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2013-05-24 Friday News May 24, 2013 Dates to Remember: May 28, 2013 Planning Commission 7:00 p.m. June 1, 2013 5K Walk/Run 9:00 a.m. Parks Celebration 11:00 a.m.— 2:00 p.m. June 4, 2013 City Council 7:00 p.m. June 11, 2013 Parks and Rec Comm. 6:30 p.m. Attachments: Pipeline, Just the Facts, Mendota- Lebanon Greenway Open House Flyer Friday News Mendota Heights Weekly Report on City Activities Mendota Heights City Hall 1101 Victoria Curve www.mendota-heights.com (651) 452-1850 Public Works Week This week we celebrated National Public Works week, which had the theme, “Because of Public Works.” Public Works Director John Mazzitello spoke at the city council meeting about the everyday luxuries that Public Works provides us—safe streets, clean water, storm water management, parks and trails, and much more. Lunch was provided for the public works staff on Thursday, just a small token of our appreci- ation for everything our public works staff does. Be Prepared In response to the deadly tornado in Oklahoma this past week, Police Chief Mike Aschenbrener gave a brief presentation on emergency prepar- edness at the city council meeting this week. The chief encourages all citizens to visit www.ready.gov, a resource to help individuals and families to prepare for disaster. This web- site can guide you through the process to de- velop a family plan, and create a family go-kit, with the essentials for surviving in the hours af- ter a severe weather event. Parks Celebration Plan on joining us for the Mendota Heights Parks Celebration next weekend: Friday night will feature live music at Market Square Park, the Annual Mendota Heights 5K Walk/Run ben- efitting Special Olympics is Saturday morning at Market Square. The Parks Celebration itself runs from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Saturday at Mendakota Park. MHAA is hosting an in-house baseball tournament all weekend long at Men- dakota Park and Mertensotto Field. There is a fee for the run/walk (registration forms available on city website), all other events are free. Public Works The Parks Crew planted flowers at Mendakota Park around the concession building and around the memorial marker. They changed the mulching deck to the cutting deck on the John Deere mower. They installed a new sign at City Hall on Mertensotto Field. Pearson Bros Inc. started sweeping the city streets and parking lots this week. The Streets Crew also continues to work on mailbox and landscape repairs. The Utilities Crew cleaned the sanitary sewer lines on Orchard Circle and the easements on Hunter Lane, Culligan Lane, Glen Hill Road and Victoria Curve in anticipation of the upcoming construction project. A storm pipe was repaired on Northland Drive. The summer assistant started on Monday. Engineering 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) – A preconstruction meeting was held last week, and a preliminary project schedule has been provided by the contractor. Construction is anticipated to begin June 17th. Letters have been sent to the property owners outlining the anticipated schedule. Substantial completion is expected by the end of September with the assessment hearing in October. Crown Point & Overlook Neighborhood Rehabilitations (2013) – Construction is under way. Identified curb sections are being replaced and the pavement has been reclaimed. New pavement is anticipated in early June. Substantial completion is expected by July. An assessment hearing is scheduled for October. Lexington Avenue Pedestrian Trail, Hwy 110 to Douglas Road (2013) – Trail pavement has been reclaimed and new pavement is anticipated next week. The trail remains 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 The Pipeline N E W S L E T T E R Public Works Engineering Code Enforcement May 24, 2013 a grant, the City intends to construct the connection in 2013 with City funds. 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) – The project is being advertised. Bid opening is scheduled for June 12th with anticipated contract award at the June 18th Council meeting. 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) – Annual crack sealing is complete. Sealcoating will take place starting in July. For a list of streets impacted, please go to the City’s Street Improvement Plan on the City web page, City Services tab, 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. Interstate Valley Creek Trail Paving – Xcel Energy’s contractor will be paving Interstate Valley Creek Trail from Highway 13 south starting in early June. The trail pavement was removed for the installation of water service to the new Lilydale apartments. Pavement should be completed by June 7th. 