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2007-10-26 Friday NewsHALLOWEEN Next Wednesday is Halloween, and as is usual the Fire Department will be lighting a BIG pile of brush that is now growing in size behind the Mendota Mall. Thanks to the Fire Department for hosting this annual event, Public Works for fencing, controlling and cleaning up after the event Of course a big thank you goes to Paster Enterprises for allowing the City to have the event in their "backyard". I hope everyone is able to attend beginning at 7 P.M. to watch the fire. It is awesome, don't forget to consume a hot dog or two compliments of the City. While last Tuesday was the official "bosses" day, Sue and I were out of town, so we held off until this Tuesday to celebrate. The support staff treated Sue, Jake, Kristen, Paul and I to a very tasty lunch at Boca Chica (Kathy was unable to make it). Thanks for the lunch and thank you for another great year! The Council Subcommittee on Mendota Plaza met again this past Monday. Representatives from Paster Enterprises described the latest version of their concept plan. The subcommittee was pleased with the progress and will make a report to the City Council at their next regular meeting. The subcommittee will be recommending that Paster bring a new concept plan before for the Planning Commission and City Council. CALENDAR OF UPCOMING MEE'T'INGS City Council Meeting November 6 Park & Rec Commission Mtg November 13 ARC Mtg November 14 NO Mtg November°14 Planning Commission Mtg November 27 ND C4 Mtg December S Gun Club Lake WM O Mtg December 12 Respectfully submitted, Jake Sedlacek Assistant to the City Administrator Attachments: Just the Facts, Pipeline, Sun Newspaper Article: "Patterson expanding Mendota Heights building", SouthWest Review articles "Trick -or -treating, free hay rides", StarTribune.com Article "This time, nature imitates art", Great River Greening News Release and "Annual turkey dinner", and Ad from St. Paul Voice on 2nd Annual Mendota Lights. 10/26/2007 10/26/2007 keys in a bush in the backyard. With the grandmother's assistance the situation was resolved and the keys were located. Clear with everyone going separate ways. 3`d Degree DUI 10-20-07 0018 hours Officer Jeff VonFeldt had his attention drawn to a car on Hwy 13 as it nearly struck the concrete barrier. The car swerved abruptly at the last moment and continued swerving down the road. As soon as it was safe the car was stopped. In making contact with the driver it was obvious that she had too much to drink that evening and to safely drive. The driver could not get her license out of her wallet and when asked to turn the stereo off, she only managed to change songs. Eventually she was convinced that she should just shut the car off and step out. Once outside the car Officer VonFeldt began to explain what he wanted the suspect to do. She immediately explained she knew how it worked because she watched "Cops." She managed to complete the Horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN) test but was really stumped by the raising her foot even though she told Officer VonFeldt that she knew how it worked because she watched "Cops." After multiple attempts at raising her foot Officer VonFeldt had her stop so she wouldn't fall over and land in the traffic lane. Her last test was to blow into the PBT and it revealed a BAC of .227. She was placed under arrest and the passenger was given the choice of walking home or getting a ride and he chose to walk home. She was read the MN Implied Consent Advisory and requested to use the phone. After the phone call she provided a breath sample that revealed a BAC of .21. She was cited and released to Ramsey Detox. AOA 10-20-071301 hours Officer Mike Shepard received an Attempt to Locate on a Chevy Avalanche in connection to the theft of a 46 inch flat screen TV in Blaine. A short time later the SUV drove past him on the freeway. With the assistance of Eagan PD the SUV was stopped just off of Lone Oak in Eagan. The TV was visible in the back. The driver immediately began telling a story. The Officers did not question him but he continued to fill them in on how he came to be in possession of the TV. Eventually he was turned over to Blaine PD and the vehicle was impounded to be processed at Blaine PD. All charges will be out of Anoka County. Domestic 10-20-07 1851 hours Officer Steve Meyer responded to a domestic call upon arrival he was met by an extremely upset female and hysterical 8YOA. Eventually it was learned that the female had asked her ex-husband to help her move furniture into the townhouse. He did not take his shoes off when he walked on the carpet. This caused her to become upset and she chased him out of the house and hit him with the phone. As she was following him out the door he pushed her back into the house causing her to fall and hit her head. The caller could not provide any details about where the ex-husband lived and declined to provide any further information. Domestic 10-22-07 0657 hours Caller reported a fight with someone attempting to stab someone else in the residence. When Officer Chad Willson arrived he found one