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2013-08-30 Friday NewsFriday News Mendota Heights Weekly Report on City Activities Par 3 Tournaments On Saturday, August 24th, the Par 3 Golf Course hosted the Fifth Annual Youth Golf Open. The event was very well attended, with 32 youth players and their fans. For the second year in a row, the best scores for boys were turned in by the Erickson brothers: Brady (10 &under) with a score of 31 and Ryan (11 &over) with a score of 30. For the girls, the best scores turned in: Jamie Urban (11 & over) a score of 47 and Natalie Whitehead (10 &under) a score of 53. At the end of the event, all the competitors, families and friends gathered at the clubhouse for hot dogs, treats and prizes. Thank you to the Par 3 staff for putting on another successful event. There is still room for the Mendota Heights Par 3 /Thompson Oaks tournament, Saturday, September 21, 2013. Teams will play nine holes at each course, with prizes and food at both courses. A flyer has been attached, or you may call the clubhouse at 651.454.9822 for further details. Preliminary Budget Levy City staff will be presenting the 2014 preliminary budget levy to city council at the September 3, 2013 meeting. With state levy limits set for 2014, the levy will increase by $187,190 from the 2013 levy. The total proposed levy increase is 2.92 %. Once the preliminary levy is set the final budget will be presented to city council in December. Council may choose to lower the levy between September and December although the levy may not be increased beyond the established preliminary levy. For more information, a City Council agenda packet is available online by visiting www.mendota - heights.com. Dates to Remember: September 2, 2013 Labor Day - City Offices Closed September 3, 2013 City Council 7:00 p.m. September 10, 2013 Parks Commission 6:30 p.m. September 11, 2013 Airport Commission 7:00 p.m. Attachments: Pipeline, Just the Facts, MH Par 3/Thompson Oaks tournament flyer Mendota Heights City Hall 1101 Victoria Curve www.mendota- heights.com (651) 452 -1850 � Facebook.com /MendotaHeightsMN � Twitter.com / @mendota_ heights EA&A iAA Mendota Heights Par 3 & Thompson Oaks 3rd Annual 18 Hole Golf Tournament When: Saturday, September 21th, 2013. In the event of rain, the tournament will be played the following Saturday, September 21St. Cost: $35.00, which includes greens fees at both courses, breakfast, lunch, prizes, trophies and tons of fun! 1St Course: Thompson Oaks is located at 1555 Oakdale Avenue, West St. Paul. 7:45am- Check -in and breakfast, shotgun start at 8:30am, 10:OOam prize drawings and awards. 2nd Course: Mendota Heights Par 3 is located at 1695 Dodd Road. 10:30am- Check -in, 11:OOam shotgun start, 12:30pm lunch, prize drawings and awards. Register: In 3, 4 or 5 somes. Pre - registration is required. Checks or cash only please. The first 9 teams are guaranteed a spot in the tournament. Contact: Tom Perkins, Thompson Oaks Manager at (651)457 -6064. Sloan Wallgren, Mendota Heights Par 3 Manager at (651)454 -9822. Prizes: Trophies will be awarded for the longest drive, closest to the pin, longest putt, and 1St place and runner -up. We will also have random drawings for prizes. This is a popular tournament! Sign-up now! Pre-Day today! EAL NEWS 1 The P'ipel'ine ,,,,o LETTER � Public Works � Engineering August 30, 2013 ��, Code Enforcement Public Works The Parks Crew repaired broken sprinkler heads at Mendakota Park and City Hall. Soccer goals were moved from Victoria Highlands Park to Mendakota Park. Softball fields were prepared at Mendakota Park for adult softball on Saturday and for fast pitch girls on Sunday. The Utilities Crew is on vacation this week. The Streets Crew took tires for recycling to Liberty Tire Recycling in Savage. A new street sign was made and installed at Marie Avenue and Callahan Place. Brush that was stored at Public Works was taken to S & S Tree in South Saint Paul. A ""no bicycles allowed" sign was made and installed for the skate park at Rogers Lake. Engineering City Projects (construction year) Dodd Road /Hiahwav 110 Intersection Pedestrian Improvements (2013) - Utilities have been located and marked. Construction began last week and is scheduled for completion by September 3rd. A portion of Interstate Valley Creek Trail northwest of the intersection will be relocated as part of the contract. Temporary access agreements have been executed with the private property owners for the removal of the existing trail. Hunter Lane /Orchard Place Neighborhood Improvements (2013) -Storm sewer installation along Hunter and east Culligan has been completed as well as the culvert under Lexington Ave. The contractor will also begin grading Hunter Lane. Substantial completion is expected by the end of September with the assessment hearing in October. For more information, please go to the project page on the city web page: www.mendota- heights.com. Project information is updated weekly. Crown Point &Overlook Neighborhood Rehabilitations (2013) -This project is substantially complete. Staff has been preparing the project punch -list, and the contractor will be repairing the punch list items in August. An assessment hearing is scheduled for October. Lexington Avenue Pedestrian Trail, Hwy 110 to Douglas Road (2013) -The trail has been re- paved, and pedestrian ramps installed. Punch -list items