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2009-09-25 Friday NewsRegular greens fees apply—$12 for adults, $I I for seniors and youth. You may also wish to join us for lunch only and/or play around the practice green for free! PILOT KNOB -SEPT 12TH Volunteer Planting Event Great River Greening, at the request of the City organized an Oak Tree Planting Event at Historic Pilot Knob on Saturday morning starting at 8:00 am and finishing with lunch at 12:30 pm. Volunteers enjoy or recognize the importance of Pilot Knob and at this event turnout was 102% of the seventy individuals who confirmed they would attend. GRG reported that this was the best percentage turnout they have ex- perienced –most events are fortunate if their turnout reaches 70%. Larger Burr Oaks were planted in the Phase Two site east of Pilot Knob Road and 2000 plus acorns, gathered from Oaks in Acacia Cemetery were planted and mulched in the Phase One site. Numerous loads of invasive plants and brush were also removed. Nine snakes,, 8 garter and I red -bellied were captured under rocks on the westerly site and relo- cated to the snake hibernacula, built on the easterly site two years ago. STREET PAINT STRIPING Six miles (32,000 lineal feet) of yellow and white paint striping was applied to city streets last week (Freeway Road, Marie Avenue, LeMay Lake Road, Glenhill Road, Wagon Wheel Trail and Mendakota Drive). The number of streets painted was less than prior years due to additional costs for the spring street sweeping operations. The two work tasks share one budget and due to the shortage of road salt last win- `% Public Works was required to use more sand resulting inhigher than expected street sweeping costs. Epoxy paint is used when striping streets which is more durable than latex and remains visible up to three and four years. Striping is refreshed on average every three years. _40&"W1 TENNIS COURTS AT FRIENDLY HILL PARK r%1 As power -blasting (removal) of the leveling and top color coats proceeded it became apparent that repair of prior cracks and soft -spots at the thirty-nine year old courts was more extensive than expected. The structural conditions of the asphalt base was so deteriorated that obtaining a level playing surface follow- ing traditional patching and leveling procedures was not possible. To return the courts to a level surface and safe playing condition the cracks and soft spots have been addressed and a two inch thick asphalt overlay was laid down on Monday. The rusting fence fabric originally installed in 1970 was removed, poles are in good condition and vertical and new fabric will be installed this fall to protect the new work. Fresh asphalt requires several months to 'cure' so the top and color coats and court line striping will be applied in the spring. Trail repairs along Decorah near the tennis courts will also be completed this fall. Trees and tree roots that damaged the trail have been removed, a handicap ramp installed, and a new trail segment will be added over the creek into the picnic area west of the tennis courts. The entire trail from Huber Drive to Pueblo Lane will be overlaid once trail repairs are completed. September 25, 2009 #3's A BOY Congratulations to Brian Convery & his wife, Stacey on their newest addition to their family. Quinn Thomas (8 lbs. 7 oz. -21 inches long) was born on Sunday, September 20th at 11:22 a.m. Quinn will be joining brother Carson and sister Reese in the Convert' home. Mother and baby are home and doing well. Congratulations to all. ANOTHER GIRL Congratulations to ARC Commissioner/Firefighter Joe Hennessy and his wife Robin for the birth of their second daughter, Isla Josephine. Isla was born at 7:37 am,, Tuesday morning. Robin and Isla (and big sister Kate) are doing very well. Sve-day forecast Tomorrow Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Sep 26 Sep 27 Sep 28 Sep 29 Sep 30 Showers Mostly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Mostly Sunny Mostly Sunny Hi: 700 Hi: 730 Hi: 611 Hi: 610 H 670 - Lo. 560 Lo: 480 Lo. 370 Lo: 410L0. 530 Just The Facts, Pipeline, TwinCifies.com. Article "Mendota Heights/Council picks new city administra- tor", SouthWest Review News Article "Future MH roundabout taps current qualms", River Bluffs Village Breakfast, and Upcoming Park/Recreation/Community Events. September 25, 2009 i Tie latest �ceu�s�ratn tCi e �►fev��j'ata �fei9�ts�olice �e�artG�ent 9/25/2009 Dance, Dance, Drink Saturday 2100 hours Officers from the Mendota Heights Police Department get asked to work at school events at all the area high schools throughout the year. The first school dance of the year at St Thomas Academy proved to be an eventful night for Officer Steve Meyer. Two juvenile female dance attendees were found to be under the influence of alcohol by school staff while at the dance. It was also learned that they were not even "guests" of any of the St. Thomas Academy students, they were actually students from Cretin -Derham Hall and must have heard about the dance from friends and decided to attend on their own. The dance was a "mixer" and so the entry screening was maybe not as tight as it should have been. The two juvenile females were cited for Underage Consumption of Alcohol after failing the digital preliminary breath test and were then released to a parent. Loud Party Saturday 2332 hours