2010-11-19 Friday NewsMayor/Manager Meeting
The Dakota County Mayor/Manager meeting held this week featured
Gary Carlson from the League of Minnesota Cities. Gary talked
about the make up of the 2011 legislature with 60 new members and
A A_ ♦ ♦ A ♦ A how the new Republican majority will impact cities. Other issues
discussed included the budget deficit, pensions and the new chairs
of legislative committees. The Mayor/Manager group will spend time
November 19, 2010 in December coming up with county wide legislative priorities that all
of the cities can support. The group also discussed the news that
Lockheed Martin will be closing their Eagan facility and the City of
Eagan's efforts to try and change this decision.
Trails Planning Underway
FThe City of Mendota Heights has approximately 22 miles of off-street trails for
pedestrians and bikers. To this point, we have not had a comprehensive plan to look
R at maintenance needs and priorities for additional trails. At their November meeting,
the Parks and Recreation Commission started a conversation on trails needs. City
staff has developed a plan on trail needs as we see them, now it is time to get public
' feedback. The Parks and Recreation Commission provided ideas for garnering
feedback, and would like to hold an open house at their meeting in January. Please
help to get the word out and encourage trails users to email their ideas to
® lovetheparks@mendota-heights.com. Residents can also attend the January Parks
and Recreation Commission meeting on Tuesday, January 11, 2011.
A
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YDavid McKnight and Liz Petschel attended a meeting at the Metropolitan Airports
Commission on Monday in regards to the start of the implementation of the airport's
2030 long term comprehensive plan. This very long process will eventually include
expanding Terminal Two (Humphrey) to relocate all non -sky team airlines and to
modernize and expand Terminal One (Lindbergh) to include a new international arrivals
Nfacility. There are many steps to go through before any of this work begins, but the
airports surrounding cities were brought in this week to hear about the plan and the
E preliminary timelines for the work. This issue was also discussed at this week's Noise
Oversight Committee meeting.
W Holiday Tree Lighting Events
There will be two holiday tree lighting events in the next few weeks that everyone is
S invited to attend. The first is scheduled for Thursday, December 2, 2010 from 6:00 p.m.
to 7:00 p.m. at the Mendota Plaza. The second tree lighting event will be held on
Saturday, December 4, 2010 between 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. at the Village. The
actual tree lighting ceremony will occur at 6:00 p.m. Please take the time to attend
these events and patronize the businesses at these commercial outlets. Your support
of all of the Mendota Heights businesses is appreciated by everyone!
November 19, 2010
City Council Orientation
City Council mem ber-Elect Liz Petschel spent three hours with different city staff members on
Thursday as a part of her orientation. Liz met with different departments and took a tour of City
Hall, the Fire Department and the Public Works Department. City staff members started to brief
Liz on a number of items that will be on the table for discussion and decisions in 2011. This was
just the start of the education sessions that Liz will have with city staff. Liz was very happy to
meet many members of the staff and wanted to thank each of them for the time that was spent
with her on Thursday. Thank you also to the city staff members for welcoming Liz as the newest
member of the Mendota Heights City Council and as a member of our team. Congrats again Liz,
we all look forward to continuing our working relationship with you.
Friday News
With the Thanksgiving holiday causing a short work week, there will be no Friday News
distributed next week. The next edition will be sent out on Friday, December 3, 2010. If you
have thoughts, ideas or comments on how to improve the Friday News please feel free to share
them with Jake Sedlacek or David McKnight. We are planning a few changes in the way we
present the Friday News and wanted to give you a chance to have some input into this process
as well. Enjoy the long Thanksgiving weekend, stay safe and thanks for reading the Friday
News!
Dates To Remember
Planning Commission Meeting
Thanksgiving (City Offices Closed)
Day After Thanksgiving (City Hall Closed)
City Council Meeting
Parks and Recreation Commission (Cancelled)
Airport Relations Commission (Cancelled)
11-23-2010 7:00 p.m.
11-25-2010
11-26-2010
12-7-2010 7:00 p.m.
I / I
Attachments
The Pipeline, Just the Facts, Letter from resident.
November 19, 2010
N E W S
LETTER
Public Works
Engineering
Code Enforcement
Public Works
The Pipeline
c
November 19, 2010
The Parks Crew checked out and hooked up plows to the pickup trucks. The
cul-de-sacs, parking lots and pedways were plowed. Downed tree limbs
were cleaned up from pedways after the winter storm. The snow was
packed down snow on the rinks to drive the frost into the ground to prepare
them for flooding.
