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2015-10-30 Friday NewsCity of Mendota Heights Weekly Update Mendota Heights City Hall 1101 Victoria Curve www.mendota-heights.com (651) 452.1850 Visit us on: Facebook.com/ MendotaHeightsMN Twitter.com/ @Mendota_heights DATES TO REMEMBER: October 31 Halloween Bonfire Mendota Plaza 7:00 p.m. November 1 Daylight Savings Time ends November 3 City Council 8:00 p.m. November 10 Parks Commission 6:30 p.m. Airport Commission 7:00 p.m. November 11 Veterans Day City Hall will be closed November 13 MH Fire Department 67th Annual Dance 8:00 p.m. Attachments: Pipeline, Just the Facts October 31, 2015 Halloween Bonfire The 2015 Halloween Bonfire is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 31st at Mendota Plaza. This great community event will include free hotdogs and soda, compliments of the Mendota Heights Fire Department. There were several days of rain this week, so you may want to consider wearing your rain boots to tomorrow’s event. November Reminders Winter Parking Beginning Sunday, November 1st parking is not allowed on any Mendota Heights streets between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. This will be in effect through March 31, 2016. Smoke Detectors The Mendota Heights Fire Department reminds you to replace the batteries in all smoke detectors when setting your clocks for daylight savings time this Sunday, November 1st. 67th Annual Firefighters Dance The 67th Annual Firefighters Dance will be held on Friday, November 13, 2015. Ad- vance tickets can be purchased Monday through Friday at City Hall for $12.00 or 2 for $20.00. Come out for an evening of fun, music and dancing. Seasonal Job Opportunities The Mendota Heights Parks and Recreation Department is seeking energetic seasonal part-time warming house/ice rink attendants to assist skaters at Mendota Heights’ three outdoor ice rinks. If you have a desire to work with the public and can make commitment to a part-time schedule, you are encouraged to submit an application. For additional in- formation and application materials visit our website at www.mendota- heights.com. Public Works Fall street sweeping will take place next week. The contractor expects the sweeping to take three days and all residential city streets will be swept. The Parks Crew mulched leaves in the parks. The protective netting was removed from the Mendakota Park fields and Mertensotto Field. Trim boards were installed around the Marie hockey rink. The new recycle containers for the parks were assembled. An irrigation repair was done. The soccer fields were aerated. They did prep work for the bonfire. The Utilities Crew checked the lift station daily. He helped assemble the recycling containers. At the Veronica lift station, the leaves were mulched and cleaned up. The pump controller went bad at the Veronica lift station and a new one installed. The pump impeller was changed at the St. Thomas lift station. The Streets Crew pushed up the bonfire brush pile. Blacktop patching was done on Medallion Road, Mendota Heights Road and around water boxes. An emergency storm water repair was done on Warrior Drive. The back shop was straightened up. Engineering City Projects (construction year) New Information in Italics Victoria Road Reconstruction & Rolling Green Neighborhood Rehabilitation (2014/2015) – The first layer of pavement is down, and the contractor is now working on finishing the trail and grading/landscaping behind the curb. Final utility relocation has been completed for the trail installation and the curb adjustment at Victoria and Douglas. The Assessment Hearing was held at the October 20th City Council meeting. Assessed property owners can pay their assessment off in full up until November 20th. After that time the assessments will be sent to Dakota County. Annual Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation (2015) – The contractor has completed the initial sewer cleaning phase. Lining is expected to begin next week. Areas to be lined include Huber Drive from Bent Tree to Cheyenne, Mendota Heights N E W S L E T T E R Public Works Engineering Code Enforcement October 30, 2015 Road from Pilot Knob Road to the lift station, and Rogers Lake Park area. The first 2000 feet of the interceptor line, from Highway 55 to Lexington, will also be lined. Project Completion is expected by the end of November. Mendota Road Neighborhood Improvements (2016) – City staff is working on concept design elements based on comments received from are a residents. Staff is continuing to discuss the project with area residents on individual bases. A preliminary layout will be presented at the