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Friday News 11 16 2012 November 16, 2012 Dates to Remember: November 20, 2012 City Council Meeting 7:00 p.m. November 27, 2012 Planning Commission 7:00 p.m. December 4, 2012 City Council Meeting 7:00 p.m. December 11, 2012 Parks and Rec. Comm. 6:30 p.m. Attachments: Pipeline, Just the Facts Friday News Mendota Heights Weekly Report on City Activities Mendota Heights City Hall 1101 Victoria Curve www.mendota-heights.com (651) 452-1850 Winter Parking Restrictions Winter parking restrictions went into effect on No- vember 1, 2012. No vehicles may park on the streets between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. Follow- ing a winter storm that results in two or more inch- es of snow, all cars must be removed from the street, day or night. As a reminder, homeowners may park up to four licensed cars in their driveway. 64th Annual Fire Fighters Dance The annual fire fighters dance will be held tomor- row evening from 8:00 p.m. to Midnight at Royal Cliff of Eagan. There will be live music by High and Mighty, free hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Tickets are $15.00 at the door, proceeds benefit the Mendota Heights Fire Relief Association. Holiday Season is Near Officer Denise Urmann is coordinating a Toys for Tots Drive at city hall once again this holiday sea- son. The Marines Toys for Tots Foundation would like to call special attention to families on the east coast: “Last year we provided gifts to over 500,000 children in those areas, but unfortu- nately, we still ran out of gifts long before we ran out of children. This year, because of Hurricane Sandy and its destruction, there will be even more desperate parents trying to determine how to provide Christmas gifts for their chil- dren.” Toys for Tots drop boxes will be at City Hall starting Wednesday, November 21, 2012. Also, don’t forget to mark your calendar with the following community events: December 1, 2012: Mendota Lights at the Village 4:00-7:00 p.m., tree lighting at 5:00 p.m. December 6, 2012: Holiday Lighting at Mendota Plaza, 6:00 p.m. Public Works The Parks Crew cleaned up downed trees and limbs in the parks and pedways as needed after a rare November tornado ripped through part of the city. Shrubs were trimmed around the park signs. Black dirt was put down in Ivy Falls Park to fill in where trees had been uprooted and to fill sink holes. The Utility Crew assisted the Streets and Parks Crew with storm damage clean up. The sanitary sewer and storm sewers were inspected at the St. Thomas that Opus installed. Manholes makers were installed at Eagle Ridge townhomes. The Streets Crew was called in by the Fire Chief on Saturday night at 11:20 p.m. to help clean up downed trees on the north end of the city that were blocking streets. George, John B, Rich and Cliff came in and worked until late Sunday afternoon. They then spent the rest of the week picking up trees and limbs on the north end and in Ivy Falls Park where four big spruce trees blew over. Trees on Willow Lane weren’t cleaned up until Tuesday because of wires being tangled in them. Engineering City Projects (construction year) Lemay Lake Road Reconstruction (2012) – Striping is scheduled early next week. Minor punch list items will be completed in the spring. Dodd Road/Highway 110 Intersection Pedestrian Improvements (2013) –An update for City Council from the consultant is anticipated in December. Final plans are anticipated in late fall/early winter with bidding and construction in 2013. Hunter Lane/Orchard Place Neighborhood Improvements (2013) – Staff is working on the final design and putting together the final plan set. A second informational meeting is anticipated over the winter to go over specific property design issues with affected residents. Final plan completion is expected in March with construction starting in June 2013. The Pipeline N E W S L E T T E R Public Works Engineering Code Enforcement November 16, 2012 Crown Point & Overlook Neighborhood Rehabilitations (2013) –Staff is working on the final design plans. If necessary, a neighborhood open house will be held over the winter to work out specific design issues with property owners. Final plans will be prepared anticipating spring 2013 construction. Lexington Avenue Pedestrian Trail, Hwy 110 to Douglas Avenue (2013) – Staff is preparing design plans for an overlay project for this trail to be completed during the summer of 2013. Dakota County has included this project in their Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) to