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Issue 23 - Heights Highlights Summer 1992PAGE 1 July, 1992 ISSUE 23 AIR NOISE FUND EXTENDED The Mendota Heights City Council has extended and expanded its efforts in its war against aircraft noise. The City Coun- cil recently extended to July 30th the deadline for contributions to the Men- dota Heights Air Noise Litigation Escrow Fund (ANLEF). ANLEF was established earlier this year to address the problem of repeated aircraft overflights caused by nearby Minneapolis/St. Paul Internation- al Airport. In addition to extending the deadline, ANLEF brochures have been mailed to all homeowners, and volunteers will soon begin a door-to-door solicita- tion effort. The City contends that aircraft noise distribution is unfair based on the dif- ferent procedures used to fly aircraft to fl- southeast over Mendota Heights and 3n, as compared to the procedures utilized to the northwest over Min- neapolis and Richfield. To the northwest, aircraft are allowed to turn to a number of different headings immediately after lift- off, spreading and diluting the noise bur- den over a larger area. Over Mendota Heights and Eagan, fewer headings are available and turns to the south are strictly prohibited during the most noise inten- sive three miles of flight. The result is a repetitious concentration of aircraft traf- fic over Mendota Heights neighborhoods at the rate of one airplane every 82 seconds during peak periods. The City has repeatedly asked the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) and the Federal Aviation Ad- ministration (FAA) to revise the flight tracks used to the southeast of the airport. Despite many changes which have oc- curred within the aviation industry in the past 20 years, the MAC and the FAA refuse to revise the flight tracks to reflect today's conditions. There are no operational or technical barriers which preclude a more equitable distribution of aircraft noise, yet, after years of negotiation, it appears as if our administrative options with respect to the air noise problem have been exhausted. Litigation may be the only remaining solution. Through the creation of CELEBRATE MENDOTA HEIGHTS PARKS! A community celebration is being planned to dedicate the recent park improvements in Mendota Heights and to serve as the official grand opening of Mendakota Park. The fun and festivities will be held at Mendakota Park on Saturday, August 8th, from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. Mendakota Park is located on Dodd Road just south of the Fire Station. Please come and join the fun! Everyone in the community is invited to the celebration. The event is being planned to attract a broad range of Mendota Heights families and residents. There will be numerous children's events such as an inflatable moonwalk, clown acts, face painting, and fire truck rides. The Jaycees are sponsoring a Kiddie Parade with prizes for the winners! The highlight of the festivities will be an appearance by the Minnesota State Band, who will entertain the audience with lively music and stirring march pieces. A ribbon cutting ceremony will occur at 3 p.m. to officially dedicate Mendakota Park. The Fire Department will be selling food and refreshments at the new Mendakota concession stand and will also have hot dog and popcorn stands. The Ladies Auxiliary will be sponsoring a dunk tank. The Fire Department is also sponsoring a softball tournament which will begin in the morning on August 8th. r)ther possibilities include bike hikes originating from Mendakota Park, free throw ,ting contest, volleyball and other picnic activities. In order to make the event as successful as possible, many volunteers are needed. If you would like to help out the day of the event for an hour or two, and enjoy the festivities at the same time, please phone Kevin Batchelder at 452-1850 to express your interest. The Mendota Heights Park Celebration is being planned by a volunteer planning committee comprised of local residents, local civic organizations and city officials. ANLEF, the community hopes to force a more equitable distribution of noise in the future. The City is accepting voluntary dona- tions from residents interested in sup- porting ANLEF. A showing of support by residents, regardless of donation size, is extremely important in the fight against air noise. Donated funds will be pledged exclusively to support necessary legal ac- tion against the MAC and/or the FAA if they continue to resist modifying the out- dated flight path regulations. Should the City not commence litigation by June 1, 1994, all contributed funds will be returned to the contributors without in- terest. If you are interested in helping the City fund a possible legal challenge to the cur- rent aircraft distribution procedures, please respond favorably to the volun- teers who will be bringing the campaign to your door. Anyone interested in assisting in the door-to-door canvass is invited to contact Linda at City Hall, 452-1850. W�41 Too Plane Noisy? When