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2007-09-07 Friday NewsGARDENING This week was the week for planting the rain gardens in the Somerset Addition. Sam and his group of volunteers: Guy Kullander, Rich Burows, Tom Olund, John Boland, two Bonestroo employees and the homeowners were all out on Friday delivering plants and putting them in the ground. It was a great day for doing the work. I showed up to "help" by taking a couple of pictures. The gardens look beautiful, and besides helping with controlling surface water runoff they will really dress up the neighborhood. CITY HALL RECEIVES FACE LIFT This week Blaeser Landscaping showed up at City Hall to replace all the old landscaping shrubs. The shrubs were all over twenty years old and at the end of their expected life spans. The new design will be similar to the old, except that the new shrubs will be flowering ones. There are also some minor changes at the upstairs entrance to "open up" the space. The Police Department will also now have a patio area. It looks like a war zone today, but come by in a week and check us out! This Wednesday evening was the Grand Opening for OPUS's new Summit Condominiums. They had a gala event with over 250 people RSVPing. The condominium is a four story, 51 unit building. At the event I was told that 13 units have been sold and that the first occupancies will begin in the middle of October. They also told me that 35 of their 62 town homes have been sold. Even though the housing market is down now, units are still selling in MH. WEB STREAMING OF PUBLIC MEETINGS On Thursday, Stacy Kaiser, Guy Kullander, Mary Hapka and Jake Sedlacek attended a meeting hosted by NDC4 regarding web -streaming. This is a developing technology which would snake public meetings and other content available to citizens via the internet. NDC4 staff has been doing a lot of homework, and presented a proposal from a firm called Granicus, who currently works with many local communities. This proposal would mean that citizens could watch meetings live, via a link from our web page. Citizens would also have the option to watch the video on -demand, selecting the portion of a meeting which piqued their interest. There is likely to be more to come on this item! SYMPATHY'S GO OUT TO ULTAN DUGGAN Our sympathy's go out to Ultan Duggan for the loss of his brother-in-law David Boggs who had been retired from the Navy and was currently living in Orlando, Florida. Respectfully submitted, James Danielson City Administrator Attachments: Just the Facts, Airport Relations Commission Agenda, South-West Review Article "Dealing with airplane noise in MH", MNSUN Article "Mendota Heights honors resident who learns CPR over the phone" and "Mendota Heights closer to preserving another piece of Pilot Knob". Tie icewf fsalrc -Ite veiyLits�atice �eyaytlneyct J 09-07-07 DAR / Warrant Arrest 08-31-07 1637 hours While on patrol Officer Eric Petersen ran a vehicle license check that revealed the registered owner to be revoked. The physical description of the driver matched that of the registered owner. They pulled into SA and the driver jumped out and quickly headed inside. Officer Petersen stopped a short distance away and shouted the R/O's name. He turned around and walked over to the squad. After confirming his identity the driver was arrested. Once the driver learned how much his warrant was for he called his boss on the phone and he agreed to post his employee's bail. The cash was collected and the warrant was cleared. Overtime Parking Violation :"0 • hours contactOfficer Steve Meyer chalked a vehicle left on the side of the road. Later in his shift he learned the day crew had attempted to -• - -•' owner • had left hermessage.After 24 hours the vehicle was towed. The next day Kim Henning took phone • the person who left the car on the side of road. They were calling for the owner who had loaned them the car • would be out of town forextended p; •• of time. The friend was wondering how she could get her- • out of impound. Sergeant Garlock ended up making contact with the friend of - registered owner • again explained release cars to people they do not belong too. She was instructed to work with the PID where she was at and request them to fax us the needed information. 