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2007-10-05 Friday NewsCOMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT Jake attended a training meeting on the Community Development Block Grant on Wednesday which was put on by Dakota County Community Development Agency. The range of CDA programs was discussed, along with the Federally Funded HOME and CDBG grant programs. Our City primarily utilizes CDBG funding for fixing up single family properties for low income or senior households. The City has also used CDBG funds for land acquisition for the Town Center CDA Senior Housing project. In the future, CDBG funds will be used to eliminate barriers which keep handicapped and/or seniors from enjoying our park system. LOCAL SOLID WASTE STAFF (RECYCLING) Jake attended a funding meeting for our recycling grant, put on by Dakota County Environmental Management staff on Thursday. Applications for 2008 were presented, along with the news that we might receive an increase in funding for recycling activities. One of the biggest topics of discussion is that Dakota County residents now have several options to recycle electronics for free. The Dakota County Eco -Ste and JR's Appliance were both on hand to report that they will no longer charge residents to drop off electronic items. This is great news, as all electronic devices have hazardous waste components which should not be land -filled. More information on e -cycling will be detailed in the fall/winter Heights Highlights. CONGRATULATIONS SERGEANT CONVERY Congratulations to Brian Convery for being promoted to Sergeant effective October 17, 2007. Brian will be presented to the City Council for his promotion at the October 16th City Council meeting. CALENDAR OF UPCOMING MEETINGS Mendota Plaza Subcommittee October 8 City Council Mtg October 16 DCC Executive Mtg October 18 Lower Miss River WMO Mtg October 18 Planning Commission Mtg October 23 Park & Rec Commission Mtg ARC Mtg NO Mtg ND C4 Mtg Gun Club Lake WMO Mtg Respectfully submitted, James Danielson City Administrator November 13 November 14 November14 December 5 December 12 Attachments: Just the Facts, Pipeline, Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting Agenda, Airport Relations Commission Meeting Agenda, Southwest Review Article "Rep. Rick Hansen", MNSUN Article "Mendota Heights Church celebrates 50 years" and Pioneer Press Article "Mendota Heights teen headed to China with U.S. Special Olympics team". T`ie tides-"teWf frvyn the N,eycR'at,T #,eiy4ts-alice Peyarttne�t 10-05-07 The. Congratulations to Sergeant Brian Convery Mendota In March the City Council authorized the Police Department to f He'IlIg s begin the process to replace Donn Anderson who retired. At the P°lice October 16, 2007 City Council meeting, Brian Convery will be presented to the City Council for his promotion to Sergeant, =° Depattrnenteffective on October 17'h. Congratulations to Officer Convery. Support Medical / Minor Consumption 09-28-07 1954 hours Staff While working a high school football game, Officer Steve Meyer kDenning received information about a juvenile who had fallen out of the hr�ttna Hoss'" bleachers and was bleeding from the head. Upon arrival, a nd Ristine '. doctor was providing first aid. The juvenile was turned over to Cath Ransom paramedics. The cause of the fall was most likely his BAC of .17. P�hce Parents were notified by phone and a citation was mailed. Officers : Suspicious Noise 09-28-07 2127 hours 1e #Y Caller reported that someone was in her basement. Officer Mike Brmn onieryShepard arrived on scene and spoke with the elderly female who Bobbyla%bert - d Eric l�etersen reported that a tunnel went under her house and that people Codd Russe were entering her basement through the tunnel. Officer Shepard Tanner5prcer checked the house and reported that the party was possibly °,' ChadZXIsori beginning to exhibit signs of dementia. Report sent to social eforieldt services. fenny Fordham Steven Meyer . - Curfew Violation 09-28-07 2314 hours Diuse',Urmann e Officer Tanner Spicer spotted a young man who appeared to be M�che Shepard ., out after curfew. It was immediately obvious that he had just Peytori�lernrng finished smoking marijuana. When asked if he had any on him, the young man said no; however, during the pat down search, investigations Officer Spicer found two bags of marijuana in his pockets. Officer Ma,r6 Reyes, Spicer was not able to make contact with mom and eventually ScottPatnck dropped the boy off at home. He was cited for curfew and Sergeants!. possession of a small amount of marijuana. Neil Garlock' Abandoned Trailer 09-29-07 0924 hours John Larriue' Caller reported a trailer that had been parked in the street for Chief approximately one week. Officer Fleming arrived and found the Mike trailer's contents were ransacked. Attempts to contact the Aschenbrener registered owner were not successful. The trailer was not stolen -1- 10-05-07 - the local police department reported that the address listed belonged to a real estate company. Trailer was impounded. Miscellaneous 09-29-07 2313 hours Officer Chad Willson responded to a local gas station about a kidnapping. Upon arrival he met with the caller who reported that his girlfriend had been taken by her ex-boyfriend. The ex-boyfriend had called the store and asked that someone drive the victim's car home because he had kidnapped her for the night. An alert