Officers Jeff VonFeldt, Peyton Fleming and Mike Shepard responded to a loud party on the 1000 block of Delaware Avenue. Several different neighbors called in complaints due to noise and disorderly behavior. Officers from West St Paul PD also responded due to the fact that the exact address of the disturbance was unknown and because of the nature of the call. It was a good thing they were there as well because once officers arrived in the area they observed approximately 70-100 juvenile party goers coming to and from the residence. Once the officers arrived, the mass exodus began. Officer VonFeldt made contact with the homeowner who advised they had the situation under control. It was apparent they did not have control of the party as officers had to break up two fights in the street while the party goers were leaving the area. The surrounding neighbors thanked the officers for assistance on shutting down the party. Dar Prowlers/Theft from Vehicles Tuesday Officers Spicer, Rosse and Sgt. Garlock responded to several calls in the Friendly Hills neighborhood where items were stolen from unlocked vehicles as well as several vehicles that had been accessed but no items of value had been left inside. Every one of these incidents occurred to vehicles parked in driveways or on the street where the vehicles were left UNLOCKED, there was no damage done to any of the vehicles. There are currently no suspects in this incident but the reports have been forwarded to investigations in case something develops. Citizens were reminded to never leave valuable items in vehicles parked outside overnight and in addition, keep those vehicles locked!! 9/25/2009 Who Let the Dogs Out? Tuesday 1535 hours Officer Chad Willson and Sgt. Neil Garlock responded to a call from a UPS driver who routinely gets chased by two loose dogs in a particular neighborhood. He was able to give officers a good description of these dogs and a general idea of what residence they may belong to. Officers were able to locate the dogs and witness that they were not contained to a yard and were in clear violation of city ordinance. The home/dog owner information was confirmed and it was also discovered that the dogs were unlicensed. Upon further investigation it was learned that the owners had been cited for the same offenses in 2007. The owner was cited for both violations of city ordinance in an attempt to curtail this behavior and make the neighborhood safe. Follow-up from Investigations Division Tuesday On 09-17-2009, Officer Chad Willson took a theft report from a homeowner where jewelry and electronic devices had gone missing from the home over the last two years. This report was prompted by a phone call from a detective in St. Peter, MN, who while investigating a different incident, learned from a suspect that she had stolen items from her sister's house in Mendota Heights and pawned them in Mankato. The St. Peter detective notified our department and then attempted to put a hold on the items at the pawn shop so they could be returned to the sister. However, too much time had elapsed and the items had been sold. Investigator Eric Petersen followed up and worked with all parties involved to arrest the suspect for felony level theft. A pick up and hold was issued and she was arrested in St Peter. He then drove to St Peter to interview her and received a confession from the sister. She was then transported to the Dakota County Jail for the theft from her sister's home and is awaiting formal charges. She may also be charged in Mankato for knowingly being in possession of stolen property. Good work Eric and Chad and a big thanks to St Peter Police and Nicollet County for their assistance in this case! Suspicious Activity Thursday 1855 hours Sgt. John Larrive responded to Big Rivers Trail to speak to a female party who stated an unknown party started walking toward her, grabbed his "private area" and looked at her and smiled "suggestively." The unknown male party then turned around, got back in his car, and left the area. She was able to give a license plate number to Sgt. Larrive but unfortunately, it was not the correct information so no follow-up could be made. Officer Rosse notified other officers of this incident using CJIIN E -briefing, so officers can make some extra patrols. Theft of License Plate Tabs Wednesday 1210 hours Sgt. Neil Garlock responded to an area business to take a report of stolen license plate tabs. The reporting party stated that over the last two weeks a total of 6 work trucks (that are parked there overnight) had their tabs go missing. The business does have a surveillance system in place but with such a vague time frame, the complainant didn't know when a good time to start looking at the video would be. This report was forwarded to investigations for review and any possible follow-up. Homecoming 2009 It is that time of year again when the area high schools celebrate their respective Homecomings. The police department usually sees an increase in property damage reports due to class wars (within the same school) and competitions between schools. Most of this behavior is relatively harmless i.e. toilet papering. However, it can sometimes cross the line into actual criminal damage (eggs, shaving cream on vehicles, paintballing incidents). Citizens are urged to call and report any suspicious activity in their neighborhoods ASAP, preferably as it is happening so officers can deal with these incidents before they become criminal in nature. Moo a '0~e aw&rwl CT".f'o _2- ............ 