2013-02-08 Friday News
February 8, 2013
Dates to Remember:
February 12, 2013
Parks and Rec Comm 6:30 p.m.
February 13, 2013
Airport Relations Comm 7:00 p.m.
February 19, 2013
City Council 7:00 p.m.
February 26, 2013
Planning Commission 7:00 p.m.
February 27, 2013
State of the City Address 7:30 a.m.
Attachments:
Pipeline, Just the Facts
Friday News
Mendota Heights Weekly Report on City Activities
Mendota Heights City Hall
1101 Victoria Curve
www.mendota-heights.com
(651) 452-1850
Heights Highlights
The latest edition of the Heights Highlights is
being delivered to households this week. City
Clerk Lorri Smith, has done a great job once
again in putting together a newsletter with a lot
of information for residents.
There is always keen interest in summer recre-
ation programs—a write up of events is includ-
ed in the newsletter. Registration will open
Monday, March 18, 2013. We will start with in-
person registrations for Jr. Golf Leagues at
6:00 p.m. on March 18; registrations for all pro-
grams will go live online at 7:30 p.m. that even-
ing. Walk up registrations will be accepted
starting at 9:00 a.m. March 19, 2013.
New Planning Commissioner
City council interviewed four great candidates
for an opening on our planning commission for
a full, three-year term. The council announced
Robin Hennessy as our new planning commis-
sioner, her first meeting will be later this month.
North Urban Regional Trail
There was a good turnout at the open house
regarding the North Urban Regional Trail exten-
sion Wednesday night at West St. Paul City
Hall.
The open house was hosted by Dakota County,
West St. Paul and our city, with the goal of gar-
nering public input on alternatives to extend the
regional trail from our eastern border to Robert
Street.
Dakota County will use the public input to seek
funding and develop plans for trail extension.
Public Works
The Parks Crew plowed the cul-de-sacs, skating rinks, parking lots and
trails. They continue to flood and broom the park ice rinks. Graffiti was
painted over on the door to the warming house storage room at Wentworth
Park. Truck 503 was picked up from the shop after the frame was repaired.
The Utilities Crew marked manholes in the Eagle Ridge easement and
shoveled and plowed at the lift stations. They also plowed the cul-de-sacs
and assisted the mechanic with plow truck repairs.
The Streets Crew came in at 10:00pm on Friday to plow and salt all city
streets. They came in again early Sunday morning to plow and salt the
main streets. They had early starts on Monday and Tuesday mornings
plowing all city streets. They plowed again on Wednesday after lunch.
Maintenance was done on the plows to replace cutting edges on the plow
blades. Brackets were welded on a plow truck and welding was also done
on cracks found on the frame.
Visitors at Rogers Lake (trumpeter swans and an otter)
The Pipeline N E W S
L E T T E R
Public Works
Engineering
Code Enforcement
February 7, 2013
Engineering
City Projects (construction year)
Dodd Road/Highway 110 Intersection Pedestrian Improvements (2013) –
The final plans have been approved by City Council. Staff has completed all
the paperwork for MnDOT approval of the plans. The issue of pedestrian
safety markings and signage will be re-addressed by MnDOT during and
after construction of the project. Bidding is anticipated in April/May with
construction beginning in late spring.
Hunter Lane/Orchard Place Neighborhood Improvements (2013) –A second
neighborhood informational meeting is scheduled for February 27th from
6:30pm to 8:00pm at City Hall to go over specific property design issues
with residents. Design plans are proceeding according to parameters set by
City Council when the project was ordered last October. Final plan
completion is expected in March with bidding and contract award in
April/May and construction starting in June.
Crown Point & Overlook Neighborhood Rehabilitations (2013) – Design plans
are proceeding. Final plans are anticipated by April for a construction start
during the summer.
Lexington Avenue Pedestrian Trail, Hwy 110 to Douglas Road (2013) – Staff
is preparing plans for the rehabilitation for construction during 2013.
Dakota County has included this in their Capital Improvement Plan (CIP)
and will assist with project construction cost. Plans will be included with the
Crown Point & Overlook Neighborhood Rehabilitation project for bidding, and
construction is anticipated for the summer.
