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2015-05-22 Friday News May 22, 2015 City of Mendota Heights Weekly Update Emerald Ash Borer DATES TO REMEMBER: Confirmed in the City of Mendota Heights May 25 Memorial Day Holiday City Offices Closed May 26 Planning Commission 7:00 p.m. May 30 -- Bike Rodeo Mendota Elementary - 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. June 2 -- City Council 7:00 p.m. June 5 Music in the Park Market Square 6:00 p.m. June 6 Mendota Heights 5K Market Square 9:00 a.m. Park Celebration Mendakota Park 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. -- Pipeline, Just the Facts 2015 Parks Celebration - - The Pipeline N E W S L E T T E R Public Works May 21, 2015 Engineering Public Works The Parks Crew cut grass throughout the park system. The fields were dragged, chalked and striped. Marie Park warming house specs were drafted. New light bulbs were installed at the pavilions. Demo equipment was picked up from Tri State Bobcat and the fields were graded with the equipment where needed. The driveway area at Par 3 was repaired. The lift stations were checked daily. Fire hydrants were painted on Pilot Knob Road. The sanitary sewer lines were cleaned on Pontiac Place, Ocala Lane, Decorah, and Apache. Root killing chemicals were also added after cleaning. Broad leaf weeds were sprayed at Kensington Park, Friendly Hills Park, and Mendakota Park. Round up total vegetation kill was sprayed on the Marie Avenue guardrails. Downed trees were picked up at Pagel Road and at Marie Avenue and Victoria that were blown down over the weekend. They finished blacktop patching on Mendakota Drive, South Plaza Drive, and Highway 110 Frontage Road. They started patching at Marie Avenue and Eagle Ridge Drive and are working towards Dodd Road. They attended a safety meeting. Engineering City Projects (construction year) New Information in Italics Highway 13 Trail Connection (2013-2015) The trail is now paved. Topsoil backfilling and final landscaping will take place over the next couple of weeks. Project completion is expected by the end of May. Victoria Road Reconstruction & Rolling Green Neighborhood Rehabilitation (2014/2015) The project is being advertised for bid. Bid opening has th been delayed until May 28 due to delays in obtaining signatures from nd MnDOT and Dakota County. Bid award is expected at the June 2 City th Council meeting. Construction is expected to begin after June 10, and substantial completion is expected before Labor Day. The curb line at the northeast corner of Douglas Road and Victoria will be adjusted along with this phase of the project. Substantial completion is expected by Labor Day. Annual Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation (2015) The City rehabilitates (lines) sections of sanitary sewer each year to prevent Inflow and Infiltration from ground water and storm water into our sanitary sewer. Contract was th awarded to Insitu-Form, Inc. at the May 19 City Council Meeting. Areas to be lined under this contract are Huber Drive from Bent Tree to Cheyenne, Mendota Heights Road from Pilot Knob to the lift station and from Highway 55 to Lexington, and Rogers Lake Park area. Lining sanitary sewer lines helps keep our flow contribution to the Met Council treatment plants as low th as possible. Project Completion is expected by November 30. Mendota Road Neighborhood Improvements (2016) City Council ordered th the production of a Feasibility Report for this project at their May 19 meeting. Project will consist of reconstructing Mendota Road (Hwy 110 Frontage Road) from Delaware Avenue to Oak Street, and rehabilitating Warrior Drive, High Ridge Circle, and Sibley Court. As part of the Feasibility Report, affected residents and property owners will be asked to complete a survey concerning elements to include in the design of the project. The Feasibility Report is expected to be complete by August. If the project advances, neighborhood meetings and a Public Hearing before City Council would be held this fall. County Projects New Information in Italics Highway 110 Trail Underpass (2017) The consultant has received Right- of-Way limits from MnDOT and is in the process of obtaining utility information for the Highway 110 corridor. The site will be surveyed in the June/July timeframe. The County is proposing to construct a grade- separated pedestrian crossing of Highway 110 for the future construction of the Mendota-Lebanon Hills Greenway Trail. This crossing