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2013-05-17 Friday News May 17, 2013 Dates to Remember: May 21, 2013 City Council 7:00 p.m. May 28, 2013 Planning Commission 7:00 p.m. June 1, 2013 5K Walk/Run 9:00 a.m. Parks Celebration 11 a.m.—2 p.m. June 4, 2013 City Council 7:00 p.m. Attachments: Pipeline, Just the Facts Friday News Mendota Heights Weekly Report on City Activities Mendota Heights City Hall 1101 Victoria Curve www.mendota-heights.com (651) 452-1850 Police Appreciation Week This week was National Police Appreciation week. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy des- ignated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day. Mendota Heights marked the day with two pic- nics—one at noon and another at 10:00 p.m. Turnout was great at both events, as officers, city council members, city staff and some family members gathered to honor our police officers. There is no such thing as a routine call for police officers, we are thankful to have them out in our community everyday. Where There’s Smoke... Great River Greening, the contractor overseeing the restoration of Pilot Knob Open Space coordi- nated a prescribed burn on Thursday morning. Burning is a technique used in the restoration of prairies, as some natural prairie grasses actually thrive after the burn. These activities are permit- ted with the Fire Marshal, and can only occur when weather conditions are just right. The burn was complete by 1:00 p.m. and went very well. Make sure to visit the site to watch the regrowth! Parks Celebration The Mendota Heights Parks Celebration is just two weeks away—the fun starts with live music at Market Square Park on Friday, May 31, 2013. The Annual Mendota Heights 5K Walk/Run is Sat- urday morning, June 1, 2013. Pre-registrations are accepted up until the night before the race— sign up now to save $5. The Parks Celebration itself is from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Mendako- ta Park. There will be activities for all ages, take some time to swing by the park and say hi to friends and neighbors. Public Works The Parks Crew applied crab grass preventative in the parks. All soccer goals were anchored down. Downed tree limbs were picked up from the parks from the heavy winds over the weekend. They finished striping the soccer fields. The Utilities Crew checked the lift stations and exercised the portable generator. The float was adjusted at the Veronica lift station. Mosquito control briquettes were applied to the storm sewer sump manholes. He attended a safety meeting in South Saint Paul. Lilydale’s lift panel was painted again because of graffiti. The Streets Crew continues to work on mailbox repair and sod damage. They attended a safety meeting in South Saint Paul. The storm basin by the pond on the tank farm was cleaned. Weather permitting they will start sweeping the streets on Monday. Engineering The engineering department has hired two summer interns to assist with the extensive amount of projects scheduled for the summer. Please welcome Harry Tran and Sam Anderson to the city. City Projects (construction year) Dodd Road/Highway 110 Intersection Pedestrian Improvements (2013) – The project is currently out for bid. Bid opening is scheduled for 10:00am on June 5 th, and staff is anticipating a Bid Award to be before City Council at their June 18th City Council Meeting. Construction will begin shortly after contract award. Hunter Lane/Orchard Place Neighborhood Improvements (2013) – Council awarded the bid to Northdale Construction at their May 7th meeting. A preconstruction meeting was held on Thursday, and construction is anticipated to begin shortly after Memorial Day. St. Paul Water will begin stringing a temporary water main system and Xcel will be installing new gas mains prior to the general contractors work. Substantial completion is expected by the end of September with the assessment hearing in October. Crown Point & Overlook Neighborhood Rehabilitations (2013) – Construction is proceeding quickly. All streets have been reclaimed and the contractor is installing The Pipeline N E W S L E T T E R Public Works Engineering Code Enforcement May 17, 2013 two catch basins on Crown Point Drive. Next week the curb that was marked will be replaced. Substantial completion is expected by July. An assessment hearing is scheduled for October. Lexington Avenue Pedestrian Trail, Hwy 110 to Douglas Road (2013) – Asphalt Surfaces Technologies will be completing this project as part of the Crown Point and Overlook neighborhood contract. Dakota County is assisting with 55% of the project construction costs. The City is covering the remaining 45%. Construction is anticipated for the 22nd through 24th of May. The trail will be closed during construction. Highway 13 Trail Connection (2013) –The City has applied for a