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Issue 03 - Heights Highlights Fall 1984PAGE 1 FALL, 1984 ISSUE 3 ILYA IFIQ11MIN RX61• �' ' ' ROBERT G. LOCKWOOD 2 Hingham Circle BERNARD P. FRIEL 750 Mohican Lane Friel is a bond attorney and partner with the St. Paul firm of Briggs and Morgan: in that capacity he has served as bond counsel to the City of Mendota Heights for 20 years. He served on the In- dependent School Dis- trict 197 School Board from 1967 to 1969, and was a charter member, and member of the Board of Direc- tors of the Mendota Heights Jaycees. Other community service in- cludes two years on the Board of the Friendly Hills Civic Association and currently on the Board of Dodge Nature Center. Friel is active in numerous other Twin Cities, State, and national civic and professional organizations. Friel, his wife Damaris, and their three children have resided at their current address for 27 years. JANET BLESENER 1818 Twin Circle Drive A current member of the City Council, Blesener was appointed last April to fill the unexpired term of former Councilmember James Losleben. Prior , - to that she served 3'/z ............ years on the City's r; Planning Commission, 2 years as Vice Chair. Blesener is the Council x representative to the Highway 110/ 149 Area Task Force, a citizens committee studying fi. trafficway and com- mercial improvements in that area. She also represents Mendota Heights as a member of the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities. A registered architect, Blesener is an Associate with the firm of Trossen/Wright in West St. Paul. Blesener, and her husband Jack, have lived at their current address for 7'/z years, and have two children at home. CARL "BUZZ" CUMMINS III 2312 Nashua Lane Cummins is currently Director of Government Relations for Minnegasco, Inc, in Minneapolis. He served as Special Assistant to the Governor from 1979 to 1982, and prior to that, had five years of law practice in Minnesota. Cummins is an at -large representa- tive on the Highway 110/149 Task Forma citizens group studying potential trafficway and commercial improve- ments in that area of the city. A St. Paul area native, Cummins, his wife Judy, and their two children have re- sided at their current address for two years. He was a founder of the Delaware Crossing Home- owners Association. LIM In the excitement of electing a President and other Federal and State office -holders, it's easy to forget the local elections. Don'tl City government is important too, since it is that level closest to the citizen. This year, Mendota Heights voters will elect a Mayor for a two-year term, and two Council - members, each for a four-year term. The local ballot will also include the question of whether liquor sales in restaurants or hotels/motels should be allowed on Sunday. This issue of Heights Highlites profiles the candidates for City office. Other articles discuss the Sunday liquor issue, and tell you where and how you vote. We hope it will help you be a better informed participant in this great democratic process. CHARLES E. MERTENSOTTO 2371 Rogers Avenue Mertensotto has served on the City Council from January 1, 1962 through May, 1969, and from June 1, 1976 to the present. From May, 1969 to January 1, 1971, he was a Dakota County Commissioner. He has been a member of the Dakota County Library Board since 1973, 7'/z years as President. Mertensotto is also a member of the Citizen's Advisory Com- mittee on transporta- tion and environmental issues of the Airport South development in Bloomington, and chairs the Metropolitan Airports Commission (M.A.C.)/ City committee on disposition of M.A.C. lands in Mendota Heights. He and his wife Arlean have resided at their current address for 25 years, where they raised three children. He is Attorney - at -Law with the St. Paul firm of Rowland and Mertensotto. The Mendota Heights Fireman's Auxiliary needs your help in their semi-annual blood drive, which will be held at St. Peter's Church, (off TH 13), on February 5th, from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. If you are interested in donating, call Rita Maczko at 454- 1628 NOW! She will record your name and phone number and you will be contacted/ reminded a few days before the Fireman Auxiliary and Red Cross• set up at the church. Beverages and snacks will be donated by local merchants. PAGE 2 MENDOTA HEIGHTS HIGHLITES FALL, 1984 • 1• , 0 • '• 1i 'A' Thanks to a generous donation from a local corporation, the Mendota Heights Police Depart- ment will be using a computer to chart the progress of its successful Neighborhood Crime Watch program. The Apple "Macintosh", an "Imagewriter" printer and assorted software was given to the Department by Schaak Electronics of Mendota Heights. The donation was made possible through the interest and efforts of Dick Schaak, Barbara Valencour and Fred Wilson of the local firm. Police Chief Dennis Delmont says the Department