Loading...
Friday News 02 10 2012 February 10, 2012 February 10, 2012 Commission Recognition The city council recognized our four outgoing advisory commission members at their meeting Wednesday evening. Robin Ehrlich was recognized for service to the airport relations commission, Steve Commers, Tom Kraus and Ray Morris were each recognized for their service to the parks and recreation commission. Each commissioner received a nice plaque, except Ray, who to no ones surprise had another volunteer commitment. Thank you Ray, Tom, Steve and Robin for your contributions to the community. Thank you also, to all of our commission members and volunteers. Some photos have been included on page 2. City Council Goals Workshop The city council meets each year around this time to discuss goals for the year ahead. This was the second such workshop for Council Members Petschel and Povolny, and Mayor Krebsbach. Reporters from the Startribune and Patch.com were present, as City Administrator Justin Miller led the council through a wide-ranging agenda. The council provided feedback on topics from storm-water management to the Parks Celebration, providing staff with valuable direction on matters to bring back to regular council meetings. The workshop format allows councilmembers to talk more about the how’s and why’s of city business. Thank you to all five council members for coming in on a Thursday morning and working for three solid hours to help shape our goals for 2012. Friday News Mendota Heights Weekly Report on City Activities Mendota Heights City Hall 1101 Victoria Curve www.mendota-heights.com (651) 452-1850 Spring is Around the Corner The city council approved starting the hiring for our recreation and public works summer help at their Wednesday meeting. While Puxatony Phil promised us six more weeks of winter, we’d like to remind you to mark your calendar for these spring/summer events: March 19, 2012: Live registration for Jr. Golf Leagues and Camps, all other registration will be available on the internet Mid-April, 2012: Par 3 Opens for the Season April 28, 2012: Spring Clean Up at Mendakota Park June 2, 2012: Mendota Heights 5K Run/Walk, Parks Celebration February 10, 2012 Attachments The Pipeline, Just the Facts, DCSO Newsletter, Hayley Bester Benefit Flyer February 10, 2012 Dates to Remember February 14, 2012 Parks and Recreation Commission February 21, 2012 City Council February 28, 2012 Planning Commission March 6, 2012 City Council Page Two Fundraiser for Hayley Bester Ken Wiesenberger provided the city council with an update on the benefit for Hayley Bester on Wednesday evening. Ken reported that Hayley is being diligent with treatment, but the situation is still very stressful. The council encouraged all citizens to consider supporting this great event. The fundraiser for Hayley will be Saturday, Feb- ruary 25, 2012 at the Mendota VFW. An event page can be found at www.facebook.com/events/206932012732078. Airport Relations Commissioner Robin Ehrlich Parks and Rec. Commissioner Tom Kraus Parks and Rec. Commissioner Steve Commers Public Works The Parks Crew flooded skating rinks and reopened warming houses. Trees were trimmed in the parks, and the brush was hauled away and chipped. Picnic table repairing continues, and a tool box was installed on truck 503. The Utilities Crew checked all the lift station pumps and storm lift stations for pump voltage variances. Tree roots were cut and root killing chemicals were applied in the sanitary sewer line on Williams Court. The Streets Crew picked up truck 308 from Mack in Roseville. The truck had a new rear axle and differential installed. A new fuel tank step was installed in truck 308. Brush was hauled away from the back of the shop to the dump where it will be chipped. Engineering Lemay Lake Road Reconstruction – Staff is designing the project. A second informational meeting for area residents and property owners in anticipated during the first half of March. Marie Avenue Rehabilitation – Staff will be submitting the preliminary plans and specifications to MnDOT for review early next week. Diane Road Neighborhood/Mendota Heights Road Rehabilitation – Staff has completed preliminary plans and specifications, initial submittal to MnDOT for review was made on Thursday. MnDOT review is only required for the Mendota Heights Road portion of the project. City Hall Carpet Installation – The back offices now have new carpet. The reception area and small conference room are also re-carpeted. Staff is reviewing available 2012 budget funds and determining the next area to receive new flooring. White Pine Senior Living (Mendota Plaza) – Staff is continuing discussions with the developer on finalizing their PUD Amendment application. By terms of the Settlement Agreement, the PUD