air noise becomes unbearable and disrupts your family's lifestyle, the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) wants to hear from you. The MAC Air Noise Complaint Line can be reached at 726-9411. If possible, please be prepared to provide information on time, location, direction and aircraft type to help pinpoint the source of your concern. PAGE 2 HEIGHTS HIGHLITES July. 1992 CHILD PROTECTION Protecting children from harm is of paramount importance to all of us who have youngsters in our care. We cannot possibly safeguard them from the cuts and bruises of normal childhood experiences. They can, however, be given the knowledge needed to avoid serious harm. It is for this purpose that the Mendota Area Jaycees plans to sponsor a "Child Protective Services Day." Families are encouraged to attend the Jaycees' program on Thursday, Septem- ber 17th. It will be held at Henry Sibley Senior High School from 5:30 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. A diverse agenda will be provided. Patty Wetterling, representing the Wetterling Foundation, will be a fea- tured speaker. Representatives from the Mendota Heights Police Department will be available throughout the evening to finger -print children. The city's fire department will give a first aid safety and fire prevention workshop. Other high- lights include a special presentation on child protection by the Missing Children of Minnesota organization. Ms. Marci Brooks, Director of the Working Parent Resource Center will discuss noon hour parenting workshops offered at the resource center. You are invited to con- tact Mendota Area Jaycees repre- sentative Jesse Conner at 455-3723 for additional information. Since the workshop is several weeks away, mark your calendars now. Few of us need to be told of the perils that face children today. Please clip out this article to save as a reminder of a program geared to teaching us and our children how to avoid those perils. LEGISLATIVE REDISTRICTING Are you confused over where you should vote on election day. Well, please be prepared to bear with us once again. In its 1991 session, the state legislature adopted a redistricting plan. After many months in court, statewide redistricting was ordered early this year. All cities which were af- fected by district boundary changes were required to adopt implementation plans and realign precinct boundaries to con- form to the new legislative district lines. Mendota Heights was significantly im- pacted and the City Council has adopted a city redistricting plan. The plan becomes effective, by state law, on the date of the State Primary Election in September. In past years, the city was nearly evenly split between State Legislative Districts 38 and 39. All of Mendota Heights was in the Fourth Federal Congressional Dis- trict. The city is now in the Third Congres- sional District, and most of the com- munity is in State District 38. The impact of these changes is sig- nificant to Mendota Heights voters. As mandated by law, precinct boundaries have been realigned to conform not only to new district lines but also to census blocks. The precinct map and polling place locations are shown on the next page. All of Legislative District 39 is lo- cated in precinct one. The remainder of the community was divided into four precincts. Although the precinct boun- daries look very strange, they were developed to provide precincts of ap- proximately equal numbers of registered voters after the precincts are fully developed. Polling places were selected based on handicapped accessibility, facility size and location, and other char- acteristics. School district precinct boundaries and polling places were not affected by redistricting. School Board and special school district elections, held in the spring, are conducted at polling places es- tablished by the school district. In most cases, school district polling places are not the same as those used for state, federal and city elections. You should soon receive notice of precinct/polling place changes from the Dakota County Auditor's Office. Since the city's redistricting plan was developed to address both current and future needs, the precinct boundaries and polling place locations will remain the same for federal, state and city elections long into the 1;• tune. Should you have any questions ab your polling place or which precinct anu legislative district you live in, you are in- vited to contact City Clerk Kathleen Swanson at 452-1850. The City's parks and trails were designed and built for the enjoyment of all. Unfor- tunately, "reminders" left behind by pets, particularly dogs and horses, can dampen our enthusiasm for using these amenities. When walking their dogs on public property, dog owners are required by Cityordinance to carry with them a proper receptacle for removing their pet's waste. Signs are posted in the parks to remind us of this obligation. City staff will soon begin tighter enforcement of ordinances that restrict horses from the improved areas of the park