remain along with minor landscape restoration. The trail is open for use. Sanitary Sewer Cleaning and Televising (2013) -This project is underway. The contractor will be working in the area of the city west of I -35E and north of Highway 110. Center Pointe Business Park is also included in the project. Minor traffic impacts should be anticipated. An item of jewelry was found in the sanitary sewer in this area and is being held at City Hall. Call the Engineering Department at 651 - 452 -1850 if you are missing an item and can describe what was found. Mendota Heights Road Sanitary Sewer Force Main Replacement (2013) - Design of the replacement force main is anticipated to be complete and ready for bid by October/ November. This force main has broken 5 times in the past 6 years and is in need of replacement. Construction of the replacement could begin as early as this fall. Highway 13 Trail Connection (2013) - Council approved final plans and authorized advertisement for bids at their August 6t" meeting. City Staff is working with adjacent property owners on acquiring the necessary easements for the project. Bids were opened on August 28t with Urban Companies being the low bidder. Construction is expected in late September /early October. County Projects (Construction Year) Delaware Avenue Guardrails (2013) - Installation of guardrails on Delaware Avenue in selected location between Highway 110 and I -494 will begin later this month. Plans have been completed and are under inter - agency review. Construction is expected within the coming weeks. North Urban Regional Trail (NURT) Realignment & Greenway Plan (2014) - County staff is working on completing the design of the NURT to meet their Greenway Plan for the area. The trail will be re- routed north along Warrior Drive to Marie within the Henry Sibley High School property. In West Saint Paul the newly aligned trail will be routed through the Dodge Nature Center on the north side of Marie Avenue, and a tunnel will be installed under Charlton Avenue at Garlough Elementary School. Construction is expected during the summer of 2014. SUPPORT STAFF Kim Henning 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 AUGUST 30, 2013 o 0 0 0 o � Mendota Heights Police Department enjoys every opportunity to meet with local children &parents in order to forge positive bonds between police and community � members. We are therefore offering a chance to win a tour of the Police Depart- I ment and spend a few minutes talking with a Police Officer. Our package event includes the chance for up to 6 children and their parents to � tour the department and have a donut &juice (& of course coffee) while chatting with a cop. The department usually donates this opportunity a few times annually � to various Mendota Heights non - profits to be auctioned as a prize. The tour and � � donut devouring takes about 45 minutes; scheduling is flexible. The parents typi- � cally love it as much (if not more) as the kids do, and everyone always has great SCHOOL RESOURCE OFC. � gUeStlOriS. 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 1 To Enter: Mail, Fax or Drop -Off the registration form below by: 09/09/13 I TO: Mendota Heights Police Department 1101 Victoria Curve ATT: Records I Mendota Heights, MN 55118 Phone (651) 452 -1366; Fax (651) 452 -2995 � Then, keep your eyes peeled ... The winner of the drawing will be posted in the 9/13 issue of Just The Facts! If you're the lucky winner, contact the PD to schedule your event. Me Vol otI2 �+a' g hts T>� --- co ff ee j v_'�' ce ,� Do V V_ts I Name: 1 .� I I I II Address: �I I I I I I one: I I l I Email. f / WP 0 weem ReK(Bwo 0 0 Vandalism Wednesday 1915 hours Officer Todd Rosse responded to a residence where a caller reported her neighbor's car Police Officer had been vandalized. Upon arrival, he learned the caller noticed the vehicle had been Bobby Lambert pegged by rocks, probably from a wrist rocket, and the front door window was broken. was promoted to The neighbor advised she would have the neighbors report it to the PD when they re- Dakota County Multi- turned. The caller had not heard or witnessed anything. Cleared call Agency Assistance Group (MAAG) Team Commander! Broken Wings Wednesday 1908 hours Officer Lambert started with the team in 2000 Sergeant Eric Petersen responded to yet another call about a goose with a broken wing . when he started out as the The business -folk were concerned for its survival. They asked for a box, assistance getting battering ram, `er, the it into the box and a transport to a wildlife refuge. For many reasons, we do not assist "Manual Breacher," then the "Ballistic shield o er- with wild animals unless they are an imminent threat. The RP was not too happy with p Sat Petersen's advice "Let nature take its course." Cleared call. ator, and into many other b team leadership roles, steadily climbing his way up to the lead position. Wrong Way! Wednesday 2317 hours MAAG has been a rear Just like in "Planes, Trains & Automobiles," people were yelling, "You're going the g outlet for officer Lambert wrong way!" Well, maybe they didn't yell it at them, but there's a good chance there to demonstrate his skill were at least a few freaked out people looking at headlights coming straight at them! and knowledge as he Officer Denise Urmann assisted MSP in the area of Robert St & Hwy 110 with the call. helped coordinate