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2003-01-24 Friday News The Friday News January 24, 2003 House Fire on Wachtler Avenue On Monday, the Fire Department was called to a house fire on Wachtler Avenue. The Fire Chief stated that the Department made a great stop considering it was dispatched out at 04:02am as a fire in the garage with flames through the roof. The fire traveled through the attic and was mostly inaccessible. The attack was difficult as the roof was made of cedar shakes and what wasn't burning was covered with ice. Most of the fire damage was to the roof. Unfortunately, the fire control damage (tearing down ceilings and water) to get at the fire was significant. Most of the contents (furniture, pictures etc) damage was contained to the living room, kitchen and garage. The estimated loss is in the area of $700,000. The homeowner woke to his alarm going off. He tried to reset it, and when he couldn’t he investigated. He began to smell smoke as he approached the kitchen and noticed the fire when he opened the garage door. He tried to call 911 from the house phone and it was not working. He found his cell phone and got a call out and then opened the garage doors to get the cars, lawn tractor, and log splitter out. Unfortunately the open garage doors added oxygen to the fire. The Fire Department did have one minor injury. Fire Fighter Dave Dreelan sprained his ankle when he slipped on the ice. There was also some excitement when Fire Fighter John Boland had to leave in the middle of the call because his wife's water broke at about 6:30 -7:00am. Baby News Firefighter and Public Works employee John Boland is a new proud father and Council member Jack th Vitelli is a new grandfather. Jessica Lynn Boland was born on Monday, January 20 at 2 PM, weighing in at 7 lbs, 13 oz. She was 18 inches long. Mother and baby are doing great. Congratulations to father John Boland and Grandfather Jack Vitelli! MHAA Ball field Lighting request Scott Miller, MHAA Baseball Travel Director, submitted a proposal to the Council for Tuesday night’s meeting. He proposed that the City install sports lighting systems at 4 locations in the City: Sibley Varsity baseball fields, Civic Center youth baseball field, Mendakota Park Adult softball/youth baseball fields and St. Thomas varsity baseball field. He proposed that the City issue general obligation bonds to fund these improvementsThe City Council listened to Mr. Miller’s presentation and asked that the item . be given to the Parks and Recreation Commission for consideration. They asked the Commission to focus on the fields at St. Thomas Academy, Civic Center and the Sibley (if the District would be willing to contribute funds to the project). The Council was not interested in looking at lighting in Mendakota Park. The Council also briefly discussed the financial options for this project. The City could issue equipment certificates for the lighting purchase or issue general obligation bonds after a referendum from the voters. Skateboard Park in Rogers Lake Park Approved On Tuesday, the City Council discussed the installation of a Tier One Skateboard Park in Rogers Lake Park. After hearing comments from the residents attending, and considering the Parks Commission recommendation, the Council authorized staff to proceed with the design and bidding of the project in Rogers Lake Park. Funding for construction of the park in the amount of $25,000 would come from the Special Park Fund. Commission Appointments There are a number of Commission appointments that expire on January 31, 2003. The City advertised for individuals interested in serving on the three Commissions. We announced the openings at City Council meetings, in the Friday News and in the Sun Current newspaper. The Council decided on a th deadline of January 15 for interested individuals to apply, in order to appoint any new Commissioners in time for the February meetings. The following individuals have terms expiring in January: Planning Commission: Marina McManus, Bernie Friel, and Bruce McManus; Parks and Recreation Commission: Stan Linnell, Raymond Morris, and Larry Craighead; Airport Relations Commission: Scott Beaty, Joe Leuman, and Elizabeth Petschel. The only current Commissioner that did not submit a letter th requesting re-appointment is ARC Commissioner Joe Leuman. As of the 15 deadline, we received six inquiries from residents interested in serving on the various Commissions: Mary Jo Malchow, 721 Roundhill Road – Planning Commission, Christopher Moeller, 1730 Dodd Road – Planning Commission, Mike Povolny, 1901 South Lexington – Planning Commission, Mark Miller, 2503 Mendota Heights – Planning Commission, Bob Huberty, 1774 Trail Road – Planning Commission or Airport Relations Commission, Betty Schuster, 1900 Wachtler – Airport Relations Commission. On Tuesday night, the City Council decided to interview the six interested candidates. Interviews will be held on Tuesday, th February 4 at 6:00 PM, prior to the regular City Council meeting. Police Chief Hiring Process We are happy to report that the City received forty (40) applications for the position of the Chief of Police. We are in the process of scoring the applications at this time. The top twelve candidates will be asked to complete a written exercise for evaluation. Interviews will be conducted after the written exercises are scored. Sergeant Donn Anderson is the Acting Chief of Police until an appointment is made. EAW Process Staff met with Ron Clark, the Developer for the Bluffs project, to discuss the EAW process. Mr. Clark indicated that he anticipates submitting a draft EAW to the City for consideration by the middle of February. Please see the attached article from the Jewish World newspaper concerning the issue. “Village at Mendota Heights” Update On Tuesday night, Ross Feffercorn provided the City Council with an update on the construction of the “Village at Mendota Heights” (Town Center). For anyone interested in attending a focus group meeting regarding the town home and condominium developments in the project, please contact Terese Hurley at the Dorn Company (452-3047) for a reservation. Please also see the attached article from the Minnesota Real Estate Journal. Final Thought “Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him, and to let him know that you trust him.”—Booker T. Washington Respectfully Submitted, Cari Lindberg Administrator Attachments: Pipeline, Planning Commission agenda, Sun Current article, Jewish world article “Beth Jacob congregants join with Native Americans to save Mendota Heights land from development,” Minnesota Real Estate Journal article “Mendota Heights redevelops prime corner,” Star Tribune article, “List of 87 finalists hints at new look for Met Council”.