Amendment is to be approved at staff level. Consent to Transfer Ownership and Building Permit approval remains at the City Council level. The Pipeline N E W S L E T T E R Public Works Engineering Code Enforcement February 10, 2012 Dakota County Emergency Management Table -Top Exercise – The Public Works Director attended the annual Emergency Management exercise at Inver Grove Heights City Hall on Wednesday morning. The exercised covered response and resource allocation should a natural disaster occur in northern Dakota County. Inver Grove Heights, South Saint Paul, West Saint Paul, and Mendota Heights participated. MnDOT & Dakota County Projects The following projects are under the direction of MnDOT and Dakota County. They are presented as information only. For more information on MnDOT projects contact J.P. Gillach (651-234-7503, james.gillach@state.mn.us). Highway 13 Resurfacing (MnDOT) – The resurfacing of Highway 13, along with drainage improvements and ADA upgrades between I -35W and Annapolis Street (Burnsville to West St. Paul) is on schedule for the summer of 2012. Construction should be anticipated between May and October of 2012, but MnDOT is planning on completing the work in segments. MnDOT plans to contact impacted Mendota Heights’ residents with construction schedule 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 during the summer of 2012. 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. Mendota Heights has offered to host the project meetings. 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. 02/10/2012 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 Domestic/Damage to property Saturday 0429 hours Officer Urmann and Officer VonFeldt were dispatched to a domestic in progress and while en route, learned that the parties involved fled the scene. As Officer Urmann approached the area, she spotted the vehicle leaving. The dispatcher informed them alcohol was involved and next advised that the complainant was no longer answering questions. Officer VonFeldt proceeded to the home and Officer Urmann turned around and stopped the vehicle that was leaving. She immediately smelled alcohol in the vehicle, but the the driver stated she wasn't drinking and immediately agreed to take a test which revealed .000 BAC. Her passenger, on the other hand, had a smashed beer can between his feet and was obviously under the influence. While speaking with him, Officer VonFeldt radioed Officer Urmann, requesting her to arrest the passenger. The Mirandized man soon admitted to smashing the window out of a car and causing a problem at the home. The admission was noted in the report and given an opportunity to provide a formal statement. He was ultimately transported to the Dakota County Jail. AOA Saturday 1329 hours Officer Scott Patrick was requested by dispatch to check an address for the Stearns County Sheriff's office in regards to a fleeing incident that occurred the night before. The address was checked out and a warrant will be forwarded to our attention as soon as it's drafted. Suspicious activity Saturday 1435 hours A pilot relayed to the Airport Police Department that they had spotted SOS stamped out on the surface of the lake alongside Highway 55 in Mendota Heights. Officer Bobby Lambert eventually located the word stamped out on the east side of Lemay Lake, the footprints were old and there was nothing suspicious in the area. Information relayed to Airport Police Department. Found property Saturday 1519 hours A young man brought a wallet that he found in Eagan and turned it over to Sergeant Eric Petersen. The owner of the wallet was from out of state, but after some checking, Petersen determined the man was staying at a local motel; the wallet was taken to the front desk “Just the Facts” The latest news from the Mendota Heights Police Department 02/10/2012 to be returned him when he checked out. Sick raccoon Saturday 1830 hours Resident called to report that there was a sick raccoon unaired and they would like it dealt with. Officer Mike Shepard arrived on scene and spoke with homeowner who man pointed out the raccoon who did not appear to be sick or injured hours just hanging around. When Officer Shepard advised the only option available to the Police Department was dispatch the animal, the man determined that it would be okay to let them be for a while and see what transpired. No further calls. Suspicious Activity Sunday 1452 hours A caller reported a full-size black van in the cemetery and a man wearing black gloves, carrying tools. Officer Bobby Lambert arrived on the scene and immediately located vehicle. Upon speaking with the man, he learned that his family had just cleaned up a gravesite, had let the dogs out and were just spending some time in the area. The caller was advised nothing