2011-02-18 Friday NewsFrmidav News
Mendota Heights Weekly Report on City Activities
February 18, 2011 - _ - - -- -
Commission Members Selected
Our strong advisory commissions have always
been an asset to the community, we are
pleased to announce our new commissioners.
The City Council interviewed 13 applicants for
seven open city commission seats on
Wednesday night. The council decided after
the interviews to appoint the following
individuals to the three citizen advisory
commissions:
Planning Commission: Michael Noonan,
Howard Roston and Mary Magnuson.
Airport Relations Commission: Jim
Neuharth, Kevin Byrnes, and Gina Norling.
Parks and Recreation Commission: Mary
McCrory- Usset.
The City Council will officially makes these
appointments at their regular meeting March
1, 2011. The council was impressed with the
quality of all of the applicants, and appreciate
their interest in serving the city.
The City Council formally approved the hiring
of Charlotte Stockstead as the new account
technician in the Finance Department at their
meeting on Tuesday. Charlotte comes to the
city after completing her college degree and
an internship at the City of Falcon Heights in
the past year. Her duties will include tasks
involved with the budget, bills, payroll and the
annual audit. Charlotte will begin her duties
on Tuesday, February 22, 2011. Please
welcome Charlotte to Mendota Heights when
you get the opportunity.
Recreation Activity
On Thursday this week, Recreation
Programmer Teresa Gangelhoff and Parks
Lead Terry Blum decided to close the outdoor
skating rinks for the season. This is earlier
than usual, but the warm weather has taken a
serious toll on the rinks. Bringing the ice back
to a safe skating condition would require a
serious cold snap, which is not likely this time
of year.
On the flip side, city hall staff are already
receiving requests to sign up for summer
programs. We will open up the online
registration for summer programs on Thursday,
March 24.
Mendota Heights City Hall
1101 Victoria Curve
www.mendota- heights.com
(651) 452 -1850
February 18, 2011
Page Two
February 18, 2011
Waters Drive Businesses
A number of business owners from the
Waters Drive Business Park attended the
city council meeting on Tuesday evening,
The business owners were seeking council
support for changing the MN Department of
Transportation sign at waters drive which
currently states Frontage Road.
Council was pleased to partner with the
businesses to make waters drive easier to
find, and appreciated the owners taking the
time to attend a council meeting to raise
the issue.
Heights Highlights
The Heights Highlights went out this week,
and has been generating some good
feedback, specifically on a couple of
stories. A number of residents have
provided feedback on the Mendota Heights
trail system. This input will be provided to
the Parks and Recreation Commission as
they develop a trails plan.
Staff has also gotten a number of inquiries
about the winter wonderland photo contest.
The entry form and contest rules are on the
website —we have already received some
very nice photos, which will be on display at
City Hall.
City Hall Closed
City Hall will be closed Monday, February
28, 2011 in honor of Presidents Day
Dates to Remember
February 22, 2011 7:00 p.m.
Planning Commission Meeting
March 1, 2011 7:00 p.m.
City Council Meeting
March 3, 2011 7:30 a.m.
State of the City Address — Dakota
County Northern Service Center
March 6, 2011 6:30 p.m.
Parks and Recreation Commission
Meeting
March 9, 2011 7:00 p.m.
Airport Relations Commission
Meeting
A EMA&A A BAA
Attachments
The Pipeline, Just the Facts
February 18, 2011
NEWS
L E T T E R
Public Works
Engineering
Code Enforcement
Public Works
The
Pipeline
February 18, 2011
It was decided to close the skating rinks because of the warm weather this
week. The hockey nets were removed from the rinks earlier this week by
the Parks Crew. The Parks Crew attended a safety meeting at South St.
Paul City Hall this week. Truck 501 was picked up at the body shop in
Newport.
Rich changed the furnace filter at the main lift station this week. He called
St. Paul Regional Water Services about a broken fire hydrant at Patterson
Dental. Cliff put a new directional light bar on the jet truck.
The Streets Crew opened storm grates by hand and with the tractor
throughout the city this week. John A. and Cliff installed window cages on
the police cars. They fixed mailboxes that they received calls about. Tim
helped Cliff service the tractor and bobcat and other repairs were made.