Public Hearing for City Council consideration. The formal Public Hearing is set for November 17th during the regular City Council Meeting at 7:00pm at City Hall. Residents have been asked to complete a survey and were invited to a neighborhood meeting held on September 28th. Project will consist of reconstructing Mendota Road (Hwy 110 Frontage Road) from Delaware Avenue to Oak Street, and rehabilitating Warrior Drive, High Ridge Circle, and Sibley Court. Ivy Falls Creek Streambank Stabilization (2015) – The Contractor has completed the repairs to the streambank of the creek through Somerset Country Club. Staff is continuing to address drainage issues within the creek easement with Somerset staff, including the potential to have to line an old storm drain pipe discovered during the repairs. Damage to the old gabions was caused by excessive rains in June of 2014. This project is eligible for 75% reimbursement through State disaster relief funds. Invoices have been submitted to the State for reimbursement. County Projects New Information in Italics Highway 110 Greenway Trail Crossing (2017) – County staff has provided a summary of comments received since the October 21st open house. While the easternmost alignment seems to be preferred by those who commented, opinion is split between an overpass (bridge) and an underpass (tunnel). The alignment alternatives will be presented to the County Board on December 1st with a preferred alternative selection on December 15th. The type of crossing (underpass versus overpass) is yet to be determined. If approved, the project would be constructed with MnDOT’s rehabilitation project for Highway 110 in 2017. State Projects New Information in Italics Highway 13 Slope Repair (2015) – Although not a MnDOT Driven project, Highway 13 between the Ivy Falls Bridge and Sylvandale Road will be closed through early December (estimated) so slopes can be repaired and reinforced. In June of 2014, bluff slopes in this area failed during a large rain storm. This repair project is intended to restore and stabilize the slope. The posted detour route takes traffic along Dodd Road, Wentworth Avenue and Wachtler Avenue. See the City Web Page for a detour route map. Highway 13 Reconstruction (I-35E to 2nd Street) (2015) – The final lift of asphalt has been placed on the Lexington to I-35E portion of the project. Lane striping is marked and should be completed next week, weather permitting. Lexington to 2nd Street in Mendota remains closed. The Metropolitan Council sanitary sewer force main has been repaired, and contractor crews are working on the storm drainage drop shaft for the City of Lilydale. Once the drop shaft is complete, MnDOT should be able to reopen the highway. For more information about the MnDOT project, contact Kirsten Klein, Metro District at: kirsten.klein@state.mn.us, or 651-234-7506, or Kiet Ly, Project Engineer at kiet.t.ly@state.mn.us. The project website is: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/hwy13mendota/. Highway 110 Rehabilitation (2017) – MnDOT will be requesting Local Government Concurrence from Mendota Heights for this project at a City Council meeting sometime in December. This project will resurface Highway 110 between I-35E and I-494, including drainage improvements. Several access changes are proposed with the project. MnDOT staff is scheduling a meeting with City public safety officials to discuss access changes along the corridor. For more information, contact Molly Cline, MnDOT Project Manager, at 651-234-7723 or molly.cline@state.mn.us. Highway 149 (Dodd Road) Rehabilitation (2018) – This project will replace the pavement surface of Highway 149 from I-494 north to West 7th Street in Saint Paul. Also included in the project will be drainage improvements, curb replacement in specified areas, trail rehabilitation from Highway 110 south to Mendakota Park, and new trail construction from Maple Street north to Marie Avenue. Adjustments to lane markings along the corridor may also be incorporated to address pedestrian safety issues discussed at the recent public open houses. The project also includes a complete re-decking of the High Bridge. For more information, please contact Tara McBride, Project Manager at 651-234-7506, or tara.mcbride@state.mn.us. The project web page is: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/hwy149highbridge/index.html Highway 13 (Annapolis Street) Rehabilitation (2018) – MnDOT will be resurfacing Annapolis Street as part of this project. It is intended that this project be constructed in conjunction with the Highway 149 project in 2018. City staff has contacted some adjoining property owners