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2010-06-18 Friday NewsMM AAAAAAA June 18, 2010 Retirement Reception Reminder The city will be holding a retirement reception for City Clerk Kathy Swanson on Friday, June 25, 2010 at Mendakota Country Club from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Please stop by and thank Kathy for her many years of service to the city and wish her well in her retirement. Kathy's retirement marks the third significant retirement in the past year. Kathy, along with Jim Danielson and Guy Kullander, represent over 100 years of Mendota Heights experience that has retired from the city since November 2009. While we wish all of these employees well in their retirement, we also recognize that we cannot replace all of that experience. Your hard work and dedication will be missed by all of us. FAirport Long Term Comprehensive Plan (LTCP) Mendota Heights was well represented at the Metropolitan Council Transportation RCommittee as they discussed the MSP LTCP on Monday afternoon. Past Friday News articles have described this process, which has been frustrating. We were I pleasantly surprised on Monday to read the Met Council staff report on the LTCP, which included conditions of approval which require regular review and update of the plan, sets an operational level which triggers study for future capacity and acknowl- edges that more work needs to go into noise mitigation considerations. There was little debate of the proposed conditions, and the committee approved the plan with the conditions, which will next be heard by the full Metropolitan Council on Wednes- Aday, June 23, 2010. We will continue to monitor the progress of the LTCP. YPark and Recreation Program Update The summer solstice may be a week away, but it certainly feels like summer around Mendota Heights—all of our local schools are out and youth programming is well un- derway. The playground program is hopping at Mendakota Park, the tennis program is in full swing at the tennis courts at Visitation School and junior golf camps and leagues Nare on par at the Mendota Heights Par 3. Although Monday was rainy, the rest of the week has been excellent for our youth. E City Hall staff has noted that there is less last-minute registration changes this year— we are attributing this to the success of the on-line program registration system. We are now in our second full year with the system. W S Medicine Shop Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening The Medicine Shop held their official ribbon cutting and grand opening on Monday and Tuesday of this week. City staff and council members were in attendance at both events and had a chance to discuss business to date and look around the new busi- ness. A number of other business owners and residents were in attendance at both events. Congratulations and welcome again to the Medicine Shop, another excellent addition to the Mendota Heights business community. June 18, 2010 County Broadband Group Last Friday morning, Jake attended a sub -committee of the Dakota County Administrators group on broadband access. The primary discussion topic was right of way (ROW). Butch McConell, Dakota County ROW manager attended, providing the group with an overview of the ROW per- mitting and application process and current efforts to coordinate the application process across the county. The broadband committee was interested in ways to make the permitting and installation of fiber optics easier for private companies. The group was able to define some opportunities and chal- lenges to coordinating efforts. Staff will continue to participate in the broadband committee and look for opportunities to enhance broadband access for Mendota Heights residents and busi- nesses. Mendota Heights/Sunfish Lake Joint City Council Meeting The Mendota Heights and Sunfish Lake city council's will be jointly on Tuesday, July 6, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. to hear the recommendations from Dakota County on the regional transportation study that has been worked on over the past year. The meeting will take place at Mendota Heights City Hall and will be televised like all other city council meetings. The regular business will be conducted from 7:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with the joint meeting starting at 7:30 p.m. Plenty of work has been put into this study by both the city and our residents. Dates To Remember Planning Commission Meeting 6-22-2010 7:00 p.m. Kathy Swanson Retirement Reception 6-25-2010 4:30 p.m. City Offices Closed 7-5-2010 City Council Meeting 7-6-2010 7:00 p.m. Airport Relations Committee Meeting 7-14-2010 7:00 p.m. U}agoil Fj�aIh�e rs� all Attachments Just The Facts, The Pipeline, June 18, 2010 TLie Utestgewf f m, t4e1fevxRvto DeP.*t2*eNt J 6/18/2010 MJ The Mendota Heights Police Department P Support Staff Kim Henning Sandie Ristine Susan Donovan Cathy Ransom Fireworks Wednesday 0116 hours Officer Jeff VonFeldt responded to two shots fired calls on the north end. Just before he arrived, the caller reported that two people were running from the scene and upon arrival, he could clearly smell the recently discharged fireworks. As we move towards the 4 th of July celebrations, I'm sure we will respond to multiple fireworks complaints. If you are wondering, "Are my kid's fireworks legal," the following two websites have all the information you need, including info on legal and illegal fireworks. http://www.dps.state.mn.us/fmarshal/Fireworks/FWFactSheet0110.pdf http://www.dps.state.mn.us/fmarshal/Fireworks/FireworksList.pdf Always remember fireworks can be dangerous and cause serious Becky Pentel Police Officers injury whether legal or illegal. Jerry Murphy Scott Patrick John Larrive Closure of Mendota Heights Road Bobby Lambert Just a reminder: Mendota Heights Road is closed at Visitation Tanner Spicer Drive to allow for the construction of a roundabout starting on Todd Rosse Monday, June 21st. Several citations have already been issued Chad Willson Jeff VonFeldt g for drivingthrough/around h/around the barricades. Please be sure