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Issue 12 - Heights Highlights Summer 1988PAGE 1 JUL-17,1988 ISSUE 12 NEW ELECTION EQUIPMENT ON DISPLAY When you are given a ballot at the Sep- tember 13th Primary Election, you may ex- perience xperience a little deja-vu. For the first time since 1974, you will be given a paper ballot rather than a punch -card. Optical Scan election equipment has been purchased for use in each of the City's six precincts. You will be given an 8 1/2 inch paper ballot at upcoming elec- tions, and will be instructed to complete a portion of an arrow to indicate your vote for each candidate and question. After you have completed voting, you will place your ballot into an optical scan reader which will automatically record your votes. At the end of the day, the judges will turn a key on the machine, and will receive a printed tape of the election results. Com- plete printed results should be available within an hour after the polls close. The League of Women Voters has gra- ciously volunteered to assist City staff in conducting formal demonstrations of the new election equipment and to register new voters on two evenings in August. The first demonstration will be held on August 9th, from 6:30 to 9:00 P.M., at the Fire Sta- tion, 2121 Dodd Road. The second will be on August 16th from 7:00 to 9:00 P.M. in the lower level of the Dakota County State Bank Building, in the hallway adjacent to the City Council Chambers. You are invited and encouraged to par- ticipate in the demonstrations, or to visit REGISTERED TO VOTE? Is your voter's registration current? When you come to the polls to vote this fall, the Election Judges will look for your name on the Precinct Registration Lists. If your name doesn't appear on the list, the judges must ask you to register before they ran issue you a ballot. If you are a new resi- at who has not yet registered, please 6Lop at City Hall and spend five minutes completing the form or call us at 452-1850 and we will send a form to your home. New residents are not the only voters whose names may be missing from the registration lists. You may be a long-time resident who has voted here for many years or you may have registered at the polls in the past, only to find that your name does not appear on the lists on elec- tion day. We encourage you to contact City Hall to be sure that your registration is current. Spending a small amount of time now to verify your registration may save you time and frustration on election day. the City Offices and view the equipment during regular office hours. FOLLOW THAT DOG! No, that's not the title for a new movie. It's a somewhat less than subtle directive to dog owners who walk their pets on public property or allow them to wander onto property owned by others. One affect of the City's growth over the past few years has been a significant increase in the City's pet population. Unfortunately, not all pet owners are acting responsibly. Numerous complaints have been received about dog wastes in parks and on public trails. To combat this problem, the Council recently enacted an ordinance which re- quires dog owners to clean up after their pets. Paraphrasing the ordinance, it is un- lawful for anyone to allow a dog to be on any property other than its owner's unless that person has a device in his immediate possession for the removal of the animal's waste. That person must also have in his possession a depository for the transmis- sion of the excrement to a proper recep- tacle located upon his property. The new regulations are intended to make life much more pleasant for those who don't have dogs and those dog owners who were following these formerly unwrit- ten rules. For those who were not, it may no longer be easy to overlook the obvious. Violation of the ordinance can result in a citation and significant fine. LEARN AND EARN Beginning next year, City Council meetings will be available for the community's "viewing pleasure" on Cable Channel 18. The Northern Dakota Coun- ty Cable Commission is currently training camera operators for Mendota Heights and other cities in the area. If you're 16 or older, and would like to earn $5.00/hour by helping keep your community informed, call Vicki Long at 450-9891. PAGE 2 HEIGHTS HIGHLITES JULY 1988 PUBLIC SAFETY NEWS RICH WEINZETTEL REMEMBERED In May, the Richard Weinzettel family presented the Fire Department with a Chrome Fire Bell in memory of Rich who Tom Weinzettel, Rich's wife, Laurita, and Chief John Maczko passed on just before Christmas, 1987. The Weinzettel family has been as- sociated with the Fire Department since the department's organization in 1947. Rich's father Jake, was a charter member of the department, who served 14 years as the first Assistant Fire Chief and 9 years as Fire Chief. . Rich retired in 1980 after 31 years of service on the Department, the last ten years as Assistant Chief. His brother Bob served for 30 years before retiring in 1980. The Weinzettel tradition of fire service continues: Rich's son Tom is a 17 year department veteran. The community has lost a caring friend, the Department a cherished member. "The bell will be used to open and close all departmental business meetings," says Fire Chief Maczko, "so that Rich will al- ways be a part of the Department." BURNING PERMITS REQUIRED Open burning within the City, including recreational fires, is always a matter of concern to the Fire Department. The ex- tremely dry conditions this summer heighten that concern. A backyard "wienie roast" could have disastrous results. The City's fire prevention code addres- ses all open burning within the City. No outside burning is allowed within the City unless a permit is specifically issued by the Fire Department. While individuals can obtain permits for recreational fires, such fires must not exceed 3' by 3' in size. The Fire Department is often called to recrea- tional fires by passing motorists or a con- cerned neighbor on a walk. Permits help keep the dispatchers informed of where recreational fires are in progress so that the Fire