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2016-04-22 Friday NewsCity of Mendota Heights Weekly Update Mendota Heights City Hall 1101 Victoria Curve www.mendota-heights.com (651) 452.1850 Visit us on: Facebook.com/ MendotaHeightsMN Twitter.com/ @Mendota_heights DATES TO REMEMBER: April 26 Planning Commission 7:00 p.m. May 3 City Council 7:00 p.m. May 7 Spring Clean-up Day Mendakota Park 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. May 10 Parks Commission 6:30 p.m. May 11 Airports Commission 7:00 p.m. May 17 City Council 7:00 p.m. May 24 Planning Commission 7:00 p.m. Attachments: Pipeline, Just the Facts CarFit Flyer April 22, 2016 2016 Parks Celebration Friday, June 3rd Music in the Park The Percolators Market Square Park @ 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 4th Mendota Heights 5K walk/run Market Square Park @ 9:00 a.m. Park Celebration Mendakota Park @ 11:00 a.m. DNR schedules Public Hearings for Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area Rules Starting in 2013, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has been work- ing to update the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area (MRCCA) Rules. The MRCCA is a 72-mile land corridor along the Mississippi River encompassing 54,000 acres of land including 30 jurisdictions. Land development in the corridor is currently guided by state regulations, which are implemented through local plans and zoning ordinances. Public hearings concerning the DNR's proposed rules are scheduled for the following locations and dates: Tuesday, June 14, 4:30 p.m. Schaar’s Bluff Gathering Center 8395 127th St. East, Hastings Wednesday, June 15, 4:30 p.m. Greenhaven Golf Course Event Center 2800 Greenhaven Road, Anoka Thursday, June 16, 10 a.m. Mississippi Watershed Management Organization 2522 Marshall St. NE, Minneapolis Interested parties can find additional information on the DNR's website: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/input/rules/mrcca/index.html Summer Job Opportunities The City of Mendota Heights is accepting applications for the following seasonal positions:  Recreation Program Assistants  Par 3 Clubhouse Worker (must be 18 years of age) To learn more about summer positions visit www.mendota-heights.com/employment CarFit is a FREE, interactive and educational program that teaches participants how to make their personal vehicle “fit” them to increase safety and mobility when they hit the road. > Review 12 key areas of your fit to your car such as adequate space from the steering wheel, proper seat belt use, and properly adjusted head restraints. > Learn how to use and adjust your safety devices. > Each checkup takes about 20 minutes — this is not a driving test or mechanical inspection. To schedule your 20-minute appointment, please call the appropriate number listed on the right. Appointment spaces are limited, so don’t wait! For more information, visit www.car-fit.org. AARP Driver Safety ’s CarFit Event CarFit is an educational program developed by AAA, AARP, and the American Occupational Therapy Association. Discover your perfect “t.” Attend a FREE CarFit Checkup! What: CarFit @ DARTS When: May 12, 2016 10AM - 2PM Where: DARTS 1645 Marthaler Lane West St. Paul, MN 55118 Schedule your appointment today! Call 651-234-2289 or laura.dunn@darts1.org Public Works The Parks Crew planted trees and shrubs in the parks. Fertilizer and crabgrass control was applied on turf areas. Trash was picked up daily. The fields were dragged and chalked. Trash was picked out of Ivy Hills pond. An old grill was removed and replaced with a new grill in Mendakota Park. The benches in the parks were power washed. The Utilities Crew checked the lift stations daily. The St. Thomas and Northland lift stations’ wet wells were cleaned and vacuumed. The south end storm water sump manholes were cleaned of leaves and grass. The Pilot Knob Road sanitary sewer line was cleaned. Assisted Parks Crew with tree planting. The Streets Crew picked up grass seed and repaired sod damaged areas. The wood chipper was repaired. New casters were put on the storage cart for a plow wing. They attended confined space training. Culvert repairs were done on Lilac Lane. Truck 312 was taken to a local shop to modify it for the asphalt hot box. Public Works staff are reviewing and revising the City Snow Plowing Policy. A revised Draft policy will be discussed at an upcoming City Council workshop. Engineering – Project descriptions simplified for easier reading. For more information, please contact the Engineering Department at (651) 452-1850. City Projects (construction year) Victoria Road Reconstruction & Rolling Green Neighborhood Rehabilitation (2014/2015) – Installation of a retaining wall at the corner