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Issue 21 - Heights Highlights Spring 1991PAGE 1 March, 1991 ISSUE 21 AIR NOISE REDUCTIONS PROPOSED As Mendota Heights residents we all enjoy the convenience of living close to a major airport - ten minute trips to pickup visiting relatives and easy access to the many business advantages as- sociated with Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (MSP). Unfortunately we all pay a price for the provided convenience in the form of air noise from arriving and departing aircraft. Your City Council has been heavily involved in this issue over the past few years and we are pleased to report recent significant progress. But first, some background information. The operation of MSP is the responsibility of the Metropolitan Airports Commission, (MAC), an appointed body responsible to the State Legislature. Additionally, the control of aircraft opera- tions at MSP is the overall responsibility of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The airport's noise impact on surround- ing communities is obviously a function of the aircraft traffic handled at MSP. Over the past ten years aircraft use at MSP has increased greatly from 282,000 operations in 1980 to an estimated 373,000 in 1990. This increase was caused by numerous factors including the federal deregulation of the airline industry in 1978, the use of MSP as a major HUB of operations for Northwest Airlines (and Republic Airlines before the merger), and of course the general increase in the number of people who want to use air transportation. Annual aircraft operations have leveled off in recent years, but in summary, the airport is still a very busy place. Given the international importance of MSP and the sheer volume of traffic flying in and out of the airport, air noise has and will continue to impact all communities neighboring MSP, Men- dota Heights included. What can one community adjoining MSP do about the air noise concern? That is the question your City Council has been addressing over the past several years. Early on it became apparent that the prime source of noise complaints --Rarding MSP came from jet aircraft taking off from MSP in an 'erly direction. Further review of the problem revealed that We flight procedures being used by the MAC and the FAA for easterly departing aircraft had not been changed since 1973, despite the ever increasing number of aircraft operations at MSP. Many long standing Mendota Heights neighborhoods who were able to tolerate aircraft over flights when traffic volumes were low, now found themselves with extremely disruptive noise im- pacts due to increased traffic. Clearly something had to be done and in December of 1989 the City proposed a revised departure procedure for aircraft departing over Mendota Heights and Eagan. In order to analyze the proposal and define the related noise impacts, in early 1990 the MAC established a Blue Ribbon Task Force comprised in part of representatives from the two Cities and the FAA. After approximately ten months of work, the Task Force recently issued its recommendation to significantly revise departure operations at MSP. The recommended proposal greatly benefits Mendota Heights in that it firmly establishes a northern boundary for flight opera- tions to the east of MSP. When both parallel runways are in use at MSP, the proposal would establish a northern boundary for aircraft operations in the approximate area of the City's water tower located on Lexington Avenue. A physical depiction of this boundary would be included on the air traffic control radar scopes used by the FAA to direct aircraft operations. This revision would free Curley Addition, Friendly Hills, Roger's Lake neighborhood and Delaware Crossing from direct aircraft over flight, and should help diminish noise impacts on these and other neighborhoods to the north. When only one of the parallel runways is being used, aircraft would be directed further south away from all residential neighborhoods in Mendota Heights, and would concentrate air traffic in the center of I-494/industrial corridor between Mendota Heights and Eagan. Your City Council is pleased with the outcome of the Blue Ribbon Task Force as the proposal drastically reduces the area of Mendota Heights affected by aircraft over flight. The proposal has been formally accepted by the MAC, and is now being reviewed for implementation by'the FAA. We are hopeful and have expressed our desire to both the MAC and the FAA that the new procedures will be in place starting this summer. Any new developments regarding this proposal will be reported in the next edition of the Heights Hilites. BOTHERED BY AIRCRAFT NOISE? Given our close proximity to MSP Air- port, Mendota Heights will always receive some aircraft noise. However, c when noise levels become unbearable and disrupt your family's