was sent out notifying local PD's where the two could be headed. They were located near the suspect's home in Hastings. Hastings PD learned that there was no force or coercion used — they were simply working through some issues. Everyone notified that it was a miscommunication. Runaway 09-30-07 1915 hours A resident called because her 15 YOA son had left they day earlier and had not returned. Officer Steve Meyer responded and spoke with mom who advised this is an ongoing problem, her son is on probation and this is a violation of his conditions. A runaway report was taken and entered into the system and a list of possible locations was sent out to area PD's asking them to check for the young man. The next day the son called from home requesting an officer to discuss his runaway status. The young man had a very nice "story" about why he was gone and did not return. After listening to the story, mom and son agreed to be civil the rest of the evening. The son agreed to go to school in the morning and to call his probation officer. Officer Meyer notified the PO of the incident. Warrant 10-01-07 0038 hours Officer Jeff VonFeldt responded to a domestic in progress: male half is in the yard and is refusing to leave. Upon arrival, he found the argument had only been verbal. Upon running a computer check on the participants, he found the male to have an active felony warrant out of Florida for "Grand Theft." He was arrested and transported to the Dakota County Jail to await extradition to FL. Theft 10-01-07 1115 hours Security manager for a local business called and requested an officer to assist with a theft investigation. Upon arrival, Officer Lambert was informed about the employee's thefts - the security manager had obtained a detailed two page written confession and had prepared a trespass notice. Officer Lambert reviewed the documentation and witnessed the trespass notification. The packet of information was taken into evidence and will be presented to the Dakota County Attorney for felony theft charges. Neighbor Dispute 10-04-07 1632 hours Officer Todd Rosse responded to a call about throwing tomatoes. When he arrived he spoke with the victim who reported that the neighbor threw tomatoes in her yard. Officer Rosse checked — no persons or tomatoes found. The neighbor was not home. Officer Rosse will check back. Am a great roer "(/ /ff/& -2- NEWS LETTER ThePmipelm ine Public Works Engineering October 5, 2007 Code EnforcementColumbus MY Public Works The Parks crew marked all tree stumps in the parks for grinding. Broken hockey boards were replaced at Wentworth and Friendly Hills hockey rinks. All mowers were serviced. The mulching kit was put on the xmark. Rich was called in Wednesday night for a high water alarm. Grease was caught on the floats causing them not to work. He cut roots in the sanitary sewer lines on Highway 13 from Garden Lane to Fremont Avenue, Annapolis Street east of Chippewa Avenue, Hingham Circle and Downing Street. attendedThe Street Crew the annual Fall Maintenance Expo in St. Cloud. Sessions included snow and ice control on roadways,, dealing with the public,,.; • street sweeping dos and •• basins were cleaned of leaves. Tim cleaned up an excessive amount of leav off Marie Avenue by - Temporary _ signs were ` up at WagonWheelTrail . • Wagon Wheel• Garbage picked on Mendota Heights'• • and Lake Drive. I Engineering Streets in the Ivy Falls neighborhood were paved this week. Work continues on both the Ivy Falls project and the Copperfield mill and overlay. The Engineering Department held a public informational meeting for the proposed street reconstruction meetings for the Avenues neighborhood and Kay Avenue/Walsh Lane. The meeting was well attended with 39 properties represented and at least 50 people present. CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA AGENDA PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION Tuesday, October 9, 2007 - 6:30 P.M. City Council Chambers 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of September 11, 2007, Minutes 4. September/October Parks and Recreation Report 5. Par 3 Financial Status (Available Tuesday) 6. Cash Donation for Park Improvements 7. Park, Trail and Other Updates a. Trail Overlay to Mendota Elementary School b. Bleacher Pads and CDBG Trail Project c. Valley Park Trail Repairs 8. Special Park Fund Status 9. Roger's Lake Park Playground Areas 10. Capital Improvement Projects Scheduled for 2008 11. Pilot Knob Phase 2 - Draft Management Plan 12. Commission Comments 13. Adjourn Auxiliary aids for persons with disabilities are available 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. This may not, however, be possible on short notice. Please contact City Administration at 651-452-1850. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5 Co IN CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION AGENDA October 10, 2007 — Large Conference Room Call to Order - 6:00 p.m. Roll Call Approval of the September 11, 2007 Airport Relations Commission Meeting. Unfinished and New Business: a. Discuss Representative Hansen's Letter to FAA. b. Discuss September 19th Legislative Hearing c Discuss September 19 NOC Meeting d. Discuss Departures North of Corridor Graphs e. Update for Introduction Book Acknowledge Receipt of Various Reports/Correspondence: a. August 2007 ANOM Technical Advisor's Report b. August 2007 (New Format) ANOM Eagan/Mendota Heights Departure Corridor Analysis C. Letter from NOC Regarding Nightime Southeast Departure Heading Off Runway 17 During Southeast Operational Flows at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (MSP) d. Minutes from September MAC Meeting of Finance, Development and Environment Committee. e. Airport Noise Report, September 14, 2007. f. Airport Noise Report, September 21, 2007. g. Airport Noise Report, September 28, 2007. Other Commissioner Comments or Concerns Upcoming Meetings City Council Meeting NOC Meeting MAC Meeting 8. Public Comments 9. Adiourn 10-16-07 - 7:30 11-14-07 - 1:30 10-23-07 - 1:00 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. This may not, however, be possible on short notice. Please contact City Administration at (651) 452-1850 with requests. Ott Rep. Rick Hansen Sunday, September 30, 2007 Rep. Rick Hansen (D -South St. Paul) has received the Nature Conservancy's Government Relations Award for his contributions to conserve Minnesota's lands and waters. In 2007, he advocated for $21 million in additional state funding for Conservancy priorities to help conserve Minnesota's forests, grasslands, riveres, lakes, streams and wetlands. A second session highlight was a conference committee agreement for a constitutional amendment allowing voters the choice to increase the state sales tax by .38 percent (three cents on an $8 purchase) for clean water, habitat, conservation, parks and trails, and the arts. If approved by the Legislature in 2008, the amendment will be placed on the ballot for the 2008 General Election. Rep. Hansen, recognized for his leadership on the constitutional amendment, also advocated for a $3.8 million increase in invasive -species management funding, which included a Conservancy initiative for $600,000 to start Cooperative Weed Management Areas at the county level. The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. Related Links Content © 2007 Lillie Suburban Newspapers Software 01998-20071up! Software, All Rights Reserved MN S U N 44 ompou Ott Mendota Heights Church celebrates 50 years BY MEGAN ANDERSON - SUN NEWSPAPERS (Created : Wednesday, Octolber 3, 2007'3. -. , CDT) While many seasons have come and gone, Mendota Heights United Church of Christ has weathered changes for 50 years. Mendota Heights United Church of Christ, 680 Highway 110, will celebrate the milestone with a pork dinner and bake sale 4 to7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, and an anniversary worship service and reception at 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 7. The church was established in 1957, a year after Mendota Heights became a city, and continued to experience growth. The charter ceremony Jan. 3, 1957, officially recognized the church, but it wasn't until 1958 that the Rev. Paul Dahlstrom was called to be the congregation's minister. Before a sanctuary was built in 1961, the church met in members' homes and Mendota School. "We are the oldest church in Mendota Heights," said Nancy Menning of Eagan, who has been a member of the church for 44 years. "At one time we have had up to four generations of a family attending the church." Often called Mendota Heights Church the church is still going strong with about 100 members, drawing people from Oakdale, throughout northern Dakota County and as far south as Apple Valley. The Rev. Connie McCallister (from left) and members Murray and Jeanne Lufkin of Mendota Heights and Nancy Menning of Eagan are preparing for the Mendota Heights United Church of Christ 50th anniversary celebration Oct. 6 and 7. (SCOTT THEISEN • SUN NEWSPAPERS) Browse through more photos taken for this article as well as from many other local events and features, in our SUN NEWSPAPERS PHOTO GALLERY , where Sun photographers post many photos every week. The church hosts blood drives, mobile meals and participates in Neighbors Inc. It also offers a space where members of Hope Korean Presbyterian Church are able to worship. "We've always been known for having a great choir and serving great food," Menning said. The Rev. Connie McCallister began working as the church's pastor July 23, bringing with her 23 years of pastoral experience. "I've been called by this congregation to be their pastor," McCallister said. "I'm really pleased and just awed that they have called me." Members of the church are a close-knit group, she said. "It's an extraordinary group of people who love their church and Lord passionately." Jeanne and Murray Lufkin of Mendota Heights joined in 1967 and are active participants in the church. Jeanne Lufkin and other women create intricate, colorful banners for the church sanctuary. "The fact that we are a family is what I enjoy the most," she said. "We have a sense of belonging here. It's hard to imagine being any place else." The church welcomes new members with open arms, Murray Lufkin said. "I would not like people to think that we're an enclosed church," he said. "We are taking great pleasure in seeing new faces." "They are very close, but very welcoming to others," McCallister said. Non-members are not turned away, often having baptisms and marriage ceremonies in the church sanctuary. "This congregation sees itself as servants and has willingly opened its door to others," McCallister said. "That's very, very rare to see a church do that. They've been very ecumenical in their visioning and are always uniting Christians