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Issue 15 - Heights Highlights Spring 1989PAGE 1 APRIL, 1989 ISSUE 15 SPRING IS IN THE AIR! A NEW PARK PLAN The winter edition of the Highlites told you about the Citizen's Parks Review Com- mittee which had been appointed by the City Council to come up with a new plan for parks development in the community. The 25 -member group has been meeting bi-weekly since January, and on March 21st presented its preliminary recommen- dation to the Council. The Committee recommends that the development program include neighbor- hood parks, pedestrian/bicycle trails, and athletic facilities. Neighborhood park in- vestments would be divided equally be- tween upgrading our seven existing parks, and developing five new neighborhood park areas. The trail system improvements -= -uld add about 15 miles, connecting iols, parks, and other points of interest m the community. An in-depth analysis of athletic field needs showed a serious deficiency in the community's ability to meet the demands of all the local youth and adult athletic teams. Therefore, the Committee has recommended that up to twelve new softball, baseball, and soccer fields be added, located at several sites around the community. Upon recommendation of the Parks and Recreation Commission, the City Council has already acted to upgrade the baseball field adjacent to the new City Hall. Cost for the total proposal is estimated to be $2.5 million. Significant issues remain to be resolved before the proposed im- provements can be submitted to the voters in a referendum. However, the City Coun- cil has endorsed the Committee recom- mendation, and directed the Committee and City staff to work toward implementa- tion. At its meeting of May 2nd, the Council will review the matter and decide whether to call for an early summer bond referen- dum to fund the improvements. WATCH YOUR STEP? Do you enjoy walking along public trails and spending time in the City's parks? If so, you will probably be pleased with some improvements soon to be installed in public areas. The City Council has authorized staff to purchase and install signs (shown below) which will remind those of us who walk our dogs on public property to respect the rights of others. DOG WASTE IS A THREAT TO THE HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN - DEGRADES OUR TOWN - TRANSMITS DISEASE LEASH AND CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR DOG IT'S REQUIRED BY LAWI ORDINANCE NO. 9-3-9 Responding to numerous complaints, the Council adopted an ordinance last year which makes it unlawful for dog owners to fail to remove their pet's excre- ment from public property or from proper- ty owned by others. In fact, when owners walk their dogs on public property, they are now even required to carry with them a proper receptacle for removing the animal's excrement. Failure to comply with the ordinance requirements could result in a citation and significant fine. If you walk your dog in public areas, please, watch your step so others don't have to. PAGE 2 HEIGHTS HIGHLITES APRIL 1989 HAZARDOUS MATERIALS COLLECTION DAY Mendota Heights, South St. Paul, West St. Paul and Dakota County are cooperat- ing in a joint effort to help residents dis- pose of household hazardous materials. We are co -sponsoring a "Hazardous Materials Collection Day" on Saturday, May 6th at the Wentworth Building, 33 East Wentworth Avenue, West St. Paul. If we want to protect our environment, we must understand how household wastes can be harmful. Disposing of them in storm drains, sewers or septic systems, on the ground or in landfills can contaminate our ground water. Even small residues can ac- cumulate and pose a threat to ground water supplies, lakes, rivers and streams. Items such as paint or fertilizer that are still in good condition will be available at a "swap" table for re -use. If you have any questions, call the Dakota County Health Department at 450-2793. COLLECTION DAY GUIDELINES BRING IN: • paint thinners and solvents • pesticides • cleaning solvents • automotive chemicals • photographic and other hobby chemicals • paint • wood preservatives • car batteries • motor oil tires ($1.00 each) DO NOT BRING IN: • unidentified waste • radioactive materials • compressed gas • propane tanks • explosives • industrial/business waste • less than 1/2 gallon of latex paint (dry it out) RECYCLING PROGRAM REPORT The start of the Curbside Recycling Program has received an overwhelmingly positive response from residents who want to participate. During the initial sign up period, the City received 1,394 sign up cards. This amounts to a response rate of 52%, which far exceeds our expectations. We are ex- tremely delighted with this overwhelming response to our voluntary curbside recy- cling program and have ordered more con- tainers to keep up with the demand for recycling. Garbage haulers distributed containers beginning during the week of March 27th. Indications from the haulers are that most people who received a container are par- ticipating. "A major portion of our success has to be credited to the garbage haulers and the residents. The haulers have helped the City with their cooperation and the residents have displayed a tremendous amount of willingness to participate. They both deserve a pat on the back," stated Kevin Batchelder, Recycling Coordinator. The City is continuing to receive sign up cards and phone calls, from residents who want to participate. Anyone who has not signed up and wishes to do so may either contact their garbage hauler or call Kevin Batchelder at 452-1850. For more information about the hazardous waste collection day and household hazardous wastes, call the Dakota County Public Health Department, 450-2793. Take Time and CareWhen Packaging