2010-04-30 Friday News30, 2010
Medicine Shoppe Opens
The Medicine Shoppe opened its doors for business on Monday,
April 26, 2010 in Mendota Heights. The Medicine Shop is located in
the former Snyders location at the Village. There is still minor work
being performed inside, but customers are welcome and they are
open for business. A formal grand opening and ribbon cutting cere-
mony will be held sometime in June. Please stop in and welcome
this new business to Mendota Heights and see the changes they
have made to this space. Welcome to Mendota Heights Medicine
Shoppe!
Regional Transportation Study Meetings
F Meetings scheduled in regards to the regional transportation study have been re-
scheduled. The second neighborhood meeting will be held on either May 19th or
May 20th at a location to be determined. In addition, the presentation to the city
Rcouncil is now scheduled for Tuesday, June 1, 2010. As soon as staff has additional
information on the location of the neighborhood meeting that will be shared in the Fri-
day News for those who are interested. This issue is scheduled to be considered by
the Dakota County Physical Transportation Committee on June 15, 2010. If you
have questions on this issue please contact Ryan Ruzek or David McKnight
DMendota Plaza Groundbreaking
A City council members and city staff attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Men-
dota Plaza redevelopment project on Thursday. City representatives, along with the
property owner, contractors and residents all spoke about the positive impact that this
Yproject will have on the city. Many years of work and effort went into this project finally
becoming a reality. Work on the project has been underway for about a month with sig-
nificant changes in the property appearance becoming very obvious. Congratulations
to all of those involved in this project.
NDakota Communications Center Executive Director
Dakota Communications Center (DCC) Executive Director Kent Therkelson will be
E leaving his position at the end of June. The process to replace Kent has been under-
way for the past two months. Ultan Duggan and David McKnight are participating in
the process to select the replacement. This process will be completed in the next three
Wweeks. The DCC is the combined dispatch center for all agencies in Dakota County.
Mendota Heights a Leader In Census Participation
Mendota Heights ranked fourth among all cities in Minnesota over 2,500 in population
in the Census participation rate. To date, 89% of Mendota Heights residents have re-
turned their forms. Census workers will now start the process of counting those resi-
dents who did not return their form by mail. Census takers will go door to door at those
homes who did not respond by mail. Residents are required by law to participate in
the Census. Congratulations to Mendota Heights for being a leader in this area!
April 30, 2010
City Staff Members Attend League of Cities Training
A number of city staff members attended the League of Minnesota Cities 2010 Safety and
Loss Control Workshop on Thursday in St. Paul. A wide variety of topics were discussed with
three different tracks to choose from in the morning and afternoon sessions. The morning
tracks included administrative, police and public works and the afternoon tracks included
small cities, agents and fire. Some of the topics that were discussed included social media
and government, fitness for duties exams, conducting council meetings, fireworks and more.
In general it was a good training session that applied to employees from many different city
departments.
Dates To Remember
City Council Meeting
Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting
Airport Relations Commission Meeting
City Council Meeting
Pilot Knob Overlook Dedication
Planning Commission Meeting
Memorial Day (City Offices Closed)
The City Council participated in the
groundbreaking ceremony at the Mendota
Plaza this week. Below is a picture of the
event that took place on Thursday.
VFW
5-4-2010
5-11-2010
5-12-2010
5-18-2010
5-19-2010
5-25-2010
5-31-2010
7:00 p.m.
6:30 p.m.
7:00 p.m.
7:00 p.m.
11:30 a.m.
7:30 p.m.
we�comEll
Attachments
The Pipeline, Just The Facts, South West Review Article "New Medicine Shoppe Replaces Snyder's
at Hwy. 100 -Dodd Road", StarTribune.com Article "Metro Storm -water Ponds are Chemical Soups"
and Invitation Farwell to DCC Director".