Rich plowed the lift station parking lots. He did his snow plow route on
Saturday and Sunday. He repaired the toiles in the women's bathroom at
City Hall. He cleaned the floats at the Veronica lift station.
The Streets Crew put on the plows, sanders, and wings on the plow trucks.
They plowed all city streets last weekend after the eight inch snowfall.
Broken trees limbs were cleaned up after the storm. The bridge decks on
Mendota Heights Road, Wagon Wheel Trail and Acacia were cleaned.
Engineering
Highway 55/Mendota Heights Road Intersection -Pavement installation is
completed for the year. The final driving surface will be installed in 2011.
Temporary striping is scheduled for Friday (11/19) and the signal is
expected to be operational by Tuesday (11/23). As always weather will
determine the amount of work that can be accomplished and will largely
drive the construction schedule. Residents should be aware of traffic
revisions at this intersection due to construction through the end of
December.
2011 Street Reconstruction Project (Wagon Wheel Trail) - The formal
Public Hearing before City Council was held on November 16th. A
number of residents affected by the project attended the meeting to oppose
and support the project. They full council panel was not in attendance to
make a final determination and the public hearing was carried over to the
next meeting on Tuesday, December 7, 2010. Project is proposed to
reconstruct Wagon Wheel Trail from Lexington Avenue to Dodd Road, install
storm sewer with curb & gutter, and provide for a pedestrian trail along the
length of the project. Also proposed are the rehabilitation (mill & overlay)
of Alice Lane, Rodgers Court, and Swan Court, along with improvements to
Rogers Lake Park.
Delaware Avenue Reconstruction -Staff continues to work with Dakota
county on plans for the reconstruction of Delaware Avenue between Hwy
110 and Marie Avenue. Plans are scheduled to be completed by the end of
November to submit to MNDOT for approval.
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11/19/2010
The
Mendota
Heights
Police
Department
Awards Ceremony
On Tuesday night at the Mendota Heights City Council meeting,
several Officers and two Citizens received awards for news
coverage click on the link.
htti)://weststl)atil-inendotaheights.kstp.com/content/rnendota-Iiieiglits-
citizens-police-officers-receive-awards
Support
Congratulations to everyone who was honored.
Staff
Kim Henning
Stolen Car (just kidding) Friday 2312 hours
Sandie Ristine
Officer Peyton Fleming responded to MHPD to meet parents who
Susan Donovan
had come from Stillwater to report their car stolen. However,
Cady Ransom
they soon learned their stolen car was at a friend's house; the call
Becky Pentel
Police Officers
was cancelled.
Jerry Murphy
Scott Patrick
Where's My Shovel? Saturday
John Larrive
In the 24 hour period from 0600 on Saturday to 0600 on Sunday
Bobby Lambert
morning MHPD handled 34 CAD (dispatched called) events
Tanner Spicer
around the City. These ranged from, "someone ran into my mail
ddRosse
Todd
Chad Willson
box" to, "a power line is starting a tree on fire." There were
Jeff vonFeldt
several property damage accidents (good business for body
Denise Urmann
shops) mixed in with some crashes with minor injuries and some
T\Tichael Shepard
seriously hurt drivers. Public works plowed all day Saturday in a
Peyton Fleming
Jenny Fordham
valiant effort to keep at least the main roads clear. Officers
School Resource
issued 7 citations after the snow emergency was in effect,
Officer
however, no cars were towed, this time. Unfortunately several
Steven Meyer
car owners likely spent hours digging out of some very wet heavy
Investigations
snow that was blocking them in.
Mario Reyes
Tanner Spicer
**enter is here and now has everyone's attention. Now is the
Sergeants
time to start preparing for real snow. Follow this link to some
Neil Garlock
great tips on being prepared for winter driving and other winter
Brian Convery
related hazards: http://www.hsem.state.mn.us/
Eric Petersen
Reserves
Assault Saturday 2159 hours
Randy Pentel
Gino Messina
Employee at local bar called 911 to report they were assaulted by
Jesse Mettner
a woman who threw a glass at him. When Officer Fleming
Andrew Quinlan
arrived he learned the woman had fled with a man. The victim
Chief
was not interested in medical help; once he realized the cut he
Mike
Aschenbrener
received above his eye was small, the interest in pursuing the
matter quickly faded.
-l-
11/19/2010
Damage to Property Sunday 0401 hours
Reporting party informed Officer VonFeldt that snowplows damaged his mailbox.