Highway 13 Trail Connection (2013) – Staff is planning construction of a
trail connection along the south side of Highway 13 to connect the
pedestrian trail from Riverside Lane to Lilydale Road. The project may be
delayed until 2014 if MnDOT can include it for funding as part of their tra il
gap program for 2014 (Highway 13 is a State Right-of-Way). If not chosen
for MnDOT funding in 2014, the City intends to construct the connection in
2013. More information will be published about this project over the winter.
County Projects
North Urban Regional Trail (NURT) Realignment and Greenway Study – Staff
attended an open house at West Saint Paul City Hall Wednesday night that
was sponsored by Dakota County to review the alignment alternatives for
the segment of the NURT fro m Warrior Drive and Mendota Road in Mendota
Heights to north of Marie Avenue and Charlton Street in West Saint Paul.
One of the alignment alternatives being considered would route the NURT
through School District 197 property at Henry Sibley High School, parallel to
Warrior Drive to connect Mendota Road to Marie Avenue. Other alternatives
include utilizing the existing Delaware Avenue Trail and building a trail
through the Dodge Nature Center’s property east of Delaware Avenue. The
County will be presenting the alignment alternatives to the City Council in
March, and they expect to select their alignment alternative in April.
Other Activities
Lower Mississippi River Watershed Management Organization (LMRWMO) –
Staff attended the monthly meeting of the LMRWMO at Mendota Heights
City Hall on Thursday. The Board re-elected the current slate of officers for
a second year, and updates were given for ongoing projects and programs,
including an update on the Watershed Restoration And Protection (WRAP)
study. The WRAP study is looking at area lakes and determining best
management practices to resolve existing impairments and prevent future
impairments to the water body. Rogers Lake and Lake Augusta are included
in the WRAP study.
2/8/13
Heights Police
Department
Support Staff
Kim Henning
Susan Donovan
Trista Miller
Becky Pentel
Police Officers
Jerry Murphy
Scott Patrick
John Larrive
Bobby Lambert
Tanner Spicer
Todd Rosse
Chad Willson
Jeff VonFeldt
Steven Meyer
Denise Urmann
Michael Shepard
Peyton Fleming
School Resource
Officer
Jennifer Fordham
Investigations
Mario Reyes
Chad Willson
Sergeants
Neil Garlock
Brian Convery
Eric Petersen
Reserves
Randy Pentel
Jarrod Spicer
Jim Knox
Jeff Parker
George Castillo
Chaplains
Frances Cuenca
Joel Detlefsen
Lynn Liberman
Butch Millett
Sue Plucker
John Snider
David Wick
Chief
Mike Aschenbrener
911 Hang‐up / Crisis Thursday 0949 hours
The DCC received a 911 call from an elderly male who sounded confused.
A woman in the background took the phone from the caller and hung up.
Officer John Larrive responded to the residence along with HealthEast
Paramedics. On call back to the number the man could be heard
screaming “you need to get into the house” another male came on the
phone line advising that dad has Parkinson’s and was having a problem
with the nurse. After a short time a health and welfare hold was
completed. Transported by ambulance.
Felony Warrants Friday 1420 hours
Officer John Larrive stopped a car driven by a person not wearing their
seatbelt. The car was headed the opposite direction, when Officer
Larrive caught up with the car the occupants all slouched down (can’t see
us!). Unfortunately the driver had a hard time remembering their name
and couldn’t spell her middle name. The passenger who was not wearing
their seatbelt was asked for ID, they produced a jail bracelet. The driver
couldn’t remember who owned the car or where they were going. When
the driver couldn’t get her date of birth to equal 20 YOA she was placed
under arrest. Officer Lambert arrived moments later, the three male
passengers were ID’ed, two had active felony warrants. The three
couldn’t explain; who owned the car, who’s the property was in the car
or why they had an assortment of tools with them. All three were given
an opportunity to give their story, they declined. They were transported
to the Dakota County Jail and booked in on the following charges; false
information, possession of stolen property and possession of burglary
tools. The vehicle was impounded. The owner was eventually located
and came to claim her car. Surprise the paperwork didn’t match the
story and that she had no idea who’s stuff was in her car.