system, particularly the trails. The City frequently receives complaints about horses on the trails and about horse droppings. In addition, shod horses can damage blacktop on a hot summer day. The City's risk manager, in a recent review of city trails, recommended that tighter enforcement should occur for main- tenance, safety and health reasons. The City's park ordinance prohibits individuals from riding, leading, or permitting a horse, pony, or other similarly sized animal in any improved areas of public par' - Improved areas are those which are mowed, paved, or blacktopped, or trails establisl, or designated for pedestrian, cross country skiing, or bicycle use. Violation of either ordinance is considered a misdemeanor and could result in a significant fine. More importantly, however, adherence to the ordinance requirements will make the City's open space more pleasant for everyone. PAGE 6 Street Maintenance Season Has Arrived This summer, in late July or early August, the City will be completing its annual seal coating program. Ap- proximately five miles of streets will be sealed this year. Neighborhoods which will be affected by the program are Ivy Falls and South Ridge. Streets to be sealed in Ivy Falls include Woodridge Drive, Cascade Lane, Arcadia Drive, Falls View Court and parts of Maple Park Drive and Sylvandale Road. In South Ridge, Rae Court, Adeline Court, Nina Court, Celia Road and part of Diane Road will be seal coated. Nashua Lane in Delaware Crossing will also be sealed, as will the part of Northland Drive which was not done in 1991. When the seal coat is being applied, there will be some inconvenience to homeowners because the streets will need to be closed for a time. Please be under- standing and tolerant during the process. Once the work is completed, residents who are briefly inconvenienced will once again have a nice looking, well main- tained street. Punted on Recycled Paper � W CITY DIRECTORY Council Members: Charles Mertensotto, Mayor 454-3394 Janet Blesener 454-1811 Carl Cummins, I11 454-6262 Christine Koch 451-9508 Jill Smith 688-7444 Staff Members: Tom Lawell, Administrator 452-1850 Kathleen Swanson, City Clerk 452-1850 James Danielson, 452-1086 Public Works Director Dennis Delmont, Police Chief 452-1366 John Maczko, Fire Chief 454-3266 Code Enforcement Officers: Paul Berg & Dick Gill 452-1850 HEIGHTS HIGHLITES July, 1992 ETIQUETTE TO EXERCISE One of the joys of this lovely Minnesota season is the ability to walk, jog and bicycle on the City's trail system. Such excellent exercise while enjoying nature's splendor along the Valley Park trail and other improved pathways throughout the City can only be spoiled by a lack of common courtesy from others. There are no formal written rules to control trail etiquette, only the golden rule. A number of complaints have been lodged with the City recently about near mishaps between pedestrians and bicyclists. Walkers and joggers should leave room on the trail for bicyclists to pass. Bicyclists should use caution when approaching pedestrians, slowing down to avoid accidents. Please be considerate of others so that everyone can enjoy themselves and feel safe at the same time. Putting In A Pool? The City Council recently revised the City's swimming pool fence requirements. Fences have always been required around swimming pools for safety reasons. The new provisions require that pool fences must be at least five feet high, but no higher than six feet. In addition, vertical spacing may not exceed four inches. Self closing and self -latching gates are re- quired, and the gate closing mechanism must be a minimum of fifty-four inches above the bottom of the gate. Accident prevention is the purpose of the new requirements. Children are both curious and flexible. The vertical spacing and height is designed to keep youngsters from passing through or climbing over your fence. Building permits are required for swim- ming pools. If you are planning to install a swimming pool, please contact the City's Code Enforcement Office for additional information. Air Noise Answers How bad is the aircraft noise problem in Mendota Heights? Based on air noise complaint data, residents in the southern half of the City are heavily impacted by repetitive aircraft overflights. Because of the outdated rules which dictate how aircraft depart MSP, some community residents are subject to direct aircraft overflights every 82 seconds! What can you do to help? Get involved! Sign the petition which will soon be brought door -to door in your neighbo- hood and financially support the ANLE effort. Help demonstrate the seriousness of the air noise problem by registering formal air noise complaints with the Metropolitan Airports Commission by calling 726-9411. 