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2010-08-27 Friday News2030 Comprehensive Plan Update The 2030 Comprehensive Land Use Plan update has taken longer than anticipated, as the document bounced between staff and our consultant planner. Our first draft to the Metropolitan Council (Met A ! i A Council) late last year had a handful of issues which needed correction and in some cases additional content. The most significant issue was a discrepancy between Metropolitan Council August 27, 2010 calculations and those of our planner, regarding the potential build g out of our remaining undeveloped property. One unforeseen benefit of our extended submittal process has been ample opportunity to discuss Met Council goals for affordable and life -cycle housing. Ultimately, the Met Council brought our community goals down, to a level which staff finds realistic. Throughout this process, Metropolitan Council staff have been great Fto work with, city staff looks forward to seeing the Comprehensive Plan update through the committee process at Met Council. High Performance Partnership ' Dakota County and the cities who created the High Performance Partnership (HiPP) project in the mid 2000's have decided to re -start that very successful program. The ® HiPP program looks for areas of government cooperation that can produce more efficient government services, higher quality services and lower costs to taxpayers. There were a number of projects that came out of the first efforts of HiPP with the A most significant being the creation of the Dakota Communications Center. The county and cities have again contracted with the International City/County Managers Association to facilitate this process. Craig Rapp of ICMA, and a former city Y administrator in Minnesota, will once again lead this project. The first meeting of the local government units is scheduled for September. This process will continue over the next year and include taxpayer input and many meetings to consider potential areas and projects of opportunity. Stay tuned for more information on the HiPP. NAirport Relations Commission Updaii. The Airport Relations Commission continues to monitor a wide variety of airport issues Ethat impact Mendota Heights. After spending the spring and summer months monitoring the airports long term comprehensive plan work, the commission will take the opportunity to tour the control tower at the airport as a part of their September W meeting. In addition, we are planning on televising the October meeting so residents can hear about the new real time flight tracking system that the Metropolitan Airports S Commission has put in place. This will be available on their website soon. The October meeting is scheduled for October 13, 2010. City staff is working with Town Square Television to get the meeting televised. City Uffices to Close fur Labor Day Mendota Heights city offices will be closed on Monday, September 6, 2010 in observance of the Labor Day holiday. This is a day for city staff to enjoy some time off. Thank you for your dedicated work to the city. August 27, 2010 Mendota Heights Par 3 Youth Open This past Saturday, August 21, 2010 the Par 3 hosted our second annual youth open. This is an open tournament for youth to cap off our summer leagues and lessons. Prizes were offered for closest to the pin, the longest putt and also for the best scores for two categories — 9 and under, 10 and over. This year we had 32 youth participate (accompanied by 25 grown-ups to cheer them on). The following were our tournament winners: Closest to the Pin: Jack McNahey at five feet, one inch Longest Putt: Tyler Urban with a putt of eight feet, four inches Best Score 9 years and under: Charles Berg with a score of 35 Best Score 10 years and over: Bobby McNahey with a score of 32. After the golf, participants were treated to a nice lunch and awards presentation on the patio. Special thanks to Tom Perkins and the clubhouse staff for putting on another great event for our youth. Dates To Remember Labor Day (City Offices Closed) 9-6-2010 City Council Meeting 9-7-2010 7:00 p.m. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting 9-14-2010 6:30 p.m. Airport Relations Commission Meeting 9-15-2010 6:30 p.m. City Council Meeting 9-21-2010 7:00 p.m. Season Openers Thursday, September 2, 2010 Henry Sibley vs. South St. Paul Saint Thomas Academy vs. Simley See you at the Game! Attachments Just The Facts, The Pipeline, Pre -Application Meeting Synopsis, TwinCities.com Article "Russ Stark: Let's stir affording housing into the St. Paul development mix" and "Proposed teen center in West St. Paul feels static" August 27, 2010 Z-4elatest szeras fry the Ne, cw(pta �feiylits�vlice �eyart eyci 8/27/2010 md The BCA Audit Mendota On Wednesday morning the PD was audited by the MN Bureau Heights of Criminal Apprehension Criminal Justice Information System "Good auditor. We passed with flying colors. job" to the entire Police support staff in getting it right every time in a complex system. Department Support Exploding Mailbox Friday 