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2008-10-10 Friday NewsOctober 1.0, 2008 Red Flag Rules On Wednesday, October 8th, Stacy Kaiser and Sandie Thone attended the Red Flag Rule Conference hosted by the Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association (MMUA) at the League of Minnesota Cities. The Federal Trade Commission's Red Flags Rule requires all banks and other creditors, including all utilities, to have programs in place by November 1, 2008 to help prevent identity theft. Useful information and advice was given by MMUA at this regional meeting ensuring our understanding of the FTC's expectations with regard to our City's Identity Theft Program. The Red Flags Rule is meant to prevent "Identity Theft" as the Rule defines it—fraud using another person's identifying information. While the theft of customer identifying information may lead to "Identity Theft", infor- F mation theft itself is not the focus of the Rule. Limiting identity theft at a utility level could reduce fraud elsewhere, such as the perpetrator taking the fraudulent utility bill to R open additional accounts with other creditors or for voter registration for example. Our vulnerability is much more limited than many traditional creditors but non the less im- portant to protect our customers. Having an identity theft program ensures our compli- ance with the Red Flags Rule, but also serves to protect us from potential lawsuits from identity theft victims. Mendota Heights Identity Theft Program is scheduled to be imple- mented effective November 1, 2008. D Police Academy Update Citizens in the Police Academy were able to get physically involved last night. Officers Tan- ner Spicer and Bobby Lambert from the Police Department taught the class on "Use of Force". The class was held at the MH Fire Hall. Students were paired up, one using a padded shield Yand the other using force to hit the shield. Officers showed students how to use their fists and kicks to apply. Pressure points were also demonstrated as a way to subdue a suspect. Students also used the padded baton to strike the shield. After all that exertion, students went to Boltz's Tae Kwan DO on South Plaza. Drive. The class was divided in half. One half learned about the X26 Tazers that the Police Department uses, while the other half put on belts, were given fake guns, batons, and Tazers (without the cartridges) to play out scenarios, that included Offi- cer Spicer playing the suspect and the citizens doing the arrests. At the end of the night a dem- onstration was given of the Tazer and its effects on a display. Students were then asked if any- one would like to volunteer to get Tazed. Several men volunteered for the one second Tazer. Becky Pentel and Sue Donovan each had an electrode attached to their upper arms and held �A j hands so that they could be Tazed together. VV Community Development Block Grant SJake attended a meeting at the Dakota County Community Development Agency Offices on Thursday morning to discuss various grant initiatives across the County. The two biggest items of discussion included changes to the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), and funding for foreclosures. The CDBG allocation process may change, with our average amount each year being reduced. The change would also allow us to request a larger grant for special projects. Mendota currently utilizes CDBG funds for low-income housing rehab loans, and for park accessibility projects such as the Par 3. CDA staff also described a new program funded with federal dollars to purchase bank - owned foreclosures. Staff at City Hall are still trying to determine if our community has any homes which would qualify for this program. October 10, 2008 "Sustainability" in Action "Sustainability" is a popular buzz word in development these days, placing emphasis on building to re- duce energy consumption and stormwater impact. On Thursday, Jake had a lunch meeting with the As- sistant Manager's group the topic was a tour of the new Richfield Public Works building, which was built to be sustainable. The tour was led by consultants from SEH, who talked about the process of tak- ing sustainability principles and putting them into place. Jake reports that the facility is very nice, some of the sustainable features were pretty technological—pervious pavement, geothermal heating, etc. Oth- ers were very basic—utilizing a combination of skylights and light -reflective paint to reduce lighting needs in the vehicle bay. The tour leaders were hopeful that the Richfield building would serve as a good study for the real costs and