April 30, 2010
1041 E W S T --he Pipeline
LETT
Public Works
Engineering April 30, 2010
Code Enforcement
Public Works
The Parks Crew picked up new barrels from Twin City Container to be placed in the
parks for trash. They installed signage at the skate park for garbage pickup on a
daily basis. The pitching rubbers for girl's softball games were installed at
.Mendakota Park. The skate park was cleaned up after garbage was spread
everywhere on Monday morning.
Rich has been spraying for broadleaf weeds for the Parks Crew at Hagstrom King
Park, Friendly Hills Park, Friendly Hills Tot Lot, Rogers Lake Park, Victoria
Highlands Park, Valley Park, Wentworth Park, Ivy Park and Marie Park.
The Streets Crew continues to haul street sweepings to the County. Black dirt and
seed was put down in the boulevard on Callahan Place. A tree was cut down and
removed from Pontiac Place. Brush was picked up on Marie Avenue and Dodd
Road and at Marie Avenue and Sutton Place. The dike was removed from
Mendota. The catch basins were checked in the north end where the street
reconstruction will take place. Trash was picked up from LeMay Lake Road.
Engineering
Mendota Heights Road Roundabout - Staff conducted a utility meeting with the
private utility companies. No major relocation should be required with the
construction of the roundabout.
Traffic counts - The city hired SEH to conduct the required traffic counts for the
DOT. The DOT uses this information on allocating state money to rehabilitated
streets. The city will also be using this data for determining any traffic pattern
changes with the addition of the roundabout.
2010 Reconstruction - City Council awarded the contract for the 2010
reconstruction and rehabilitation project. The contractor will be starting on May
Stn with lowering manholes and valves. Pavement will be removed on streets to
be reconstructed on May 12th & 13th. Tree removal is scheduled for May 10tH
Water Tower Rehabilitation - The contractor has made great progress in the
rehabilitation of the city water tower. Structural repairs are nearly complete and
the supports for the containment system have been installed.
Highway 55/Mendota Heights Road - The consultant has submitted 90% design
plans to the DOT for review. The project is a cooperative agreement project with
the state. Construction is estimated for July of 2010.
Highway 13 closed in Mendota - The DOT was notified of a potential area of slope
failure. The state decided to close Highway 13 for public safety. A contractor is
on site and scheduled to begin repair on May 3rd. The project is estimated to take
a week to repair with May 10th potentially reopening to traffic.
Mendota Plaza - Mendota Plaza held a ground breaking ceremony on April 29th
The developer has been making great progress in the proposed improvements to
the site.
Training - The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) requires city's to
annually train employees on issues regarding environmental impact. Mendota
Heights and West St. Paul are working together on the training. Consultant will be
at Mendota Heights on Thursday May 6th for a Public Works Training Seminar.
Mike and Bobby attended a MnDOT certification class for management of
construction site storm water runoff.
Ryan attended to LMC Safety and Loss Control Workshop.
4/30/2010
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The Mock Crash Frida 1330 hours
Mendota
4.
Heights
Police
Department_ jj IL
Support "mss - il+ - _ - • ..� _ pa ® S
Staff
- -
Kim Henning
Sandie Ristine V_
Susan Donovan
Cathy Ransom
Becky Pentel - �I
MENOOTH HEIGHTS
Police Officers
Jerry Murphy
Scott Patrick
John Larrive
Bobby Lambert
Tanner Spicer On Friday April 23 , 2010 Saint Thomas Academy and Visitation High
Todd Rosse School hosted a mock crash at STA. A special thanks goes to Sgt Neil
Chad Willson Garlock and the Chemical Health Coordinators for STA, John Rogers,
Jeff VonFeldt and Visitation, Susan Russomano, they planned and coordinated
Denise Urmann Mendota Heights Fire, West St Paul Police, SouthEast Towing, John
Michael Shepard Lappako Moulage, Twin Cities Cremation, MNDOT, Townsquare TV
Peyton Fleming and AAA Minnesota. The mock crash serves up a very visual lesson
Jenny Fordham on the impacts of drinking and driving. After the presentation Rita
School Resource Speltz a teacher at Visitation describe the personal impact of being
Officer struck by a drunk driver 30 years ago has had on her life. The
Steven Meyer message was clear; the timing was very unfortunate as we lost 7
teenagers around Minnesota in traffic crashes the very next weekend.
