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2007-06-01 Friday NewsCELEBRATE MENDOTA HEIGHTS PARK Tomorrow (June 2nd) is the Mendota Heights Park Celebration. The Kick off event will start with music Friday night from 6:30 — 8:30 at the Village. The 5K will start at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. The Fire Department will be giving fire truck rides, and the Police Department will hold a bike rodeo. Other activities will take place such as face painting, pony rides, a hockey and soccer shootout, a moonwalk, caricature drawing, a Tae Kwon Do demonstration, clowns, more live music Saturday evening at the Plaza and much more. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN WORKSHOP City Council and Planning Commission members met on Wednesday morning to kick off the Comprehensive Land Use Plan update process. Planner Steve Grittman led a discussion on the process for the update, and collected some general feedback on several key parcels in the community. Thanks to everyone for making the time to be there, it was great to have all Council members and Commissioners present. Steve will use feedback from the workshop to further dei iae t he issues at hand and to allow for expanded public input where needed. Opportunities for wider public input will likely take place this fall. The Cities of Mendota Heights, Inver Grove Heights, West St. Paul and South St. Paul have been working together on Pandemic Planning efforts. Next week there will be three informational/training sessions available at the Dakota County Northern Service Center. All employees and Council members are attending and the general public is welcome to attend as well. Sessions will be held Tuesday, June 5 at 8:30AM, Wednesday June 6 at IPM, and Tuesday June 12 at 7PM. Sessions will last approximately 1.5 hours and will be held in rooms 110B&C. If you're interested in attending, let Jake know. PAR 3 This Wednesday evening the Mendota Heights ladies golf league played their first round at the Mendota Heights Par 3. Fourteen of the City's finest women golfers are in the league. Last week was suppose to be their first round, but they were rained out. This week they all got started, but only one group made the full 9 holes. I think Sue is doing some sort of rain dance?? Congratulation's goes out to Patrol Officer Bobby Lambert for becoming the proud father of a baby girl born at 1601 hrs on Sunday, 5-27-07. Aubrey Elizabeth weighed in at 7 lbs 6 oz and was 21 inches long. Way to go Bobby!! Respectfully submitted, James Danielson City Administrator Attachments: Just the Facts, Pipeline, Pre -Application Meeting Synopsis, City Council Agenda, South-West Review Article "Retiring MH sergeant has `seen it all', 56Housley/Guided Walmart, Target projects for the city", MNSUN Articles "Mendota Heights to celebrate parks", "Mendota Heights tennis court upgrades are an ace", TwinCities.com editorial "Need a better performance" by Cameron Kruse and Flyers for the Taste of the Village (tonight) and Mendota Heights Parks Celebration (Saturday) and Letter from Met Council. T`re latest rzeWs frax t4e Aeragata ei9fits Polite P01041t*eyct 9 June 1, 2007 The Mendota Two Car Crash, 5/23/07 @1055 hrs Officer Lambert responded to South Plaza Drive on a two car accident. Heights Driver/registered owner attempted to pull into a handicap parking Police stall, but accidentally applied the accelerator, sideswiping another Department parked, unoccupied vehicle. Her vehicle then drove over the curb and onto the grassy area in front of the parking stalls. It came to rest perpendicular to the parking stalls thirty feet from her intended stop. Support No one was injured, but both vehicles sustained moderate to severe Staff damage and neither vehicle was drivable. The driver's sister, a Kim Heiming passenger, claimed she may have actually blacked out, thereby causing Christina Hoss os the accident. Not only was a sibling squabble initiated, but Officer Sandie Ri Lambert also initiated a Driver Evaluation on the driver. dyLhy 11ansolnn Check Fraud, 5/23/2007 @ 084o hrs Officer Denise Urmann took a walk up report at the police department, Police reference possible check forgery and business identity theft. The bank reference Officers the business owner that three checks were either deposited or Jerry Murphy cashed that appeared to be their payroll checks. Checks totaled in Brian Convery Iexcess of $8000! Thanks to the bank's attentive employees, the thief(s) Bobby Lambert did not get any cash. Eric Petersen Driving after Suspension, 5/23/2007 @ 1W hrs Todd Rosse Sgt John Larrive observed a vehicle traveling N/B on Hwy 13 Tanner Spicer approaching Wachtler. He ran a vehicle registration and driver's license Chad Willson check on this vehicle which came back clear, but the RO was Jeff YTofi'1'eidi 9 suspended. The driver matched the description of the registered owner, Jenny Fordham The vehicle was stopped & the driver was confirmed as the suspended Steven Meyer RO, who also happened to have no proof of insurance. Officer Larrive Denise Urmann issued a citation for both offenses. Michael Shepard Civil Issue, 5/24/2007 @ 1623 hrs Officer Bobby Lambert