suspicious was found. Assist Monday 1812 hours Officer Meyer received one of many calls that we had in the past few weeks from an elderly resident about suspicious activity. In this case she reported for the third time that there were people in her backyard spraying chemicals. Officer Meyer responded, checked the area and then contacted her son. The family is working on alternative living arrangements for mom as she's continuing to develop greater issues with Alzheimer's. Marijuana in Motor Vehicle Monday 2005 hours While on patrol, Officer Peyton Fleming ran an in-squad license plate check of the vehicle in front of him; it came back to a white Honda Accord, but the vehicle he was looking at was a red Honda Accord. The car was immediately stopped, the driver was ID’d and the passenger immediately leaned over and stated he was the owner of the vehicle. While speaking with the two, Officer Fleming could smell marijuana from inside the vehicle. After a brief conversation about the car, officer Fleming asked if there was any marijuana in the car; the driver handed over to joints. After a brief vehicle search, no other drugs were found the driver was cited for being revoked and the owner was cited for possession of marijuana motor vehicle and for no insurance. Custody Tuesday 1434 hours Officer John Larrive received a call from the female half of the custody exchange wanted to report she was receiving rude text messages from the father of her child. In speaking with the woman it was learned she wanted her child back and didn’t feel it was appropriate to leave the child with someone was being rude. Officer Larrive advised this is a civil matter and then learned the woman already had her child back. Emergency Planning Exercise On Wednesday morning Police, Fire, Public Works and Finance employees participated in an emergency operations exercise at the Inver Grove Heights Police Department along with the cities of South Saint Paul, West Saint Paul and IGH. The exercise drilled staff on responses to a tornado touch down along Hwy 110 and how the cities could coordinate responses for the best outcomes. This will be just one of the training sessions that city staff goes through as we continue to make changes to meet the new standards placed upon communities for disaster responses. Have a great weekend! Mike D AKOTA C OUNTY S HERIFF The Front Row “A front row seat to the greatest show on Earth...” Dave Bellows, Sheriff Tim Leslie, Chief Deputy Volume 7, Week 35 Janaury30, through February 5, 2012 Congratulations and Welcome… On Monday we formally welcomed three new correctional deputies and celebrated the promotion of a correctional sergeant. The newest members of the DCSO are Correctional Deputies Courtney Brown, Brandon Rogers, and Adam Smith. Courtney is married with two children and has a degree from Metropolitan State University in Law Enforcement. He was previously employed for 17 years by Northwest Airlines, played professional basketball in Europe and South America, and was also a member of the Harlem Globetrotters. Brandon is the son of Captain Jim Rogers and is also a graduate of Metropolitan State University with a degree in Law Enforcement. Brandon worked for the Sheriff’s Office in our Parks, Lakes, and Trails Division from 2006 through 2010, and as a Community Service Officer for the Rosemount PD. Adam is a graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Corrections and a minor in Sociology. Adam volunteered during college with the Dakota County Drug Court and as a juvenile skills worker. For the past three years he worked for private security firm. Monday was special with the promotion of CorrectionalLieutenant Jodi Rolloff from her former position of correctional sergeant. Jodi started her career with the DCSO in 1989 as a correctional deputy. She was promoted to sergeant in 1995 and has been assigned to handle many of our technical changes in the jail. She was instrumental with the Featuring Sheriff’s Volunteer Units and Information Technology Support Staff: Information Technology Support Dan Anderson Lisa Blount Chance Munger Special Deputies Juan Balli Louis Henderson Anthony Pojman Randal Smith Dave Stanek Tom Wilson Special Deputies Sheriff’s Office Liaison: Sergeant Booker Hodges Mounted Patrol Bonnie Brauninger Tim Burns J. B. Dudley Jennifer Gibson Ron Hart Ann LaBelle Maggie Mell Kourtney Rose Cathy Snyder (left to right) Back Row:Commander John Grant, Chief Deputy Tim Leslie, Commander Dan Scheuermann, Correctional Deputy Courtney Brown, Correctional Lieutenant Lawrence Hart, and Sheriff Dave Bellows Front Row: Head Chaplain Pastor Jim Bzoskie, Captain Jim Rogers, Correctional Deputy Brandon Rogers, Correctional Lieutenant Jodi Rolloff, Correctional Deputy Adam Smith, Captain Brad Jeska, and Captain