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2011-02-11 Friday NewsFr'lda News Mendota Heights Weekly Report on City Activities February 11, 2011 MRCCA Legislation Update In late 2009, the state legislature passed a bill directing the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to draft new rules to guide development within the federally designated Mississippi River Critical Corridor Area (MRCCA). Rulemaking was to be completed by January 4, 2011. Due to extensive public input, the DNR was unable to meet the deadline. Instead of a bill to reauthorize rulemaking, Senate File 39 (SF39) seeks to repeal the process. SF39 has passed several senate committees, including the important Finance Committee, which is typically a last stop before heading to the senate floor. At the direction of Council, staff sent a letter to our legislators, as well of the house and senate versions of the bill. The letter encourages allowing the rulemaking process to continue, but it looks very likely that SF39 will become law. Our Critical Area Ordinance is still in effect, however, the role of the DNR in the process is now uncertain. Advisory Commissions The new year has not only impacted our City Council, but has also brought change to each of our advisory commissions. We are anxiously awaiting for the appointment of one new Parks and Recreation Commissioner, three new Planning Commissioners and three new Airport Relations Commissioners. Special thanks go out to our current commissioners who are carrying out their important work. All commissions will have seven members for their March meetings. Heights Highlights Residents can expect to find the latest edition of the Heights Highlights in their mailboxes this weekend or next week. You will notice some significant changes to the newsletter. Jake Sedlacek and Sandie Thone have been working with our printer to utilize new printing technology. The newsletter is still packed with information, but is presented in a more attractive, easier to read format. Best of all, the new, full -color format does not cost any more than our previous format did. Mendota Heights City Hall 1101 Victoria Curve www.mendota- heights.com (651) 452 -1650 February 11, 2011 Page Two February 11, 2011 Meet with Rep. Hansen State Representative Rick Hansen will be holding constituent office hours on Saturday, February 12 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Buon Giorno in Lilydale. "With Minnesota facing a $6.2 billion budget deficit and high unemployment, public input will be crucial in finding solutions that reflect the priorities of Minnesotans and set our state on a path to long -term success," said Representative Hansen. "I encourage my constituents to attend and offer their questions, comments, and concerns." Staff Training Next week city hall staff will attend training on a variety of issues related to safety and security at city hall. While issues related to security in government buildings is often in the news, we have not performed training on this subject in some time. City hall staff will review what to do in a number of safety related issues and review procedures to make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to certain events /issues. With recent incidents involving government officials and facilities, this seemed like an excellent time to get employees together to talk about these issues. Training will take place next week at city hall and staff members will have an opportunity to ask questions on these issues. Thank you to those staff members who recommended this training Dates to Remember February 15, 2011 7:00 p.m. City Council Meeting February 16, 2011 4:00 p.m. Commissioner Interviews February 22, 2011 7:00 p.m. Planning Commission Meeting March 1, 2011 7:00 p.m. City Council Meeting March 6, 2011 6:30 p.m. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting .m. Attachments The Pipeline, Just the Facts and the Dakota County Sheriff "The Front Row" February 11, 2011 NEWS LETTER Public Works Engineering Code Enforcement Public Works The Pipeline February 11, 2011 (entine'� � The Parks Crew cleaned out snow in the east parking lot at Rogers Lake Park for the Fire ice rescue drill. The door handle at the Marie Park warming house was repaired. Truck #501 was taken to Newport Auto for some body repair work. Rich was called in at 1:30 a.m. Sunday because of a float malfunction at the Lilydale lift station. He found dental floss wrapped around the float. There was a sanitary sewer blockage on Monday on James Court in the homeowner's portion of the line. The city's portion of the line was fine. Rich put a new hose reel swivel on the hose reel at the Fire Department. A new LED digital pump display was put in at the main lift station. The Streets Crew came in on Sunday, February 6, 2011, because of light