lifestyle, the ( Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) wants to know. The MAC Air Noise Complaint line can be reached at 726-9411. If possible please be prepared to provide information regarding time, location, direction and aircraft type to help pin- point the source of your concern. PAGE 2 HEIGHTS HIGHLITES RECYCLING MATTERS Recycling Materials Expanded Beginning on March 1st, all communities in Dakota County added two recyclable materials to those which are already being picked up at curbside. The new recyclables are all plastic containers that have "necks" and corrugated cardboard that is bundled. These additions to the recycling program will bring the total types of recyclable materials picked up at curbside to: * Aluminum Cans * Bi -metal Food Cans * Glass Bottles Plastic Bottles With Necks Examples of plastic containers that have necks include pop, milk, juice and water bottles. Bottles which contained laundry detergent, fabric softener, dish soap, dish- washer detergent, shampoo, conditioner or cosmetics, as well as windshield washer fluid and antifreeze bottles are acceptable to recycle. HERE'S HOW * Rinse and remove caps and pumps and throw them away. * Flatten bottles so they take less room. * Place in separate paper bag inside your recycling bin. * Place recycling bin out at curb on same day as garbage collection. SORRY, NOT YET margarine) ` ICE CREAM P MEDICAL S P ES MICROW YS TU E ARE )NTAINERS OR WRAP ❑c and * Newspaper * Corrugated Cardboard * Plastic Bottles with a Neck SORRY, NOT YET GL D C C EAL TYPE O EGG C S POP ONS B DUE TO D O INATION B S ORRUGA ITH S GLOS SH GOODW ILL DROPOFF The Goodwill/Easter Seals Society operates a recycling drop off center, from a truck trailer located in the Cub Foods parking lot on South Robert Street. The center accepts recyclables, household items, clothing, toys, eye glasses and plastic containers. The drop off center is open from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. daily. March 1991 Ecological Quality of Your Yard The University of Minnesota Depart- ment of Landscape Architecture and the USDA Forest Service are cooperating in a project to learn how suburban yards could have better ecological quality. As part of this project, City residents are in- vited to a slide presentation at City Hall on April 11th, from 7:30 to 9:00 P.M. In the presentation, computer simula- tions of alternative home landscapes will be shown. Come to view planting options .and to rate your preferences for different types of home landscapes. After you have viewed the slides and completed a ques- tionnaire, a University landscape ar- chitect will be available to make sugges- tions about how the ecological quality of your yard can be increased. For further information, contact Prof. Joan Nassauer at 624-7216. Yardwaste Compost Facilities Dakota County Compost Facilities be open by April 1, 1991 with differem hours of operation this year. The two facilities available for yard waste drop off are the Lakeville and Eagan sites. The addresses are 1) Lakeville - 2 1/2 miles south of Highway 42 on Pilot Knob Road 2) Eagan - 3830 Pilot Knob Road imme- diately south of the Eagan City Hall. The new hours of operation are Monday and Tuesday, open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Closed on Wednesday and Thursday; Friday, open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, open 12 noon until 6 p.m. and Sunday, open 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. The fee is 25 cents per bag or $2.00 per cubic yard for debagged waste and 50 cents per bag or $7.50 per cubic yard with a minimum charge of $4.00 for bagged yard waste. Loose brush is $3.00 per cubic yard. The City of Mendota Heights and Dakota County encourage backyard com- posting. Information on how to compost is available at City Hall, the Western Ser- vice Center for Dakota County and the Minnesota Extension Service at 463-3302. d a ao d, PAGE 3 HEIGHTS HIGHLITES March, 1991 f ITY BUDGET ADOPTED, BUT. . The 1991 city budget and associated tax levy were adopted by the City Council at its December 4th meeting. On that eve- ning, specifics of the budget proposal were reviewed and the Council responded to questions and comments from resi- dents who were in attendance at the meet- ing. The adopted General Fund budget, which finances the general operations of the city, provides for expenditures of $2,629,980. This represents a 4% growth over the 1990 funding level, an increase of $93,240. A tax levy of $1,883,500, a 5% increase over the prior year, was adopted to finance the general fund budget. Other budget funds for 1991 required a levy of $84,150, which represents a 15% decrease from the 1990 funding level. The Debt Service levy was approved at $389,400, which repre- sents a 53% increase for 1991. This levy increase was necessary because the first