Obey Ham Lake’s Snow Rules
<br />Respect your neighbors by following the City’s policy on parking and on where to deposit snow and ice.
<br />Minnesota law makes it illegal for property owners to deposit snow or ice on any street or highway. This
<br />includes the 15-foot right-of-way back from the curb. Therefore, it’s illegal to plow snow from your driveway
<br />and move it across the street onto the right-of-way of the property across from you.
<br />Remember from October 1 through April 30, “NO
<br />PARKING” is allowed on Ham Lake streets between
<br />the hours of midnight and 6:00 am.
<br />In addition, no parking is allowed in the daytime
<br />hours during or after a two-inch snowstorm or until
<br />the streets are plowed afterwards.
<br />What’s Happening at the Senior Center
<br />Senior Center phone: 763-434-0455
<br />Senior Center hours: Open Monday-Thursday
<br />from 8:00 am - 3:30 pm
<br />The Senior Center is located on the west-side
<br />lower level of City Hall at 15544 Central Ave. NE.
<br />NOW HIRING
<br />Part-time cook for Mondays and Wednesdays.
<br />This is a paid position. Contact the Senior Cen-
<br />ter for more information!
<br />Weekly Events
<br />Senior Dining at noon on Mondays and Wednes-
<br />days ($5.00 for those 55 and older and $8.00 for
<br />those younger). Reservations Needed!
<br />Activities at the Senior Center: fitness class, pinochle,
<br />cribbage, wood carving, bingo and cards (500 and
<br />Hand & Foot).
<br />Watch for upcoming trips to the Casino (open to
<br />the public), Jam Sessions (open to the public)
<br />during the day and evening, health insurance coun-
<br />seling, scheduled shopping trips for those who need
<br />transportation, free blood pressure checks, and a
<br />birthday lunch.
<br />Call the Senior Center, at the number listed above to
<br />find out dates, times and details of these and other
<br />special events!
<br />The Senior Center will be closed Wednesday,
<br />January 1 in observance of New Year’s Day and Mon-
<br />day, January 20 in observance of Martin Luther King
<br />Jr. Day.
<br />Special Upcoming Events Open to the
<br />Public
<br />Jam Session—Thursday, January 9 at 7:00 pm
<br />Jam Session—Tuesday, January 21 at 1:00 pm
<br />Senior Dance—2nd Friday of each month. Live
<br />music and refreshments. January 10 will feature
<br />Michael Elsenpeter from 1:00-4:00 pm. Come dance
<br />or just listen to the music! $8 per person.
<br />MHSRC Defensive Driving Courses—These
<br />courses are open to the public for those age 55 and
<br />older. There are no courses scheduled at this time.
<br />November Building Permits
<br />The City of Ham Lake issued 116 permits in Novem-
<br />ber with a valuation of $2,361,955.00. The issued
<br />permits are as follows: two commercial sign, eight
<br />residential new construction, one residential addi-
<br />tion, one residential accessory building, two residen-
<br />tial basement finish, one residential deck, one
<br />residential fence, one residential pool, one residen-
<br />tial window, 46 residential roofing and siding.
<br />Other permits include 33 mechanical, 12 plumbing
<br />and seven septic installations.
<br />Fire Department Calls
<br />The Ham Lake Fire Department responded to 38
<br />calls during November: 18 during the day and 20 at
<br />night. These included 7 structure calls (2 CO alarms,
<br />3 fire alarms, and 2 gas smell), 19 medical calls, 8
<br />rescues, 2 mutual aid calls, 1 vehicle call and 1 misc.
<br />call. The department spent 18 hours on calls with
<br />total personnel time adding up to 291 hours.
<br />Year-to-date, the department has answered 493 calls,
<br />compared with 459 calls at the same time last year.
<br />Why Does Ham Lake Plow Snow this Way?
<br />Dealing with large amounts of snow is a challenge for everyone, including the City’s snow plow drivers.
<br />During and after large snowfalls, the city receives many calls related to plowing. One very popular question
<br />is “When will the plow get to my street?”
<br />The City of Ham Lake understands the importance of efficient and timely snow removal and ice control. Snow
<br />plowing policy and processes are reviewed annually to provide for safe travels for the greatest number of
<br />people on the 158 miles of City-managed roadways. The Public Works Department reviews a map of the
<br />City’s public street systems that clearly delineates thoroughfare and local residential streets. The map is then
<br />divided into six routes and four cul-de-sac routes for purposes of snow removal and ice control. Within each
<br />of the areas, the City has classified city streets based on the street function, relative traffic volume and im-
<br />portance to the welfare of the community. Those streets are classified as:
<br />• Priority A streets will be plowed first. These are higher volume streets that connect major sections of the
<br />city and provide access for emergency fire, police and medical services.
<br />• Priority B streets are plowed next. These provide access to schools and commercial businesses.
<br />• Priority C are low-volume residential streets which are plowed after Priority B streets.
<br />• Priority “D” are cul-de-sacs and are plowed last.
<br />The Public Works Superintendent or designated representative monitors street conditions to determine the
<br />timing and amount of equipment and personnel necessary to clear the streets. During large snowfalls, the
<br />City has six trucks dispatched to plow. The plows are assigned to specific sections of the City and when they
<br />leave the shop or hub, plowing is done from the hub to outlying parts of the City. This saves time, is a more
<br />efficient way to plow and prevents plows from having to backtrack on streets already plowed.
<br />Snow plows discharge snow on the right-hand side of the truck, or curbside. The routes are designed to
<br />allow the trucks to always take right-hand turns to limit time spent backing up and turning around.
<br />Maneuvering a large plow truck is more difficult than a passenger vehicle, especially when there are mounds
<br />of snow to drive around and through. Plows travel at an average speed of 10-20 mph, but that pace can be
<br />impacted by the amount and weight of snow, traffic, obstacles in the roadways, etc. To help the plow drivers,
<br />please be sure all unattended vehicles are off City streets during or after a snowfall until streets have been
<br />cleared (per article 6-121 of the City Code).
<br />Some roadways within the City are managed by MnDOT or the Anoka County Highway Department. Exam-
<br />ples of these are Highway 65 (managed by MnDOT), Constance Boulevard, Crosstown Boulevard, Bunker
<br />Lake Boulevard and Radisson Road (managed by the Anoka County Highway Department).
<br />Questions or concerns about those roads or conditions should be directed to the responsible organization:
<br />• MnDOT Information Center: M-F, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Phone: 651-296-3000.
<br />• Anoka County Highway Department: M-F, 7:30 am to 4:30 pm. Phone: 763-324-3100.
<br />Robert Hoffmann, DC
<br />Valorie Hoffmann, DC
<br />763-434-5714
<br />Awarded 2019 Best Doctors by
<br />Minnesota Monthly Magazine
<br />Public Notice
<br />The City of Ham Lake hereby gives public notice of
<br />its intent to aerate Ham Lake to prevent winterkill of
<br />game fish. The City intends to use mobile systems
<br />which may be used at any time.
<br />The aeration systems will cause areas of thin ice and
<br />open water that fluctuate greatly. If you have any
<br />questions concerning the aeration system, please
<br />contact Ham Lake City Hall at 763-434-9555.
<br />Warning: Stay Clear of Designated Areas!
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