One to many scary movies Friday 2103 hours
Officer Mike Shepard along with Sergeant Eric Petersen responded to a
second hand call of a burglary in progress. An 11 YOA and 13 YOA called
a friend to report hearing someone in the house. The kids snuck out a
window. The caller’s son thought he saw someone in a window. K9
ordered to assist with search. Officers arrived to find no foot prints in
the snow around the house. Cancelled K9, searched the house and
confirmed it was safe. Parents expected home from a fundraiser shortly.
Curfew Violation Saturday 0113 hours
Plow truck driver called in a slumper by the old city archery range near
the dead end. The car had the lights on and now they are off. HealthEast
“Just the Facts”
The latest news from the Mendota Heights Police Department
2/8/13
Ambulance dispatched along with Officer Tanner Spicer. Two young teenagers were located
engaging in extracurricular activities. Transported the young lady home and spoke with the
young man’s dad by phone.
AOA Sunday 0141 hours
Officer Tanner Spicer responded to a large bar fight in WSP. The call came out with 10+
involved and chairs being thrown. While enroute a hold up alarm was activated. Assisted
WSPPD with breaking up the fight.
Fail to Yield / Possession of MJ Sunday 1940 hours
Officer Peyton Fleming in a fully marked black and white squad car was cut off by a vehicle
blowing through a yellow light. The car was stopped a short distance later as soon as the
driver’s window opened up the smell of marijuana wafted out the window. The man denied
any marijuana use in his car ever. After the man was removed from the car so was his
marijuana. The man admitted not having any insurance; he was cited and transported to SA.
Stolen Jeep Monday 1621 hours
Caller reported her Jeep missing from the driveway. The vehicle was last seen approximately
two hours earlier.
Lost Dog Monday 0644 hours
Officer Tanner Spicer was flagged down by a party wishing to report his dog missing.
Information gathered. At approximately 0900 Officer Larrive spotted the runaway pooch
unfortunately it was quicker than he was. The dog continued on the run. The owner was
notified about the direction the dog was headed.
Harassment Monday 1954 hours
Caller requested to discuss harassing phone calls from pay phones. Sgt Convery met with the
victim and his wife about some phone calls. The wife reported an anonymous female called
and said your husband is “fooling around” and hung up. The second call was far more specific
about what was occurring. This lead the spouse to report he is being stalked at work. The man
then provided more detail. Sgt Convery provided some options.
Welfare Check Tuesday 0150 hours
Officer Tanner Spicer received a call about a suicide posting on an internet social page. The
poster has a past history of trying to kill himself and recently had a string of bad luck. As
Officers were preparing to make contact the caller reported “the goodbye” may have meant
the person was deleting the online account. Made contact and confirmed it was the later.
Medical Tuesday 1907 hours
Officer Fleming responded to a call a 2 YOA knocked out. The youngster had fallen while
climbing. They were out for around 10 seconds. HealthEast ambulance transported the boy to
the hospital.
AOA Crash Friday 0255 hours
Officer Denise Urmann responded to a local residence at the request of the Carver County
Sheriff to help investigate a crash that occurred in Chanhassen. The Deputy requested we
verify the driver was okay and not intoxicated. CSO had found a car with all the airbags
deployed and some blood in the vehicle. Officer Urmann made contact, the driver had a small
cut on her leg and was not intoxicated. Insurance information verified, all information relayed
to Carver County.
Have a great weekend! Mike
D AKOTA C OUNTY S HERIFF
The Front Row
“A front row seat to the greatest show on Earth...”
Dave Bellows, Sheriff
Tim Leslie, Chief Deputy
Volume 8, Week 36
January 28, through
February 3, 2013
A Day in the Life…
The term, “a typical day,” when referring to life in the jail can best be labeled a
misnomer. Every shift for detention deputies presents new challenges they must
confront. While the Dakota County Jail
continually receives high ratings from
inspections by the Department of
Corrections, we have our moments.
