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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOctober 2015The Official City Newsletter for Arden Hills Residents October 2015 by Susan CatheyAs part of the City Pavement Management Program (PMP), for the last ten years or so, many Arden Hills neighbor- hoods have had rain gardens incorporated into their landscaping. Besides looking beautiful, they serve the important pur- pose of helping to protect the City’s lakes and wetlands. According to Blue Thumb, a program directed by the Rice Creek Wa- tershed District (RCWD), of which Arden hills is a part, “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has named storm water runoff as our nation’s biggest water quality threat. Storm water runoff whisks pollutants from our streets to our lakes and streams via storm drains.” Rain gardens are cultivated depressions designed to capture and filter storm water runoff, taking pressure off the City’s storm water systems and preventing pollut- ants from making their way to lakes and wetlands. The gardens are typically filled with native plants, which can also act as magnets for birds, bees, and butterflies. Plants with deep fibrous roots provide the most cleaning and filtration benefits. Arden Hills creates rain gardens in areas where streets are being redone to help meet the requirements of the RCWD and of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Residents may volunteer to have the gardens on their property. The Grant/ Noble neighborhood, the 2015 PMP area, had more than twice as many volunteers as were needed to meet permit require- ments. All who wished had rain gardens installed. The design of the gardens and the plants selected depend in large part on the land contours and the light requirements. Appropriate selections are proposed to the homeowners who may give feedback and suggestions. When the program began, there was an expectation that the homeowners would maintain the gardens. Those who continue to do so may request help from the City in the form of additional mulch and yard waste hauling. Over time, the City recognized the need for Public Works’ involvement and now, one seasonal summer employee is hired just to inspect gardens and service them as needed. Assistant City Engineer John Anderson feels the rain gardens are “making a posi- tive impact on water quality. (They) give more ownership on storm water quality to residents,” who might give more thought to grass clippings and undesirable materi- als heading for the lakes. Residents and businesses can also be part of the solution to the runoff prob- lem by creating their own rain gardens. The Blue Thumb program, accessed through www.ricecreek.org, has instruc- tions and ideas. Rain gardens add beauty and protect our lakes and wetlands Tucked behind the former Carroll’s Furniture building on County Road E, Allegra Design Print Mail services is something you might miss if you were just driving by, but Allegra is a known “staple” in the community for the outstanding services it provides. Owners Dale & Carol Beane bought the existing shop, then called Insty-Prints, in 1988. It was located on Snelling and Larpenteur in Falcon Heights, and became an Allegra franchise soon after. Beane moved the business to Arden Hills in 2003 when the corner they were occupying was redeveloped. Allegra currently has 14 employees, including two full-time designers. The possibilities for a project at Allegra are virtually endless. “We do just about everything, actually,” said Beane. “Newsletters, brochures, letterhead, Allegra—staying relevant in a paperless world continued on page 4 by Emma Theis Arden Hills Service Directory 1245 West Highway 96 Arden Hills, MN 55112-5734 Office Hours Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m.—4:30 p.m. 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 City Administrator: Patrick Klaers 651-792-7810 pklaers@cityofardenhills.org Communications Committee 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 last Monday 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.cityofardenhills.org for information about taped meeting playbacks. Arden Hills Notes is the official news- letter of the City of Arden Hills, an equal-opportunity employer. 