2021-05-21 Friday News5/21/2021 Friday News 5/21/21
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Friday News 5/21/21
City of Mendota Heights sent this bulletin at 05/21/2021 01:15 PM CDT
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FRIDAY NEWS | May 21, 2021
THE LATEST
State of the City Address
On Tuesday, May 18, Mayor Levine delivered the Mendota Heights State of the City
Address in the Council Chambers at City Hall. Mayor Levine reviewed 2020, and outlined
the City’s plans looking ahead throughout 2021. If you missed the event, you can watch the
full presentation on-demand. .
In-person meetings return
With its regular meeting on May 18, the City Council held its first physically present meeting
in the Council Chambers since January 5. The public is welcome to continue attending
meetings in the Council Chambers, but still with a limit on the number of attendees in the
room at any one time. Residents who would like to provide public comments at meetings
must do so in person in the Council Chambers. The public is welcome to attend meetings in
person, or continue to watch remotely via live broadcast on Cable Channel 18, or live online
or for replay at townsquare.tv/webstreaming. Meetings will continue to take place at their
regular start time of 6 p.m.
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Checking out the big rigs
An estimated 500+ attendees were able to get up close to check out fire trucks, police
squads, mowers, plow trucks, and more at the City's first See-a-Truck event last Saturday.
The free community event was held at Mendakota Park, and enjoyed by little ones and
grown-ups alike. Thank you to our Public Works, Public Safety, and Parks and Recreation
departments for hosting this fun event! We can't wait to do it again.
Celebrating National Public Works Week
Thank you to the City's Public Works staff for providing vital and essential services to our
community on a daily basis. Whether it is snow plowing, street repair, sanitary sewer
cleaning, water main and/or fire hydrant maintenance, parks maintenance, City owned
landscape management, facility repair and maintenance, or inspecting and repairing the
inlets and outlets to our stormwater ponds, Public Works staff does their absolute best to
make the City safer, healthier, and a great place to work, live, and play. At its meeting on
May 18, the City Council commended the Public Works team for their exemplary work and
contributions to the City, and recognized May 16-22 as National Public Works Week.
Road closure on Old Sibley Memorial Highway
Prepare for a temporary road closure on a section of Old Sibley Memorial Highway, near the
intersection of HWY 13 and Mendota Heights Road. Vehicles will need to use the posted
detour as the roadway will be closed to through traffic. The closure is planned May 24
through May 28 as part of a Dakota County project.
Parks Celebration rescheduled for August
The annual Parks Celebration community event scheduled to take place on June 5 has
been moved to the weekend of August 13 through August 15. The weekend will include a
kickoff activity on Friday evening, August 13, a family-friendly event at Mendakota Park on
Saturday, August 14, and a wrap-up event on Sunday, August 15. Planning is currently
underway with details to-be-announced.
The City will be seeking business and community sponsors to make this celebration
possible. Sponsorships are a wonderful way to connect with the local community. Sponsors
have the opportunity to host an activity, or simply make a donation to support the event.
Information on how your organization or business can be involved will be available soon.
Public meeting announcements
City Council Special Meeting (Closed Session)
The City Council will be holding a special meeting in a closed session on May 24, 2021, to
begin at 1:30 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss attorney client communications
and litigation strategy regarding a personnel issue.
Airport Relations Commission Work Session
The Airport Relations Commission has scheduled a work session for a strategic goals
discussion on June 3, 2021, to begin at 6 p.m.
City Council Work Session
The City Council will hold a work session on June 9, 2021, to begin at 1:30 p.m.
City email addresses changing
The City is in the process of changing its domain name from mendota-heights.com to
mendotaheightsmn gov to better identify itself as a government entity City email addresses
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mendotaheightsmn.gov to better identify itself as a government entity. City email addresses
will be first initial, last name "@mendotaheightsmn.gov." To allow for a smooth transition,
emails will continue to be received if sent to the old "@mendota-heights.com" addresses
well into the future.
COVID-19 information
Find a vaccination location
All Minnesotans 12 years of age and older are eligible to receive a free vaccination. Sign up
for the Minnesota COVID-19 Vaccine Connector.
Links to additional vaccine information:
State of Minnesota COVID-19 vaccination webpage.
Minnesota Department of Health vaccination webpage.
Walk-ins are welcome
Walk-ins for Minnesotans age 12 to 17 are possible at any state community vaccination
sites that are administering the Pfizer vaccine. Currently, these state sites have the Pfizer
vaccine available:
Bloomington (Mall of America)
Saint Paul (Roy Wilkins Auditorium),
Lino Lakes
Oakdale
Parent or guardian consent is required for COVID-19 vaccination for people younger than
18 years old. For State Community Vaccination Clinics:
12-15 year olds must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
16 and 17 year olds must receive permission from a parent or guardian, either in
person through being accompanied by a parent or guardian, or online beforehand
through the appointment scheduling and registration process.