The events from a recent shift
provided by Correctional Sergeant
John Heger included a few of these
interesting moments. It started in
the garage when a police department
brought in an intoxicated,
uncooperative male arrestee.
Reasoning with the man proved
fruitless and he was quickly placed in
a restraint chair. While staff handled
this situation, inmates in a housing
unit were informed they had lost their
television privileges due to behavior problems. The fact it was Super Bowl Sunday
made it all the more painful for inmates in the unit. A short time later, another
housing unit was the focus of a
“shakedown” when an inmate
flushed contraband down the toilet.
Another prisoner brought in for a
DWI did not like her test results
and demanded a second test.
Sorry, we don’t take requests.
Several other incidents occurred
during the shift, but we have to
leave some space in the newsletter
for other events. What is most
important is that, with all this
activity, staff handled it
professionally in every instance.
The other members of the shift
included Correctional Corporals
Christine Winfrey and Virginia Jones, Correctional Deputies Theresa
Lambert,Xue Yang, Joshua Loahr, Jason Aguirre, Kent Themmes, Brett
Biffle, George Castillo, Norm Picha, and Brandon Pitts,and Program Services
Assistant Kim Lechner.
Too Much Salt is Not Good for You…
This fact was brought home to a 58-year-old man when he was found behind the
county shop in Hastings. Evidently he was taking salt used by County Maintenance
for the roads and placing it into five-gallon buckets for his personal use. Deputy
Ryan Olson happened to be driving around and interrupted his endeavor, rewarding
his efforts with a citation for theft.
Featuring Sheriff’s
Administrative,
Communications,
Support, and Parks,
Lakes, and Trails
Staff:
Administration
Steve Anderson
Annette Baker
Julie Ecker
Detention Services
Support Staff
Sandy Burke
Desiree Chartrand
Kim Erlandsen
Caitlin Harrison
Melanie Heltne
Kathy Karnick
Casey King
Kim Lechner
Mary McPhetres
Minnie Murphy
Holly Ruiz
Andrea Strenke
Molu Thachil
Betsy Winter
Jessica Witschen
Emergency
Preparedness
Operations Support
Staff
Joanna Anderson
Ana Estrada
Julie Fischer
Lynda Jirak
Janelle Mayer
Linda Mischke
Shona Murphy
Jesse Monahan
William Pope
Parks, Lakes, and
Trails
Salah Ahmed
Mark Albrecht
Scott Blehm
D AKOTA C OUNTY S HERIFF
The Front Row
“A front row seat to the greatest show on Earth...”
Dave Bellows, Sheriff
Tim Leslie, Chief Deputy
Volume 8, Week 36
January 28, through
February 3, 2013
Click here to subscribe to this newsletter electronically.Page 2
The Focus of the Investigation…
Deputy Tim Fletcher was investigating the theft of
two cameras from a local school. He located one of
the cameras during a search warrant and also
obtained a confession from the former employee. The
second camera was also recovered during the
investigation.
Our Newest Member...
The Sheriff’s Office welcomes its newest member,
Ogi, who is an 18-month-old German Shepard from
the Czech Republic. Deputy Brian Smidt was
recently selected as Ogi’s canine handler. The team
will begin their training shortly.
From the History Books to You…
The Dakota County Jail received
another visit from Robin Hood over
the weekend. This time he was
booked for several outstanding
warrants and was unable to make bail.
Where was his band of “merry men” when he needed
them?
Andrew Burt
Ryan Googins
Michael Hingiss
Jordan Klug
Matthew Lohmann
Joshua Schauer
David Steinberg
Chaplains
Jim Bzoskie
Vern Hildebrandt
Clayton McDougall
Eddie Nestingen
Cory Voll
Don Voll
Questions?
Comments?
Please contact the
Dakota County
Sheriff’s Office at
651.437.4700 or any
of the following by
email:
dave.bellows@
co.dakota.mn.us
julie.ecker@
co.dakota.mn.us
“Never mistake
knowledge for
wisdom. One
helps you make a
living, the other
helps you make a
life.”
--Sandra Carey
Good Time Served...
Artwork by
Correctional Deputy
Joe Engesser