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2009-02-13 Friday NewsFebruary 13, 2009 Mendota Heights and the Stimulus Package? Staff have been keeping a close eye on the proceedings in Washington, D.C., and keeping our ears to the ground here in Minnesota to make sure we don't miss an opportunity for stimulus funding. John Mazzitello participated in a conference call with MnDOT this morning, and learned that our potential project technically qualifies for Phase II of the funding which will come to MN. John and I will attend a meeting at the League of MN Cities next Friday to learn more about the stimulus package and how it will be administered in Minnesota. Broadband Committee Every so often, we receive a call at City Hall from citizens upset about the lack of options for high-speed internet service. I've been sitting in on Dakota County Broadband Commit- tee, made up of administrative and technical staff from communities around the County to discuss potential solutions for gaps in service. Currently all communications utilities.in our area are privately owned. However, many communities in Minnesota and the Country are Feither putting in communications utilities, or demanding that service carriers do so. The Dakota County Broadband Committee has convened a handful of times over the last R year, and has the following goal: to provide broadband technology that addresses the following needs and expectations - 0 Speed (symmetry in upload and download time) Reasonable cost D . Reliability (multiple paths) • Access (multiple providers. A The committee hopes to achieve these goals through public education, and working with ongoing efforts such as the State Broadband Task Force, which a staff person from Eagan Y attends representing our County. The committee will provide an update to the County Manager's meeting in March, com- plete with a proposal to be made available on local cable access and through our communi- ties' websites. N Jim on Vacation E After talking about it for years, Jim is finally on his trip to Costa Rica. His flight de- parted Thursday AM early and he will return next Saturday. We wish him safe travels, Wand hope for a quiet week around City Hall! S City Hall Closed on Monday As a reminder, City Hall will be closed Monday, February 16, in honor of President's Day. February 13, 2009 Dates to Remember in February Valentines Day Presidents Day City Council Meeting Planning Commission Meeting Attachments 2-14-09 2-16-09 Office Closed 2-17-09 7:00 2-24-09 7:00 Just the Facts, - Pipeline, City Council Agenda, Planning Meeting Synopsis, StarTribune.com Articles, "They take `wine pairing' to a whole new level," "Schools get creative as big cuts loom," SouthWest Re- view Article "Walk this way," and the Friday Fax. Have a great weekend!! February 13, 2009 TileLatest �eu�s frvt, c tke Xfert,'ata �feiylits f ante �epasi e t Q 2/13/2009 The' Employee — Employer dispute 02-04-09 1446 hours Mendota An employee of a temporary agency who had worked at a business in Mendota Heights came to MHPD to report an assault that occurred Heights while they were at work. The employee had been let go and has since Police decided that an incident that occurred early in January was in need of Department : remedy. She reported that her ex -supervisor had become upset with the quality of the work she was doing and threw a huge stapler at her. Support She was not struck, frightened or injured in any way. She was advised Staff to take up the matter with the human resources at her former employer. Kvn Henning School Bus Stop Arm Violation 01-29-09 0730 hours Sandie Ristine ` On 02-05-09, Officer Scott Patrick made contact with the driver of a car .Susan Donovan that had passed a school bus in a no passing zone while the warning Cathy Ransom lights were flashing and the stop arm was extended. The suspect's `° Becl�y Pentel;. version of the incident matched the bus driver's except the bus driver was very clear the lights were flashing and the stop sign was extended. Police `Officers The suspect even recalled stopping briefly before passing the bus. The JSc tt Patrick: suspect's children attend the school the bus was headed too. A Bobby Laiiibert citation was mailed to the suspect. Ta Stolen Stolen Mail 02-06-09 0934 hours Todd;Rosse Caller reported that on 02-02-09 at 0700 hours, she put her mail in the Chad Willson box and put up the red flag. The mail carrier normally comes late in the .: Jeff Von.Feldt afternoon. Around 1430 hours, the mail box was empty and the flag Steven Meyer' was still up. A neighbor a few blocks away found an empty envelop the Denise Uimann next day. As of 02-03-09 the checks had not been cashed. As a -Mi6'bael Shepard precaution the victim was changing accounts and notifying the Peyton'Feining companies she had sent checks to that they had been stolen. Threats 02-06-09 1639 hours School Resource' : Officer Denise Urmann responded to a residence and spoke with the officer caller who reported he had been threatened. A friend of a friend Jenny Foidham, showed up at his front door around 0300 hours looking for a place to spend