to Denise Urcnann plan your trips accordingly if you use Mendota Heights Road. Michael Shepard The City appreciates your patience during the construction phase Peyton Fleming of this project. Jenny Fordham School Resource Officer Cat in a Tree! Friday 1814 hours Steven Meyer Reporting party called from the parking lot of the Lilydale Yacht Investigations Club because he was concerned about a cat wedged in a nearby Mario Reyes tree and its close proximity to the high bridge. Sergeant Petersen Tanner Spicer Sergeants responded to the location and advised the caller to contact St. Neil Garlock Paul Animal Control. Brian Convery Eric Petersen Suspicious Person Monday 1221 hours Reserves Randy Pentel Officer Larrive responded to a call referencinga suspicious male p p Gino Messina taking pictures of a group of kids at Mendota Heights Elementary. Jesse Mettner Caller asked male to erase pictures from camera and he erased Andrew Quintan one picture. Advised caller to call in a more timely manner. It is Romel Bron best to call 911 at the time the suspicious activity is occurring. Chief Mike Aschenbrener -1- 6/18/2010 911 Hangup Tuesday 1001 hours Upon callback, Officer Patrick was informed there was no problem at the daycare. The children were just learning how to dial 911. Shoplifting Tuesday 2030 hours Red Bull is fairly expensive, however, even more costly when you steal a can of it. Officer Convery responded to a call referencing two juveniles in custody after getting caught trying to steal a can of Red Bull. After confessing to taking the energy drink, one of the juveniles was cited for shoplifting. Theft Monday 0924 hours Officer Patrick responded to a call referencing a theft from vehicle. The unlocked vehicle was parked in the driveway. Comp stated this is the second time his vehicles have been entered in the past six months. It's always a good idea to lock your vehicle if you plan to leave valuables inside. Theft Monday 0336 hours Comp looked out his window and noticed his car door open and dome light on. Upon further inspection, Officer Urmann discovered the car had been rifled through and a GPS had been taken. The driver's door had not been locked. DUI Saturday 2328 hours Officer Urmann attempted to follow a vehicle driving erratically and at varying speeds before initiating a stop. Upon approach it was evident the driver had been drinking. The suspect was unable to complete SFST's and was asked to sit on the bumper of the squad car so he would not fall down. PBT resulted in a reading of .118. The suspect was arrested and placed in the back seat of the squad car. Officer Urmann asked the female passenger if she thought she was capable of driving; she responded that she not only did she have a couple of drinks, but also didn't feel she could reach the pedals of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed and the suspect was transported to the police department. The suspect made arrangements for a friend to pick him up within half hour. An hour later the suspect was awakened and instructed to call his ride back. He incoherently muttered something about "getting slammed in the back of the car because they didn't show up... oh well." West St. Paul Reserve Officer Whebbe was called and agreed to transport the suspect to Dakota County Jail for book and release. Formal charges pending. Big Easy! Saturday 0005 hours Officer Urmann responded to location of a lockout. The Big Easy was successfully deployed and the caller was able to enter his Dodge minivan. The police department will respond to lockouts; however, the police should probably be your last call, because we cannot guarantee that our methods for opening locked vehicles will not result in damage to your vehicle. /16� a baroat wuIWl /04' and ciao -2- N E W S LETTER The Pipeline « Public Works �� ',-Oct& u Engineering 0 Q June 18, 2010 Code Enforcement 6° Public Works The Parks Crew painted the inside of the warming houses. They repaired the vandalized pedway at Mendakota Park. The cement was cleaned off around the concession stand and utility building at Mendakota. Graffiti was cleaned off the slides at Mendakota on the playground. Rich was on vacation and Jake Whitrock, his summer helper, painted 26 fire hydrants. The Streets Crew cut down and trimmed up trees along Norma Lane from a resident's request. Trees were trimmed around the speed limit signs on Marie Avenue and Delaware Avenue. Storm sewer grates were cleaned. A signed was reposted by City Hall. There was a sign down by Swan Court and Wagon Wheel Trail. The post was bent down and someone left a post it note saying "We only wanted one" with a smiley face. Tim helped Cliff work on the front end of the John Deere backhoe. Engineering Mendota Heights Road Roundabout Project - The project got off to a rough start on Monday. Road closed barricades were placed prior to approval which caused much confusion to drivers and Mendota Heights Police. The closure was modified and issues were reduced. There is still some expected confusion but reasonable considering the amount of traffic coming and going in the area. Mendota Heights Road IS closed and will remain closed until construction is completed in approximately four weeks. All trees have been removed and the contractor began milling the pavement and installing storm sewer. 2010 Reconstruction - The reconstruction project has still been moving at a slow pace as the city contractor has been held up by Xcel Energy replacing the gas mains. Due to recent tragedies Xcel must look in every sewer service for conflicts prior to activating the newly installed main. Water Tower Rehabilitation - Weather has been causing a slight delay in the progress of the water tower. The contractor estimates he is only behind by one week but rain and high humidity levels limits the hours they have to accomplish the work. Site inspections and verbal warnings for erosion control were given to two active construction sites. St. Paul Regional Water Service has been repairing the area around Brompton Place and Highway 13 from a water main break which occurred this winter.