Engineering
Wagon Wheel Trail Reconstruction - Staff is progressing with the design of
the project, and is trying to incorporate comments received from the
February 91" neighborhood meeting. Some residents along Wagon Wheel
are being asked to sign temporary construction easements so the grading
can be accomplished properly. This project is anticipated to be under
construction in early summer 2011 with substantial completion by the end
of September 2011.
Lower Mississippi River Watershed Management Organization (LMRWMO) -
The Public Works Director and appointed Citizen Representative, Mary
Jeanne Schneeman, attended the monthly meeting of the LMRWMO on
Thursday. LMRWMO is in the middle of revising their Watershed
Management Plan that will define and address goals and policies for
stormwater management throughout a good portion of northern Dakota
County. Once the Draft Plan is complete (sometime in March) it will be
issued for review and comment by member Cities. Once comments are
received and incorporated into the Final Plan, the City will have to amend its
current Local Surface Water Management Plan (LSWMP) to reflect the
changes mandated by the new LMRWMO Plan. Revisions to the City's
LSWMP will likely not take place until 2012.
Saint Paul Regional Water Service ( SPRWS) Annual External Customer
Meeting - The Public Works Director and City Administrator attended the
annual meeting for municipal customers at the SPRWS McCarrons Lake
headquarters on Wednesday. SPRWS provided information about how rates
charged compare to other metropolitan areas throughout the country, as
well as data on their water quality and quantity production. Two items of
note from the meeting: 1) SPRWS will be replacing every water meter in
the City of Mendota Heights starting in the spring of 2012. The new meters
will be able to be read from the street via radio signal. The new meters are
intended to increase the efficiency at which meters are read, as well as
virtually eliminate the need to estimate readings. 2) SPRWS will begin a
Pay Online system starting in May of 2011. Residents will be able to pay
their water bills on line with a credit card, and may be eligible for monthly
rather than quarterly billing with the pay online system.
Delaware Avenue Reconstruction - City Council passed an Ordinance to add
the west side of Delaware Avenue, from Emerson Ave south to I -494, to the
areas of no parking allowed in the City at the February 15th meeting. The
area within the Dakota County reconstruction project (500 feet north of
Marie Ave. south to Highway 110) was a requirement of MnDOT for project
approval. The City of West Saint Paul is proposing a similar Ordinance for
the east side of Delaware. Staff reviewed the area around Delaware Avenue
and found that the area from Emerson to Highway 110 was already signed
as no parking, but the area is not in city code as a no parking area.
Residential lots along Delaware in this area are large, and the houses are
set back from the roadway, so the need for on- street parking is minimal.
Watermain Breaks - Staff responded to two watermain breaks this week.
The first was at the intersection of Decorah Lane and Apache Street, and the
second was along Sylvandale Road near Laura Street. Staff located the
main and coordinated the emergency repair with Saint Paul Regional Water
Services.
2/18/2011
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Theft Thursday 1905 hours
Sgt Brian Convery received a call about packages that were
delivered by UPS but not on the step. The resident reported that
they had confirmed delivery of two items ordered on the internet
that were missing. There were no suspects and no witnesses to
the theft.
Theft Saturday 1637 hours
Victim reported that she had her purse stolen while at work in the
City of St. Paul she attempted to report the theft to SPPD but
they refused to take the report. The thief reportedly walked into
the business asked to use the restroom. Once in back he stole
the daily deposit and victim's purse. By the time she spoke with
Officer Bobby Lambert her credit cards had been used multiple
times. As the victim is a resident of Mendota Heights we will
attempt to follow up on the crimes that occurred in St Paul.
Intoxicated Juvenile Saturday 2323 hours
Officer Steve Meyer, while working a school dance at the high
school requested paramedics for a student who had ingested
"spiked punch." The student was extremely intoxicated and no
spiked punch could be located. The student was released to
Health East Ambulance who transported to Children's' Hospital.
Officer Meyer confirmed that the "spiked punch bowl" is a thing of
the past. Bottled beverages only at school functions!