could be a tunnel (culvert) under the highway, or a bridge over the highway. Dakota County has received a $1,000,000 grant from the Metropolitan Council for construction of a tunnel, with a corresponding County match of $200,000. Public open houses are anticipated this fall as part of the project rehabilitation project for Highway 110 in 2017. The County will provide regular updates at upcoming City Council meetings. River to River Greenway (2014/2015) Landscape restoration along Warrior Drive and Marie Avenue is virtually complete. One of the pedestrian access points along Warrior Drive has been determined as non-compliant with ADA . Charlton Avenue in West Saint Paul is closed for the installation of the trail underpass tunnel. County CIP Meeting Staff met with Dakota County Engineering re Improvement Plan (CIP). Mendota Heights projects included in the 2016- 2020 CIP are: -2015: Storm Sewer Improvements for Highway 13 Project -2015: Design of new traffic signal at Pilot Knob Road and I-494 -2016: Construction of new traffic signal at Pilot Knob and I-494 -2016: Design of safety Improvements at Pilot Knob Road from I-494 and Mendota Heights Road -2017: Construction of safety Improvements at Pilot Knob Road from I- 494 and Mendota Heights Road The City will have minor cost share obligations for the projects listed above, but most funding will be coming from County, State, and Federal sources. State Projects New Information in Italics Maps of 2015 MnDOT projects can be found at: ŷƷƷƦƭʹΉΉǞǞǞ͵ŭƚƚŭƌĻ͵ĭƚƒΉƒğƦƭΉķΉĻķźƷͪŷƌўĻƓεğǒƷŷǒƭĻƩўЉεƒźķўǩĻЎΗАķǞW…ǒЉБ͵ƉWtbВ5—ЏĬЉƒv ΛĭƚƓƭƷƩǒĭƷźƚƓΜ ŷƷƷƦƭʹΉΉǞǞǞ͵ŭƚƚŭƌĻ͵ĭƚƒΉƒğƦƭΉķΉĻķźƷͪƒźķўǩwǒŅƉb9bCВА—͵ƉtБЋ—a\[ΏƆta ΛƒğźƓƷĻƓğƓĭĻΜ nd Highway 13 Reconstruction (I-35E to 2 Street) This project has been awarded to New Look Contracting. A pre-construction meeting was held on st May 21 at the Pilot Knob MnDOT Maintenance Station. Construction is expected to begin on June 1st with substantial completion expected by the end of September. The project will rebuild the highway way with curb, gutter, and storm sewer in most places along the route. Traffic will be detoured down 1-35E to Highway 110 and back to Highway 13. Lexington nd to 2 Street in Mendota will be closed to all through traffic. Access to businesses and residences will be maintained. For more information on the project, contact Kirsten Klein, Public Affairs Metro District at: kirsten.klein@state.mn.us, or 651-234-7506. Check the project web site, http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/hwy13mendota/, will be updated once construction begins. Freemont Culvert Staff continues to discuss this project with MnDOT and City of Saint Paul representatives. At issue is bluff erosion taking place from a drainage culvert at Highway 13 and Freemont Avenue. MnDOT replaced the culvert in 2014, and the outfall from the new culvert is causing erosion on the bluff. MnDOT is working on plans to reroute the drainage to eliminate the erosion. A temporary drainage bypass has been installed to prevent normal rainfall from running down the bluff. New Statewide Highway Noise Policy MnDOT has approved revisions to the Statewide Highway Noise Policy. Most notably the new policy shifts scoring criteria for noise abatement projects (sound walls) towards more emphasis on actual measured noise levels, and less emphasis on population density. In conjunction with the updated policy, MnDOT will be re-assessing noise levels along major highways in 2016. These new noise measurements will be incorporated into the new scoring criteria to re-generate the priority list for sound wall construction. Cu thstth projects are ranked 127, 181, and 260 in State priority. The new sound measurements will likely impact these rankings. Highways 110 Signal Timing MnDOT will be implementing 6 new signal coordination timing plans on Highway 110 from Highway 13 to Mendota Road in West Saint Paul, There will also be changes to the Flashing Yellow Arrow (FYA) signal operation where the FYA indication will be active during the midday and overnight hours at Lexington, and during the late morning/ . Contact Kevin overnight hours and some weekend hours at the I-35E Ramps Schwartz at MnDOT (651-234-7480) with any questions. Other Activities New Information in Italics Xcel Energy Gas Main Inspection KS Contracting is once again in Mendota sanitary sewer service lines. They will be working in the Huber Drive and Copperfield area of the City. Home owners in these areas should have already