hysterical un -injured person in the front yard along with a toaster. Officer VonFeldt was left to deal with her. Officer Willson then spoke with the mother of the combatants who advised the fight was over clothing. Two of the kids started fighting and the older brother stepped in to break it up, the younger daughter grabbed a knife and went after her sibling. He went to his room and closed the door while the older brother tried to stop her and he was hit in the head with a sauce pan. The victim had a large lump and the pan was seriously bent. The sister kicked the door in. The younger brother was not harmed. Sister placed under arrest, interviewed and transported to JDC. Investigator Reyes photographed the injuries and prepared the case for charging. Armed Robbery 10-24-07 0427 hours Officer Chad Willson responded to a panic alarm at a local gas station. Upon arrival he learned the station had just been robbed at gun point. A perimeter was set up and the WSPPD Dog was called in to assist with the search. The K-9 tracked to an adjacent business where the tracked ended in a parking space. Investigations will follow up. Ila. a &~t /d/ii, l� N E ws The Pwipelmine Public Works Engineering •,- • _ October . 11 Public Works The Parks crews cut grass and collected trash. Irrigation systems were repaired at Mendakota, Kennsington and City Hall. They also repaired a light on the fire marshals truck and installed new tires on one of the squad cars. The Streets crew restored boulevard areas in several locations were curbing was replaced. They are administering the cleanup for the Halloween bonfire and piling brush. Locates were called for stump removal on city property and catch basins were cleared of leaves. Streets signs were reinstalled on Huber drive at Decorah and Mendota Heights Rd. Met with contractor about proposed ditch improvements on Victoria Rd north of Marie Ave. checkedRich sanitary sewer lift stations daily and cleaned grease off of floats @ Veronica• • - -• fall inspectionof a - storm sewer and exercised pumps at Marie Park. Winterized tank sprayer used for spraying weeds. Streets were paved in the Copperfield mill and overlay project and sod is being placed. stormRyan attended the Minnesota water resource conference which covers innovative .•-techniques. The remaining storm sewer was installed in the ivy falls neighborhood and sod is planned to be placed early next week. Crews from Prairie Restorations began over -spraying for new / young Buckthorn plants in City parks where mature plants have been removed. During the past four years removal and eradication efforts have been ongoing in all City parks except Valley Park. Once mature plants are removed from an area, over -spraying to prevent re-emergence of new plants must continue for three or more years. In addition to chemical treatments at other parks, work on removing mature plants in Valley Park will begin in November / December once snow is on the ground. Removal efforts will focus on areas 50 to 100 out from existing trails. Valley Park is over ninety acres in size and will require several years to remove all mature plants with over -spraying of cut areas in following years. MN S UN ,,,, Print Page Patterson expanding Mendota Heights building BY MEGAN ANDERSON • SUN NEWSPAPERS Patterson Companies Inc. is extending its roots in Mendota Heights. The company is expanding its corporate headquarters at 1031 Mendota Heights Road. The company kicked off the expansion at a groundbreaking Sept. 21, and it plans to have the renovations completed by January 2009. The company is adding 37,000 square feet, which will include 40 additional offices and conference rooms, 180 office cubicles and expanded training rooms. With the addition, the facility will total 102,000 square feet. "This is a major expansion for us and a major investment for us," Vice President of Operation Gary Johnson said. Patterson is a 130 -year-old company that has been based in Mendota Heights since 1994. It is the parent company of Patterson Dental Inc., which provides dental products, equipment and software; Webster Veterinary Supply Inc., which distribute veterinary supplies; and Patterson Medical Inc., which distributes rehabilitative supplies. When discussing the expansion, the company looked at alternatives, including possible relocation. But the company was interested in remaining in Mendota Heights, Johnson said. Employees had a strong desire to stay at the current location, Johnson said. "Everybody likes the location," he said. "It's easy to get to, it's close to the airport for travelers." The building is next to St. Thomas Academy and overlooks Rogers Lake. The Mendota Heights City Council has also backed Patterson's plans to expand. The council approved the site plan and wetland permit at its Sept. 4 meeting. "The city of Mendota Heights is business friendly and very supportive of our expansion plans," Johnson said. "So it made it a pretty easy decision to stay here." With the expansion, Patterson is taking a different approach to the building, Johnson said. There won't be any offices along the exterior glass of the building. "We're going to keep