2038 hours Staff Caller reported the neighbor's mail box just blew up. Officer Kim Henning Denise Urmann responded to the residence and spoke with the Sandie Ristine caller. They did not see anyone, but this is the fourth time the ovan Ransom on CRansom Cathy Cathy mailbox has been blown up. The caller's daughter has heard Becky Pentel through the grapevine that the culprit(s) are related to a young Police Officers man she used to date. Ah, young love. The case has been Jerry Murphy referred to investigations. Scott Patrick John Larrive Bobby Lambert Medical Monday 1239 hours Tanner Spicer Officer Scott Patrick was dispatched to medical at the local Todd Rosse culinary school. While enroute he was informed that the injured Chad Willson student was already headed to the hospital. Apparently they had Jeff VonFeldt severed their thumb and it was also on its way to the hospital. Denise Urmann Michael Shepard Peyton Fleming Neighborhood Feud Monday 1830 hours Jenny Fordham Officer Jen Fordham received a call on neighbor threatening to School Resource kick the other neighbor's butt. In speaking with the caller she Officer learned this has been ongoing for several weeks, ever since a Steven Meyer Investigations UPS delivery was reported missing. Today the original victim Mario Reyes called because he was sure the neighbor was going to snap and Tanner Spicer come after him. A verbal altercation from earlier in the day was Sergeants described to Officer Fordham, which was not quite criminal (yet Neil Garlock still scary).A short time later she made contact with the errant Brian Convery Eric Petersen neighbor described all the possible outcomes of continued Reserves interactions with the complainant, including a trip to jail — that RandyPentel option encouraged the neighbor to do everything in their power to Gino Messina avoid that outcome again. Jesse Mettner Andrew Quinlan Chief Found Wallet Monday 1850 hours Mike Sergeant Brian Convery responded to a local business where a Aschenbrener found wallet was reported. The wallet had been turned in at the -1- 8/27/2010 business. THE WALLET, ALONG WITH HUNDREDS IN CASH AND CREDIT CARDS, WAS TURNED IN! Yes there are lots of good people out there. Arrangements were made to get the wallet back to the owner who resides in North Carolina. Fountain cleaning Tuesday 0715 hours Officer Steve Meyer received a call that someone had put soap in the fountain at Towne Center again. Once the bubbles die down it will be the cleanest fountain around. Unbuckled Children Tuesday 1358 hours While on patrol Officer Steve Meyer observed the head of a young child bouncing freely around the back seat of the car in front of him. Upon stopping the car he learned the driver didn't have insurance on the car - after he called the company to determine that the driver lied. When asked about the insurance the driver reasoned the car had been broken into and it cost money to repair. And the two small children in the back seat not buckled into car seats? The driver stated the two year old unbuckled themself and the four year was directed to unbuckle and go buckle the two year old back up again. When the tow arrived, with a citation, so did the vulgarities; Officer Meyer learned that he not only ruined the driver's life and but was also a "bleep". He still provided all three a ride to a local service station to await their ride. Trespassing / Assault Tuesday 1658 hours Reporting party found his neighbor in his garage again. The woman has "issues" with boundaries and property ownership. The neighbor has been trespassed repeatedly and always comes back. Today when asked to leave, she became violent causing Officers Patrick and Meyer to respond. They learned that the callers are afraid that the behavior is not only becoming increasingly bizarre and but also physical. After listening to everyone involved, the woman was cited for 5th Degree Assault and for Trespassing. Drugs / Possession Stolen Property Tuesday 2340 hours Officers Fleming and VonFeldt responded to the scenic overlook to assist Dakota County Lakes and Trails Officer Michael Ayres. Officer Ayres spotted marijuana inside an occupied, parked car at the overlook site. Closer investigation revealed the amount was enough to be a felony. As the drug impaired parties were removed from the car they found that smoking dope and watching planes fly weren't their only activities — they were thieves. In the car were multiple pieces of drug paraphernalia and tons of stolen property via breaking into cars. The parties were separated by the Officers, interviewed numerous times, and ultimately, criminal cases were closed across the state. The young thieves (late teens — early 20's) admitted to thefts as far as Willmar where they had been camping with their parents. Investigator Spicer finished up the interviews and charging the next morning; there will be tons of work to do back tracking where all of the property belongs. REMINDER LEAVE NOTHING OF VALUE IN YOUR CAR!!!! EVER!!!!!!! h lom a p wtA, -2- Top "Back to School" Safety Tips/Reminders