the night. The caller reported that he knew the party only by Investigations . Mao Reyes ' . their nickname. As it turns out, the guest went through the victims stuff 1✓c:Petersen` while they slept and stole several things. Then the house guest decided that the victim had done him wrong, called his place of work and Sergeants threatened him. The victim was advised on possible courses of action. Neil Gay ock: Damage to Property 02-07-09 0821 hours John,Larhve Caller reported that sometime, just after midnight, they heard a loud Brian Convely pop outside the house. In the morning, they found the cause. They showed Detective Eric Petersen and Officer Todd Rosse where they Chief . found an exploded pop bottle along with tin foil pieces. The Mike homeowner had already cleaned up as much as he could of the A sclienhrener -1- 2/1/2O09 "yW bomb. The damage to the home was minor discoloration from the cleaning SO|VUVn. The victim had no idea why he would be targeted. The victim had already spoken with his teenage son about who could have done it. Nnsuspects, nOleads. Domestic Dispute 02 -O7 -D91037 hours Officer Todd Rosse responded to an argument between a father and son. The dad had found nnar'U8Oa in the boy's stuff. The drugs were taken away and this upset the son who then wrestled his dad to get his drugs back. There were no signs of injury OD either party. The dad refused to cooperate in pressing charges on the son as he is certain that the son has undiagnosed mental conditions. Officer Roae8cleared after giving the son astern warning. Underage Consumption of Alcohol 03-07-09 2030 Momna School Resource DUice[ Jen Fordham was working a oohO0| dance when she Snne||ad alcohol conning from a group Of students as they entered the school. The suspected students were separated and it was quickly determined which students were drinking and which ones were not. School staff handled several students. Officer Fordham PBT'edall of the suspects who tested between o .020 and 8 .083. All naCeix*d citations for underage consumption and were released toparents. IJU{ 03-08-09 0141 hours While on patrol, Officer Tanner Spicer clocked a car at 22 mph over the posted limit. The car cut into aparking lot and came tVanabrupt stop. Officer Spicer made contact with the driver who obviously had been drinking. The driver advised that hewas Conning from o bar in Gt. Paul. The [noD agreed to do 8FGT'e of which he failed all. The last 8F8T was the PBT which revealed a BAC of .202. His car was left in the parking lot and he was transported to K8HPDwhere hewas read the W1NImplied Consent Advisory. Heagreed too provide 8urine oarnp}9, apologized for his driving conduct and was na|e8S8d pending the aD8|yGie of the urine bythe Minnesota BCA. Domestic Q2-QQ-QS284?hours W1oDl called 911 to report her two S0De involved in a physical o|ba[C8hon with the 15 Y{}/\ being injured. The boys were separated when {}fhC8[ Bobby Lambert arrived. Officer Lambert has dealt with the boys onnumerous issues inthe past. The boys were separated and both provided a detailed accounting of what transpired. The younger boy had become upset with rnono when his homework wasn't going well. The older boy stepped in when the younger one became verbally abusive towards nnoOO. Eventually the two boys began to wrestle and fight. The younger one has been receiving professional help and acknowledged that h8was inthe wrong. NOcharges filed. Burglary 02'O9-O9O964hours Officer Chad VW||SoO responded to a business when an employee noticed the Plasma TV was OoiSSiOQ from the conference room. The TV was in the room on Friday. Officer Willson processed the scene and located apalm print oDthe wall. Investigations were called inbJlift the print. The building was secure when everyone arrived for work in the morning and there were noalarm trips over the weekend. Investigation will continue. 911 Call 02-10-09 1836 hours A guest at the Marriott called 811 to request a morning wake Up call. It OlUet have been a neo||y important meeting when you rely on 011 for your wake up call. The DCC dispatcher advised that service would bebetter provided bythe Marriott. School Bus Stop Arm Violation 82-12-09 0720 hours Officer Chad Willson responded toareport ofavehicle that had driven through the stop arm while kids were loading oOthe school bus. The witness reported seeing the car coming from quite a distance and thought the bus driver did to b8CGWaa he began flashing his headlights in an at tempt to get the drivers attention. |tdidn't work the car drove ODpast without slowing down. The witness jumped into his car and caught up with the vehicle and after getting @ description and license number he called the police. The suspect was located at the high school. He was interviewed cited and released. 