augment project cost. The City is responsible for 55% of the construction cost and design services, and the County will provide 45% of the construction cost. Storm Sewer Improvements – Gartzke Construction extended a culvert on Wagon Wheel Trail and installed a culvert at Par 3. PAC construction repaired a broken storm sewer in Valley Park. Kirchner Construction repaired a storm sewer outlet at Wentworth Park and will be repairing some catch basins around town next week. Other Activities Lower Mississippi River Watershed Management Organization (LMRWMO) – Earlier this year, the LMRWMO began a study of the water quality and possible pollution sources in several lakes including Rogers and Augusta Lakes in Mendota Heights. They are beginning the second part of the study which aims to understand the thoughts and visions of community members and involve them in the plans for improving these lakes. A Community Conversation Meeting is scheduled for November 15th at the Dakota Lodge at Thompson County Park in West Saint Paul. The meeting is from 6:30- 8:00pm. For more information about this meeting go to the LMRWMO web page at www.dakotaswcd.org/watersheds/lowermisswmo/wrapp.html. Gun Club Lake Watershed Management Organization (GCLWMO) – The Public Works Directors from the three member cities of the GCLWMO (Mendota Heights, Inver Grove Heights, and Eagan) have been discussing the future governance options for the GCLWMO. The GCLWMO’s Watershed Management Plan is in need of renewal, and the Board is discussing options to make the organization more efficient and effective for its member Cities. Five-Year Infrastructure Plans – Staff is working on updates for the Street Improvement Plan (SIP) and the Sanitary Sewer Improvement and Maintenance Plan (SSIMP). Projects within the plans are being prioritized based on infrastructure need and available resources. The 2013-2017 plans will be presented to City Council at the December 4th meeting. Once acknowledged, the plans will be posted on the City’s web-page. 11/16/2012 The Mendota Heights Police Department Support Staff Kim Henning Sandie Ristine Susan Donovan Becky Pentel Police Officers Jerry Murphy Scott Patrick John Larrive Bobby Lambert Tanner Spicer Todd Rosse Chad Willson Jeff VonFeldt Steven Meyer Denise Urmann Michael Shepard Peyton Fleming School Resource Officer Jennifer Fordham Investigations Mario Reyes Tanner Spicer Sergeants Neil Garlock Brian Convery Eric Petersen Reserves Randy Pentel Jesse Mettner Jim Knox Jarrod Spicer Jeff Parker George Castillo Chaplains John Snider Frances Cuena Butch Millett Lynn Liberman Sue Plucker Chief Mike Aschenbrener Semi in the Way Thursday 0714 hours Officer Denise Urmann received a call of a disconnected semi-trailer/milk truck blocking the intersection of Lexington Avenue and Centre Point. After a few minutes the traffic direction detail was handed off to Sgt Garlock and the day shift. It was quite convenient for MN State Patrol, as it occurred right outside of their Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division. The day became quite inconvenient for the milk truck driver who watched as his rig was towed across the street and into their parking lot. Code Violation Thursday 1647 hours Caller reported that the neighbors continue to park on the lawn. The caller has been referred to code enforcement many times. Officer Mike Shepard responded again and referred the caller to code enforcement. Threats Friday 1642 hours Officer Shepard responded to a report of threats at a local business. The employee advised the threats were received from a person in Texas who told them he was going to their local affiliate office and would kill everyone until he got his money. The information was relayed to Houston, Texas PD for the location referred to in the threats. Multiple but unsuccessful attempts were made to re-contact the man who made the threats. Crisis Friday 1926 hours Family reported 20 YOA female was out of control, intoxicated and smashing items in the house. Family and friends were remaining in the house waiting for officers. It was learned that the 20 year old female was arguing with her intoxicated mother. The boyfriend tried to intervene and the two eventually slapped each other. No one wanted to pursue charges, but since this is not our first time dealing with this mother/daughter situation, both were advised to keep the peace and get some help. Check Welfare Saturday 1905 hours Mom called looking for helping finding daughter. Daughter is an adult who had recently met someone on