Investigations The actors came from
Mario Reyes ! the STA and Visitation
Tanner Spicer - CHOOSE group. The
Sergeants kids did a great job of
Neil Garlock + - _ picking out the scene
Brian Convery '�`_ and delivering without a
Eric Petersen flaw. The scene was
Chief very realistic and held a
Mike captive audience. Watch the local cable channel TownSquare TV for a
Aschenbrener short made from the video footage shot at the presentation. It will run
-1-
4/30/2010
periodically for the new few months.
Burglary Tuesday 0247 hours
Officers responded to a burglary alarm at a local business to find the front door had been pried
open and many items were missing. The stolen items were taken from display cases on the
show floor. The burglars spent very little time in the building as they smashed the cases and
grabbed whatever they came for before fleeing. A perimeter was set and a K-9 was called in
from South Saint Paul to assist in the search and track. Referred to investigations.
Recovered Stolen Auto Wednesday 0731 hours
Caller reported a car running in the parking lot since at least 0600 hours. When Officer John
Larrive arrived on scene it was immediately apparent that the car was used in the 0247 hour
burglary. The car still had the tools used to gain entry as well as some of the stolen propert
from the store.
Crash (motorcycle vs. car) Wednesday 1140 hours
Officer John Larrive responded to a motorcycle crash at the intersection of Dodd and Mendot
Heights Road. A car pulled out in front a motorcycle traveling N/B on Dodd. The driver of th
motorcycle took evasive action; unfortunately it included sliding down the road and stopping
under the car. The driver was not seriously injured. He was examined by HealthEast
Paramedics but refused treatment. The driver of the car that pulled out into traffic without check
to see that it was safe to do was cited at the scene and released.
Narcotics Wednesday 1718 hours
911 cellular caller reported a man shooting up drugs while parked in a local gas station. The
caller reported a female passenger was inside the store. The caller stayed on line until the
Officers made contact with the couple while still at the station. The driver had another syringe
loaded and ready to inject as the Officers approached the vehicle. The passenger and driver
were taken into custody without incident. Both were brought to MHPD and the DC Drug Task
Force Agent working the north end was called in to assist with the processing. The pair had
heroin and cocaine in their possession when they were arrested. After each were read Miranda
and provided their stories to the officers, it became clear that drugs make people do strange
things: the female, when placed in the holding cell, relieved her stress by beginning her yoga
routine and meditating. Both were provided a ride to the DC jail where they were waiting to see
a judge.
Dog in the River Thursday 1022 hours
For the second time in two weeks we received a call requesting our Fire Department send
someone to rescue a dog. In the first incident the dog died and MHFD pulled the dead animal
out of the water. For the second call, Officer Larrive arrived on scene just as he was cancelled
as the dog managed to swim to shore. Use caution around flooded areas and rivers especially
when walking pets to avoid unpredictable and/or hidden dangers.
Dog Stalking Thursday 1705 hours
Cellular caller reported she was being followed by a yellow lab. The dog was not aggressive or
causing her concern but, her dog sometimes is upset by other dogs. Before Officer Chad
Willson arrived on scene the yellow lab wandered off.
New Driver Thursday 2212 hours
Officer Chad Willson was fairly certain that the litany of poor driving he was witnessing would
lead to a drunk driving arrest. Being the father of a teenager, he was not terribly surprised to
find a brand new driver being told what to do by mom. They were advised why they were being
stopped and released.
