Crystal water pump until the water main line, which runs under the City of Robbinsdale, unexpectedly burst creating a significant sinkhole on Broadway Avenue.  Our Public Works staff, Xcel Energy and Ziegler Construction swiftly responded and repaired the generator with 30 minutes to spare before all three cities were left without any water for a number of days - if not longer.

With so much effort and determination, Golden Valley has made a strong recovery over the past few weeks.  The water infrastructure has been completely restored and all city programs and services are functioning normally, including use of Brookview Golf Course. The tree debris drop-off site proved very effective and the one-time curbside tree pick-up program is almost complete. 

But there is still more work to be done.  Golden Valley will be convening a meeting of state and local leaders from neighboring cities with Xcel Energy and the Public Utilities Commission to discuss the layout of the area’s grid system, Xcel’s outage response process, and what steps can be taken by cities to make such a process move more quickly in the future.

This storm was debilitating to many in Golden Valley but our collective response to the storm speaks to our strength as a city.  Thank you to neighbors who helped each other in times of need and to city staff for their well-orchestrated response to this storm.  We have collectively learned many valuable lessons from this storm but I am confident that we will be even better prepared the next time this type of severe weather affects our community.

For questions or further information regarding storm response activities, please visit the city’s website at www.goldenvalleymn.gov.