2010-12-10 Friday NewsFr"Idav News
Mendota Heights Weekly Report on City Activities
December 10, 2010
Week In Review
The city council meeting on Tuesday was an
active one as the 2011 budget and tax levy
were approved and the Wagon Wheel Trail
neighborhood project was ordered for 2011.
City staff also spent time preparing for the
2011 city council goal setting session that will
be held on January 19, 2011. The process of
replacing carpet at city hall also started this
week. The stairs between floors are currently
being worked on and will have new stone the
within two weeks. Other portions of the
building will have new carpet installed over the
winter months. City representatives attended
the Subway Re -Grand Opening on Monday at
the Mendota Plaza. Thank you goes out to
the Public Works crew for their continued
excellent work on plowing the streets.
Snowfalls have been occurring on nights and
weekends and we all appreciate the extra time
you have put in.
2011 Budget Approved
The city council approved the 2011 budget
and tax levy at their meeting this week.
The 2011 budget is being called a
maintenance budget as it is very similar to
the 2010 budget for a number of reasons.
There were no comments from the public
on the budget or tax levy. A big thank you
goes out to the city council and all city
staff members who helped put the budget
together. All of your efforts are
appreciated. Copies of the 2011 budget
will be distributed by the end of the month.
Work on the 2012 budget will begin in
January.
Governor and Legislature Set
With the results of the Governor's race now
official and the new legislature ready to start
their work in January, city and county officials
are discussing ways to best work with state
elected officials. Dakota County mayors and
staff members will meet next week to see if
there are common legislative priorities that
Dakota County cities can agree on and share
with our legislators. This is not an uncommon
practice, it just has not been done by this group
in the past. The key issue that everyone will be
dealing with is how to deal with the $6 billion
deficit that the state will need to resolve during
the legislative session. The meeting next week
will occur after the monthly Mayor/Manager
meeting and hopefully will produce some
positive and realistic legislative expectations.
Mendota Heights City Hall
1101 Victoria Curve
www.mendota-heights.com
11 (651) 452-1850
December 10, 2010
Page Two
December 10, 2010
Commission Interest is High
The deadline for residents to submit a letter of
interest to serve on one of our three city
advisory commissions closed on Friday,
December 10, 2010. There will be two openings
on the Planning Commission, three openings on
the Airport Relations Commission and one
opening on the Parks and Recreation
Commission. Interest in serving on the
commissions was very high as we received
more applications than we have openings for all
three of our commissions. The city council will
be interviewing candidates in January 2011 and
make appointments to all three commissions for
terms that will start on February 1, 2011. The
commission terms are three years in length.
Thank you to all of those Mendota Heights
residents who have expressed an interest in
serving the community on one of our citizen
a d v i s o r y c o m m i s s i o n s.
Holiday Lunch
City employees will enjoy a holiday lunch on
Wednesday, December 15, 2010 at noon at
City Hall. As a part of the holiday celebration
employees are also encouraged to bring a
$10 gift to contribute to the gift bingo game
which is a fun way to celebrate the holidays
with your coworkers. In addition, the Police
Department has placed two collection bins in
City Hall for donations to the Toys for Tots
program. Please consider making a
donation to this worthy cause and making a
childs holiday morning special. If you are
attending the holiday lunch please sign up
for a dish to pass on the sheet in the copy
room at City Hall. The lunch starts at noon
and all are welcome to attend!
Dates to Remember
December 21, 2010 5:00 p.m.
Thank You Reception for John
Huber and Mary Jeanne Schneeman
December 21, 2010 7:00 p.m.
City Council Meeting
December 24, 2010
City Offices Closed
December 28, 2010 7:00 p.m.
Planning Commission Meeting
December Parks and Recreation
Commission meeting cancelled
December Airport Relations
Commission meeting cancelled
Congrats
Congratulations to Sandie Thone on her ap-
pointment as City Clerk. Sandie will begin her
new duties on Monday!!