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. Dakota County Greenways Collaborative Open House – Dakota County is hosting two open houses for public input about their proposed Greenways Plan. The meetings are scheduled for Tuesday, May 28th in Lakeville and Thursday, May 30th in Eagan. See the attached flyer for more information. North Urban Regional Trail (NURT) Realignment/Greenway Study (2014) – The Dakota County Board of Commissioners has reached an agreement with ISD197 for realigning the NURT onto Henry Sibley High School property. An exact alignment has not been determined yet, but Dakota County has selected a consultant engineer to complete the final design. 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 have surveyed the area, and installation should take place by August. Other Activities Robert Street Corridor Alignment Alternatives Study – Staff attended the Steering Committee meeting last week. The Steering Committee remains focused on the impacts of the proposed corridor modifications. Discussed at the meeting were the purpose and need statement for the project, as well as conceptual and preliminary alternatives. No direct impacts to Mendota Heights have surfaced, however when the project is constructed, the City may experience traffic impacts. Construction is currently planned for 2014-2015. Municipal State-Aid (MSA) Pre-Screening Board – Staff attended the quarterly meeting of the Board last week. The principal topic of discussion was changes to the funding formula for MSA funds. Under the proposed formula, municipalities would be awarded needs based funds based on an average of the past five years of awards. The current system is based on the previous year only. No significant impacts to Mendota Heights’ funding are anticipated under the new formula as our needs based award has been relatively constant over the past five years. New Municipal Separated Sanitary and Storm Sewer (MS4) Permit - The new, draft MS4 permit is out, and there are some new programs the City must complete in order to be compliant with the new permit. Because of these changes, cities will continue to be covered under the 2006 permit for the next several months. Once cities address the new programs by December 29th, 2013, they will be converted to the new (2013) permit. Some of the more significant changes include: 1. 100% Pond Inventory – Including a unique identifier, geographic coordinates, and type of feature (pond, wetland, lake, man-made, etc.) 2. Prioritized Green Infrastructure for New Development – Includes Infiltration, Low Impact Design, Runoff Recycling, Urban Forestation, etc. 3. Post-Construction Development Runoff – Must be less than or equal to pre- project runoff conditions. Staff will be working with Council and Commissions to revise existing programs and policies to meet the requirements of the new permit. 1 5/24/2013 The latest from 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 Wilson Jeff Vonfeldt Steven Meyer Denise Urmann Michael Shepard Peyton Fleming SCHOOL RESOURCE OFC. 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 May 13 ‐ May 18, 2013 was National Police Week. MHPD hosted a sunlight and a moon‐ light BBQ/Fundraiser. We had a great turn‐ out at both BBQ’s—and yummy food! To the left: Chef (Chief) Mike Aschenbrener. Again, thank an Ofϐicer for all they do! Ofϐicer/Investigator Mario Reyes was proudly recognized by Visitation School for his 20+ years of dedication impacting hundreds of students over the years in the D.A.R.E. and CHOOSE Programs. Many thanks to Mario! To the left: Ofϔicer/Investigator Mario Reyes & Sergeant Neil Garlock How thoughtful! We had a surprise visit from friends at Visitation School who brought in a huge platter of freshly baked cookies to show their appreciation for the MHPD in recognition of National Po‐ lice Week. And they were delicious! Above: from left to right, Sergeant Brian Convery, Retired Police Ofϔicer Jerry Murphy, Sister Mary Denise Villaume, Visitation’s Head Cook , Investiga- tor Mario Reyes & Sergeant Neil Garlock. 2 5/24/2013 Todd Rosse received a nice Thank You note about his response to an open door at a resi- dence and ensuring all was secure. A Special Shout Out… To WSPPD for the help covering our city on Wednesday. You Rock! Click it or Ticket—Dakota County—thru the weekend…. To kick off the seatbelt enforcement in DC, all the Chief’s in the county were out working patrol and focusing on seat belt enforcement. (Along with a sergeant side‐ kick). Rosemount PD hosted the event with a 1:00 brieﬁng at the DCC the saturaƟon started. Mendota Heights has experienced 3 fataliƟes in 2013, none were buckled in. Two simple reasons to wear a seatbelt: 1.) If you crash it can save your life, and 2.) Tickets are expensive. Heads up! There will be extra patrols dedicated to traffic en‐ forcement all weekend. Suspicious AcƟvity Friday 0002 hours Officer Steve Meyer checked a car in the Park aŌer hours and found a single male siƫng in the car amidst the small of alcohol. Normally this is not a problem unless drinking is a