HERE ARE SOME SIMPLE REMINDERS FOR DRIVERS: • FOCUS: Put down your phone and don't talk or text while driving. Reduce distractions within your car so you concentrate on the road and your surroundings. • SLOW DOWN: Be especially alert in the residential neighborhoods and school zones. • OBSERVE: Take the time to look for kids and pedestrians at intersections, on medians and on curbs, especially in the morning and after school hours. • CAUTION: Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully. SIMPLE REMINDERS FOR CHILDREN: • They should cross the street with an adult until they are at least 10 years old • Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks • Never run out into the streets or cross in between parked cars • Make sure they always walk in front of the bus where the driver can see them YOUNG DRIVER REMINDER: MSS 171.055 - Provisional License: https://www.i-evisoi-.[rin.gov/statutes/?id=171.055 c) For the first six months of provisional licensure, a provisional license holder may not operate a motor vehicle carrying more than one passenger under the age of 20 years who is not a member of the holder's immediate family. For the second six months, the holder of the license may not operate a motor vehicle that is carrying more than three passengers who are under the age of 20 years and who are not members of the holder's immediate family. This paragraph does not apply if the provisional license holder is accompanied by a parent or guardian. (d) For the first six months of provisional licensure, a provisional license holder may operate a motor vehicle between the hours of midnight and 5:00 a.m. only when the license holder is: (1) driving between the license holder's home and place of employment; (2) driving between the license holder's home and a school event for which the school has not provided transportation; (3) driving for employment purposes; or (4) accompanied by a licensed driver at least 25 years of age. JUVENILE CURFEW: htti)://www co dakota mn us/Departments/Attorney/FAQ/CurfewRequirements.htm Public,Works The Parks Crew continued to paint the hockey boards and warming houses. They repaired the sprinkler valves at Mendakota Park on the soccer field. All mowers were serviced. They trimmed the overhanging tree limbs in Mendakota Park along the pedway. Rich cleaned the sanitary sewer lines on Hidden Creek Trail and the Sunset easement. He sprayed broadleaf weeds at Kensington, Hagrstrom King and Friendly Hills Parks. He replaced hydrant flags that were broken. There was a power outage at 5:00 PM on Saturday at the Mendota Heights Road lift station. George responded because Rich was unable to come in and power was restored at 8:15 PM. Engineering Visitation Drive/Mendota Heights Road Roundabout - The roundabout is open -and substantially complete. Permanent street lights still need to be installed (estimated by September 15th). The temporary access to Visitation from Lake Drive is removed; curb has been placed to completely close off access to the school from Lake Drive. Landscaping along Lake Drive and replacement of the Visitation fence is expected by September 15th. Highway 55/Mendota Heights Road Intersection - Bids were opened on Monday, August 23rd. Staff is compiling the Bid Tabulation and award of the contract will be before ?Council at their September 7th meeting. The project should begin construction by September 15 th . Residents should be aware of traffic revisions at this intersection beginning on September 1 5th and Fasting for approximately 3 months. The project is scheduled for completion by mid-December. 2010 Reconstruction/Rehabilitation Project - The contractor milled the wear course off the remaining streets. Curb and concrete work should be completed by early next week. Next week, the contractor will begin raising manholes, paving bituminous trails, placing sod, project site clean-up, and various other tasks. Final paving should be approximately two weeks away. Street Improvement Plan - Staff presented the 2011-2015 Street Improvement Plan (SIP) to City Council at the 2011 Budget work session on August 17th. The SIP is a projection of the next 5 years for street reconstruction, street rehabilitation, and utilization of the City's Municipal State Aid financial account. A final version will be brought before Council for public comment and formal adoption in the coming weeks. 