Attachments
The Pipeline and Just the Facts. Minnesota River
Greenway Open House
December 10, 2010
NEWS, -\
The Pipel ne ,L E T T E R '�
Public Works I
Engineering December 10 2010
Code Enforcement
JI
Public Works
The Parks Crew plowed the cul-de-sacs, parking lots, rinks, and pedestrian
trails. They are flooding the hockey and general skating rinks. The hockey
goals are being prepared by hanging new netting on the goals. They also
helped the Street Crew plow sidewalks and decks on the bridges.
Rich plowed the middle south area. He identified a storm pipe for
Engineering on Marie Ave. Three new hydrant flags were installed. New
batteries for the generator were installed at the main lift station. Pump one
was pulled for repair with new seals and bearings at the main lift station.
The Streets Crew plowed and salted all city streets after the seven inch
snowfall. All plow trucks were washed and the sanders steam cleaned. The
bridge decks on Mendota Heights Road, Wagon Wheel Trail, and Acacia
Boulevard were cleaned. John Ambrose welded a frame that was cracked
on a pick up plow truck. He also welded the curb rubber for the wing. The
snow pile was pushed back in the Village at Maple Street and Linden Street.
Engineering
Highway 55/Mendota Heights Road Intersection - The project has
essentially buttoned up for the winter. New curb has been installed and the
base course of asphalt is placed. The lighting and signal modifications are
completed, and temporary striping has been put on the pavement. Traffic
controls have been removed, as has all the construction equipment. The
wear course of asphalt and final landscaping and seeding will be completed
in the spring.
2011 Street Reconstruction Project (Wagon Wheel Traill - The formal Public
Hearing before City Council was concluded on December 7th. Council
ordered plans and specifications to be prepared for the project as proposed
with five modifications from the original proposal: 1) the width of Wagon
Wheel Trail is to be narrowed to 26 feet (from 33 feet) at the intersections
with Swan Court, Rogers Court, and Alice Lane; 2) the pedestrian trail is to
end at the Curley's Addition trail head just west of I -35E bridge; 3) the
pedestrian trail is be located no further than four feet from the back of the
curb (except at intersections); 4) The 'bulb" of the Alice Lane cul-de-sac will
receive a mill & overlay treatment rather than a full pavement replacement,
and; 5) barrier style curb & gutter is to be used throughout the length of the
project. The project will also include improvements to Rogers Lake Park.
Gun Club Lake Watershed Management Organization (GCLWMO) - Staff
attended the quarterly -meeting of the GCLWMO on Wednesday afternoon. A
presentation was given updating the WMO Board on the progress the City of
Eagan is making on the Schwanz Lake water quality restoration project.
Also consultant service contracts were approved. The next GCLWMO
meeting is scheduled for January 12, 2011.
Future Cities Competition - Public Works Director Mazzitello and Assistant to
the City Administrator Jake Sedlacek have been working with students at
Friendly Hills Middle School on their projects for entry in the annual Future
Cities Competition. The teams from Friendly Hills have completed their
computer models using the popular SimCity software, and they are currently
working on their project narratives and scale models. Information about the
Future Cities competition can be found at www.successbeyond.org.
Dodge Nature Center Utility Connection - Staff has been working with the
current owner of a large parcel adjacent to t -he Dodge Nature Center, as well
as with potential buyers on the planning applications that would be required
based on buyers' proposals. The lot currently supplies water to the Huber
Drive cabin located within the Dodge Nature Center. Upon property sale,
the cabin may be required to connect to City utilities. The initial assessment
for utility installation was deferred, and Council directed staff to work out a
payment schedule agreement with Dodge Nature Center for payment of the
deferred assessment.
Highway 13/I -35E Interchange Drainage Improvements - The Minnesota
Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is proposing a project to correct
significant drainage issues along Highway 13 at the I -35E intersection and
southwest through Lilydale. MnDOT will be at the December 13th (Monday)
Lilydale City Council meeting to present the project. If Mendota Heights
City Council desires a presentation on the project, MnDOT will schedule a
time at a future Council meeting. Engineering staff plans on attending the
Lilydale City Council Meeting on Monday.