is still exploring the possibilities afforded by the new equipment. "The "Mac" can keep track of our neighborhoods, do crime charting and forecasting, maintain Neighborhood Watch lists, file and project financial data, compose and edit the Crimewatch Newsletter, and that is just a start," according to Delmont. He added, "The real joy of the Apple Macintosh is that it is up and running and ready to use from the minute you take it out of the box." Schaak is also providing technical assistance in the area of training and equipment needs. The Neighborhood Crime Watch program had reached a total of 400 homes at the time this article was written. By the time you read it, we should be near the 600 mark. If you are not involved, you are fast becoming the minority. Do yourself, your family, and your neighborhood a favor and get involved. Neighborhood Crime Watch is the smarter and safer solution! For Information call 452-1366. "I'm sorrry, That old ballad by Brenda Lee is what this editor would say/sing to Kim Henning and Mary Trader. Both had their photo and an article pertaining to them in Highiites summer issue, and in both, the photos reproduced dark and muddy. Well ladies, I'm trying to make amends by reprinting your photos. Congratulations again, Mary, for being honored by the Minnesota Crime Pre- vention Officers Association for your efforts on behalf of the Mendota Heights Neighborhood, Cri me Watch Program, and Kim, I've al- ready apologized to you in my office, but I would like to pass along to our readers that Kim has received many compliments and well cones" from callers to the City offices. She says she often gets calls that start e "is this Kim?", which brings a smile to her face that lasts the whole day. Editor If you have not registered to vote, you have the opportunity to register on election day at your precinct polling place. In order to register to vote, you must provide the proper proof of residency, which includes a valid Minnesota Driver's License, Learner's Permit, Minnesota Identification Card, or a receipt for either, with an address in the precinct you are voting in. College students may use a student fee statement, student identification card, or a student registration card, but these methods of identification must show an address in the proper precinct and must have a current date. If you don't have any of the identifications listed above, a person that you know, who is a registered voter in your precinct, may vouch for your residency. The judges may not accept any other form of Proof of Residency. Emergency voting cards are used when the judges do not have a valid registration card in their file. If you are registered to vote and the judges do Our first Video store will open in late November next to Tom Thumb (on the south end of the building) at 1948 Dodd Road just north of High- way 110. The owners of the store, Video King, Inc. of St. Paul, opened their first store in 1980 on the East side of St. Paul and have since expanded into a second location in Maplewood. Starting inventory in the new store will include over 2,000 movies in both Beta and VHS format. A nice feature of their operation is the large inventory, over 12,000 tapes at the other two stores, which can be rented and returned at any of the three locations. Catherine Stoefen, who currently manages the Maplewood store will be coming to operate the Mendota Heights store and says that she plans to carry multiple copies of the most popular movies, as many as 30 copies of some titles. For those of us with discriminating tastes there is free hot popcorn in all the stores to munch on while engaged in the decision making process. The store also rents recorders and has many special promotions, which will be showing up in local publications, and does not have any "clubs" to join before you can rent a tape. •EA • not have your card, they will check with CitS to verify that you are registered. When the juayes have verified that you are registered, they will ask you to fill out an Emergency Voting Card. (Should you be registered, but the judges are unable to verify your registration with City Hall, they will ask you to fill out a new registration card. We ask for your patience with the judges, as they are not responsible for the misplacement of voting regis- tration cards.) During the process of preparing for an election, we receive many registrations and because of the volume of voters in the City, occasions have arisen where new registrations could become misfiled or lost. Every effort is taken to try to avoid this situation, but sometimes an occasional card becomes lost. We apologize for any inconvenience on your part and ask for your understanding and cooperation. Cathy Stoefen, new manager of Video King FALL,1984 The 1984 General and City Election will be held Tuesday, November 6th. The following infor- ation will help answer your general questions on election laws, precinct polling place