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2013-02-01 Friday NewsFriday News Mendota Heights Weekly Report on City Activities Cyber Security In case you are not on Representative Rick Hansen's email list, we'd like to share some great information he provided on keeping 4 your online identity safe. Representative Hansen encourages every - o n e to explore StaySa f e nlin , which has many useful resources that can help protect your personal information. The top left link on the to p of the page e is "I want to stay safe p y online." Representative Hansen's updates include recent legislation, as well as useful resources. 0 j Leadership Dinner The annual leadership dinner was held at Mendakota Country Club this past Friday evening. A great crowd of 88 council mem- bers, commissioners, staff and significant oth- ers took advantage of the opportunity to gath- er in a social setting. The food was great, the conversation lively and the night passed far too quickly. Thank you to all who attended. Another Trail Planning Open House Dakota County continues to develop trail plans around the county, with another open house that is of interest to Mendota Heights residents. The North Urban Regional Trail starts at the intersection of Dodd Road and Hwy 110, heading East. There will be an open house Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at the West St. Paul City Hall to discuss options for the trail from Warrior Drive past Robert Street. All citizens are welcome, the open house will run from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. A flyer on the event has been attached. Dates to Remember: February 5, 2013 • City Council 7:00 p.m. February 12, 2013 Parks and Rec Comm 6:30 p.m. February 13, 2013 Airport Relations Comm 7:00 p.m. February 19, 2013 City Council 7:00 p.m. Attachments: Pipeline, Just the Facts Mendota Heights City Hall 1101 Victoria Curve www.mendota-heights.com (651)452 -1850 NEW S LETTER Public Works Engineering Code Enforcement Public Works The Pmipelmine 0 0 ; February 1, 2013 The Parks Crew broomed and flooded the hockey rinks as needed. They plowed cul -de -sacs, parking lots, trails and ice rinks on Sunday /Monday. All trucks were washed. Truck 503 was taken to the shop for frame repair. The Utilities Crew cleaned grease of the floats at the Veronica lift station. He plowed cul -de -sacs and lift station parking lots on Sunday /Monday. A new hydrant flag was put on the hydrant at Dodd and Chippewa Avenue. "'Noma a .SS � �• ter, � W'9 Engineering T-'. The Streets Crew came in Sunday to salt the city streets during the freezing rain and then plowed all city streets after it snowed. They plowed and salted all city streets again Monday morning. Plow truck 312 started to have a serious oil leak and it was taken out of service. They are working on the truck. There was freezing rain again Tuesday morning and police called to report the streets were almost impassable. Three trucks went out and salted again. Truck 312 was back in service by the end of the day Tuesday. Plow truck 304 broke through a blacktop patch where there had been a water main break on Cherry Hill Road. The spinner bracket was bent along with other parts. They are working on fixing the spinner on 304 along with other repairs. City Projects (construction year) Dodd Road /Hiahwav 110 Intersection Pedestrian Improvements (2013) - The final plans were approved by City Council and staff was authorized to seek bids for construction at the January 15t" City Council meeting. Staff has completed all the paperwork for MnDOT approval of the plans. The issue of pedestrian safety markings and signage will be re- addressed by MnDOT during and after construction of the project. Bidding is anticipated in April /May with construction beginning in late spring. Hunter Lane /Orchard Place Neighborhood Improvements (2013) -A second neighborhood informational meeting is scheduled for February 27t" from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at City Hall to go over specific property design issues with residents. Design plans are proceeding in accordance with the parameters set by City Council when the project was ordered last October. Final plan completion is expected in March with bidding and contract award in April /May and construction starting in June. Crown Point &Overlook Neighborhood Rehabilitations (2013) - Design plans are proceeding. Final plans are anticipated by April for a construction start during the summer. Lexington Avenue Pedestrian Trail, Hwy 110 to Douglas Avenue (20131 - Staff is preparing plans for the rehabilitation for construction during 2013. Dakota County has included this in their Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and will assist with project construction cost. Plans will be included with the Crown Point &Overlook Neighborhood Rehabilitation project for bidding, and construction is anticipated for the summer. Highway 13 Trail Connection (2013) -Staff is planning construction of a trail connection along the south side of Highway 13 to connect the pedestrian trail from Riverside Lane to Lilydale Road. The project may be delayed until 2014 if MnDOT can include it for funding as part of their trail gap program for 2014 (Highway 13 is a State Right -of -Way). If not chosen for MnDOT funding in 2014, the City intends to construct the connection in 2013. More information will be published about this project over the winter. County Projects North Urban Regional Trail (NURT) Realignment and Greenway Study -Staff is working with Dakota County and their consultant on a study analyzing potential realignment corridors for the NURT between Warrior Drive in Mendota Heights and Charlton Avenue in West Saint Paul. One