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Friday News 1/8/21
City of Mendota Heights sent this bulletin at 01/08/2021 02:17 PM CST
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FRIDAY NEWS | January 8, 2021
THE LATEST
Due to warm temperatures and an initial lack of snow, an enormous liner was installed over the ground at Wentworth
Park's rink to create a base. The rinks at Friendly Hills and Marie Park are created over hard surfaces instead of grass,
so they flood easier and at a faster pace.
Outdoor ice rinks are open
Thanks to the hard-working efforts of Public Works and Parks and Recreation, rinks are
open for the season! In response to public health guidance and regulations warming houses
are not currently open.
Stay safe before heading to the rinks:
Call the ice rink/warming house hotline at 651-255-1174 for conditions and updates
Dress for the weather, bring proper gear, and plan your time outdoors according to
temperature and weather
Use a vehicle to warm up in if possible
The City has three hockey and three pleasure rinks located at:
Friendly Hills Park | 2360 Pueblo Lane
Marie Park | 1780 Lilac Lane
Wentworth Park | 739 Wentworth Ave
Rink lights are on automatic timers from dusk until 9 p.m. Let's get skating!
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Adjustments begin January 10
The dials are being adjusted for bars and restaurants, health establishments, and
entertainment venues, allowing indoor dining and other activities with modifications in
place. For more information visit Minnesota's Stay Safe Plan.
Find a free COVID-19 community testing event
The Minnesota Department of Health is hosting both saliva and nasal swab testing events
throughout Minnesota. Tests are free and insurance is not required.
Visit mn.gov/covid19/get-tested/testing-locations/index.jsp for more information.
Learn more about the COVIDaware MN app
You can help protect your community and add your phone to the fight against COVID-19
today! It’s free. It’s anonymous. It helps slow the spread of the coronavirus in our
communities. Visit covidawaremn.com for more information.
Update on filling commission vacancies
A total of 19 Mendota Heights residents submitted applicatons for consideration for the
single Parks and Recreation Commission, and two Planning Commission vacancies. The
City Council is expected to make a decision at its January 12 meeting as to an interview
process. Formal appointments will be made at the February 2 City Council meeting.
Update on 2040 Comprehensive Plan
The City Council held a special meeting on December 30, 2020, to consider a final draft of
the 2040 Comprehensive Plan update. Councilors were given a week to review and make
suggested grammatical or typo changes. Once complete, it will be forwarded to the
Metropolitan Council for review.
Rogers Lake aeration to begin
Stay clear of the marked area
Crews will be aerating Rogers Lake with an anticipated start date of Wednesday, January
13, weather permitting. The City of Mendota Heights has obtained a permit from the
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in order to install and operate an aerator on
Rogers Lake during the winter months. The purpose of the aerator is to maintain healthy
oxygen levels for water quality, as well as prevent winterkill of fish and other aquatic life. If
using Rogers Lake during aeration operation, please exercise caution and remember ice is
never 100 percent safe. Heed posted warning signs and stay well away from open water
that may be created by the aerator. Always drill test holes periodically as you move across
ice to gauge thickness. Operation of snowmobiles within city limits is prohibited. If you have
any questions contact City Hall at 651-452-1850.
Recent highlights
The Parks and Recreation Commission is seeking a student representative; high
school sophomores or juniors encouraged to apply by February 1.
RECYCLING
Small steps make big impacts in 2020
Even though many events were cancelled this past year, we were still able to hold some
community events for residents to recycle a variety of items, many of these events for free.
We held a free tire recycling event in July that collected 147 tires from northern
Dakota County.
Our free paper shred event, held in along with the cities of West St. Paul, South St.
Paul, Sunfish Lake and Lilydale, collected 17,140 pounds (about 8.5 tons) of paper
for recycling.
Our Clean Up Day event in October collected tons and tons (literally) of items for
proper disposal:
2,140 pounds of scrap metal
30 bikes
6 tons of municipal solid waste and demolition waste
61 mattresses for recycling
In May 26 appliances were collected curbside for recycling and proper disposal.
In August the cities of West St. Paul, South St. Paul, Mendota Heights, Sunfish Lake
and Lilydale held a clothing recycling event which collected 8,169 pounds (over 4
tons) of clothing for reuse. Good clothes were sold, bad-condition clothes were turned
into rags or insulation.
Our free pumpkin composting events collected about 9 tons of pumpkins for recycling
across West St. Paul, South St. Paul, Mendota Heights, Sunfish Lake and Lilydale.
After the elections 1,164 pounds of political yard signs were collected at Mendota
Heights, Hastings, and Lakeville.
And so far this year, we have collected 292 pounds of holiday lights for recycling. The
collection goes until the end of January.
Thank you to all who have participated in these events, helping to keep our community
clean and green! Watch for upcoming recycling events in 2021.
Ends January 31
Thanks for keeping these tanglers out of
the trash and recycling carts!
As you begin taking lights down for the holidays
swing by City Hall during business hours and drop
any broken or unwanted lights into the collection
barrel for recycling. In addition to holiday lights, you
can drop off electrical cords, appliance cords, and phone cords through the end of January.
Lights attached to wreaths, holly or trees must be removed first. Holiday lights are also
accepted year round at The Recycling Zone in Eagan.
NATURAL RESOURCES
Smart salting for our waters
Salt and other deicers can pollute our surface waters, including lakes, rivers, streams and
wetlands. It can also pollute our drinking water supply if it is able to reach our groundwater.
Do your part to protect our water and don’t use more salt than needed. If it is below 15
degrees, don’t use salt, as it is ineffective at these temperatures. Use only the amount of
salt and deicers needed. A 12-oz. cup is enough to cover 10 sidewalk squares or a 20-ft
driveway.
