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2009-02-27 Friday NewsFebruary 27, 2009 State Tournament Snow Storms For those of you who didn't notice, the Girls State Hockey Tournament started Thursday in St. Paul. Following tradition, old man winter dumped the largest snowstorm of the 08-09 winter on us. Public Works Superintendant Tom Olund reported that plowing went well—our crews plowed each route twice, finishing up around 6a.m. this morning. No major breakdowns or setbacks occurred. So the official tally is one for one—only three more tournaments to go! MH Volunteer Fireman's Relief Association Dinner Jake attended the 2009 dinner at Mendakota Country Club on Saturday night. There was a great crowd on hand to honor the 2008 George Lowe Firefighter of the Year, Steve Abra- hamson. The crowd also honored John Lapako, who gave a very nice speech summarizing F 26+ years with the Mendota Heights Fire Department. The crowd included Councilmem- bers Schneeman, Vitelli and Duggan, as well as Mayor Swain from Lilydale, the Fire Chiefs from Eagan and Inver Grove Heights, along with several retired MH firefighters. It Rwas a great event to celebrate the service MHFD provides to our residents. I Managers Meeting DThe City managers and administrators held their monthly meeting in Apple Valley on Fri- day. There were some interesting topics. Of particular interest, Dakota County provided Aan update on "the recount," which has been a very painful process. They shared some ex- amples of voting errors and/or irregularities. We were amazed—how hard can it be to fill Y in an oval in front of the person you want to vote for? There were also several felonies committed, including 5 felons (who lost their voting privileges) who managed to vote. The County has spent $36K out of pocket on the recount, of which the State has reim- bursed $6K (this does not count for the thousands of hours put in by county and city elec- tion officials). N Legislators Town Hall Meeting ERep. Rick Hansen & Sen. James Metzen will be hosting a town hall meeting to discuss cur- rent issues the state is facing, and collect feedback/insight from the residents of district 39. W This is a great opportunity to get the inside scoop, and touch base with our legislators. Thursday, March 5, 2009, 6:30 - 8:00pm—Mendota Heights Council Chambers S Linda S on Vacation Our Senior Secretary, Linda Shipton takes off for a month in Arizona on Monday morning. If anyone has some "Linda" issues, please let either Jake, Nancy or me know and we will get them handled in her absence. February 27, 2009 Dates to Remember in March City Council Meeting 3-3-09 7:00 p.m. State of the City Address 3-5-09 7:30 a.m. Sen. Metzen/Rep. Hansen Town Hall 3-5-09 6:30 p.m. Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting 3-10-09 6:30 p.m. Airport Relations Commission Meeting 3-11-09 7:00 p.m. Metropolitan Airports Commission 3-16-09 1:00 P.M. City Council Meeting 3-17-09 7:00 p.m. Planning Commission Meeting 3-24-09 7:00 p.m. Noise Oversight Committee 3-25-09 1:30 Scheduled Use of Meeting Rooms at City Offices by Community Groups March 2nd @ 7:00 pm Augusta Shores Homeowners Association in Large Conference Room March 5th @ 6:30 pm State Representative Rick Hanson "Town Hall Meeting" in Council Chambers March 91h @ 8:30 pm MHAA Board Meeting in Large Conference Room March 9th @ 7:30 pm Mendota Heights Garden Club will meet in the City Council Chambers Attachments Just the Facts, Pipeline, City Council Meeting Agenda, Pioneer Press article "Sun Newspapers drops local edi- tion," MnSun Articles "Mendota Heights to halt attempts to sell old Fire Hall site," and "DARTS launches new service program for northern Mendota Heights seniors." Have a great weekend!! February 27, 2009 2/27/2009 Tielatest �eivs frv�r t4e �fescR'ata �feiy�ts�adice Peart*esti The Animal Complaint 02-19-09 1009 hours '. Officer Chad Willson responded to the complaint of a pit bull that attacked Mendota and injured a dog. The pit bull was locked inside of the fenced yard; the Heights victim's dog was removed. Upon arrival, the pit bull was very agitated Police trying to bite its way through the chain link fence to get to the other dog. Department The attacking dog's owner was able to provide its vaccination record; dog unfortunately it was expired. The extent of the injuries to the victim's Support is not yet known. The attacking dog's owners were cited under state Staff statute. Kim'Hennin Sandie Ri tine Ma'am, the