benefits for "sustainable buildings." Dates to Remember in October Parks & Recreation Meeting 10/14/08 6:30 City Council Meeting 10/21/08 7:00 Airports Commission Meeting 10/29/08 7:00 Planning Commission Meeting 10/28/08 7:00 MAC Meeting 10/21/08 1:00 Attachments Just the Facts, Pipeline, Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Agenda, HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!! October 10, 2008 10/10/2008 7 e latest fseu f frv1,, t!e N-vt 'ata eig6its Palace �eyart�cesit The Car vs. Deer 10-01-08 0606 hours Mendota _ It's `Deer Crossing' Season. Officer Tanner Spicer responded to Hei hts car vs. deer accident. Deer reportedly did not look both ways Pohce =ZPextra before crossing; deer was DOA, car was damaged. Please use Department caution this time of year when driving, especially at dusk. - Car vs. Building 10-01-081505 hours A local market called to report that a car had driven through the tafF I�im 1 Ienn�g : ; front doors; market was not a drive-thru. The driver had backed Sandie Rtsu�ie out of the store when Officer Eric Petersen arrived on the scene. s,is,DoAoan The driver advised she mistakenly stepped on the gas pedal Cathy Ransom- instead of the brake. The building sustained moderate to heavy damage around the front entrance. The car, although damaged Police ofcers- was drive able, and the driver was uninjured. Jerss= lYluxphy = $ I y Lambert Microwave Attack 10 03 08 14 59 Fxic Petersen _ A local resident came to MHPD to report suspect behavior by his Tanner, seer T"odd Rosse neighbor tenants. Sergeant Garlock assisted the troubled man, C- 'd UW,illson who informed him that his neighbors were trying to kill him by JeffVonFeidt using their microwaves, which were burning him through the Steven iYieyer = walls. Sergeant Garlock advised him to speak with apartment Denise urinann= management to determine possible electrical issues in the illichaelShepard building. A short time later, Officer Meyer was summoned to the Peyton Fievung gentleman's apartment complex and spoke with management School Reno --- regarding the above resident. Management expressed concern ofti�e�_-, __ for the man, who advised he would be leaving for the weekend Jenny Fordham , because he didn't feel safe. Officer Meyer was unable to make contact with him and the call was cleared. Investigations \1ano Repes Damage to Property 10-03-08 1645 hours Scott Patrick Caller came out to find "Nathan was here" written on her car. Sergeants: Further inspection revealed multiple key scratches in the car. Neil Garlock _ Officer Peyton Fleming reports no suspects or video. John Larrive Brian Couvery Noise Complaint/Possession of Marijuana 10-04-08 0220 hrs Officers Bobby Lambert and Jeff VonFeldt responded to a chef noise/party complaint in a townhouse complex. Upon arrival they nye spoke with one young man at the door, hosting a little party. Aschenbrener While talking with him, the smell of marijuana wafted out the front 10/10/2008 door. Inside the townhouse, a colorful bong was sitting out in plain view. The young man asked to hand over his marijuana, which he retrieved from another room. The homeowner was cited and the rest of the group was advised that a return trip was likely to earn all in attendance citations. DAR 10-05-08 1443 hours While on patrol Officer Steve Meyer ran a license plate check that revealed the license plate was Revoked and included instructions to cite the driver. A check of the registered owner showed he was also revoked. Officer Meyer caught up with the car as it pulled into the parking lot of a local bar. The driver knew both he and his car's license plates were revoked. The driver stated he needed to get to work. The driver was cited and released at the scene. He was allowed to park his car in the parking lot the with instructions not to drive. Terrorist Threats 10-06-08 1237 hours Officers Steve Meyer and Todd Rosse, along with Investigators Reyes and Patrick, responded to a local school where a note was found, indicating there was a bomb in the building. Officers worked with school officials, who activated the school's Emergency Response Plan and locked the building. After the initial sweep by officers and staff, several bomb sniffing dogs were brought in from outside agencies. While this was occurring, a possible suspect name surfaced. Officer's interviewed the young man and released him to a parent. The case is being prepared for submission to the County Attorney's Office for charges. Damage to Property 10-06-08 1532 hours Officer Todd Rosse met with the manager of one of the local cemeteries who advised him that some time in