responded to a residence where homeowner Investigations reported missing several items from inside residence. He believes live - Mario Reyes in girlfriend has taken property that reportedly belongs to him. Little Scott Patrick does he know a search warrant was served on his home while he was out of town by the MN State Patrol! He was advised that the incident is Sergeants civil, but the party insisted on a report so a loss property report form Donn Anderson was left with him. Neil Garlock Theft of Gas, 5/25/2007 @ 1858 hrs John Larrive No wonder gas prices are so high! Officer Michael Shepard was dispatched to a gas drive off and once there, was advised that he was Chief able to obtain a license plate number. Officer Shepard ran that plate to Mike see if it matched the description of the suspect vehicle and found that Aschenbrener -1- June 1, 2007 the plates had been stolen from a vehicle in White Bear Lake. Case has been referred to investigations. Leaving the Scene of an Accident, 5/26/2007 @ 0218 hrs Stupid Criminals! Officer Jeffory VonFeldt responded to a residence on report of a vehicle in the ditch in front of a local residence. No one was found in the vehicle or in the area, but a checkbook and a cell phone was found in the vehicle that had the registered owners name on it. Officer attempted to contact the owner with his cell phone but spoke to his mother who didn't know where he would be. The vehicle was impounded. There was damage to the flower bed at the residence. The next morning, around 103o hrs, the owner of the vehicle showed up at the police department to get his car out of impound. The owner claimed that a deer had jumped out in front of him and of course he had not been drinking. After a short interview with Officer Convery, it was determined that the driver was still slightly intoxicated and was well over the legal limit at the time of the accident. Charges are pending. Theft at Party, 5/27/07 @ ioii hrs Officers responded to a residence where a juvenile was having a birthday party downstairs along with 40 or more of invited and uninvited quests for a sleep -over while the parents remained upstairs. The next morning it was discovered that a laptop, an IPod and a cell phone were missing. The identified suspect, who had reportedly been drinking, left the residence with the laptop at 03oo hrs. Officers made contact with the suspect and the laptop was recovered. The homeowners later called and requested no prosecution. No harm, no foul??? The train has stopped and it's time to get offf. It's been a fun ride. I just can't believe how fast the last 32 years have gone by. I hope the next stage of my life is a little slower. I have been fortunate enough to witness the complete evolution of the Police Department since ig80. Officers and Chiefs have come and gone. We have experienced tragedies, suffered through some difficult times and always somehow been able to overcome. I leave behind some good friends and a lifetime of memories. My wish for all of you is to retire healthy and happy. As Dave Odlaug said long ago when he left our PD to go to the St. Paul PD, "I do not want to say good bye since you will all have the unfortunate experience of seeing me again". Thank you, Donn. You will be greatly missed. Enjoy your retirement — you deserve it. Have a great weekend! Kim &Denise -2- Public Works The Parks Crew planted flowers at Mendakota Park around the building. They were busy getting the park ready for this weekend's park celebration. Rich cleaned the sanitary sewer lines on South Freeway Road, 110 Frontage Road, the Victoria easement near Highway 13, Glen Toro Road and Havenview Court. He applied iron supplement to the pin oaks at Ivy Park, Mendakota Park and at City Hall. The pin oaks needed more iron in the soil. The Street Crew planted two more trees along Delaware Avenue in the boulevard. Pot holes were patched on Second Avenue, Third Avenue, Fourth and Clement. Also, there were complaints on Chippewa Avenue, Miriam and Crown Court so those potholes were filled. John Ambrose made a football toss for the Parks Crew. Landscaping work at 2400 Pilot Knob Road is being completed today to complete the slope restoration project. Traffic signal assembly will begin next week at Pilot Knob Road and Mendota Heights Road. MnDOT will be completing storm sewer work at 110/Dodd Road next week. The work consists of installing a catch basin in the median and pipe to the northwest corner of the intersection. Bids for the Somerset Neighborhood Rain Water Gardens were opened on Thursday. The low bidder is Jay Brothers in the amount of $48,565.20. This is approximately $12,000 below the engineer's estimate. CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DATE: June 1, 2007 TO: City Council, Commission Members, and City Administra FROM: Jake Sedlacek, Assistant to the City Administrate SUBJECT: Pre -Application Meeting Synopsis Staff met with five potential applicants on Monday, May 29, 2007. Steve Grittman, Sue McDermott, Paul Berg and Jake Sedlacek were present. MaryAnn Dupre, 564 Miriam St Mrs. Dupre came in to provide staff an update on the ongoing dispute with her neighbor. The neighbor had