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2009-03-06 Friday NewsMarch 6, 2009 New Parks and Recreation Commissioner Mayor Huber, Council Members Vitelli and Krebsbach, Jake and I interviewed nine qualified candidates for one opening on the Parks and Recreation Commission before Tuesday Night's City Council meeting. Each candidate brought a unique background and set of skills to the position. After much debate, the Council decided to appoint Steve Commers to the Parks and Recreation commission. Steve's first meeting will be Tuesday, March 10—nothing like jumping right into it! Recreation Registration Open House On Monday evening, staff held the first ever Recreation Registration Open House, held at the Par 3 Clubhouse from 6:30 to 8PM. In conjunction with the open house, we also un- veiled our new online recreation registration program offered through RevTrak. Residents were already lining up when staff showed up 45 minutes before the start. By the time 6:30 rolled around, the line was approximately 30 people deep. Despite considerable work to be Fprepared for the event, staff had to resort to plans B and C, as the online registration was not able to do what we needed it too. R Ultimately, registrations were taken by hand, staff would like to thank the 50+ residents who waited very patiently to get their desired Tee Times for Jr. Golf Leagues, and reserve I places in several of our summer programs. As of today, all of the registrations have been entered into the system, without any prob- lems, and the online registration is working well. In the first 24 hours of registrations, staff Dtook in just over $16,000 worth of program registrations. Special thanks go out to Stacy Kaiser and Mary Hapka for getting the online registration Asystem set up, to Sharon Hinze, Barb Kassal and Nancy Bauer for their hard work in col- lecting and entering registrations, to Terry Blum for clearing the Par 3 lot even before be- ing requested, and of course to Teresa Ganglehoff for putting together a program offering Ycapable of generating such a positive buzz! State of the City Address NThis Thursday morning the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce hosted their annual "State of the City" address. This year both Mayor Huber and Mayor Zanmiller pre- sented their addresses in a joint event at the Work Force Center located in Dakota County's Northern Service Center. The event was very well attended (almost a full house). Mayor Huber did his usual excellent job in updating the Chamber on Mendota Heights' 2008 suc- Wcesses and on what 2009 will bring. For those of you who were unable to attend, Dennis Rafferty, NDC4 was there filming the event, and playbacks will be available for viewing the week of March 16. To find out times go to www.townsquare.tv and click on TV sched- Sules Channel 18. March 6, 2009 Dates to Remember in March Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting 3-10-09 6:30 p.m. Airport Relations Commission Meeting 3-11-09 7:00 p.m. Metropolitan Airports Commission 3-16-09 1:00 P.M. City Council Meeting 3-17-09 7:00 p.m. Planning Commission Meeting 3-24-09 7:00 p.m. Noise Oversight Committee 3-25-09 1:30 Scheduled Use of Meeting Rooms at City Offices by Community Groups Monday, March 9th @ 8:30 pm MHAA Board meeting in Large Conference Room Monday, March 9th @ 7:30 pm Mendota Heights Garden Club will meet in the Council Chambers Monday, March 16th @ 8:00 pm Kensington Townhomes will meet in the Large Conference Room Wednesday, March 18th @ 7:00 pm Kensington Manor Board will meet in the Large Conference Room Thursday, March 19th @ 7:30 pm School District 197 Board meeting in Large Conference Room Attachments Just the Facts, Pipeline, Thank you letter to Sharon Hinze, Pioneer Press articles "Minnesota/League wants budgets done in secret" and "He dug her out, then helped himself to car". Have a great weekend!! March 6, 2009 T`ie latest s�ervs frv�rr- t`ie JKe��'ata �feiy�its�aliee �epartlrycevct ert ham 3/6/2009 J Burglary 2-27-2009 at 1422 hours Officer Scott Patrick responded to a report of a residential, forced entry burglary. Officer Patrick met with the son of the homeowner who advised he stopped to check on his parent's vacant home while they were traveling; when he arrived, he found the front door had been kicked in. The scene suggests the suspect(s) had rummaged through several rooms of the house rummaging through drawers and closets. The only item they were missing at the time of the report was a 42" plasma television. The case remains under investigation. No Insurance 2-28-09 at 0049 Hours Officer Steve Meyer stopped a vehicle with only one operational headlight. Officer Meyer asked the driver if he had insurance on the vehicle and he replied that he did not. The driver who was on his way to work reported he had fallen on some hard times and could not afford to insure his vehicle. The driver was cited and his vehicle was impounded. DID YOU KNOW? According to a 2001 study by the Insurance Research Council, 14 percent of America's motorists were driving without insurance in 2001. The 2009 number will likely be much higher as a result of the deteriorating economy. Be sure you carry the necessary coverage to protect yourself in the event you are involved in a crash with an