2011 Reconstruction/Rehabilitation Projects - Staff is continuing the preliminary work on the 2011 Street Projects. Wagon Wheel Trail is scheduled for reconstruction next year, and the Knollwood Neighborhood roads (Knollwood Court, Knollwood Lane, Medora Court, Medora Lane, Ivy Lane -,,Lower Colonial Drive, Upper Colonial Drive, Cherry Hill Road east of Wachtler, and Farmdale Road east of Wachtler) are scheduled for rehabilitation, commonly referred to as a mill -and -overlay. Preliminary Plans and Feasibility Reports will be brought before Council in the coming months. ..Dodd Road Utility and Storm Drainage Work (MnDOT Project) - The contractor has projected this work to be completed by September 10th Weather delays and utility coordination with outside businesses has caused the completion to slip from its original August 25th completion date. n4ACITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS MEMO DATE: August 24, 2010 TO: City Council, Commission Members, and City Administrator FROM: Jake Sedlacek, Assistant to the City Administrators S SUBJECT: Pre -Application Meeting Synopsis Staff met with three potential planning applicants on Monday, August 23, 2010. Steve Grittman, John Mazzitello and Jake Sedlacek were present. Karry Knoll, 1836 Rolling Green Curve Mr. Knoll is planning to install an in -ground pool in his back yard. The majority of his back yard happens to be within the 100 foot buffer to a wetland. Mr. Knoll and his pool contractor reviewed their proposed site plan and landscaping with staff. Staff described the application process for a wetland permit, and provided Mr. Knoll with additional information that the Planning Commission and City Council are likely to request. Mr. Knoll intends to have materials submitted for consideration at the September Planning Commission meeting. Pat Henry, re 804 Park Place Torn Ademite of 804 Park Place has hired Mr. Henry to construct an in -ground pool at 804 Park Place. The subject property is unique, with right of way on three sides. Staff discussed setback requirements for the pool, which can be up to 10 feet away from the property lines. The project will require a conditional use permit, however, for the required fence. Staff provided Mr. Henry with an application for a conditional use permit to install a five foot tall fence within thirty feet of a right of way. Mr. Henry intends to have materials submitted for consideration at the September Planning Commission meeting. Darren Huetmaker, 2012 Summit Lane Mr. Huetmaker is considering adding on to his home at 2012 Summit Lane. Before getting architects involved, Mr. Huetmaker wanted to have a clear understanding of the zoning requirements, specifically setbacks and height restrictions. Staff provided Mr. Huetmaker a site plan of his property, and described zoning standards for the R-1 district. Staff thanked Mr. Huetmaker for his preparation, working to understand the zoning rules before getting his heart set on a proposed addition. Russ Stark: Let's stir affording housing into the St. Paul development mix - TwinCities.com Page 1 of 2 affording housing into the St.,Pa'ul development mix By Russ Stark Updated: 08124(2010 08:34:44 PM CDT One of St. Paul's greatest assets is the fact that people of all incomes and backgrounds live together in our great city. The recently announced slate of development projects that Mayor Coleman has proposed contains a number of good, sensible projects that will put the trades back to work, create new jobs, build new housing, and make needed improvements to infrastructure. Yet lost in the debate so far is the City's role in supporting the creation of affordable housing units in St. Paul. The public resources that the mayor proposes to use, made available by a combination of federal and state stimulus legislation, total about $15 million. .No -interest loans and grants to help local businesses like Cossetta's and J&J Distributing finance major expansions that will create jobs are good economic development policy. Yes, there is some risk that these projects will not succeed, but this is exactly the kind of risk that the City should occasionally take - on local businesses with track records of success in creating jobs. The Lofts at Farmer's Market and Penfield developments will similarly bring jobs and people to downtown. Both projects will add to the vitality of the downtown St. Paul community, making it a more attractive place to live and work. In addition, most of the union jobs at the new Lund's will pay a living Advertisement wage. The presence of the grocery store should also attract other development, both housing and jobs, to downtown over time. What's unique about these two projects, however, is that they are proposed to be city -owned, with both deals dependent on public agencies (HUD and the City of St. Paul) backing the bonds; and both projects will include significant numbers of new market -rate apartments. Heavy public sector participation in the development of market -rate apartments raises questions about the City's role in the creation of new housing, and about the best use of $15 million in one-time, flexible development funds. As a neighborhood, downtown has a higher proportion of subsidized, affordable rental housing than any other neighborhood in the city, and it is clear that adding more market -rate units downtown will add to the diversity of incomes and the overall vitality of downtown. Therefore, building new market -rate housing units downtown does have public benefits. But the implicit message behind subsidizing these two market -rate projects to the tune of $8.3 million (and possibly more if things don't go well) is that market -rate units downtown are a higher priority than creating