and plan emergency response protocols for schools and Suspicious Person Thursday 0234 hours businesses to implement, and became more in- Officer Tanner Spicer checked out a vehicle parked behind a building outside of busi- volved in MAAG team tress hours. Upon approach, he found a gent passed out in the vehicle, sleeping it off. administrative roles in- When he was directed to just go home and go to bed, he simply walked across the street cluding budgets, staffing and planning. to his residence. Very convenient. No charges, nothing further. Congrats to Officer Lambert and thanks to the Gas & Go Thursday 0804 hours entire MAAG team (including our own Inv. We just can't write about this topic enough. This time, the reporting party didn't think Chad Willson) the drive off was intentional, as the caller had been on their phone, and it appeared that for all you do. when the call ended, they simply took off and probably just forgot to pay. Sergeant Gar- _ lock is following up to get the rest of the story. Please send us your positive feedback on our staff to: Healthy &Productive! Thursday 1031 hours pdrecords@ After his shift was over, Officer Tanner Spicer hit the pavement to complete his insanity mendota- heights.com workout. While running the paths nearby, he spotted the remnants of someone's back- pack or purse laying nearby. He then ran back to the PD with the found property and tour feedback is greatly appreciated and help, boot upon seeing the materials belonged to an Eagan resident, he called Eagan PD and the morale °four staff: learned the owner had reported her purse stolen on 8/22. Eagan PD soon took posses- sion of the property, and Officer Spicer's work /workout was complete. 2 3 Why is the man who invests our DAR /No Insurance Saturday 2316 hours Y money called a Officer Urmann stopped to assist a man walking down the road with his gas can. He "broker ?" soon informed her that he not only an out of cras, but he also was driving on a revoked v b b Why o k license. She also soon found out the vehicle had been recently purchased and did not Y you park insurance or an roof of ownership. The vehicle was impounded. in a driveway y P P P and drive in a parkway? Thefts of Gas All week Did we mention we have been taking a lot of theft of gas reports? We've also been tak- From Will &Guys ing a lot of delayed reports, which in total crenerated 9 reports from 8/24 -8/28, one of Humour b y P b P - which was unfounded and one may have been in error. www.guy- sports.com AOA /Hit &Run Monday 1544 hours While on patrol, Officer Jenny Fordham was flagged down by a motorist who stated he had just been hit but the suspect had fled the area. He provided a good description of v v vv vvvL.� 0 0 0 LFTWWUN Tough Duty Thursday 1233 hours Some days, it's rough being a Police Officer, or a social worker. Sergeant Eric Petersen 400 0* escorted a social worker to a home to fulfill a court order to remove the children from the home and helped ensure their safe transport to a foster home. Hit & Run /AOA Saturday 0234 hours Deep Officers Spicer and Urmann responded to a caller who reported his foot had been run Th91 / 0 U/ !9 over by a car. They arrived at the residence and found the victim lying on a couch with a badly inured foot and soon learned the incident happened at a bar in West St Paul. Why isn't "11" Y Evidently, the victim had been in a verbal fight and when leaving the bar, someone ran pronounced over his foot—by an "unknown" vehicle and an "unknown" suspect. The victim refused y P "one -ty one to give up any information and his friends stated they didn't witness it. West St Paul officers soon arrived and took over the investigation. Officers cleared. When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say? DWI Saturday 1749 hours If a pig loses its Officer Peyton Fleming heard WSP officers dispatched to a driving complaint near our voice, is it city borders. Evidently the vehicle was all over the road, until he stopped to urinate disgruntled? along the side of the road. Based on direction of travel, Officer Fleming was soon able Why are they to locate the big pick -up, weaving all over the road, and initiated the traffic stop. The called apartments p smell of alcohol wafted out the window, and his attempts to produce ID and insurance • if they're stuck to- roved quite difficult. Of course when asked how much he had to drink he replied, P q gether? "Two." So, testing was initiated, but when he began the Walk & Turn test, he was una- ble to stand to begin it, stating, "C'mon, you know I'm drunk!" Testing was stopped Why is it called the and he blew a PBT of .213. They must have been two very strong drinks. He was arrest - airport "terminal" ed and booked for DWI at the DC Jail. if flying is safe? Why is the man who invests our DAR /No Insurance Saturday 2316 hours Y money called a Officer Urmann stopped to assist a man walking down the road with his gas can. He "broker ?" soon informed her that he not only an out of cras, but he also was driving on a revoked v b b Why o k license. She also soon found out the vehicle had been recently purchased and did not Y you park insurance or an roof of ownership. The vehicle was impounded. in a driveway y P P P and drive in a parkway? Thefts of Gas All week Did we mention we have been taking a lot of theft of gas reports? We've also been tak- From Will &Guys ing a lot of delayed reports, which in total crenerated 9 reports from 8/24 -8/28, one of Humour b y P b P - which was unfounded and one may have been in error. www.guy- sports.com AOA /Hit &Run Monday 1544 hours While on patrol, Officer Jenny Fordham was flagged down by a motorist who stated he had just been hit but the suspect had fled the area. He provided a good description of 4 0 Don't FORGET! 