Department is not unnecessarily dispatched. Permits for recreation fires are relative - HOT ENOUGH? The extremely dry and hot weather this year has been responsible for an abnor- mally high number of grass and brush fires. Through June 20th, the Fire Department has responded to 28 such fires. Please, be careful when barbecuing or smoking out- doors. The weather is also responsible for im- position of an odd/even watering ban. Low water supplies could mean disaster if there should be a fire. The ban was imposed to keep water reservoirs at a safe level to handle any fires. Please follow the guidelines and remind neighbors who may have forgotten the ban. The sprinkling ban does not apply to new lawns. The Heights Highlites is a government newsletter distributed to residents to in- form them on events and activities that af- fect Mendota Heights. All articles, as well as layout and production, are done by City staff members. If you or someone you know is not receiving the newsletter, contact the City offices at 452-1850, and the names and locations will be added to our distribution list. ly easy to obtain. If you have never received a recreational fire permit, you must con- tact City Hall (452-1850) at least 48 hours before you would like to have the fire so that the area can be inspected by the Fire Department. The property owner must be present during this inspection, and if the area is in compliance the inspector will issue a permit at that time. Once a permit has been issued for a particular address, it will be permanently recorded. As long as the area where the fire will be conducted does not change, the owner will be able to obtain a permit from City Hall from 8:00 to 4:30 weekdays without having a property reinspection. Changing Times The construction boom is creating sub- tle changes in our community. While our permanent population has increased, our transient population, including construc- tion workers, delivery persons, prospe tive home buyers and folks who just want to look around, has increased even more. When you add these numbers to the im- pact of the new freeway system, the product is a very busy time for the Police Department. Crime investigation keeps us busy, but it is actually the smallest part of our workload. We have kept our crime rates from escalating in proportion to the City's growth by being vigilant on the street, being extremely conscious of what is going on and paying close attention to our citizens. Crime prevention activities have increased at a tremendous rate, 16% over last year. Traffic arrests are up by 13% over 1987. Officer initiated activities in- creased 41% and criminal offenses and warrants are up 47%. Officer follow-up on cases or complaints rose by 68%. Many of our arrests are made as a result of citizen calls. Crimes are being solved with the information you provide. Con- tinue to watch, continue to call. We rely on your on-going help. Our CrimeWatch areas are strong and provide us with an ex- cellent source of information. If your neighborhood is not in the CrimeWatc program call us, at 452-1366, to get started. The cost of complacency is crime - crime that touches all of us. PAGE 3 HEIGHTS HIGHLITES JULY, 1988 GYM NIGHT Firefighters and the Fire Auxiliary sponsored a Monday evening gym night at Mendota School during March and April. We had a great time with the kids and Happy Hydrants Fire hydrants within the City are being -,en a face lift this year. Public Works sonnel are painting the hydrants to spruce them up and make them more visible to emergency personnel. If you think that the painters have gone a little crazy by painting multi -colored hydrant caps, we can assure you they have not. The different colored caps are a code to provide a quick reference to the Fire Department as to the size of the water - mains. CITY DIRECTORY Council Members: Charles Mertensotto, Mayor 454-3394 Janet Blesener 454-1811 Carl Cummins, Ill 454-6262 John Hartmann 457-6435 Elizabeth Witt 454-2657 Staff Members Kevin Frazell, Administrator 452-1850 Kathleen Swanson, City Clerk 452-1850 James Danielson, 452-1086 Public Works Director nis Delmont, Police Chief 452-1366 .-.m Maczko, Fire Chief 454-3266 Paul Berg, Code 452-1850 Enforcement Officer would like to thank them and the parents who participated. Thanks also to the cus- todians at the school for their special help. WEED WATCH The City Code Enforcement staff is ac- tively enforcing ordinances regulating the removal of noxious weeds or grass more than 12" tall. Violators will be notified and given a reasonable time to correct the problem. If notices are ignored, the city will contract to have the property mowed, then bill the property owner. You can maintain your property cheaper than we can maintain it for you. If you've overlooked the impact your neglected lot has on your neighborhoods, don't overlook the impact it may have on your wallet. COME DANCE WITH US We know it's a little bit early, but we don't want you to miss the 40th Annual Firemen's Ball in October at the Majestic Ballroom in Cottage Grove. This year, music will be provided by the "Conver- tibles", a 50's and 60's band that travels the upper Midwest area. Firefighters will be coming door to door after Labor Day selling tickets. We're hoping for a good turn -out, so please schedule October 7th on your calendar now. NEIGHBORHOOD ATTRACTIONS Mendota Heights is a community to be proud of, and that pride shows in every neighborhood. Now that summer is here, and we are outside more often, perhaps it's time to take a closer look at what's being stored in our yards. City Ordinances set guidelines for what is permissible. Com- pliance with the guidelines ensures attrac- tive neighborhood environments. Non- compliance often attracts the attention of the City's code enforcement staff. Unlicensed cars and car parts, includ- ing tires, are not allowed in your yard un- less they are screened from public view. Recreational vehicles, such as campers, boats, snowmobiles and trailers, may only be placed in the rear yard or on one side of your lot. They may