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2003-03-21 Friday News The Friday News March 21, 2003 Baby News Fire fighter Aaron Coates and his wife Kathleen are the proud parents of a new baby girl. Sarah Nicole th was born on March 14. She weighed 8 pounds, 14 ounces and was 21 inches long. Mother and baby are doing fine! Aaron reported that Sarah even slept four straight hours! Public Works Director Jim Danielson is a proud grandpa once again! His daughter Renee and husband Aaron are the proud parents of Greta Faye. She was born on Tuesday morning weighing 7lbs, 7 ounces. Mother and baby are doing well! 2003 Deer Survey The 2003 aerial deer survey was conducted by the DNR in mid February. For the survey, a helicopter flown by DNR enforcement pilots was staffed with two observers and one data recorder. The aircraft flew systematic paths at 15 -30 mph at an altitude of 200-300 feet above ground. A GPS receiver was used to navigate and record the location of all of the deer observed. In the Mendota Heights-Sunfish Lake- Ft. Snelling State Park area, there were 86 deer spotted. This number is significantly higher than the 32 deer spotted in year 2001. See the attached map for the exact locations of the deer. City Day at the Capitol-Wednesday, April 9 Elected and appointed officials throughout Minnesota will be in St. Paul to share their stories about the impacts of the Governor’s state budget proposal and the Minnesota Senate’s property tax freeze proposal on your community. Issues that will be addressed include: cuts to revenue sharing, levy limits and restrictions on debt. Officials are encouraged to invite a business leader and resident to help tell the story of their community. Tips and tools for reaching out to our business and community members will be posted on the League of Minnesota Cities website at www.lmnc.org. More details on this important event will be published in the League Bulletin, E-Bulletin and Friday Fax over the next two weeks, and posted on the League’s website at www.lmnc.org. To RSVP for City Day at the Capitol, or for more information, visit the League’s website at www.lmnc.org or call (651) 281-1200. An RSVP is encouraged to ensure an accurate meal count. EAW Draft Review On Tuesday night, the City Council reviewed Barr Engineering’s report of the draft EAW submitted by Developer Ron Clark. After a brief presentation by Barr representative Colin Brownlow, the Council directed staff to send a letter to Mr. Clark with Barr’s report which outlines the areas where the information submitted is deficient. Staff will be meeting with Barr engineering and the developer next week to discuss the submittal. Barr has been charged with reviewing the draft EAW for completeness and accuracy, making recommendations to the City Council about any missing information necessary to make the document complete. Barr has now completed their review of the draft EAW. Once the City determines that the EAW is complete, the City must publish the EAW for a 30-day review and comment period. During this 30-day period, written comments from the public are accepted on the EAW. The comments shall address the accuracy and completeness of the material in the EAW, potential impacts that may warrant further investigation before the project is commenced, and the need for an EIS on the proposed project. The City (RGU) must respond in writing to all of the submitted comments. The City has also hired Barr Engineering to assist the City in drafting responses to technical comments and work with staff in preparing responses to policy related comments. They will also assist the City in drafting final findings of fact once the comment period is complete. Council votes to Approve Xcel Resolution The City of Sunfish Lake recently passed a resolution encouraging the State Legislature to enact a moratorium on the conversion of single circuit 115kv electric transmission lines into double circuit transmission lines. The resolution suggests that a moratorium would allow MnDOT to study whether transportation corridors are the best means to accommodate electric system upgrades. The resolution also suggests that the moratorium would allow the Minnesota Department of Health a sufficient length of time to study whether additional rules and regulations should be promulgated concerning EMF and minimum distances between the double circuit lines and adjoining residences. Sunfish Mayor Molly Park addressed the City Council and asked that Mendota Heights pass a similar resolution. The City Council voted unanimously to adopt the resolution but recommended that the moratorium be limited to one year. Police Chief Appointment The City Council will be conducting second interviews of the top candidates on Tuesday evening. We hope to make an official Police Chief appointment at the first meeting in April. Freeway Road Water Main On Tuesday, the City Council continued the discussion about an agreement with St. Paul Regional Water Services to transfer ownership of the Mendota Heights’ water supply infrastructure to St. Paul. The st Council discussed the issue and voted to hold a public hearing on the matter at the April 1 City Council meeting. The public hearing notice is on the website and will be published in the next edition of the Southwest Review. CDA Workforce Housing Study Recently the Dakota County CDA completed an analysis of the demand for workforce housing in Dakota County. The analysis, conducted by Market Research Partners with the assistance of DSU, assesses Dakota County cities and townships need for workforce housing through the year 2020. The report aims to give a comprehensive view of the factors influencing the supply and demand of workforce housing in Dakota County. The report identifies Mendota Heights as a secondary priority area for workforce housing development along with Rosemount, Farmington, Burnsville, Inver Grove Heights and Hastings. The report indicates these areas will need between 350 and 850 new workforce rental units by 2020 (between 18-43 units per year). Please contact me if you are interested in the executive summary. The full report is available on the CDA’s website until the end of the month. Heights Highlites The next edition of the Heights Highlites will be in your mailbox in the next few weeks! Scott Johnson in the News Please see the attached article about former Mendota Heights police chief Scott Johnson! Final Thought “Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness”—Chinese Proverb Respectfully Submitted, Cari Lindberg Administrator Attachments: Pipeline, Planning Commission agenda, Southwest Review article “Local citizens’ group sues Xcel Energy,” Pioneer Press article “A Pursuit of Excellence,” Sun Current articles “Cities look to beat the odds of losing LGA funds,” and “New airport noise committee falls behind schedule,” AMM News, LMC Friday Fax.