of Victoria and Stratford Lane, warranty issues, and punch list items will be completed this spring. Mendota Road Neighborhood Improvements (2016) – Plans are out for bid. Bid opening is scheduled for Wednesday, April 27th, at 10:00am, and bid award is scheduled for the May 3rd City Council meeting. Construction is expected to begin in early June, after school is out for the summer. Update of Local Surface Water Management Plan (LSWMP) – The consultant is revising the text of the LSWMP. Draft storm water models have been completed. A draft plan is expected by the end of June. Watershed approval is expected in August with City adoption in January 2017. Lake Augusta Alum Treatment (2016) –The Lower Mississippi River Watershed Management Organization (LMRMWO) has received the grant money from the Board of Soil and Water Resources (BWSR). The LMRWMO consultant will be April 22, 2016 The Pipeline N E W S L E T T E R Public Works Engineering developing specifications for the project and managing the treatment program. Treatment is expected in the fall. County Projects Highway 110 Greenway Trail Crossing (2017) – Design is continuing on the project. County staff is coordinating the trail alignment with representatives from Mendota Plaza and Dodge Nature Center. Design is anticipated to be complete in time to bid with the MnDOT Highway 110 Rehabilitation project. Traffic Signal Improvements: I-494 & Pilot Knob Road (2016) – Construction expected later this summer along with MnDOT I-494 bridge project listed below. East-West Transit Study – Staff attended the kick-off Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting on Thursday. The County’s consultant will be looking at demand and optimal routes and scheduled for east-west transit between Dakota and Scott Counties. Study completion is anticipated in January 2017. State Projects Highway 13 Slope Repair (2015-2016) – Construction is expected to resume in early June. A 4-5 week closure of Highway 13 between Sylvandale and Wachtler is anticipated during this period. Highway 110 Rehabilitation (2017) – City Council approved Municipal Consent at their April 19th meeting. Municipal Consent was requested by MnDOT to close the right-in/right-out access point east of Lexington (except for emergency vehicles), and to establish two new drainage easements along the project. For more information contact Molly Cline, MnDOT Project Manager, at 651-234-7723 or molly.cline@state.mn.us. Highway 149 (Dodd Road) Rehabilitation (2018) – Staff will be attending Project Management Team (PMT) meetings throughout this summer to monitor development of the project scope and design. Staff is working on getting a bike/pedestrian facility incorporated into the project from Marie Avenue north to Delaware Avenue (see Highway 149 Trail Corridor Plan below). Contact Tara McBride, MnDOT Project Manager at 651-234-7506, or tara.mcbride@state.mn.us for more project information. Pilot Knob Bridge over I-494 Expansion Joint Repair (2016) – MnDOT will be repairing the bridge deck concrete expansion joints on the Pilot Knob Road Bridge over I-494. Work is expected to take two weeks. MnDOT will provide advance notice before the repair work begins. Other Activities Highway 149 Trail Corridor Plan – The City has received a Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) grant from Dakota County to study the Dodd Road (Highway 149) corridor for bicycle/pedestrian improvements. Once the Grant agreement with the County is final, work will begin. Staff hopes to use this plan to apply for grant money from the Metropolitan Council to construct a facility for non- motorized use between Marie Avenue and Delaware Avenue along Dodd Road. Saint Paul Regional Water Service (SPRWS) Water Service Agreement – Staff is scheduling several additional approvals that will need to take place in conjunction with the approval of the new Omnibus Agreement with SPRWS. It is anticipated that all approvals will be complete in 2016. These additional approvals include: 1) A Lease Agreement for cell tower use and City storage at the water tower site – anticipated at the November 17th City Council meeting; approved 12/1/2015 2) An easement agreement(s) for SPRWS access to the water tower across city property; approved 4/19/2016 3) An amended City Ordinance to reflect the new agreement; approved 4/19/2016 4) Conveyance of deed, title, and ownership of the system; 5) An amended Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) with the other municipal partner agencies (West Saint Paul, Maplewood, Falcon Heights, Lauderdale) to gain a second seat on the Board of Commissioners.   