uninsured motorist. DWI 2-28-2009 at 0108 Hours While working Operation Night Cap DUI enforcement, Officer Peyton Fleming clocked a vehicle traveling well over the posted limit. Officer Fleming approached by 26 YOA female driver who admitted to having "two" drinks, two hours before getting in her vehicle. She failed all of the field sobriety tests and submitted to a preliminary breath test (PBT) — she blew a .183. She was taken into custody, provided a urine sample and was given a ride to the Dakota County Jail, as this wasn't her first DUI. Formal charges Pending. Success! The Night Cap in the Mendota Heights area resulted in several other DWI arrests that night as well. Kudos to all who worked the detail: Officer Fleming, our fellow State Troopers and several Dakota County Officers. -1- 3/6/2009 Intoxicated Male 3-1-2009 at 0006 Hours Officers Steve Meyer and Denise Urmann were dispatched to a Lilydale bar on report of an intoxicated male causing a problem on a private charter bus. Upon arrival, the bus driver informed them he had a charter bus full of young men celebrating a return of a soldier from overseas The driver got lost trying to locate the bar, and an intoxicated male was upset about this delay and refused to pay the bill. Officer Meyer spoke to both parties and eventually got them to come to an agreement, preventing any further altercations. They were sent on their way without further incident. DWI 3-2-2009 at 1939 Hours While on patrol, Sgt. Larrive observed a vehicle weaving back and forth right in front of him. Sgt. Larrive initiated a traffic stop and made contact with the obviously intoxicated driver. The 43 year old male driver was driving on a revoked license and admitted to consuming 4 beers before hopping into his car. The driver failed field sobriety testing and tested a .186 on the PBT. He was arrested and later consented to a blood test. He was booked into the Dakota County Jail; charges are pending the toxicology results. Burglary 3-3-2009 at 1650 Hours Officers were dispatched to an unoccupied residence with a side door standing open. The suspicious circumstances were called in by a neighbor who was keeping an eye on the house while the residents were gone on vacation. Upon arrival a broken window was found on the rear of the residence. Officers searched the interior of the house and determined the suspects were long gone. Investigator Eric Petersen responded and processed the scene. The residence was secured, the homeowners returned the following day and took inventory of their missing property. An LCD television, several other small electronics and some coins were discovered missing. The case is currently under investigation. Assist Fire 3-4-2009 at 1728 Hours Officer Mike Shepard, along with the Mendota Heights Fire Department, responded to a residence on a report of a fire in the oven. The fire alarms were sounding and the occupants had all evacuated prior to Officer Shepard's arrival. The small grease fire was caused by a burnt steak in the oven. Several volunteer firefighters responded to help ventilate the smoke and smell of burned food from the home. The home did not sustain any damage as a result of the fire. Start Thinking Warmer Thoughts With spring and summer quickly approaching, planning is already under way for our 1St annual Minnesota Night to Unite, Tuesday, August 4th. MN Night to Unite will replace the event previously known as National Night Out. This year the city is shifting away from a city wide event and going back to the neighborhoods. Residents are encouraged to take to their neighborhood streets and get to know their neighbors and Police and Fire personnel in an effort to reduce crime and increase our partnership to ensure our community is a safe place to live. If you want to coordinate a neighborhood block party, contact Crime Prevention Officer Denise Urmann at den iseu@mendota—heights, calling her at the Police Department at 651-255-1148. Speaking of spring, don't forget to set your clocks ahead on Saturday night for Daylight Savings, Sunday, March 8! jfopp -2- N E W S The Pipeline LETTER Public Works Engineering March 6, 2009 Code Enforcement S)� Public Works The Parks Crew assembled picnic tables for the parks. Satellites were ordered for the parks for the summer. The flooding hoses were dried out and rolled up for summer storage. Equipment maintenance was done on the trucks, snow blower and broom. Rich plowed when needed. He cut roots in the sanitary sewer line on Keokuk and Marie Avenue. He treated roots with chemicals on Keokuk and Lexington Avenue. There was a sewer back up on James Court. The blockage was caused by roots that were cut from the homeowner's service. The root clump then got stuck in a "drop" manhole downstream. Rich also attended a traffic safety seminar. The Streets Crew mixed sand and salt. After plowing and sanding the City's streets twice, they did mailbox repair after Thursday's seven inch snow storm. They attended a seminar put on by Highway Technologies with Rich and Tom for work zone traffic control. The bridge decks and sidewalks on Wagon Wheel Trail and Mendota Heights Road were cleaned of snow. A couple of complimentary phones calls from last Thursday's snowstorm - A resident from 1/2 Dorset Road called and wanted to