2 City Park Profiles--a series Floral Park 1423 W. Floral Drive by Tina Kulzer The original 11 acres of Floral Park were purchased from O.J. Husby & Sons in 1965 for $11,000. At this time, the surrounding neighborhood was among the least popu- lated areas in Arden Hills and had yet to realize its projected growth potential. The park’s undeveloped acreage was scenic, heavily wooded, and included a low marsh area. As development plans were considered by the City, it was agreed that the wooded areas were to be kept undisturbed to allow for passive enjoyment of the lush landscape. Other preliminary plans included building out several ball fields, a hard surface area, and tennis courts. In 1969, an additional nine acres adjacent to the park were purchased from Amos C. Gale for $12,600. This parcel was purchased as a possible site for an Arden Hills civic center. Action on a civic center concept was delayed due to financial considerations, however, and the idea was ultimately abandoned. In 1975, the Parks and Recreation Committee approved concept plans conceived by three landscape architect students from the University of Minnesota. Development moved forward over the years, based on the information provided by these students. Through the years, this 20-acre park was developed to serve the recreation needs of what was soon to become one of the most populous neighborhoods in all of Arden Hills. Trails, woods, and a wide range of amenities Today, Floral Park offers a little bit of something for everyone. It is a very well-connected park, with trail access on Hamline Avenue (which connects to trails leading into Cum- mings Park), Royal Lane, and Norma Avenue. Floral Park is one of the more easily accessible neighborhood parks in Arden Hills, offering pedestrian access points in many directions. For visitors arriving to Floral Park by car, street parking is available on the south side of Royal Lane only. Floral Park’s amenities are spread throughout the park in three main areas that are separat- ed visually by woods, but all connected by paved trail. Trail access at the park’s northeast corner on Hamline Avenue forms the park’s northern boundary as it winds through heavy woods and marshland. The trail leads to a youth-league ball field and soccer field, situated on a lower elevation open space surrounded by trees. Following the trail south through another patch of woods leads to the playground area. The current play structure and swing set were installed in 2001. This area also offers a picnic shelter, portable restroom facilities, and a new pollinator garden with park bench seating (see page 3). Paved trail continues from the playground area to the park’s southern boundary at the corner of Floral Drive and Royal Lane, where there is a hard surface area featuring a tennis court (with full fencing) and full-court basketball. The hard courts were last resurfaced in 2012. Fall is the perfect time of year to visit Floral Park. Get out and enjoy the changing of the seasons at this meandering, picturesque park! Benchmarks: a review of recent City Council action 3 July 27, 2015 (Grant, McClung excused) • Approved planning case (PC) 15-014, a conditional use permit for Verizon Wire- less to install 12 wireless panel antennas and related equipment on the existing building located at 2 Pine Tree Drive. (3-0) • Approved a site use lease agreement with New Cingular Wireless, PCS LLC (a.k.a. AT&T) for the City water tower located at 1221 Cummings Park Drive. (3-0) • Adopted the 2015 second quarter finan- cials. (3-0) • Adopted the business subsidy criteria and City public financing guidelines. (3-0) • Adopted Grading and Report Card for public financing guidelines. (3-0) • Adopted resolution 2015-038 authoriz- ing the use of a new voting system. (3-0) • Approved PC15-012, a planned unit development (PUD) amendment agree- ment for Caribou Coffee to construct a drive-thru lane and pick-up window at 3673 Lexington Avenue North. (3-0) • Approved the City Administrator recruit- ment process. Patrick Klaers will be retiring on October 2, 2015. (3-0) August 10, 2015 • Approved County Road E/Pine Tree Drive improvements payment number 4. (5-0) • Approved Round Lake Area improve- ment payment number 9. (5-0) • Approved 2015 Pavement Management Program (PMP) payment number 3. (5-0) • Approved municipal consent for the County Road H/I-35W interchange. (5-0) August 31, 2015 • Approved PC15-002, a final plat for Arden Plaza to divide the property into three parcels. (5-0) • Approved PC5-017, a site plan review for Boston Scientific to relocate a day- care facility within its campus at 4100 Hamline Avenue North. (5-0) • Approved the Cooperative Agreement for the Highway 96/I-35W interchange outlining the City’s financial contribu- tion (estimated at $83,723) and long- term maintenance responsibilities. (5-0) • Approved the Farnsworth encroachment agreement allowing improvements to property while protecting City’s ability to operate and maintain existing sanitary sewer line. (5-0) • Approved a night work construction activity waiver for completion of the County Road E improvements. (5-0) • Approved PC15-016, a final PUD for Phase III of Arden Plaza to allow Tavern Grill to be built south of Walgreens. (5-0) • Approved new wording regarding the regulation of cellular antennas. (5-0) Floral Park has never looked better, thanks to the hard work and dedication of Arden Hills resident and volunteer Dr. Robert Mullin, Professor Emeritus (re- tired), Department of Horticultural Science at the University of Minnesota. Through the City’s “Adopt-A-Garden” Program, Dr. Mullin has