affordable units elsewhere in the city. The overwhelming majority of housing projects in St. Paul that have benefitted from city financing in the past decade have included affordable units. Why? Because there has been a general understanding that one of the public benefits of publicly financed housing is for some of those units to be affordable to low- and moderate -income households. Print Powered By fig rt r tt�: f Russ Stark: Let's stir affording housing into the St. Paul development mix - TwinCities.com in addition to needing good paying jobs, many struggling residents of our community also need housing that Will be affordable to them for many y ears to come. Affordable housing is a critical stabilizing factor for lower income households, and especially so for kids. Some of our new housing units should be affordable to those -new employees at our great new Lund's store. If we intend to use a big chunk of that $15 million on new housing units, as the mayor proposes to do, then we should follow our historic trend and use a portion of the funds to create new affordable units. Yet most of the projects on the mayor's list won't happen without the money he proposes to spend on them. So using part of that $15 million for affordable housing would mean fewer projects get done. Instead, I propose that the mayor and my colleagues on the City Council work with me to ensure that a substantial portion of the next flexible -development dollars that become available go into a'recently created affordable housing trust fund. We must ensure that an appropriate proportion of new housing units in the city, and along the Central Corridor in particular, are affordable for lower- income households. By doing so, people across the income spectrum will share in the benefits of the improved access to jobs, services, and stores that our great new transit line will provide. Russ Stark is a member of the St. Paul City Council, representing Ward 4, the northwestern part of the city. Advertisement Own a new comipudel Tor just $2-9.uu per week. €"W_; of#` .. .s z V; HU #� i r' call toc y 'Prices start at 1 -877--294-3988 _ w"g,g�3 fiut r ay vary by model. Print Powered By i Page 2 of 2 Proposed teen center in West St. Paul feels static - TwinCities.com By thick Ferraro nferraro@pioneorpress.com Posted: 08/25/2010 12:01:00 AM CDT Residents of a West St. Paul neighborhood are concerned about the possible opening of a center for teens who struggle with substance abuse, suicidal tendencies, promiscuity and other issues. TreeHouse, a Christian -based, nonprofit organization that serves 22 communities in Hennepin and Carver counties, would like to operate at a Dodd Road office building owned by the Guild of Catholic Women. Mike Youness, who lives across the street from the building at 1025 Dodd Road, said he and several neighbors are "adamantly opposed" to the center. "It seems like it's necessary, but I don't think it's right for a residential neighborhood," Youness said. One of 11 residents who attended a city -organized neighborhood meeting on the proposal earlier this month, he plans to urge his neighbors to write letters to the guild and express their resistance. City Attorney Kori Land said the center — like the city's three charter schools — falls under the city's definition of a "learning center," which is defined as a "nontraditional public or private training, educational or tutoring facility." The city council would need to amend the city code Advertisement to allow TreeHouse to operate in the area under a conditional -use permit. If conditions set by the council are violated or there are issues with the use, Land said, the council would have the ability to revoke the permit. TreeHouse first approached city officials in June, but the council decided to hold the neighborhood meeting to gauge reaction before moving forward. In a memo to council members, city planner Ben Boike noted residents were concerned about potential crime, the number of teens, frequency of visits and how the center would affect property values. Youness said a notification letter for the meeting the city sent to nearby residents was "misleading" because it mentioned only a possible code amendment for a "learning center." He said more residents would have attended had they known what is being proposed. "Many of us went there thinking it would maybe be a day care or preschool, and we were stunned to learn what they want," he said. Lisa Blumb Stordahl, the director of community advancement for TreeHouse, told council members Monday that the center would be for youth ages 11 to 18 from West St. Paul, South St. Paul, Mendota Heights and St. Paul's West Side. Programming would be two nights a week between 6:30 and 9 p.m. and staff would pick up youths at their homes and drop them off. "That's when we connect with parents," she said. own com-puter .,F$29.99* per w 1 Print E'ovuerecl By U - I Icl',11r Page 1 of 2 Give LIS -al (301 0fAla ! 'Prlcas start at $29,99 but 1-877-294-3-988 a}1 vary by mode:l. Print E'ovuerecl By U - I Icl',11r Page 1 of 2