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2020-11-06 Friday NewsFriday News 11/6/20 City of Mendota Heights sent this bulletin at 11/06/2020 01:28 PM CST Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. FRIDAY NEWS | November 6, 2020 THE LATEST Mendota Heights achieves 95.5% voter turnout The City of Mendota Heights had an excellent voter turnout for the General Election held on November 3. There were a total of 8,801 voters who cast their ballots. The breakdown of those ballots included 6,547 people submitting an absentee ballot and 2,254 voters who voted on Election Day at the polls. This equals an approximate 95.5% voting turnout for our city. The voters elected Stephanie Levine to be mayor. Jay Miller and Joel Paper were also reelected to serve as City Council members. The elected mayor and council members will be sworn in at the first City Council meeting of 2021. Please note that these results are unofficial until a canvassing meeting to be held Nov. 12. A big thank you to the 50 election judges and 6 precinct captains who facilitated at the polls, and also many City staff members who put in long hours to help the voting process run smoothly. For election details, visit Dakota County’s Election Results page which shows county totals for city, state and federal offices. City Council update Councilor Liz Petschel has resigned her position after nearly 10 years on the City Council. The Council will have a special meeting on Thursday, November 12 at 2:45 p.m. to accept the resignation, and take action to determine how to fill the vacant City Council seat, both on a temporary and a permanent basis. The meeting will be televised by Town Square Television. The special meeting will be followed by a work session to discuss recreation issues and City Council meeting dates. Subscribe to updates from City of Mendota Heights Email Address Subscribe Share Bulletin Winter parking restrictions in effect Through March 31 Nighttime parking is prohibited on any public street, from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m., between November 1 and March 31. Additionally, when it snows 2 inches or more, or if there is a high probability of a 2 inch or more snowfall, snowplows may go into action. Please keep all vehicles off of public streets until roads are plowed curb-to-curb, and remind young drivers and any overnight guests to avoid a citation. Thank you in advance for your assistance in keeping the City a safe and operational community! Holiday Gift & Food Drive begins Drop off donations through Wednesday, December 9 The Mendota Heights Police Department is once again collecting donations for two organizations this year: Holiday gifts for teens & tweens benefiting A Place of Hope. Please keep gifts unwrapped when donating. Shelf-stable food items benefiting Neighbors, Inc. Drop off items in the collection bins at City Hall and the Police Department lobby during regular business hours. Get donation ideas for gifts and learn more. Recent highlights: Qualifying small, for-profit businesses are encouraged to apply for Round 2 of Dakota County's Small Business Relief Grant Program by 4:30 p.m. November 6; home- based businesses may be eligible. Planned weekend bowhunting underway in select Mendota Heights parks to manage deer and coyote populations. Dakota County extends protective equipment donation drive; donate items at Western Service Center and all Library locations. RECYCLING November 7 & 8 Mendota Heights City Hall Parking Lot Bring pumpkins to City Hall's parking lot and toss them into the giant dumpster for free. No painted pumpkins, wax, or candles will be accepted. For questions contact Cassandra Johnson at 651-255-1347 or cassandraj@mendota-heights.com. Where to bring leaves and yard waste this fall ** LAST WEEKEND that the South St. Paul Compost Site will be open ** South St. Paul’s Compost Site is open to any resident in Dakota County. Open Friday thru Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the compost site accepts leaves, garden waste, grass and sod. Hurry and bring your fall clean-up in, as this will be the last weekend this site will be open. Brush and tree waste can be taken to Davey Tree (former S & S Tree and Horticultural Specialists, Inc.) located at 405 Hardman Avenue South. They will accept brush and tree waste (no stumps), from 8 a.m. to noon, on Saturday, November 14. Note that they will be closed after Nov. 14. Calling all campaign yard signs Bring your yard signs and drop them into the outdoor bins near the main entrance to City Hall for recycling from Nov. 9 through Nov. 20. Yard signs must be removed within ten days following the election, which is by the end-of-day on Friday, Nov. 13. ACCEPTED: Rigid plastic signs, cardboard signs, metal stakes NOT ACCEPTED: Flags or fabric