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2016-02-26 Friday NewsCity of Mendota Heights Weekly Update Mendota Heights City Hall 1101 Victoria Curve www.mendota-heights.com (651) 452.1850 Visit us on: Facebook.com/ MendotaHeightsMN Twitter.com/ @Mendota_heights DATES TO REMEMBER: Thursday, March 3 City Council 7 p.m. March 8 Parks Commission 7 p.m. March 9 Airport Commission Open House 7:00 p.m. March 13 Daylight Saving Change your clocks March 15 City Council 7:00 p.m. March 22 Planning Commission 7:00 p.m. Attachments: Pipeline, Just the Facts February 26, 2016 City Council Meeting Rescheduled for Thursday, March 3 The Precinct Caucuses are scheduled for Tuesday, March 1 and no public meetings can be held after 6:00 p.m. So the City Council meeting has been rescheduled for Thursday, March 3. Agenda materials can be found at www.mendota-heights.com, click on Agenda/Minutes. City Council to Consider CenturyLink Cable Television Franchise The Northern Dakota County Cable Communications Commission (NDC4) manages the City’s cable franchises on behalf of the City. At their February 23rd meeting, NDC4 Cable Commission adopted resolution 2-23-16 recommending that each member city grant a cable communications franchise to CenturyLink. NDC4 Execu- tive Director Jodie Miller and Brian Grogan, legal counsel for NDC4 will be providing a brief presentation on the draft franchise ordinance and agreement on Thursday, March 3 during the City Council meeting. Residents can tune in to the presentation on cable channel 18 or web-stream online at www.townsquare.tv. The City Council will conduct the cable franchise public hearing and consider adopting the proposed Cable Television Franchise Ordinance with CenturyLink at its meeting on March 15, 2016. Residents are encouraged to attend and provide com- ment on the proposed agreement. Ice Rink Update Today is the last opportunity to put on your ice skates one last time for the season. After tonight, the ice rinks and warming houses will be closed for the season. Thank you to John Boland, Sloan Wallgren and their seasonal staff for maintaining and supervising the ice rinks and warming house. Airport Relations Commission Open House The Airport Relations Commission (ARC) invites you to an Open House on Wednesday, March 9th. The Open House will be held at Mendota Heights City Hall beginning at 7 p.m. Representatives from the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will be joining ARC to talk about issues of interest to Mendota Heights residents. The agenda will include a dis- cussion on airport noise, a remodeling update for Terminals 1 and 2, and an over- view of MSP’s economic impact for the region. Public Works The Parks Crew worked on trimming trees in the parks most of the week. They did some ice rink maintenance. The flooding hoses were picked up and put away. Trash was picked up in the parks. An OSHA online training course was attended. The Utilities Crew checked the lift stations daily, and attended the OSHA online training course. Rootx was added to the Marie Avenue sanitary sewer line. Pump two was out of service for new seal bearings and impeller balancing. Assisted the Streets Crew with tree trimming. The Street Crew starting filling pot holes. They are also trimming trees. A railing is being fabricated for a lift station. Engineering – Project descriptions simplified for easier reading. For more information, please contact the Engineering Department at (651) 452-1850. City Projects (construction year) Victoria Road Reconstruction & Rolling Green Neighborhood Rehabilitation (2014/2015) – Warranty and punch list items to be completed in the spring. Mendota Road Neighborhood Improvements (2016) – Plans have been submitted to MnDOT for review. A second neighborhood meeting is planned for mid-March. Construction is expected to begin in June. Update of Local Surface Water Management Plan (LSWMP) – Staff attended a kickoff meeting with the consultant on Thursday. Several data items were compiled and provided to the consultant. A draft plan is expected by May/June. Plan revision is expected to take about one year. Lake Augusta Alum Treatment (2016) – Grant funded. The Lower Mississippi River Watershed Management Organization (LMEWMO) has submitted the work plan for the project. The LMRWMO will be responsible for the project, and the City will contribute matching funds for the treatment. Treatment is expected in the fall. The Pipeline N E W S L E T T E R Public Works Engineering February 26, 2016 County Projects Highway 110 Greenway Trail Crossing (2017) – Staff attended a Project Management Team meeting on Wednesday. Easements for the trail connections will be drafted and brought to City Council for approval at a future