Fraud Monday 1207 hours
Victim reported receiving a letter from Sprint congratulating him
on the purchase of his new phone. The man did not order
anything. In checking he found out a new phone was ordered
using his personal information and shipped to an address in
Texas. The account was closed immediately. The victim ran a
credit bureau check and determined that he had no other strange
activity on his account.
Harassing Communications Monday 1723 hours
Caller reported receiving a call from a male who said he wanted
to come and visit when she was home alone. Officer Willson
assisted her in back tracking the phone number to Wabasha MN
and they attempted to make contact with someone at the phone
number. No contact was made and no further calls have been
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2/18/2011
reported since Officer Willson placed the call.
Found Property Wednesday 0916 hours
A jogger found a credit card and owner's manual to a car while enjoying the beautiful
weather. Officer Larrive located the owner who checked their car and was fairly
certain it was not gone through.
AOA Wednesday 1138 hours
Officer Larrive, while on patrol and monitoring the communications center, heard
them put out a hit and run (crash) in West Saint Paul. With this information he was
able to quickly locate the suspect on Hwy 110 and initiated a traffic stop on the
vehicle. Officer Larrive confirmed the suspect vehicle was correct and the driver
admitted to leaving the scene. Her reason was "she didn't cause the accident." The
real reason she left was no one in the car had a valid driver's license. The driver was
revoked and the passenger had a permit. There were two children not secured in the
car. The car along with the occupants was turned over to Officer Muellner of the
WSPPD for charges.
False Reporting a Crime Wednesday 1216 hours
Officer John Larrive responded to the area of the high school on the report of a
student who had been kidnapped. The student reportedly escaped and was walking
somewhere near the school. The student was located walking on Hwy 110. As soon
as the student was safely in the squad car things didn't seem right as the student
was acting as if nothing occurred. As Officer Larrive attempted to gain facts for
broadcast it became clearer that something was amiss. He contacted the School
Resource Officer and made arrangements to meet with the parent and student
together. Once at the school the student began to weave a tale, unfortunately he
was not a good story teller. The student was advised that falsely reporting a crime is
a crime! Eventually the student came clean admitting he fabricated the story to cover
the fact that he skipped school. A citation was issued and the student was sent
home with mom.
Theft from Auto Thursday 0731 hours
Caller reported that her daughter had a laptop computer taken from her UNLOCKED
car in the driveway. Officer John Larrive was working to get the proper information to
enter the stolen computer into the system. The homeowner reported that their car
had been gone through while parked outside. No damage to the car as the doors
were left unlocked.
Theft from Auto Thursday 1425 hours
Victim came to MHPD to report that his car was broken into while parked in his
driveway. Taken was all of his identification. Nothing else was missing. An alert
was put out with the facts around the missing ID.
Runaway? Nope Young Love!
A young couple (mid -20's) came to the police department to give officers a heads up
that they had just gotten married and the young lady had moved out of the apartment
she shared with her mother. She advised that she left a note to tell her mother of her
decision, but she was anticipating an extreme reaction from her mother, who she
assumes will call the police to more than likely report her as a missing person. She
confirmed she is making this decision of her own free will and is happily married O
Mam a peatwa Ad/ /f//,
-2-
Volume 6, Week 36
February 7, through
February 13, 2011
Featuring Sheriff's
Administrative,
Communications,
Support, and Parks,
Lakes, and Trails
Staff.
Administration
Fran Bakke
Julie Ecker
Detention Services
SuQnort Staff
Sandy Burke
Desiree Chartrand
Jennifer Harrington
Melanie Heltne
Molu Jolly
Kathy Karnick
Jamie Maiser
Janelle Mayer
Mary McPhetres
Minnie Murphy
Holly Ruiz
Andrea Strenke
Betsy Winter
Emergency
Preparedness
Dave Gisch
Operations Support
Staff
Carmen Brown
Ana Estrada
Julie Fischer
Pam Hinton
Linda Mischke
Shona Murphy
Jesse Monahan
Andrea Olson
Carole Sieben
Fay Wallin
Parks, Lakes, and
Trails
Salah Ahmed
Michael Myres
Dave Bailey
Ryan Bollig
DAKOTA COUNTY SHERIFF
1A front row seat to the _qreatest show on Garth..."
