2020-04-03 Friday News0
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Friday News 4/03/20
City of Mendota Heights sent this bulletin at 04/03/2020 03:57 PM CDT
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FRIDAY NEWS | April 3, 2020
THE LATEST
Get out and enjoy the parks & trails safely
Minnesota’s Stay-at-Home order is in effect, however you can still get out for healthy
exercise and enjoy the parks and trails of Mendota Heights. As visitors are increasing,
please continue to practice physical distancing and keep these items in mind:
Playground equipment is closed
The Skate Park is closed
Basketball, tennis & pickleball courts are open
Portable restrooms are open (bring your own supplies)
Keep dogs on leashes of six feet or less (City Code)
Be courteous and pick up your pet's waste (City Code)
The off-leash Dog Park at 1360 Acacia Blvd. is open
If you are feeling unwell, stay home
Additional resources
For the latest information and links to resources on COVID-19, visit the City’s website
COVID-19 page.
How to watch and provide public comment for the
April 7 City Council Meeting
The next City Council meeting will be held via teleconference on Tuesday, April 7 at
7:00pm. Those who wish to provide public comment for the meeting and/or public hearing
must submit comments, in writing, to City Clerk Lorri Smith via email, mail, or City drop box.
All comments must be received by 6:00pm on Tuesday, April 7 to be read into the
public record during the meeting.
Email: lorris@mendota-heights.com
Mail: Mendota Heights City Hall, Attn: Lorri Smith, 1101 Victoria Curve, Mendota
Heights, MN 55118
City Hall Drop Box: Comments may be left in the plastic drop box located inside of
the front entryway (available during normal City Hall hours—7:00 AM to 4:30 PM, M-
Th, and 7:00 to 11:30 AM on Fridays).
The public is invited to watch and/or listen to the meeting in any of the following
ways:
Television: Watch and listen on Comcast Channel 18 or CenturyLink Prism
TV 8418SD
Internet: Watch and listen at https://www.townsquare.tv/webstreaming
Telephone: Listen, only, by calling in through a Webex service. There is a limit of 100
callers through this service, and long distance rates may apply if calling from a
landline or depending on your cellular phone plan. Please check your telephone plan
regarding long distance phone calls prior to calling in. To dial in, call 1-312-535-8110
and enter Access Code: 282 550 924 # up to five minutes before the meeting begins.
You will be able to listen to the meeting, however, your telephone will be muted and
you will not be able to comment via telephone.
Check your symptoms
Allergy season has begun and many are wondering if their symptoms are COVID-19
related. This handy chart may alleviate some worries, but be sure to check immediately with
your health care provider if you have any illness concerns.
Pay sewer/water bills using the outdoor drop box
Sewer/water payments can be put in the secured brown utility drop box in the circular
driveway at City Hall. The box will be checked daily during the week.
Spring street sweeping
The city contracts out for street sweeping and the anticipated start date is Monday, April 20.
This date could change depending on weather and scheduling.
Small business and nonprofit resources
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans now available
Online applications for these loans are open to Minnesota businesses at:
https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/
This program can provide low-interest loans of up to $2 million to small businesses
and private non-profits.
These loans can go toward working capital to meet needs including payroll, accounts
payable, and fixed debt payments that can’t be paid due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
The current interest rate is 3.75% for small businesses. The non-profit rate is 2.75%.
These loans have long-term repayment options, up to a maximum of 30 years.
For more information visit the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan web page.
Open to Business is ready to help
The Open to Business (OTB) team is ready to discuss your business concerns from
COVID-19 related to funding needs, cash flow, and next steps for keeping your business
open. OTB is a partnership between the City of Mendota Heights, Dakota County
Community Development Agency (CDA) and the Metropolitan Consortium of Community
Developers (MCCD). For more information, please contact MCCD Business Advisor Karen
Schaffhausen, at 612-706-3926 or kschaffhausen@mccdmn.org or
visit www.opentobusinessmn.org.