date. An open house is scheduled for this coming summer to go over final design details. Traffic Signal Improvements: I-494 & Pilot Knob Road (2016) – Plans are at MnDOT for review. Construction is expected in June. State Projects Highway 13 Slope Repair (2015-2016) – The privately hired contractor will need to close Highway 13 one more time beginning in June to complete the slope repair. This closure period is expected to last about five weeks. Highway 110 Rehabilitation (2017) – MnDOT will be requesting Local Government Approval for access changes to the Highway. Council is being asked to call for the Public Hearing on Tuesday’s agenda, and to set the Public Hearing for April 5th. Contact Molly Cline, MnDOT Project Manager, at 651-234-7723 or molly.cline@state.mn.us for more information. Highway 149 (Dodd Road) Rehabilitation (2018) – City and County staff are pursuing grant money from the Met Council to construct a pedestrian trail along Dodd from Marie Avenue to Delaware Avenue to be built in conjunction with this project. Contact Tara McBride, Project Manager at 651-234-7506, or tara.mcbride@state.mn.us for more information. Future State Highway Construction Map – MnDOT has provided a forecast of highway project map that is available to the public. To view the map go to: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z5zBiGlu3bW0.krJV8KgtYTFA or http://mndot.maps.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=efc53 72e5df74e368da35e9a0979637a. Other Activities City-Wide Trail Plan Update – The City has applied for a Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) grant from Dakota County to update the C ity Trail Improvement and Maintenance Plan (TIMP). A study of the Dodd Road (Highway 149) corridor would be included as part of the update. Engineering 101 Seminar (April 6, 2016 – Eagan Community Center) – Invitations for the upcoming seminar will be sent out next week. The seminar is scheduled for Wednesday, April 6th, 2016 at the Eagan Community Center from 6:00pm – 9:00pm. Cities are initially limited to six attendees per City. If seats remain closer to the course date, they can be claimed on a first come, first serve basis. Future Cities Competition – Future City teams will be attending the March 3rd City Council meeting to talk about their experience. A brief reception will be held in the City Hall lobby before the meeting, beginning at 6:30. Pollinator Friendly Work Plan – A draft work plan to support the City Council designation of a Pollinator Friendly City will be discussed at the March 8 th Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting, and then di scussed with the City Council at an upcoming meeting. Metropolitan Council Transportation Committee Meeting – Staff presented, along with the Public Works Director from Eagan, at the Met Council Transportation Committee meeting on Monday in Inver Grove Heights. Mendota Heights and Eagan staff represented the Coalition of Northern Dakota Area Communities (CONDAC) and presented to the Committee challenges cities face in maintaining municipal transportation networks. 1 The latest from the Mendota Heights Police Department CHIEF Mike Aschenbrener SERGEANTS Eric Petersen Tanner Spicer Peyton Fleming Bobby Lambert POLICE OFFICERS John Larrive Todd Rosse Jeff VonFeldt Steven Meyer Denise Urmann Michael Shepard Nick Gorgos Robin Nelson Steve Hilyar Phillip McCarty INVESTIGATIONS Chad Willson SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER Jennifer Fordham SUPPORT STAFF Kim Henning Trista Miller Shayna Hoechst Becky Pentel RESERVES Randy Pentel Jim Knox Jeff Parker CHAPLAINS Butch Millett John Snider Alberto Vargas Lynn Liberman Sue Plucker Joel Detlefsen Lenny Andrie FEBRUARY 26 2016 WHAT’S YOUR “STATUS” As parents, grandparents, teachers or grownups in general, we often tell the young people in our lives to practice safe, on-line behavior. We tell them don’t go meeting up with people you have only met on-line or accepting friend requests on social media from people they don’t actually know. But safe on-line behavior needs to be practiced by everyone, not just kids. Most adults know better than to share personal or sensitive information on-line or hook-up with some stranger they only know from a chat room. But unfortunately, some adults invite danger to their homes through social media without even realizing it. How you ask? Well, like many of us, myself included, we love taking pictures of our vacations and showing all of our friends on Facebook what an amazing time we are having in the sun while they freeze back in Minnesota with icicles hanging from their noses. While those pictures and vacation status posts are fun for friends and family to see, burglars enjoy them as