payment on the Park Bond issue must be made in 1991. The adopted 1991 budget is basically a Id the line" budget which still incor- r _. ates a high level of resident service and such popular programs as street sweeping and boulevard tree planting. The overall increase in tax levy for 1991 is 9.8% New construction in 1990 will reduce the affect of the levy increase on individual homeowners. Minor changes in the tax capacity will also temper the increase for homes valued over $100,000. It appears that more pressure will be put against General Fund revenues in the fu- ture. The City's financial condition is de- pendent on the provision of certain State provided funds which have been drastical- ly reduced in recent years and could be eliminated altogether in the near future. (See companion story.) The distribution of your real estate tax dollars is depicted in the foregoing chart. As you can see, even after the elimination of significant State Aid, the City con- sumes the second smallest slice of the pie. ...,Helping Hands Z Calls are occasionally received from senior citizens who wonder whether there are any city programs to assist them in finding someone to help with snow shoveling, lawn mowing and other strenuous maintenance tasks. There cur- rently are no such programs, but one can be initiated if there is sufficient interest. Under this "helping hands" concept, the city would not act as a contractor or employer, nor would it accept any liability. It would simply serve as an inter- mediary. The City would maintain a list of names of people interested in performing services needed by others. Those needing help could call City Hall for a copy of the list. Specific details would be negotiated by the private parties. If you are interested in providing "help- ing hands," call City Hall, 452-1850, and leave your name and number with Maria. If you are a senior citizen or disabled, who would like the name of someone inter- ested in helping, call the city offices for a copy of the list. It is not the intent of the city to act as a broker for private enterprise, therefore businesses which provide maintenance services will not be eligible to be placed on the list. State Cuts Revenues Again! By now everyone is probably aware that the State of Minnesota is currently facing a budget crunch. You may not have real- ized that all units of local government, including the City of Mendota Heights, have historically received financial assis- tance from the state to help provide essen- tial public services. As a matter of fact, the reason a state sales tax was implemented many years ago was to provide a revenue stream to local government to support schools, parks, police, fire and other im- portant public services. That assistance typically took the form of Local Govern- ment Aid (LGA) and Homestead and Agricultural Credit Aid (HACA) which help keep property taxes stable and to a minimum. As recently as last year, these programs provided the City with ap- proximately $660,000. Unfortunately, the times they are a changing. Aid levels to Mendota Heights have been decreasing in recent years. In 1989 the city did not receive its LGA pay- ment of $237,000, and was eliminated from receiving any future LGA disburse- ments. In 1990, our HACAwas reduced by $230,000. For the first half of 1991, our HACA was further reduced by $47,000, and it looks like further cuts are on the way. It now appears likely that the state will continue to try to balance its budget at the expense of cities. For this reason, it is anticipated that we will have to bear a significantly larger reduction in aid for the second half of this year and beyond. Mendota Heights provides a high level of service to its residents, and we will try in every way possible to continue services that you expect and appreciate. The city is frugal in its spending as evidenced by the fact that in 1989 Mendota Heights spent only 76 percent of the metro area average per capita for city operations. Based on the anticipated aid reductions, it will be difficult to hold property taxes at current levels without affecting the service level. Property taxes for 1992 will likely reflect a portion of these lost revenues and will also include a share of the park bond improve- ments authorized in the 1989 referendum. Strong building activity and a correspond- ing increase in tax base will help to com- pensate for the lost aids. Despite the aid reduction, be assured that all efforts will be made to maintain the services residents deserve and have come to expect. PAGE 6 HEIGHTS HIGHLITES March 1991 STEADY GROWTH CONTINUES Although construction activity was down slightly from 1989, the City con- tinued to grow in both residential and commercial/industrial areas in 1990. The inspection staff reviewed and approved building plans for 100 homes last year. The average valuation for single