Families are highly encouraged to join 12-17 year olds and get vaccinated at the
same time.
Walk-ins for Minnesotans age 18 years and older are also available at all state community
vaccination sites.
State Fairground vaccinations
Those 18 years and older can schedule an appointment today for a Johnson and Johnson,
single-dose vaccine at the State Fair from May 26 - June 8; walk-ups are also welcome May
26 - June 8 from noon to 8 p.m. daily, no insurance or ID required. This site is being
operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Find a free community testing event
The Minnesota Department of Health continues to host both saliva and nasal swab testing
events throughout Minnesota. Tests are free and insurance is not required.
Visit mn.gov/covid19/get-tested/testing-locations/index.jsp for more information.
Recent highlights
If you're having difficulty affording Internet service, the Emergency Broadband Benefit
program may be able to help with discounts of up to $50 per month towards service
for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal
lands.
Has COVID-19 made it hard to you to pay your rent? Visit RentHelpMN to see if you
are eligible for emergency rental assistance.
RECYCLING
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Don't toss your plant pots in the recycling!
Why? Recyclers don't like black plastics because optical sorting machines cannot identify
them and manufacturers don't like them because they cannot dye the plastic another color.
Several local stores are accepting empty plant pots, including Home Depot in Eagan and
Inver Grove Heights, and Lowe's in West St. Paul.
Upcoming recycling events
Join the Recycling Tour
May 25, 6:30–7:30 p.m. Register
As we wait for in-person tours to resume, take part in a virtual recycling tour this month.
Eureka Recycling will walk us through their operation using facility videos and answer
questions you have about recycling collection.
Boat Wrap Recycling
Through June 15
Drop off boat wrap at Lighthouse Motorsports and Marine in
Rosemount during regular business hours. Call 651-322-
4420 before dropping off. The type of plastic used to wrap
boats requires special handling and cannot be placed with
regular home recycling. Remove all straps, cords, rocks and
gravel. Transhield covers and fabric liners, including plastic
wrap with fabric, are not accepted.
South St. Paul Compost Site is open
Take home FREE compost for your garden.
The Compost Site is open Friday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (operation is
weather dependent). The compost site accepts yard waste such as grass clippings and
leaves. Fees are $0.50 per standard sized bag and $1 per larger plastic bag or barrel.
Volume-based fees are charged for pickup truck loads.
NATURAL RESOURCES
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Valley Park pollinator plug and shrub planting
This Saturday, May 22, Great River Greening will host a native pollinator shrub and native
plug planting event at Valley Park from 8:30 a.m. to noon. This planting project will continue
the restoration work being done to create nine acres of pollinator resources and habitat
throughout the Xcel Energy corridor in Valley Park. The project is part of the larger Metro
Big Rivers Phase 8 plan, which focuses on protecting and improving habitats that are
needed by wildlife Species in Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). The project is a
partnership between the City, Great River Greening, and Xcel Energy, and is funded
through the Clean Water Land and Legacy Amendment. For more information visit Great
River Greening’s event page
Curly Leaf Pondweed treatment
at Rogers Lake
In the following weeks Rogers Lake will receive a Curly
Leaf Pondweed treatment to help remove and control this
invasive aquatic plant. Curly Leaf Pondweed (CLP) is an
invasive aquatic plant that can form dense stands of thick
vegetation that crowds out native aquatic vegetation and
can inhibit lake recreation. CLP has thin, submerged leaves that have wavy edges. It is one
of the first plants to emerge in the spring, and dies back in mid-summer. By treating this
plant early in the season, the plant is able to be targeted, and poses less of a risk to native
vegetation that has not yet begun to emerge.
The treatment is funded in part by two grants the City has received for the project: An
Aquatic Invasive Species Grant awarded by Dakota County, as well as an Aquatic Invasive
Species Control Grant awarded by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The
project also includes an education and outreach program to help residents and lake users
identify and prevent the spread of aquatic invasives. The project is a partnership between
the City and the Roger’s Lake Improvement Association.
Recent highlights
Blooming now is Garlic Mustard; learn how to identify and control this highly invasive
plant.
Learn how you can create beautiful raingardens, native gardens, and shoreline
stabilizations and receive grant assistance for your project through the Landscaping
for Clean Water Program.
Dakota County is looking for volunteers for the Wetland Health Evaluation Program.
Learn more and sign up at mnwhep.org.
Dakota County is seeking volunteers to become aquatic invasive species (AIS)
detectors; course registration is open and scholarships may be available.