1w 0 N N E W S The Pipelin L E T T E R Public Works Engineeri September 24, 2009 Code Enforcement ....... The Parks Crew checked all lights around the buildings at Mendakota and Kensington Parks. They watered the newly planted trees to prepare for fall. The pump on the paint striper for striping the soccer fields was repaired. Rich applied root killer in the storm sewer on Fourth Avenue. He watered and fertilized 41 trees in the parks for the Parks Crew. He also attended a League of Minnesota Cities safety seminar. Dead trees that were on city right-of-way were cut down by Wright Tree Services on Valley Curve and picked up by the Streets Crew. All for storm sewer patches were blacktopped on Swan Drive, Bluebill Drive and Cheri Lane. They finished blacktopping the potholes and cracks on Mendota Heights Road from the bridge to Dodd Road. Trash and papers were picked up from Mendota Heights Road and Lake Drive. Visitation Roundabout - As a follow-up to the public input and project update provided to Council at the September .5th meeting, Staff has prepared a summary memo outlining the issues brought forward by residents at the meeting. Staff responded to the issues and has asked for guidance from Council as to how the City can best address the traffic situation in the Rogers Lake neighborhood. Final Plans for the roundabout are anticipated for review and approval, along with authorization for bid advertisement at the October 20th Council meeting. Water Tower Rehabilitation -Staff sent out Requests For Proposals (RFPs) to local consulting firms for assistance in preparing the specification package for the rehabilitation of the City water tower. This project has been anticipated for several years and is budgeted in the City Water Fund. MSA Professional Services was the successful proposer, and a Resolution accepting their proposal and providing notice to proceed will be before Council at the October 6t" meeting. Augusta Lake Impairment - Staff has learned that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) will be listing Augusta Lake on the 2012 Impaired Waters List. Along with this listing, the MPCA will be issuing a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) requirement for the lake. The TMDL will place a restriction on the amount of nutrients that can be discharged to the lake. Once the list is officially published, the City will need to address the Augusta Lake drainage area to control the amount of runoff, nutrients, and chemicals reaching the water body. It is likely that stormwater management practices will need to be installed to execute these controls. The City Stormwater Fund may be able to initially fund these improvements. Staff will advise as to the scope of necessary improvements once the listing and analysis is complete. Dodd Road & Highway 110 Pedestrian Imp,rovements, -Staff has received word from the Metropolitan Council that our request for Transportation Enhancement funding for at -grade intersection improvements at Dodd Road and Highway 110 is on the preliminary list for funds for Fiscal Year 2013 or 2014. If approved as part of the final list, the City will be able to move forward with the design of the improvements and prepare for construction of the improvements in FY 2013 or 2014. Sanitary Sewer Rate Adjustment - Staff will be presenting to Council at the October 6t" meeting a proposal to adjust the sanitary sewer rates for the City. The Sanitary Sewer Utility Fund has been operating in deficit for the past several years, and it has only been able to continue without drawing from the General Fund because of a cash fund balance within the Utility Fund. This cash balance is now all but gone, and sewer rates are in need of increase to close the gap between revenues and expenditures. The City has not increased sanitary sewer rates since 1994 and the Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) fees for storm sewer have increased dramatically over the same period. More information will bep resented at the October 6t" Council meeting. Mendota Heights / Council picks new city administrator Pioneer Press Updated, 09/22/2009 11:39:39 PM CUT David McKnight, Dodge County's administrator since 2001, has been tapped to be the new city administrator in Mendota Heights. The Mendota Heights City Council voted this month to offer the job to McKnight, who served one term on the Farmington City Council before losing a mayoral bid in November. McKnight graduated from Farmington High School in 1987 and earned a bachelor's degree in law enforcement and a master's degree in urban studies at Mankato State University. McKnight said Tuesday that he has agreed to a contract with Mendota Heights and submitted his 30 -day notice to Dodge County. The final step is formal approval by the Advertisement council, which could happen at its Oct. 6 meeting. McKnight would replace Jim Danielson, who is retiring in November after 30 years of work with the city. "I'm very excited about the opportunity to work with the city and the council and the entire community," said McKnight, 40, of Farmington. "I've been looking to get into city government for a while now, and this is the first