alternative being looked at is connecting the NURT to Marie Avenue along Warrior Drive on School District property. An Open House will be held on February 6t" at West Saint Paul City Hall from 5:00pm to 7:00pm to present alternatives and gather public input. Other Activities Future Cities Competition -Staff attended the Future Cities Competition on January 25th with three teams of students from Friendly Hills Middle School (FHMS). The State competition, which is sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), was held at the University of Minnesota Science, Teaching, &Student Services Building. Students were asked to plan a city of the future given specific criteria and problems to solve. This year's theme is "Rethinking Runoff" and the teams are coming up with innovative ways to improve surface water quality. All three teams from FHMS finished in the top 10 of the 43 teams entered claiming 6tn1 8t ", and 10t" place respectively. An excellent showing from District 197! City Engineers Association of Minnesota (CEAM) Winter Conference -Staff attended the annual CEAM Winter Conference on Wednesday and Thursday. Many sessions in this year's conference were dedicated to preventative maintenance, economic and financial forecasts, and developing young talent within the engineering industry. Of particular interest was information on routine and preventative maintenance of recreational trails. This is timely as staff and the Parks &Recreation Commission are currently working on completing the Trail Improvement and Management Plan (TIMP), which should be presented to City Council later in the year. Q Tlie t6ce Afer�ata �fe��its f'viice �e�sartyne�ct The Mendota Heights PolicE Department Support Staff Kim Henning Susan Donovan Trista Millcr Bccky Pcntcl Police Officers Jerry Murphy Scott Patrick John Larrivc Bobby Lambert Tanner Spicer Todd Rossc Chad Willson Jeff VonFcldt Steven Meyer D cnis c Urmann Michael Shepard Peyton Fleming School Resource Officer Jennifer Fordham Investigations Mario Reyes Chad Willson Sergeants Neil Garlock Brian Convcry Eric Petersen Reserves Randy Pcntcl Jarrod Spicer Jim Knox Jeff Parker George Castillo Chaplains Frances Cuenca Joel Dcticfscn Lynn Liberman Butch Millctt Sue Plucker John Snider David Wick Chief Mike Aschcnbrcncr Polar Plunge 2013 - A Huge Success! 6 Emp- Ll 1/30/13 On Saturday January 26th John and Jenny Larrive participated in the East Metro Polar Plunge. They were among 1600 other plungers who braved the cold waters of White Bear Lake for Special Olympics Minnesota. Team Larrive raised an impressive $891 and the entire event brought in over $300,000. Among the many volunteers who made this event happen were the 70 plus reserve officers (pictured above). Mendota Heights Reserve Officer Jim Knox was among the volunteers who helped make this event run safely and smoothly. A special thanks to all who supported "Team Larrive" and Special Olympics Minnesota. Burglary Wednesday 1449 hours While on routine patrol Sergeant Convery was flagged down by a local business manager advising that the business had been burglarized by two men looking to steal copper piping from inside the building. When confronted by the manager, the men ran out of the building and sped off in a vehicle. This occurred two hours prior to Sergeant Convery being flagged down for a report. The suspects were long gone, but the case is forwarded to investigations with some promising leads as to the identity of the culprits. Crisis Wednesday 1522 hours Sergeant Neil Garlock was dispatched to a residence to assist with a male expressing suicidal plans. On arrival Sergeant Garlock found the 1/30/13 male, who stated that he had plans to harm himself. Sergeant Garlock spoke with the young man and he was willingly transported by ambulance to the hospital on a health & welfare hold. Warrant Arrest Friday 0116 hours While on routine patrol Officer Spicer ran a license plate of a vehicle. The license plate did not match the vehicle description in the state computer and a traffic stop was conducted. It was learned that the dealership from where the vehicle was recently purchased had made an error on the information it provided to the state. The driver was still cited for having a revoked driver's status and the passenger, found to have warrants, was arrested and jailed. Possess Marijuana and Curfew Saturday 0023 hours While on routine patrol Officer Peyton Fleming clocked a vehicle speeding 64 mph in a posted 40 mph zone and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. Officer Fleming found the vehicle occupied by two juvenile males who were out past curfew and trying to speed their way home. To compound the issue further Officer Fleming could smell the odor of burnt marijuana inside the car. The occupants were removed and searched and marijuana and paraphernalia were located inside the car. The occupants were cited for their respective offenses and released to a very unhappy father, who came out in the middle of the night to take custody of the juveniles. Disorderly Conduct Saturday 0038 hours Officer Meyer along with Officers Fleming and Urmann were dispatched to a local apartment complex in reference to people knocking on an apartment door looking for a party unknown to the apartment renter. The suspects were threatening bodily injury to everyone in the apartment if the party they were looking for did not come out. On arrival officers located the suspects, none of which lived at the apartment complex and were less than cooperative with officers. One of the suspects was found to have outstanding warrants and drug paraphernalia and was transported to jail. After speaking to the reporting party, a l l of the suspects were cited for