3rd Degree DUI 09-01-07 2223 hours Officer Eric Petersen monitored a South Saint Paul Police Department squad who had witnessed a possible drunk driver W/B on 494. The car was last seen driving on the shoulder. Officer Petersen located the car just before the SSPPD squad arrived on scene. The man agreed to do SFST's and did very poorly. He could stand on one leg for one second. The PBT revealed a BAC of .209. The man was read the Minnesota Implied Consent Advisory and agreed to a breath test. The 09-07-07 breath test revealed a BAC of .24. The suspect was transported to the Dakota County Jail. His car was impounded and the license plates were removed. Theft from Vehicle 09-02-07 0941 hours Sergeant Neil Garlock responded to a local residence about a theft. The homeowner reported that his laptop computer was removed from his unlocked SUV. The vehicle was parked in the driveway on the first. DAS 09-04-07 0540 hours Officer Tanner Spicer clocked a vehicle at 54 mph in 35 mph zone on Dodd near Emerson Avenue. In making contact with the driver he learned that the driver was suspended. The car was impounded the driver was cited and released. Invasion of Privacy 09-04-07 0755 hours Sergeant Neil Garlock responded to a local residence about a young man observed window peeping approximately one hour earlier. The victim reported that she was getting ready for school when she noticed a young man outside the window. When spotted the young man fled. Sergeant Garlock carefully checked the area and did not locate any useable physical evidence. He provided the victim high school year books from area high schools to see if she could pick out a suspect. No luck. The case was turned over to investigations. Financial • Fraud 09-05-07 1136 hours AvenueCaller reported that on 08-31-07 had lost his credit card. The card was used at 9 Grand establishment • then put away. The man was thend. �•i must have dropped his card. He began looking for it on the 4 th without success. I-oday he checked and found two local• • suspects. DAR 09-04-07 2321 hours 911 caller reported a suspicious vehicle traveling slowly through the neighborhood. The caller advised they stopped the car and asked what they were doing and told the suspect to leave. Officer WillsonI. ped the car as it leftthe neighborhood. driver was revoked and a registered predatory offender. He was cited on scene and released because he had two small children in the car. Check the Welfare 09-05-07 0011 hours Officer Tanner Spicer responded to a check the welfare call. Upon arrival he was filled in about the resident. She was off of her medications and threatening to kill herself. No one would answer the door. Officer Spicer attempted to make contact without success. After consulting with a crisis counselor it was determined that entry should be made. The party was located inside the residence and was not compliant. She was transported by Healtheast Ambulance to the hospital for observation. Dakota County Social services was contacted as the house was full of garbage and should not be lived in. Clear without incident /iaae'? pvatA14 wig CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION AGENDA September 11, 2007 — Large Conference Room 1. Call to Order - 6:00 p.m. 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of the July 11, 2007 Airport Relations Commission Meeting. 4. Unimished and New Business: a. Councilmember Duggan Update on Atlanta Noise Conference b. Discuss September 19th Legislative Hearing c Discuss Brian Linnihan Resignation d. Update for Introduction Book 5. Acknowledge Receipt of Various Reports/Correspondence: a. MAC Implementation Schedule for the 2008 CIP b. July 2007 ANOM Technical Advisor's Report C. July 2007 ANOM Eagan/Mendota Heights Departure Corridor Analysis d. July 2007 (New Format) ANOM Eagan/Mendota Heights Departure Corridor Analysis e. Airport Noise Report, August 10, 2007. f Airport Noise Report, August 17, 2007. f Airport Noise Report, August 24, 2007. g. Airport Noise Report, August 31, 2007 6. Other Commissioner Comments or Concerns 7. Upcoming Meetings City Council Meeting NOC Meeting MAC Meeting 8. Public Comments 9. Adjourn 9-18-07 - 7:30 9-19-07 - 1:30 9-17-07 - 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. WR a'rjalane nol's e, 'in MH Dealong 'th aR Diverted flights and lawsuits affect residents Seth Loy r. news editor Pat O'Leary .and his wife, Stacy, expected constant planes overhead when they, moved into their Men- dota Heights home, near, the Min- neapolis -St. Paul Airport, in 1998. Like many. local residents, how- ever, they didn't realize just how bad the noise would get. Pat, who works for the University of Minnesota, says the decibel level was so loud they applied to the Met- ropolitan Airport Commission to have their home soundproofed. ,,We noticed a program was going on, because some of the neighbors were having it done," O'Leary says. A MAC contractor installed soundproof windows and air condi- A departing plane files over the O'Leary house on the 900 block of Wagon Wheel Trail in menaoia neigncs, tioning in their home, 987 Wagon windows. 