previously extended their fence beyond the 6' height limit, prompting code enforcement action. Mrs. Dupre wanted to advise staff that the neighbor had now constructed a new extension. In addition, Mrs. Dupre expressed her concern on a variety of issues, including code, criminal and civil matters. Staff are well aware of the issue, code enforcement will act upon the code violations. Derek Benz, 1853 Victoria Road Mr. Benz would like to clean up the weedy area between the landscaped portion of his yard and the pond in the rear of his property. Mr. Benz is working with Dakota County Soil and Conservation staff to identify materials which would serve as an effective buffer to the wetland, and be appealing to the land owner. Staff provided Mr. Benz with a Wetlands Permit Planning Application and walked through the planning process. Mr. Benz would like to submit an application for consideration at the June Planning Commission meeting. Lou Closmore, 684 3rd Ave Mr. Closmore would like to construct a sunroom on the back side of his home. The parcel has a detached garage which is located on the property line, the house itself is within the required 30' setback. The proposed sunroom would be located within the required setback. Staff discussed the process for granting a variance; the applicant feels that they do have a hardship, as Mrs. Closmore is wheelchair bound. The proposed location is the only option which is architecturally feasible for her to have access to the sunroom. Staff provided Mr. Closmore with a Variance Planning Application and walked through the planning process. Mr. Closmore would like to submit an application for consideration at the June Planning Commission meeting. Eric Slater, RJ Ryan Companies, re undeveloped lot at Center Point Blvd. Mr. Slater, along with Mark Rancone and Hugh Cullen of Roseville Properties wanted to verify if they needed any permit to do some tree removal on the last undeveloped lot in their subdivision. There is a storm water holding pond on the southern end of the parcel (primarily on the Votel) site currently under construction. Roseville Properties and RJ Ryan feel that portions of the site need to be cleared out in order for prospective buyers to see the site. Staff will look into the status of the storm water pond, and whether or not a wetlands permit is required. In the Planning Meeting 5/14/2007 Page I of 2 meantime, the owners intend to do some tree -clearing, but will work outside of 100' from the pond. Mark McDonald, 2491 Canton Court Mr. McDonald purchased his property earlier this year and is looking to move his fence lines to include more of the lot. Staff explained city code as it pertains to fences around pools, and provided Mr. McDonald with some options for his property. Mr. McDonald will make sure to have the appropriate building permits, but hopes not to need to take planning action. Additionally, Jake Sedlacek met with another citizen who came in with a potential planning application on Wednesday, May 30, 2007. Dorothy Haffely, 1857 Dodd Road would like to replace an existing detached garage (and storage shed) with a larger detached garage. The current garage is within the front -yard setback; Mrs. Haffely would like to locate the proposed garage in the setback. Jake explained the planning process, and how a variance requires proof of a hardship. Mrs. Haffely was provided with planning application materials for a Conditional Use Permit and a Variance, and his hoping to have materials submitted for consideration at the June Planning Commission Meeting. Planning Meeting 5/14/2007 Page 2 of 2 2. Roll Call 6. Consent Calendar a. Acknowledgement of the Minutes from the May 22, 2007 Planning Commission Meeting. b. Authorization for Purchase Order for Network Backup System. c. Approval of Promotion of Nancy Bauer to Senior Secretary/Deputy City Clerk. d. Adoption of RRe—:101--tion No. 01-41: "RESOLUTION FORMALLY ACKNOWLEDGING THE DONATIONS FROM THE PRO PAR 3 GROUP AND IRA- KlPP'% e. Adoption of Resolution Mo. 07-42: "A RESOLUTION ACKNOWLEDGING 17HE =7 Or INPBENDO16A HMCHTS DE=12- TO SEEK A PRIIE730JIR E - AMERICA COMMUNITY DESIGNATION". n -7 9 -aa 66 a ff!b El' (Q- C--% 8 9 Q-�Lg C--� M A0 H'TF'U f-% EDE '5�0 kfif--2� Adupdon d Resolution fi"fl MENDOTA 'HIMCHTS TO ENTER INTO A GRANT AGREEMENT WITH THE 99 DAKOTA COUNTY TRAFFIC SAFETY GROUP . g. Adoption of Resuiggion hV0. 07-44: "A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING ��— I I — - FO AR T � cl, � P b4Yi c=_. N �, H Z-4 .'