volunteered his time and expertise in an effort to reinvigorate three over- run flowerbeds in Floral Park. Beginning last fall, Dr. Mullin, along with members of the City’s Parks, Trails, and Recreation Committee, surveyed the flowerbeds in Floral Park and began planning what could be done to improve the garden space. The group arrived at a plan that would not only preserve as many of the existing plantings as possible, but also enlarge the three flowerbeds to give a greater sense of enclosure to the entire pollinator-friendly garden. Most of the existing flowers were planted years ago by a local Eagle Scout as part of a service project and have been identi- fied as pollinator-friendly. “Pollinators are essential to the American agricultural community,” Dr. Mullin explained. “The honeybee population is collapsing in the United States. This is worrisome to farmers and growers everywhere. Doing anything to encourage the honeybee’s survival is a good thing.” Over the past spring and summer, Dr. Mullin has used his home and garden as a plant nursery, ordering seeds of 15 species of plants from a company specializing in native landscape materials. These were seeded directly into his garden and will be available to be transplanted into Floral Park late this fall or early next spring. Two forms of the Mexican Sunflower – a very large, orange-blossomed annual flower especially popular with butterflies and hummingbirds – were started on the sunny window ledges of Dr. Mullin’s liv- ing room. After completing extensive weeding in Floral Park, Dr. Mullin transplanted the Mexican Sunflower seedlings into the flowerbeds, along with additional flow- ers and plants donated from the gardens of several friends and neighbors in Arden Hills. The garden is now filled with pollinator-friendly varieties such as sedum, goldenrod, milkweed, partridge pea, purple coneflower, phlox, monarda, and many more beautiful blooms. Not only is the garden alive with color – it’s brimming with pollinator activity. Honeybees and other important pollinators such as monarch butterflies, yellow and black swallowtails, hummingbirds, and sphinx moths have been buzzing and flying about the garden all summer. “A mixture in plant population is needed to encourage variety in the pollinator population,” Dr. Mullin explained. “We’re making good progress here.” And if you think he’s done with Floral Park – guess again. Dr. Mullin estimates that he will have several hundred plants available for planting next spring. “I don’t want this to look like three flowerbeds,” Dr. Mul- lin said. “I want it to look like a garden. Floral Park should be fully expressive of its name.” To learn more about Arden Hills’ Adopt-a- Garden program or to volunteer, contact Sara Grant at 651-792-7845. Resident volunteer creates a pollinator garden in Floral Park by Tina Kulzer 4 envelopes, pretty much anything on paper. We also do signs, banners, and posters.” Allegra’s printers and presses are all in- house. The shop is capable of almost any paper-related project including cutting, folding, foiling, laminating, binding, and so much more. Customers have two options: they can start from scratch, and Allegra can design something for them; or they can bring in a pre-designed project and have it produced. According to Beane, more customers bring their projects pre-designed due to the ease of technology that is available. Currently, Allegra’s most common job is printing medical instructions for doctors. The shop has also been printing the Arden Hills Notes newsletter since around 2004. “It’s rewarding to start a project and see it through to the point of sending it to the customer and then mailing it,” said Beane. “And sometimes we get it back in the mail because we’re one of their clients too.” Surprisingly, Beane said that Allegra hasn’t had a problem staying relevant in a seemingly paperless world. “Our business keeps growing,” he said. Allegra offers 10, 50 and 100 percent recycled paper options made from post-consumer waste. It is paper that has been recycled into the pulp and made back into paper. According to Beane, the eco-friendly option was more popular a few years ago but has waned as of late. Unfortunately, recycled paper is more expensive and not as bright. Allegra’s paper is sourced mainly from the paper mills in Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. The shop recycles all its scrap paper and uses soy-based ink for printing versus the less environmentally-friendly oil-based ink. Although the majority of Allegra’s business is local, it has customers nationwide. The shop ships and delivers a lot of its projects. There are 350 Allegras nationwide, and the Arden Hills location is currently ranked number three among the franchise members. Beane also received the Franchisee of the Year award in 1998 for his work in assisting other Allegra locations. “We take care of our customers,” said Beane. “We try to learn what our