disorderly conduct and provided a ride away from the apartment complex. Suspicious Person Sunday 0145 hours While patrolling the business districts, Sergeant Convery observed a vehicle with no front plate leaving the back of a business. Upon initiating the stop, he learned from the drivers that they had been dumpster- diving, searching for scrap material. Photos taken, parties were identified and warned, and both were released from the scene. Slippery Roads! Tuesday 0419 - 0800 hours Officers Steve Meyer and Denise Urmann were kept busy with the snowfall over icy roads, along with MN State Patrol and later near shift change, Officers Bobby Lambert and Scott Patrick. The worst accident was at Wachtler and Wentworth Ave when one, then two, then three vehicles slid right into the ravine. Luckily everyone came out unscathed, including some near misses to the responding officers. Officer Urmann stopped traffic coming down Wentworth while Officer Meyer checked for injuries and assisted drivers in the ravine. The busy call load and bad roadways in the area made it difficult for assisting agency response, but help did eventually arrive and officers were later able to clear. We're thankful everyone is safe. Afm QA O"A W Gi C fAmf6 es 40 DAKOTA COUNTY SHERIFF 9aE�F�s --� The Front Row :4 front row seat to theqr eatest show on Farth&0*11 Volume 8, Week 35 Dave Bellows, Sheriff January 21, through January 27, 2013 Tim Leslie, Chief Deputy Featuring Sheriff's Volunteer Units and Information Technology Support Staff: Information Technology lippor Dan Anderson Lisa Blount Chance Munger Special Deputies Juan Balli Louis Henderson Anthony Pojman Randal Smith Dave Stanek Special Del2utmes Sheriff's Office Sergeant Booker Hodges Mounted Patrol Bonnie Brauninger Tim Burns J. B. Dudley Mike Dudley Ron Hart Ann LaBelle Wendy Pressnall Kourtney Rose Cathy Snyder Disaster Averted... Even with the freezing temperatures, driving on the ice can be dangerous. This fact was highlighted again this weekend when a family of five traveling on Spring Lake broke through the ice. The family, with children ages three, two, and eight months, were visiting friends at a bonfire on the lake. Getting into their car, the dad decided to take a tour on the lake when the car went through thin ice in approximately ten feet of water about 50 feet from the shore. Fortunately, the family was able to get out of the car before it became completely submerged in the lake. While no one was injured, this incident illustrates the dangers involved when driving on any frozen body of water. Sheriff Dave Bellows cautions drivers to understand these dangers and be prepared to rapidly exit your vehicle should you break through the ice. Deputies Matt Schuster and Amber Hentges and Sergeant Jim Iliff responded to the call. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources provides tips for traveling on ice and they can be found at the following link. http : Z /www. d n r. state. m n. us/safety/ice/travel. htm I Front: Wendy Bauman, Alison McKenna, Becki O'Brien, Katie Enger, amd Philomina Ohakweh Back: Commander John Grant, Bonnie Brueshoff, Carla Te tter, Cathy Larsen, Ca th y Neuenfeldt, Sheriff Dave Bellows, and Chief Deputy Tim Leslie Not Pictured: Yvonne Berryman, Jennifer Cross, Jeannie Leeson, Laura Thurmes, Bill Murtha, and Tim Welt In last week's edition of the newsletter we announced the move from Public Health to MEnD Correctional Care for nursing services in the jail. Since 1996, Public Health nurses have provided this service with expertise and a lunch was held in their honor. Several of the staff will become employees of MEnD and continue working in the jail. A photo was taken and we again want to thank all the nurses for their great work in caring for the inmates in our jail. Our Jail Programs are the Best... The Dakota County Jail is well known for providing a wide variety of high quality inmate programs. The focus of our programs is to identify and address the underlying causes for their incarceration. Our philosophy is simple: if we can be successful in meeting these needs, the potential of the inmate returning to jail is dramatically reduced. This does not happen without the hard work of staff from the Sheriff's Office, our Dakota County partners, and our volunteers. Last Friday we held our es 40 DAKOTA COUNTY SHERIFF 9aE�F�s --� The Front Row :4 front row seat to theqr eatest show on Farth&0*11 Volume 8, Week 35 Dave Bellows, Sheriff January 21, through January 27, 2013 Tim Leslie, Chief Deputy Mounted Patrol Sheriff's Office Liaisons: Sergeant Booker Hodges Deputy Sean Qualy Explorer Post 523 Sheriff's Office Liaisons /Advisors: Deputy Tim Fletcher Correctional Deputy Kent Themmes Detective Dawanna Witt Chaplains 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 annual gathering to thank all those that - . * work toward y improving the lives of inmates. With " over 50 people in 1i attendance, each person told their story of what they do and the impact - their work has had on others. What - w was most " - inspiring is the commitment everyone{ expressed to working with the � inmates. We want to thank all who have dedicated _ themselves to this cause. We especially want to thank Inmate Outreach Coordinator Emily Clary, Recreation Coordinator Loren Hanson, Inmate Counselor Hal Palmer, and Correctional Lieutenant Lawrence Hart. They have been the driving force in making our Jail Programs the best in Minnesota. The recent snowstorm resulted in a number of accidents. A single car accident at 200th Street{ . and Ravenna Trail resulted in extensive damage to the car, but fortunately, no injuries to the occupants. Click here to subscribe to this newsletter electronically. Page 2