Dave Bellows, Sheriff
Tim Leslie, Chief Deputy
Thank You for All You Do...
Our jail ministry volunteers were
honored at a dinner this past
week. The annual event, hosted
by Jail Chaplain Jim Bzoskie,
was held at the Riverview Baptist
Church in West St. Paul. The
ministry is comprised of the
churches that take turns holding
Sunday service in the jail. This
group of volunteers provides a
vital function in working with
inmates and their spiritual needs.
During the evening, several past
inmates gave testimonials on
how helpful the Dakota County
Jail Ministry was to reforming
their lives. Both Chaplain Jim and
Chaplin Vern Hildebrandt
donate hundreds of hours every
year in religious education and
counseling inmates. Thank you to
Chaplains Jim and Vern and to all
our members of the ministry for
their countless volunteer hours
and commitment to the inmates
in the jail.
Congratulations...
On Friday, the Dakota County Chiefs of Police held their first -ever awards ceremony,
recognizing law enforcement members for their exceptional work during the past year.
As current president for the association, Burnsville Police Chief Bob Hawkins was
the "Master of Ceremonies." Several members of the DCSO and Hastings Police
Department were recognized with the Award of Honor for their efforts during a high
speed chase involving a man wanted for violent felonies and threatening to kill police
officers. The pursuit ended with the suspect being boxed in and ultimately shot after
threatening police with a gun. Receiving awards from the Sheriff's Office were
Sergeant Scott Durdall and Deputies Matt Schuster, Tim Samuelson, Tim
Gonder, Mike Fendrick, and Matt Regis. From Hastings Police were Sergeant Mike
Volume 6, Week 36
February 7, through
February 13, 2011
Jacob Coulson
John Grimes
Chris Haars
Michael Mandel
Jon Reiners
Joshua Schauer
Chaplawns
Jim Bzoskie
Vern Hildebrandt
Clayton McDougall
Eddie Nestingen
Cory Voll
Don Voll
Questions?
Comments?
Please contact the
Dakota County
Sheriff's Office at
651.437.4700 or any
of the following by
email:
dave. bellows@
co.dakota.mn.us
julie.ecker@
co.dakota.mn.us
DAKOTA COUNTY SHERIFF
i4 front row seat to the _ re,,7t'eSt show on 6arth-.."
Dave Bellows, Sheriff
Tim Leslie, Chief Deputy
Pictured left to right are;
(Back Row) Hastings Police Chief Paul Schnell, Deputy Tim
Samuelson, Sheriff Dave Bellows, Chief Deputy Tim Leslie, and
Commander Dan Scheuermann
(Middle Row) Burnsville Police Chief Bob Hawkins and
Deputy Matt Regis
(Front Row) Hastings Police Officers Kyle Linscheid and Amber
Wiech, Deputies Tim Gonder and Mike Fendrick, and Commander
John Grant
Julie Fischer and Fay Wallin
were honored. Recognized for
20 years of service were
Correctional Lieutenant Hart,
Correctional Sergeant Scott
Fuchs, Detective Rob
Hosking, and Deputy Brent
Lohmann.
Slow Down, It's the Law...
While on patrol Sergeant Pat
Enderlein stopped a car on
County Road 46 that was
traveling 84 mph. The female
driver was found to have a
suspended license and told Pat
she was late for work, oh, and
that she had to get her eight and
four - year -old boys to day care
first.
Welcome Back...
Munson and Officers
Bryan Schowalter, Kyle
Linscheid, and Amber
Wiech. A number of
other awards were
handed out during the
ceremony, including the
Citizens Award of
Excellence to
Correctional Deputy
Audra Rawlings for her
work as a member of the
West St. Paul Police
Reserve. Thanks to each
of you for your efforts.
Congratulations to several
members of the Sheriff's
Office, who received
awards this past week for
their service to Dakota
County. For 25 years of
service, Program
Services Assistants
Pictured left to right are:
(Back Row) Chief Deputy Tim Leslie, Sheriff Dave Bellows, and
Commander Dan Scheuermann
(Front Row) Deputy Matt Schuster and Burnsville Police Chief
Bob Hawkins
To Program Services Assistant Carole Sieben on her return to work after
convalescing at home from surgery.
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