116vp°v ^m*&*dl A/4 N E V1if Pipeline L E T T E ia Public Works FrpQY Engineering ff-r'7AA_IIi Code Enforcement February13, 2009 ` Happy Val.ettives Dayi Public Works The ice rinks were closed for three days due to the warm weather. The Groundmaster 580-D was brought down from the water tower and prepared for trade in. Bids were sought for summer rental of satellites in the parks. A Safe Assure meeting was held for all Lead Persons. Rich cleaned the grease off all the floats at the Veronica lift station. He helped the Streets Crew clean storm sewers with the jet truck where they were backed up. The Streets Crew opened storm grates on Marie Avenue by Valley Park and on Sutton Lane. Rich and George had to jet the storm grates on Cheri Lane, Swan Drive, Cullen Lane, Hunter Lane and Wesley Lane at Dodd Road. Wesley Lane and Dodd Road was salted because of running water on Dodd Road from a plugged storm sewer grate. John Ambrose made a temporary gate for the end of Pilot Knob Road and installed it. John also welded the snow plow frame for the Parks Crew. Engineering John attended State -Aid Needs Training on February 9th. This seminar was to train people on using the updated on-line software to enter data applicable for receiving Municipal State Aid Funding. Staff continues preparation for the neighborhood meeting for the Hunter Lane/Orchard Place project. The Neighborhood Meeting is scheduled for February 18th at 6:OOpm at City Hall. A meeting of the Traffic Safety Committee was held on February 9th. A report has been prepared for Council review at the February 17th meeting. Staff has continued discussions with The Visitation School and Saint Thomas Academy on improving the traffic congestion issues at both schools. This item is discussed in the Traffic Safety Committee Report referenced above. There were two more watermain breaks in town this week. The first was on Willow Lane and Dodd Road and the second was at Round Hill Road and Dodd. TO: City Council, Commission Members, and City Administrator FROM: Jake Sedlacek, Assistant to the City Administradr?6 SUBJECT: Pre -Application Meeting Synopsis Staff met with one potential planning applicant on Monday, February 9, 2009. Steve Grittman and Jake Sedlacek were present. Steve Larson, re. 2160 Highway 13 — Larson's Greenhouse Mr. Larson is working with lenders to help his father refinance the property, which includes Robert Larson's home. The home is an existing nonconforming structure, as the property is zoned as B-3. Mr. Larson was attending the meeting to identify ways in which the family might be able to submit a land use application to make the property compliant. Planner Grittman described a recent change to MN Statute which would allow an existing nonconforming structure to be rebuilt in the event that the structure is severely damaged. Mr. Grittman will provide a memo slumnarizing the statute, so that staff can write a zoning letter to Mr. Larson's lender. No planning action anticipated at this time. Jim Danielson — Zoning Code Update Jim attended the meeting to discuss the recently approved review of the City's Zoning Code. The process was outlined, and the group went through a sample section together to make sure there was an understanding of how changes will be noted and presented. Staff will be sending out clean copies of the Zoning Code to all Planning Commissioners, Council Members and affected staff persons. Planning Meeting Page I of 1 CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS CDLIVTY, 141,111JESOT1 February 17, 2009 — 7:00 P.M. 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Pledge of Allegiance 5. Approval of the January 20th, & February 3, 2009, City Council Minutes. 6. Consent Calendar a. Acknowledgement of the NDC4 Meeting Minutes, & Agenda from the December 3rd Full Commission and the January 7th Executive'Committee Meetings. b. Acknowledgement of the Minutes from the January 10, 2009..Park & Recreation Commission Meeting. c. Acknowledgement of the Fire Department January 2009 Monthly Report. d. Acknowledgement of the January 2009 Treasurer's Report. e. Acknowledgement of the Meeting Summary and Recommendations from the Traffic Safety Committee. f. Authorization for Purchase of One Ton Truck with Crane. g. Approval of the List of Contractors h. Approval of the List of Claims 7. Public Comments NPDES Phase 11 Storm Water Permit 9. Presentation a. DARTS — River Bluff's Village b. Village Update — Ross Fefercorn 10. Unfinished and New Business a. Case No. 09- : Jake Sedlacek, City of Mendota Heights — 2144 Dodd Road (Old Fire Hall Site) Rezoning and Comprehensive Plan Amendment. Resolution No. 09-17: "A RESOLUTION APPROVING A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENT AND REZONING FOR 2144 DODD ROAD". b. Review of Zoning Code. 11. Council Comments 12. Adjourn Auxiliary aids for persons with disabilities are available upon request at least 120 hours in advance. If a notice of less than 120 hours is received, the City of Mendota Heights will make every attempt to provide the aids, however, this may not be possible on short notice. Please contact City Administration at 452-1850 with requests. This meeting is being taped by NDC4 (651-450-9891) and will replay on Friday at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on the NDC4 Government Channel 18 They take 'wine pairing' to a whole new level StarTribunexom I MINNEAPOLIS - ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA Th&�tmk�'u«K8����8^U���o*m.