1   The latest from the Mendota Heights Police Department CHIEF Mike Aschenbrener SERGEANTS Eric Petersen Tanner Spicer Peyton Fleming Bobby Lambert POLICE OFFICERS John Larrive Todd Rosse Jeff VonFeldt Steven Meyer Denise Urmann Michael Shepard Nick Gorgos Robin Nelson Steve Hilyar Phillip McCarty INVESTIGATIONS Chad Willson SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER Jennifer Fordham SUPPORT STAFF Kim Henning Trista Miller Shayna Hoechst Becky Pentel RESERVES Randy Pentel Jim Knox Jeff Parker CHAPLAINS Butch Millett John Snider Alberto Vargas Lynn Liberman Sue Plucker Joel Detlefsen Lenny Andrie APRIL 22, 2016   The new name for Safe and Sober (TZD) more accurately reflects the goal of all traffic enforcement across the USA. In 2014, 361 people (lowest total in years) in Minnesota died in car crashes. Over the course of the year 29,438 people were hurt in those crashes. For the past 15+ years in Dakota County Law Enforcement, the County Attorney, the Medical Examiner and the County Highway Engineer have together reviewed every fatal crash to look at why it happened, the patterns of traffic arrests (tickets) and crash- es. The information gathered from the meetings of the Traffic Safety Committee are used to plan traffic enforcement details such as: Click It Or Ticket, Speed Waves and Driving Under the Influence Saturations. Even with all of the resources put into keeping people from getting hurt in car crashes, the causes remain fairly consistent with speed, distracted driving failure to stop or yield as the top three reasons you will be involved in a crash. The number one spot is cur- rently held by distracted driving, which has steadily moved up as cell phones have be- come smarter: the number two spot is held by fail to yield. Last weekend a major na- tional campaign to stop distracted driving was run on the interstate highways all across the country. Protect yourself in a crash - buckle up! When the officers are out working traffic the number one goal is to keep you alive. Simple rules to live by: Pay Attention, stop and look both ways and slow down. Stay safe and have a great weekend. Toward Zero Deaths Air bags are designed to save lives and prevent injuries by cushioning occupants as they move forward in a front- end crash. The air bag keeps the occupant’s head, neck, and chest from hitting the steering wheel or dashboard. An occupant who is very close to or on top of the air bag when it begins to inflate can be hit with enough force to suffer serious injury or death. However, an occupant who is properly restrained and sits 10 inches away from the air bag cover will contact the air bag only after it has com- pletely or almost completely inflated. The air bag will then cushion and protect the person from hitting the hard surfaces in the vehicle. To be safe, move the seat back and buckle up — every time, every trip. The lap belt needs to fit over your hips, not your abdomen, and the shoulder belt should lie on your chest and over your shoulder. Remove any slack from the belt. In a crash, seat belts stretch and slow down your movement toward the steering wheel or dashboard. Moving back and properly using seat belts give the air bag a chance to inflate before you move forward in a crash far enough to con- tact the air bag.   2   ACCIDENT FRIDAY 1343 HOURS Sgt. Spicer responded to a property damage hit and run accident on private property. Minor damage and no suspect information available. NO INSURANCE SATURDAY 2312 HOURS A vehicle was observed driving eastbound 494 traveling without taillights. Officer Shepard stopped the vehi- cle. Driver provided an expired insurance card and was driving with an instruction permit. The passenger in the vehicle was not a licensed driver so the vehicle was towed, driver cited and driver and passenger called someone to be picked up. BURGLARY MONDAY 0752 HOURS A burglary was reported at the Par 3. Suspect(s) entered the building on the west side and took money from the register. THEFT MONDAY 1051 HOURS Officer Rosse responded to a call of a theft of gas at the Holiday store on Hwy 13. The vehicle was described as a white Chevrolet Impala. A license check of the plate given was registered to a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Employees provided a good suspect description: Hispanic or Asian male wearing a white shirt with a red hat. While conducting a search of this vehicle it was indicated that the vehicle had been involved in several traffic calls out of Inver Grove Heights. The license plates were flagged to be impounded for an alcohol violation. The driver was contacted and ultimately arrested. FALSE INFORMATION TO POLICE MONDAY 1300 HOURS Officer Larrive was dispatched to an unlock assist and the driver stated she was the owner of the vehicle and gave Officer Larrive her information. After the vehicle was unlocked it was learned that