andTransporting • all items must be properly labeled • all items must be kept separate and in original containers: mak sure lids are on tight • protect your eyes and skin whe handling the waste • prevent "tip over" when transporting: line a box with a plastic bag and wrap each item in newspaper • transport items in your car's trunk or adequately ventilate the passenger compartment while transporting Collecting Volunteers A dozen volunteers from Mendota Heights are needed to help staff facilities at the Hazardous Materials Collection Day which is being co-sponsored by the City. Community volunteers must be at least 18 years old. They will perform various work station duties, such as emptying paint cans or collecting and loading automobile batteries. Dakota County will supply train- ing and protective clothing as well as meals and beverages donated by local businesses. The day will begin with a training session at 8:00 A.M. and will end at 5:00 P.M. If you would like to do your part in helping to combat hazardous waste dis- posal and groundwater pollution, you can volunteer a day of your time by calling Kevin Batchelder at 452-1850. We can all be a part of the solution. PAGE 3 HEIGHTS HIGHLITES APRIL 1989 ACTING AFFIRMATIVELY On February 9th, the City received its Certificate of Compliance for its Affirm- ative Action Plan from the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. The City had submitted its plan in November, 1988 for approval by the Human Rights Depart- ment which is requiring all cities, school districts and other governmental units to have an approved affirmative action plan in place. To submit an affirmative action plan the City had to conduct a workforce analysis to determine if there was underutilization of protected class workers, specifically women and minorities. The City was also required to examine its selection, transfer, promotion and training processes. Based on these analyses, the City then identified problem areas which in turn were ad- dressed by corrective actions outlined in the plan. Our analysis revealed no significant deficiencies in the City's employment prac- tices. The City has established goals, timetables and corrective actions to upgrade the City workforce by two female employees as positions become available. Mendota Heights is committed to making a good faith effort to attain our goals and timetables. Kevin Batchelder, Administrative As- sistant, has been appointed as the City's Affirmative Action Coordinator and is responsible for the semi-annual com- pliance reports and all Equal Opportunity Employment and Affirmative Action ef- forts required by the Department of Human Rights. Recycling Do's & Don'ts As the Curbside Recycling Program gets underway we are receiving many calls and questions about recycling. The following Do's and Don'ts about recycling should answer most of these questions. THE DO'S OF RECYCLING V Do place your container out on the same day as your normal garbage service. For instance, if you have Wednesday garbage service, you may place your container out on any Wednesday. V Do use paper grocery sacks to bag your recyclables. You may place out more recyclables than fit in the bin provided they are in paper grocery bags and clearly separated from the garbage. V Do rinse out your bottles and cans. Remove caps and rings from bot- tles. V Do contact your hauler if your col- lection was missed or you have any other questions about collection. V Do bag your yard waste separately from other refuse. V Do make sure the recycling bin is separated from normal garbage. Do place your recycling out early on your day of service. THE DON'TS OF RECYCLING V Do NOT use plastic bags to bag your recyclables. V Do NOT recycle: Aerosol Cans Aluminum foil Tin Cans (coffee & soup cans) Window glass or mirrors Telephone books Magazines or "glossy" paper Envelopes or gummy paper Plastics For further information on the Curbside Recycling Program, contact Kevin Batchelder, Recycling Coor- dinator, at 452-1850. ` Frass ERE SPRING CLEANING One of the benefits of a nice winter snowfall is that it "cleans up" the neighbor- hood by covering up a lot of things which we then tend to forget about. Spring warmth brings the promise of green grass, but the melting snow uncovers all those forgotten piles of leaves, branches, and other debris that seem to accumulate on our property. Again this spring the Code Enforce- ment staff asks that you, as property owners, take the time to clean up your yards. We share your pride in Mendota Heights and would like the City to be as attractive as possible. We are hoping that the recent awareness that we have much material which can be recycled brings the awareness that other things must be dis- posed of, and in the proper place. Maybe it would be a good time to remove that old abandoned car from the side of your garage. It may have more sal- vage value than you thought. Did the drift- ing snow finally knock down that wood pile? Now you can restack it, but only keep one cord (4'x4'x8'). Since the weather is getting pleasant, you could replace those broken fence posts and stand that leaning fence back up where it belongs. Wouldn't that make your entire yard look better? Obviously, these problems don't exist in every yard, but if we each look around we could find something to "spruce up" to im- prove the appearance of our neighbor- hood. PAGE 6 HEIGHTS HIGHLITES APRIL 1989 Is Your Dog Licensed? Are you aware that if you own a dog it must be licensed by the City each year? There are many good and obvious reasons why licensing is both necessary and benefi- cial, yet possibly as few as half of the City's canine population are properly licensed. We urge you to stop in at City Hall and spend a few minutes and a few dollars to make