Suspicious Vehicle Friday 0310 hours
Officer Denise Urmann responded to the report of a suspicious vehicle parked on the side of the
street. Spring is in the air; Officer Urmann located the twitter -patted couple, age 19 and 20 YOA
couple saying goodnight. They agreed to move along.
Assault? Friday 1900 hours
Mom brought her 14 YOA child to MHPD to report that the child had their finger bent back by
dad. The child didn't want to go on the agreed upon visitation weekend and caused a scene.
-2-
4/30/2010
While enroute to dad's, the 14 YOA began hitting the driver's seat and calling dad obscene
names. Dad reached back to stop the hitting and a finger was caught and pushed back. Kids
were both returned to mom. Mom immediately brought the child to urgent care where it was
learned there was no injury. The nurse advised it should be reported. The criterion for a
domestic assault was not met. The mother was advised that both parents would need to
formalize a custody agreement through the courts to prevent further problems.
Throwing Rocks Saturday 1923 hours
Officer Chad Willson responded to the area of the Plaza. During the reconstruction the light
poles were taken down and set alongside of the building. A couple of young boys were reported
to be throwing rocks at the lights. Officer Willson found the two boys and the broken lights; the
boys were returned home and the property manager was advised about the damage to check on
the cost of replacement.
Suspicious / Detox Sunday 0405 hours
Homeowner called 911 because a large man was outside kicking his house. The man went out
and yelled at the person who just went and hid behind his shed. Officer Urmann began checking
the area and spotted the man who took off running through back yards. Officer Urmann gave
chase but stopped short of running into the swamp. Earlier she had responded to a loud party
complaint where no one would answer the door and thought they may have been connected.
Some time later a very large, wet, mud and burr covered man emerged from the swamp. The
man was taken into custody without incident. He relayed the story of a riverboat trip with his
college buddies followed by a cab ride to the bar. At that point it got a little fuzzy for him as he
remembered a party but not kicking a house or running from Officer Urmann. She tried to return
him to his buddies at the house party but they would still not answer the door. After giving a .165
PBT test he was transported to Detox.
Threats Monday 1839 hours
The parents of a 14YOA called to report that their child had been threatened. The first threat
came in over the phone and the second was relayed by a friend during a ball game. In checking
with the youth they were not particularly concerned. A quick reverse check of the phone number
led to the caller who quickly gave up his buddy that asked him to call and make the threat. The
suspect and his parents were advised that any further contact would result in an arrest.
Found Bones Tuesday 1027 hours
Officer Scott Patrick received a call to meet a party whose dog had brought home a bone.
Inspection of the bone revealed it was a deer not a dear. Clear no action.
Geocacher Wednesday 0606 hours
Officer Peyton Fleming dealt with a young man who was walking back and forth looking over the
Wagon Wheel Bridge at the freeway below. When he made contact with the man he learned the
man was geocaching. Apparently his GPS unit was directing him to cache off USGS points in
the area of the bridge. The man worked overnights so the early morning was his only time to
hunt for the cache and collect his points.
Overdose Thursday 1329 hours
Family member called to report an unresponsive female. Unknown what she had consumed
other than alcohol. Officer Bobby Lambert assisted HealthEast Ambulance with a voluntary
commitment to United. Ambulance transported.
Medical Thursday 1622 hours
Officer Todd Rosse responded along with HealthEast Ambulance to a medical. Upon arrival the
party was down and unresponsive. It was determined the man was a diabetic. After elevating
his blood sugar the party regained consciousness and refused further treatment.
Crisis Thursday 2128 hours
A local business called for assistance with an employee who was threatening to kill themselves.
The employee was unaware that Officer Todd Rosse was responding. The party had no prior
history of mental health issues was upset and concerned about losing his job. After a discussion
about what was going on in his life, the party voluntarily agreed to be transported to the hospital
for an evaluation. The man's parents agreed to meet him at the hospital to provide support.