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12/10/2010
The
Mental Health Crisis Thursday 2250 hours
Mendota
Officers Jeff VonFeldt and Peyton Fleming, as well as Sgt. Eric
Heights
Petersen, responded to an address on a check the welfare of a
suicidal male who was reportedly going to hurt himself by cutting
Police
himself. Officers safely made contact with the party who had not
Department
hurt himself yet but openly shared with them that he was thinking
Support
about it. He was distraught over a recent break-up. After the
Staff
scene was made safe, HealthEast Paramedics arrived to assist
Kim Henning
officers with transport for the man so he could seek psychiatric
Sandie Ristine
Susan Donovan
help at a local hospital.
Cathy Ransom
Predatory Offender Violation Friday 1000 hours
Becky Pentel
Police Officers
Investigator Mario Reyes, who oversees the registration of
Jerry Murphy
predatory offenders who reside in Mendota Heights, Mendota
Scott Patrick
and Lilydale, completed a violation packet for an offender who
John Larrive
had been residing in the City of Mendota. Patrol officers routinely
Bobby Lambert
check on the individuals of all risk levels after several attempts to
Tanner Spicer
Todd Rosse
make contact with this particular Level 2 offender it was learned
Chad Willson
that he had moved. He had not registered his new address with
Jeff vonFeldt
the MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension as required by law.
Jennifer Fordham
Investigator Reyes completed the appropriate paperwork and
Denise Urmann
Michael Shepard
submitted it to the BCA so the party can be listed as non -
Peyton Fleming
compliant and most likely, a warrant will be issued for his arrest.
School Resource
To search for Level 3 Predatory Offenders anywhere in the
Officer
surrounding cities or anywhere within the State of Minnesota you
Steven Meyer
can go to the link: http://www.corr.state.mn.us/level3/search.asp
Investigations
Mario Reyes
or to look up "non-compliant" offenders use the link:
Tanner Spicer
https://por.state.mn.us/
Sergeants
Neil Garlock
Tis' the Season ... for Gas Theft! All week!
Brian Convery
With holiday shopping in full swing and the bad timing of a
Eric Petersen
sudden increase of gas prices, several officers have taken
Reserves
reports of gas drive -offs within the last week. In two of the
Randy Pen tel
incidents, the offenders were quickly apprehended and received
Gino Messina
Jesse Mettr,er
citations for theft. The other cases have been forwarded to
Andrew Quinlan
investigations for review and follow-up if there is enough suspect
Chief
information to pursue the case.
Mike
Theft from Vehicles Saturday and Tuesday
Aschenbrener
Three reports came in this week from parties who were victims of
-1-
12/10/201a
theft from their locked and unlocked vehicles. Usually, cold weather deters a lot of
these cases but MOST criminals are not seasonal employees! The incidents
occurred at Lucky 13, Lilydale Pool & Yacht Club, and The Village at Mendota
Heights. It is unknown at this time if these thefts are related and in all cases there
was not any suspect or witness information available, however, sometimes
information becomes available after stolen items turn up on a traffic stop or some
other kind of law enforcement contact. NEVER LEAVE ITEMS OF VALUE IN YOUR
VEHICLE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO LOSE THEM IT ONLY TAKES A SECOND TO
BREAK A WINDOW.
Sale of Alcohol to a Minor Monday 1958 hours
Officer Peyton Fleming oversees the compliance checks for alcohol and tobacco
sales within the three cities we provide police services for. On Monday, a liquor
establishment in Lilydale had an employee sell to an underage party as part of a
routine compliance check. The employee will be charged criminally with the crime of
selling alcohol to a minor and the business receives a civil fine from the City. Officer
Fleming also coordinates training for employees who work in these establishments in
an attempt to keep this from happening. Keep up the good work Officer Fleming!
See attachment regarding Best Practices and the police department's policy on
compliance checks for more information.