locations, voter registration, and voting equipment. It will also give you a very broad idea of what your election judges and staff do on election day. PRECINCT POLLING PLACES You may determine which precinct you reside in by referring to the precinct maps which accompany this article. Please check the map carefully to determine where you should vote. Also, remember that if you voted in the School District election earlier in the year, that the City Election polling place and the polling place for a School District election may not be the same place. If you reside in Precinct 1, your polling place is located in the gym at the north end of Somerset Elementary School, 1355 Dodd Road. Precinct 2 residents will vote in the City Council Chambers which are located on the lower level of the Dakota County State Bank Building, 750 South Plaza Drive. Parking is provided on the south side of the building and can be easily accessed from the first driveway entrance to the building, the drive-in teller access drive. The Precinct 3 polling place is located in the gymnasium of the Mendota School, 1979 Summit lane. If you are a resident of Precinct 4, and have -meted in past elections, you have become istomed to voting in the Henry Sibley Senior ,.gh School gymnasium. Our use of the gym- nasium has posed problems for the school admin- istration and has disrupted school activities on election day. We have been requested to move our polling place to the School Board's Board Room and agree that it will provide much more pleasant and permanent accommodations for voting. The Board Room, room number A-241, is located on the main floor level of the school, the same floor as the gym. The entrance doors are located at the northeast end of the building. Directional signs will be placed in the corridor for your convenience. GENERAL INFORMATION The November 6th ballot will consist of many pages. After you have voted, please check your ballot to be sure that you have voted for all of the offices and questions. If you find you have mis- punched your ballot card or that your ballot is "spoiled" in any way, please feel free to ask the judges for a new ballot. BALLOT INFORMATION The General and City Election ballot booklet will be very large. It will include the federal offices of President and Vice President, U.S. Senate and U.S. Fourth District Congressional candidates. The ballot will include candidates for State Legislature in District 38 (Precincts 2 and 3 only) and District (Precincts 1 and 4 only), numerous judicial .ces, and Third District Dakota County Commis- sioner candidates. The City portion of the ballot includes Mayoral and City Council offices, and a special ballot to determine whether on -sales of liquor may be made within the City on Sunday. (See separate article). MENDOTA HEIGHTS HIGHLITES PAGE 3 The polls will be open for voting from 7:00 A.M. until 8:00 P.M. At 7:00 A.M., a precinct judge will announce that the polls are open. The judges may not issue ballots to voters before the opening is announced. At 8:00 P.M., a judge will announce that the polls are closed. Individuals who are waiting in the polling place or are in line at the door to register or to vote at 8:00 P.M. will be allowed to vote. No individuals who come to the polling place after the time for poll closing will be allowed to vote. The precinct judges are required by State law to enforce the hours of opening and closing. WRITE-IN VOTES Pencils will be provided in each voting booth so that any voter who wishes to vote by write-in may do so. The pencils should only be used for write- ins, and should never be used to write on a ballot card or to punch a ballot card. If you choose to write-in the name of a candi- date for a particular office, lines are provided for this purpose on your ballot envelope. Be sure to copy the office as it appears on the ballot page, and print the candidate's name. If you cast a write- in vote for an office, do not also punch a vote for any candidates for that office unless the ballot states that you may vote for more than one candidate. The vote-a-matic election system has been used in Mendota Heights for several years. Most of those who vote on November 6th will have used the voting devices several times, but since elec- tions only occur every two years, you may be unsure of how to use the equipment. In each polling place, an election judge is assigned the specific responsibility of demonstrat- ing use of the vote-a-matics. The demonstration is designed not just for new voters, but for every voter who enters the polling place on election day. The "demonstrator" will show you how to make a paper punch on your ballot, the proper way to place your ballot in its envelope, and the proper way to cast a write-in vote. You are encouraged to take a moment on election day to participate in the vote-a-matic demonstration. FP'AGE 6 MENDOTAFALL,•; On Friday, August 31, 1984, a private plane with