job I applied for." The other finalists for the city's top job were Craig Dawson, Lake Elmo's interim administrator; Kim Lindquist, Rosemount's community development director; Justin Miller, Falcon Heights' city administrator; and Jake Sedlacek, Mendota Heights' assistant city administrator. Nick Ferraro C,f :r Pri n-tPowe,; ed By 11', PRINT �0� CILM MEN M -2 -M -H M 011 Su"davS-*pternuer 20, 200 MH f� Future���~~��~�~^~~mr�_�~c~~_e_~_/_____ Noisy complaintsabout St. Zhornne Visitation traffic Danielle Cabot Review Staff SUmdav September o0,u00o �nd�H�����h��bhngin����i��ai��s�mm��a�����S�15�re discussion of a roundabout planned at Mendota Heights Road and Visitation Drive. The discussion brought forward existing concerns about traffic in the area around Convention of the Visitation School and St. Thomas Academy, and perhaps esolution ortwo aawell. The specter of an additional north campus entrance funneling drivers through the Rogers Lake neighborhood has � sparked concerns among parents of young families, though significantly more residents attended the meeting to voice their frustration about existing traffic leading into and out of the two schools. Residents also fear a permanent entrance tothe schools being constructed tothe northonto Lake Drive. The two private schools commissioned a traffic study in 2007 to investigate how to alleviate congestion and reduce crashes atthe Visitation and Mendota Heights Road intersection. However, funding was nowhere to be found at the �� U—` m� and any de�aionawere delayed until November 2OO8.when the mundaboutatVisite�ionvvaeae\e�edeothe �~~�~~^~�~~�'"�- oendbest option from eight alternatives toimprove traffic ratings. The option that functioned best intraffic simulation models was nnentrance and roundabout atLake Drive. The school was able topursue America Reinvestment and Recovery Act funds, aka federal stimulus money, through the Metropolitan Council and was awarded $31O`OOOfor the project. The two schools are contributing $45,000 together, and the city is matching that $45,000 with money from a municipal state aid account funded byMnDDT. A design contract was approved over the summer, and public open houses were scheduled to introduce the project to interested residents. However, the 1Odays notice was not enough tuturn out residents, and the meetings were poorly attended. Only after a resident spoke at the Aug. 2 City Council meeting in opposition to the project did nearby residents was significant concern. A petition circulated throughout the neighborhood, garnering unanimous support against a northern access point and a fair amount of skepticism for the benefits ofthe proposed roundabout. While otemporary access tothe north isplanned tobeopen during the few weeks ofconstruction, the council, city staff, and engineerChuckRicherof VV8BAssociates repeatedly denied that the access will become a permanent road. Removal of the gravel access road is written into the contract, said Public Works Director John MazziteUo. Dc Dawn Nicho|o, heed of school at Vieitation, spoke briefly. She said that a desire on the port of the school for a permanent aooeee mentioned on the school's Web site was only under consideration for a short period of time and has been passed over. She said regardless of funding sources, a solution to Visitation's traffic woes would have been addressed eventually, and evoked the image of school administrators repeatedly dashing down to the intersection torespond toecrash, hoping that noone was seriously injured. According tocrash data between Dodd and Lake onMendota Road, there were 27crashes between 2OOOand 20O8:nine atVisitation Drive, nine sd Dodd Road, and one atLake Drive. Eight crashes were reported elsewhere along the road, not including the ice arena. Mendota Heights Police Chief Mike Aschenbrener described that as an "above average" number of traffic accidents. The purpose of the single -lane roundabout planned is to keep traffic slow and steady to lessen the number of crashes by 40 percent, and the number of serious injuries by gO percent. said Richer. Drivers yield to traffic within the cinde, merge to the right into the cinde, and then exit to the hght, in this case, to the east or the west without having to cross over a lane of traffic, or without stopping at a light. Speeding Cadets, weary neighbors Residents expressed concerns that traffic will simply back up from Dodd Road into the traffic circle, sending cars west and then north through the neighborhood toreach Dodd Road, just aothe current situation does. In fact, most of the residents' concerns are already a reality. "I never thought I would be that guy shaking my fist in the backyard at the whippersnappers flying byLake Dhve.