>. Q U K4 7L�-Ili� EE (g u u, R�'H h Q) E-- 6 99 SUBSYSTEM . h. Adoption of Alley Vacation of Vandall Street Resolution No. 07-45: "A RESOLUTION APPROVING AN ALLEY VACAT0H OF VA HDALL STREET99 i. Adoption of Resolution No. 07-46: "RESOLUTION INCREASING THE BASE 9 CHARGE FOR THE STORM WATER UTILITY'. j. Approval of the List of Contractors. CREW a. Replacement Retaining Wall adjacent to City Trail b. Somerset Rainwater Garden Project Resolution No. 07-47: RESOLUTION ACCEPTING BIDS AND AWARDING CONTRACT FOR SOMERSET RAINWATER GARDENS (IMPROVEMENT NO. 200516). • x. g. Liguor Hearings a. Off -Sale Liquor License Renewal for Mendota Liquor. b. Off -Sale Liquor License Renewal for The Wine Market. c. On -Sale 3.2 Malt Beverage License for Mendota Heights Par 3. d. On -Sale Limited Service Hotel License Renewal for Courtyard by Marriott. e. On -Sale Wine Institutional License Renewal for Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts (Minnesota Room). f. On -Sale Club Liquor License Renewals Somerset Country Club and Mendakota Country Club. g. On -Sale Wine License Renewal for Sage Market and Wine Bar. a. Case No. 07-15: Bruce McManus, 720 Marie Avenue — Wetlands Permit for a r IFf' aMriCa ON AUUEdNDDecL. oes®B a8o8No. Jm-5so eeAy3SOLNT O�Fo a1afP�M©fi orsc � PERE& AT 77-0 MARIE AVENUE990 h. Cass No. 07-16, Patrick Hickey, 2303 Swan Drive — Wetlands Permit for a Deck. r=?nran�n nn%rn rrmr�n nhii., n Elp P,ESOLR R`n R ERMT ca o LLOW 'Neucaoei U RaU Rz- o c. Case No. 07-17: Rehder & Associates for Patterson Dental, 1031 Mendota Road Preliminary Plat/Final Plat Approval. Resolution Mo. 07-53, "A RESOLUTON APPROV9NG PRELIMINARY AND MNAL PLAT AT 1031 MENDOTA HEMHTS ROAD'% d. Case No. 07-04: Pat Hoffman, Hoffman -Mendota Shores LLC, LeMay Shores PUD Final Development Plan, Final Plat and Development Agreement. Resolution No. 07-54° "A RESOLUTION APPROVING A FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN, MNAL PLAT, AND DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT FOR LEM" HORES". I�; t,� �1`� c �; 't� •'. _ :F ��' .•4t •fig_ - '•;��.- :�•; i 7, • 1� �� '� _ 1 i •: t.' � i � 'II C' i f h � • �!? i � b • '��i � 1; - rr - ;•, Retiring MH sergeant has ' seen it alil Heather Edwards Staff writer I-WU USULI rc6PU.LIUVU uy rvaaag aailI let, smoking methamphetamine. says.ss. I .managed to get one cuff on the room where the intruder suppos- "'Talk about embarrassing, to be him; but couldn't get the other one edly was lurking, and triggered his arrested with your pants around your on. And suddenly, this big guy was stun gun, which made a loud, crack- ankles," Anderson says, chuckling. standing over me, asking, `Mould you ling sound. "'Riese are the kind of stories you like some help?"' "It sounded just like I was fighting just can't make up." Anderson accepted the offer. for aliens," he says. "And it worked." He 'recalls other stories, including Delp, and together they managed to The alarmed homeowner was one in Which he :was struggling with handcuff the hostile suspect. But appeased by Anderson's actions. a suspect in the 'Diamond Jim's mail Anderson never caught the civilian's More recently, Anderson and Sgt. in Lilydale. "The guy had a knife name. "I neglected to give him a 'Neil Garlock responded to a burglary (hidden) behind his back, and he call and found the burglar on the toi- kept trying to reach for it," Anderson see Anderson on page b' An a s continued from page 1 Longtime cop looks back atcareer g `thank you;" he says. Most of Anderson's fondest stories include dogs. While on patrol, Anderson witnessed a poodle jump out of the window X of a moving car. The little dog rolled repeatedly, stopping in a ditch. Anderson quickly y stopped traffic — "With lights and sirens, he muses — and rescued the dog. "And we went code 3 (lights and sirens) to the vet," he recalls, smiling. He has helped many dogs in his career, including an old dog who.decided to take a stroll in the middle of the night in a bliz- zard. Shortly after rescuing the dog, Anderson received a Christmas gift: a magnet with the dog's picture on it, sent by the dog's owner. "Every Christmas, we still put out that magnet," Anderson says. And alien there -vvas nae lost, 170 -pound Newfoundland who couldn't get comfortable in the squad car's back seat, which is covered in plastic. So the dog got to ride on the cloth -covered front seat.: Throughout;thexide, the enormous dog kept his head on Anderson's shoulder.. During Anderson's time in Mendota Heights, he earned a reputation as a practical joker. He once discharged a taser gun to scare the night officer on the other side of the door. Another time, he received a reduced - price meal (as a courtesy for police officers) from Burger King, and then plunked down a coupon he had for a free Whop- per. He's had a few mishaps as well; he once peeled off the light bar from the top of a squad car because he pulled out of the garage while the door was still rising. But Anderson will be remem- bered most for his compassion. "He's so good with death investigations," says Garlock. "When someone has passed away, Donn will sit with the family members and talk with them until the medical exam- iner gets there. Because he knows so many people in the community, he can share stories about the person who has died. "And _ he sometimes stays there for hours," Garlock adds. "He doesn't care. However long it takes, he'll be there." But empathy comes —WRIX a price. "I'm emotionally bankrupt," Anderson admits, with a hint of sadness. 