"Somebody is always watching you!" Wednesday 0800 hours
School Resource Officer Steve Meyer completed an investigation he had been
working on regarding the criminal damage to school property. Since mid-November,
Officer Meyer had been receiving information that several different bus seats, on the
same bus, had been getting cut on different occasions. Well, what the offender didn't
know what that this bus, which is a brand new bus by the way, has a very efficient
surveillance camera at the BACK of the bus and the offender was finally nice enough
to sit right in view of the camera on a day she decided to do her "artwork"! The
juvenile female was easily identified with the footage from the camera and
subsequently was interviewed by Officer Meyer and admitted to the crimes. Most
importantly, she is also receiving consequences for being in possession of the knife
she was using to create this damage. This is a serious offense based on the fact
that she had possession of this item on school property. The report has been forward
to the Juvenile Division at the Dakota County Attorney's Office for charging.
Reserve Interviews Wednesday 1600 hours
On Wednesday night interviews were conducted to add personnel to our Police
Reserve Unit. We currently have 4 volunteer reserve officers and after the interviews,
4 additional candidates are moving on to the next step and will be going through the
background investigations. Officer Peyton Fleming, Sergeants Neil Garlock and Eric
Petersen, as well as Reserve Officers Jesse Mettner and Andy Quinlan participated
in the oral board to select the 4 new candidates. If all goes well, the 4 new reserves
will begin their training after the first of the year.
Snow — Parking Rules — Winter Driving
As the next big snow event ramps up with cold Canadian air waiting to remind us that
it is fact winter in MN, watch for snow emergencies for plowing. Major media outlets
in the metro broadcast the snow emergency declaration for 4 hours before we start
tagging and towing. DO YOU REALLY NEED TO TRAVEL WHEN THE WEATHER
IS BAD? We work 24/7 365 and will be outside no matter what but everyone should
weiah the risks of traveling in bad weather.!� t aI" Aw
-2-
How does Mendota Heights, Mendota and Lilydale liquor
licensing best practices work?
In 2006 the Cities of Mendota Heights, Mendota and Lilydale all adopted policies
governing uniform sanctions for alcohol license holders who break the law. The goal of
adopting the policy was promoting 100% compliance by all license holders with the
state laws governing their businesses.
Before 2006, a violation could slip through the cracks and the license holders may not
have been held accountable for problems that occurred at their establishments.
Staff researched the best practices on licensing and made a proposal to each City
Council seeking uniformity and a plan that they and the licensees could work with. The
plan they settled on is entirely optional and the police department only assists in
facilitating the process.
The benefits of being a member are training, reduced penalties, developing a
relationship with the City/Police Department/Prosecutor and above all, being
knowledgeable in advance about how the system works. The benefits for the Cities
include fewer problems, uniform enforcement and a guideline to ensure each licensee
knows the City takes the issuance of a license seriously.
To be best practices the licensee (alcohol seller) they will keep their own records
documenting what they do to train their employees on their business practices. A police
officer will review and sign off if they are completing the activities listed below. This
occurs once per year, it must be done before a violation occurs and the business keeps
all the paperwork.
To be a best practices provider the business will agree to the required activities and
some of the optional activities.
Required Activities (4):
1) Best Practices Licensee will agree to keep records of Best Practices activities
and to have them available for inspection.
2) The Best Practices Licensee will have 75% of all alcohol selling staff trained
by the Mendota Heights Police Department, Dakota County Safe
Communities Coalition, the Minnesota Department of Alcohol and Gambling
Enforcement or Minnesota Hospitality on an annual basis.
3) Best Practices Licensees will have a written internal training program for new
employees.
4) Will have a written policy requiring identification on anyone appearing to be
40 years old or younger.
Optional Activities:
Best Practice Licensees will do 4 (3 if they do integrated ID scanner on the cash
register) of the following:
1) Continuously certify that 75% of all employees who sell alcohol are trained.
2) Have an internal employee reward/recognition program for employees who catch
underage customers.
3) Have an approved internal compliance check system (run their own checks to
ensure that policy is being followed).
4) Have an automated identification card scanner integrated into cash register.
5) Once per year, meet with staff and prosecuting attorney to discuss what would
happen in the event of a violation.
6) Have a policy to require ID on all alcohol purchases.
7) Have a policy prearranged to work with police to prevent secondary resale of
alcohol.
8) Have minimum age of 21 for selling alcohol products.