signs, stretchy plastic signs Signs are also being accepted at the Lakeville Maintenance Facility and Hastings Parks and Recreation Building. Sponsored by Dakota County, City of Mendota Heights, City of Lakeville, City of Hastings, and Dakota Valley Recycling. NATURAL RESOURCES Fall is the perfect time to identify this invasive, which holds onto its leaves late into the season. Photos courtesy of WI DNR (L) and Ohio State University (R). Weed of the month: Tartarian Honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica) Although buckthorn gets plenty of attention, there is another woody invasive also present in our Minnesota woodlands. Tartarian honeysuckle is an invasive shrub that thrives in both shade and sun, and outcompetes valuable native species by stealing nutrients, light, and releasing allelopathic (toxic) chemicals that inhibit growth of other plants. This time of year it is easy to spot, because like buckthorn, it often holds onto its leaves late into the fall. It is native to Asia, but was introduced to North America as an ornamental. Identification: Tartarian honeysuckle grows to a heights of 12 to 15 feet, and has opposite, blue-green, oblong leaves. Flowers bloom June to July, are tubular, and red, pink and white in color. It produces red-orange berries. Bark is light tan in color and has a rough, fibrous texture. Control: Small to medium plants can be pulled or dug. Larger plants can be cut, and then stump-treated with glyphosate or similar herbicide, or bagged using a light and air-blocking material. Recent highlights Keep leaves and other debris from polluting waters; sign up to Adopt-a-Drain today. Fall is the perfect time for buckthorn removal. Learn how to identify and remove this invasive from your property. The City of Mendota Heights is developing a Natural Resources Management Plan to manage invasive plant species and restore healthy native plant communities. Tree planting at Hagstrom King Park through the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Tree Planting Grant. POLICE DEPARTMENT NEWS Just the Facts Incident reports 10/30/20 - 11/5/20 Previous Just the Facts publications are available in the Laserfiche archive system on the City's website. Sign up for emergency alerts The Emergency Alert Program is available through the Dakota Communications Center (DCC) at mn-dcc.org/community-notification/. Stay in touch through Nextdoor As a way to reach more of the community and specific neighborhoods, in addition to their popular Facebook page MHPD has expanded their social media channels to include Nextdoor. Nextdoor accounts are verified based on your address, and the platform is already used by 40% of the households in Mendota Heights. Learn more and sign up at nextdoor.com. 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. Link to the forms under Public Resources at mendota-heights.com/police. Completed forms and general questions can be submitted via email to pdrecords@mendota-heights.com. PARKS & RECREATION Winter seasonal positions If you enjoy the outdoors and would like to earn part-time income, the City is currently accepting applications for the following positions: Ice skating instructor Rink flooders Warming house/rink attendants Learn more and apply at mendota-heights.com/employment. Winter recreation programs See what's coming up for winter fun and register for open programs at secure.rec1.com/MN/mendota-heights-mn/catalog. COMMUNITY CALENDAR City Hall and Public Works will be closed on Wednesday, November 11, in honor of Veterans Day. Public Meetings Meeting changes or cancellations are noted on the City's website mendota- heights.com/calendar. Meetings take place at City Hall unless otherwise noted. Meeting attendees should adhere to the posted City Hall safety guidelines and be aware that capacity in the City Council Chambers will be limited. As much as possible, the community is encouraged to continue watching broadcasted meetings live on Cable Channel 18 or online at townsquare.tv/webstreaming (available live or for replay). Parks & Recreation Commission | Nov 10, 6:30 p.m. City Council Special Meeting & Work Session | Nov 12, 2:45 p.m. City Council | Nov. 17, 6:00 p.m. Airport Relations Commission | Nov 19, 6 p.m. City Business Hours City Hall: Monday - Thursday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | Friday 7-11:30 a.m. Police Department: Monday - Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. City Hall Contact Information Official Website of the City of Mendota Heights, Minnesota 1101 Victoria Curve Mendota Heights, MN 55118 Phone: 651-452-1850 Stay Connected with the City of Mendota Heights: SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: Manage Subscriptions | Help | Unsubscribe from all Topics Powered by Privacy Policy | Cookie Statement | Help