HealthEast transported. H,WtPWt /#/A
-3-
New Medicine Shoppe replaces
Snyder's a O -Dodd - I f
-d
BY LARRY ENGLUND
ometimes the law of unintended conse-
quences can have a positive effect. that
may be the case with Walgreens' recent
purchase of Snyder Drug's prescriptions.
Though the purchase resulted in the closing of
Snyder Drug stores in Highland Village and
the Village at Mendota Heights, Highland will
soon be getting a new Walgreens drug store
on the former site of Snyder's and Dan Koski
has moved his Medicine Shoppe into the for-
mer Snyder's space at Highway 110 and Dodd
Road in Mendota Heights.
"I'd been looking for a new location and op-
portunity for two or three years, said Koski,
who operated the Medicine Shoppe in West St.
Paul for the past 15 years. "When Walgreens
bought out Snyder's, the timing worked out
perfectly'
The Mendota Heights store was scheduled
to, open on April 26, after this issue of the
Villager, went to press. It has twice the space
of Koski's old space on South Robert Street,
which has allowed him to hire longtime local
pharmacist Stan Starkman.
Starkman has been working as a pharmacist
for the past 55 years. He started out in 1955 at
the former Highland Drug Store at Ford Park-
way and Cleveland Avenue, bought that busi-
ness in 1973 after former owner Harold Sha-
pira died, and operated it for the next 20 years.
When Snyder's bought out Highland Drug in
1993, Starkman agreed to help with the tran-
sition and ended up staying at the Highland
Village Snyder's for 17 years. He retired last
January, shortly before Snyder's closed.
Koski had been looking for a way to con-
nect with Snyder's former clientele. "I knew of,
Stan, but I didnt know him until this oppor-
tunity came up, he said. "On a whim, I de-
cided to call him to see if he had any interest
in coming out of retirement'
"I was ready to come out of retirement.
Just ask my wife," laughed Starkman, who
also lives in Mendota Heights. "I missed the
people I dealt with. I missed talking with the
people, working with the people. Dan and I
think alike. I went to work for him because I .
was impressed with the way he takes care of
his customers:'
``I think its going to be a perfect match,
said Koski who, like Starkman, is a firm be-
liever in the importance of customer service
and in knowing the names of his customers.
"Ifs what sets us apart from big -box Pharma-
cies;' he said.
Koski has been a pharmacist for 30 years.
For 15 of those years he worked in drug stores
that did not put a premium on customer ser-
vice. That, he said, is where he learned "how
not to run a pharmacy'
The Medicine Shoppe offers private consul-
tations on medications. "Well go over a cus-
tomer's profile, making sure there isrit inap-
propriate medication and providing a nmuch
higher level of consultation than 4s available
at chain stores; Koski said. "I also made a
substantial investment in a robotic system ca-
pable of filling 150 prescriptions per hour so
we can continue to focus our -time and effort
on face-to-face consulting with customers."
'All prescriptions at the Medicine Shoppe
are double-checked with a biometric system
that requires a fingerprint from the phar-
macist or a technician as each prescription
is filled. "Each time a tech or pharmacist is
doing a task, they put their fingerprint in the
system, both to access the task and as a digital
signature;' Koski said.
As a customer, Starkman added, "you'll
know the tech who entered the prescription,
who filled it and the pharmacist who ap-
proved it."
"The key is getting the right medication to
the right patient at the right dose at the right
time;' Koski said, "and to make them under-
stand what the medication is for and why
they're taking it"
Kosk's Medicine Shoppe has offered free
prescription delivery for many years, and that
will continue at the new location. The Men-
dota Heights store also has a prescription
drive-through facility and a waiting room that
is equipped with monitors that televise health
programs.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 2010
Not that Koski thinks his customers will
have long to wait. "I've worked in places where
I was told not to fill a prescription in fewer
than 15 minutes so that customers had time
to spend money shopping;' he said. "Here it
will be an exception to wait more than five or
10 minutes'
The larger space in Mendota Heights will
also allow Koski to sell a wider variety of retail
goods in addition to over-the-counter medi-
cine. "We have pop, candy, chips as well as a
dairy cooler so that people in the neighbor-
hood don't have to drive three or four miles
for milk," he said.