If there is a violation the penalties are laid out in the following matrix:
Revocation on a First Violation:
• Commission of a felony related to the licensed activity.
• Sale of alcoholic beverage while a license is under suspension.
• Sale of intoxicatina liauor where only a 3.2 license has been issued.
Note:
1) "Best Practices" applies only to license holders who are enrolled in the program
at the time of the violations.
Time frame: Violations are from the date of violation for a 2 year rolling time period.
What is a compliance check?
The Police Department hires someone less than 21 years of age to walk into licensed
establishments and attempt to purchase alcohol in violation of the alcohol sales law.
The person goes through a training program on how to behave during all of the
compliance checks (the plan is the same for each licensee) and what they will do when
Non -Best Practices
Violation
Best Practices Licensee
Licensee
$1000 fine and 3 day
First Violation
$500 fine
suspension of license
Second Violation
$750 fine and 3 day
$1500 fine and 6 day
Within 2 years
suspension of license
suspension of license
Third Violation
$1000 fine and 6 day
$2000 and a 9 day
Within 2 years
suspension of license
suspension of license
Revocation: minimum of 1
Revocation: minimum of 1
Fourth Violation
year from the revocation
year from the revocation
Within 2 years
date
date
Note:
1) "Best Practices" applies only to license holders who are enrolled in the program
at the time of the violations.
Time frame: Violations are from the date of violation for a 2 year rolling time period.
What is a compliance check?
The Police Department hires someone less than 21 years of age to walk into licensed
establishments and attempt to purchase alcohol in violation of the alcohol sales law.
The person goes through a training program on how to behave during all of the
compliance checks (the plan is the same for each licensee) and what they will do when
they order an alcoholic beverage... they don't lie. A couple of examples; the underage
party will not have their license with them, which happens frequently for customers who
are 21. This is to check and see if the employee either approves or denies the sale
based on the fact that the customer did not have a way to verify age to the employee. In
other instances, we let underage party use their own Minnesota State issued
identification (as was the case last week) to check and see if the employee verifies the
age of the customer and either goes ahead or denies the sale.
If the employee illegally sells alcohol to the underage party, the police officer will
immediately identify themselves and ask to see the identification of the person who
broke the law. The employee is advised as to what has just occurred and the police
officer then follows up with the owner or manager of the establishment.
A police report is completed documenting what occurred and is sent to the local
prosecutor for the city to review and follow up with criminal charges. Sale to a minor is
a gross misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $3,000 and / or up to one year in jail.
This criminal charge is in addition to the civil action the City will take against the license
holder.
The last round of compliance checks resulted in 14 successes by our licensees and one
illegal sale or a 93% success rate. Congratulations to Officer Fleming for handling this
extra duty and for continuing to keep the success rate high.
Minnesota River Greenway Open House
4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16
Dakota County Western Service Center, 14955 Galaxie Ave., Apple Valley
and online anytime at www.hkcii.com/projects/dakota
The Dakota County Greenway Collaborative invites
residents to help shape the Minnesota River
Greenway from Lilydale Regional Park to Scott
County.
Highlights on the greenway will include:
• Connections to Minneapolis
• Connections to St. Paul
• Lilydale Regional Park
• Historic Mendota
• Fort Snelling State Park
• Minnesota River Valley National Wildlife
Refuge
• Black Dog Road
• Rare water features
• Connections to state trails
More than just a trail, the greenway will enhance water quality and create wildlife habitat in strategic locations.
Visitors will experience a natural signature throughout the corridor, with interpretive opportunities, trailheads
and activity centers.
The greenway collaborative wants to hear how residents will use the system and how they would like it to look,
including trailhead locations, recurring themes, signage and alignments. Aside from a handful of critical gaps,
almost all of the land needed for the greenways already is in place on public land, school property or land
planned for development.
The open house will be shared with the North Creek Greenway that will run from Lebanon Hills Regional Park
to the Vermillion River. There will be a brief presentation at 5:30, but stop by anytime or visit online.
The Greenway Collaborative includes the governments of Dakota County, its largest cities and select townships.
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