those open so we can get daylight into the whole office," he said. "It's kind of a different design change for us." The expansion will allow the company to add about 100 more employees, he said. The company has slightly more than 300 employees who work out of its current facility, which is at capacity. Patterson draws employees from all around the Twin Cities, including Bloomington and Eagan. (You are invited to comment about this story on our website at www.mnsun.com and/or write a letter to the editor at suncurrentsoutli@acnpapers.eom.) This site and its contents Copyright © 2007. Sun Newspapers - Main Office: 952-829-0797 suninfo@acnpapers.coni - t �f' South Odes Trick -or -treating, free hay rides Join fellow ghosts and goblins for trick -or -treating and free hay rides at Mendota Plaza, located at Highway 110 and Dodd Road, on Wednesday, Oct. 31, from 6 to 9 p.m. Enjoy trick -or -treating at the stores of the shopping center and a free hayride from Vogel's Livery. At dusk, head over to the city of Mendota Heights' bonfire in the parking lot behind Mendota Plaza, where free pop and hot dogs will be available to attendees. Residents with wood to donate for the fire may drop it off in the roped -off area behind Mendota Plaza. Call the Mendota Heights City Hall at 452-1850 with questions or concerns. Content © 2007 Lillie Suburban Newspapers Software ©1998-20071up! Software, All Rights Reserved The People of Saint Paul's United Methodist Church will hold their annual turkey dinner on Wednesday, Oct. 24, at 700 Wesley Lane, Mendota Heights. Serving times are 4:30., 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $4 for children from 3 to 10. Children under 3 are free. Autumn turkey dinners have been served at Saint Paul's since 1922, and a winning menu has grown from this tradition. You can expect to get your fill of roast turkey with dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, coleslaw, fresh rolls, cranberry sauce and fruit pies. There will also be crafts and homemade delicacies available for sale from 4-8 p.m. There is no need to attend the dinner to take advantage of this miniboutique. Takeout is available and can be picked up at either 5 or 6 p.m. Reservations for seated service and takeouts are a "must." Call 452 -LOVE (5683) to make yours. Reservations will not be accepted after Oct. 21. Proceeds from this dinner and the sale of crafts and delicacies will be used to further mission projects locally, nationally and internationally. This time, nature imitates art This time, nature imitates art Although their habitat is taking a hit, red-headed woodpeckers wrml finding advocates in the present and the• By Jim Williams Last update: October 23, 2007 — 6:28 PM Red-headed woodpeckers, whose population has long been in decline, are receiving a much-needed boost these days. Part of it comes from a Fort Snelling soldier who died 132 years ago. Red-headed woodpeckers depend on a landscape that's in short supply: oak savannah. (Think pasture, golf course, or cemetery: open, grassy land dotted with trees.) The birds eat acorns and insects, launching themselves from exposed perches to catch bugs in the air. They also have a very particular requirement for nesting: dead trees or dead tree limbs, preferably oak. They don't nest in live wood. One of the problems that woodpeckers have faced is our passion for trimming dead limbs and felling dead trees. That's were Seth Eastman comes in. The long -dead Army officer, who was stationed at Fort Snelling in the early 1830s and again in the 1840s, also was an artist. placeOne of his paintings depicts Pilot Knob, a piece of land across the river from Fort Snellint in what today is the city of Mendota Heights. The knob, a landmark for travelers on the Mississippi River, is the where Dakota and the United States signed a treating the ceding- . to the United States Today, Pilot Knob is being restored to the prairie and oak savannah landscape that Eastman painted. And his artwork is helping guide restoration work. Guy Kullander, operations and projects coordinator for the city of Mendota Heights, said the land will be left in a natural state, which means that dead trees and limbs will not be cut or trimmed. That is good news for red-headed woodpeckers. But Pilot Knob isn't the only local haven for red -heads. They've also found a comfortable home in the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve (until recently Cedar Creek Natural History Area), just east of Hwy. 65 near East Bethel in Anoka County. There are about 200 acres of oak savannah at the 5,400 -acre site, according to Jeffrey Corney, associate director. The land, owned by the University of Minnesota, is maintained by prescribed burning. Several pair of red -heads breed in these open oak woods. Although these woodpeckers http://www.startribune.com/418/v-print/story/1502766.htm1 10/26/2007 This time, nature imitates art Page 2 of 2 are considered migrating species, in most winters some remain at Cedar Creek. And the birds have found a modern-day booster in Chet Meyers. Meyers, a Minneapolis birder who's spearheading an effort to create habitat for red-headed