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2013-10-18 Friday News October 18, 2013 Dates to Remember: October 22, 2013 7:00 p.m. Planning Commission October 31, 2013 7:00 p.m. Halloween Bonfire November 3, 2013 Daylight Savings Time ends November 5, 2013 8:00 p.m. City Council Attachments: Pipeline, Just the Facts City Council agenda packets and Planning Commission agenda packets are available online by visiting www.mendota-heights.com and clicking on the agenda/minutes link. Friday News Mendota Heights Weekly Report on City Activities City recognized for “AAA” Rating At Tuesday’s council meeting, Mr. Mark Ruff with Ehlers and Associates presented the Mayor and City Council members with a certificate in recognition of the Standard and Poor’s “AAA” credit rating. This is the highest possible rating for a city and according to S&P, just over 200 municipalities can claim this top rating. S&P recognizes the city’s healthy economy, budgetary performance, strong management practices, and relatively low existing debt load as factors in the rating analysis. Mendota Heights City Hall 1101 Victoria Curve www.mendota-heights.com (651) 452-1850 Facebook.com/MendotaHeightsMN Twitter.com/@mendota_heights Halloween Bonfire The 2013 Halloween Bonfire is set for 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 31st at Mendota Plaza. This great community event includes free hotdogs and soda, compliments of Mendota Heights Fire Department. Paster Enterprises and Mendota Plaza merchants will be handing out free goodie bags. Residents will be allowed to deposit brush in the designated area between the Mendota Plaza Shopping Mall and South Plaza Drive, Saturday, October 26th through Wednesday, October 30th from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. until the site is full. Brush must be less than 4” in diameter. No grass clippings, leaves, construction debris or other materials are allowed. P T s o s s C T T S R a C o T b C E C D S T t H C a p 1 a C h Public W The Parks sprinkler outbuildin summer s storage. Cloud. Th The alarm The Utiliti St. Paul. Road, and and Jame Creek and of Health The Stree blacktop Commerc Engineer City Proj Dodd Roa Staff com Thursday the north Hunter La Council h adopted t pay their 1st. After and paya Crown Po held the a N E L E T Publi Engi Code En Works s Crew re systems ngs at Me supplies f They att he mulch m went of ies Crew Sanitary d James es Road. d Lilydale for analy ets Crew patching ce Drive a ring jects (co ad/Highw mpleted th . Minor i east quad ane/Orch eld the a the asses assessm r that the ble throu oint & Ove assessme E W S T T E R ic Works neering nforceme emoved th were blo endakota from the ended a s ing kit w ff for high attended y sewer li Road. Ro Water sa e Creek. ysis. checked on Mend and Lema onstructi ay 110 In he punch- tems we drant of t ard Place ssessmen ssment ro ent off pa remainin ugh annua erlook Ne ent hearin R ent he water wn at Me and Kens outbuildi seminar a as install h water a d safety m nes were oot killer amples w They will storm gr ota Heigh ay Lake R ion year ntersectio -list walk re identif the inters e Neighbo nt hearin oll for the artially or ng assess al propert eighborho ng at the aerators endakota sington P ngs were at the Mn ed on the t the Ver meetings e cleaned was put were collec l be taken ates thro hts Road Road. r) on Pedest through fied for co section ne orhood Im g at their e project. r in-full a sed amou ty tax sta ood Reha ir Octobe The October s from the and Ken Parks wer e taken o nDOT Dis e xmark ronica lift at Mendo along Vic in the lin cted from n to the M oughout t . They d trian Imp with the orrection, eeds to b mproveme r October Assesse at City Ha unt will be atements bilitations er 15th me e Pip 18, 2013 e out buil sington P re winteri ut and pu trict Build mower. station o ota Heigh ctoria Cu es at Ove m Intersta Minnesota he city. id blackto provemen City’s co , and the be installe ents (201 r 1st meet ed proper all up unt e certified s. s (2013) eeting an eline 3 ldings. T Parks. Bo ized. The ut in wint ding in St on Tuesda hts and W rve, Ove erlook Ro ate Valley a Departm They finis op patchi nts (2013 onsultant street lig ed. 13) – City ting and rty owner il Novem d to the C – City Co nd adopte e The oth e ter t. ay. West rlook oad y ment shed ing on 3) – on ght at y rs can ber County ouncil ed the assessment roll for the project. Assessed