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Buying in bulk is a great way to reduce packaging waste, save money, and try new foods in small quantities. Grocery stores offer different types of bulk foods, from coffee beans to pinto beans, dried fruit to cereal, and nuts to spices. You might be surprised at the many food choices offered. People who are new to buying bulk are often intimidated by the bulk section of the grocery store, so here is everything first-timers need to know: • Bring your own container—prefer- ably the one you’ll use for storage at home. If you forget, stores also supply plastic bags. • Use the scale to measure the weight of your container when it’s empty, which you’ll subtract from the total weight on the scale after it’s filled. At some stores you’ll do this, at others the cashier will. Ask for help your first time. • Write the item's code on your con- tainer or on a label provided by the store, and bring your purchases to the cashier. Remember to make sure you only buy what will be used before spoiling and what you have storage space for. The cost and waste savings go away when the leftover food ends up in the trash. Buying from the bulk bins will help you to enjoy less pack- aging waste, less food waste, and more money in your pocket. Learn more at getLESStoday.com. When you’re buying in bulk Over the past couple of decades, the City Council has been very aggressive in rebuilding the City’s street infrastructure. Every other year, and sometimes every year, a neighborhood has had its streets reconstructed, reclaimed, or milled and overlaid. There are, however, several neighborhoods that still need street work done. What happens to the newly constructed streets after the work is done and the neighbor- hood properties are assessed for a portion of the cost? How are the streets maintained to ensure the maximum useful life of the street? In Arden Hills, the Coun- cil has been very aggressive budgeting for the ongoing maintenance of the City streets and trails, with an annual budget amount in the $200,000 range. So the next question is: How is all that money spent? The money is spent in many differ- ent ways. The most visible way it is spent is on an annual seal coat project. Seal coating is the process of spraying the road surface with asphalt emulsion and covering it with small-diam- eter aggregate. The benefit of seal coating is to protect the pavement surface from the deteriorating effects of sun and rain, which cause the pavement to become brittle and crack. The second benefit of adding texture to the road surface is an increase in surface fric- tion. Over time, traffic begins to wear the fine material from the asphalt pavement, causing it to become smooth. The Public Works staff main- tains a pavement management system that is used to project seal coat improvements needed over time. In anticipation of seal coating an area, cracks in the road surface are typi- cally sealed a year or two before the seal coat project is done. Areas of the bitumi- nous surface that show severe distress are removed and patched. Also on a yearly basis, staff proposes a contract for replace- ment of severely deteriorated concrete curb and gutter. A very similar process is used to maintain the City’s bituminous trails. The one major difference in the two processes is the product used to seal coat the trails; it does not include an aggregate component as this would be disruptive to the use and enjoy- ment of the trails. The product used on the trails is heavy emulsified asphalt with sand filler that is poured in place and allowed to dry before the trails can be used. As with street surfaces, the biggest benefit of using this product is to rejuvenate the surface from the effects of sun, wind and rain. Questions? The public works staff is committed to continuing the maintenance of the City’s infrastructure in an effort to maxi- mize the useful life of each asset. If you have any questions or concerns about maintenance issues, contact either Terry Maurer, Public Works Director, at tmaurer@cityofardenhills.org or John Anderson, Assistant City Engineer, at janderson@cityofardenhills.org. Street maintenance in Arden Hills--an overview by Terry Maurer, Public Works Director 5