��»u«hK�U��U�eM�yUK�v��U ° ^ ^~~ BnBill Ward, Star Tribune February 11, 2009 Bob and Kristen Kowalski will bespending Valentine's Day together, but they won't be celebrating it until later. After all, duty calls. Pagel of2 "VV5Uride together" tnand from their store, the Wine Market bvKowa|skj'SiOMendota Heights, Kristen said, "and be together from 9 a.m. till 10 p.m. We'll celebrate Sunday." That's one ofthe pitfalls for couples who work together inwine retail, especially when St. V's falls on their busiest day of the week. The romance sometimes has to wait, but the KOw8/skiSand two other local couples agree that their vocation iSpretty darn romantic, making iteasier tospend somuch time together. Butthereo|kevoena—surprise! -- comryeki|ka(oonoo|inlentaryoneedon'thu[t either), with strong doses of friendship, mutual respect and division of labor. How three couples have made it work: Paul and Trina Wentzeithe Wine Thief. "It'enice having separate tasks, osit helps us each to concentrate on fewer things," said Paul. He works fu||Unna at the G8. Paul atona. while Trina, a teacher at Mounds Park Academy, writes the "shelf talkers" for each wine, buys the accessories and "makes nlockaan."said Paul. "Paul isgreat at being the face of the store," said Trina. "He loves the [distributor] reps. customers, and his overall job." |talso helps, she added, that "we have different palates. While xveeach appreciate good wines in general, we naturally tend toward diffenent+at/|8dwiOes. which makes us great partners in purchasing bottles for the store." David and Gretchen Anderson, France 44. They worked together for 15 years before Gretchen recently returned toreal estate. They're still afamiliar sight at taobnQo.where Gretchen takes "copious, well-written tasting notes," said David, vice president of the Minneapolis store. "She ieprobably obetter taster than me. "She's especiallygood at pickingout awine's faults. She can tell acorked wine before anybody in the room knows it. We occasionally will argue tactfully about a wine, sometimes not ootactfully. She /VVeS chandoDOay` including the big. o8kvones that |'[n not Gfan of, but she's coming around." Wine has been a constant throughout their 41 -year marriage. nWe cook together, goto 6ttn://^wvvot8ztribnne. ?8id=3g435l87 2/13/2009 They take 'wine pairing' to a whole new level Page 2 of 2 the symphony "said David. "We doall these things asateam. Wine isonatural outcome of all of that." The Kowalskis. After getting married in Tuscany, the Kowalskis opened a Wine Market in Mendota Heights and then another in Woodbury, with visions of a romantic aVOCGUoD dancing in their heads. The reality has been a bit different. "We were together 24/7 for the first year and ahalf"said Bob. "But we're having fun at this. Not that the business isn't stressful oonneUrnao. We'll both wake up at 3 in the morning and talk about wine and the business." "We had fantasies of being able to get out a lot and go on wine trips together," said Kristen. "But we have loved it. Having similar interests and tastes helps, too. And our skills really complement each cthe[." Kristen iethe wine expert, the buyer and seller. Bob handles marketing and promotions and community outreach. They consult constantly, but don't compete. "That would beho[ReOdoUe."said Bob. "If Vvewere facing off nDwine knowledge or1 write a better ad,'we would have been done a year and a half ago." @2OOOStar Tribune. All rights reserved. httn://"vTwp/otartribnuu q4]5T87 2//3/2009 Schools get creative yebig cuts loom StarTribune.com I MINNEAPOLIS -ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA Schools get creative as big cuts loom By GREGORY A,PATTERSON'Star Tribune February 7, 2009 Hey, kids, how would you like tOgDb]school for only four days 8week? Page 1 of 2 It's nowhere near a done deal, but that's a proposal the Forest Lake School District will put forth in the coming weeks as it holds the legally required public meetings for any district considering such a move. While shortening the school week would be a game changer for the district, it is just one of a myriad of suggestions, big and small, that Forest Lake and other east suburban school districts are gathering as they hunker down for the difficult budget days ahead. Together` they face millions of dollars in budget deficits over the next two years. Evan the districts that aren't facing funding deficits are looking for possible cuts. The Forest Lake School Board decided to hold the required meetings for the four-day schedule, "Just to be aafe, in case they might decide to move in that direction," said district spokesman Ross Bennett. "We have no indication at this point whether that option will befully pU[GUed." The district faces a $3.5 million deficit next year and a $2.5 million shortfall the year after. Only one school district inthe state has implemented the four-day school wegk—the M/\CCR/\Tdisthot in rural central Minnesota adopted that last fall — and no others have applied. But last week, at |aeot one other district said the four-day school week could be an