'Thave no .xeserves left. Isyz, pathictoo much." - It's giving thedeath notices, especially to parents whose chil- dren have died, that has been the hardest on him over the years. "You don't expect to out- live your children," he says. "It's a parent's worst nightmare. How do you tell a parent thal their child has died?" An incident several weeks, ago confirmed to Anderson that it was time to retire. A road -rage incident involved two knife - wielding drivers. When they were in custody, Anderson took a videotaped statement from one of the suspects. "He broke down immedi- ately," Anderson says. The sus- pect had recently returned from serving in Iraq, during his tour, he had, for unknown reasons, shot a 5 -year-old girl. "Her father handed him his bleeding daughter, and she died in his arms," Anderson remembers. Just recalling the event causes Anderson to choke up. "In this job," he adds, "it's an endless stream of heartrending stories that just tear you apart." Back in the 1970s, a crime against his family led Anderson to pursue a career in law enforcement. His parents' house had been burglarized while he, his parents and his future wife I I were out of town. "No one responded to the call," he remembers. "And I thought, `I can do a better job than this." As a young man, Anderson chose his first job haphazardly. Having just graduated, from Inver Hills Community College with the intention of being a police officer, he mailed- out applications far and wide. "I'm going to go with the first department that wants me," he decided at the time. The first police department to respond was in Glenrock, Wyo., a small, coal -mining town on the Oregon .Trail that still had visible wagon wheel tracks from European settlers who had passed through many years before. "I had never been to Wyoming, I had no idea where Glenrock was," Anderson remembers. He worked in Wyoming for several years, and then took a job with the Mendota Heights Eolice Department. He stayed there for 27 years. "When you go into this job, you hope you can make adiffer- ence," Anderson says. "You hope you can change the world gust a little bit." South-West Review Mousley/ Guided Walmart,Target projects continued from page 1 for the city death came as "a shock to all off code enforcement cancer. Housley's strong engineering Jim Housley.' Barry Boa principal in background made him a_particu- "He was the kind of guy you "He the Realsolve Group, a real laxly valuable asset to the city; WSP zoning :always saw smiling," Maruska "He estate: brokerage firm that owns Hartshorn said. Wentworth Center, worked' May John Zanmiller met .said. was good-natured, the "kind of person who liked to closely with Housley ,for two Jim _Housley in 1998 when he administrator' .have. fun — he loved to zing) and a half years on projects needed help building a fence for drowns wy°u" around town. his home. He described Housley Once, when a local resident They partnered on the West as a "prince of a guy" -- mcredi- Seth Loy asked Housley for a setback per- St. Paul -Mendota Heights -Eagan bly devoted to his family. news editor <mit for a garage project, Housley . School District's new alternative "It's difficult, when you've. playfully responded, "Do yqu learning center, opening this fall worked next to someone for Jim Housley, 57, the city' of. West want to know what's behind near Robert Street and Marie such a long period of. tame and $t. Paul's longtime zoning admires door No. 2?" Avenue, and the Vessey Leader- have them leave, it's hard on trator, drowned A. "He always joked with staff ship Building, 33 Wentworth people," Zanmiller says family representative did May vrhile on vacation at and customers. He was very ;good natured, a neat guy. Ave. The latter project Bosold A not return a call f, comment Yellow Lake ;`.Always willing to go the extra described as "a toughie" because : Housley is preceded, in death Resort in Web= :mile." of structural problems with the by his father, Clyde; brother, During his 26 years in West building that needed to be fixed :. �o 'He us figure out the Thoriias; and s'stex, .�9A�. survived by.his wife, Barb, Friends and c 0- St. Paul, Housley served as assis- : tant building official and zoning helped I solutionand present it to the He as two sons, `Tony and Matt, expressed both Planning Committee. He hada mother, Ruth., brother, Leroy surpraac and administrator. His knowledge of , the city s zoning. code and engr �,®ra, nn,,,,.,and of the, city's _' superb " q,1.mPcps, nephew5o other deep sadness at iim i lousley . nearing background proved vision as well as its ordinances," relatives and friends. the' news of his for Housley's the city dealt with massive said Bosold, wh® attended Tuesday.. A memorial mass was held death: and sympathy massive projects .like the Wal- o Housley's wake on Wednesda Ma 23, at the . Wednesday,.May wife and two young children: official Mart and Target developments. "Ile is going to be a really hard Church of St, John Viann ey in Terry Maruska, a building whoworked with Housley for i° "He was good at keeping alit- Person to: replace. lie's such a fixture and so involved in South St, Paul, His friends gath- ered Tuesday, May 22, at South - years, says the news of his sudden uation calm, had a good rapport with people and was always fair things, I can't imagine him not ern Funeral Home. with everybody. He's a guy being there." Inurnment at Acacia Ceme- on pages we're going to mass." g g Jim Hartshorn, West St. Paul's tery. In lieu of flowers, memori- see,fiouslex