your pet "legal." The license not only provides assurance to other residents that your dog is currently vaccinated against rabies, it also provides identification for dogs who have wandered away from home. On the flip -side, if your dog is not licensed and is picked up by the animal control folks, the impact on your wallet could be substantial. The license year runs from June 1st through May 31st. License fees for male and spayed female dogs is $3.00 per year; the fee for unspayed females is $6.00. Licenses can be acquired without penalty CITY DIRECTORY Council Members: Charles Mertensotto, Mayor 454-3394 Janet Blesener 454-1811 Carl Cummins, III 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 Dennis Delmont, Police Chief 452-1366 John Maczko, Fire Chief 454-3266 Code Enforcement Officers: Paul Berg & Dick Gill 452-1850 through June 30th. A late registration feeof 50 cents per month is levied for licenses issued after that date. When you come to apply for your dog's license, you will be asked the dog's name, breed, color and sex, as well as your name, address and phone number. You must also provide a certificate from your pet's veterinarian proving the date the dog received its last rabies inoculation. All residents are requested to call the Police Department, at 452-1366, to report any incidents of nuisance or roaming dogs in your neighborhoods. Summer Help Needed The City will be taking applications un_ May 1st for part-time summer help in the Public Works Department. The work week will be 36 hours, depending on weather, and the salary will be $5.50 per hour. Candidates must be students, at least 18 years of age. Applications are available at the City Offices, 1101 Victoria Curve. Contact Diane Ward at 452-1850 for additional information. COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS Members of the Planning and Park and Recreation Commissions are appointed by the City Council to serve three year terms. Those terms are staggered so that two appointments on each commission expire every January 31st. Occasionally a Commissioner resigns during his or her term, creating a vacancy to be filled by Council appointment. We'd like to introduce the new and reappointed Commission members. Michael Dwyer was appointed to the Planning Commission in September to fill an unexpired term left vacant by Stuart Henning's resignation. Mike is a trial attorney specializing in commercial and municipal litigation who volunteered to serve on t1 -- Commission because he felt he could "provide a seasoned impartiality to the Commissio deliberations." Sharon Koll was appointed to a full three-year Planning Commission term on January 18th. Sharon has been involved in many civic activities, including membership on the Citizens League Task Force on Minnesota Property Tax. Most recently, she was a member of the City Hall Building Committee and chairperson of the City Hall Open House Committee. Sharon replaces Bill Burke, who left the Commission after having served for three full terms. Dorothy McMonigal resigned from the Planning Commission on March 1st. Dorothy was originally appointed to the Commission in February of 1985. She had been a member of the Park and Recreation Commission for five years prior to her appointment to the Planning Commission. The Council is currently interviewing applicants interested in being named to the Commission. On January 17th, the Council reappointed Planning Commission members Ultan Duggan and Sandra Krebsbach and Park Commission members Robert Leffert, John Huber and William Owens to three year terms on their respective Commissions. From: City Of Mendota Heights 1101 Victoria Curve Bulk Rate Mendota Heights, Mn. 55118 U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 6166 St. Paul, Mn. 55118 POSTAL PATRON CARRIER ROUTE MENDOTA HEIGHTS, MN PRESORT 55118 AND 55120 PAGE 5 HEIGHTS HIGHLITES APRIL 1989 DARE IS COMING! Police Chief Dennis Delmont intro- duced the City Council to the DARE Pro- gram (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) at the March 21st Council meeting. Mem- bers of the involved agencies are moving forward in the hope- that the program can be up and running in January of 1990. Project DARE is a joint project of the Mendota Heights and West St. Paul Police Departments and Independent School Dis- trict 197 to prevent drug abuse in children and youth. Traditional drug abuse programs dwell on the harmful effects of drugs. The program emphasis of Project DARE is to help students recognize and resist the many subtle pressures that in- fluence them to experiment with alcohol and marijuana. In addition, program strategies are planned to focus on feelings relating to self-esteem, interpersonal and communication skills, decision making, and positive alternatives to drug abuse be- havior. The instructional guide for Project DARE has been developed to assist police officers, school administrators, and t 'iers-in the planning and implementa- l. of a program of drug abuse resistance education for students in the 5th grade. The program content for Project DARE is organized into seventeen 45-60 minute sessions to be conducted by a police officer, with extended activities to be taught by the regular classroom teacher. The sessions will be conducted by a spe- cially trained police officer who will be as- signed to the school one day a week for one semester. The police officer will conduct the sessions in Grade 5 and 6 on a weekly basis. Project DARE offers a variety of ac- tivity -oriented techniques which are designed to encourage student -generated responses to problem -solving situations. An important element of Project DARE is the use of student leaders who do not use The Heights Highlites is a government newsletter distributed to residents to