together." Among the changes at the church is its structure. "About 10 years ago, [the congregation] took a leap of faith," McCallister said of a renovation project. It included a new sanctuary, fellowship hall and classroom space, where the SonShine Learning Center offers early education for 36 children. "We built the new sanctuary because our membership had been level for a while," Murray Lufkin said. Since then, membership has declined, partly because people move away and the neighborhood is growing older. The community has also changed, Menning said. "Fifty years ago, we were the only church in Mendota Heights," Menning said. "But we're not the only one anymore." A Mendota Heights resident of 16 years, McCallister said the church is located in a great community. Surrounded on all sides by Dodge Nature Center, the church site is a haven of natural beauty. Because of its surroundings, the church is tucked away along Highway 110, sometimes it is difficult to see from the road. "We're a pretty well -kept secret in Mendota Heights," Jeanne Lufkin said. Her husband agreed. "We'd like to make ourselves more conspicuous, so people know we're here," Murray Lufkin said. One project McCallister said she hopes to complete is developing an area behind the church, which is surrounded by oak trees and flowers, into a place that could accommodate outdoor weddings. "That's part of a vision that we hope to do next spring." The new pastor said she is always finding ways to improve the church. "I've really kept them busy since I've been here," she said. It's a community that's great to be a part of, McCallister said. "People just have a lot of good times together." (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.corn.) This site and its contents Copyright © 2007. Sun Newspapers% M - Main Office: 952-829-0797 suninfo@acnpapers.com - Mendota Heights teen headed to China with U.S. Special Olympics team 14endota lieigihts siriinimer € ne of 401 >i ,S. athletes to competein Special Olympics m China Swimming helped Joe Conway get over his fear of strangers, led to success in high school athletics, got him a job as a lifeguard and helped calm his anxiety disorder. Now it's taking him to China. The Mendota Heights 17 -year-old is one of 18 Minnesota athletes who will compete Oct. 2 through 11 at the Special Olympics World Games in Shanghai. He'll be part of a team of 401 U.S. athletes at the event, which is expected to draw 7,000 competitors from 169 countries. "I'm excited, really excited, to represent the United States in China," Conway said this week at his last swimming workout in the Twin Cities before flying to Los Angeles to meet up with the rest of the U.S. team. He's scheduled to fly to China today. It has taken a lot of work for Conway to get this far. He was born with fetal alcohol syndrome, which resulted in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and a fusing of the bones in his elbows, which makes it difficult for him to rotate his hands. "That's kind of why he got into swimming," said Conway's adoptive mother, Sandy Conway. She said her son started swimming when he was 8 years old. At that time, he was afraid of meeting people. "He never wanted to leave the house and play with a ball," she said. Swimming "gave him the confidence to move beyond that," she said. "It's repetitive and calming for him. He has anxiety disorders. It helps him focus." Joe Conway went on to be an all -conference diver for Sibley High School, where he's a junior, and he's worked summers as a lifeguard. It took him four tries to pass the lifeguard test. "Swimming has helped me build a lot of character," Conway said. "I just really wanted to become a lifeguard. I really love kids and the water a lot." Since being named to the World Games team, Conway has been practicing four times a week, up to two hours at a time, with teammate Jason Slattum, a 27 -year-old Lake Elmo resident. "I'm pretty excited," said Slattum, who works for Cub Foods in Stillwater. "The only thing I'm worried about is the food over there." "I never thought I'd say I have an Olympian," said Slattum's mother, Sandy Slattum. "He's always liked being in the water. I think it's because he feels free." The two are coached by Keanne Cameron, a personal trainer from St. Paul with more than 20 years of experience coaching Special Olympics athletes. Cameron said about 1,000 Special Olympic swimmers in Minnesota were vying for the chance to be on the national team. In China, Jason Slattum will be swimming in freestyle and backstroke events. Cameron said Conway may be the best all-around swimmer on the U.S. team. He's strong in all four strokes: freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly. He'll compete in medley and butterfly events. "Winning a gold medal would be great, but I want to just go out there and know I succeeded in trying," Conway said. Other Minnesotans Heading To China Athletics: Katelyn Kasel, Vermillion. Basketball: Larissa Chovan, Elk River; Kate Linhoff, Stillwater; Tonia Patterson, St. Paul; Kelsey Peterson, Rosemount; Lisa Peterson, Lake Elmo; Jode Schug, Coon Rapids; Debbie Stennes, Rochester; Katelyn Thompson, Stillwater; Caitlin Weiss, New Richmond; April Wlaschin, Stillwater. Bocce: Jennie Heller, White Bear Lake; Ryan Schattschneider, Perham. Bowling: Laura Green, Bloomington. Golf: Kyle Mason, Moorhead. Gymnastics: Emma Hook, Brooklyn Center. Close;Wndow