2005-01-21 Friday News
The Friday News
January 21, 2005
NEWSLETTER
The City’s first quarter 2005 edition of the Heights Highlights was delivered to the residents this
week. We used a different mail house company this time to help us with the processing and
mailing. The mail house company receives the newsletter from the printer, prepares the labels,
bundles the newsletters and delivers them to the post offices for mailing. With this change in place
we are seeing a faster delivery time.
If you are not receiving your newsletter or you have any questions or concerns about it, please
contact Emmy Foster at City Hall.
SKATE WITH THE MAYOR
The Mayor is having his first annual “Skate With The Mayor” event tomorrow (Saturday) at
Friendly Hills Park. The event is scheduled for 11a.m. to 1p.m. Anyone who has time and likes to
skate please join him.
GUN CLUB LAKE UPDATE
Board Members from the Gun Club Lake Water Management Organization attended this Tuesday’s
City Council meeting to provide an overview of their organization and their projects. Mendota
Heights is in three watersheds, besides the Gun Club, we are also located within the Lower
Mississippi Water Management Organization and the Lower Minnesota Watershed District. Storm
water drainage does not respect municipal boundaries, and until these watershed organizations were
formed in 1985, city storm water projects would end at city’s borders. At that point it became the
next city’s problem to deal with the water from there on, and without any funding from their
neighbo rs whose water it was. These watershed districts now provide a mechanism for funding of
storm water projects that flow across municipal boundaries. Since they were formed the districts
also began dealing with many other surface water issues, now including water quality.
XCEL UPDATE
Collette Jurek, Xcel Community Relations Manager, attended this Tuesday’s City Council meeting
to provide a brief update to the Council on an upcoming Xcel project. Xcel will need to upgrade
their transmission lines that ext end from the Rogers Lake Substation to their High Bridge
Generation Plant.
The design for this project is in it s early stages, so Collette attended the meeting to receive input or
comments for use in the design of the project. Collette promised to return to future City Council
meetings and provide updates on a quarterly basis until the project is complete.
FIREFIGHTERS FIGHT A HOUSE FIRE
The Fire Department responded to a house fire on Tuesday, January 18th at 8:30p.m. in Mendota.
The fire was brought under control quickly and structural damage was kept to a minimum but
smoke damage was extensive. The homeowner did a very good job saving his home by shutting off
the gas, electrical and making sure all the doors and windows were closed. This prevented air from
feeding the fire. Unfortunately, the cause of the fire was a result of the homeowner who had
brought a snowmobile and generator into the basement of the home, drained fuel out of the gas tank
and the water heater pilot light ignited the gas fumes. No one was injured and the estimated
damages are $20,000 mostly to contents and the electrical system.
Respectfully Submitted,
Jim Danielson
City Administrator
Attachments: Planning Commission Meeting Agenda, Just the Facts, The Pipline, Sun Current
Articles “ MH City Honors Employees, Volunteer Commissioners, St Paul Pioneer Press Article,
Dakota County Notes, Tom Malchow, St Paul Pioneer Press Article, “Airport Design Funding
Ok’d, LMC Friday Fax.