snow. The main lines and hills were salted. Fire hydrants were cleared of snow in the business park. Snow was also pushed back at the intersections in the business park. John Ambrose finished making up cages for the police cars. John also removed the wear bars on the parks tractor that is used for dragging ball fields. All plow trucks were steam cleaned, greased and looked over. Engineering Wagon Wheel Trail Reconstruction - Engineering staff held a follow -up neighborhood meeting on Wednesday, February 9t" from 6:00 to 7:30 at City Hall for the affected property owners. Staff presented preliminary plans and worked one -on -one with residents to resolve specific issues with the individual parcel owners along the project route. Approximately 30 residents attended the informal meeting. Among the main issues discussed with residents were tree removal and grading to fill the ditches on either side of the roadway. Some residents were asked to grant a temporary construction easement so the grading could be accomplished properly. This project is anticipated to be under construction in early summer 2011 with substantial completion by the end of September 2011. American Public Works Association APWA) Conference Committee - The Public Works Director attended a meeting of the APWA Conference Committee on Tuesday. The committee is responsible for organizing the two APWA conferences held each November and May. Work at this meeting was focused on the May 2011 Conference. Committee members are responsible for arranging topics and presenters as well as moderating the discussions during the conference. This spring's conference is themed around `Social Media and Emerging Communications Technologies." Public Works staff from around the state will conference in May to share their thoughts, ideas, and experiences on this topic. State Aid Needs Updated - Mendota Heights receives Municipal State Aid (MSA) money each year from the State to offset construction and maintenance costs of some of its high traffic streets. Recently, MnDOT transferred title work to existing frontage roads along Highway 110 and Highway 55 (Centre Pointe Curve, Lemay Lake Road, Victoria Curve and Mendota Road) to the City. To help offset future reconstruction and maintenance costs, the city is asking MnDOT add these streets to our needs list, while removing some existing designated routes (Delaware Avenue, Emerson Ave and Decorah Lane). The city is only allowed 20 percent of total mileage to be supported by state funds. This change will allow the city to gain greater financial support for its existing roadway network. Delaware Avenue Reconstruction - The Dakota County design plans are being reviewed by MnDOT. As a requirement of the MNDOT funding, Delaware Avenue will need to be designated as a no parking area. Staff is preparing an Ordinance to add Delaware Avenue to the areas of no parking allowed in the City, and it is anticipated that the Ordinance will be before City Council at the February 15th meeting. The area is currently signed for no parking, but the area is not in city code as a no parking area. 2/11/2011 7lie latettheWs from the ts PePAn*eht The Animal Complaint Friday 1538 hours Mendota Officers responded to the area of Hwy 110 and Dodd Road due Heights to several calls from motorists concerned about the welfare of a Police man in a purple gorilla suit who was running into traffic. It was determined that he was advertising for Anytime Fitness and was Department unable to be located when officers arrived. Mission Support accomplished! The gorilla /man definitely got some attention!! Staff Family Disturbance Sunday 0152 hours Kim Henning Officers Denise Urmann and Peyton Fleming responded to a Sandie Ristine Susan Donovan disturbance at residence where adult family members had Cathy Ransom gathered after a funeral. One of the family members had become Becky Pentel intoxicated and disruptive. When family members tried to calm Police Officers her down she became physically assaultive to the point where Jerry Murphy Scott Patrick the police were needed to de- escalate the situation. She did John Larrive injure her brother when she threw a shoe at him which struck him Bobby Lambert in the face causing injury. She was located by Officer Fleming Tanner Spicer nearby the residence, since she had attempted to leave the Todd Rosse Chad Willson scene after she realized the police were on the way, and was ff Jeff arrested for 5th Degree Domestic Assault. She spent the rest of Jennifer Fordham the evening at the Dakota County Jail. Denise Urmann Harassment/Stalking Monday 2016 hours Michael Shepard A resident contacted the police department regarding on -going Peyton Fleming School Resource harassment and stalkin g type behavior that she was a victim of. Officer Officer Chad Willson met with the party who