Spring Clean-Up Day postponed
The Spring Clean-Up Day event scheduled for May 2 has been postponed until fall. A
rescheduled date will be posted when this becomes available.
Free meals for children
With school closings, several local restaurants and school districts have offered to provide
free lunches for children and students in need. Use this interactive map to locate a provider
near you.
The 2020 Census is waiting for your response
The 2020 Census has begun. You should have received your Participation ID in the mail.
It's easy to respond:
Phone: 844-330-2020
Online: https://my2020census.gov/
Recent highlights
March 27, 2020: City Update on COVID-19: Stay at Home Minnesota
March 27, 2020: Mendota Heights Police Department is Prepared
Become a Parks Celebration Sponsor
Registration is open for the Officer Scott Patrick 5K Walk/Run
Census job applications will stay open through May - pay starts at $22/hour in Dakota
County
NATURAL RESOURCES
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) update & treatment
program
City Staff has begun notifying residents if it is suspected that ash tree(s) on their property
are infected with Emerald Ash Borer. Removal on private property is not required by City
Code, but is encouraged to help slow the spread, and prevent dead and dying ash trees
from becoming a safety hazard. The City has also begun removals of infected ash trees
within the Right-of-Way along public streets, and within City property. If you have an ash
tree on your property that is in the early stages of infection, or has not yet become infected,
treatment may be an option. The City has continued its partnership with Rainbow Treecare
to offer treatments to residents at a discounted rate. Contact Rainbow Tree Care directly if
you are interested in taking advantage of this program: Rainbow Treecare's Discount
Program for Mendota Heights.
Note that due to the ‘Stay at Home’ order issued by Governor Walz, Rainbow Treecare is
not performing any work (with the exception of hazardous tree work) until Monday, April 13,
2020. They are still available during normal business hours to review any questions you
may have and plan to resume their tree care services after this order is expired while
adhering to safe distancing protocols. Please visit https://www.rainbowtreecare.com/ for any
updates to this information.
Recognize the signs of EAB and get suggestions on shade tree replacements.
Now is the perfect time to adopt a drain
Now that the snow has (almost) melted, it is a great time to Adopt-a-Drain, or adopt another
drain in your neighborhood if you have already adopted. With the Governor ’s most recent
Covid-19 order, it is also a great stay-at-home project.
Adopt-a-Drain is a Metro-wide program developed by Watershed Partners and Hamline
University. When you adopt a drain, you are committing to cleaning and picking up around a
stormwater drain in your neighborhood twice a month, and it usually only takes fifteen
minutes. You can even track the amount of trash and pollutants that you collect through the
Adopt-a-Drain website. Stormwater drains are grates placed along the curb on the street,
and collect stormwater during rain events. However, debris and pollutants such as
sediment, leaves, grass clippings, and trash also make it into our storm drains and
eventually into our lakes, streams, wetlands, and rivers. By adopting a stormwater drain in
your neighborhood, you are helping to protect and improve the water quality of our local
surface waters. To adopt a drain, go to the official Adopt-a-Drain website.
Recent highlights
Apply for a grant to create pollinator-friendly landscaping features through the Lawns
to Legumes Program
Protect surface waters by properly picking up pet waste
Spring guide to native plant sales and landscaping information
Prune trees BEFORE spring arrives to prevent disease
Register for a free Landscaping for Clean Water design or maintenance workshop.
MnDOT stormwater repairs at Valley Park
RECYCLING
Getting more home-delivered
meals or take out?
When ordering, remember to tell the restaurant if
you do not need napkins, cutlery or condiment
packets. The default for restaurants is to include
those items, however cutlery and packets/sachets
are not recyclable—best to avoid using these if possible.
Plastic bags, bubble wrap and white plastic Amazon envelope mailers (not ones with paper)
are recyclable at grocery stores like Walmart, Cub, Target and Byerlys. Find a location here.
Black plastic is not currently recyclable in our area—put that in the trash.