thank the Public Works snow plow driver (George Noack) who helped shovel her out and push her car at 5:30 P.M. on Thursday. She said he was super and very helpful! A resident on Trail Road called to say he was very impressed with the snow plow driver on Trail Road - (Andy Quinlan) he went slow and did a superb job! Engineerin John recently returned from the Air National Guard Intermediate Development Course (Commanders' School) in Knoxville, Tennessee. He is now eligible to assume a command position within the Minnesota Air National Guard. Staff was notified this week that MnDOT State Aid Office has granted the City $424,821 of FY2010 funds for the reconstruction of the Highway 55 and Mendota Heights Road intersection. This project will be designed in 2009 and ready for award in the spring of 2010. N E W S LETTER Public Works Engineering Code Enforcement Engineering The Pipeline March 6, 2009 Page 2 Staff has "shelved" the Hunter Lane and Orchard Place project per the decision of Council. Staff will remain busy, however, working on the Highway 13 and Dodd Road Trails project, relocating a sanitary sewer trunk main on the CDA property north of South Plaza Drive, and getting a head start on next year's proposed reconstruction project (Simard Street, Miriam Street, Valley Lane, View Lane, Esther Lane, John Street, and Spring Street). Staff received the first periodic update from SRF Consulting Group, the consultant hired to produce the Feasibility Report on pedestrian improvements at Dodd Road and Highway 110. A copy of this update is attached. Staff has been working with our City Attorney and Mendota Mall Associates, LLC to finalize the Developers' Agreement for the re -development of the Mendota Plaza Mall at Dodd Road and Highway 110. Ryan has been attending the Master Skills Development for Project Management Program seminar provided by MnDOT. This program is designed to develop and improve communication skills with project stakeholders. Ryan is enjoying the seminar and says he is getting a lot of good information. Attachment: Project Progress Memo - TH110/Dodd Road Intersection - Pedestrian Improvements CONSULTING GROUP, INC. E N G IN E E R S I P L ANNE R S I D E S I G N E R S PROJECT PROGRESS MEMORANDUM TO: John R. Mazzitello, PE Public Works Director/City Engineer FROM: Chris Trboyevich, PE MINNEAPOLIS FARGO MADISON SRF No. 008 6719 DATE: March 6, 2009 SUBJECT: TH 11 O/DODD ROAD (TH 149) INTERSECTION — PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS The intent of this project status memorandum is to provide the City with a regular project report detailing the summary of work in the previous two weeks and outlining the anticipated work within the next two weeks. This first memorandum will outline the actions that have occurred since the notice to proceed. Progress Actions Initiated/Completed from February 11, 2009 to February 27, 2009 • Held client kick-off meeting on February 11, 2009 to gather additional information concerning the project. Team meeting between SRF and City staff. • Received and logged information provided by John Mazzitello from February 12-13, 2009. • Began development of proj ect area base map using GIS data from Mendota Heights and Dakota County. • Contacted Gopher State One Call on February 24, 2009 to initiate a 15 -Day Design Locate to gather private utility data within the project area. • Held internal meeting on February 26, 2009 with Marie Cote, PE, to discuss anticipated pedestrian counts and potential funding sources for improvements. Anticipated Progress Actions for March 2, 2009 to March 13, 2009 • Begin working on key figures specific to feasibility report, i.e., base map, project location map, as well as feasibility report outline. • Coordinate with SRF internal staff to flesh out the alternatives to be evaluated in preparation for upcoming stakeholder meeting. • Identify appropriate Mn/DOT signal personnel to invite to the project stakeholder meeting. • Schedule project stakeholder meeting with City of Mendota Heights staff, Dakota County staff, and Mn/DOT staff (initially anticipated to have stakeholder meeting in mid-March). The previous actions defined are subject to change based on continuing project development and may be amended as necessary based on subsequent client, stakeholder, or consultant needs. If there are questions based on the outline progress actions, please contact Chris Trboyevich at your earliest convenience. cc: Matt Hansen, SRF File H. IProjects167191H1-MUIDOCIProject Status Memol.doc www.srfconsulting. com One Carlson Parkway North, Suite 150 1 Minneapolis, MN 55447-4443 1 763.475.0010 Fax: 763.475.2429 An Equal Opportunity Employer Iva-, Z� Minnesota / League wants budgets done in secret - TwinCities.com TwinCitiesocom Minnesota / League wants budgets done in secret Bill would keep cutbacks under wraps until proposals pitched to city councils By Dave Orrick dorrick@pioneerpress.com Updated: 03/02/2009 11:53:34 PM CST At a time when the economy is forcing local governments to cut core services, such as police, fire, parks and libraries, Minnesota cities are asking to keep their work secret until they're almost done. Advocates for open government don't like it. Last week, state Sen. Mee Moua, a St. Paul Democrat, introduced legislation at