about the possibility of sidewalk being installed on the south side of Annapolis. All responses were against the sidewalk proposal and have been forwarded to MnDOT. For more information, contact Molly Cline, MnDOT Project Manager, at 651-234-7723 or molly.cline@state.mn.us. Other Activities New Information in Italics Future Cities Competition – Staff met with the 2015 Future Cities Competition teams from Friendly Hills Middle School on Thursday. The competition is open to 6th-8th grade students and involves developing a virtual city using Sim City software, completing a project schedule, a 1500 word essay, scale model, and oral presentation. The State competition will be held at Dunwoody Institute on January 23rd. This year’s theme is, “Waste Not – Want Not,” and will focus on how the cities of the future handle municipal and solid waste. This is the seventh year Mendota Heights’ Engineering staff has assisted Friendly Hills Middle School with the program. Students completed their project plans and schedules and continue to work through the SimCity development. They are also continuing their research into ways of reducing, reusing, and recycling solid waste. Friendly Hills Middle School will be sending three teams to the State Competition in January. Saint Paul Regional Water Service (SPRWS) Water Service Agreement – Staff met with managers from SPRWS on Thursday to discuss the events and procedures that will need to happen over the next six months since the Council voted to approve an agreement with SPRWS that will convey title and ownership of the water distribution system to SPRWS. The agreement was approved at the October 20th Council meeting, and between now and approximately April, the City will need to approve: 1) A Lease Agreement for cell tower use and City storage at the water tower site; 2) An easement agreement(s) for SPRWS access to the water tower and water mains not located within City Right-of-Way; 3) Conveyance of deed, title, and ownership of the system; 4) An amended City Ordinance to reflect the new agreement; 5) An amended Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) with the other municipal partner agencies (West Saint Paul, Maplewood, Falcon Heights, Lauderdale) to gain a second seat on the Board of Commissioners. Joint Dakota County Engineering Consultant Request for Proposal (RFP) – Staff met with other Directors and Engineers from across Dakota County on Tuesday to discuss establishing a centralized RFP for Cities to use in building a consultant pool for engineering services. City of Eagan recently went through this exercise, and is serving as the model. Staff was tasked with reviewing the RFP Eagan provided and commenting on revisions desired. The group will meet again in December to discuss proceeding with the program. 1 The latest from the Mendota Heights Police Department CHIEF Mike Aschenbrener SERGEANTS Eric Petersen Tanner Spicer Peyton Fleming Bobby Lambert POLICE OFFICERS Jerry Murphy John Larrive Todd Rosse Jeff VonFeldt Steven Meyer Denise Urmann Michael Shepard Nick Gorgos Robin Nelson Steve Hilyar Phillip McCarty INVESTIGATIONS Chad Willson SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER Jennifer Fordham SUPPORT STAFF Kim Henning Trista Miller Lisa Brandt Becky Pentel RESERVES Randy Pentel Jim Knox Jeff Parker CHAPLAINS Butch Millett John Snider Alberto Vargas Lynn Liberman Sue Plucker Joel Detlefsen Lenny Andrie OCTOBER 30, 2015 HALLOWEEN TIPS N’ TRICKS Did you know that according to the NaƟonal Retail FederaƟons top Halloween costume survey, the most popular kid’s costumes for 2015 will be; 1. Princess 2. “Batman” Character 3. AcƟon/Superhero 4. Animal 5. Disney’s “Frozen” Character. While the popularity of certain costumes may change every year, the ways to keep your child safe do not. Here are a few Ɵps to keep your rug rats safe while they beg for candy. ADULTS: 1. A parent or responsible adult should ALWAYS accompany children when Trick‐or‐TreaƟng. 2. If you are going to be handing out candy to Trick‐or‐Treaters at your home, turn on your exterior lights. 3. While in your vehicle, be alert and watch for children. 4. Make sure your ﬂashlights have fresh baƩeries in them before giving them to your children to use for Trick‐or‐TreaƟng. COSTUMES: 1. Plan costumes that are bright and reﬂecƟve. Make sure that shoes ﬁt well and that costumes are short enough to prevent tripping, entanglement or contact with ﬂame. 2. Consider adding reﬂecƟve tape or striping to costumes and Trick‐or‐Treat bags for greater visibility. Glow bracelets and necklaces are a great addiƟon to any costume and help trick‐or‐ treaters see and be seen by drivers. 