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Friday News 01 27 2012 January 27, 2012 January 27, 2012 Precinct Caucuses City Clerk Sandie Thone shared the following information regarding Minnesota Precinct Caucuses, which will be held on February 7, 2012: A caucus is a meeting organized by Minnesota's political parties where citizens can engage each other in a conversation about which candidates to support in the next general election and what public policy positions should be adopted as part of the party's platform. Anyone can attend a Precinct Caucus: they are open to the public and participation is encouraged by the political parties. In order to vote, offer resolutions or become a delegate at a precinct caucus, attendees must be eligible to vote in the next general election, live in the precinct, and be in general agreement with the principles of the political party. If you would like to know more, you can used the Precinct Caucus Finder on the Secretary of State’s website at: www.sos.state.mn.us. Planning Activities While the city has had few planning applications from residents or businesses, the planning commission and city council have stayed busy considering a handful of updates to our Zoning Code. Recently, council passed an amendment updating the noise abatement requirements for properties in close proximity to the airport. The planning commission just recommended changes to the wetlands and critical area permitting process, defining conditions for an expedited process for certain applications. The planning commission also recommended a change to accessory structure allowances for non-residential uses on large lots. These changes, and a discussion of new property maintenance requirements for commercial properties, are set to be heard by city council in the near future. Friday News Mendota Heights Weekly Report on City Activities Mendota Heights City Hall 1101 Victoria Curve www.mendota-heights.com (651) 452-1850 Firefighter Applications The Mendota Heights Fire Department is accepting applications for volunteer firefight- ers through March 1, 2012. Please call City Hall at 651.452.1850 or visit our website at www.mendota-heights.com for additional information on becoming a part of the team. January 27, 2012 Attachments The Pipeline, Just the Facts January 27, 2012 Dates to Remember January 31, 2012 Metropolitan Airports Commission Open House February 7, 2012 Minnesota Caucus February 8, 2012 City Council February 14, 2012 Parks and Recreation Commission Page Two Fundraiser for Hayley Bester Last week we included a flyer on an upcom- ing fundraiser for Hayley Heidelberg Bester, one of our volunteer firefighters. You can get more information on Hayley by visiting www.caringbridge.org/visit/hayleybester. The fundraiser for Hayley will be Saturday, February 25, 2012 at the Mendota VFW. An event page can be found at www.facebook.com/events/2069320127320 78. Ed Paster Ed Paster of Paster Enterprises passed away late last week. Ed was a long-time resident of Mendota Heights, and was a successful businessman, owning several retail centers across the Twin Cities, in- cluding the Mendota Plaza in Mendota Heights and Doddway Center in West St. Paul. Ed was always a pleasure to deal with, and supported several community causes. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Paster family. Winter Fun Our public works staff does a great job of keeping the trails cleared of snow—don’t let the onset of winter keep you from get- ting out and enjoying our beautiful trails and open spaces! Public Works The Parks Department repaired the ice rinks at Ivy Falls Park, Marie Park and Friendly Hills Park. There was snow in the air pockets and water was applied to fix the air pockets. They plowed the cul-de-sacs, rinks, pedways and parking lots. The aerator was started in Rogers Lake. They attended a seminar at Scharber & Sons in Rogers. The seminar was on the new laws for commercial driver license holders. The Utilities Crew replaced old and broken hydrant flags on Delaware Avenue, Huber Drive and Park Lane and assisted Streets by plowing the cul- de-sacs, middle area of the city, and lift station parking lots. The bathroom partition wall at Public Works was replaced with a new one. The Street Crew salted all streets after a light snow on January 20 th. All streets were salted and plowed after the freezing rain on January 22nd. They started early on January 23rd by salting and plowing the streets after a 1 ¾” snow fall. John A mbrose did some welding on the parks pickup plow. He also made pins for the wing plow truck box. A transmission leak was found in truck 304. It was repaired before any major damage occurred. A valve control box on truck 312 was painted. Engineering Lemay Lake Road Reconstruction – Staff is designing the project. A second informational meeting for residents and property owners in anticipated around the third week in February. Marie Avenue Rehabilitation – Staff is preparing the MnDOT initial submittal. We anticipate that submittal to be made late next week. Diane Road Neighborhood/Mendota Heights Road Rehabilitation – Staff is preparing plans and specifications, and working out the details of the intersection