Drive thru is on the Other Side! 02-20-09 1020 hours Officer's Willson and Patrick responded to the report of a crash at a bank S y onovan Cathathy Ransom just off of Hwy 110. Upon arrival, they saw that the car, while 'parking' at Becky Pentel a high speed, ran over the handicapped parking sign and attacked a to landscaped area, causing bushes to fly thru the air and the vehicle Police Officers ; literally bounce off the wall. The driver reported some minor discomfort . er �M h J � X and was transported by HealthEast ambulance to the hospital. The driver Scott Patrick . ' was, overall, quite lucky — if the car had attempted parking a few feet `Bobby Lambert ., away, the bank would have had a brand new drive-thru! The car somehow sustained moderate damages and the driver will be evaluated by DVS. Tanner Spicer Todd Rosse; ChadWillson AOA 02-10-09 & 02-20-09 Investigator Eric Petersen received a call from the Jefferson County, MO Jeff VonFeldt Sheriff's Office requesting help with a fraud case they were working. They Steven Meyer needed someone to interview one of the suspects in a multi thousand Derus,e Urmarin dollar, multi state transaction. After a few attempts, the suspect gathered Michael Shepard j. the information required to answer questions about the questionable Peyton Fleming : transactions. Investigator Petersen relayed his findings to the lead School Resource investigator in MO. Let's hope he doesn't get subpoena for court. Officer Jenny Fordham Marijuana 02-20-09 2318 hours While on patrol Officer Steve Meyer observed a car in a City park after Investigations hours. When he made contact with the occupants of the car it was ,Mar o Reyes immediately obvious they were smoking marijuana. The occupants were Eric Petersen nice enough (or high enough?) to leave the bag laying out in plain view. When they denied the presence of marijuana, Officer Meyer pointed out Sergeants the baggie; the passenger picked it up and held it out for a closer look; Neil Garlock.,..they all agreed it certainly looked like marijuana in the bag. Officer Meyer John Larrive walked around to the passenger side; outside the car on the ground he Brian Convery ,' found a cigar (cigars are often hollowed out and filled with marijuana). The passenger was removed and more evidence was gathered off the Chief floorboard of the car. The driver explained to Officer Meyer that he must 1Vhke. have mis-heard him - he said he was smoking marijuana. I'm sure it A sehenhrener -I- 2/27/2009 sounds funnier when you're high. Both were cited and released at the scene. AOA / Warrant Arrest 02-20-09 2223 hours The MSP handled the paperwork for a crash on Acacia Boulevard at Hwy 55. Officer Steve Meyer assisted and ended up arresting one of the drivers on an active arrest warrant out of Scott County. The arrestee, a 44 YOA Brooklyn Park man, was transported to the Dakota County Jail when he couldn't come up with the $600 necessary to post for his release. Snow Emergency Violations 02-21-09 0304 hours Officer Steve Meyer towed two cars for violation of the snow emergency declaration. Both cars had been parked on the street for several days and both had accumulated overnight parking tickets; the tires had been previously marked for overtime parking; markings were still present. Neither car registered to a Mendota Heights address making it impossible to locate the owner. The cars were towed to Southeast Towing. The tickets may have been ignored, but the absence of the vehicle evidently was not, as at least one of the owners attempted to report the vehicle stolen. Speed / DAS / No Insurance 02-21-09 2218 hours While on patrol, Officer Jeff VonFeldt clocked a car at 50 mph in a 40 mph zone. The car was stopped a short distance down the road. The driver was unaware of why she was stopped. When asked for her driver's license she replied, "There is a problem with that." When Officer VonFeldt inquired about what the problem would be she told him she didn't have a license or insurance. The driver was cited and the car was impounded by Southeast Towing. Theft from Auto 02-24-09 1747 hours Sergeant Convery met with a student in the parking lot of a local school. The young man left a GPS and satellite radio receiver in plain view in his car. When he came out of school he found his car was missing a window as well as his electronics. REMEMBER: IF IT IS OF VALUE, DON'T LEAVE IT IN YOUR CAR! Theft 02-25-09 1540 hours Employee of the company monitoring the well heads on Hwy 110 