grant from the Department of Natural Resources for construction funding. If not funded through a grant, the City intends to construct the connection in 2013 with City funds. The project will connect existing trails between Riverside Lane and Lilydale Road. Mendota Heights Road Sanitary Sewer Force Main Repairs (2013) – Staff will be sending out a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the design of the permanent repair to the force main. The force main has ruptured 5 times in the past 6 years and is becoming more costly to repair each time. Based on the information gathered by the consultant specialist, the City may choose to repair the force main this year. Sanitary Sewer Cleaning and Televising (2013) – Council approved the plans and authorized advertisement for bids for the annual sewer maintenance project. Once bid is awarded the selected contractor will be working in the area of the city west of I-35E and north of Highway 110. The Center Pointe Business Park is also included in this year’s project. Street Preventative Maintenance (2013) – The annual preventative maintenance contract is now underway. In the coming weeks, crack sealing on several area streets will take place. Later this summer sealcoating will occur. For a list of streets impacted, please go to the City’s Street Improvement Plan on the City web page, City Services tab, and Engineering Projects link. Highway 149 (Dodd Road) Trail Connections (2014) – Staff submitted grant applications through the MnDOT Corridor Investment Management Strategy (CIMS) program. These grants would be for construction of trail connections along Dodd Road from Market Street to Marie Avenue and from Mendota Heights Road to the I-494 Bridge. Both of these grants would be for the 2014 construction year. County Projects (construction year) Dakota County Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) – Dakota County is reviewing their 2014-2018 Capital Improvement Program. The current 2013-2017 CIP is available through the County web page for review at http://www.co.dakota.mn.us/Government/BudgetFinance/2013Budget/Documents /2013-2017CIP.pdf. Any requests for County infrastructure projects to be included in the updated CIP can be made through City Staff by June 12th so Council can review and submit requests to the County by the June 28th deadline. North Urban Regional Trail (NURT) Realignment/Greenway Study (2014) – The Dakota County Board of Commissioners approved a realignment of the NURT that includes a “partial” alignment on the Henry Sibley property with a concurrence from the ISD197 Board. The School Districts concurrence listed 6 conditions: 1. Minimize impacts to future school facility expansion 2. Minimize impact to school user groups 3. Minimize impact to mature trees 4. Provide safe driveway crossing east of Warrior Drive 5. Ensure continued operation of school’s compost site 6. Develop a process to involve the School Board, School District, and public in the final design of the trail. Dakota County is selecting a consultant engineer to complete the final design in accordance with these conditions. The east/west alignment previously selected will go through the Dodge Nature Center north of Marie Avenue in West Saint Paul. For More information, please contact the Dakota County Project Manager, Chris Hartzel, at 952-891-7106. Lexington Avenue Crosswalk (2013) – Construction of the center median and crosswalk on Lexington Avenue at Victoria will take place this summer. Construction is anticipated in July/August. Delaware Avenue Guardrails (2013) – Dakota County will be installing guardrails along Delaware Avenue in select locations between Highway 110 and I-494. Crews will be surveying the locations in the coming weeks, and installation should take place by August. 05/17/13 The Mendota Heights Police Department Support Staff Kim Henning Susan Donovan Trista Miller Becky Pentel Police Officers Jerry Murphy Scott Patrick John Larrive Bobby Lambert Tanner Spicer Todd Rosse Chad Willson Jeff VonFeldt Steven Meyer Denise Urmann Michael Shepard Peyton Fleming School Resource Officer Jennifer Fordham Investigations Mario Reyes Chad Willson Sergeants Neil Garlock Brian Convery Eric Petersen Reserves Randy Pentel Jarrod Spicer Jim Knox Jeff Parker George Castillo Chaplains Frances Cuenca Joel Detlefsen Lynn Liberman Butch Millett Sue Plucker John Snider David Wick Chief Mike Aschenbrener Police Department Statistics 2011 2012 2013 YTD 2013, April        CAD calls for service 7618 8531 2429 614  Citations issued (DUI, domestic, etc.)1818 1511 360 97  Warnings 996 1173    Police Reports 1030 1124 357 103  Arrests 217 218 67   Response time average 5:55 5:18 5:00 5:56    Found Property     Thursday 0230 hours  While on foot patrol, Officer Shepard spied a credit card in the ditch.  