modification at MHR and Dodd Road to accommodate the new right turn lane. Initial submittal for MnDOT review is anticipated by the end of next week. MnDOT review is only required for the Mendota Heights Road portion of the project. The Pipeline N E W S L E T T E R Public Works Engineering Code Enforcement January 27, 2012 City Hall Carpet Installation – Carpet installation continues at City Hall. The final areas to receive new carpet (Ryan’s, John’s, & Stacy’s offices along with the small conference room and back hallway) are scheduled for February 2nd & 3rd. Dakota County Joint Right-of-Way Permitting Meeting – Ryan and Bobby attended a meeting on Thursday about the potential for consolidating Right - of-Way permitting among Dakota County Cities. The proposal is in the very early stages, and not many details are known at this point. City staff is not committing to any type of participation in the program unless there will be an advantage to do so. If the program moves forward, and Council chooses to participate, a Joint Powers Agreement would be needed. Rogers Lake Property Owners Association – John attended a meeting of the proposed association on Thursday evening. The association is working on drafting by-laws, and discussing dues level for members. The association plans to meet monthly to discuss issues pertaining to Rogers Lake. White Pine Senior Living (Mendota Plaza) – Representatives from White Pine Senior Living brought their modified plans into City Hall on Thursday to review with staff. This past December, John reviewed the preliminary PUD amendment plans and provided comments. The modified plans address about 80% of the comments, and the remaining issues were discussed and further changes to the plans are anticipated within the next two weeks. MnDOT & Dakota County Projects The following projects are under the management and supervision of MnDOT and Dakota County. They are presented as information only. For more information on MnDOT projects contact J.P. Gillach at MnDOT (651- 234-7503, james.gillach@state.mn.us). Highway 13 Resurfacing (MnDOT) – A project for resurfacing, drainage improvements and ADA upgrades to Highway 13 between I-35W and Annapolis Street (Burnsville to West St. Paul) is scheduled for 2012. Construction should be anticipated from May 2012 to October 2012. MnDOT plans to contact impacted Mendota Heights’ residents with construction news and road closure information. Detours around the construction areas will be provided. Highway 110 Resurfacing (MnDOT) - A small portion of Highway 110 will be resurfaced in 2012. The section from Lexington Avenue east to the I -35E bridge, along with spot repairs between Lexington and Highway 13 will be addressed as part of this project. MnDOT is working with Dakota County to minimize conflicts with their Lexington Avenue project (see below), also scheduled for the summer of 2012. Turnback of Old Sibley Memorial Highway (MnDOT) – MnDOT has stated their intent to vacate the Right-of-Way for the Old Sibley Memorial Highway. Concept plans are being developed for the land use once it is vacated. Meetings are being scheduled for the end of March timeframe to go over the concept plans. Meetings will be held at Mendota Heights City Hall. Lexington Avenue Resurfacing (County) - Dakota County will be resurfacing Lexington Avenue from Highway 110 south to Mendota Heights Road in 2012. This is strictly a pavement replacement project and will not modify the road section or expand the width of the roadway. Dakota County is working with MnDOT to minimize conflicts with their Highway 110 project, also scheduled for the summer of 2012. For more information contact the Dakota County Transportation Department at 952-891-7100. 1/27/2011 The Mendota Heights Police Department Support Staff Kim Henning Sandie Ristine Susan Donovan Becky Pentel Police Officers Jerry Murphy Scott Patrick John Larrive Bobby Lambert Tanner Spicer Todd Rosse Chad Willson Jeff VonFeldt Steven Meyer Denise Urmann Michael Shepard Peyton Fleming School Resource Officer Jennifer Fordham Investigations Mario Reyes Tanner Spicer Sergeants Neil Garlock Brian Convery Eric Petersen Reserves Randy Pentel Jesse Mettner Jarrod Spicer Jim Knox Jeff Parker George Castillo Chaplains John Snider Lynn Liberman Frances Colon Alberto Vargas Butch Millett David Wick Chief Mike Aschenbrener Lost and Found Thursday 1236hrs Officer Todd Rosse was requested to call a party reference a theft from auto. The caller had been contacted by another metro police department who stated they had located a GPS unit that was registered to her. Evidently the caller had been in Mendota Heights visiting family and had left her vehicle unlocked on the street overnight. She woke to found it rummaged through and her GPS missing. She did not report it to police. After some good detective work from both departments, the item was recovered and returned to the rightful owner! FORE! Thursday 1323hrs Officer Todd Rosse responded to a single car crash at a local golf course. The elderly driver mistakenly pushed the accelerator instead of the break and launched herself through the intersection and some trees, landing on the course. Luckily, no one was hurt. False