'The downside is you have St. Paul International Airport closed Wheel Trail, to lessen airplane noise, to keep the windows closed for it to for' reconstruction of the middle "It's much quieter after they, put work." 3,100 feet of pavement, according to that in your house. The biggest thing On Aug. 13, Runway 12R/30L is they put. sound panels on your (south parallel) at the Minneapolis- see Airport noise on page 5 lr oT Z alS 4 Lawsuits WOUid ex n n� ��� ��va�,�g�� continued from page 1 compared to last year [and -just casually, I have heard from various friends in the describe cumulative or total noise exposure during an the airport's website. The run- the] game time frame." Jake Sedlacek, assistant city community that they are average day, Frase explains. way will remain closed_until administrator, tells citizens to call the experiencing more noise, but some are surprised that it He would not comment on the lawsuits other than to say Oct. 17. During this two-month with noise concerns MAC Noise Complaint Hot- hasn't been worse," she says. the MAC uses the DNL con - period, air traffic will be line at (612) 726-9411 or log to At this point, all Mendota Heights homes within the tour and a'federal program to gauge whether homes qualify diverted to three runways, and residents of Mendota Heights on to www.macnoise.org file a complaint electronically. MAC's 65 DNL (day/night for soundproofing. are likely to notice more air- "At least at City Hall, we are com- noise level) contour have been mitigated or "built to "Depending on where the line intersects with the craft taking off to the from Runway 12L/30R. not receiving any noise plaints due to the runway very rigid sound -insulation home, a decision needs to be The O'Learys have been out of town lately so haven't reconstruction project," Sed- lacek says. "It appears that we standards." "That's not to say that we made: Does it intersect with a parcel, the block or natural noticed a noise increase. Pat are taking a significant por- still don't have some resi- dents like sound- boundaries? If a person lives on a block that is intersected admits the high decibel level is annoying, at times, when tion of arrivals, which are much less noisy than depar- who would proofing, but at this.point in by the boundary, but if their grilling outdoors with neigh- tures." time the FAA [Federal Avia- home is on the far side of the bors. One reliever north -south . tion Administration] will block, is it included or not? "In my opinion, [the MAC runway has "taken some of only fund soundproofing in. ... The contour defines inclu-. has] done things to try to make' it better for us. We're the burden off.us in terms of southern departures," says the 65 DNL," Petschel says. Current lawsuits, if suc- sion." More information and aware we live next to an air- Liz Petschel, chair of the cessful, could force the MAC extend the full sound- maps are available online at vAvw.macnoise.com/reports port, so some of it's expected." The airport received eight city's Airport Relations Com- mission. to proofing package to the 60 or by calling the MAC at complaints from four Men- The MAC notified resi- DNL contour, though Men- (612) 726-9411. dota Heights home owners Aug. 13-23, compared to 157 dents of the runway shut- down through two mailings dota Heights "has no homes that would "currently. qualify — Seth Log can be reached at complaints from seven resi- and an Aug. 6 open house, so for mitigation." 748-7815 or sloy@lillienews dentes during the same period the public was "really well The DNL (day/night aver- .coin. in 2006, says Aaron Frase, a prepared for the extra noise." age sound level) is used to MAC noise and operations information specialist. . While MAC 'held `an open house, and mailed notices to home owners regarding the current, runway construction, "it was tough to say" how the project would affect Mendota Meights. "It's hard to speculate 'before something unusual like this happens. I would say these numbers are fairly low, W vm th 40 P J „,,, Print',Page Mendota Heights honors resident who learns CPR over the phone BY MEGAN ANDERSON - SUN NEWSPAPERS M After calling 911 from her cell phone, Melanie Masching ran down 170 feet to a bluff, where she discovered a man who had no pulse and was not breathing. Reacting quickly, Masching came to the aid of the stranger, Eugene Ofstead of St. Paul. The ordeal began when Masching was about to go in-line skating on the Great Rivers Trail below the Mendota Bridge. Someone flagged her down, asking for help. Ofstead and a friend had been hiking July 23 when Ofstead collapsed along the trail. After she followed the friend to where Ofstead had fallen, she called 911. An emergency medical dispatcher instructed her on how to do CPR. She performed CPR on Ofstead as the response team determined her location. When they responded