not, however, be stored in any portion of the yard adjacent to a street. A recurring source of complaints is woodpiles. Since many of our homes are equipped with fireplaces and wood burners, large quantities of wood have been appearing all over town. You may legally store one cord of wood (4' by 4' by 8) in your yard. Obviously, an accummulation of gar- bage is not permissible, but sometimes other objectional items are overlooked, such as left over construction materials, brush, appliances and similar debris. Take a look at your yard through your neighbors' eyes and remove any unsightly debris. Fences are often taken for granted. When they become broken and unmain- tained, the whole neighborhood looks neglected: a new coat of paint and some minor repairs could make a big difference in the appearance of your property. Trees, shrubs and bushes, like fences, are also taken for granted. If allowed to grow out of control, they can become a real hazard to the neighborhood and com- munity in general. Sometimes they grow to a point where they block the view of inter- sections, endangering both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Owners of corner lots should regularly check and trim any over- growth that obstructs the view of signs or street intersections. These City guidelines were adopted many years ago to ensure the enhanced ap- pearance and safety of our community. Adherence to these guidelines will be ap- preciated by the City, and, more impor- tantly, by your neighbors. PAGE 4 HEIGHTS HIGHLITES JULY 1988 Another busy construction season is upon us. Five development projects and the completion of a major connector street are planned for this year. The Victoria Highlands development, located in the northeast quadrant of Marie and Victoria, consists of 38 residential lots and 32 upscale townhome lots. The project also includes the extension of a bike trail all the way from Valley Park (east of I - 35E) to Douglas Road. If you've had occasion to travel on Dodd Road south of Highway 110 lately, you've probably noticed lots of dirt being moved at the northeast corner of Mendota Heights Road and Dodd Road. When the dust settles, you will see the beginnings of a residential development called Bridgeview Shores. This plat will be developed in several small phases and will have about 69 lots when completed. As the name implies, Bridgeview Shores will in- clude several scenic ponds. A bridge will cross one of them, connecting two sections of the neighborhood. A number of walking trails will also be constructed throughout the plat. Kensington Estates, a proposed "Manor Home" development south of proposed Mendota Heights Road, is scheduled for construction late this sum- mer. The typical Manor Home consists of an 8 unit building, something of a cross be- tween a small exclusive apartment build- ing and a large townhome building. The development will contain 132 units when it is complete. Two smaller subdivisions are also due for construction this season. Sibley Heights, located west of Sibley High on Warrior Drive, is already under construc- tion. It will have 24 new single family lots. Another relatively small development comes on the heels of three other very suc- cessful projects when construction begins later this year on the final phase of Cop- perfield. The seventeen -lot Copperfield IV Addition will be very similar to the pre- vious three developments. The largest public improvement project planned for this year is the comple- tion of Huber Drive to Mendota Heights Road and the extension of Mendota Heights Road to Delaware Avenue. This project is currently under construction, and will provide better access to major roadways for people living in the southeast area of the City. RECYCLE IT! I State law requires that our current methods and philosophy of handling gar- bage must significantly change. Dakota County has developed a master plan to reduce the number of sanitary landfills and control our municipal solid waste stream. Briefly, the plan calls for: Total removal of yard wastes from the municipal solid waste stream, and the creation of composting sites, by August 1, 1989; An 11% reduction in the amount of waste produced in the county by 1990; By 1992, a 15% reduction in the waste stream by implementing recycling prac- tices Construction of a mass burn facility to reduce the volume of waste to be landfilled. To meet these ambitious goals , cities must begin taking steps now. Mendota Heights has teamed up with West St. Paul, South St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights and Goodwill Industries, Inc., to operate an at- tended donation recycling center at South Robert and Mendota Road in West St. Paul. The center is open seven days a week, 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M., and is ready to take those items that you no longer need, but which could be repaired and used by someone else. Goodwill is inter- ested in receiving clothing, small applian- ces, games and toys, furniture in good con- dition, linens, hardware, lamps, bundled newspapers, aluminum cans and glass. Donation receipts are available, so you can enjoy a tax deduction as well as 0 satisfaction of getting rid of your "exc baggage" in a socially responsible manner. You will also be helping Dakota County and the city meet their goal of reducing the solid waste stream by 15%. In the coming year, the city and county will implement other ways in which you can help reduce our solid waste problem. Meanwhile, you can help right away: reduce bagging and disposing of yard waste by mowing or mulching your lawn often; start a backyard compost pile; drop off your waste oil at a service station or the public works garage, 2331 South Lexi- ngton, 454-4059; purchase beverages in returnable bottles. For further information on the recy- cling center, you can call The Connection at 922-9000. From: City of Mendota Heights Bulk Bate 750 Plaza Drive South U S Postage Mendota Heights, Mn. 55120 9 PAID Permit No. 616r St Paul. Mn 55 POSTAL PATRON CARRIER ROUTE MENDOTA HEIGHTS, MN PRESORT SS118 AND SS120