family detached houses, excluding lot value, in- creased to $163,769 - about $4,000 over the 1989 average. These homes were not concentrated in one area as they had been in past years in the Copperfield and Hampshire Estates subdivisions, but rather were spread relatively evenly throughout the City. There were three new subdivisions com- pleted in 1990. They are North Ivy Hills 2nd Addition on the north end of town off of Highway 13, Ivy Falls Creek Addition off of First Avenue, and Bridgeview Shores 2nd Addition just west of Mary Anderson's Bridgeview Shores original development on the corner of Dodd Road and Mendota Heights Road. The Code Enforcement Department also issued 233 permits for miscellaneous activity such as additions, remodeling, garages and decks. There were 52 permits issued in the commercial and industrial zones. Some of these were remodeling projects in build- ings previously occupied by Cray Re- search. 3M purchased the Unisys building Summer Help Needed The City will be taking applications until April 1st for part-time summer help in the Public Works Department. The workweek will be 36 hours, depending on weather. The salarywill be $5.50 per hour. Candidates must be at least 18 years of age. Applications are available at the City Offices, 1101 Victoria Curve. Contact Diane at 452-1850 for additional infor- mation. The City is an AA/EEO employer. The Heights Highlites is a government newsletter distributed to residents to in- form them on events and activities that affect Mendota Heights. All articles, as well as layout and production are done by City staff members. If you know any residents who are not receiving the Heights Highlites but would like to, please invite them to con- tact City Hall at 452-1850. and began a $7 million remodeling project. The building will house many dif- ferent 3M departments including re- search and development of several products and processes. Notable new building construction which was underway in 1990 included an office warehouse facility for Batesville Casket Company, a building to house the Center for Diagnostic Imaging, and a large addition to the Mendota Heights Animal Hospital. City Engineering staff were also involved in the construction process by acting as general contractor for the new comfort station located in the center of the ballfields at the Mendota Heights/Sibley Athletic Complex. In addition to reviewing plans, issuing permits and making inspections, the Code Enforcement Officers were busy enforc- ing zoning regulations such as weed con- trol, inappropriate sign placement, junky yard clean up and the like. They have also attended several schools, meetings and seminars to keep up with code changes and to satisfy continuing education re- quirements of the State. Feel free to call Paul or Dick with any questions regarding building permits, construction requirements, code inter- pretations, or zoning ordinance require- ments. Ever wary, the Police Department has been suspicious of indecipherable mes- sages filling the air waves recently. Invok- ing significant talents and training, they have achieved the impossible and broken the code. It seems that a bunny brigade plans to hop into Friendly Hills Park in a few weeks and hide brightly colored oval- shaped objects. We must meet their chal- lenge. Assemble your youngsters and gather at the park, located between Pueblo Drive and Decorah, on Sunday, March 24th, from 2:00 to 3:30 P.M. For a fun -filled afternoon, bring along your Easter baskets and be prepared to collect eggs and prizes. This community event is sponsored by Holly Homes Realty. If you would like more information, feel free to con, them at 452-6222. DID YOU KNOW ... Homes built in areas of Mendota Heights heavily impacted by air noise must be built to a higher level of construction. A large portion of southern Mendota Heights is subject to significant aircraft noise. Recognizing this fact, the City has cooperated with the Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities to develop an ordinance for aircraft noise attenuation and an aircraft noise zone map. As part of the adopted ordinance, certain types of land uses are restricted in areas heavily impacted by air noise, and buildings which are allowed are required to meet certain defined minimum construction standards which serve to decrease noise exposure. If you would like further information on this subject, please contact City Hall. From: City Of Mendota Heights 1101 Victoria Curve Mendota Heights, Mn. 55118 POSTAL PATRON MENDOTA HEIGHTS, 55118 AND 55120 Bulk Rate U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 6166 St. Paul, Mn. 55118 CARRIER ROUT! MN PRESORT PAGE 5 HEIGHTS HIGHLITES March, 1991 PLANNING SERVICES The City Council is committed to ensuring that all development and land use within the community is of high quality and complies with