received notice of the inspections, which are completed using cameras run through the sewer main in the street. No damage will be done to yards as part of these inspections. If a conflict is found, Xcel Energy will make the necessary repairs at no cost to the property owner. For more information, please call the Engineering Department at 651-452-1850 or Xcel Energy at 651-458-1228. Sanitary Sewer/Sump Pump Disconnection Program Sumps pumps are believed to be significantly responsible for the increased sanitary sewer flow in 2014, and the corresponding increase in sanitary sewer bills. Sump pumps must discharge outside of a structure to drain overland to a waterbody or storm sewer inlet. Sump pump discharges can also be plumbed directly to the storm sewer in the street. Beginning in 2016, the City plans on implementing an inspection program to ensure compliance with this plumbing code issue. For more information, please contact the Engineering Department at 651-452-1850. 1 M 22, 2015 AY The latest from the Mendota Heights Police Department CHIEF May 25th, 2015 SERGEANTS When we think about the last Monday in the month of May we think about Memorial Day. Memorial Day is more then a day away from work spent; camping, grilling, and enjoying the hopefully POLICEOFFICERS blissful weather. Memorial day was originally named Decoraon Day, it originated aer the American Civil War to commemorate the Union and Steven Confederate soldiers who died in the war. Fast forward to modern day, Memorial Day is intended to pay honor and respects to those who have died in military service. Placing American Ť ags at the resng place of our fallen heroes has become common pracce within naonal cemeteries, as a way to pay homage and humility to INVESTIGATIONS the men and women who gave so much to ensure our freedoms. SCHOOLRESOURCE OFFICER SUPPORTSTAFF Driving Without Shoes On With Summer approaching (well maybe), I was asked ĬǤ ƭƚƒĻƚƓĻ ƌğƭƷ ǞĻĻƉͲ ͻLƭ źƷ źƌƌĻŭğƌ Ʒƚ ķƩźǝĻ ǞźƷŷƚǒƷ ƭŷƚĻƭ ƚƓͪͼ !er explaining to this person that for safety reasons it would be best to drive with shoes on, I had to tell this person that there is no law prohibing a driver from driving barefoot. RESERVES This is one of the few trac laws every state agrees upon. Shoes are not required to operate a vehicle. Every state permits barefoot driving. There are no laws or ordinances prohibing hing the gas and brake pedals with naked feet, resulng, if caught, in a trac cket and/or citaon. CHAPLAINS The closest law prohibing barefoot driving comes from Alabama, which states: "Operaon of a motor vehicle by a driver with bare feet is permied. Excepon: motorcycle rider." Lawmakers in Ohio, Wyoming, Missouri, Iowa, and Indiana allow barefoot driving but recommend against it, cing this pracce as unsafe, a car crash waing to happen. The choice is yours. Drive however you see ŋ t. As long as you pracce safe driving habits, it does not maer if you're wearing shoes, Ť ip Ť ops, or barefoot. 1 2 Found Property Friday 17:15 hours Sgt. Peyton Fleming was dispatched to Valley Park for found property. A resident met Sgt. Fleming at the park and stated that a woman who was hunting mushrooms found a metal box which contained several sets of keys inside it. In another area of the park checkbooks and miscellaneous papers were found which were returned to the property owner. The property owner stated Inver Grove Heights is investigating a burglary in which the owner of this found property was the victim. This case is under investigation. Found Property Friday 15:38 hours Officer Rosse responded to a found property call at a residence. Resident states she found a license plate near the edge of her property. Upon investigation it was learned that the license plate was reported to be involved in a gas drive-off the previous day. A phone number for the registered owner was located but the number was disconnected. It is believed the license plate was either stolen or found and used for the gasoline theft and then discarded. Case remains under investigation pending contact with owner. Fraud Saturday 13:04 hours Officer Todd Rosse took a report from a resident who reported that she currently has her home for sale and has learned that someone has an online advertisement that states the home is for rent. The source of the online ad was unknown. Further checks by Officer Rosse resulted in a negative search so perhaps the ad was removed. No further information regarding the advertisement at this time. Fraud