The Lower Mississippi River Watershed Management Organization is updating its
Watershed Management Plan to guide its activities for the next ten years. As part of
this process the public is invited to participate in a brief survey so they can better
understand concerns, priorities and goals for the health of our local water resources.
POLICE DEPARTMENT NEWS
Just the Facts
Incident reports 5/14/21 - 5/20/21 Previous Just the Facts publications are available in the
Laserfiche archive system on the City's website.
Sign up for emergency alerts
The Emergency Alert Program is available through the Dakota Communications Center
(DCC) at mn-dcc.org/community-notification/.
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Stay in touch through Nextdoor
The MHPD has expanded their social media channels to include Nextdoor. Learn more and
sign up at nextdoor.com.
For immediate public safety response and non-
emergency police assistance call 9-1-1
The Police Department will also continue to process requests for police reports, gun
permits, etc. Link to the forms under Public Resources at mendota-heights.com/police.
Completed forms and general questions can be submitted via email to
pdrecords@mendota-heights.com.
Has someone filed for fraudulent Unemployment
Insurance Benefits in your name?
If you receive a notice advising that Unemployment Insurance Benefits have been applied
for using your name and it was done without your permission, use the link below to report it
to the State of Minnesota Unemployment Insurance Division, and call your local police
agency to report the Identity Theft. If you live in Mendota, Lilydale or Mendota Heights call
MHPD at 651-452-1366. uimn.org/fraud-report/index.jsp
PARKS & RECREATION
What's happening in local parks this summer?
Watch the Community Park Connection's Summer episode to learn about local park and
recreational programs this summer.
Marie Park playground update
While we were hoping to receive the new playground equipment mid-May for June 1
completion, the receipt of the equipment has been delayed. Our contractor anticipates
receiving the equipment on June 7, with a revised targeted completion date of June
16. Thank you for your patience as we await this new amenity to the park.
Movie Night
June 4 | 8:30 p.m. at Mendakota Park
Bring a blanket, chairs, and your favorite snacks, and
watch Tom and Jerry under the stars (rated PG). This is a
free community event - no registration required.
Resident feedback sought to help develop Strategic
Plan for Parks and Recreation
Respond before midnight, May 21
The City of Mendota Heights is developing a Strategic Plan that will provide long term
direction and guide future maintenance and improvement decisions for the City's parks and
recreation system.
Please help prioritize Mendota Heights Parks and Recreation opportunities, by taking this
online two-minute survey via Polco.
Permit requests open for field and facility rentals
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Due June 1 for first consideration on events August through November
Permit requests for field and facility reservations at Mendota Heights parks, for events
taking place August through November of this year, are due on June 1, 2021, for first
consideration. Reservations received after the deadline will be handled on a first-come, first
serve basis. For more information and to download forms visit mendota-
heights.com/parksrecreation.
Officer Scott Patrick Memorial 5K Walk/Run
Saturday, June 5 | 9 a.m. at Market Square Park
Participate in the Officer Scott Patrick Memorial 5K Walk/Run to benefit Special Olympics of
Minnesota. Registration is $25 before June 5 or $30 on the day of the event. Register online
under Special Events or use the registration form. Registration forms are also available at
City Hall during business hours.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
City Hall and Public Works will be closed on Monday, May 31 in honor of Memorial
Day.
Public Meetings
Meeting changes or cancellations are noted on the City's website mendota-
heights.com/calendar. Meetings take place at City Hall unless otherwise noted. Meeting
attendees should adhere to the posted City Hall safety guidelines and be aware that
capacity in the City Council Chambers will be limited. City Council, Planning Commission,
and Parks & Recreation Commission meetings are broadcasted live on Cable Channel 18,
online at townsquare.tv/webstreaming (available live or for replay), or through dial-in when
offered. Select Airport Relations Commission meetings are broadcast on Cable Channel 19.
Occasionally broadcasted channels may change; check Town Square Television's listings
for updates.
City Council Special Meeting (Closed Session) | May 24, 1:30 p.m.
Planning Commission | May 25, 7:00 p.m.
City Council | June 1, 6:00 p.m.
Airport Relations Commission Work Session | June 3, 6:00 p.m.
Parks and Recreation Commission | June 8, 6:30 p.m.
City Council Work Session | June 9, 1:30 p.m.
City Business Hours
City Hall: Monday - Thursday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | Friday 7-11:30 a.m.
Police Department: Monday - Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Public Works Building: Monday - Friday, 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
City Hall Contact Information
Official Website of the City of Mendota Heights, Minnesota 1101 Victoria Curve Mendota Heights, MN 55118 Phone: 651-452-1850
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