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2003-09-19 Friday News The Friday News September 19, 2003 City Council Determines EAW Complete On Tuesday night, the City Council determined that the EAW for the Bluffs project is now complete. The th notice of completion will be published in the September 29 EQB Monitor for a 30-day review and comment period. During this 30-day period, written comments from the public are accepted on the EAW. The comments shall address the accuracy and completeness of the material in the EAW, potential impacts that may warrant further investigation before the project is commenced, and the need for an EIS on the proposed project. After this 30-day publication period, the City has an additional 30 days to respond to any public comments and make a decision on whether the project also needs an Environmental Impact th Statement (EIS). This decision must be made by November 28. The City (RGU) must respond in writing to all of the submitted comments. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me. If you wish to comment on the EAW, please send those comments to my attention th at 1101 Victoria Curve, Mendota Heights, MN 55118 by October 30, 2003. A copy of the EAW is available at City Hall for public viewing. If you would like to receive a copy of the EAW, please contact Linda Shipton at (651) 452-1850. City Reps Needed for State Board of Firefighter Training The 2000 Legislature created the State Board of Firefighter Training and Education to oversee the quality and consistency of firefighter training throughout the state. The Board consists of 15 members representing professional and volunteer firefighters, local units of government, and state agencies. The League is required by the law to recommend to the governor two city representatives to the Board—one each from a statutory and a home-rule charter city. The term of the League’s statutory city representative recently expired, and the League has the opportunity to recommend a replacement for appointment by the governor. The term of the appointment is four years ending in 2007, and meetings of the Board are held monthly in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. If you are an elected or appointed official in a statutory city and are interested in serving as one of the League’s two representatives on the Board of Firefighter Training and Education, please submit a letter of interest to Jim Miller at the League of Minnesota Cities no later than 5 p.m., Sept. 19. The letter should be accompanied by a completed application as required by the Minnesota Secretary of State. The application can be found online at: www.sos.state.mn.us/openapp/Open%20Appointments.pdf (pdf document). Questions about the afinn@lmnc.org Board can be directed to Anne Finn, LMC, at (651) 281-1263 or . Nominations Needed for National League of Cities Representatives Delegates to this year’s National League of Cities (NLC) Congress of Cities, to be held Dec. 9-13 in Nashville, Tenn., will elect new members to the NLC Board of Directors. Minnetonka Mayor Karen Anderson, NLC past president, and Buffalo Councilmember Del Haag currently represent Minnesota on the NLC Board. A Nominating Committee, appointed by the NLC president, will interview candidates during the Congress of Cities and present a slate of recommended candidates to the membership at the Annual Business Meeting on Saturday, Dec. 7.The League of Minnesota Cities will likely endorse one additional candidate for the NLC Board. Interested individuals will be interviewed by the LMC Board of Directors to select a candidate for endorsement. Interviews will be held at the LMC Offices on Thursday, Oct. 16. If you are interested in applying for the NLC Board of Directors and your city is a direct member dmikacev@lmnc.org of NLC, please contact Donyelle Mikacevich, LMC, by Oct. 3. E-mail: . Phone: (651) 281-1202 Council Approves New Fencing for Wentworth Park Tennis Courts nd At the September 2 City Council meeting, the Council awarded a contract to resurface the courts in Wentworth Park. At that meeting, Council member Schneeman inquired about the condition of the fencing around the court area. The ten foot high fencing was installed in 1970 when the courts were constructed. On Tuesday night, the City Council approved an additional expenditure to have the thirty- year-old ten-foot high fencing fabric be replaced prior to the application of the top color coat on the Wentworth Tennis Courts. Council Considers Revision to Rubbish Ordinance The City’s current rubbish ordinance requires all garbage haulers in Mendota Heights to provide weekly recycling pick up service. This is generally done with the use of a small recycling bin provided by Dakota County and distributed to residents from City Hall. A new trend in the industry is to provide every other week service wit a larger recycling bin on wheels. This “one sort” system allows all of the recyclables to be commingled together in one single bin. On Tuesday night, representatives from Waste Management addressed the Council about revising the City ordinance to allow for the every other week pick up of recycling to allow for this new commingling service. Although the Council expressed willingness to look into this matter, there was some concern expressed regarding the smaller haulers ability to compete with such a service. The Council directed staff to draft the appropriate ordinance language for this amendment and to schedule a public hearing on the matter in the future. Staff will be placing an article in the October Heights Highlites regarding the issue and asking for public comment. We anticipate scheduling the public hearing for the second meeting in January. Joint City Council/Planning Commission Workshop The Planning Commission and the City Council have recently suggested that there be a joint Council/Planning Commission workshop this year. Some of the topics suggested for discussion include: variance criteria, in-fill development policy and expectations of the City Planner. The City Council set the th workshop for September 30 at 7:00 PM. The topics will include infill development, variances and the role of the City Planner.This meeting is open to the public and residents are encouraged to attend. Completion of Probationary Period for Firefighters Richard Griep and Michelle Henne-Malkes On Tuesday night, the City Council formally appointed probationary firefighters Richard Griep and Michelle Henne Malkes. The two firefighters were appointed last year to a one year probationary period. In the last year, they have successfully completed their educational standards and response requirements. Congratulations Michelle and Richard! Final Thought “You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here. This moment is yours.” – Herb Brooks Respectfully Submitted, Cari Lindberg, Administrator Attachments: Just the Facts, Pipeline, Planning Commission agenda, Southwest Review article “Snag in MH Skate Park Plans,”, Sun Current article “Bluff’s EAW Completed”, and Pioneer Press articles “Pilot Knob Townhome Project Advances” and “Revamping of Water Utility Most Likely on Hold”.