property owners can pay their assessment off partially or in-full at City Hall up until November 15th. After that the remaining assessed amount will be certified to the County and payable through annual property tax statements. Sanitary Sewer Cleaning and Televising (2013) – This project is underway. The contractor is working in the area of the city west of I-35E and north of Highway 110. Cleaning has been completed along Marie, Victoria, Overlook, Lilac, and James. Center Pointe Business Park is also included in the project. Minor traffic impacts should be anticipated. Mendota Heights Road Sanitary Sewer Force Main Replacement (2013) – City Council awarded the contract to GM Construction at their October 15th meeting. Staff held a pre-construction meeting on Thursday. Construction should begin within the next two weeks and completion of the project is expected later this fall. Highway 13 Trail Connection (2013) – The contractor is ready to mobilize for construction. As soon as MnDOT State Aid office gives the City permission, a notice-to –proceed will be given to the contractor. A utility conflict with Saint Paul Regional Water Service needs to be resolved in conjunction with the construction. Anticipated completion of the trail will be later this fall. Rolling Green Neighborhood Rehabilitation & Victoria Road Reconstruction – An informal neighborhood meeting is scheduled for October 23rd at City Hall. Notices for the meeting have been sent to affected property owners. The public hearing before City Council is scheduled for November 5th. County Projects (Construction Year) North Urban Regional Trail (NURT) Realignment/Greenway Corridor – County staff presented an update to the City Council at their October 15th meeting. The City of West Saint Paul is planning on reconstructing Marie Avenue from Delaware to Charlton in conjunction with the NURT realignment construction in 2014, and an outdoor amphitheater feature will be added at the northwest corner of the Henry Sibley High School property. For more information, contact the County Project Manager, Mr. Chris Hartzell, at 952-891-7106. Other Activities Traffic Safety Committee – The Traffic Safety Committee met prior to the October 1st City Council meeting to discuss two items: First, a discussion regarding parking on the east side of Warrior Drive by Henry Sibley High School students. Second a review of resident concerns about speed on Decorah Lane. The Committee will present their recommendations to the City Council at their November 5th meeting. Gun Club Lake Watershed Management Organization (GCLWMO) – All member cities in the GCLWMO have passed resolutions to dissolve the existing Joint Powers Agreement (JPA). Minnesota 2050 – Staff attended the quarterly meeting of Minnesota 2050, a group of industry professionals working to educate the public on the importance of infrastructure and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education. The group, in conjunction with Twin Cities Public Television, is producing a series of documentaries on the subject. Airing of the first documentary is scheduled for early spring 2014. 1 The latest from the Mendota Heights Police Department SUPPORT STAFF Kim Henning 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 OFC. Jennifer Fordham INVESTIGATIONS Mario Reyes Chad Willson SERGEANTS Neil Garlock Brian Convery Eric Petersen RESERVES Randy Pentel Jim Knox Jeff Parker George Castillo CHAPLAINS Frances Cuenca Joel Detlefsen Lynn Liberman Butch Millett Sue Plucker John Snider David Wick CHIEF Mike Aschenbrener OCTOBER 18, 2013 Submitted By: Police Sergeant Eric Petersen Did you know DCSOT is a specialized resource available to all Dakota County Agencies? They specialize in skills such as trench rescue, conϐined space rescue. Hazmat situations and structural collapse... to name a few. DCSOT was activated in 2003 and consists of police ofϐicers, ϐire‐ϐighters and paramedics. This specialized training can take up to a year to complete. Most recently, DCSOT assisted with a “suicide by chemicals.” This is where a person will mix chemicals to commit suicide while seated in their vehicle causing a lack of oxygen and death. In the past, the ϐirst responders are at most risk in assessing this situation as they open the vehicle door and the strong chemical vapors make them victims them‐ selves. Nowadays, when this type of situation is identiϐied, ϐirst responders