customers’ needs are and what they do so that we can help them better than just giving them ink on paper.” Be sure to stop into Allegra, located at 1207 West County Road E, and find out what they can do for you! Allegra continued from page 1 Amidst all the roadwork on County Road E and Lexington Avenue, there has also been construction of a new build- ing on the northwest corner recently. TAT Properties LLC, the owner of the entire parcel of land, which includes the e-Street Flats apartments, is now completing the 17,743 square foot structure, which has been leased to Goodwill Industries. Slightly more than half the new space will be devoted to a Goodwill retail store. The remainder will be divided into employee offices, a donation processing area, and a drive-thru donation center. Parking and loading areas are at the rear of the building, which will be accessed by a driveway on County Road E. The design of the brick and glass build- ing includes parapets, corner columns, and awnings. Landscaping will include trees, shrubs and perennial flowers. These areas are planned to help shade the parking lot and provide screening of the back side of the building. The original proposal for this building went before the City Council on January 27, 2014, and was denied, primarily due to concerns about traffic and entrance and exit issues. The developer sued the City, which led to mediation and a slight design change. The Council then approved the project at its March 9, 2015, meeting. The Goodwill Store is tentatively slated to open in mid-December, with a grand open- ing scheduled for early January. Goodwill to open in Arden Hills This summer, Land O’ Lakes made a generous donation of $2,500 to the Arden Hills Foundation. This finan- cial support will fund the purchase and in- stallation of a new basketball system (pole, backboard, and net) in Ingerson Park. The Parks, Trails, and Recreation Com- mittee has a long-range goal to upgrade all basketball systems in Arden Hills parks to this new system. Valentine Park is current- ly the only City park that has this upgraded basketball system in place. The Arden Hills Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting the generosity of people with evolving needs in the community of Arden Hills. To learn more, contact: the City at 651-792-7800. Thanks, Land O’ Lakes! by Susan Cathey Goodwill Arden Hills, Minnesota Colored RenderingDecember 18, 2013 113-0046 Illustration courtesy Rob Davidson 5 The City of Arden Hills welcomes new Deputy Clerk Julie Hanson and new Public Works Maintenance Worker Michael Christofore III. We sat down with Julie and Mike to ask them some questions so that Arden Hills residents can get to know them a little better. Mike Christofore started as a Public Works Maintenance Worker for Arden Hills on July 20. His job duties include City maintenance tasks dealing with sewer, water, street maintenance, and much more. Mike currently lives in North St. Paul. Before coming to Arden Hills, he worked as a foreman for a lawn care company. In his spare time, Mike likes to go up north, go four-wheeling, snowmobiling, and work on cars. Julie Hanson has been the new Deputy Clerk for the City of Arden Hills for about a month now. Before coming to Arden Hills, she worked for the City of Brooklyn Center for 10 years and previously held positions at the cities of Coon Rapids and Columbia Heights. Julie brings a variety of experience to the position including utility billing, administration, council items, public works, permits, and more. Julie cur- rently lives with her husband, two daughters in college, a dog and three cats in Blaine. In her spare time, she likes to read, spend time outside and with family, and go boating. City welcomes new Deputy Clerk and new Maintenance Worker Getting to know JulieGetting to know Mike What is a defining talent that makes you unique? “I adapt, am outgoing and patient. I like people to be happy and like to help figure things out. I think that’s good for working for a city - being able to work with the different aspects of the job without getting rattled. Generally, people just want help or an answer.” What is a personal or work goal you have for yourself? “Here at Arden Hills I have the opportunity to get my City Clerk certification. That’s another thing that interested me about this job — the education piece that I did not have at the other positions. It’s a three-or-four year process, attending classes and earning points with various job functions. So, my goal is to get through that process and get the certification under my belt.” What is the best advice you’ve ever received? “Just treat people the way you want to be treated - even those pesky telemarketers. Be nice because it’s somebody’s job.” Where is the coolest place you’ve traveled? “Me and my friend took a road trip down to southern Georgia. We have a friend that lives down there. There’s some pretty cool sights to see on the