identified her stalker Steven Meyer as former high school classmate. She added the harassment by Investigations this party had been going on for nearly 20 years but the behavior Mario Reyes has become increasingly disturbing. Officer Willson advised the Tanner Spicer Sergeants victim to seek a Harassment Restraining Order and told to call Neil Garlock 911 if any further contact was made by this party. Brian Convery Medical /Detox Tuesday 0028 hours Eric Petersen Officer Denise Urmann responded to a local establishment in Reserves Randy Pentel Mendota on report of an intoxicated male who fell off a bar stool Gino Messina and became unconscious. According to the other patrons, this Jesse Mettner man had been unconscious for approximately 10 minutes. After Andrew Quinlan several sternum rubs, Officer Urmann was finally greeted by this Chief Mike party who became very belligerent and uncooperative. The man Aschenbrener demonstrated very clearly that he was not able to care for himself -1- 2/11/2011 as when he tried to stand he fell down again. It was determined by HealthEast paramedics that he needed to be seen at the hospital due to an injury to his head from the fall and extreme intoxication so a Health and Welfare Hold was placed on the man and he was transported. Officer Urmann rode in the ambulance to the hospital due to the man's foul personality to ensure the safety of the medics. No charges filed. Obstruction of Legal Process Wednesday 1154 hours Officer Scott Patrick responded to a residence where we have on -going calls for service, per request of a caregiver. The caregiver reported that she cares for an elderly female who has been diagnosed with dementia and her male "friend" has been court ordered not to interfere with this care. On this date, the friend was not allowing the caregiver access to the home, therefore interfering with medication being dispensed and other caregiving duties. Officer Patrick tried to resolve the situation but the male friend refused to follow the orders that have been handed down by the court. Officer Patrick ended up placing the man under arrest for Obstruction of Legal Process (interfering with a court order) and Obstruction of Legal Process (interfering with a police officer who is engaged in official duties). He was taken into custody and transported to the Dakota County Jail for the two misdemeanor charges. Check the Welfare Wednesday 1358 hours Officers Bobby Lambert and Steve Meyer responded to a residence to check the welfare on an adult female who was intoxicated while caring for her 4 year old daughter. The reporting party was her husband who arrived at the home to find the woman asleep on the couch and the child caring for herself. Not only was this concerning for the family and responding officers, but it was also deemed to be a violation of a court order. The husband had recently sought help from the county as he is struggling with his wife's alcoholism and the danger that it poses when caring for the children. The woman refused to provide a breath sample to officers and was placed under arrest for violation of the court order and possible child endangerment charges. She was transported to the Dakota County Jail. Missing Person Thursday 1300 hours Officer Scott Patrick received a call for help from a woman who stated her father, who is a Mendota Heights resident, was missing. He was scheduled to pick up his wife (the caller's mother) at her place of employment in St. Paul and was overdue. Officer Patrick assisted by checking the residence for the man or the vehicle and neither he nor the vehicle were there. The caller had advised that to complicate matters her father is hearing impaired and has early on -set dementia. She hadn't been able to contact him via cell phone but then eventually she did get ahold of him and he advised that he was lost and he was at the intersection of "36 and Greeley ". Officer Patrick was able to determine that he meant Highway 36 and Greeley which is in Stillwater. Officer Patrick contacted the Washington County Sheriff's Officer and gave them the possible location and vehicle information. A Stillwater PD officer found the vehicle and the man and stayed with him until the daughter could go pick him up. The caller sent a nice thank you note to the city regarding the assistance she received from Officer Patrick in which she called him her "angel." Great Job Scott! /saes a,featmsafexd�dsar� -2- Volume 6, Weeks 34 -35 January 24, through February 6, 2011 Featuring Sheriff's Volunteer Units and Information Technology Support Staff. Information Technology Support Dan Anderson Lisa Blount Chance Munger Special De uUes Tom Ahr Juan Balli Louis Henderson Dennis Millerbernd Anthony Pojman Randal Smith Dave Stanek Bob Stowell Tom Wilson Special De up ties Sheriff's Office Liaison: Sergeant Mitch