That calming character community development direc- �' � als are being sent totheDNR helped St. Croix Lutheran tor, worked with Housley for Wisconsin &-Leukemia Assoc. School and St. George's Greek four years and says that he will , Orthodox Church officials be "greatly missed" by all city — Seth Loy can be reached at resolve a conflict over driveway s�' 748-7815 or slogWillienews. access and stormwater drainage. He covered a bunch of differ coni: ' Maruska says it will be tough ent bases: zoning administrator, for the city to find a qualified backupbuilding inspector, he replacement with Housley's worked as the code enforcer for expertise. The tinning is particu- a while, he handled. recycling. laxly difficult, as Maruska retires. He knew the history of a lot: of at the end of July and the city the projects. He will really be just finished interviewing a new missed; it's hard to lose someone with such a historic knowledge of the cit."." Sun Newspapers - MNSUN.com - Mendota Heights to celebrate parks Page 1 of 2 MNOSUN 44 community newspuptrs Mendota Heights to celebrate parks BY MEGAN ANDERSON - SUN NEWSPAPERS (Created: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 5:53 PM CDT) Print Page Mendota Heights hopes to attract adults and children alike with its annual "Celebrate Mendota Heights Parks." The event will be Friday, June 1, and Saturday, June 2, and this is the 17th year that the city has had the celebration. Last year, the event was in conjunction with the city's 50th anniversary celebration. Mendota Heights recreation programmer Teresa Gangelhoff, organizer of the event, said it's a great way for residents to come out and enjoy the weekend. "It's for families to come and enjoy the park," she said. "It's nice seeing the families and all of the kids enjoying themselves." All the events are free and open to everyone in the community, she said. This year, the celebration will kick off with a performance by Sandy and the Hitmen 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, June 1. The performance will take place at Market Square Park in the Village of Mendota Heights. It's a way for the community to enjoy the city's parks, said Councilmember Ultan Duggan. "It's almost like a big city picnic. It seems everybody enjoys it and everybody has fun." Duggan said the recreation staff has done a great job of putting together an event that is fun for the entire community. It's also an opportunity for residents to mingle with their neighbors. "Each year you see kids growing, families growing, people growing," Duggan said. "You can catch up with some people that maybe you don't see the rest of the year." There will be a variety of activities available noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 2, in Mendakota Park. Duggan is sponsoring "Duggan's Dashes," which involves races open to children ages 3 to 10. He said there are many types of races, including sack races, wheelbarrow races, egg and spoon races. The winners of the races receive a prize of $1. "These are all the traditional races that I grew up with, where you don't need a lot of equipment," Duggan said. Among the other activities are a petting zoo and pony rides, face painting, hockey and soccer shoot- outs and a putting contest. There will also be drawings for bikes and other prizes at 3 p.m. There will be performances by the Splatter Sisters and the Teddy Bear Band. The Mendota Heights Fire Department will provide fire truck rides. Children can bring their bicycles to the Bike Rodeo, where the Mendota Heights Police Department will conduct a free safety check. "The response has been outstanding, there's well over a 1,000 adults and kids that come," Duggan said. "That's the whole point, to bring the community together." The 5K Walk and Run will take place at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 2, and is sponsored by Mendota Heights, Gateway Bank and Anytime Fitness. It starts at the Village of Mendota Heights. Advance registration is $15, or $20 the day of the race. The Tennis Tournament will be 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 2, at Visitation Courts. The competition includes doubles for adults and children 14 and under, and singles for children 14 and under. The cost to participate is $10 and includes a T-shirt, refreshments and awards. (You are invited to comment about this story on our website at www.mnsun.com and/or write a letter to the editor at suncurrentsouth@acnpapers.com.) http://www.mnsun.com/articles/2007/06/01/news/cl3lparks.prt 6/1/2007 Sun Newspapers - MNSUN.com - Mendota Heights tennis court upgrades are an ace Page 1 of 2 MNOSUN Print Page 44 community newspapers Mendota Heights tennis court upgrades are an ace BY MEGAN ANDERSON - SUN NEWSPAPERS (Created: Wednesday, May 23, 2007 10:07 PM CDT) Mendota Heights residents who take advantage of city amenities can anticipate improvements to one local tennis court. The City Council approved at its meeting May 15 resurfacing Valley Park Tennis Court, 825 Marie Ave. The courts were last resurfaced in 2003. Rather than doing routine resurfacing on the courts, the council approved the installation of an outdoor sports