near Lexington Avenue reported to Sergeant Neil Garlock that he left a YSB Meter in a Pelican case on the shoulder of the road. He was working on the opposite shoulder. When he returned to use the meter, he found it was gone. The $2000 meter is used to check PH levels. No suspects/witnesses. Burglary 02-25-09 1747 hours Sergeant John Larrive and Sergeant Brian Convery responded to a call from a homeowner who had found their front door standing open. Closer inspection revealed the door had been forced open. While canvassing of the neighborhood it was learned that the door was closed around 1500 hours. After officers cleared the house, the homeowners were allowed in to the house to assess what was missing or damaged. The residence was processed for physical evidence, prints were lifted and photos were taken. They pointed out numerous household and personal items that were taken; overall (and luckily), the thief was pretty neat! Case referred to investigations for follow-up. Assist Other Agency/Fleeing Police 02-26-2009 2110 hours Sgt Convery had just been just been dispatched to a domestic in our city when he heard WSP Officers were out seeking a freshly stolen vehicle. On the way to his call, three vehicles yielded to Sgt Convery's lights and sirens, pulling to the side of the road. As he passed them, he saw a vehicle door open and saw a subject run across the road, into a yard and out of sight. Sgt Convery stopped his squad, ran the plate and realized this was the fresh stolen from WSP and began to pursue the suspect, following the foot tracks thru fresh snow, into a wooded area and thru back yards of houses. He ordered the subject to stop; the subject looked back at him, evaluated his chances and took off again. WSP officers joined the pursuit (Canine Mike would have been useful a little earlier); the subject finally gave up on a pond and was taken into custody. Vehicle Theft/Possession of Stolen Property and Felony Fleeing charges are pending thru West St Paul. Assuming his nicked up legs heal fine, we're signing Convery up for the MHSK and the Special Olympics Torch Run. AM aYrcar awk-w/A14 & Aw -2- y x4 d 'H"R,`k' r3"' r tilts w Y. ��'F �:ta+sr: r: u r r N 1' , f tij `iii d a t) § hfr 4 1t '?�`.a�6'+-�`�L t< u<�y3" i ,r .� I:+ 4 E, <t.1 } f a i f �la�'Iude: �C`art Range Balls, BBQ, Continental Breakfast, ,, .rcr '� E^- � t 1" °h'xi t�' 4( �r [ � .'� ' ` r,*J',trink1zTicket, Grab Bag, and chance at door prizes. *Mo'rey; raisedwill go` owa`rds Breaking Free and Sgt .Jerry Vick Scholarship fund** ! w M v $, r� � ; „RitGwSTI AI.TION ALON 1!!/ITI-I PAY➢+ ENf I&FULL MUST I l RI CEl El BY MONpAYr, MAY 18 , FT0RjHA TIE PUCE GOBS 11F' TO $120.00. Make all chei.cks payable to MNFOP Lodge 1IAli��vi''' �rmas P[rtfiing Contest Win a;Crr'Ese for 2 (Guaranteed) Mail to MNFOP Lodge;1 i�ew F affAe Reis to includ trips `ar.�ase r6ot it Ciir�9ecij Jerry Vick Golf Classic aiierzfi Auction lierras P O': Box`.2174;= Chance to Nin $60,00' Inver Grove Heights, MN`55076' r3e person c��!aratafeed �viE� a : ci�,y/4 night t9:. i;s teg,.a If you,,hav'e any questions please contact our Event Organizer, Jeff Rothecker 612-810-5147 or Jeff Rothesker `ci.stpaul.mn.us Please have all golfers include at least their email address so that all golfers can be contacted regarding future golf events. .Team Contact Person Golfers Name: (2) Name: Address: City/State/Zip: Phone: Email: (3) Name: Email: Email: (4) Name: Email: NEWS The Pipeline!" LETTER Public Works Engineering February 27, 2009 ` Code Enforcement "Y'. . Public Works The Parks Crew stained the new picnic table boards to prepare them for assembly. They replaced the broken shift level on truck #502. The snow blower and broom were washed. They plowed the cul-de-sacs, pedways and parking lots. Rich changed the pump oil in the jet truck pump. He jetted frozen storm sewers on Orchard Lane at Lexington Avenue and Culligan Lane at Huber Lane. Cliff prepared 404 for DOT approval. He plowed the lift station parking lots. The Streets Crew picked up junk and trash on Huber Drive and Mendota Heights Road that was dumped on the side of the road. Dorset Road and Mears Road was sanded due to snow melting. Maintenance was done on all plow trucks. The bridge deck and side walks on Wagon Wheel Trail and Mendota Heights Road were cleaned. Snow Events for the Week: Date: Amount: Response: 2/21/09 4" snow Plow and sand all streets (early start) 2/26/09 6" snow Plow and sand all streets (never went home) Engineering Engineering is eagerly awaiting Tom Knuth's arrival back to work on Wednesday March 4t"I He is enjoying the warm, sunny weather in Florida. John was out of the office this week attending a Commanders' School with the Air National Guard. CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA March 3, 2009 — 7:00 P.M. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Pledge of Allegiance 4. Agenda Adoption 5. Approval of the February 17, 2009, City Council Minutes. 6. Consent Calendar a. Acknowledgement of Minutes from the February 24, 2009 Planning Commission Meeting. b. Acknowledgement of the Building Activity Report for February 2009. c. Authorization for Repair of Public Works Garage. d. Approval of the HiPP Memorandum of Understanding e. Approval to table 08-11 Final PUD and Final Plat f. Approval of the List of Contractors g. Approval of the List of Claims 7. Public Comments 8. Public Hearing 2009 Street Reconstruction Project Resolution No. 09-17: "RESOLUTION ORDERING OF IMPROVEMENT PROJECT AND PREPARATION OF PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR STREET RECONSTRUCTION ON ORCHARD PLACE, HUNTER LANE AND THE RURAL SECTION OF CULLIGAN LANE AND REHABILITATION OF GLEN HILL ROAD, VERONICA LANE AND THE URBAN SECTION OF CULLIGAN LANE". 9. Unfinished and New Business A. Case No. 09-01: Lincoln Danforth, Yardscapes Inc. for Tracy Crocker — 665 Hidden Creek Trail. Resolution No. 09-18: "A RESOLUTION APPROVING A WETLANDS PERMIT FOR 665 HIDDEN CREEK TRAIL a. Case No. 09-04: Boyd Knudsen of Knudsen Carpentry, Inc. for Dawn Caruso. Resolution No. 09-19: "A RESOLUTION APPROVING A VARIANCE TO THE FRONT YARD SETBACK AT 629 HAMPSHIRE DRIVE". b. Case No. 09-05: Eric Bergum of Krech Exteriors for Tom Gavin — 1199 Culligan Lane Resolution No. 09-20: "A RESOLUTION APPROVING A CRITICAL AREA PERMIT AND A VARIANCE TO THE FRONT YARD SETBACK AT 1199 CULLIGAN LANE" 11. Council Comments 12. Adiourn Auxiliary aids for persons with disabilities are available upon request at least 120 hours in advance. If a notice of less than 120 hours is received, the City of Mendota Heights will make every attempt to provide the aids, however, this may not be possible on short notice. Please contact City Administration at 452-1850 with requests. This meeting is being taped by NDC4 (651-450-9891) and will replay on Friday at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on the NDC4 Government Channel 18 w w• t` O O • yr N d) OD is 4 DA C7 In y 4 .El y .� d) o '� d ,+'� O a) .CI '••1: T. i7 V. c0. V O d d • r"�. 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Page 1 of 1 MU Print Page 44 community newspapers Mendota Heights to halt attempts to sell old Fire Hall site BY MEGAN ANDERSON - SUN NEWSPAPERS (Created: Thursday, February 26, 2009 9:20 AM CST) After alarms were raised by neighboring residents, the Mendota Heights City Council has decided to pull its old Fire Hall site off the selling block. The council, at its meeting Tuesday, Feb. 17, considered a proposal for a rezoning and a comprehensive plan amendment for the former Fire Hall, 2144 Dodd Road. The site is guided for low-density residential and zoned as single-family residential, said Jake Sedlacek, assistant to the city administrator. When the council first discussed the site more than a year ago, Sedlacek said neighbors wanted the city to market the property as residential. "They felt it was the best fit for the area," he said. Mendota Heights hasn't received any offers to purchase the property. Now the city wants to change the land to be guided as limited business and zoned as neighborhood business. Business is recommended as the best use for the site, which contains challenges, Sedlacek said. The site is made up of three lots that make up 18,300 square feet and is connected to a driveway shared with neighboring residences. Neighbors already voiced concerns and still say it should remain residential, resident Laurie Weinzettel said. "I feel like its d6ja vu here," she said. "Other than the convenience to the city, I don't understand why we should rezone this," resident Dan Dreelan said. Neighbors had other problems, including water runoff and issues with the city's maintenance of the site. The property is sitting there for no purpose at all, Councilmember Mary Jeanne Schneeman said, and doesn't fit as residential. "It just isn't conducive to building a house on that site," she said. They've been trying to sell it for 18 months and no one has made an offer to