He didn't see it happen but he was certain that they hit it. Officer VonFeldt made
contact with the plow drivers who advised there would likely be a lot of calls as the
snow was so wet and so heavy that anything in its path was knocked over. The man
was asked to call back on Monday morning so they could take care of it.
Theft/Fraud Sunday 1538 hours
Caller reported that several checks his wife had placed in the mail box - with the
steal me flag up - (oops), were now being cashed all over the metro. Sergeant
Garlock spoke with the victim and advised on how to quickly fix the "steal me flag"
problem (firmly grip flag and pull hard — deposit in trash). Once that problem was
fixed, he was then advised as to what steps would be needed to start working the
case. By Monday afternoon, Investigator Tanner Spicer was hot on the crook's trail
and was backtracking all of the businesses who were victimized. By Thursday night
he had warrants drafted and was ready to make a house call in South St Paul. The
warrant was executed during the day on Thursday and the case should be ready for
arrest warrants by mid-day Friday afternoon.
Gas Theft Monday 0936 hours
Officer Bobby Lambert responded to a local gas station after attempting catch a red
Saturn Ion. The owner spotted the thief as he was driving away and gave chase in
the station tow truck. He advised Officer Lambert he got a good look at the man's
face and can ID him; the thief is a w/m 5'9", 180 lbs. Video will have to be reviewed
for a license plate number. Investigation will continue.
Warrant Service Tuesday 1116 hours
Sergeant Neil Garlock attempted to serve an active arrest warrant at a local
residence. The suspect was not on scene but his aunt was; she advised to look for
him in the Cook County Jail. Clear no arrest.
Dead Animal in Road Tuesday 1917 hours
Cellular caller reported a very large dead animal in the roadway. Officer Willson
arrived on scene moments later and found nothing. Must not have been that dead.
Furnace not working Tuesday 2017 hours
Homeowner was concerned, feeling light headed after they turned on the gas
fireplace. They advised Sergeant Convery that the furnace wasn't working so they lit
the fireplace. They wanted someone to check it before they lit it again. They refused
medical attention. Advised to contact a licensed repair provider.
Citations Wednesday 0011 hours
Officer Peyton Fleming watched a car as it pulled out of SA and crossed Hwy 55 with
no lights on. The car was stopped a short distance down the road. When Officer
Fleming made contact with the occupants, he learned the driver had only a paper
learner's permit and the owner was the passenger. The driver still needs some
practice on the basics, like, after dark (for sure by midnight) you must to use your
headlights. The driver was cited for driving on a suspended permit and the owner
was cited for expired registration. After trading places they were allowed to drive
away. 114marwt ou+feweXA,
-2-
Featuring Sheriff's
Volunteer Units and
Information
Technology Support
Staff.
Information
Technology Support
Dan Anderson
Lisa Blount
Chance Munger
Special Deputies
Tom Ahr
Juan Balli
Louis Henderson
Dennis Millerbernd
Anthony Pojman
Randal Smith
Dave Stanek
Bob Stowell
Tom Wilson
Special Deputies
Sheriff's Office
Liaison:
Sergeant Mitch Penny
Mounted Patrol
Tim Burns
J. B. Dudley
Jean Fredlund
Kelly Haas
Wendy Human
Heidi Johnson
Ann LaBelle
Denise McCall
Maggie Mell
Cathy Snyder
DAKOTA COUNTY SHERIFF
The Front Row
�.4 froth row seat to the greatest show ow Garth..."
Dave Bellows, Sheriff
Tim Leslie, Chief Deputy
Slip Sliding Away...
A popular song by Paul
Simon also proved to best
describe driving results from
the season's first snowstorm
on Saturday. The day and
afternoon shifts, with help
from the previous night shift,
responded to 12 accidents;
fortunately, they accounted
for only a few minor injuries.
In addition to the accidents,
the crew handled over 35
cars in the ditch during the
course of the day. Bearing
the brunt of the work were
Deputies Phouthaivanh
Sourignavong, Bryce
Schuenke, Sean Qualy,
Brent Lohmann, Jen
Lenarz, Mike Vikesland,
and Jon Napper, and Sergeants Bruce Kammen and Dan Bianconi. Nice job to
everyone for your work and for keeping your squads from being snowbound.
Hey, At Least I Was Honest...