option. Other options being considered bvvarious districts include skipping payments to already over -funded post retirement benefit programs, expanding class sizes, increasing activities fees, and engaging in talks with employee unions about salary freezes and the like. "Everything ieonthe tobka."says Susan Brott.spokeswoman fortheVVenLGLPaul- Mendota Heights -Eagan district, adding that district officials also could consider the four- day week. The district faces a $2.2 Dli||iOD deficit next year, nearly 5 percent of its $40 million annual general fund budget. The West Gt. Paul's district has asked parents, ieaohero, staff and community nnennboro, about 75people inall, tohelp find savings. Gofar, the public has made about 1OOcost- cutting ouggeetionaandthenshovebeen0Ohnrntheetaff. "We're trying to be very transparent," Brott said. httn://vvvvp/mtartribunc. ?yid=3q370857 2/13/2009 Schools get creative usbig cuts l)Ooz Page 2 of 2 The South Washington County School District also is enlisting broad community participation in its plan. The district has a goal of cutting $5 million for the coming school year, even though ithas acurrent operating surplus of$23million. Projected operad|ng deficits of up to $10 million next year and $13 million in the following year would otherwise "eat up our fund balance," said Aaron Bushberger, director of finance. The district has @n ace iDthe hole with its fully fundedpost-retirement benefits. Over the next couple Vfyears, it could lower o[eliminate the $2,5 million annual payment ithas been making, which would have no effect on benefits payments. One oftwo constant mantras ofschool financial officials iothat O0to85 percent of their costs are salaries and banafita. meaning that most significant cost reductions will involve job losses. The other refrain is that there's nothing new about needing to cut costs. 'We've been making budget adjustments for the past 1Oyears."says Pete Wi|lcoxoO, executive director of business services for the White Bear Lake schools. His district won't be making cuts this year due to a successful referendum a year ago, but Willcoxon says that in the past 16 years school costs have climbed by an average of 3.4 percent annually, while funding has increased 1.5percent oyear. Gregory 4^Patterson ^O51 -2S8-1546 C2OOQStar Thbune./U|hghturenemod. httn://^n^w.oturtribono. g270857 7/13/2009 Southwest Review ( Walk this way Page 1 of 1 PIONT , CLOSE 101 �, s f. ;x a a e o1113 t c r t i Monday, February 09. 2009 Walk this way MH Cihj Council approves Hwy. 110 pedes Han bridge feasibilihj study Jennie Betchwars Review staff Monday, February 09, 2009 The Mendota Heights City Council approved a feasibility study Feb. 3 that will explore the need for a pedestrian bridge at the intersection of state Highway 110 and Dodd Road. The feasibility study is intended to provide background information on a potential pedestrian bridge that would link the Mendota Heights Village and the soon-to-be remodeled Mendota Plaza shopping center. Council Member Ultan Duggan said the project has been considered - though "on the back burner" - for several years, primarily because the existing crosswalk between the two sides of the busy highway is unsafe. "We want to find the most economical and feasible way to fix this," Duggan said. The study will examine the need for improvements at the intersection of Highway 100 and Dodd Road. Alternatives to the existing crosswalk include an above -ground bridge, a street -level pedestrian rest at the center of the existing crosswalk, and a tunnel -like structure that would run below Highway 110. Council members have individual preferences on the proposed structures, Duggan said, but the council is awaiting the study results before making any decisions. Construction cost estimates and potential funding sources for the project options will also be outlined in the report. "One good thing about this study is that they're going to look at all the options," Mayor John Huber said. "We'll see where it goes." Public Works Director John Mazzitello said the council should be able to review the study results by the end of August. The council will then determine whether to go forward with the project. The study will be useful when the city begins looking for funding for the project, Huber said. "It's going to be beneficial for people to know we've looked at all the options, and that this was the preferred solution," he said. City staff first met with members of the Minnesota Department of Transportation in September 2008 to discuss funding for the project. The council then solicited proposals for the project from five consulting firms. The council received four proposals and selected SRF Consulting Group as its preferred choice. The estimated costs of the feasibility study are around $12,000, according to Duggan. Officials from Dakota County have said the county would partially fund the study, and would specifically contribute to the portion of the study analyzing the tunnel option. Jennie Betchwars can be reached at southwest@lillienews.com. 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