Coon Rapids Herald

Vermak European Windows and Doors moved closer to opening a 17,920-square-foot manufacturing facility in Coon Rapids after the Planning Commission approved its site plan Aug. 20. The company will lease the building from MSP Truck LLC on a 1.2-acre site along Holly Street in Evergreen Business Park. Vermak expects to initially employ 10 people there.

A third police dog is joining the Coon Rapids Police Department, thanks to a $22,500 donation from a retired officer. The Coon Rapids City Council Aug. 3 accepted the donation from Mark McDonough, owner of McDonough K-9, a police canine training business. The donation will cover the purchase of the dog, Mac, as well as training for Mac and his handler, Officer Roth. Mac and Roth will soon begin about 16 weeks of classroom learning, practical exercises and testing.

As summer turns to fall, a familiar face coordinates the action at Anoka Ramsey Community College's Coon Rapids campus, home to the latest Rams men's soccer practice. Marcus Anthony is a man with deep connections to every corner of the Robbinsdale School District, part of a rare group that can call both Armstrong and Cooper high schools. Now, he calls college sports his home. "The foundation I had in high school was the easiest thing to take here into this job," Anthony said.

Coon Rapids will more than double its number of pickleball courts through a joint project with Anoka-Hennepin School District 11. The Coon Rapids City Council Aug. 3 approved a joint powers agreement with the school district to equally split the $220,000 cost of converting six tennis courts at Northdale Middle School into 12 pickleball courts.

Coon Rapids will use a new $150,000 state grant to help low-income homeowners make needed repairs to their properties. The Coon Rapids City Council unanimously approved a resolution Aug. 3 to accept the three-year grant from the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency's local housing trust fund program. The city will place the money in its local housing trust fund, which was created in 2024 to administer the city's "wide array" of housing programs, as Community Development Director Matt Brown put it.

The Coon Rapids City Council approved more than $207,000 in equipment upgrades July 21 to modernize chemical-feed systems at the city's east and west water treatment plants. The council authorized the direct purchase and installation of specialized equipment for $207,494.88, including $19,590.95 in startup and installation costs. Water is pumped from the city's 24 groundwater wells to one of the two treatment plants, where iron and manganese are removed.

The Coon Rapids City Council approved rezoning and plats July 21 for a proposed 14-lot, single-family housing development at 9050 East River Road. At the request of developer Harstad Hills Inc., the council rezoned the wooded, 4.47-acre property to accommodate the Cardinal Crest development and approved its preliminary and final plats. A vacant home on the property will be removed. This is not the first project Harstad Hills has proposed for the site.

New water conservation measures took effect in Coon Rapids on July 8 following action by the City Council the previous night. In response to direction from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and provisions of the Minnesota Statewide Drought Plan, the council unanimously approved a recommendation from the city's Emergency Board to implement the measures. The board comprises Mayor Jerry Koch, City Manager Matt Stemwedel and Public Works Director Tim Himmer.

Anoka County will replace nine aging traffic signals along Fifth Avenue and East River Road using a $3.5 million federal grant. The signals are located between Main Street in Anoka and Osborne Road in Fridley, with additional intersections in Coon Rapids. The grant was awarded through the Metropolitan Council's 2024 Regional Solicitation program, which distributes federal transportation funding for regional projects.

In the Coon Rapids mayoral race, current Mayor Jerry Koch did not file for re-election. City Council Member Pat Carlson is seeking to replace him and faces challengers Thuba Nguyen and Jim Shegstad. Shegstad did not respond to ABC Newspapers' questionnaire by the print deadline. The top two vote-getters in the Aug. 11 primary will advance to the Nov. 3 general election.