probaƟon violaƟons. The man was released and his probaƟon officer was noƟﬁed. Noise Friday 0122 hours Officer Denise Urmann received a call about a loud apartment. The caller advised they pounded on the door for four minutes but were not able to get the homeowner to answer. Officer Urmann arrived, heard the loud sounds and made contact with the owner who was watching TV. They agreed to turn it down and keep it down. Possible DUI Friday 1530 hours A cell phone caller reported they were following a dark tan‐colored Dodge pickup truck on Hwy 110 eastbound swerving all over the road. Officer ScoƩ Patrick re‐ sponded to the call but not arriving unƟl the vehicle pulled into a driveway. The call‐ er advised the DCC dispatcher they felt the driver was drunk iniƟally but the longer they watched, realized it was simply a terrible driver. Officer Patrick arrived and spoke with the driver was pulled over and told her she stated her husband's truck was just too big for her drive. Oops Friday 1838 hours DCC dispatcher sent Officer Peyton Fleming check on a party called 911 asking about a nurse. When the 911 operator advised they could not provide a nurse the party quickly hung up relaƟonship called 911. I call back she stated she was in her 90s and had aƩempted to call helpline. (She really did call helpline) officer Fleming checked on her party was already had a residence that provided care spoke with the nursing staff everything was taken care. DomesƟc Disturbance Friday 2025 hours 911 caller reported parƟes were arguing and was concerned for their safety. The caller advised the 42 YOA man likes to smoke pot and drink Jack Daniels. Sergeant Eric Petersen arrived on the scene, learned that the parƟes were separaƟng and nothing physical happen. The male was already packing ‐ he grabbed a bag with some personal items and was transported to a friend's residence in Minneapolis. Please send us your positive feedback on our staff to: pdrecords@ mendota- heights.com Your feedback is greatly appreciated and helps boosts the moral of our staff. Officers Lambert, Larrive and Sgt Convery respond- ed immediately to the landslide on the bluff of Lilydale to assist St Paul with rescue efforts. We are proud of their valiant efforts, as we are of all our officers who serve and protect our cities. Our hearts go out to the families of the victims and the entire school; you are in our thoughts and prayers. 3 5/24/2013 AOA Gunshot Friday 2155 hours Sergeant Eric Petersen responded West St. Paul to assist in a gunshot through the ceiling. Caller was siƫng in a chair when a bullet went through the arm of his chair right between the arm and the hip. Wow, was the close!! The gunshot seemed to come from the apartment above them. Sergeant Peterson assisted on scene with a body bunker unƟl the party in the apartment upstairs was taken into custody. Vandalism Sunday 0243 hours Caller reported his house had just been egged and he wished to see an officer, as the culprits had used three dozen eggs on the house. Officer Steve Meyer called the man by phone and advised he would be Ɵed up for a while on power line down in the roadway. The caller stated he wanted officer Meyer go to all the local Walgreens and get video, as a Walgreens bag had been leŌ on scene with the empty egg cartons inside. Later in the night officer Meyer checked the residence and did observe many eggs smashed on and around the house but due to the fact that it was raining could not determine whether or not there was any actual damage. In the phone conversaƟon with the man he was advised he would work with his kids to ﬁg‐ ure out who the potenƟal suspects were. Neighbor Feud Sunday 1818 hours A homeowner reported his neighbor was blasƟng talk radio at his house because, he believed, his pool ﬁlters are too loud. Officer Mike Shepard arrived and spoke with the caller who stated his neighbors is upset with him because he believes his swim‐ ming pool ﬁlter is too noisy. When spoke with the owner of the radio he did indeed state he was just “drowning” out the noisy pool ﬁlter. Stop Light Problems Monday 1831 hours Caller reported to Officer Shepard that the stop lights at Delaware and Highway 110 were not funcƟoning properly. The caller stated they waited 15 minutes for the lights to turn. Officer Shepard checked it out and the lights were funcƟons were nor‐ mally. However, this was the 2nd or 3rd complaint of the lights over the course of a few days. MNDOT noƟﬁed. AOA/Mudslide Wednesday 1328 hours Officers Bobby Lambert, John Larrive along with Sergeant Brian Convery and Ser‐ geant Garlock responded to a call from St. Paul PD to assist in the Lilydale Regional Park. The original call came in as a mudslide with kids hurt, somewhere on the north end of the park. As officers arrived in the area they met with a St. Paul PD squad and headed in on the Vento trail. Upon climbing down the bluff into the area, they found SPFD ﬁreﬁghters aƩempƟng to free a trapped child and immediately began assisƟng with digging out the trapped boy. A short Ɵme later, Sergeant Convery ran up the hill to get shovels for the enƟre group of rescuers. At the top he was met by a neighbor who ran home and got him 5 shovels and Sergeant Garlock also ran home and grabbed ½ dozen shovel. They then assisted with securing the scene, locaƟng RP called to speak with the officers in charge of the sting to catch the burglars living in the attic. Officers responded and this time, with the as- sistance of CIT Officer Spicer, were able to assist RP with the individuals in the attic. (see page 4) We do hope all will be quiet in the attic for awhile. 