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 residents who do not receive the Heights Highlites, please in- vite them to contact City Hall, 452-1850. From: City Of Mendota Heights 1101 Victoria Curve Mendota Heights, Mn. 55118 Bulk Rate U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 6166 St. Paul, Mn. 55118 CARRIER ROUTE PRESORT POSTAL PATRON MENDOTA HEIGHTS, MN 55120 PAGE 5 HEIGHTS HIGHLITES What Recession?! Although the country's economy is in a recession, building activity within the City has not reflected it. The total valuation for building permits issued through the end of June is up 200% over 1991. A year ago, the total building permit valuation was $7.5 million. This year it is $22.3 million. Single family dwelling construction is up from 33 homes to 56 this year. The average valuation of homes being constructed is $168,544. The most significant single family development activity has been in the Centex and Marvin Anderson additions in the southern part of town, but there are quality homes being built throughout the City. The most dramatic volume of construction activity is occurring in the Centex Carriage Home development. It takes one Code Enforcement Officer nearly all day, each day, to Activity occurring in the Centex Homes project is pictured above. do the necessary inspections. There are 10 and 12 unit buildings in every stage of development. The ranges consist of excavating for footings, block laying of foundations, structural framing, installation of rough -in mechanical systems, exterior siding and roofing to the finishing of each unit. As these processes are going on, the installation of curb, street pavement, sidewalks, patios and landscaping is also in progress. In addition to new construction there are many residential additions, porches, decks and remodeling projects going on throughout the City. Commercial and industrial development continues with the recent completion of the Lennox Industries office/warehouse facility just off Pilot Knob Road. The Solvay Animal Health Phase II addition of a 25,000 square foot building is located at Mendota Heights Road and Executive Drive. The foundation, structural steel frame, roof, under- ground mechanical systems, and brick veneer are already completed. United Properties has begun construction of a 50,000 square foot building that will be the corporate offices and warehouse for VGC Corporation. VGC manufactures graphic and printing supplies. Located next to Lennox, and across from Big Wheel Auto's Corporate offices and warehouse, the building is underway with the footings and foundation completed. The recently reconstructed Country Club Warehouse on High- way 13 has been purchased by the Hudson Company, Inc. and is now under reconstruc- tion to provide offices and refrigerated storage for the business that dispenses refrigerated meat to regional stores and institutions. Several other tenant spaces throughout the Industrial Park are being remodeled for specific uses for new companies that have decided that Mendota Heights is a good location for them. The "recession" has kept the Code Enforcement Officers very busy throughout the past ,eral months reviewing plans, issuing permits and making inspections. They are, ,vever, always ready to answer any questions, that you, the residents of Mendota Heights, might have. Feel free to call Dick or Paul with questions regarding building permits, construction requirements, code interpretations, or zoning ordinance require- ments. July, 1992 Garbage Collection Mandate A recently adopted amendment to the Solid Waste Collection Ordinance re- quires every household and business in the City to have a contract for solid waste collection services with a licensed rubbish hauler. This amendment is in response to the Waste Management Act of 1991 in which the state mandates that every Min- nesota city over 5,000 in population must require all households and businesses to contract for garbage collection services. While the new ordinance requires that every household and business contract for garbage collection service, it also has provisions to exempt residential households and businesses from require- ments, provided that they can demonstrate and ensure that an environ- mentally sound alternative disposal method is being used. Eight refuse haulers are licensed to do business in the city. Contact Kevin Batchelder at City Hall, 452-1850 for more information, copies of the ordinance and/or the licensed hauler list. Fes., Garden Club Generosity The City has once again been the for- tunate recipient of the Mendota Heights Garden Club's generosity. This year the Club donated a flower bed around the City Hall sign. This beautiful collection of flowers includes Stella D'oro Lilies, Ageratums, and Peonies which should provide years of beauty to the appearance of City Hall. Members of the Garden Club planted the flower bed earlier this year and have donated their time to weed and maintain the flowers. In both 1990 and 1991 the Garden Club donated a Red Splendor Crab tree to the landscape design at City Hall. The City is very appreciative of the Garden Club's beautification projects. The Garden Club includes about a dozen members and is active in education and community enhancement through gardening. They meet once a month to conduct their activities. Persons