000 the damaged vehicle /tire and told her he already called 911 & MSP was en route. Of- ficer Fordham was quickly able to find the vehicle, due to the scrape marks left behind from the tire rim; it was in a nearby parking lot. The man had evidently tried to zip in- to a private underground parking facility, but when confronted by the caretaker, he turned around and pulled into the lot. Witnesses had already gathered and had If you are a Mendota watched the man enter the lot, pick up pieces of his vehicle, and prepare to leave again. Heights resident and When Officer Fordham approached him, he was barely coherent or able to stand while you are going out of outside of his barely functioning vehicle, and he appeared impaired. MSP arrived and town /vacation, you took over to perform SFST's —he ended up blowing a .218. Referred to MSP. Officer can notify MHPD of cleared. your outing and we will be more than happy to keep a Car vs Raccoons Wednesday 0004 hours watchful eye on your Officer VonFeldt injuries. He found the car home while you are j responded to a one vehicle accident with no in P � and driver and saw one of the front tires was bent under the vehicle and the passenger away. The House side was damaged. The driver had swerved to avoid hitting some raccoons and hit the Check Request online g b form i s available o n curb instead. Officer cleared. o our website; we have similar forms in Theft of Gas Wednesday 0159 hours the MHPD lobby and While at a local as station the attendant informed him of a past-action as drive off we will take your info g P g that had occurred. They even provided video surveillance and good suspect and vehicle over the phone. description. However, upon viewing the video, he was able to see the "suspect" had come in to pay his bill and the transaction appeared normal. He checked with staff and MHPD offers monthly they did indeed see the past transaction. Unfounded. car seat safety checks. To schedule an appointment, call Harassment Wednesday 1640 hours 651.452.1366 to Officer Lambert took a report from a resident who was getting some strange and un- contact Officer wanted phone calls. The number was coming from a Texas area code and coming to her Jennifer Fordham. cell phone. The man, who spoke Spanish, asked for her by name and then told her he needed info about "the coyote." "Coyote" is a term often used to describe someone who smuggles Latin Americans across the border. She took three more calls where the man MHPD has a became more upset and threatening and she called officers. Officers retrieve the needed Medication Disposal info and then advised her to work with her provider to block her phone or change her Box in the lobby of number and call if any other suspicious calls or activity occurred. Forwarded to investi- the PD where Dakota gations. County residents can safely and anonymously dispose of their prescription drugs and over -the- ....................... ............................... counter medication. If you or anyone else you know is of interest in subscribing to the just The Facts Newsletter: Please Email: pdrecords @mendota - heights.com Newsletters are emailed out every Friday. U po4b,.�niftecl,& . 8 off ogbyLam�e t 00 0 0 ou o D �_N_ x,� V8 Where did the slang word "cop" come from? Some of us have been led to believe that the term "cop" is an ac- ronym for Constable On Patrol or Citizen On Patrol, which dates back to London, England in the early 1800's. Others have been told that the term comes from the copper -made badges worn by New York City police officers. While both stories seem plausible, "Myth Busters" would prove that neither is factual. In English language, the word "cop" when used as a verb means "to take or seize." It wasn't until the mid -19th century that it started being used as a casual term for "police officer." In 1844, "cop" took on the meaning "to ar- rest" and quickly morphed from being a verb to a noun by referring to the one "capturing or taking someone into police custody." By 1846, police officers were being referred to as "coppers" because they were the ones doing the seizing and /or arresting, and by 1859, folks shortened the term "coppers" to "cops" and the slang term has stuck ever since. Now you know! What is with a "cops" love of donuts? The love affair between police officers and donuts really blossomed in the 1950s when officers reduced foot - patrol and started patrolling in squad cars. Those working overnights would often stop into local donut shops for a caffeine filled coffee and a snack to catch up on some paperwork or to just say, "Hi." Donut shops were one of the few places open outside normal business /daytime hours. Store owners enjoyed having officers stop in and wouldn't charge them for their stay in appreciation for the added se- curity they provided. This relationship, which continued for decades, gave rise to the misconception that police officers are addicted to donuts. Maybe we still are, a little bit, but then who isn't? 5 stave 2 s2fe we6z!