tile known as Sport Court at a cost of $44,640. Sport Court allows for drainage through and underneath the surface tiles. The city had originally considered closing the Valley Park courts. But during an open house on the issue, numerous residents protested closing the courts and thought that they should be improved. The parks and recreation commission and the city decided to go ahead with improvements on the courts last November. Operations and projects coordinator Guy Kullander brought samples of the the to the meeting. He said while the cost is more than the city had planned on spending, the city would have spent about $16,000 every three years to maintain the courts. "We're hoping that this will last 10 to 15 years, so that way it won't be a maintenance issue every year," Kullander said. Kullander said he consulted staff from the city of Eagan, where they were experiencing a similar problem with wear and tear. "Eagan has put Sport Court on four of their courts and they seem to really like it," Kullander said. The parks and recreation commission unanimously recommended installing the outdoor tiles. Half the resurfacing costs will come from the city's Special Park Fund. An additional $10,000 for the improvements was included in the city's 2007 budget. Councilmember Jack Vitelli said it is more cost efficient to spend the money on the tile installation and it's an opportunity to see how the new surface works out on the court. "Financially, it makes more sense," he said. "It's a toss up either way. I think we should do it on at least one court." In other council news: - The council heard an update on the Par 3 Golf Course from Jake Sedlacek, assistant to the city administrator. A committee was formed to get the ball rolling after a referendum was passed April 24 to purchase the course. Committee members include Jerry Murphy, former manager of Somerset Golf Course, Par 3 manager Dave Bergen, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Paul Portz, and Sedlacek. Sedlacek said the group is prioritizing issues. The group plans to meet with the manager of the Burnsville par 3 course, as well as determine needs as far as maintenance, business and safety. "We are figuring out what the burning issues are on this site," Sedlacek said. "We have three very energetic individuals in this group." - The city has scheduled "Celebrate Mendota Heights Parks" noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 2, at Mendakota Park. There will be a concert in the park Friday, June 1. (You are invited to comment about this story on our website at www.mnsun.com and/or write a letter to the editor at suncurrentsouth@acnpapers.com.) http://www.mnsun.com/articles/2007/05/24/news/cl24mhcouncil.prt 6/1/2007 Business' recycling responsibilities Pioneer Press TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press Article Last Updated: 05/29/2007 05:48:57 PM CDT A few weeks ago my family ate at a restaurant in Apple Valley known for its chicken fingers. I was appalled to find that every customer is served on foam plates. When I asked the very young manager why they used foam, he said it was cost- effective. I vowed to get the word out about that. I knew that Minnesotans wouldn't stand for irresponsibility, especially when it involves sacrificing recyclables for profit. Every day, we all struggle to do the right thing. Most of us schlep our recycle bins to the curb every week, expecting that restaurants and businesses are doing the same. But I'm finding out that isn't necessarily the case. Please, the next time you eat out or do business, inquire about the products they use and how they dispose of them. Once we start paying attention, restaurants and businesses will, too. NANCY DUNHAM Rosemount Need a better performance When you're behind 18-0, you need some home runs. Gov. Tim Pawlenty said, "The Legislature seems to want to hit the home run every year as opposed to making incremental progress year by year in a fashion that is more fiscally res onsinle " The governor seems to ignore data from his administration documenting that $1.7 billion a year is needed for the next 20 years to recover from underfunding transportation since the last gas tax increase 18 years ago. The Legislature would have funded $800 million a year, only half of what was needed to keep up. His idea of "fiscally responsible" was a plan that provided $300 million per year. Our transportation system is vital to our quality of life. Not investing enough is fiscally irresponsible. Putting it off makes it cost more. As "team owners," we need to tell the "manager" and ballplayers their losing performance has to improve next session or we will bring in new talent. Mendota Heights Tip your teachers We tip all kinds of people who provide us with some sort of service. We tip the bartender, the waiter/waitress, hair stylists, our cab drivers, our manicurist and the person taking our luggage curbside at the airport. Most of the time we don't even know their names, and their service to us takes a matter of minutes. What about our children's teachers? They spend five to six hours a day with our children more than 165 days a year. And we know their names. Many of us remember the names of our childhood teachers whom we haven't seen in 30 years. http://www.twincities.com/portlet/article/htmUfragments/print article. j sp?articleld=60139... 