3. Make sure your child’s shoes ﬁt properly. Big, ﬂoppy shoes (clown shoes, or adult shoes) – that are hard to walk in may cause kids to fall and hurt themselves. 4. Costume props should be ﬂexible and soŌ. Costume props can hurt children badly if they fall. Swords, knives, etc. should be made of ﬂexible plasƟc, rubber, or foam. 5. Because masks can limit or block eyesight, consider non‐toxic makeup and decoraƟve hats as safer alternaƟves. Hats should ﬁt properly to prevent them from sliding over eyes. TREATS: 1. Parents should ALWAYS check your child’s treats before they eat them. 2. Children should eat a good meal before going Trick‐or‐TreaƟng to discourage kids from ﬁlling up on Halloween candy before parents have an opportunity to check their snacks. Mendota Plaza Saturday, October 31st, 2015 7:00PM—9:00PM This event is fun‐for‐all! A great community event in a safe environment. Fireﬁghters will be present, providing FREE hot dogs and soda. Hope to see you there! Have a Safe Halloween! 2 Something to think about: While our children are out trick-or-treating, others are out drinking and driving. 3 ANIMAL IMPOUND FRIDAY 01:07 HOURS Officer Mike Shepard responded to a local business on a report of an injured dog. Upon arrival, Shepard was met by the Metro Transit Police who had located the dog. The dog was a brown, muscular pit bull that appeared to be well taken care of despite an injured left leg. The dog did not have a collar on and whenever Shepard tried to get close to take it into custody, it growled aggressively. He was able to lure the dog into the squad car and the dog was taken to a local animal shelter. D U I F R I D A Y 1 9 : 5 4 H O U R S Officer Steve Hilyar, Sergeant Bobby Lambert and WSPPD responded to location on a report of a truck that was stuck in a wooded area on a homeowners property. Hilyar made contact with the driver who was still sitting in the drivers seat of the vehicle. The driver admitted to having a shot and two beers about three hours ago and said he tried to turn his truck around but it kept sliding into the ditch. Hilyar immediately could smell alcohol on his breath and asked him to perform field sobriety tests in which he could not perform a handful of them. The vehicle was towed and the driver was issued a citation and booked and released. DOMESTIC ASSAULT FRIDAY 20:36 HOURS Sergeant Bobby Lambert and Officer Phil McCarty responded to a group home on a verbal argument between two residents. Upon arrival, officers met with both parties who stated that one called the other the “N” word, so the other one attacked and started pulling her hair and punching her in the back of the head. Lambert could see visible injuries on the woman so the other woman was cited and arrested for Domestic Assault. RECOVERED STOLEN PLATE SATURDAY 09:26 HOURS Sergeant Eric Petersen was dispatched to the Lilydale Pool & Yacht Club on a report of a found motorcycle part. The motorcycle part appeared to have had a VIN on it so Petersen ran it and it came back to a stolen plate out of North St. Paul. Petersen notified NSPPD of the recovered property. THEFT OF GAS SATURDAY 10:44 HOURS Sergeant Eric Petersen responded to a local gas station on a theft of gas report. Upon arrival, he was met by store employee who stated that a black male driving a Toyota Corolla or Avalon pumped $29.79 worth of fuel and left without paying. The employee was able to gather the license plate information. A letter was sent to the registered owner. Case pending. DISTURBANCE/WARRANT SATURDAY 18:29 HOURS Sergeant Peyton Fleming along with Officer Steve Hilyar responded to a local motel on a disturbance call. Upon arrival, officers were met by the complainant who stated that earlier in the day, she had let her friend driver her car to the gas station because she was intoxicated and when she got back, she gave the car keys to her boyfriend. When she asked for them back, he claimed he had misplaced them. Hilyar made contact with the couple who both stated they had no idea where the keys were but would continue to look. Hilyar asked for identification and in running them, he confirmed that the girlfriend had an active warrant out of Ramsey County. Hilyar arrested the woman and she was transported to Ramsey County Jail. The keys had been found. A O A M O N D A Y 1 8 : 4 2 H O U R S While on routine patrol, Sergeant Peyton Fleming along with Officer Robin Nelson overheard on the radio that US Marshals were pursuing a vehicle entering Mendota Heights from WSP. The vehicle pulled into the driveway of a residence and both the driver and passenger fled on foot. Assisting agencies set up a perimeter in search for the sus- pects. One suspect was found by State Patrol walking on Marie Ave while the other suspect was found by State Patrol helicopter, hiding in a tree nearby. US Marshal’s took custody of the suspects. 