the request of the League of Minnesota Cities that would keep secret all "budget proposals, preliminary drafts, and other preliminary documents" until a mayor proposes them to a city council. Currently, those documents — namely proposals from department directors to a mayor — are public under the Minnesota Data Practices Act, which compels transparency in nearly all aspects of city government. The proposal would amend the act to keep them secret, as they are for the governor's department heads. Ann Higgins, a lobbyist for the league, said the worsening economy was behind support for the proposal. "The cities anticipated a very difficult couple of years of having to redo their budgets from top to bottom and in a more unusual manner than in recent years, and they wanted to give time to their department directors," Higgins said. "It would make things easier to work through." The convenience of government officials isn't a valid reason to bar the public from seeing proposals while the ink is still fresh, said Don Gemberling, a consultant and former state director of information policy. "This is a bad idea, particularly when we're in an era when the Obama administration is saying we need more openness in government." Rich Neumeister, a citizen lobbyist at the Capitol who advocates for public access to government, says the change would be a disservice to the public. "I have been getting information on my libraries and police department for 10 years," said Neumeister, who lives in St. Paul. "When I learned a few years ago they were thinking about closing Hamline-Midway Library, I told the neighborhood. Did the walls fall down? No." Indeed, Hamline is proposed to be on the chopping block again as St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and his department heads try to amend the current budget to close a massive budget hole. The Pioneer Press and other outlets reported that information only after obtaining the proposal that St. Paul Public Library Director Melanie Huggins drafted for Coleman. Higgins, the League lobbyist, said that under the plan such memos wouldn't be public until Coleman proposed the changes to the council. He has yet to do so. When he does, the city council is likely to hold one public hearing and vote on it within two weeks. Coleman, who also serves as second vice president of the league, supported the change early on. A spokesman said the change would protect staffers from "political pressure" that could stifle creativity. k�� � 4 bri,,hi idea FAQ ornine ������;�t S PrinterStitial® ads by Format Dynamics. Page 1 of 2 J,) 1. a� FormatDynamics' Print Powered Byji e Forrr�atDynamics' http://www.twincities.com/ci_11822545?IADID=Search-www.twincities.com-www.twincities.com 3/4/2009 He dug her out, then helped himself to car - TwinCities.com TwinCitiesecom He dug her out, then helped himself to car By Nick Ferraro nferraro@pioneerpress.com Updated: 03/03/2009 08:23:21 AM CST So much for Minnesota Nice. When a woman got her car stuck in a snowbank Thursday in West St. Paul, Richard Regis was Johnny on the spot and helped free the 2002 Toyota Corolla. But Regis then drove away in the woman's car, leaving her at the side of the road, authorities said Regis, 18, of St. Paul, didn't get far — he was arrested a short time later after a foot chase in Mendota Heights. Regis was charged Friday with theft and receiving stolen property, both felonies, and misdemeanor fleeing police. He remains behind bars in the Dakota County Jail. When contacted Monday by telephone, Farhiyo Mohamed, 29, of Hopkins, refused to comment on the theft of her car. Mohamed told police she got her car stuck in the snow near an apartment complex along Thompson Avenue shortly after 9 p.m. Regis and two others waiting at a nearby bus stop offered to help, she said. "I got it out of the snow," a West St. Paul police report quotes Regis as saying. "And instead of giving it right back to her, I drove off with it." A Mendota Heights police officer, responding to a separate call with lights and sirens on, saw what looked like the stolen car pull over on the shoulder near Dodd Road and Marie Avenue, according to a criminal complaint filed in Dakota County District Court. In his rear-view mirror, the officer saw Regis run into a yard and out of sight. "Before I knew it, the police were behind me," Regis reportedly told police. The officer confirmed the car was stolen and followed Regis' footprints in the snow. He caught up with him and ordered him to stop. "(Regis) looked back at the officer and continued to flee," the complaint said. After a chase through several yards, Regis was arrested on a pond between Marie Avenue and Hidden Creek. The two good Samaritans who helped Regis push out Mohamed's car later identified him as the thief, authorities said. When questioned by police, Regis reportedly said he was "playing around." Regis "got what was coming to him," said West St. Paul police Chief Bud Shaver. "It's karma, man," Shaver said. "It's karma. Nick Ferraro can be reached at 651-228-2173. �q bine p of u_-�i.cive�"��;:�It1g �r a PrinterStitiale ads by Format Dynamics. Page 1 of 1 FormatDynamice Print Powered By 05FormatDynamics' http://www.twincities.com/ci_11822458?IADID=Search-www.twincities.coin-www.twincities.com 3/4/2009