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Arden Hills Service Directory 1245 West Highway 96 Arden Hills, MN 55112-5734 www.cityofardenhills.org 651-792-7800 Office Hours Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 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 Steve Scott 651-604-0919 sscott@cityofardenhills.org City Administrator: Bill Joynes 651-792-7810 wjoynes@cityofardenhills.org Communications Committee Editor/writer/photographer: Susan Cathey, Council Liaison: Steve Scott Staff Liaison: Julie Hanson Desktop Publisher: Mary Nosek Council meetings are held at City Hall on the second and fourth Mondays of the month at 7 p.m. Meetings are televised live on Cable Channel 16. Meetings of the Planning Commission are televised as well. Visit www.cityo- fardenhills.org for information about archived meeting playbacks. Arden Hills Notes is the official news- letter of the City of Arden Hills, an equal-opportunity employer. 2 Mike Schifsky retires After 37 years working for the City of Arden Hills, Mike Schifsky retired from the Public Works Department on January 27. He was hon- ored at the Employee Recognition Luncheon on January 9. At the City Council meeting that evening, Mayor David Grant read an official proclamation acknowledging Mike’s professionalism, dedication, and commitment to improving our City. As a senior at Mounds View High School, Mike was en- rolled in the On The Job (OTJ) Training Program and was placed with the City of Arden Hills, working three hours a day at jobs like cleaning and maintenance at the Public Works garage. He was then hired as a full time employee and has been performing great work for Arden Hills ever since. When Mike started, in 1980, Public Works and Parks were separate departments so work entailed covering them both. When the two merged in 2000, there were changes in Mike’s workload, and he assumed greater responsibility. New technology has also affected the expectations for the job. Mike has enjoyed the fact that there is a lot of variety in what he does. He comment- ed, “If you were in one department on Monday and it was monotonous, you more than likely went on to something else on Tuesday that wasn’t.” His most notable event was the 1991 Halloween snowstorm. The City had two large snowplows and a couple of one-ton trucks – far less than what is needed to keep up today. “We plowed until we were blue in the face. It took days.” With another 18 inches falling around Thanksgiv- ing, Mike recalls that as the worst winter during his tenure. Another notable event occurred the day a disgruntled citizen who did not want the snowplow to come down his street again threatened Mike with a gun. This unfortunate situation was reported in a local newspaper, which Mike has kept to this day. Happily, that incident was a rare exception to the norm. Mike notes that one of the best things about his job is feeling the appreciation of the Arden Hills community over the years. Mike points out that, “It really makes a person feel good to be told they are doing a great job.” Mike’s plans for retirement include fishing and working on building a dream home in Alexandria for himself and his wife Dawn. He will miss the stories, camaraderie and jokes with his co-workers. As the Mayor and City Councilmembers publicly thanked him for his hard work, they noted that Arden Hills will miss Mike Schifsky. “It really makes a person feel good to be told they are doing a great job.” -- Mike Schifsky What do these things all have in common? They’re all Arden Hills projects from 2016. See the Mayor’s letter on page 4 for details. Tavern Grill Land O’ Lakes construction Bridge construction Dog parks at Perry and Hazelnut parks