5/31/2007 (I Come for gourmet taste offerings by E's Cheese, The Wine Market, Coldstone Creamery, Caribou Coffee and Sage Market & Wine Bar. Slxdj--Ld MUSA-' on the green at Market Square. wlw�- TheVittage Me e i g h t s Larn more about the total Village lifestyle at villagemhxom Mendota Heights Parks Celebration Mendakota Park NOON to 3:00 P.M. * 12:15 P.M. Splatter Sisters Main Shelter Sponsored by Moose Country & Lapp, Libra Law Firm * 12:00 - 3:00 P.M. Skateboard Demo Basketball Court By 3rd Lair Skateboard Demo Team * 1:10 - 1:30 P.M. Boltz's Tae Kwon Do Demo Main Shelter * 1:45 - 2:45 P.M. Teddy Bear Band Main Shelter Sponsored by Pat Kaplan/Coldwell Banker Burnet * Noon - 3 P.M. Fire Truck Rides Parking Lot Sponsored by Mendota Heights Fire Department * 2:00 - 3:00 P.M. St. Paul Winter Carnival Vulcan Truck Rides Parking Lot * Noon - 3 P.M. Donkey Cart Rides Parking Lot Sponsored by Mendakota Animal Hospital Soccer Shootout Sponsored by MN Thunder & Soccer Field Sound & Fury Men's Soccer Team * Pony Rides Sponsored by Axel's Bonfire & Soccer Field Mendota Heights Amoco * Petting Zoo Sponsored by City & Country Credit Union Soccer Field * Face Painting Sponsored by Valmont Applied Coating Tech. Soccer Field * Caricatures Sponsored by Hoffman Homes Soccer Field Moon Walk 6 & up Sponsored by Dr Eisenhuth-Orthodontist Soccer Field Moon Walk - Preschool Sponsored by Mendakota Pediatrics Soccer Field * Cookie Monster Sponsored by Fun-Tastic Party Rentals Soccer Field Cotton Candy Sponsored by Fun-Tastic Party Rentals & Ira Kipp Soccer Field * Clowns Sponsored by Lexington Heights Apartments Soccer Field Putting Contest Sponsored by Mendota Heights Par 3 Soccer Field Free Throw Game Sponsored by American Bank Soccer Field * Joe Joe the Balloon Guy Sponsored by TAJ Technologies Main Shelter Hockey Shoot Out Sponsored by Gateway Bank Soccer Field * Baseball Throw Sponsored by Dr. Jennifer Eisenhuth Soccer Field Fish Pond Sponsored by Fisherville Coffee House Soccer Field * Duggan's Dashes Sponsored by Ultan Duggan Soccer Field * USTA Tennis Block Party Sponsored by United Properties & USTA Basketball Court * Baseball Throw Sponsored by Saint Thomas Academy Soccer Field Concessions Sponsored by Henry Sibley Football Team Soccer Field * Football Throw Sponsored by Anytime Fitness & Soccer Field Henry Sibley Football Team * 3:00 P.M. Children's & Adult Drawings Main Shelter * Bike Rodeo Sponsored by MH Police Dept., MH McDonalds & Parking Lot Boehms Bike Shop of MH * Time Out Games Sponsored by Time Out Sports Bar & Restaurant Soccer Fields * Simple Steps Registration Parking Lot * 8:00 A.M. - Dusk MHAA Baseball Tournament Baseball Fields May 25, 2007 Jim Danielson Administrator City Of Mendota Heights 1101 Victoria Curve Mendota Heights, MN 55118-4167 Dear Mr Danielson: Each year, the Metropolitan Council prepares population and household estimates as of April 1 in the previous year. Preliminary estimates are shared with local governments for review and comment. Final estimates, certified by the Council in July, will be used by the State in determining local government aid (LGA) and local street aid allocations. Minnesota statutes provide the timeline for estimates delivery and local government review: ® The Council is expected to convey preliminary estimates "by June 1 each year." ® "A governing body may challenge an estimate made under this section by filing its specific objections in writing with the Metropolitan Council by June 24." ® "The Metropolitan Council shall certify the estimates of population and the average household size... by July 15 each year, including any estimates still under objection." (Minnesota Statutes, section 473.24) We are now delivering preliminary April 1, 2006, estimates of population and households: ® Mendota Heights is estimated to have 11,666 people and 4,369 households as of April 1, 2006. Household size averaged 2.63 persons per household. (Mote: Household Size averages represent persons living in hose-ol-s ) These estimates are benchmarked with Census 2000 counts. Annual updates reflect housing stock changes since 2000 and other information collected by Metropolitan Council Research. We have significantly enhanced the Council's estimates model this year with newly available data inputs. This should result in a more realistic, real-time representation of population growth since 2000. Council staff welcome discussion of the estimates. We have time to consider your comments, provided that you adhere to the timeline: Correspondence introducing specific requests or a "governing body's challenge" must be filed with Metropolitan Council Research by June 24, 2007. Written comments can be sent by mail, to Olivia McGaha, Metropolitan Council Research, or by e-mail to olivia.mcgaha(o)metc.state.mn.us. Sincerely, Todd Graham Research Manager www.metrocouncil.org 390 Robert Street North ® St. Paul, MN 55101-1805 ® (651) 602-1000 ® Fax (651) 602-1550 ® TTY (651) 291-0904 An Equal Opportunity Employer