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Arden Hills Service Directory 1245 West Highway 96 Arden Hills, MN 55112-5734 Summer Office Hours Monday through Thursday 7.•30 a.m. — 5: 00 p.m. Friday 7.•30-11:30 a.m. City Contactlnformafion 651-792-7800 www. cityofardenhills. org Sheriff and Fire 911 Water and Sewer Problems (During non-business hours) 651-767-0640 Mayor: David Grant 651-538-0747 dgrant@cityofardenhills. org Councilmembers: Brenda Holden 651-636-2987 bholden@cityofardenhills. org Fran Holmes 651-631-1866 fholmes@cityofardenhills. org Dave McClung 651-332-0352 davemcclung@comcast. net Robert Woodburn 651-633-2389 rwood37393@aol. com CityAdministrator: Patrick Klaers 651-792-7810 pklaers@cityofardenhills. org Communicafions Commiftee Editors/writers: Susan Cathey, Tina Kulzer Writer: Emma Theis Council Liaison: David Grant Staff Liaison: Amy Dietl Desktop Publisher: Mary Nosek Council meetings are held at City Hall on the second and lastMonday of the month at 7 p. m. Meefings are televised live on Cable Channel 16. Meetings of the Planning Commission are televised aswell. Vsitwww.cityofardenhills.org for information about taped meeting playbacks. Arden Hills Notes is the o�ficial news- letter of the City ofArden Hills, an equal-opportunity employer. City Park Profiles--a series Valentine Park hyT=nUKu�ZeY 1650 Lake Ualentine Road his month marks the two-year anniversary of the Grand Re-opening of Ualentine Park. The park's transformation following an extensive redevelopment proj ect is as impressive today as it was when it was unveiled in 2013. This is a well-conceived, naturally inte- grated, cohesive, functional, and fun neighborhood park in which both the City and its residents can take great pride. Persistent flooding and poor drainage A quit claim deed signed in January 1955 by S.J. Krannak and Erna B. Krannak donated a parcel of land on the corner of Old Highway 10 and County Road F(now Lake Ualentine Road) to the City of Arden Hills. More than ten years passed until any significant devel- opment began on the three acres that would become known as Valentine Park: a wooden playground set in 1966, a warming house in 1967 (Ualentine Park inherited the shelter that had been used for years at the Lake Johanna skating area); and hard court areas for basketball and volleyball in 1974. Storm water drainage issues and frequent flooding plagued Ualenrine Park for decades, which inhibited the park space from reaching its full potential as a recreational area for residents. The first amenity established at Ualentine Park was a ball field, and it was often under water and unusable during the spring and summer baseball seasons. In an attempt to remedy this problem, the layout of amenities at Valentine Park was rearranged in the late 1990s. However, this tactic did not provide the resolution that was needed. Park conditions necessary for winter ice skating soon began to deteriorate, which forced the City to close the general skating rink in 1999, despite the demand for that am� nity in the neighborhood at that time. Finally, in 2008, the planning stages of a complete park redevelopment got underway. Necessary renovations begin Residents in the Ualentine Hills neighborhood had opportunities to weigh in on the rede- velopment plan both at public meetings and via survey. A common sentiment reported by residents was the desire to exercise restraint in making the needed improvements, so as to preserve the natural beauty and tranquility of the residential neighborhood. The park was often referred to by residents as "the gateway" into the neighborhood, but many felt that the state of Ualenrine Park at that time did not reflect the strong feelings of commitment to and pride in the community that they shared. Several years of planning, designing, and implementation followed. In 2013 the renova- tion of the park was complete. An improved storm drainage system was conceived and constructed, featuring a detention pond on the southeast corner and a rain garden running from the pond along the south and west sides of the park. This element provides both necessary storm water drainage and a natural buffer between the park and neighboring homes. r•- -�--, .. ��=i _ �,�„�,��.� fi � j. �' I�^'� ^' � `�i �` � , �� � � �� �� � � : H,�; � ' `�n a:a�. '� Park amenities and play equipment are centrally located and include a half-court basketball area, playground equipment and swings for both toddlers and school-age children, and a picnic shelter with multiple picnic tables. Natural open space, dotted with new tree plantings, extends east from the play area to Old Highway 10 and offers an unobstructed view of Lake Ualentine. contimred on page 3 2