Loading...
2005-11-18 Friday NewsThe Friday News November 18, 2005 Three Day Week There had been numerous requests from City Staff to have the Friday after Thanksgiving off. It would have been a pretty skinny staff around here that day, so I asked Emmy to inquire of other cities on how they handled that day. She found out that most cities have that day off as a holiday. Mendota Heights’ employees receive two floating holidays, and according to the Personnel Policy the City Council can designate one of these floating holidays for a specific date. I asked the department heads, and they agreed that it would be a good idea to declare that day a holiday. I asked the City Council at this Tuesday’s meeting, and they gave me the go ahead. Next Thursday and Fr iday will both be City holidays with C ity offices closed for business. We will post that notice on the front door immediately to give our customers a fair warning. New Firefighters This Tuesday the City Council officially welcomed four new firefighters to the Fire Department. Three of them were at the City Council meeting with their families to be welcomed in person by the City Council. The four new fire fighters are: Vince Belmares – Vince is a resident of Mendota Heights and lives on Wagon Wheel Trail. Vince has been employed by Xcel Energy for 11 years. He is a first responder to all gas related emergency calls such as hit gas line, carbon monoxide complaints, leak complaints, etc. As part of his job at Xcel he has training yearly for first aid, first responder, CPR and gas explosion training. He can respond to daytime fire calls. Hayley Heidelberg – Hayley lives in Mendota Heights on Mohican Lane. Hayley is first responder certified has taken an E.M.T. course at Inver Hills and was an Eagan Firefighter Explorer. She has shown great enthusiasm and desire to become a Mendota Heights Firefighter. She is able to respond to daytime fire calls. Dale Stein - Dale lives on Wagon Wheel Trail and is currently attending school. He was a Fire Explorer on the Inver Grove Heights Fire Department. Dale is also the son of Captain Keith Stein, and grandson of Airport Relations Commissioner Ellsworth Stein. John Mendez – John lives on Marie Avenue in Mendota Heights. John is a sales consultant at Nordstrom’s. He can respond to daytime fire calls. Toward Zero Death This week Sergeant Neil Garlock attended the “Toward Zero Death” Conference held in St. Cloud and was sponsored by the Office of Traffic Safety. At the conference Dakota County’s Traffic Safety project received a “Star” Award. This is a state wide award for the Safe and Sober Program. Dakota County is currently ranked number 5 in the state for vehicle fatalities. We are hopeful that this project will bring Dakota County down from this high ranking. We received a $60,000 traffic grant for 2006, which is a partnership with all the larger cities in Dakota County and Dakota County. Many thanks go out to Sgt. Garlock because was a very important part in writing this successful grant application. Respectfully submitted, Jim Danielson Attachments: Just the Facts 11-10 & 11-18, Pipeline, Pre -Application Meeting Synopsis, Planning Commission Meeting Agenda, South-West Review Article “Wine Market by Kowalski opens in MH” & “Open house scheduled for Dakota County Transit Plan”, Sun Current Article “Mendota Heights considers changing rules for lot subdivisions”, Pioneer Press Article “Report affirms value of open space, Star Tribune Articles “Hot Property: The Summit at Mendota Heights’ and Pilot Knob heading back to nature”.