in- form them on events and activities that affect Mendota Heights. All articles, as well as layout and production are done by City staff members. If you know a resident who is not eiving the Heights Highlites but would like to, please invite them to con- tact City Hall at 452-1850. drugs as positive role models in influencing younger students not to use drugs. These students should be elected leaders who have been chosen by their peers as persons who are admired and respected. Delmont cautions that several groups are soliciting funds for DARE or similar programs in different cities. He requests that citizens and businesses in Mendota Heights and West St. Paul make sure that their funds are specifically earmarked for their community. If you have any questions about such a solicitation, or you want more information about Project DARE, you may call Chief Dennis Delmont at 452-1366. TREE PROGRAM CONTINUED The tree planting program was so well received in 1988 that the City Council has budgeted money to continue the program in 1989. Maple, Ash or Linden trees will be planted in the boulevards of residents in- terested in signing up for the program. There will be a $50 charge for a 2.5" caliper tree, planted and staked. You are invited to contact Diane at City Hall, 452-1850, for additional program details and to place your name on a priority list. Trees will be made available on a first- come, first-served basis. REMOTE WATER METERING In December the City Council approved a remote metering program. The St. Paul Water Department will soon begin to replace or retrofit all existing water meters up to 2 inches in size with remote water metering systems. When the City-wide sys- tem installation is completed in December, meter readers will be able to obtain actual water meter readings without entering a customer's home. Estimated water bills will be eliminated. The St. Paul Board of Water Commis- sioners has retained the Central Installa- tion Company to perform the meter re- placement work. The company's meter in- stallers will carry identification and wear uniforms. Their cars will be labeled with the Central Installation Company name and phone number. Installation of a meter at your home should take about an hour. There will be no charge to Mendota Heights residents for the metering system or its installation. Some residents may, however, be required to make repairs to existing plumbing if the piping adjacent to the water meter is in poor condition. Your cooperation in making and keep- ing appointments with Central Installation will be essential to the success of this project. According to St. Paul Water, the benefits of remote meter reading should be enjoyed by all. PAGE 4 HEIGHTS HIGHLITES APRIL,1989 PLEASED TO AMET YOU? The City staff recently, welcomed a new Police Officer, Administrator's Secretary and temporary Engineering Technician, and reassigned a, police officer. We'd like to use this Davidlson issue of the Highlites to introduce them to you. David L. Olson, 'Jr., was appointed a' Janet KoelschBridger probationary, Police Officer at the March 21st City Council meeting. His appoint- On March 7th,Janet Koelsch was ap- Effective April 1st, Officer Larry ment was to fill the pointed to the Administrator's Secretary position which had been vacant since late Bridger will be reassigned from Patrol to investigations. The assignment was made vacancy December. A South Dakota native,she necessary because of the increasing case created by O f f i c e r grew up on her family's farm near Water- load for Sergeant Wicks,the department's Bridgers' town. only full-time Criminal Investigator. assignment � I J a n e t A native Minnesotan, Officer Bridger is to the In - brings a a 13 year veteran of the Mendota Heights vesti ative eat deal gr al of Police Department and served for four :'unit. versatility to years as a Police Officer in California Olson is the position. where he earned an Associate' of Science a Columbia She is a Cer- i Degree in Criminal Justice. , Heights na- t f i e d Bridger will continue to serve as the tive and a Professional department's Crime Prevention Officer <, graduate of Secretary while assigned as an Investigator. North Hen - with several nepin Com - years ex - Steve Bradach munityCol- e c u t e t i v e secretarial Steve Bradach is a Civil Engineer who lege and Hibbing Technical Institute. He became eligible to be licensed as a Police experience. She also was hired in March as temporary help in the City's Engineering Department. He is Officer in 1988. Dave has worked` as a Community holds degrees in Elementary Education and Music from the Northern State a "Ranger," born and raised in Biwabik, Service Officer w:'he' Columbia Heights Police Deparment Col- lege in Aberdeen. Janet has Minnesota. Steve graduated from North Dakota since April of 1988. He will officially begin, his duties with Mendota Heights on April; a special interest in Mendota State University in 1988 and worked for a 1st. Heights. She and her husband Peter have purchased ahome in Copperfield and they consulting engineering firm before coming to Mendota Heights. He assisted' in With the hiring of Olson, the Depart - and son Peter will soon become Mendota Heights residents. designing and drafting projects this winter ment now consists of the Chief, three Ser - geants, nine Patrol Officers and two and will survey and inspect projects when civilians. construction begins this spring. Volunteer Firefighter Iden Noack, pictured receiving an appreciation award from Mayor Mertensotto, was honored at the recent Firemen's Relief Association annual dinner. Ken from retired the Department in April to join West St. Paul's Fire Department as a Bi _ full-time firefi C141fPr Pn 1-- n TA.....9_4.. YY... _Ld_ is 1 tory two reS_ lite