the internet who was reportedly had been just released from prison and mom was envisioning some bad. Officer Shepard found the daughter safe at home and asked her to call her mom. Check Welfare Saturday 2042 hours Officer Denise Urmann responded to another family call for help from two sisters, in their 60’s, who were talking on the phone. One of them evidently sounded weird and just quit talking. When no one answered the door, the RP and husband asked officers to use other means to get into house. Woman was found standing in the kitchen. HealthEast Medics soon found the problem – alcohol. Her PBT revealed a .267. It’s amazing she was “Just the Facts” The latest news from the Mendota Heights Police Department 11/16/2012 standing! Officers cleared when reassured family will handle the situation. Storm Damage Saturday 2312 hours What started as a minor storm soon turned into a major one as sudden straight-line winds hit portions of Mendota, Lilydale and Mendota Heights. There were multiple reports of power lines down on the ground and trees down blocking roadways and power was out for many. One of the most serious calls was at the new senior facility where a portion of the roof had been blown off. Officer Jeff VonFeldt responded and observed what appeared to be smoke billowing out. He quickly connected with management on site and coordinated and assisted in the evacuation of many residents. It was later (happily) found that the sprinkler system was going off and creating a mist, not smoke. Officer Denise Urmann and Reserve Officer Jeff Parker also quickly responded and with MHFD, assisted in the evacuation; all were safely accounted for. Another “interesting” event was when Reserve Officer Pentel and Officer VonFeldt checked on a portion of the road marked as closed with tape and barriers and found someone tore down the tape, moved the barriers and then drove over the downed power lines. The public works crew cleared public portions and city streets to remove road-blocking trees while the power and utility companies worked diligently to clean up the downed power lines and restore power. ** Note if you are calling 911 about an emergency problem such as down power lines, check to see if emergency crews are already on scene, so that 911 dispatchers are not tied up on problems being handled. Crisis Intervention /Medical Monday 0012 hours Officer Fleming responded to a call for help about a 21 YOA who was attempting suicide by hanging. The person was found in the process and stopped; the caller reports the person has a history of being depressed. Upon arrival the party was upset, crying and having a panic attack. Assisted the ambulance with loading the party and filling out the paperwork. Fraud Tuesday 1516 hours Officer Shepard took a walk-in report of fraudulent credit card charges. The reporting party had found some intermittent gas charges that she might not have noticed except they were made in a city neither she nor her husband had ever been. Upon further investigation, she was able to backtrack to some potentially helpful information. Forwarded to investigations. Theft/Recovered Property Wednesday 1516 hours Officer Larrive took a theft report from a resident whose GPS had been stolen from his vehicle. Later that evening, Sergeant Petersen was contacted by Eagan PD, who had recovered a GPS unit that traced back to us via the serial number entered into NCIC. They had arrested to gentlemen in their city with a suspicious story and several items in their car that did not belong to them. Sgt Petersen assisted in turning the property over to the victim; charges pending. Suspicious Vehicle/DAS Thursday 0208 hours Officer Rosse observed a vehicle pull of the lot of closed business, turn abruptly and extinguish the lights. Upon running the plate he observed the owner was not valid had numerous violations for driving after withdrawal. Upon making contact, he learned from the driver that he was “scrappin” and then admitted he did not have permission. He did not have insurance on the vehicle and prior to the tow, a vehicle inventory was done and several scrap items were located along with receipts of sale. It was also soon found that his suspensions were related to his inattention to his child support payments. He was arrested, cited and taken to jail for his numerous violations and unpaid claims and the vehicle was impounded. Officer cleared by arrest. Have a great weekend! Mike & Kim 11/16/2012 2012 Mendota Heights/West St Paul Citizens Academy Participants. November 10, 2012 Storm Damage 11/16/2012