4 DOMESTIC MONDAY 19:33 HOURS Officer Robin Nelson responded to a parent vs child dispute. Upon arrival, the father reported that he had found information about his son’s alleged drug dealing activity. He had loaned his vehicle to use his son to use for the evening and decided to track him down. When he found the vehicle and his son in a nearby city, he found property that belonged to a “friend”. The keys were taken away from the son and he was told he could not stay at the residence. The property was held for safekeeping and follow-up. Later in the evening, things escalated again and it was decided the son would stay with a friend. T H E F T T U E S D A Y 1 8 : 2 2 H O U R S Officer Robin Nelson was requested to call complainant on a theft report that occurred at Henry Sibley High School. Nelson spoke with the student who stated that she remembers having her laptop while sitting on the front step outside of the school. She soon got picked up from her mother, they ran some errands, then went they returned home, she noticed it was missing. She also mentioned that at no time was her backpack unprotected while running errands. She did try to locate the device using the “Find My Device” app and it showed a status of offline. Nelson notified the SRO at the school, Officer Jennifer Fordham about the incident and she is going to review video surveillance from the area the student was sitting. Case pending. SUSPICIOUS WEDNESDAY 0847 HOURS Officer Larrive responded to a report of a suspicious, occupied vehicle in a neighborhood. He located the vehicle and upon making contact with the party, smelled marijuana in the vehicle. The driver stated he was waiting for his girlfriend. The marijuana was in plain view in a baggie between the seats—it was confiscated and taken into evidence. Officer cleared. ACCIDENT THURSDAY 0808 HOURS Three cars collided at an intersection; Officer McCarty responded to assist. Traffic was backed up on Dodd—the first victim was struck from behind while stopped in traffic; the second vehicle was stopping but when he saw the third vehicle coming up on him fast, he tried to move out of the way. The impact of the third vehicle caused an accident with all three. Information was exchanged, no medical attention was wanted and one car was towed. THEFT THURSDSAY 1138 HOURS A complainant reported to Officer John Larrive that after his mother passed away, some items were missing from the home. The items were last seen during a memorial service. Possible suspects were noted that had been in the house since the service, but the complainant did not want to pursue an investigation and only wanted a case number for the insurance company. THEFT THURSDAY 1333 HOURS A reporting party informed Officer McCarty that after paying for her gas at a local gas station over a week ago, her wallet was missing. She realized it was missing when she went to another business a block away and returned to see if she had left it, but it was not found. She then found charges on her card and her bank was notified. Charges were removed and the cards were cancelled. Investigation is open/pending. 5 Don’t forget to turn your clock back 1 hour on Saturday, 10/31 before you go to bed! Daylight Savings starts at 2 am on Sunday, 11/1/15. At the same time: 10/23 ‐ 10/29 2015 YTD Calls for Service 134 5989 Citations 19 462 Warnings 11 604 Police Reports 19 906 Response Time Average 5.46 5.4 Check out the MH Crime Map! Click below to search your neighborhood: https://www.raidsonline.com 1101 Victoria Curve, Mendota Heights, MN 55118 If you are a Mendota Heights resident and you are going out of town or on vacation, you can notify MHPD of your outing and we will be more than happy to keep a watchful eye on your home while you are away. The House Check Request online form is available on our website; you can complete a form found in our lobby, or simply give us a call and we’ll help you out. MHPD offers monthly Car Seat Safety Checks. To schedule an appointment, call 651.452.1366 or email jennyf@mendota‐heights.com to contact Ofϐicer Jennifer Fordham. MHPD has a Medication Disposal Box in the lobby of the P D w h e r e D a k o t a C o u n t y r e s i d e n t s c a n s a f e l y a n d anonymously dispose of their prescription drugs and Please send us your positive feedback on our staff to: pdrecords@ mendota-heights.com Your feedback is greatly appreciated and helps boost the morale of our staff. HAVE A SAFE WEEK!