The Medicine Shoppe will also sell an ex-
panded line of products for those who are
recovering from surgery or dealing with infir-
mities. "We have a pretty good niche in du-
rable medical equipment like elevated toilet
seats, railings for bathtubs, -grippers to help
people with arthritis to open doors, odds and
ends like that, Koski said.
The Medicine Shoppe will celebrate its
grand opening in Mendota Heights on May
17-21 with demonstrations of diabetic prod-
ucts and free blood -pressure and bone -den-
sity screenings. "But even after that date, well
be providing diabetic counseling at no charge
to customers;' Starkman said. "We'll service
their meter, educate them on its use, and re-
place it if necessary. We'll do the same thing
with blood pressure, how to use new equip-
ment and such'
"We're moving from a place on South Rob-
ert Street where we had a tobacco shop next
door to a location in Mendota Heights that
also has oral surgeons, eyeglass shops and
physical therapists, Koski said. "It's a much
better business environment for us, and with
much 'getter customer parking.,
Medicine
Shoppe owner
Dan Koski was
busy stocking
his new store
last week in
preparation for
its scheduled
opening on
April 26 in the
Village at Men-
dota Heights.
PHOTO BY
BRAD STAUFFER
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Rr "MiTrT.J"71
Metro
storm-water ponds are
chemical soups
White Bear Lake's proposed ban on
some driveway sealants is a first
step in keeping contaminants out of
storm -water ponds.
By TOM MEERSMAN, Star Tribune
Last update: April 27, 2010 - 12:30 PM
The local neighborhood pond fringed with
spring green looks attractive, but its muddy
bottom is loaded with contaminants.
Metro communities from White Bear Lake and
Maplewood to South St. Paul are discovering
that their storm -water ponds are chemical
soups of pesticides, fertilizers, pet wastes,
oil, grease and other contaminants.
With an estimated 20,000 public storm -water
ponds in the metro area, and thousands
more privately owned by industries and
homeowner associations, state pollution
officials say they expect the problem to be
widespread.
"It took us aback, frankly," said Mark Burch,
White Bear Lake's public works director.
Advertisement
"Especially when we figured out how much it
would cost" to clean up.
On Tuesday, the city is poised to adopt the
state's first ordinance -- and only the fourth
in the nation -- to ban coal -tar sealants
spread on driveways and parking lots. The
sealants, among the worst culprits in the
contamination, contain chemical compounds
that are classified as likely carcinogens, and
are known as PAHs (polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons).
Sealant industry officials oppose the ban and
dispute studies that have identified their
products as the main source of pollution.
Burch stood recently next to one of the 60 -
inch culverts that drain storm water from
dozens of streets into Varney Lake.
He stepped onto a delta of sediment and
pointed to sandy islands in the water where
ducks and Canadian geese were standing.
"Their bellies aren't even wet," he said. "The
water out there is just a few inches deep."
Because the lake is nearly frill, Burch planned
to excavate the sediment and debris. But lie
put the project on hold when he learned that
the contaminant levels were so high that the
soil would need to be trucked to a landfill for
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disposal. That would cost up to $250,000, he
said, about three times the cost of extracting
clean sediment, which could be re -used
within the city for berms or fill.
A half-dozen other lakes in the city have the
same problem, said Burch. Plans to dredge
them are also on hold while the city cleans a
few smaller ponds that were not
contaminated.
MPCA warns of PAHs
Sealants are shiny black coatings used to
protect underlying pavement in driveways
and low -traffic parking lots for churches,
restaurants, shopping centers, playgrounds
and trails. They are usually applied every
three to five years.
The PAHs that are the most serious pollutant
come from coal tar -based sealants,
according to a "white paper" on the issue by
the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
(MPCA).