way down. We stayed a night at the Grand Ole Opry hotel and hung out in Nashville.” What is a defining talent that makes you unique? “The ability to learn quickly and to be able to see a situation building up and being able to solve a problem.” What is the last book you read? “I read The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. It’s a true story.” What is something you can’t live without? “Siracha hot sauce...and dry socks.” What is the best advice you’ve ever received? “What you put into it you get out of it.” by Emma Theis County Road E bridge project completed The project to rebuild the bridge over Highway 51 and improve County Road E in the same vicinity was completed in August. The improvements provide a safe pedestrian walkway over the bridge, new streetlights and trees next to County Road E, and new pavement. Postal Customer ECR-WSS PRST STD U.S. Postage Paid St. Paul, MN Permit #1962 I n s i d e Arden Hills, MN . 55112-5734 Rain gardens benefit our community Floral Park Two new employees join City Business focus: Allegra News from the City CouncilI am often asked about what the City spends the most money on from the City’s general fund in any given year. (The general fund is made up of the rev- enue from property taxes along with other smaller sources of income.) The answer is – public safety. Public safety expen- ditures accounted for 44 percent of last year’s general fund spending. Public safety includes police protection, fire protection, emergency management, and 911 dispatch services. One of the traditions in Arden Hills is to provide first rate services at budget prices. We are able to do this by partnering with surrounding communities. Arden Hills does not have its own fire department; we come together with Shoreview and North Oaks to contract with the Lake Johanna Fire Department, which provides fire pro- tection to all three areas. We do not have our own police department; along with seven other communities, we contract with Ramsey County to provide police patrol to a large portion of Northern Ramsey Coun- ty. By doing this, we are able to get a much higher level of service than if we were to provide those services all by ourselves. July 1, 2015, was a historic day for Arden Hills, the Lake Johanna Fire Department, and our partner communities of North Oaks and Shoreview. On that day, the fire department completed an implementation plan started in 2009. The Lake Johanna Fire Department finally achieved staffing of two fire stations with six firefighters in total, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. What does that mean to the residents of Arden Hills? That means, when you dial 911 for a medical emergency or to report a fire, within 90 seconds of your call be- ing answered at the Ramsey County 911 center, Lake Johanna firefighters will be in a truck responding to your emergency. No longer will they be paged at home or work and have to first go to a station and get on a truck and respond to your emergency. A small number will be on duty around the clock ready to do what they do best, save lives and property. Staffing two stations around the clock saves roughly two to three minutes per call – minutes that are vital when you need it the most. Stop in and say hi and thank all the fire- fighters for their service at this year’s Lake Johanna Fire Department Fall Open House, taking place Saturday, October 3, 2015, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Station # 3, 5545 Lexington Avenue North (at County Road I). There will be truck and equipment displays, and fire truck rides will be avail- able until 1:30 p.m. for kids big and small. Shifting gears, I want to welcome The Tav- ern Grill, the soon-to-be newest addition to our City. The Tavern Grill will be opening near the Walgreens in Arden Plaza some- time next spring. The City Council at the August 31, 2015, meeting approved plans for a 9,500 square foot restaurant with an attached 3,050 square foot outdoor patio area for seasonal seating. For years, one of the comments most heard in Arden Hills is the lack of high quality sit-down restau- rants in our City. The Tavern Grill will help fill the void. Hemisphere Restaurant Partners, the own- ers of The Tavern Grill, have three other restaurants in Blaine, Edina, and Wood- bury. Having been to their Blaine location before, I am excited for what this new business brings to Arden Hills. If you are curious about what the Arden Hills location will be like, visit thetaverngrill.com, and that will give you an idea of the menu and the type of restaurant that will be coming to Arden Hills. For a community of just under 10,000 people, I am constantly amazed by the amount of activity in our City. That pace will only increase as development starts on the TCAAP property. It is an exciting time to live in Arden Hills. I hope you are as excited for the future as I am! Warmest regards, Dave McClung Dave McClung City Council Member