^said Eric Palmer. Palmer, 28, said he regularly has to pick up garbage thrown on his property by young motorists and avoid speeding vehicles. He said high-school students, particularly the boys heading to St. Thomas, will take the "path of least resistance" through the neighborhood' Speakers told the council that they deal with students walking in the middle of the road, speeding and making rude gestures on a daily basis, and suggested installing speed bumps, stop signs, and concrete barriers along Lake Drive to keep traffic out of the residential streets or at the very least, to slow it down. Another resident complained that the noise levels coming from cars and SUVs, and the airport traffic overhead have already tested his tolerance. Who should pay for it? A few homeowners commented that some ofthe council members have ties hothe Catholic schools, which may compromise their impartiality toward the project. The council members objected tothose suggestions. Though both Visitation Drive and Mendota Heights Road are both public roads, some residents were critical of the money being spent to improve an intersection used mostly bya'entity. Sarah Herschbach, who brought her young children to the meeting, said she can't walk with her kids around the b|ook, particularlyparticularlyy during school rush timeo, because there is no shoulder orsidewalk on Kressin Avenue. Heraohbooh said she would rather see the money spent inother ways. What may occur is a combination of the current plan and an idea presented at the meeting. Former mayor Charles Mertensotto.a Rogers Avenue resident, said the whole mess could be alleviated byputting aou\'de-aacedthe northwest bend ofLake Drive, thereby isolating the neighborhood. He also suggested adding awestern access point tnLake Drive from the Visitation parking lot. His comments were met with applause by the audience. Mayor John Huber said last Thursday that staff will be seriously studying the impact of building both the roundabout and a cul-de-sac or dead end on Lake Drive to address the two safety issues at hand. While he said he would likely support a two-pronged approach, he would wait to see the results of staff nemearch, which could show that a cul-de-sac would instead exacerbate the problems along Mendota Heights even more, or cut off access to residents that would want tnkeep the access toMendota Heights Road open. He said it's important to follow through with plans to alleviate the problem at Visitation, and called the traffic study and models "sound." MazzitaUo said it would be up to the council whether the plan is omendod, scrapped or upheld. He said he was surprised that Visitation parents did not attend the hearing toexplain the traffic they face every day. The stimulus money puts the city in a tight schedule for approval of the project. The council will likely review information about the roundabout project as well as research by staff regarding a deed end at their second meeting in October. Final plans for the roundabout must be submitted by Nov. 13. If some of the project is approved, construction is planned to begin in June of 2010. Danielle Cabot can bereached at comor65Y-748-78Y5. Content 0 200 'Kiver Bluffs Village Breakfast Don Gudmundson was a Detroit police officer and homicide detective. During that time, Detroit experienced more than 800 murders per year. Don also investigated mafia assassinations as part of a task force in Chicago. He is the former sheriff of Fillmore County and the former chief of police in Lakeville. He was first elected sheriff of Dakota County in 1994 and is the only person ever to be independently elected as sheriff of two Minnesota counties, Don speaks across Minnesota and the country for the FBI, the US Attorney, the Federal Office of Inspector General, law enforcement groups, public service agencies and private businesses. He is a frequent after-dinner speaker and is noted for telling Ole and Lena jokes. Don's speech, Fall in a Mud Puddle, Get up and Check your Pockets for Fish, is a fast moving and humorous look at living in the 21 st century. Please call Jess'Ica, River Bluffs V'111age D"irector, at 651=234=2285 so I know to expect you. Breakfast will be ordered and paid for individuallA Upcoming Park/ Recreation/ Com.m unity Events.* Sunday, October 4 1h All Day Customer Appreciation Day at Par 3 - $3.00 Round of Golf ! ! ! MH Parks It Recreation P LqLraMS Registration Required @ 651.452-1850 A. - or information regarding "Fall and Winter Parks & Recreation Programs" call 651.452-1850 or www. mend ota-h ei,g hts. com Mendota Heig - htsathietics.com or Amelia 1 957(@aol.co hts Athletic Association www.mendotaheiq I October 4th, 2009 - Sunday Pilot Knob Preservation Association will be using the Historic Pilot Knob site for a "Pipe Ceremony" recognizing restoration efforts - Open to All October 31st, 2009 - Saturday Halloween Bonfire @ Mendota Plaza November 21st, 2009 - Saturday Firemen's Dance - contact Nancy at City Offices for info / tickets Scheduled Use of Cl*ty Hall Meeting Rooms Use of a meeting room can be scheduled with the City Hall receptionist - 651.452-1850 Monday, September 28 th Tuesday, September 291h Wednesday, September 30 Wednesday, September 30 Thursday, October 1st Monday, October 4 th Monday, October 4th Monday, October 4th Tuesday, October 5 th Wednesday, October 6 10amto2pm Beth Jacob will use all City meeting rooms 7 to 9:00 pm Mendota Meadows homeowners - Chambers 9 to 11:00 am Sand Creek Presentation to City Staff in Council Chambers 5 to 7:00 pm Victoria Highlands Ttme in Chambers 6 to 10:00 prn Citizens Police Academy in Council Chambers 6:30 - 8:30 Augusta Shores Homeowners in small conference room 6:00 to 6:50 pm Ind Sch Dist 197 "Listening Session" in large conference room 7:00 pm Ind Sch Dist 197 Monthly Board meeting in Council Chambers 7:00 pm City Council meeting in Chambers 7:00 pm Village Residents Association meets in Council Chambers September 25th, 2009 Friday News - gk