two passengers colided with a commercial airline carrying 296 passengers and a crew of 9, which had just taken off from Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. Both planes disappeared from the Controller's screen in the area of Gun Club Lake, near 1-494 and Highway 13. Within minutes switchboards at the Mendota Heights and Eagan Police Departments were jammed with calls that reported the crash and gave conflicting pieces of information on location and magnitude of the disaster. If you wonder why Dave, Cindy or Ron didn't tell you about this disaster on the 6 o'clock news it is because it only happened on a table top! This scenario was a simulated drill involving over 50 people from surrounding communities in Dakota, Ramsey and Hennepin Counties. They are mem- bers of the Dakota County Aircraft Disaster Committee and have been working for over a year to prepare for the possibility of such a disaster. Committee members represent the police, fire, public works and emergency preparedness de- partments of the cities in Dakota County, the emergency medical community, airline companies, coroner's office, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, several public utilities, the American Red Cross, Dakota and Ramsey Counties, the Metropolitan Council and a large assortment of other professionals and volunteers. The drill progressed quickly. An Emergency Operating Center and Command Posts was estab- lished. Police officers participating in the operation provided a perimeter and the fire personnel em- barked on their search and rescue mission. Help was requested and obtained from neighboring communities. The emergency medical teams set up their command post and triage area to treat and transport the injured, and the Coroner's Office established a temporary morgue for those less fortunate. At two minute intervals, 70 different messages were received and the appropriate action was taken. The messages ranged from extremely serious to trivial and were designed as part of the drill to confuse and tax the system that had been put in place to deal with the disaster. The drill went remarkably well. With so many different organizations and people involved in such a stressful exercise, you would expect communica- Mendota Heights Mayor Bob Lockwood recounts the 25 year history of building Interstate 35E at the October 26th dedication ceremony. tion problems, jealousies, organizational failure and "who's -in -charge" questions, to drastically interfere with the mission at hand, but that was not the case. There were some minor mistakes discussed at the one hour critique that followed the exercise, and everyone involved understood that this was a good beginning, and not an end; but it was gratifying to see police and fire and the rest of the groups working together as one pro- fessional and cooperative unit. We in Mendota Heights live in the "footprint" one of the largest and safest airports in country. We have been fortunate in the past, but must be prepared for the future. That is why your Police, Fire, Public Works, Administrative and Emergency Preparedness Departments are working together with similar groups from throughout the Metro area to develop plans and programs to better protect the people and property in our community. Stand Upwind You Talk1 This City Employee ' 'LUN' Tom Olund, a ten year employee of the Public Works Department claims to have heard every Ed Norton & Ralph Cramden joke ever used on the old Honeymooners show. His job as Utility Lead Person, translated that means he maintains the city sewers, seems to bring out the "comic" in everyone. "Your mind is always in the gutter" or "my raw untreated effluent is your bread and butter" are examples. Not good examples, just examples, Actually, Tom's job requires more than just sticking his head below the Sewer Access Opening covers. He's responsible for cleaning storm sewers and sanitary sewer mains with a high pressure "Jetter", cleans and maintains the sewage and storm water lift stations that pump sewage to higher elevations from the developed low areas of the city, inspects all new sewer service connections to homes and businesses, runs air pressure tests on new sewer mains, some hydrant maintenance, and answers residents' complaints when their sewer service clogs up. Very often when a home owner has a backedup drain in the basement their first thought is that the sewer main in the street is blocked. This is almost never the case. Roots entering the sewer service through cracks or joints somewhere between the house and the sewer in the street is usually the problem. A problem for the homeowner, not the city. The city is only responsible for the sewer main in the street and the homeowner is responsible for the sewer service from the house all the way out to the street up to the actual connection to the main. Often the problem can be temporarily solved by having a plumber use a "snake", run down the