all applicable regulatory controls which maintain the health, welfare and safety of our residents. Ultimate responsibility for land use and development decisions lies with the City Council. To assist them in carrying out this vital task, the Council appoints members to the Planning Commission. The Commission serves as an advisory body on planning and land use matters. The City's planning staff and consultant planner are responsible for carrying out the analytical, research and administrative duties associated with the planning and zoning functions of the city. One of the primary services provided by the Planning Department is conducting pre -application meetings with residents, developers and businesses. The City Planner meets with applicants to determine zoning code requirements and application proce- dures. This meeting is necessary for anyone desiring to appear before the Planning Commission and City Council with a zoning or land use issue. The types of planning issues that would necessitate an application include rezoning, conditional use permits, planned unit developments, plan approvals for building permits in a business or in- dustrial zone, variances, subdivisions or lot splits, wetlands permits and Critical Area District reviews. Planning applications may take up to six weeks, or longer, to process if public hearings are involved. The length of processing time is due to notification requirements of the Minnesota Open Meeting Statutes, the scheduling of Planning Commission and Council meetings, and the need for staff and planner reports. For instance, a resident desiring to build an addition to a single family home may discover, upon requesting a building permit, that the zoning ordinance requires a building setback variance, or a wetlands permit, that requires a planning application and City approval. Homeowners, eager to begin building, may be faced with a significant delay in their timetables. To avoid this �stration, anyone with building plans or development proposals is encouraged to ,itact the City, well in advance of the proposed project, to see if the codes require a planning application. A pre -application meeting can be arranged by contacting Kim Blaeser at City Hall, 452-1850. The Planning Commission and City Council, by applying established legal principles and the standards set forth in the land use and zoning ordinances, are committed to quality planning for the community in order to ensure high quality neighborhoods and a safe and healthy community. HE L P WANTED UMPIRES NEEDED The Mendota Heights "over 30" Men's League is looking for umpires for their Thursday night games. Applicants should be at least 18 years of age and familiar with the rules of softball. Umpires receive $15.00 per game. The season runs from May through July with a tournament at the end of the season. Interested people should contact Diane Ward, 452-1850 be- tween 8:00 and 4:30, Monday through day prior to April 15th. Mendota Heights is an AA/EOE Employer. KITTENBALL LEAGUE Last summer the City began a co-ed kit- tenball league. There are presently open- ings for teams in this league. The league is open to those who live or work in Men- dota Heights, West St. Paul or Eagan. If you can get a team together and wish to participate, contact Diane at 452-1850 by April 1st. Teams will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The kittenball league is recreational and non -sanctioned. The entry fee will depend on the number of teams participating. The league is scheduled to play every other Sunday beginning the first Sunday in May. DOG OWNER ALERT Your dog's license will expire on June 1st. Annual licenses (June through May) are available at City Hall for the modest fee of $3.00 for spayed/neutered dogs or $6.00 for unspayed/neutered dogs. Please bring your dog's rabies certificate along when you apply for the license. A license provides several benefits for your dog as well as for you and your neigh- bors. Although you may believe your dog may never wander away from your proper- ty, city staff routinely receives calls about "found" dogs. Owners can be traced and a pet can be quickly reunited with its family if a license is attached to its collar. Con- sider the well-being of your beloved pet and apply for a new or renewal license in May. Season's Greetings Just think about the wonders of the com- ing Minnesota spring and summer months. The sunburn -scratching, mosquito swatting and yard maintaining. Ah, the joy! Here's more to add to that pleasure - keeping your weeds cut. The city, by or- dinance, requires the cutting of noxious weeds, grasses and weeds which exceed 12 inches in height, and those which have gone to seed. From May 15th through September 15th, the city's weed inspector is required to notify people whose proper- ties don't comply with the provisions of the ordinance. In