Friday News 09 21 2012
September 21, 2012
Dates to Remember:
September 24, 2012*
Planning Commission 7:00 p.m.
*Note date change
October 2, 2012
City Council 7:00 p.m.
October 9, 2012
Parks & Recreation Comm. 6:30 p.m.
October 10, 2012
Airport Relations Comm. 7:00 p.m.
Attachments:
Pipeline, Just the Facts
Friday News
Mendota Heights Weekly Report on City Activities
Mendota Heights City Hall
1101 Victoria Curve
www.mendota-heights.com
(651) 452-1850
Par 3 Tournament
We had a full golf course this past Saturday
afternoon, as players played the Mendota
Heights Par 3 as the “back nine” of a tourna-
ment hosted in partnership with Thompson
Oaks Golf Course in West St. Paul.
Players enjoyed a beautiful day, competing for
prizes for top score, closest to the pin, longest
putt and more at each course.
Thank you to the players and to the staff at the
Par 3 for having the course ready for the event.
Firefighters Dance
Mendota Heights Firefighters are working their
way across the community selling tickets for
the 64th Annual Firefighters Dance benefiting
the Mendota Heights Fire Relief Association.
The dance will be held on Saturday, November
17, 2012 at Royal Cliff event center in Eagan.
Tickets are $12.00 each, or two for $20.00.
The relief association supports our volunteer
fire department in a number of ways including
equipment purchases and a retirement fund.
Absentee Voting Begins
This morning absentee voting for the 2012 Gen-
eral Election began. Absentee voting is availa-
ble for voters who are unable to vote at their
polling place on Tuesday, November 6, 2012.
Pedestrian Crossings
The City Council received an update Tuesday
evening to pedestrian crossings at Highway 110
and Dodd Road. Work will occur in 2013 to im-
prove visibility and safety for bikers and walkers
through the intersection.
Public Works
The Parks Crew installed cement pads at Ivy Falls Park for bleacher and
bench installation. The donated bench was installed on the cement pad.
Dirt and grass seed were put down around the pads and leveled out. The
door handle on the utility room door was repaired at Mendakota Park. They
finished replacing hockey boards. A fallen tree was removed and hauled
away from Wentworth Park. The doors and ceilings were painted in the
bathrooms, utility room and concession stand at Mendakota Park.
The Utility Crew cleared a sanitary sewer line on Lexington Avenue and
treated it with root killing chemicals. They changed the outside light fixture
at the main lift station, and assisted the Street Crew with blacktop patching.
The Streets Crew did blacktop patching on Pueblo Lane, Mohican Court,
Northland Drive, and Commerce Drive. New sign posts were installed on
Pueblo Lane at Decorah Lane. Signs posts were also installed for a
crosswalk on Huber Drive at Hampshire Drive and signs will be installed
when they come in. They helped pull out four large concrete footings at
Rogers Lake Park and Mendakota Park.
Engineering
City Projects (construction year)
Lemay Lake Road Reconstruction (2012) – Curb & gutter installations are
virtually complete. Paving should begin on Monday. Substantial project
completion is expected in early October, and an assessment hearing for the
project is scheduled for the October 16th City Council meeting. Wear course
will be installed later this fall.
Marie Avenue Rehabilitation (2012) – The project is nearing completion.
Sod placement and the final lift of asphalt are expected next week.
Finishing work for the new storm water pond will be completed shortly after
the sod and asphalt. An assessment hearing for the project is scheduled at
the October 2nd City Council meeting.
The Pipeline N E W S
L E T T E R
Public Works
Engineering
Code Enforcement
September 21, 2012
Diane Road Neighborhood & Mendota Heights Road Rehabilitations (2012) –
These projects are complete. An Assessment Hearing for the projects is
scheduled at the October 2nd City Council Meeting.
Dodd Road/Highway 110 Intersection Pedestrian Improvements (2013) –
The consultant is continuing work on design plans for the project and
coordination with MnDOT for project requirements, and has provided staff
with 60% design drawings for review. The consultant provided an update at
the September 18th City Council meeting. Not much detail was provided in
the presentation because MnDOT has not yet approved proposed details of
the improvements. Final plans are anticipated in late fall/early winter with
bidding and construction in 2013.
Hunter Lane/Orchard Place Neighborhood Improvements (2013) - An
informal neighborhood meeting was held on September 17th at City Hall. A
number of residents interested in the project attended and presented their
opinions. Staff took down all comments and will present them to City
Council during the Public Hearing on October 2nd along with the staff
recommendation. Anyone who missed the informational neighborhood
meeting due to observance of Rosh Hashanah can contact City staff to set
up a different time to meet.