4 5/24/2013 present on the scene and the MH police, ﬁre and public works assisted with traffic control and various other duƟes during the enƟre duraƟon of the incident. WSPPD covered MH, Mendota and Lilydale calls while we were Ɵed up in the park. It was a very sad day in our ciƟes upon the recovery of the deceased 4th graders both Wednesday aŌernoon and Thursday morning. TheŌ Wednesday 1358 hours Caller reported that someone stolen her credit card points. She was advised all the officers were busy on a serious emergency call. Short Ɵme later she called back was very upset because no one had arrived on scene to talk with her and was again ad‐ vised all the officers were busy an emergency. Later she called back and said to for‐ get it is probably more hassle than it's worth. Car vs. Mailbox Thursdsay 1036 hours Driver called 911 immediately aŌer hiƫng several mailboxes. The driver had a horri‐ ble respiratory aƩack while coming around a bend, lost control and struck not only some mailboxes but ended up hiƫng a tree. She had some minor injuries from the airbag, but other then that she luckily was not more hurt. Property owners were no‐ Ɵﬁed. DomesƟc Thursday 1134 hours Officers responded to a frequented address for domesƟc disturbances between the parents and their son. The son, a young adult, threatened to break some windows of his parent’s home and took off on his motorcycle. He was not found, but no dam‐ age was found and no crime occurred. Crisis Thursday 2311 hours Officer Tanner Spicer responded to our weekly check the welfare call from a party was suffering from some mental problems. Officer Spicer is a trained CIT (Crisis Inter‐ venƟon Officer) he met with the party discussed what's going on and set a plan. She agreed to it, so Officer Spicer stay late to make some phone calls and see if he could get her some assistance. AŌer long along one sided conversaƟon with her doctors officer arrangements were made to help alleviate the situaƟon before it becomes worse. NEW & IMPROVED JTF! Designed by Police Support Specialist Trista Miller Way to go Trista! 5 5/24/2013 May to date 2013 YTD CAD Calls for Service 534 3226 Citations Issued i.e., DUI, Domestic, Etc. 67 559 Warnings 73 546 Police Reports 72 431 Response Time Average 4.71 4.98 Have a Safe Weekend! WWWEEE APPRECIATEAPPRECIATEAPPRECIATE ALLALLALL OFOFOF THETHETHE MENMENMEN ANDANDAND WOMENWOMENWOMEN WHOWHOWHO PUTPUTPUT THEIRTHEIRTHEIR LIVESLIVESLIVES ATATAT RISKRISKRISK TOTOTO PROTECTPROTECTPROTECT OURSOURSOURS! ! ! Memorial Day May 27, 2013 marks Memorial Day, a day to re- member and thank the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. REMINDER! City Offices will be closed on 5/27/13 n observance of Memorial Day. Barbecue & Grill Safety Never use a grill indoors, including in garages, or near overhangs and canopies. Grills must be at least 30 feet from any multifamily apartment dwelling. When using a grill at your single‐family home, homeowners should use a 10‐foot perimeter from anything combustible, including your house. Do not allow children and pets to play near a grill. Only use approved ignition ϐluids‐never use gasoline to ignite a grill. Keep a ϐire extinguisher, garden hose or bucket of sand nearby to douse a grill ϐire. Inspect your grill before you ignite to ensure everything is in working order. ‐ 1 cup Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce ‐ 2 tablespoons garlic, crushed ‐ 2 teaspoons ground black pepper ‐ 2 teaspoons curry powder ‐ 2 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces ‐ 2 onions, cut into 2 inch pieces ‐ 3 lbs your preference of chicken ‐ Kikkoman Thai Style Chili Sauce (to serve) Combine Teriyaki Marinade and Sauce, garlic, pepper, and curry powder in a large bowl. Marinade chicken in a zipper‐lock bag with onions and bell peppers, for about 4 hours to overnight. Skewer the items in the order of chicken, onion, then bell pepper. Heat grill to medium high, lightly oil the grill. Cook skewers turning occasionally for about 12‐15 minutes until cooked through. Glaze generously with Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce right before cooked through. Serve with Kikkoman Thai Chili Sauce.