Joe Leko Correctional Lieutenant Jodi Rolloff with Sheriff Dave Bellows D AKOTA C OUNTY S HERIFF The Front Row “A front row seat to the greatest show on Earth...” Dave Bellows, Sheriff Tim Leslie, Chief Deputy Volume 7, Week 35 Janaury30, through February 5, 2012 Click here to subscribe to this newsletter electronically.Page 2 implementation of our jail management system. Jodi’s husband, Randy, and daughter, Grace, were in attendance for her swearing in by Sheriff Dave Bellows. We also welcome Program Services Assistant Kim Erlandsen. Kim previously worked as a police dispatcher for the Littleton Police Department in Colorado. She attended Inver Hills Community College working toward a degree in Criminal Justice and lives in West St. Paul. The Jail POP-ulation… The jail continues to experience large inmate populations since the beginning of January. Over the past week the jail averaged 294 inmates per day, up from 273 per day last week. Our female inmate population remains high, too, with an average of 34 per day over the last week. Working to Make Teens Safer on the Roads… This past Thursday was the Fourth Annual Metro Area Safe Communities Coalition “Teen Driving Summit.” The event was held at the Rosemount Community Center and is intended to offer information to young adults on how to make better decisions behind the wheel. This is important because statistics show teens between the ages of 16 and 19 were involved in 8.8 percent of all fatal crashes and 11.1 percent of all injury crashes. In 2011, we lost 41 teens killed needlessly in vehicle crashes across the State of Minnesota. The program offered a variety of methods to enhance the safety of our teens. Attending the summit from the Sheriff’s Office were Deputy Mike Fendrick and Sheriff Dave Bellows. Patrol Notes… Deputies Josh Sannes and Matt Regis responded to an “officer needs assistance” call this past week, but when the original call was resolved they found themselves in the middle of another situation. An officer that was providing a ride for a man responded to the initial call. Evidently the man getting the free ride did not want to wait and began kicking out the squad window, then running from the car. Deputies Sannes and Regis chased the man, now a suspect, and caught him after a struggle. Deputy Sannes was injured while taking the man into custody. The suspect was booked into jail on a number of felony and related charges. Happy Birthday to You... Employees who will be celebrating birthdays in the upcoming week include Andrea Fuentes-Strenke (February 12th) and Correctional Corporal Gary Milbach and Detective Blake Pederson (February 14th). Happy Birthyday to you all! Mounted Patrol Sheriff’s Office Liaisons: Sergeant Booker Hodges Deputy Sean Qualy Explorer Post 523 Sheriff’s Office Liaisons/Advisors: Deputy Tim Fletcher Sergeant Jim Iliff Detective Dawanna Witt Chaplains Jim Bzoskie Vern Hildebrandt Clayton McDougall Eddie Nestingen Cory Voll Don Voll Questions? Comments? Please contact the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office at 651.438.4700 or any of the following by email: dave.bellows@ co.dakota.mn.us julie.ecker@ co.dakota.mn.us “No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.” --Hal Borland Sheriff Dave Bellows (left) is pictured with Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and Lieutenant Eric Roeske of the Minnesota State Patrol on February 2, 2012 Sponsored by the Mendota Heights Firefighters Firefighter Hayley Bester Benefit Saturday, February 25th 3-8:00 pm Mendota VFW 1323 Sibley Memorial Highway Mendota, Minnesota 55150 Mendota Heights Firefighter Hayley Bester was on her honeymoon when she encountered a parasite called the Acanthamoeba. This parasite got behind a contact lens and caused severe damage, pain and loss of vision. You most likely have never heard of this before as it’s somewhat rare and unusual. Hayley and her husband, Roy, have been battling this disease for over five months now including having to travel to Toronto, Canada for medical procedures not approved yet in the USA. This benefit is being held to help cover costs of treatment and other related expenses. To read the whole story please follow the link to Hayley’s Caring Bridge site http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/hayleybester $10Spaghetti D i n n e r Silent Auct i o n Music by Sandy & t h e H i t m e n For any questions or for further information please contact: John Mendez : (651) 269-1539 johnmmendez@yahoo.com Ken Weisenburger: (651) 303-3220 ken.weisenburger@state.mn.us Donations can be mailed to :c/o Gateway Bank 745 Market Street Mendota Heights, MN 55118 Please make check payable to “Hayley Bester Benefit”  For more information about the Fundraiser event on Facebook IUUQTXXXGBDFCPPLDPNFWFOUT