cleanout in the basement, to clear the blockage or cut out some roots. In extreme cases the service must be dug up and repaired. One recent example of root problems that Tom observed was a homeowner who had to have his service dug up and a section of From: City Of Mendota Heights 750 Plaza Drive South Mendota Heights, Mn. 55120 pipe removed which had a solid mass of roots over two feet long completely blocking the pipe. During the winter months, Tom, like all the other employees in the Public Works Department switch over to snow removal and cleaning of skating rinks in the parks. A busy person. Yes, and he's also on the Mendota Heights Volunteer Fire Department. When not at work Tom likes to hunt and fish. His wife, Debbie and their three sons can attest to the fact that he is an avid hunter and fisherman. Every week or two he has a new tale to tell of the one that got away or got caught or the one that he's gonna get this weekend. His most recent hunting trip to Wyoming resulted in a muledeer to pack into the freezer, but his eyes sparkle when you mention that the Minne.F deer hunting season starts soon, and then lakes freeze and its time for ice fishing. And then the lakes thaw and its ... Bulk Rate U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 6166 St. Paul, Mn. 551 FALL, 1984 MENDOTA HEIGHTS HIGHLITES PAGE 5 When you enter your precinct polling place on _.action day, November 6th, and study the sample ballot posted for your review, you will see a special page which has never before appeared in the City's portion of the ballot. On the last page of your ballot booklet, you will be asked to vote on the "Special Election Ballot" question which asks whether the City Council should issue licenses to allow "on -sales" of liquor in restaurants, hotels and motels on Sundays. State law provides that restaurants and hotel/motel operations which have been issued "on -sale" licenses may also apply for "Special Sunday Liquor licenses". The voters in the com- munity must first approve a Sunday liquor sales provision before license requirements can be established. As of this writing, the City Council has not received any applications for the sale of liquor in restaurant or hotel/motel operations at "on -sale" (by the drink). However, with continuing growth of the business park area near 1-494 and Pilot Knob Road, it is anticipated that such requests will come in the future. It is also anticipated that those businesses to whom "on -sale" licenses are ultimately issued will want to know whether on -sales will be allowed on Sundays. Their question can only be answered by you. Please take the time to study and vote on the Special Election Ballot. A majority of those voting ^ri the ballot will determine whether or not iday sales may occur. Most cities which license liquor sales in res- taurants, hotels, and motels, including the sur- rounding communities of Mendota, Lilydale, West St. Paul, and Eagan, also issue Sunday licenses. A pretty dry sounding subject. But it's impor- tant to Mendota Heights. An expanded tax base means slower growth in property taxes and more jobs in Mendota Heights. In the spring of 1981, the City Council approved the formation of a Tax Increment District within the City to assist and encourage the redevelop- ment of some 125 acres of land in various areas of the City. A principal goal in establishing the District was to facilitate relocation of the Public Safety Department with redevelopment of land along TH 149 (the new fire station) and the development of the area in the southwest corner of the City (industrial park), along with the return from public ownership to the tax rolls of some 70 acres of land owned by the Metropolitan Airports Commission (the Mn DOT maintenance building off LeMay is on part of this area). The original plan as approved, detailed approxi- mately 20 different projects and stages estimated to cost a total of $6,500,000. A ten-year phasing of the proposed improvements was envisioned with special assessments and charges contributing to the overall District income. To date, many of the projects are advancing through the planning phases, with construction completed on four projects. The coming years should see construction underway on three or four additional projects. Some of the work in the area of TH 55 will be dependent upon Mn/DOT con- struction schedules in the area. The most significant step for the future is the return to the tax rolls of some 55 acres currently owned by the Metropolitan Airports Commission. This land, adjacent to Pilot Knob Road, south of Acacia Cemetery, represents the largest unutilized The 1985 budget for the City of Mendota Heights holds good news for those who receive services from the City, and for those who pay for them; In other words, all of usl The General Fund budget, adopted by the City Council on September 18th, is $1,508,150, up about 5.5% from 1984. Largest percent increases are in the Police (10.5%) and Fire (16.7%) de- partments, where residential and business growth is having the most impact on demand for services. The budget continues 31 full-time employees, but adds four volunteer firefighters at an annual cost of around $4,000. The budget also appropriates funds for several new projects and services: 1. Construction of a portion of the "backbone" bike trail system, most likely that segment along Lexington Avenue from Mendota Heights Road to Marie Avenue. 