He was  able to check the name on the card and come up with an address and phone  number.  He made contact with the cardholder’s mom, who stated her  daughter was now overseas, but they thought the card may have been stolen.   Card was placed into evidence until the card could be picked up by the owner.     Drug Party       Thursday 2350 hours  A DC Park Officer was patrolling the area by Scenic Overlook and had  approached a vehicle parked there after hours. He could smell the marijuana  coming from the vehicle and observed a broken marijuana pipe outside of it.   He had already requested assistance from MHPD and Sergeant Eric Petersen  and Officer Steve Meyer soon responded to the scene.  The driver admitted that  the broken pipe was his and that he and his girlfriend had smoked “a bowl”  while in the park.  They handed over the marijuana and exited the vehicle for a  more thorough search while citations were prepared.  However, Officer Meyer  soon located more marijuana in the car, and when searching the driver, found  even more interesting items.  Thus began a search of the vehicle that revealed  LSD, illicit mushrooms, hash balls, Adderall pills, more drug paraphernalia and  alcohol.  All for a two person party! The driver said it all belonged to him, but  the passenger was storing a pipe w/marijuana residue in her purse, so she  received a citation also. The case will be forwarded to the DC Drug Task Force  for charging and possible forfeiture.    Theft of gas     Friday  1828 hours  Officer Todd Rosse and Sergeant Petersen responded to a gas station on report  of a “double” gas drive off.  Both vehicles – one a Cadillac Escalade with a   Superman sticker on it, and the other a rusted GMC Yukon – managed to get  away with about $200 worth of gas. Both vehicles had several passengers within  and both were driven by males about 40 – 50 years old.  Oh, and according to  the witness, they filled additional gas cans also before taking off south 35E.   Officers were in the area quickly but did not find the vehicles, and the plates did  not match the vehicles. Case inactive. “Just the Facts” The latest news from the Mendota Heights Police Department 05/17/13 Fire Warning        Friday  1505 hours  Officer Patrick was summoned to a check on the smell of heavy campfire smoke. Upon locating the fire,  Officer Patrick provided the homeowner with the ordinance info regarding the regulated size of fires,  how to keep the flames and smoke down and why dry wood is better to use. Nothing further.     Welfare Check        Saturday 0024 hours  Caller reported he was concerned for a friend making suicidal references on Facebook and requested  someone check on her.  Upon going to the residence, the husband of the party in question stated they  had just had an argument and the wife may now be at her office. The police in that jurisdiction checked  on her and she was fine with no intent to harm herself; all clear.     Loose Dog        Sunday  2045 hours  While walking their dog in their neighborhood, another dog got loose and jumped onto their dog’s back.    They tried to get their dog away from the attacking dog, but it stayed with them until the owner finally  responded, restrained it and put it back in the residence.  The owner of the attacked dog had her little  girl along and both were upset.  However, they’ve walked by the same residence many times and never  had an issue. While they were going to monitor their dog over the next few days, they did not want  charges pursued.  No bite marks were found; owners were advised of the ordinance on restraining dogs  and both were also advised to ensure their dogs were licensed with the city or citations would be issued  for that violation.  Nothing further.    Egging         Sunday  1754 hours  It must be that time of year – warm weather, a fresh breeze, juvenile boredom – a change of season that  evidently inspires some irritating pranks, like egging. In this case, no permanent damage was observed  by Officer Shepard, when he received word of a home being egged.  Often it does cause extensive  damage and there have been some hefty fees involved to repair the damage.  No suspects; nothing  further.    Time for Fun!        Sunday  1917 hours  The son of local residents requested a welfare check on his aging parents.  Evidently, they had been  trying all day to reach them – their calls were unanswered and it seemed the homeowner’s phone was  off, which it never is. There were also some health concerns. The homeowners showed up shortly after  Officer Rosse arrived and (we like these happy endings) informed him they were at the casino.  Mom  and Dad are allowed a little fun, too. No details provided on wins/losses; nothing further.     “What’s Up in the Attic” – Episode 4     Sunday  2056 hours  Honestly, we’ve lost track of which episode this one is, but we’ll just start with #4. The property  manager wanted to simply update us that he was going to meet with a resident to personally see/meet  all her demons living in the attic.  She believes now that there are a man, a woman and two children  residing there.  However, a little later, the resident called, since the burglars were again on her roof and  keeping her up.  The male living there had taken some jewelry and used her phone to call the  pediatrician (probably for the pregnant woman living there too).  Evidently the homeowner had quite  recently discovered a third attic where they were growing marijuana and she was growing more  concerned for her safety.      Interrupted Burglary       Monday 0018 hours  Officers were dispatched to a residence when a homeowner heard someone pounding on the door and  footsteps inside; dispatch was soon notified that the door was damaged.  Officer Spicer, while en route,  requested backup from WSP and Officer Elam and his K‐9 partner for a track.  The track went thru the  backyards of the area but was soon lost farther down the road.   Upon speaking with the homeowner,  Officer Spicer learned he had been sleeping downstairs and when he was awakened by the noise, he   05/17/13 headed up the stairs; however, the stairs creaked and when he got upstairs, there was no one there. He  did find a door open though and the door knob lying on the floor.  Right after he called police, he heard  pounding on the front door but did not answer it.  We are very glad the homeowner was safe.  Evidence  collected; case forwarded to investigations.      Thefts from Vehicle       Monday 0632 hours  Lock it up!  Upon arrival at his vehicle outside a business, the owner found the vehicle’s window broken  and his GPS and a dress coat missing.  The owner was able to provide the serial number for the GPS and  it was entered into the system.    No suspect info available.  Later that morning, a couple of doors down,  two more vehicles were reported broken into and items stolen, including a GPS, a cell phone and a  projector were stolen.      Bad Plate        Monday 2227 hours  Officer Jeff VonFeldt responded to a local gas station on report of a gas drive off.  They had the plate  written down, but just as she drove out of the lot, the license plate fell off and they could only see an  orange plate under it. No surprise, the plate was not on file.  No other suspect info available.      Window Tampering       Monday 2332 hours  After the recent burglary and random thefts from vehicles, officers have been even more vigilant.   Officer Rosse observed an open storm window on a residence.  It appeared access was not gained and  when he approached the homeowner, found relaxing on the back deck, he learned it was indeed a  tampering and the homeowner was not aware of the damage.  Upon further checking, they found more  storm windows tampered with.  Suspect information to be reviewed for follow‐up.     Damage to School Property      Tuesday 1257 hours  An elementary school requested officers respond to check out some damaged window. Officer Lambert  responded and observed two large windows on the north end of the building had been broken out, one  possibly by small rocks or a pellet gun and the other potentially by a basketball.  Evidence suggested the  perpetrators were definitely aware of the damage; forwarded for review and development of suspect  information.    Bad Tires        Wednesday 0757 hours  A local business wished to attempt an attempted theft, and Officer Larrive responded. Upon arrival, he  found that the business felt a transaction was very suspicious when two men came in to pick up eight  tires they had ordered.  During fulfillment, questions came up, since usually tires are ordered in batches  of 2 – 4, the PO number did not match the numbers used by the company and, when asked who they  were picking up the tires for, the name they provided sounded pretty lame.  When the owner told the  two men that they would need some time to look into the order, the two men didn’t seem worried, but  willingly called their boss for clarification. However, when the phone was handed to the business owner,  the party on the other end disconnected.  He didn’t call the police at that time, because he didn’t feel  the two men knew about the scam.  Information was provided to Officer Larrive, but was not too  helpful.  Investigation ongoing.          Theft from Vehicle       Wednesday 1915 hours  Two complainants reported theft from their vehicle. The driver’s side sliding door window was broken  out, a purse was taken and credit cards were used. Another vehicle window was broken out and some  food was taken – an “Ulta” tote bag, 4 pops, salsa and a bag of chips.   I guess breaking out that sliding  door made them hungry!     Have a great weekend!