Pizza boxes can be composted at West St. Paul’s organics drop site, or if the lid is clean, rip
that off for recycling. Greasy bottoms contaminate the whole paper load at the mill, so throw
greasy bottoms in the trash.
Wondering which numbers on the bottom of plastic containers are recyclable? Just
remember “$1.25,” numbers 1, 2 and 5 are the ones recycling facilities want. If you see a
different number on the bottom, throw it in the trash.
Questions? Contact Cassandra at cassandras@mendota-heights.com
Store paint, cleaners and other hazardous waste
safely
Until The Recycling Zone reopens, store paint, cleaners, and other hazardous waste in a
dry place, away from heat sources, and out of reach of children. Never mix products
together.
Free online classes through Dakota County
Back to Basics Recycling
Tuesday, April 21, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
Register now.
Low-Waste Lifestyle
Th d A il 23 11
Thursday, April 23, 11 a.m.–noon
Register now.
Lazy Guide to Composting
Thursday, April 30, 7–8 p.m.
Register now.
Become a Master Recycler/Composter
Master Recycler/Composter Class
Wednesday, April 15–May 20, 6:30–8:30 p.m.
More information and registration
POLICE DEPARTMENT NEWS
Just the Facts
Incident reports 3/27/20 - 4/02/20
Sign up for emergency notifications
Sign up for the Emergency Alert Program through the Dakota
Communications Center (DCC). Receive critical information
quickly in a variety of situations, such as severe weather,
unexpected road closures, missing persons and evacuations of buildings or neighborhoods.
Messages can be sent to your home, mobile or business phones, email addresses, text
messages and more. Get started at https://member.everbridge.net/453003085612643/login.
For immediate public safety response and non-
emergency police assistance call 9-1-1
The Police Department will also continue to process requests for police reports, gun
permits, etc. The “link” to the forms may be found under Public Resources at
https://www.mendota-heights.com/police. Completed forms and general questions can be
submitted via email to pdrecords@mendota-heights.com.
PARKS & RECREATION
Stay active at home through fitness & fun
Enjoy a new experience in recreation called Rec-at-Home! Watch for daily activities posted
on Park & Rec's Facebook page and the City's website. Check out activities from this past
week:
Storytime: Fun in Socks by Dr. Seuss
Make your own bowling alley
Learn how to stay six feet away & build a six-foot wall
Scavenger hunt
Science experiment: Dancing Raisins
Summer program registration is open
Preview the summer program catalog for tons of classes, camps and events to keep
everyone enriched, engaged and energized this summer! Register
at https://secure.rec1.com/MN/mendota-heights-mn/catalog.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Public Meetings
Meeting changes or cancellations are noted on the City's website https://www.mendota-
heights.com/calendar.
Announcements: The Parks & Recreation Commission meeting scheduled for Tuesday,
April 14 has been cancelled.
City Council April 7, 7:00pm
This meeting will be conducted by teleconference. View details on how to provide
public comment or monitor this meeting.
City Council April 21, 7:00pm
City Business Hours
All city facilities are currently closed to the public, including City Hall, the Police
Department lobby, the Public Works Maintenance Facility, and the Par 3 golf course.
Essential city business can still be conducted via phone or email during regular business
hours. A brown drop box in the main level driveway “island” is available for sewer/water
utility payments, and that is checked regularly, M-F. For other city business, including the
dropping off of building permit applications, there is a plastic drop box located inside of the
front entryway. This vestibule drop box is available during normal City Hall hours—7:00 AM
to 4:30 PM, M-Th, and 7:00 to 11:30 AM on Fridays. Please anticipate there may be a delay
in response as staff is working from home or in-reserve.
City Hall Business Hours: Monday - Thursday, 7:00am-4:30pm | Friday 7:00-11:30am
Police Department Business Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm
City Hall Contact Information
Official Website of the City of Mendota Heights, Minnesota
1101 Victoria Curve Mendota Heights, MN 55118
Phone: 651-452-1850
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