2. The beginning of a lighting program for arterial streets, beginning with the installation of ten lights in 1985, and adding approximately ten each year thereafter. 3. Preparation of a comprehensive, all -hazards emergency preparedness plan. 4. A study of the need for a City Hall to house the Administration, Code Enforcement, Engineer- ing and Police Departments. This would be an alternative to the current leased facilities in the Dakota County State Bank building. At the same time the budget is up 5.5%, the average Mendota Heights resident will enjoy an approximate 5% decrease in the City portion of the property tax bill. This has been made possible by sizeable growth in the City's assessed property valuation (from new residential and commercial growth), increase in aid payments from the State of Minnesota, and use of Federal Revenue Sharing monies for capital expenses (trucks, radios, etc.) that otherwise would come from the property tax. According to a 1984 survey by the Citizen's League, a Twin Cities public interest research group, Mendota Heights has the second lowest property tax rate of any community in the metro- politan area. The 1985 budget should continue that enviable status, while meeting the needs of our growing community. tract in the City. The area has been rezoned Industrial and should provide an attractive ex- tension of the existing Industrial Park. Upon completion of the major developments, we envision the District encouraging over $100,000,000 of new construction in the City, providing some $25,000,000 of new taxable values and about $2,300,000 of annual tax revenues to the City, County, and School District. The City's share of the 1981 tax revenues from these lands was $76,558. On the present schedule, all projects should be completed by 1994, with the District, according to Minn. statutes, being dissolved after 25 years in 1996. Last Friday, October 26, was another milestone in completion of our freeways. Local, State, and Federal dignitaries were on hand to "cut the ribbon" for three local sections of highway: 35E from Lone Oak Road in Eagan to Highway 110 in Mendota Heights, 494 from Highway 55 to 35E on the Mendota Heights/Eagan border, and 35E from West Seventh Street to St. Clair Avenue in St. Paul. With this opening, the temporary 494 route will be changed from its current Mendota Bridge/Highway 110 alignment. Instead, 494 traffic coming east out of Bloomington will be directed across the new river crossing bridge to 35E, where they will then head north to Highway 110. The section of 110, from 35E in Mendota Heights to Highway 3 in South St. Paul will continue to serve as "temporary" 494, until the new 494 aligment through Sunfish Lake and Inver Grove Heights is completed in a couple of years. The remaining section of 35E in Eagan will be completed next year, as the easterly extension of 494 to the Dodd Road (TH 149) interchange. It is hoped that Dodd Road south into Eagan can be reopened this November, but unfavorable weather could delay that project until spring. Completion of the 35E parkway to downtown St. Paul will be done in stages, with the last link to be opened around the end of the decade. The TH13 bridge over Lilydale Road is being replaced and will not be completed until next spring, so watch for a slow down here if you take that route. The long anticipated improvement of the Mendota Bridge-TH 55 -Highway 110 intersection (often referred to as the most hazardous inter- section in the State) will not begin until the late 1980's and take an estimated three years to complete. MAGE 4 MENDOTA«; COUPLES VOLLEYBALL - recreational play for fun, Friday evenings at Somerset Elementary School gym, 7:00-9:00 p.m., starting November 30 -Feb. 22. Pre -registration is a must. Contact City offices (452-1850) by November 21. Fee: $10.00 per couple. No play on December 28th or January 4th. With the snow season upon us once more, it is time to think about where one is to park his/or her car during a snowfall. All residents are reminded of the city ordinance which states: "No person shall park any vehicle upon any street or road in, the city for more than thirty minutes during the time intervening between a snowfall and the plowing thereof' not parking on the street enables the city maintenance crews to plow the streets faster and safer, and all the way to the edge of the road. Also a reminder for persons who plow driveways or persons who hire their driveways plowed. It is