inter- ested in joining the Mendota Heights Garden Club should contact Dorothy at 454-6340 or Joanne at 454-4449. PAGE 4 HEIGHTS HIGHLITES Julv, 1992 WEEKLY RECYLING EXTRA EFFORTS IST Weekly Curbside Recycling is available for residents with individual garbage pick up. RECYCLING Licensed garbage haulers pick up recyclable materials on the same day as your regular garbage service. The City will provide a recycling container for all residents who wish to The residents and businesses in Men - participate in the program. Containers are available at City Hall, 1101 Victoria Curve. dota Heights recycled over 1,400 tons in Recycling in apartments, or multi -family complexes, is usually set up in a central 1991, which was 30% of our solid waste collection area, often in underground garages or at dumpster locations. Residents can generation last year. Our established recy- bring recyclables to the collection area at their convenience. Please be careful about cling goal for 1992 is only 16%, but jumps putting the recyclables in the proper containers. to 35% in 1993 as established by the State of Minnesota and the Metropolitan Materials Accepted for Curbside and Apartment Recycling Council. In order to meet these increas- ingly tough goals, it will be necessary to * Tin Cans (i.e. food and soup cans) * Aluminum Cans (i.e. pop cans) take advantage of all recycling oppor- * Newsprint * Corrugated Cardboard tunities. Taking advantage of all recycling oppor- * Glass Containers * Plastic Bottles with a neck tunities means being aware of all the materials that are accepted for curbside UNACCEPTABLE MATERIALS, recycling and being aware of the various dropoff programs that will take other * No plastic jars, margarine tubs, ice cream pails, plastic bags or wrap. materials. Recent studies have shown that * No scrap metal, aluminum foil, or aluminum trays. most individuals and/or families only * No catalogs, telephone books, junk mail, milk cartons, cereal boxes, or cor- recycle 2 or 3 of the possible 6 items ac- rugated pizza boxes. cepted at curbside. Please refer to the Weekly Recycling article for a description * No mirrors, window glass, plate glass, light bulbs, pyrex, ceramics, drinking of curbside materials accepted by all local glasses or vases. haulers. Dropoff programs such as Goodwill, NOTE: Some haulers will accept additional materials. Please contact your hauler for Dakota County Compost Facilitie^ specific instructions. Dakota County Household Hazard( Waste Facility and other local redemption centers will accept household goods, haz- ardous wastes, yard wastes, clothing, etc. A recycling directory listing all recycling } " outlets in Dakota County will soon be distributed to every household in Men- dota Heights. Copies will also be available at City Hall. Another important step that you can take is to reduce the amount of waste that you generate. Waste reduction should be HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE the first priority among waste manage- ment options. When shopping, you can Household hazardous waste is household products that can be harmful to our health purchase in bulk to reduce packaging. and environment if disposed of improperly. When disposed of inappropriately they may Purchase items that are not excessively be flammable, corrosive, toxic to humans and animals, contaminate the environment, packaged and come in reusable and/or and react or explode when combined with other chemicals. Therefore, they should not recyclable containers. Your number one be thrown out with regular trash. choices for packaging should be "tin cans", Beginning on July 8,1992, Dakota Countywill open a permanent household hazardous aluminum and glass. collection site. The site is located in northern Eagan at Gopher Smelting, which is Ask that your name be removed from located at the corner of Yankee Doodle Road and Dodd Road. The permanent mass mailing lists. Send a card to the fol - collection site will allow residents to drop off household hazardous waste on Wednesday lowing address to request that your name from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. and on Saturdays between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. be removed from those lists. This may Materials accepted at the permanent collection site include waste paint, waste need to be repeated every six months. gasoline, pesticides/herbicides, drain cleaners and other acids or bases, furniture strip- per, aerosols, photographic chemicals, and other hazardous materials - with a few Direct Mail Marketing Association exceptions. Car batteries and motor oil will also be accepted at the permanent collection P.O. Box 3861 site. At this time, tires are not accepted. The County is also sponsoring a household hazardous waste collection day in Hastings Grand Central Station on September 12th and will accept all materials collected at the permanent collection New York, NY 10163-3861 site plus tires (for a $1 fee). For more information call the Dakota County InfoLine at 438 -INFO (4636).