instances where compliance does not occur within five days after notice, the City contracts for weed cutting and bills the property owner for the costs. In past years, the inspector has sent two notices of non- compliance before contracting for cutting. This year, property owners will only be notified once, by certified letter. As you sit back listening to the snow melt and dreaming of the warm sun and songbirds of spring, please also picture a well -trimmed yard. PAGE 4 HEIGHTS HIGHLITES March 1991 Plugged Into Safety During fire prevention week, the Volunteer Fire Department introduced "Pluggie", a new fire prevention aid, to the Mendota School kindergarten class. Pluggie also made appearances at the fire prevention week open house at the Fire Station. Firefighters Jim Kilburg and Randy McNamara are shown above accepting "Pluggie" from VFW representative Lambert Derks. Pluggie is a four foot remote control fire hydrant. Using a remote control device, a firefighter is able to maneuver the fire hydrant in any direction and carry on a conversa- tion with children through a speaker and microphone system. The hydrant also raises and lowers its top, blinks its eyes and squirts water. Generous contributions from the Mendota V.F.W. have enabled the purchase of "Pluggie" and other training aids and have assisted in the cost of establishing an aggressive fire prevention program for the city. RECREATIONAL FIRES Warm weather will soon arrive, and with it may come thoughts of backyard bonfires and wiener roasts. Recreational fires are allowed, but only after a permit has been issued by the Fire Department. Recrea- tional fires are defined as fires confined to an area no larger than 3 feet by 3 feet in size. Fires larger than 3 by 3 feet require permits from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Having a recreational fire without a per- mit is a misdemeanor and may result in a fine of up to $700 and/or confinement of up to 90 days. The procedure for fire per- mits is as follows. • Permit requests should be re- quested a week in advance of the date of the recreational fire. To re- quest a permit, contact Fire Mar- shal Paul Kaiser at 452-1850. • If a person has not received a permit within the last year, the site of the recreational fire must be inspected by the Fire Marshal. He is available Monday through Wednesday, be- tween 8:00 AM. and 4:30 P.M. to conduct an inspection. Upon com- pletion of the inspection, the Fire Marshal may issue the recreational permit. • If a person has received a permit in the previous year, no inspection of the burning site is required, how- ever a new permit must be issued and must be signed by the request- ing party. Remember, request and receive a per- mit before burning any hot dogs. The site inspection and permit approval process provides a safeguard for your property and that of your neighbors. The conse- quences of having an unapproved fire could be far more serious than just a fine or confinement. New Firefighters In August, 1990, four new members were appointed to the Volunteer Fire Depart- ment. All four have been undergoing training and have recently completed the 72 hour Firefighter I training course at the Dakota County Technical College. Train- ing to help them provide the best possible service to the community will continue over the next few years. The new firefighters are Dave Dreelan, Mark Kaufmann, Roy Kingsley and Wal- ter Klarkowski. Dave, Roy and Walt will respond primarily to evening and weekend calls. Mark works different shifts and will respond at varying times of the day or evening. lil / 'lull MEPLACE SAFETY In the last two months, the Fire Der ment has responded to three fires inN ing fireplace ashes. Thankfully, due to the quick thinking of the homeowners in two instances and a thoughtful neighbor in another, damage was kept to a minimum. In all three cases, the homeowners had stated that they had a fire in the fireplace the night before and had cleaned the ashes out of the fireplace within the last 12 hours. Hot embers are very difficult to see in ashes and therefore the soft, fine ash somewhat insulates them. We would like to remind you of some fireplace safety tips when you are cleaning out your fireplace. You should have a metal bucket or container in which to put the ashes. Use your fireplace utensil shovel to pick up the ashes. Even if they feel cold to the touch, do not take it for granted that there are no hot embers present. The metal can should then be placed outside, away from any combus- tible types of materials. NEVER vacuum out a fireplace after you have had a fire. If you have a flower garden or small garden, consider spreading the ashes thinly over this area. The ashes will not hurt the en- vironment, and spreading them evenly cool them quicker. If you have any questions, please contact the Fire Marshal at City Hall.