against city ordinance to deposit snow removed from private property onto a city street. Snow removed from private property should be placed back upon same property, not pushed across the street or left on the street, even if the street has not been plowed. For those residents who have just shoveled out the drive and look out and see one of our plows come by and "dump" snow into that space you so laborously cleared don't feel that we're "dumping on you" intentionally. It is the nature of snow being carried by a plow blade to fill any voids it may encounter. As the plow travels along a boulevard with a snow bank built up some of the snow is deposited on the bank but the blade "cleans" itself when it hits an area where there is no snowbank. Your driveway. The city does not have the equipment or enough employees or time to go back and clean out driveways. All that we can ask is that you not clean the driveway until after the plows have gone by and understand our problems. Any questions can be directed to Dick Ploumen, Public Works Superintendant, 454-4059. Is it coming? When? Where? How much? Find out Thursday, November 8th in the Council Chambers at the regular meeting of the City Council. The day was changed from the first Tuesday of the month because the council chambers also serve as the Precinct #4 polling place. Mendota Heights and the communities of West St. Paul, South St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights, Mendota, Sunfish Lake, and Lillydale all will be covered by cable system. They also are the firm wiring St. Paul. If you can't make it to the meeting, fear not. All the facts and details will be reported in the local newspapers. Don't be in a hurry. Some parts of Mendota Heights, once the installation begins, will have to wait up to three years before they can be hooked up. SENIOR CITIZEN PROGRAM - An active club for Mendota Heights Senior Citizens (60 years of age or older) is being formed. Club would meet at least once a month for planned activities. If interested in this program, please respond by November 21 by calling City Offices at 452-1850. OUTDOOR SKATING RINKS - Weather per- mitting, warming houses will open December 17th through mid-February. Hours will be as follows: Monday -Friday, 4-9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon -6 p.m. Christmas Eve Day and New Years Eve Day, noon -4 p.m. Closed Christmas Day and New Years Day. On school holidays, noon -5 p.m., and again in the evening 6-9 p.m. Note: Rinks will be closed when the temperature is -10° or less, and when snowfall has not been cleared. WARMING HOUSE AND RINK LOCATIONS Friendly Hills Wentworth (between Dodd and Wachtler) Marie (west of Victoria) Ivy Hills (off Butler and Ivy Hill Drive) There will be rules posted at rinks. Each rink will have an ice rink attendant. Mendota Heights Park and Recreation Depart- ment plans to have the cross country ski trails groomed during this winter season. Dakota County Being a relatively small community, Mendota Heights has one code enforcement officer, who must handle both office calls and field inspections. Under the State Building Code, the local officer/ inspector has numerous responsibilities, including the review of building plans, issuance of permits, and field inspections. By and large, these duties must be carried out by the certified inspec- tor, and cannot be delegated to someone else. With a "one-man" office, our inspector/code enforcement officer, Paul Berg, must handle both walk-in office business, as well as scheduled field inspections. In a desire to be responsive and service-oriented, Paul has attempted to schedule inspections at any time they are requested. Unfortunately, this has left him less responsive for office calls. People have come in expecting to be able to see the inspector, and become very upset when they learn that he will not be available for several hours. In order to better manage this divided work load, regular office hours of: 8:00-9:00 a.m., 12:30-1:00 p.m., and 3:30-4:30 p.m. will be established, and Paul will not take inspections during those hours except in extreme emergencies. If you plan to add on or remodel call Paul at the city offices, 452-1850 and set up an appointment. He can confirm or dispel your fears, answer your questions, or give helpful hints on "how to" "when to", or whatever "to" you need to knov Park Dept. has cross country ski grooming equip- ment and the Park & Rec. Commission is attempt- ing to make arrangements to have the City's ski trails groomed by them. The existing trails can be reached from the Valley Park parking lot off Marie Ave. just south of 1-35E and the Friendly Hills one can be reached from the end of Huber Dr. The Friendly Hills trail loop takes about thirty minutes to complete and the Valley Park trail approxi- mately twenty to thirty minutes but has the option of connecting into the Ramsey County trail system along the river beyond Lilydale.