to the scene, Mendota Heights Police Officers Mike Shepard and Jennifer Fordham recognized how calm Masching was as she tried to help Ofstead. "When the officers got there she was actually doing CPR with her phone set on speaker,” said Police Chief Mike Aschenbrener. While Ofstead did not survive the ordeal, officials were impressed with Masching's actions. Masching said that when she called in she was nervous, but the officers helped her stay calm. "In situations like that it's not going to help anything to get all nervous and worked up about it," she said. "You just have to do your best, stay calm." The Mendota Heights City Council recognized those actions Aug. 21 by awarding Masching a Medal of Valor. "Thank you very much for stepping up in a time of need," Mayor John Huber said. "It was just a wonderful thing that you did." "Unfortunately, at the end of the day, it turns out it was not successful. We just really appreciate it very much." Dabbing tears, Betty Ofstead watched as Masching was honored for doing everything she could to help her husband. Lee Johnson, the Allina medical dispatcher who guided Masching through the CPR process, was recognized for excellence in pre -arrival medical dispatching. "He basically taught Melanie how to do CPR over the phone," Aschenbrener said. The city also recognized several other individuals who responded to the call: Dakota County Communications Center dispatchers Tera Hahle, Mike Whebbe, Thomas Bearheart and Holly Rouleau, and Allina Medics Eric 011ila and Bob Pankonie. "It's a team effort that this happens," Aschenbrener said. He said the audio from the call was truly remarkable and Masching set the bar high with her composure. "I think it's so wonderful that you had the composure that you did," Councilmember Mary Jeanne Schneeman said. "It's just so wonderful that you did what you did. I really commend you for that." It's an example that there are people ready to help others, Huber said. "I think we've all been out walking on trails and wondered 'is someone there to help me if I ever had that real needT "Yes, there are people out there who will come to help," Huber said. (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.) This site and its contents Copyright © 2007. Sun Newspapers - Main Office: 952-829-0797 sun info; Oheyawahi, meaning "the hill much visited," could someday designate an oval overlook on Pilot Knob hill. Mendota Heights hopes to purchase 15 acres, owned by Acacia Cemetery, west of Pilot Knob Road. But first, the city needs to find $1.9 million to purchase the land. With the help of Bob McGillivary and Trust for Public Lands, the city has applied for grants to purchase the property, part of the second phase of Pilot Knob hill restoration site. The first preserved portion of Pilot Knob is across the street, east of Pilot Knob Road. The hill has historical significance to the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community. Some grants require the city to have a restoration and management plan for the site, operations and projects coordinator Guy Kullander told the City Council Aug. 21. "We could not get the funding until the plan has been accepted by the council," he said. Kullander proposed a management plan that included a conceptual design for the site. The overlook would face the airport and downtown Minneapolis. Great River Greening, an organization that works to restore natural areas, developed the site plan. The cost for the management plan is $18,500. It is essentially identical to the plan for the first Pilot Knob phase, Kullander said. The council gave staff the go ahead to proceed with the plan, otherwise the city would have to start over its search for funding next year. "I don't know if everybody understands how much work has gone into this," said Councilmember Mary Jeanne Schneeman. The plan is important in ensuring that the land is preserved, Councilmember Jack Vitelli said. "We could be the beneficiaries of grant money. If we don't do this it will all fall apart." In other council news: - The council discussed the financial status of the Par 3 Golf Course after its first operating month. While the course made a net profit, July is typically the golf season's most profitable month. Also, some of the needs for the course exceed the money included in the bond referendum, City Administrator Jim Danielson said. But, it still indicates that things are progressing at the Par 3. "The first month the course did well," he said. "We're hoping to accomplish all of these needs by next year." "So, we're off to a good start," Mayor John Huber said. (You are invited to comment about this story on our website at www.mnsun.com and/or write a letter to the editor at scxncurrentsouth@acnpapers.com.)