Information Friday 0042hrs Sergeant Eric Peterson observed a vehicle driving around a closed retail mall that had been burglarized in the recent past. He followed the suspects and conducted a traffic stop. The driver did not have a license with him. He provided Sgt Peterson with a couple different versions of his name and date of birth. After further investigation, his true identity was revealed. The driver did not have a United States driver’s license of any kind. He was cited for False Information to Police and No Minnesota Driver’s License. His vehicle was towed. Drug Activity Saturday 1237hrs Officer John Larrive responded to a local residence. The caller found what he believed to be a pipe used for drugs in one of the rooms of the house. The occupant of that room was not home at the time. Officer Larrive arrived on scene and was shown the item that appeared to have signs of use. The item was located, photographed and confiscated. Charges are pending. Public Urination Sunday 0148hrs Officer Peyton Fleming witnessed a male urinating in the parking lot of a local drinking establishment. The male finished his business while talking to the officer. He was so intoxicated he had a hard time forming the words to explain his actions. He refused to provide a breath sample. He was given a bed for the night at detox and a citation. “Just the Facts” The latest news from the Mendota Heights Police Department 1/27/2011 Smash and Grab Sunday 0415hrs Officer Denise Urmann was dispatched to a local convenience store on a burglary. The caller stated while dropping off some newspapers he noticed the front door of the store smashed open. With assistance from a neighboring agency, officers cleared the store and found the suspect to be long gone. It was apparent that the thief made entry and went right for the lottery tickets. The surveillance video was provided and the suspect’s image was captured for future reference when he attempts to cash in his winnings. (Good Luck!) Bad Weather = Bad Attitude! Monday 0842hrs Officer Scott Patrick was dispatched to a local roadway on the report of a traffic issue. Upon his arrival, he was confronted by and irate motorist that was having trouble getting up the hill, while others passed without incident. Officer Patrick attempted to help the motorist by trying to figure out why she was getting no traction. After requesting the drivers name and dob, the driver yelled and screamed at the officer and stated she did not have to answer his questions and that she was going to be late for work. While Officer Patrick was still in his squad the driver jumped out of her car and stood in the middle of the busy street. After refusing several times to get back in the car, she told the officer he would have to arrest her and then she would sue the city! The female driver continued to endanger herself and others and obstruct traffic. Officer Patrick arrested the driver and attempted to take her into custody. The driver resisted, was handcuffed and put in the squad. She was released a short time later with a citation for Disorderly Conduct and a court date and she was really late for work! Lost Property Monday 1009hrs Officer Scott Patrick talked to a male that came into the police department to report his back pack stolen. After attending classes at a local school, he had left it behind. When he returned to retrieve it, it was gone. The school would not provide him assistance or the surveillance video unless a police report was filed. It’s Not Mine! Tuesday 1045hrs School Resource Officer Jennifer Fordham spoke to parents of a high school student seeking help for their juvenile son which they found to be in possession of a significant amount of marijuana. Parents asked for help from school administration to do a search of his vehicle because they did not know what else to look for. Drug paraphernalia and possible drug distribution equipment was located. When questioned, the juvenile said that the items were not his and he was just holding them for someone else! Have a great weekend! Denise 1/27/2011 Top Winter Safety Tips  Always wear sport-specific, properly fitting safety gear when participating in winter sports.  Kids should always wear helmets when they ski, sled, snowboard and play ice hockey. There are different helmets for different activities.  Parents should wear helmets too. Remember, your children learn safety habits by watching you.  Dress in layers and wear warm, close-fitting clothes. Make sure that long scarves are tucked in so they don’t get entangled in lifts, ski poles or other equipment.  Stay hydrated. Drink fluids before, during and after winter play.  Kids — or caregivers — who become distracted or irritable, or begin to hyperventilate, may be suffering from hypothermia or altitude sickness, or they may be too tired to participate safely in winter sports. They need to go indoors to warm up and rest.  Children under 6 should not ride a snowmobile, and nobody under 16 should drive one. All snowmobile drivers and passengers should wear helmets designed for high-speed motor sports. A bike helmet isn’t sufficient for a four-wheeled motorcycle that can go up to 90 miles per hour. (Tips courtesy of: www.safekids.org)