Penny Mounted Patrol Tim Burns J. B. Dudley Jean Fredlund Kelly Haas Wendy Human Heidi Johnson Ann LaBelle Denise McCall Maggie Mell Cathy Snyder DAKOTA COUNTY SHERIFF The Front Row OA frowt row seat to the greatest show ow Earth... " Dave Bellows, Sheriff Tim Leslie, Chief Deputy Case Solved, with help from the Mole... Last week Deputy Brian Smidt, while working a traffic detail, had an interesting case. After stopping a car, he requested identification from the rW-W M66><1YWDRal1 female driver. The driver complied and tl +dlM4tFRFMGwgDr provided him with her Minnesota 01%1 f= license. While talking with the driver, he noticed she had a small mole on her chin that was not visible on the license. ; - } When questioned about the missing Yom_ mole on the license she told him that,. •�ti= i, "it had just recently grown." Deputy Smidt, not satisfied with her explanation, did some further digging on the mole issue and soon learned that driver and license were not one in the same. By the end of the traffic stop, he learned the license was tied to a theft from a vehicle in Apple Valley earlier this year. In addition, he found two forged checks in the car. Nice work to Deputy Smidt on the "Case of the Missing Mole." Patrol Notes... Deputies Jon Napper and Dan Siebenaler were stopped at the Hampton Pump on Highway 52 when the driver of a pick -up stormed into the store asking for help dealing with his "crazy" girlfriend. It seems the two were driving down the road when she began kicking the gear shift while the truck was traveling at 70 miles per hour. At one point when she kicked it, the truck came to a complete stop (not good for the transmission) on the highway. In talking to her, it was clear she was very intoxicated and that was confirmed with a PBT reading of .28. The 32- year -old female also damaged his radio by kicking that as well. The boyfriend did not want to press charges but clearly wanted no more of the passenger. She was transported to Detox. The investigation into a head -on crash from last week continues. The accident, which involved a van and car, occurred on County Road 47 near Highway 52 and resulted in serious back injuries to a 72- year -old female. The driver of the van, a 36- year -old female, sustained minor injuries and her six - year -old daughter was uninjured. Responding to the accident were Sergeant Pat Enderlein Volume 6, Weeks 34 -35 January 24, through February 6, 2011 Mounted Patrol Sheriff's Office Liaisons Sergeant Mitch Penny Deputy Sean Qualy Explorer Post S73 Sheriff's Office Liaisons /Advisors: Correctional Deputy Tim Fletcher Deputy Jim Riff Sergeant Mitch Penny Deputy Dawanna Witt Chaolains Jim Bzoskie Vern Hildebrandt Clayton McDougall Eddie Nestingen Cory Voll Don Voll Questions? Comments? Please contact the Dakota County Sheriff's Office at 651.438.4700 or any of the following by email: dave.bellows@ co.dakota.mn.us julie.ecker@ co.dakota.mn.us "The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one often comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won't. " - -Henry Ward Beecher DAKOTA COUNTY SHERIFF The Front Row 4'4 frowt row seat to the greatest show ow Garth..." Dave Bellows, Sheriff Tim Leslie, Chief Deputy and Deputies Krystal Johnson, Phoutaivanh Sourignavong, and Mike Fendrick. Behind the Bars... Over the past week the jail held an average of 244 inmates in custody per day. This represents a slight decrease from the prior week. Working to Make Our Kids Safer on the Road... Several members of the DCSO, along with students from Randolph, attended the third annual Teen Safe Driving Summit held at the Rosemount Community Center. The focus of the event was to better educate teen drivers. Several speakers addressed the group, including a 25- year -old female who had served time for criminal vehicular homicide, and the parent of a teen killed in an accident who was not wearing a seatbelt. Attending from the DCSO were Sergeant Pat Enderlein, Deputies Phoutaivanh Sourignavong and Krystal Johnson, and Correctional Deputy Tim Fletcher. Congratulations... to Captain Dan Scheuermann, who has been promoted to the rank of Commander effective Monday, February 14th. Dan is a 22 -year veteran of the Sheriff's Office and is currently assigned as captain for the Patrol Division. During his career Dan has held a variety of assignments, including jail administrator, patrol sergeant, and seven years as a detective with the Drug Task Force. Dan, teamed with his canine partner, "Rajah;' was recognized as one of the top drug detection canine teams in the United States. Dan was also a 15 -year member of the Dakota County Special Weapons and Tactical (SWAT) Team. He has also D U served as chief of law enforcement services during the Dakota County Fair since 2004. Click here to subscribe to this newsletter electronically. Page 2