purchase the site, Mayor John Huber said. "We haven't even had a sniff," he said. "So that's a problem." Rather than change the property zoning, Councilmember Jack Vitelli said he recommended taking the property off the market. "It's not worth having unhappy residents and all these meetings," he said. Councilmember Ultan Duggan said he supported pulling the property and asked Public Works to look into maintenance issues this spring. Code inspections are complaint -driven, Huber said, and he encouraged residents to call the city with future concerns about the property. MMME This site and its contents Copyright @ 2007. Sun Newspapers - Main Office: 952-829-0797 suninfo@acnpapers.com - nc pu►rrers http://www.nmsun.com/articles/2009/02/27/news/c l26mhfirehall.prt 2/27/2009 Sun Newspapers - MNSUN.com - DARTS launches new service program for northern M... Page 1 of 2 MUN 44 cammunity newspapers Print Page DARTS launches new service program for northern Mendota Heights seniors BY MEGAN ANDERSON - SUN NEWSPAPERS (Created: Thursday, FebrUary 26, 2009 9:19 AM CST) Fostering community and addressing the needs of a new generation of seniors - those are goals for a new DARTS service. DARTS launched the River Bluffs Village program in January. It is a membership -based, independent - living program for those 55 and older in northern Mendota Heights, Lilydale, Mendota and Sunfish Lake. At the Mendota Heights City Council meeting Tuesday, Feb. 17, DARTS Executive Director Mark Hoisser said it is a project that is both exciting and unique. Residents north of Highway 110 in Mendota Heights are part of the target community. The four communities were selected based on demographics, he said. It is a unique suburban model, Hoisser said. River Bluffs isn't a physical senior -living facility. Instead, seniors living independently in the four communities may pay an annual membership fee for the program and have access to handyman hours to do work on their homes, transportation services from DARTS, and social connection opportunities to get people out into the community. It allows seniors to maintain healthy lives while staying in their own homes and neighborhoods. "It's really about keeping people who want to stay in their home of choice as long as possible," Hoisser said. "I think this sounds wonderful," Councilmember Mary Jeanne Schneeman said. Three-year funding for the project is provided by the Daniels Fund, which has the goals of making it affordable, making it work and making it replicable, Hoisser said. Local residents interested in this type of program approached DARTS two years ago with a similar concept offered in Boston. DARTS has a mission to partner with others and respond to community needs, he said. "We wanted to see if we could test this [program] out in a suburban community," Hoisser said. To investigate how the service model might work with DARTS operations, a group was created, which included seven Mendota Heights residents. Jessica Hagemann, River Bluffs director, said the goal for the first year is to have 60 members in the program. There are two levels of membership and residents can choose options within those levels, Hageman said. The first level costs $480 a year for a single person and $640 for a two -person household. The second level costs $1,040 a year for a single person and $1,180 for a household. The program will help residents age in place and create and sustain community connections as people age, Hoisser said. It will also help DARTS assess the needs and target services for future groups of aging adults. "What's this next generation going to want in terms of services?" Hoisser said. http://www.=sun.com/articles/2009/02/27/news/c 126mhmeeting.prt . 2/27/2009 Sun Newspapers - MNSUN.com - DARTS launches new service program for northern M... Page 2 of 2 DARTS hopes the program can eventually become self-sustaining through membership fees, Hoisser said. "I'm very impressed," Councilmember Jack Vitelli said. DARTS has been around for 35 years and provides a variety of services to seniors, he said. "This is one more thing that we think will be a need or demand of our services into the future," he said. For more information on River Bluffs Village program, call 651-234-2241 or 651-455-1560 or, e-mail rbvinfo@dartsi.org. This site and its contents Copyright @ 2007. Sun Newspapers - Main Office: 952-829-0797 suninfo@acnpapers.com - ntwwt Pup ers http://www.mnsun.com/articles/2009/02/27/news/c l26mhmeeting.prt 2/27/2009