well. Those posts tell burglars that you’re not home and your possessions are free for the taking. With just a little bit of homework, a burglar can easily figure out where you live and pay your house a visit while you are away. Another precautionary measure to take advantage of here in Mendota Heights is to notify the Police Department of your departure and request vacation checks of your home. By all means, brag about your grand vacation away from the tundra, but wait to do it until you return home; besides, then you can show off your tan. MN law does not provide a specific age a child must be before he or she may be left home alone or left under the care of another child however, there are general laws that require adequate and appropriate supervision of children. Child protection has developed guidelines in which govern the circumstances and length of time a child can be left unattended: 00—07 YEARS CHILDREN CAN NOT BE LEFT UNATTENDED 08—09 YEARS UP TO 2 HOURS 10—13 YEARS UP TO 12 HOURS 14—17 YEARS UP TO 24 HOURS BABYSITTER GUIDELINES:  Children under age 11 should not provide child care.  Children ages 11-15 who are placed in a child care role are subject to the same time restrictions of being left alone as listed above.  Children ages 16-17 may be placed in a child care role for more than 24 hours with adequate adult back up supervision. 2 THEFT OF GAS SATURDAY 1424 HOURS Officer Robin Nelson responded to a local gas station for a report of theft. The gas station employee reported that a vehicle pulled up, pumped gas and left without with out paying. The employee was able to write down viable suspect information for follow up. The registered owner of the car called back with information that the car was sold months ago and the new owner never transferred the title. He is pretty sure the car was stolen from the guy he sold it too. Case is pending. FRAUD SUNDAY 0000 HOURS Officer Denise Urmann responded to report of credit card theft at a local restaurant. The victim stated that he had given a waitress his credit card to start a tab and when he went to ask the waitress to close out his tab and get his card back she told him she could not locate his card and that it was accidentally given to another guest. The victim immediately called his bank and cancelled his card and wanted to make sure he had everything covered by filing a report. The restaurant reversed the payment and the credit card was cancelled before any more charges could be made. Officer Urmann asked the waitress if she knew who the card was accidently given to and she believed it to be an intoxicated guest with the same first name of the victim that was leaving on a party bus who wanted to close out his tab. Case is pending. THEFT SUNDAY 1908 HOURS Officer Michael Shepard responded to local restaurant on a report of a guest who was unable to pay for his meal. Upon arrival Officer Shepard was notified by the suspects niece, that he had a history of doing this and had recently gotten out of jail for a similar offense. It was reported that the suspect had asked to take his niece out to eat for her birthday and had insisted before hand that he had the money to pay for the meal. Once he received the bill he presented a card that was declined. The suspects niece stated that she was willing to pay for her meal but not her uncles as she was frustrated with his behavior and lack of consequences. A short time later it was learned the man had dealt with Bloomington PD on the same behavior multiple times the week before. He was also kicked out of three hotels for fraud. The suspect was arrested for theft and transported to the Dakota County Jail. The man was flabbergasted that we would really put a 74 YOA in jail. ACCIDENT MONDAY 1247 HOURS Officer Todd Rosse responded to a property damage accident in a local restaurant parking lot where it was reported one party had left the scene. The victim explained she was stopped in line in the drive through when she felt a jolt from the vehicle behind her car running into the trailer hitch of her vehicle. After getting her food she pulled to the side to speak with the driver of the car that had bumped into her. Both drivers got out to inspect the vehicles and the suspect stated that he barely tapped her. The suspect then got back into his car and drove away. The victim was able to obtain the license plate number and gave it to Officer Rosse. Further inspection of the victim’s vehicle reveled no sign of visible damage. Officer Rosse was able to reach 3 the suspect and was told that he did speak with the victim and did not note any damage. The suspect had left the scene after determining with the other driver that no damage was cause. Officer Rosse determined there was miscommunication