the past 24 hours, a large number of windows were smashed out of work vehicles. The trucks are generally out of service/low use vehicles that are not kept at the main building. Officer Rosse and the complainant believe that the suspects ride into the cemetery on ATV's. The ATV tracks were followed to a local neighborhood. The case is still under investigation. Juvenile Complaint 10-08-08 1630 hours Sergeant Brian Convery responded to a complaint of kids shooting a dog with pellet guns. Upon arrival in the area, he located a group of kids with air soft guns. Air soft guns are designed and built to look identical to a real gun. They shoot a small yellow plastic pellet. The guns were taken into custody. The kids were brought home and the situation was discussed with their parents. At this time, no charges are being brought; Sergeant Convery is working with the families involved. DAS 10-10-08 0023 hours Officer Denise Urmann found a vehicle stopped in the middle of the road (hey look at me) and upon making contact with the driver, it was learned the driver's status was Suspended (maybe due to some trouble following basic traffic laws?). The driver was cited and allowed to call a friend to remove the car. 1141Y, 4 PWe AIMA-IdINZA -2- N E \IV S ' The Pipeline L E T T E R a. Public Works Engineering Code Enforcement October 10, 2008 Public Works The Parks Crew cleaned out the utility room at Mendakota Park and prepared it for winter. New dead bolt locks were installed on the warming house doors at Marie,, Wentworth and Friendly Hills Parks. A light bulb was replaced on the side of the Public Works Garage. Rich checked the 11 rebuilt manholes in the Bachelor Avenue neighborhood after construction was done and all looked clean. Rich fixed two manholes in Kensington Park with John Boland's help. Rich did the fall inspections of Lilydale's storm sewer system and all looked good. The Streets Crew and Durable Concrete raised the storm pipe at 810 Park Place. The void was filled under the curb sections and major brick work and mudding was done in the storm drain. Stump grindings were cleaned up at 1037 Delaware Avenue and 566 Hiawatha Avenue. Light bulbs were replaced on the street light at Dodd Road and Mendota Heights Road. Attached is the thank you letter that was not included last week - thanking the Streets Crew for trimming trees on Marie Avenue. Callahan Reconstruction Project is ongoing. Utility installations are practically complete and street construction is scheduled to begin next week. Engineering is issuing an RFP for a Feasibility Report on pedestrian improvements at Highway 110 & Dodd Road. Proposals are due to the City by October 31st. Engineering has been working with Council Subcommittee and the realtor on the potential sale of the old fire station lot. The next subcommittee meeting is Oct 15th John attended the quarterly Municipal State Aid Pre -Screening Board Meeting on October 7t" and is working on our annual assistance application. Mr John lVIazzitello Sept 27 2008 Public Works Director City Of Mendota Heights Dear Johri, Jo Ann and I are wish to express our gratitude for arranging to have the unsightly and `non -sightly' trees trimmed on Marie Ave (rear of 1820 and 1822 Valley Curve) on Friday, Sept 26. What a vast improvement it makes to the sight line and the general appearance of the street and boulevard. Our work in keeping the boulevard neatly trimmed throughout the warm weather will be even more: pleasurable and easier. George Noack and his crew work arduously and conscientiously, and are very neat and courteous. They are an asset to the city of Mendota Heights. Thank you....and please commend and thank George and his workers. icerely a Joe and �4) Ann Stefani 1.820 Valley Curve Rd CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA AGENDA PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION Tuesday, October 14, 2008= 6:30 P.M. City Council Chambers 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of August 12, 2008, Minutes 4. Recreation Programmers Report (Available Tuesday) 5. Replace Playground Equipment at Victoria Highlands Park 6. Par 3 Update 7. Project Profile Handout for Historic Pilot Knob 0 - -is - Historic Pilot Knob - -Placein.ent of Historical Markers/Sigi 0. Update 9. Conn-nission Conu-nents W. Reminder - Noverinber's R-neefing has been changed to Thursday, November 13" at 6:30 P.M 11. Adjourn Auxiliary aids for persons with disabilities are available 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. This may not, however, be possible on short notice. Please contact City Administration at 651-452-1850.