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2003-10-10 Friday News The Friday News October 10, 2003 Council Orders Feasibility Study for 2004 Street Reconstruction Projects Last year, the Engineering Department sent out street improvement project questionnaires to 298 property owners in 8 different areas to solicit their views relative to the need and timing of potential future street reconstruction projects in the City. Based on the survey responses, engineering recommendations and the deterioration of the streets, on Tuesday the City Council ordered street improvement feasibility reports for the entire Somerset neighborhood, and Dodge Lane, Somerset Court and Ivy Falls Avenue. City Council Adopts Critical Area Ordinance On Tuesday night, the City Council adopted the new Critical Area Ordinance for the City of Mendota Heights. The ordinance will now be submitted to the DNR. Upon approval by the DNR, the City will publish the ordinance putting it into effect. A copy of the Critical Area Ordinance is available on the City website. City To Interview Three Firms for Prosecution Services In August, the City Council authorized staff to proceed with requests for proposals for Prosecutorial Services. The deadline for the submissions was Friday. The City received six proposals from various firms, including one from our current prosecutor Martin Costello. On Tuesday night, the City Council decided to interview three firms for prosecution services: Lehman and Lutter, Grannis and Hauge, and Leonard O’Brien. The Council will interview the firms beginning at 6:00 PM prior to the City Council meeting on st October 21. City Council not interested in Convention and Visitor’s Bureau The City was recently approached by the Inver Grove Heights Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (CVB) about the need for a CVB in the Mendota Heights area. The Inver Grove CVB is interested in combining with Mendota Heights and other Northern Dakota County communities to form a larger CVB for the region. The CVB would be funded through the application of a three percent local lodging tax on all hotels in the City. The funds would be utilized to advertise and promote the availability of rooms to out of town visitors and draw tourism to the community through a website, billboards etc. The creation of the Bureau and the enactment of a Lodging Tax are governed by Minnesota Statute 469.190 and require the approval of various formal agreements. Mr. John Voss, owner of AmericInn Hotel and CVB Board member, and Jenelle Teppen, Inver Grove Heights Assistant City Administrator and CVB Board member addressed the City Council on Tuesday night. After much discussion, the City Council determined that a convention and visitor’s bureau is not appropriate for Mendota Heights at this time. See the attached Sun Current article for more details. 55th Annual Firefighter’s Dance The Mendota Heights Fire Department will be having their annual Firefighter's Dance on Friday, October 24th. This year's event will be held at Prom Expo in Oakdale. Advance tickets are on sale now for $8.00 or $10.00 at the door. Music by The Dweebs will begin at 8:30 P.M. The Dweebs have a large following. Last year's event was very successful; it is advised that you arrive early. There is no guaranteed seating. This is a Fire Department fund-raiser. The funds that are raised through ticket sales and donations support fire prevention activities, uniforms, and other department needs that are not part of the city budget. Firefighters have already begun going door-to-door selling dance tickets. The Mendota Heights Fire Department provides fire protection to Mendota Heights, Mendota, Lilydale and Sunfish Lake. There are organizations that solicit funds by telephone, but these groups do not assist, nor are associated with, the Mendota Heights Fire Department. It is not possible for firefighters to stop by every residence. Anyone who has questions, needs tickets or would like to make a donation to the Fire Department should call City Hall at 452-1850. ARC to Present Plan of Action to City Council st At the October 21 City Council meeting, the Airport Relations Commission will present the updated Air Noise Plan of Action to the City Council. Livable Communities Grant Application Interview The Livable Communities Advisory Committee met on Friday, September 26 for their initial review and evaluation of the 35 LCDA applications. As a result of that meeting, the committee recommended moving 17 applications on for further consideration. I'm happy to inform you the Mendota Heights application for the Village project was recommended to move forward. The Question and Answer session was held on October 10th. We presented our project at 10:50 on Friday morning and answered questions about the development, its funding and the connectivity to the neighborhoods. Last year the City received $873,400 for funding for the structured parking for the project. This year we have requested an additional $1,000,000 for the structured parking. We’re excited that the application is moving forward and are hopeful about our chances for success. Special thanks to Council members Schneeman, Vitelli and Duggan for attending the presentation and showing their support. Annual Halloween Bonfire The City’s annual Halloween Bonfire will be held on Friday evening, October 31, at its normal location behind the Mendota Plaza Shopping Center. Once again, the members of the Mendota Heights Fire Department have volunteered to carry out this annual tradition. As has been done in the past, it is proposed that the City fund hot dogs and refreshments to be handed out by the members of the Fire Department and th other volunteers. Residents will be able to deposit their brush at the site beginning October 19 and ending th October 29. Flu Shots For those interested, the flu shots have been scheduled for Tuesday, October 28 from 9 - 9:30 in the large conference room. The cost is $15. October Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Canceled The regularly scheduled Parks and Recreation Commission meeting for the month of October has been canceled due to lack of agenda items. The Commission will meet again in November with a date to be announced, as the regularly scheduled meeting falls on Veterans Day. City Administrator Applications Rolling In We have advertised for the position of City Administrator and are already receiving many applications. The th deadline for submission is October 27. The City Council hopes to have a new Administrator in place by January or February. Jim Danielson will be serving as Acting Administrator in the interim. Final Thought “Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.” – Steven Wright Respectfully Submitted, Cari Lindberg Administrator Attachments: Just the Facts, Pipeline, Planning Application synopsis, Sun Current article “MH Council not interested in visitors bureau,” Pioneer Press article “Lindberg to resign as City Administrator.”