The compounds flake off as tiny dust
particles as pavement weathers, said Judy
Crane, the research scientist who
coauthored the white paper. Those particles
are carried into waterways, where they can
kill aquatic insects, hurt frogs and other
Advertisement
amphibians, and cause mouth tumors in fish.
The main concern for humans is the potential
for breathing the chemicals if sediment is
dredged, dried and used in parks where
children play.
"I don't think we want to assume that every
pond is contaminated," said Dale Thompson,
supervisor of the municipal storm -water
program for the MPCA, "but it's certainly
widespread in the metro area, and we
suspect it's going to be widespread outstate."
Burch said he can wait awhile to dredge the
ponds, and hopes that research at the
University of Minnesota may provide new
ways to neutralize contaminated sediment to
avoid costly disposal. But the state is facing
hundreds of ponds that are nearly full, said
Rep. Bev Scalze, DFL -Little Canada, and if
they aren't dredged, oil, grease, coal tar and
other wastes that run off streets will no
longer be trapped and will flush into cleaner
lakes and rivers.
"The ponds have done their job and
accumulated mud and chemicals and debris,"
she said. "It was the right thing to do to
require them. The question is, where do we
go from here?"
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Scalze authored a bill passed in 2009 that
requires state agencies to stop using the coal
tar sealants on parking areas and trails
effective July 1. It also requires more than
200 metro cities to inventory their storm -
water ponds.
"We have a great amount of pollution here in
the ponds already," said Scalze. "But when
You're talking about a possible carcinogen, it
gets even more important."
Scalze wants to ban the sealants throughout
the state, and said that a readily available
alternative -- asphalt emulsion sealant --
provides the same protection for pavement
without the environmental runoff problems.
Such a prohibition, now being considered in
Michigan, would affect commercial
applicators most, said Scalze; some large
retail chains, such as Lowe's and Home
Depot, stopped selling coal tar -based
sealants in recent years.
Industry officials are closely tracking White
Bear Lake's proposed ordinance to ban the
use of coal tar sealants. Only four other
communities have adopted similar
ordinances: Austin, Texas, and one of its
suburbs; Dane County, Wis., and Washington,
D.C.
Advertisement
Sealants not the only problem
Anne LeHuray, executive director for the
Pavement Coatings Technology Council, a
national trade association, said that PAHs
come not only from coal tar, but also from
natural sources and from incomplete
combustion of many other coal and
petroleum products, including oil, wood and
even charcoal in barbecues.
Some studies show that vehicle emissions --
not coal tar -- are the main source of PAHs in
the environment, LeHuray said, which means
that banning sealants won't prevent buildup
in storm -water ponds.
"Government is picking winners and losers in
the marketplace, regardless of what the
benefits are," said LeHuray, who also
represents asphalt emulsion businesses. "If
you try to ban a product that is not the
source of the problem, you won't solve the
problem."
The MCPA's Crane acknowledged that there
are many sources of PAHs in the
environment, but "coal tar sealant is coming
up as a very important source." She has
found high levels of PAHs in several ponds
she has studied in the past year.
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http://www.startribune.com/templates/fdcp?l 2723 96244978 4/27/2010
http://www. startribune.coinllocal/eastl92146674.hhnl?elr=KArks: DCiUHc3 E7_V_nDayc
Randy Nugent, who owns a sealcoating firm
in Hugo, said that a ban on coal tar sealants
would not affect his business because he
switched to the asphalt emulsion alternative
years ago. The two products are basically the
same in price and performance, he said, but
his workers dislike coal tar because it burns
their skin and smells bad. The only marginal
advantage to coal tar, said Nugent, is that it
can be applied in slightly cooler weather,
adding a week or two to the work season in
spring and fall.
"I'm not a tree -hugger," he said, "but Why
ruin the grass and the water if yon don't have
to?"
Tom Meersman • 612-673-7388
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