Deputy Matt Wayne was patrolling on Highway 52 when he noticed in his rearview
mirror a car pull off onto the shoulder. Thinking they may be in need of assistance,
Matt circled around to check on the driver. Walking up to the window he asked the
driver if there was a problem, to which he responded, "Yeah, I'm high." He further
confessed he had recently smoked some crack and even offered Matt what he had
left over. While Matt appreciated his generosity, the man was arrested for possession
of a controlled substance and driving while impaired. We would like to add that the
man remained in Matt's rearview mirror all the way to jail.
Determined Effort...
The jail received information and the photo of a suspect in a purse theft and illegal
use of credit cards from the Rochester area. With the photo in hand (including tattoos
worn by the suspect), Deputy Cheri Johnson performed a search through our PCI
system and, within a few minutes, had the man identified for police. The suspect
has since been arrested. Nice work, Cheri!
Behind the Bars...
Over the past week, the jail played host to an average of 256 inmates in custody
each day. This includes 19 females boarded at the Ramsey County Workhouse.
Volume 6, Week 23
November 8, through
November 14, 2010
Mounted Patrol
Sheriff's Office
Liaisons:
Sergeant Mitch Penny
Deputy Sean Qualy
Explorer Post 523
Sheriff's Office
Liaisons/Advisors:
Correctional Deputy
Tim Fletcher
Deputy Jim Iliff
Sergeant Mitch Penny
Deputy Dawanna Witt
Chaplains
Jim Bzoskie
Vern Hildebrandt
Clayton McDougall
Eddie Nestingen
Cory Voll
Don Voll
Questions?
Comments?
Please contact the
Dakota County
Sheriff's Office at
651438.4700 or any
of the following by
email:
dave.bellows@
co.dakota.mn.us
julie.ecker@
co.dakota.mn.us
"Thanksgiving was
never meant to be
shut up in a single
day."
-Robert Caspar Litnner
DAKOTA COUNTY SHERIFF
The Front Row
'v.4 frovl,t row seat to the greatest show ovi, Uarth..."
Dave Bellows, Sheriff
Tim Leslie, Chief Deputy
On the Road...
For the week, members of the Transportation Unit logged over 3,100 miles moving
prisoners. Twenty inmates were picked up on warrants from other counties; another
seven were taken to St. Cloud to begin prison sentences.
A Team Effort...
Deputies assisted Hastings officers responding to an alarm at the Goodwill Store.
While following tracks, Deputy Sean Qualy observed one suspect on the roof and
he was taken into custody.
Two other suspects were
arrested in the area of
General Sieben and 15th
Street by Deputy Matt
Schuster and canine „
partner, "Ace," along with
Deputies Krystal Johnson
and Amber Hentges. The,
three suspects were booked t
into jail for attempted
burglary.
The Sheriff's Office
Explorer Post...
The Sheriff's Office has long
been a host for Explorer
Post 523. These are young
men and women interested
in a career in law
enforcement. The group
was gathered together for a
photo. Advisors for the
group are Deputy
Dawanna Witt, Deputy
Jim Iliff, and Correctional
Deputy Tim Fletcher.
Good looking group!
(left to right)
Back Row; Landon Anthony, Tyler Bagley, Gage Litzner,
Andrew Sharratt, Nicole Young, and Ben Olson
Middle Row. Correctional Deputy Timothy Fletcher,
Ryan Nelson, Sara Brockman, Scott Blehm, Jon Grimes,
Derek Schnoor, and Deputy Dawanna Witt
Front Row; Danny Olge, Leon Johnson, Sara Tollefson,
Evan Kelly, and Eric Mills-Rittmann
Not Pictured: Advisor Deputy Jim Diff, Michael Hingiss,
and Seth Patrin
149 ve A 6rcqO weekevtQ!
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Page 2
City of Mendota Heights
1101 Victoria Curve
Mendota Heights, MN 55118
West St. Paul Municipal Center
1616 Humboldt Avenue
West St. Paul, MN 55118
ATTN: Mayors, Councils and City Administrators
Your West St. Paul & Mendota Heights Citizen's Police Academy is a wonderful
program. I was fortunate enough to attend this year's Academy. It was beyond my
expectations. There were top-notch presentations, exciting `hands-on' participation,
delicious treats and best of all, a great group of dedicated officers and volunteers to plan
and assist to make this so successful for the students.
These officers and volunteers from the Chiefs on down were kind, helpful, patient,
informative and fun! The amount of their own free time they give is definitely above and
beyond. As you can tell I was very pleased to be able to participate and would highly
recommend this program to any citizen of your fair communities.
Could you please share this note with those responsible.
Thank you for a great experience,
�f
Mike Tittle
Mendota Heights
mtittle022@aol.com