Saturday 18:26 hours Officers Steve Hilyar and Nicholas Gorgos were dispatched to take a report on a suspicious telephone call a resident received. The caller left the resident a voicemail stating that he was from the Crime Investigation Unit of the Internal Revenue Service. A check on the phone number given shows it as belonging to someone in Seattle, WA. As a reminder to all residents do not give personal or financial information over the phone to unknown callers . This is not the way government agencies including the IRS, FBI and law enforcement do business. Property Damage Accident Monday 06:12 hours Officer Denise Urmann responded to a property damage accident. Two drivers were standing outside their vehicles when Officer Urmann arrived. No injuries to either driver had occurred. One of the driverÓs reported that he pulled out of a parking lot on to the road in an attempt to cross the road but did not see the oncoming vehicle. Drivers exchanged insurance information and one driver was cited with failure to yield right of way. Damage to Property Monday 17:35 hours Officers Steve Hilyar and Nick Gorgos took a damage to property report from a local church. Church employee reported that an unknown suspect drove a vehicle on the church lawn creating ruts and punctured all four tires on the riding lawn mower. Extra patrol has been provided and there are no suspects at this time. 2 3 Suspicious Person Tuesday 17:03 hours Officers Steve Hilyar and Nick Gorgos received a call to respond to the high school on an unknown male taking photos of the boysÓ tennis team practice. The unknown male was gone upon officers arrival but a license plate number of the car the male was driving was provided to police. This case is currently under investigation. Found Property Tuesday 12:00 hours Sgt. Fleming received a set of keys found at Hagstrom-King park which was turned into the police department. Keys are being kept at the police department and hopefully will be returned to the owner. Missing Person Thursday 07:40 hours Officer Lambert responded to a residence to take a missing persons report. A mother reported that her adult son who suffers from depression left the home with her vehicle and later received a text which indicated suicidal thoughts. Case remains under investigation. Mental Health Crisis Thursday 18:30 hours Officer Robin Nelson was dispatched to a senior living residence where one resident had assaulted another resident. Upon arrival Officer Nelson found that there were no apparent injuries on the victim. The suspect resident does have a history of mental health issues and violence towards people. The suspect was voluntarily transported to the hospital for a mental health hold. First Degree Assault Thursday 16:03 hours Mendota Heights officers responded to assist the West Saint Paul Police Department with a call of a shooting victim needing help at a West Saint Paul gas station. The victim, with non-life threatening wounds, was located and advised officers that the shooting took place at a an address in Mendota Heights. The victim was transported by ambulance to the hospital for treatment and was released. Multiple suspects were reportedly involved in the shooting; two involved people turned themselves in at the Mendota Heights Police Department. St. Paul Police apprehended additional suspects in St. Paul. The involved parties all knew each other before todayÓs events. The public is not in danger at this time . The Dakota County AttorneyÓs Office is expected to charge the suspects Friday or Tuesday. This case remains under investigation. Have a Safe Week! 3 4 05/1505/212015YTD CallsforService1322625 Fun facts! Citations7212 In ancient Rome Warnings15236 May used to be PoliceReports24426 the third month in every year. ResponseTimeAverage6.685.32 May has always Check out the MH Crime Map! had 31 days. Click below to search your neighborhood: https://www.raidsonline.com Charles 1101 Victoria Curve, Mendota Heights, MN 55118 Lindbergh ŋ nish 1st transatlanc solo Ť ight. (May 21, 1927) IfyouareaMendotaHeightsresidentandyouare South Carolina goingoutoftownoronvacation became the 8th state. (May 23, 1788) Constuonal Convenon opened in Philadelphia CarSeatSafetyChecks with George Washington as president. (May 25, 1787) Please send us your positive MedicationDisposalBox feedback on our staff to: pdrecords@ mendota-heights.com Your feedback is greatly appreciated and helps boost the morale of our staff. 4 HAVE A SAFE WEEK!