City of Mendota Heights Natural Resources
Management Plan update
Public hearing and presentation February 2, 2021
The City of Mendota Heights is currently updating its Natural Resources Management Plan
(NRMP). The plan will serve as a tool to help guide the City in creating decisions and
actions to conserve and manage its natural resources into the future. The public hearing
and presentation on the draft of the Natural Resources Management Plan will be at the City
Council meeting on February 2, 2021. The council will be asked to authorize a "Notice to
Proceed" for the remaining Phase 2 of the NRMP. Watch for a copy of the NRMP draft to be
posted for review on the City’s website prior to the City Council meeting. Learn more about
the plan.
Weed of the month: Buckthorn
Rhamnus cathartica (Common) and Frangula alnus (Glossy)
Buckthorn is an invasive, non-native understory tree that is often pruned as a shrub. This
invasive tree outcompetes its native counterparts by growing rapidly and leafing out early,
as well as holding its leaves late into the fall. If you notice a tree or shrub in your yard that is
still green in late fall or early spring, it may be buckthorn. In the winter berries may still be
present. Common and Glossy Buckthorn are on the Rectricted List under the Minnesota
Noxious Weed Law.
Identification:
There are two varieties of Buckthorn: Glossy Buckthorn and Common (European)
Buckthorn. Glossy buckthorn has smooth, glossy, toothless leaves that are oval in shape.
The bark is dark in color, with light-colored spots, and contains thin, sharp thorns. Common
buckthorn looks similar except branches contain thorns at the terminal. Both can often be
confused with the native Black Cherry tree, so identify carefully before removal. If you are
unsure if you have buckthorn on your property, please contact City Staff (contact information
below) for a site visit and proper identification.
Control methods for buckthorn:
Pulling: Best done when trees are small - 1” in diameter or less.
Cutting and herbicide treatment: Best used on large trees in the fall, but can be
done anytime, except for the spring months during heavy sap flow. Cut buckthorn
close to the ground, and immediately treat the stump with herbicide.
Herbicide alternatives: Cut stumps can also be covered using a Buckthorn Baggie,
other dark-colored plastic bag, or similar alternative when herbicide use is not
desirable. Please make sure your bag or alternative is tightly secured to the stump,
and fanned out at the bottom to catch any new shoots. Leave the bag on the stump
for a minimum of one year, and then remember to remove!
The City also has a weed wrench for mechanical removal that can be loaned out to
residents free of charge. Contact City Staff, below, for more information.
If you are unable to do the work of removal yourself, there are native restoration companies
that perform removal and treatment as well.
For more information: MN Department of Natural Resources or contact Krista Spreiter,
Natural Resources Technician at 651-255-1123 or email kristas@mendota-heights.com.
Look for small, yellow-brown spots on the underside of the needles. Photo from the Minnesota Department of
Agriculture.
Properly dispose of holiday greens
Elongate hemlock scales are very small insects that secrete a waxy coating for defense and
feed on the sap from plants. Please do your part to protect our environment when the
holiday season is over.
Inspect your holiday greenery for elongate hemlock scale. If you find small (~2mm
long) yellow-brown parallel-sided spots on the underside of needles, please take a
picture and report it to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) using
the Arrest the Pest Line.
Do not toss trees and greenery into backyard woods or your compost pile.
Use an organized tree and greenery pick-up or burn the greens. If burning please
follow the City's Recreational Fire Guidelines.
Recent highlights
Keep leaves and other debris from polluting waters; sign up to Adopt-a-Drain today.
POLICE DEPARTMENT NEWS
Just the Facts
Incident reports 1/1/21 - 1/7/21 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.
Take these actions to prevent mail theft
Take your mail in every day or have it held by the USPS if you are on vacation.
Immediately report any suspicious people or vehicles that you may see stopping at
your mailbox or your neighbor's.
If you see someone dumping large amounts of mail out the window of their car, get
the license plate number, if safe to do so, and report it by dialing 911.
We recommend outgoing mail, especially if it has a payment inside, be dropped into a
secure mail box such as the one at City Hall or any Post Office.
PARKS & RECREATION
Athletic field and facility permit use requests
Due February 1 for use March through July 2021
Permit requests to use City athletic fields and facilities from March through July 2021 are
due Monday, February 1. Reservations received after the deadline will be handled on a first-
come, first-serve basis. More information and application forms are available at mendota-
heights.com/parksrecreation.
Quarantine Cup finale: Puzzled
We're at the end of our friendly competition with The City
of West Saint Paul and tied 2-2! The city with the most
points this week is the winner. Work with your household
to put together a jigsaw puzzle, and post the completed
puzzle in comments on the Mendota Heights Parks &
Recreation's Facebook page by 7a.m. Thursday,
January 14 to earn a point for our city. Can't find a
puzzle? Use this digital one of a picture from Dodge
Nature Center Frosty Fun Fest a few years
ago: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=2bd49e37b0dc.
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. Please note that programs may
change at any time in response to public health guidance and regulations.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
City Hall will be closed Monday, January 18 in observance of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. 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 watch City Council, Planning Commission, and Parks & Recreation
Commission meetings live on Cable Channel 18, online
at townsquare.tv/webstreaming (available live or for replay), or through dial-in when offered.
Select Airport Relations Commission meetings are broadcast on Cable Channel 19.
Occasionally broadcasted channels may change; check Town Square Television's listings
for updates.
City Council | January 12, 6:00 p.m.
City Council | January 19, 6:00 p.m.
Airport Relations Commission | January 20, 6:00 p.m.
Planning Commission | January 26, 7:00 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
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