woodpeckers, recently went looking for the birds at Cedar Creek. In two hours he and another birder counted 21. "That's more than I've seen in my life," he said. Meyers and his band of birders are developing guidelines that will help people who want to help red-headed woodpeckers. "We want to give landowners a list of best -management practices, so they can maintain the necessary habitat," he said. "This often is as simple as leaving snags standing." To learn more about red-headed- woodpecker restoration efforts, contact Meyers at chetmeyers(aD-visi. com. Jim Williams, a lifelong birder, is a member of the U.S. National Wildlife Refuge Birding Initiative Committee. He also is a member of the American Birding Association, Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever and Delta Waterfowl. He can be reached by e-mail at two - lays a@att,net. © 2007 Star Tribune. All rights reserved. http://www.startribune.com/418/v-print/story/1502766.html 10/26/2007 35 W. Water St. #201 Saint Paul MN 55107 NEWSRELEASE www.greatrivergreening.org Tel: 651 665.9500 Fax: 651 655.9409 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Robert Viking MONDAY, October, 29, 2007 Development and Marketing Director 651-665-9500 ext. 23 rvikin�reatriver�reenin .or Deborah Karasov Executive Director 651-665-9500 ext. 14 d ka rasov(a)g reatrive rg reen i n MINNESOTA POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY JOINS OTHER FUNDERS IN RESTORATION OF PILOT KNOB HISTORIC SITE Great River Greening, a nonprofit regional leader for community-based restoration of natural areas and open space announced today the receipt of a $25,000 grant from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for continuing restoration of the Pilot Knob Historic Site in Mendota Heights. The MPGA grant is the latest in a number of private and public grants for the restoration of this significant historic and cultural site. MinnesotaAcacia Cemetery, Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District, Dakota County Capital Improvement, Environmental Partners, Friends of the Minnesota Valley, Lower Minnesota River Watershed District, Minnesota Historical Society, Pilot Knob Preservation Association, Starbucks, Trust for Public Land, Metro Conservation Corridors, the Legislative and Citizens Commission on Minnesota Resources, and 71 now the Pollution Controlg- - among the many members of a community coalition joining the City of - • •ta Heights and Great River Greening in the restoration of •r The City of - ••_ Heights, •r Public Land, Dakota • and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources purchased the phase one 8.5 acres for $1.97 million in December 2000.5 Including the MPGA grant, over $82,000 has been raised from public and private organizations and individuals for the restoration of the phase one land. Restoration efforts have included brush -cutting, invasive plant species removal, and controlled burns to prepare the site for the planting of native prairie. These activities are part of a larger ecosystem restoration effort to bring back the prairie and oak savanna on Pilot Knob that existed there prior to European settlement. Prairie and oak savanna are some of the rarest plant communities in Minnesota; restoring them helps to maintain our natural heritage. -MORE- r' 6,1,s tl e C�Lr1 e✓%e��iy cr ui2rc1u�ccs MPCA Grant — Page Two Included in the restoration efforts to date is the recent September volunteer event seeding the site with native grasses and wildflowers. In addition to natural areas restoration, the award of the MPCA grant allows for the installation of interpretive trails and signage together with an overlook during the spring of 2008. Great River Greening , the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community, and other community stakeholders are working together to design the markers which are underwritten by a grant from the Minnesota Historical Society. Known to Dakota people as Oheyawahi, "a hill much visited," Pilot Knob at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers is a place of distinctive historical, cultural, and environmental importance, a sacred site, and a landmark of the Midwest's beginnings. It was from this prominence that the Dakota people in 1851 signed a treaty granting the United States 35 million acres of tribal lands west of the Mississippi, forever changing the course of M innesota's history. The National Trust for Historic 0 Preservation calls Pilot Knob one of the state's most significant historical and cultural resources. Its restoration represents an historic opportunity to protect a significant piece of cultural history and restore native prairie and savanna that has all but disappeared from the landscape. un 2nd.nualMENDOTA r •` \i ? y s�1 M� OFFICIAL HOLIDAY TREE LIGHTING & FESTIVITIES SATURDAY, DEC. I st ®7 P AL4ym HUBER WILL FLIP THE SWITCHAT Se30 P.m. Featuring Ease hayrides, The Diccken's CCarr®kfs, Visitation High School Chou, free knot cider, roasted chestn=55 opefinmak glill with $Il uol dG60 and Mom Specials in an the shops, and of courrse... SANTA! h� a e v'Meaco At the corner of soo-,Ilia e j Dodd Road 6 Hwy 110 d _