between the drivers involved. Case closed. FRAUD TUESDAY 1106 HOURS Officer Todd Rosse responded to the police lobby to meet with a victim of credit card fraud. The victim reported having several large unauthorized purchases taken place using her credit card information. The victim received an email of an order confirmation that she did not make. She then called the credit card company to notify them and cancel her card. When she was reviewing the order confirmation she noticed an out of state delivery address. Case Pending. DOMESTIC/INTERFERE WITH 911 TUESDAY 1624 HOURS Sergeant Fleming and Officer Todd Rosse were dispatched to a physical domestic involving a mother and son. While in route the officers were advised that the suspect had left the scene. Upon arriving to the residence the officers spoke with the victim who had stated that she had an altercation with her son about money in which he got upset, began swearing at her, hit her leaving visible marks and tried taking her phone while she was calling 911. Another local police agency went to look for the suspect at his own residence located nearby but were unsuccessful. Officer Rosse located the suspect’s vehicle at the grandparents residence where the suspect was inside. The suspect was arrested for domestic assault and interfering with a 911 call and taken to the Dakota County Jail. FRAUD WEDNESDAY 2030 HOURS Victim met Officer Michael Shepard at the MHPD lobby to report fraudulent use of her debit card. The victim provided several affidavits of fraudulent use of her card. The card was used multiple times primarily at an online business and with a local cab company. The victim advised they needed a police report for her bank who is investigating the fraudulent activity. Case Inactive. PURSUIT FRIDAY 0237 HOURS At 0237 hours a pursuit that originated in Maplewood crossed the Mendota Bridge. Officers Hilyar and Shepard deployed stop sticks as the suspect vehicle entered Mendota Heights unfortunately they did not get the suspect car. The suspect was wanted on several felony warrants. The State Patrol helicopter watched the pursuit from the air, noting very light traffic. As the helicopter watched the suspect drive around the city they noted he pulled into the Sun Country Airlines parking lot and let a passenger out before speeding away. The car then drove around the north end of Mendota Heights and West St. Paul before heading into the City of St. Paul where he parked the car in a driveway started to runaway before deciding to get back into the car and flee again. According to officers at the scene the car likely sustained serious damage as it drove around the house it parked next to including driving off a retaining wall. SPPD weighed in once the vehicle license plate was aired that the car had a reported associated with it a few days earlier involving a rifle. SPPD and WSPPD lost the car in the area of the registered owners address. After searching the area for a few minutes the pursuit was called. The passenger who was dropped near Sun Country also managed to elude capture. 4 02/19 - 02/25 2016 YTD Calls for Service 102 1104 Citations 17 130 Warnings 24 152 Police Reports 17 155 Response Time Average 4.67 4.67 Check out the MH Crime Map! Click below to search your neighborhood: https://www.raidsonline.com 1101 Victoria Curve, Mendota Heights, MN 55118 If you are a Mendota Heights resident and you are going out of town or on vacation, you can notify MHPD of your outing and we will be more than happy to keep a watchful eye on your home while you are away. The House Check Request online form is available on our website; you can complete a form found in our lobby, or simply give us a call and we’ll help you out. MHPD offers monthly Car Seat Safety Checks. To schedule an appointment, call 651.452.1366 or email jennyf@mendota-heights.com to contact Officer Jennifer Fordham. MHPD has a Medication Disposal Box in the lobby of the PD where Dakota County residents can safely and anonymously dispose of their prescription drugs and over-the-counter medication. Please send us your positive feedback on our staff to: pdrecords@ mendota-heights.com Your feedback is greatly appreciated and helps boost the morale of our staff. HAVE A SAFE WEEK! MENDOTA HEIGHTS JUVENILE CURFEW The Mendota Heights Police Department enforces the Dakota County Curfew Ordinance, which is as follows: UNDER 12: Sun—Thur 9pm-5am Fri & Sat 10pm-5am AGES 12-14: Sun—Thur 10pm-5am Fri & Sat 11pm-5am AGES 15-17: Sun—Thur 11pm-5am Sat & Sun 12pm-5am It is unlawful for any juvenile age 17 years and under to be present in any public place within Dakota County between the hours listed above. For more detailed information on this Ordinance, please CLICK HERE