can call the DCSOT to handle the situation. DCSOT has also assisted the Dakota County Drug Task Force in conducting narcotics warrants when meth labs may be involved as well as working with Dakota County MAAG (SWAT) in training exercises and actual MAAG call outs. Some members of DCSOT are also part of MN Task Force 1, which assists in regionals incidents and catastrophes. In the past years, they have responded to the ϐloods in Iowa and the 35W bridge collapse. The month of October has been dedicated to Cyber Security. The last of the series is about how parents can keep their kids safe on‐line. We all read about cyber bullying, online predators, your digital footprint and the potential for bad consequences if left to kids. Parents, if your kids are using the internet you need to be ready to ask some tough questions, provide some serious answers about what you should tell to whom. It may seem simple to an adult about why should I friend “Suzy” who I have never met? But to children, they are curious. Tell your kids NO! For some quick tips: www.netsmartz.org The parents section will update you on Blogging, Chat Rooms, Sexting, Cell Phones, Webcams, Cyberbullying and Identity Theft. Each section gives you an overview what is happening, why it is of interest to kids, and what problems could result. An example from the news Cyberbullying – can happen on anything electronic such as cell phones, tablets and computers. The footprint you leave can and will be used against you in a court of law. The evidence will speak for itself. 1/3 of online teens report they have been cyberbullied. The really bad part is once it is out on the internet, it never goes away. The really good part is: MOM & DAD if you follow the link above you can get in front of the issue to keep your kids safe! 2 Crash Thursday 1808 hours Caller reported a crash at the Village of Mendota leaving a mess as they fled. The car was occupied by three people. The caller reported the license plate looked like a fire plate but was not on file. Officer Steve Meyer responded and reviewed what had occurred. It appears the car that had left the scene was the only item damaged. GOA. Crisis Friday 0327 hours Officer Jeff VonFeldt responded to a call for help at a local motel. Staff called to report a man wearing a maroon sweatshirt, blue jeans, who came running into the lobby sweating profusely to report he was being chased. Officer VonFeldt responded a short time later to find the man wandering around outside of the motel. He refused a ride home or any other assistance from the officer. The man claimed his ride was en route, he eventually walked into Eagan. Medical / Crash Friday 0723 hours A cell phone caller reported a serious crash off the road near Hwy 110 and Hwy 13. Officer John Larrive responded to find a State Trooper and a citizen starting CPR. HealthEast Paramedics along with MHFD rescue responded to help with the cardiac arrest that likely caused the car crash. Eventually CPR was ceased and officers stood by until the Medical Examiner arrived on scene. Medical Friday 0859 hours Officer Larrive cleared the medical / crash on Hwy 110 and Hwy 13 to get dispatched once again to another medical relating to a diabetic reaction. HealthEast Paramedics arrived shortly after Officer Larrive and assist- ed with the call. While that was occurring, another call came out of a party trapped in an elevator. MHFD responded to the elevator call ensuring there was not anyone inside of the elevator. Parking Complaint Friday 1059 hours Caller reported a car has been parked in front of their home for the past week. While the officer was on scene, a neighbor came outside and advised him this was an on-going issue between the two neighbors. As the tires were being chalked, the driver of the car came out and agreed to move it. A check was scheduled for 24 hours. AOA Friday 1242 hours Officers John Larrive and Todd Rosse responded to Lilydale on the report of a fire in a local business. MHFD was on scene a very short time later and put out the fire. It appeared that an employee cigarette was carelessly thrown, unfortunately due to the very high wind conditions, the cigarette butt was fanned and caught a nearby wall on fire. Maybe it’s time to move the smoke break location to away from the building. 