the driver gave false information and was cited. ASSIST MONDAY 1736 HOURS Sergeant Fleming spoke with a local business owner who figured out that a former employee was sneaking into the building to sleep at night and likely had spent the weekend in the business. Several options were provided to keep the unwanted overnight guest out. DRUGS MONDAY 1815 HOURS While on patrol, Sgt. Fleming located a two vehicle crash with damage. Contact was made with the drivers   3   and one of the vehicles had a very strong order of marijuana coming from the interior. A search was made and a large amount of suspected marijuana and drug paraphernalia was located. Due to the large amount of drugs, DTF was contacted and the case will be forwarded to them. ACCIDENT MONDAY 1818 HOURS A school bus pulled out from a parking space and backed into the rear of an unoccupied vehicle. Infor- mation was run and the owner contacted. 20 students were on the bus at the time of the accident. DWI MONDAY 2000 HOURS Sgt. Fleming to a suspicious vehicle on a park trail. Upon locating the vehicle it was occupied by a single male. The driver threw the keys out of the vehicle and as he exited he was noted to be unsteady on his feet and his speech was slurred. The driver stated he was stuck and waiting for his wife to arrive . A PBT was ad- ministered and the driver blew over the legal limit. Driver was arrested and booked into jail. WEAPONS MONDAY 2018 HOURS A juvenile male reported that while he was running home a person in a dark colored vehicle and pointed a pistol at him. As Officer Gorgos arrived in the area a dark colored vehicle was spotted and Officer Gorgos stopped it. It was not the vehicle involved. In speaking with the juvenile a description was given of a black male with dread locks and a chubby face, late teens or early 20’s, with a possible passenger in the vehicle. Prior to this call the officer was dispatched to a suspicious vehicle in that same area with a matching vehicle and suspect(s) description. A patrol note was made to make other officers aware. 911 THURSDAY 1249 HOURS Officer Robin Nelson and Sergeant Tanner Spicer were dispatched to an open 911 line with a crying small child saying “I want my mommy.” As the call was coming in from a celluar phone there was no was to deter- mine the address other than latitude and longitude. After chasing around in the area of D Street and Hwy 13 for nearly an hour they located the child and her dad in the area of the call. A referral will occur to Dakota County Social Services. AOA THURSDAY 1840 HOURS Officer Mike Shepard monitored a call of a stolen black Lincoln Town Car limo in the area 494 and Pilot Knob Road. Apparently the limo driver filled up with gas leaving the car unlocked with the keys in the igni- tion. Unfortunately the very large black slow moving car managed to give everyone the slip and make it out of the area.   4     Did you know that the     Mendota Heights Fire  Department has a long   standing partnership with   HealthEast Ambulance.    The Fire Department along  with the ambulance          respond to all serious crash- es in the City of Mendota  Heights to provide emer- gency medical services and  extraction when needed.   Both work together on a  regular basis and are highly  skilled when it comes to  saving lives at crash scenes.    As we move Toward Zero  Deaths (TZD) the only way  we achieve those goals is  with a broad set of   committed partners  who also believe in saving  lives at every opportunity  and train relentlessly to do  so.  BE SAFE BUCKLE UP  AND DON’T TEXT AND  DRIVE!  04/15 ‐ 04/21 2016 YTD Calls for Service 152 2330 Citations 19 319 Warnings 15 302 Police Reports 18 309 Response Time Average 5.63 4.86 Check out the MH Crime Map! Click below to search your neighborhood: https://www.raidsonline.com 1101 Victoria Curve, Mendota Heights, MN 55118 If you are a Mendota Heights resident and you are going out of town or on vacation, you can notify MHPD of your outing and we will be more than happy to keep a watchful eye on your home while you are away. The House Check Request online form is available on our website; you can complete a form found in our lobby, or simply give us a call and we’ll help you out. MHPD offers monthly Car Seat Safety Checks. To schedule an appointment, call 651.452.1366 or email jennyf@mendota‐heights.com to contact Ofϐicer Jennifer Fordham. MHPD has a Medication Disposal Box in the lobby of the PD where Dakota County residents can safely and anonymously dispose of their prescription drugs and over‐the‐counter medication. Please send us your positive feedback on our staff to: pdrecords@ mendota-heights.com Your feedback is greatly appreciated and helps boost the morale of our staff. HAVE A SAFE WEEK!