Crown Point & Overlook Neighborhood Rehabilitations (2013) –A formal
public hearing for the project took place befor e City Council at their
September 18th meeting. Residents were able to ask questions and have
issues clarified before the project was ordered by the Council. Final plans
will be prepared and bids are anticipated in the spring for 2013 construction
Other Activities
Lower Mississippi River Watershed Management Organization (LMRWMO) –
Staff attended the monthly LMRWMO Board meeting in Lilydale on Thursday
along with the City’s primary and alternate citizen representatives. The
LMRWMO is partnered with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)
to conduct Watershed Restoration and Protection (WRAP) studies of five
lakes in the watershed, two of which are in Mendota Heights. Rogers Lake
and Lake Augusta will be monitored and have samples taken for water
quality and vegetative samples will be analyzed. Lake Augusta is
considered an impaired water body for phosphorous levels. This means the
levels of phosphorus in the lake exceed the amount allowed by MPCA.
Rogers Lake is not impaired, but is being studied as a means of impairment
prevention. The end result of the WRAP studies will be a restoration plan
for Lake Augusta and a pollution prevention plan for Rogers Lake. Surveys
were mailed to area residents recently as part of the WRAP projects.
Gun Club Lake Watershed Management Organization (GCLWMO) – Staff
attended the quarterly GCLWMO Board meeting in Eagan on Wednesday
along with the City’s primary and alternate citizen representatives. Much of
the meeting was focused on the future of the GCLWMO. The member Cities’
Public Works Directors will be meeting in October to score potential
restructuring options for the WMO, and will bring those options ba ck to the
Board in December. More to come…
Saint Paul Regional Water Service (SPRWS) Proposed 2013 Rates – SPRWS
informed City staff of their proposed 2013 rates. The proposed rates are:
winter rate = $2.75 per 100 cubic foot, and summer rate = $2.87 per cubic
foot. The current rates are $2.32 per CF in winter and $2.42 per CF in
summer. For more information on the proposed rates, please call SPRWS
customer service at 651-266-6350. These rates still need to be approved
by the Saint Paul City Council.
Girl Scouts 100th Anniversary Day of Service – The Girl Scouts of America
will be commemorating their 100th anniversary with a national day of service
on October 13th. Girl Scouts all over the country will be volunteering in their
communities on that day. A group of Girl Scouts from Mendota Heights will
be volunteering to clean up Ivy Hills Park. Their work will include trash
removal, raking leaves, clearing and marking of area storm drains, and
disposal of materials at local compost sites. For more information call the
Engineering Department at City Hall.
Future Cities Competition – Staff has once again offered to mentor and
assist the middle school teams at Friendly Hills Middle School in the 2012
Future Cities Competition. Each year, the American Society of Civil
Engineers (ASCE) sponsors the competition that asks teams of 5th through
8th graders to conceptually develop a city of the future. Each year has a
specific theme, and this year’s theme is “Rethinking Runoff.” The teams are
judged on four different products in the competition: a SimCity model of
their city, a scale model of their city, a written report, and an oral
presentation about their city. The actual competition is held in January and
the winners announced at the event.
09/21/2012
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
Truancy Thursday 0818 hours
Officer Bobby Lambert responded to the front of a local school to assist with a
truant child who did not want to go to school. Officer Lambert learned from
the parent that the child has missed 9 days of school already this year. The
truancy paperwork had already been filed with the county. Officer Lambert
provided the youth a quick rundown of the penalties for them and possibly
their parents if truancy continued. Curious? Check out Dakota County truancy
consequences:
http://www.co.dakota.mn.us/HealthFamily/CaringFor/InfoForParents/TruancyConsequences.htm
Deer Thursday 0939 hours
Homeowner called to report a dead deer hanging on their wrought iron fence.
The deer had apparently slipped as it jumped the fence, landed on top and
died. Officer Lambert assisted in locating someone to remove the deer.
AOA MHFD Friday 0009 hours
Officers Steve Meyer and Mike Shepard responded to a semi‐trailer on fire. The
trailer was backed up to a warehouse and was in the process of loading. As
they arrived the officers learned the tractor was on fire. Employees managed
to get the semi‐tractor detached from the trailer and move it away from the
building. The semi had just fueled up before arriving to pick up its load. The
truck was total loss.
Fireworks Friday 1957 hours
Officer Todd Rosse and Officer Mike Shepard responded to the call of a large
fireworks display in the area of Hwy110 and Dodd Road. Eventually they
tracked down the remnants of the display but were not successful in tracking
down the culprit who lit the display. The leftovers were documented and
Monday morning the culprit’s information and identity was learned. The case
has been forwarded to the prosecutor for review.
AOA Friday 2309 hours
Officer Shepard located a suspect fleeing a robbery attempt on a motorcycle in
West St Paul. Everything matched the description except no flames on the
helmet. After conferring with WSPPD, the man was ID’d and released.
Drunk Saturday 0307 hours
A local motel called about a drunken man bleeding and sleeping in a hallway.