3 Dog Off Leash Saturday 0810 hours Caller reported a dog off leash in the tennis courts. Officer Larrive arrived to find one dog in the tennis courts on leash. DUI Saturday 2328 hours While on routine patrol, Officer Tanner Spicer located a running vehicle which appeared to be unoccupied parked in a parking lot. As he approached the car he spotted vomit down outside of the driver’s door and a woman slumped over behind the wheel. He asked if she was okay and she replied she was, he then asked if she was drinking and she replied “not to much.” The woman failed all the SFST’s giving up on one stating just arrest me you know I am going to fail. PBT revealed a BAC of .124 and MHPD she was read the MN Implied Consent and agreed to a test. After failing to successfully provide a urine sample a blood test was provided. The woman was transported to Dakota County Jail pending charges. Theft Sunday 1710 hours Sergeant Eric Petersen responded to a local business on a report of a theft. He met with an employee who stated her prescription medication was stolen from her purse that was located in the office. It was learned that about 90% of staff knew the code to the office and several employees could be responsible. The code has since been changed so only management may enter and no suspects at this time. Fraud Monday 1200 hours Officer Patrick was dispatched to a local logistics company on a report of a fraud. Another company had scheduled a pickup with them. The company seemed to have all legit documentation during the transaction yet it became fishy when the license plate recorded was actually a trailer number and the phone numbers to the company went unanswered. The dollar amount of the goods stolen totaled $32,000. There was fortunately insurance on the goods yet cost the logistics company a pretty penny and the fraudulent company name was an actual legit company out of Arizona and they were notified that they have become a victim of corporate identity theft. Under investigation. Stolen License Plates Monday 1802 hours Sergeant Neil Garlock was off duty at a local business when he noticed two woman swapping license plates and then was heading en route to the gas station next door. He believed the two woman were going to steal gasoline. He called dispatch to send officers walked over to talk with the women one of said she was going to walk to an ATM to get $ to pay for the gas. Surprise the woman fled into the heavily treed area while the other was arrested. Unfortunately during her search a glass meth pipe was found. A short time later Officer Meyer arrested the one who ran off when she came out from behind a dumpster. Traffic Tuesday 2007 hours While on routine patrol, Officer Michael Shepard observed a vehicle driving without taillights. Upon running the plate, the driver came up as revoked and the registration was expired. The driver showed an expired insurance card and there was no front plate on the vehicle. The vehicle was towed and driver was cited for DAR, no insurance, expired registration and no front license plate. 4 Officer Michael Shepard received a letter of gratitude from IGH Chief of Police thanking him for his assistance in a 9-1-1 hang up call that was determined to be a domestic assault where an individual barricaded himself in a home making threats. Shepard ultimately helped establish a perimeter and contain the residence. Thank you for your courageous efforts Shepard! Please send us your positive feedback on our staff to: pdrecords@ mendota-heights.com Your feedback is greatly appreciated and helps boost the morale of our staff. Have a Safe Week! 10/12 ‐ 10/18 2013 YTD Calls for Service 127 6,842 Citations 27 1,257 Warnings 20 1,079 Police Reports 13 845 Response Time Average 5.45 5.15 Check out the MH Crime Map! Click below to search your neighborhood: http://mendota.prophoenix.com/CS/CrimeMapping.aspx If you are a Mendota Heights resident and you are going out of town or on vacation, you can notify MHPD of your outing and we will be more than happy to keep a watchful eye on your home while you are away. The House Check Request online form is available on our website; we have similar forms in the MHPD lobby and we will take your info over the phone. MHPD offers monthly Car Seat Safety Checks. To schedule an appointment, call 651.452.1366 to contact Ofϐicer Jennifer Fordham. MHPD has a Medication Disposal Box in the lobby of the PD where Dakota County residents can safely and anonymously dispose of their prescription drugs and over‐the‐counter medication.