Officer Fleming noted the man was bleeding from the back of his head.
HealthEast Ambulance was asked to stand by as the man was not cooperative.
After a few minutes the family was located and had no idea how the man’s face
became scraped or injured, stating the last time they saw him he was fine. His
car was located in the lot with no damage and was cold. When the man
refused to answer questions or provide a PBT sample everyone thought it best
“Just the Facts”
The latest news from the Mendota Heights Police Department
09/21/2012
for him to be checked out. HealthEast ambulance transported the man to Regions Hospital.
Crash Saturday 0415 hours
Officer Fleming responded to report of a car crashed into his back yard. The car was about 30 feet off
the road, Marie and Wachtler. I sounded like a potential DWI arrest; what Officer Fleming found was a
young man who really did have just one beer, PBT .003. Unfortunately he had spent way too many
hours working the past few days and fell asleep at the wheel on his way home. The young man was
luckily uninjured and was insured. Accident report written, officers cleared when car was removed from
the yard.
Medical Saturday 1510 hours
Caller reported a large man sitting in a car in front of a local business. The man was all alone, rocking
back and forth talking to himself. Officer John Larrive quickly determined it was a medical emergency.
The man was having a diabetic issue with low blood sugar. The man’s girlfriend arrived and assisted,
transporting him to the ER.
AOA Saturday 2316 hours
Stillwater Police called looking for assistance in identifying a drunk. Officer Fleming checked the address
the drunk had on him. Not only was he drunk but he was very confused. No one at home nor any
vehicles or anything to assist Stillwater Police.
Toilet Saturday 2023 hours
Officer Willson took a second call regarding a smashed toilet for the weekend. Yes, we take them all.
On Friday evening we received a call of smashed or possibly blown up (fireworks) toilet located in the
street. Officer Willson’s second call was about the same toilet; this time, the caller had located the
suspects via the internet as they had posted the incident. The suspects agreed to meet the family
whose house they smashed the toilet in front of and apologize for their actions. Nothing further by
MHPD.
Narcotics Violation Monday 1741 hours
Officer Chad Willson responded to a call at a local pharmacy about a prescription forgery, suspect on
scene. The pharmacist had noted the prescription as made out to a male, but the waiting party was a
female. Upon attempting to contact the physician to confirm the prescription, he found the number
was bad; further checking showed some of the doctor’s prescription paperwork had been stolen. Upon
approach, the female was questioned, but provided limited information, only saying she was helping out
a friend (whom she couldn’t name or identify) and driven in the friend’s car (also unable/unwilling to
identify). She was also found in possession of several other items stolen from parties in other cities. The
female was ultimately arrested for forgery and drug possession; forwarded to DTF for charging.
Fight Tuesday 2141 hours
Sgt Convery along with Officer Steve Meyer and several MN State Troopers responded to a fight in
parking lot at a local bar. When the MHPD officers arrived a trooper was pinning one man to the ground
with the help of bar employees. Officers quickly spoke with the employees and determined one other
man was involved. He was detained patted down and placed into a squad car. An ambulance was called
to the scene to help an employee who was bleeding near his eye. Once the situation was under control
everyone was interviewed. One of the two males was cited and transported to Ramsey Detox the other
was transported to the Dakota County Jail. At the jail the man was totally out of control requiring
multiple staff members to restrain the man.
Theft Thursday 1451 hours
The owner of a local lawn service reported to Officer Mike Shepard that while they were working at a
local residence someone stole 5 gallons of gas off the trailer. They did not see anyone near the trailer
that was parked in the street.
09/21/2012
Marijuana Grow Thursday 1835 hours
The Metro Bowhunters Resource Base (MBRB) began the first day of the controlled deer hunt for the
city. While sitting quietly in a tree stand, one of the hunters got a unique view of the parks when they
observed young men cultivating marijuana. The hunter called and a short time later Sergeant Petersen,
Officer Shepard and Officer Willson joined the efforts. It was quickly learned that one was an adult and
the other was a juvenile. After interviews were conducted, citations were issued and both were
released to an adult relative. The marijuana was cut down and hauled away (per the picture below –
that’s not a pine tree) to be destroyed. This was the second grow operation in a week that didn’t make it
to the market.
Naked Man Thursday 1917 hours
While busy on the marijuana call, we advised by the DCC that Minneapolis PD was in the area of Hwy 13
& Hwy 110 looking for a naked man. DCC advised the caller said the man was trying to cover himself
with dirt. A short time later MPD advised they had found the man. On Friday morning, the reporting
party contacted MHPD, wondering if we found him and what became of him. She also informed us she
had given him her sweatshirt. Advised them the man was fine, and (partly thanks to her kind gesture),
no longer running around nude.
Have a great weekend! Mike & Kim