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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApril 1976published by the Arden Association •'`. No. 97 April 1976 TThank you for your response to last month's o request for feed -back from readers on your feelings about the Town Crier. I appreci- W ate your taking the time to write or tele- phone me with your comments. A quote from CNone of the letters I received says what was expressed a number of times: "I hope Rthe Town Crier can remain fundamentally an • instrument of the citizens of Arden Hills, since we are paying for it in the final an - Ealysis ...... on the other hand the Council views and suggestions and support are nec- R essary too. In my opinion, perhaps the ti bias should be 80/ citizens and 20% Council." In addition to this, specific suggestions and requests for inclusion of a variety of 'news' and 'feature' items were received. We will try to answer these requests in future issues. :- When the Council approved a budget for the Crier, agreement among the Council members that the paper of City Hall, but rather serve the community as an means of communication. The comments received dur residents are generally satisfied the Crier has do by the above quote and similar remarks, it seems views are wanted. This would be ideal, but withou the in -put can only come on a volunteer basis. In shall try to give you dates of up -coming meetings possible. Attendance at a meeting might stimulate and if so, the Town Crier is your place to express of all of us, one such offer has already been mad Below are her excellent comments: it was done with unanimous not function as the voice information source and a ing the past month indicate ne this; yet as evidenced more resident in -put and t a staff of reporters, response to requests, we and items on agendas when views and/or discussion, them. To the advantage e - by Diane McAllister. ..... "In order to help out the editor of the Town Crier, this embryonic re- porter attended the City Council meeting of March 22, hoping to stumble upon a Pulitzer Prize story. Unfortunately, the business of the Council that eve- ning was purely routine and, in fact, quite dull. The reporter from the New Brighton Bulletin and myself formed the entire audience. "The meeting opened at 7:35 P.M. and everybody was there except Jim Wingert. (Jim has been ill with this year's flu.....) The preceeding minutes were approved with some minor corrections. Mayor Crepeau asked if there was any business from the floor and looked at me inquiringly, since I was the only stranger present. When I shook my head "no", I couldn't tell if he was re- lieved or disappointed. "John Buckley (Director of Parks and Recreation) had a few things to discuss -- a summer tree inspector (Ed. Notet Please read the Public Notice follow- ing this report.), park plans, and upgrading some ball fields -- but every- one, including me, seemed pretty much in agreement with his ideas. It was ' decided to increase the cost of the meters for lights at the Mounds View High School tennis courts to make the tennis players pay the total electric bill. It will now cost 25,,1 per 15 minutes of light. The council also voted I on a name for the new park in the Hazelnut Patch or old Dead Mans Hill area. Good sense prevailed when they chose "Hazelnut Park" over "Dead Man's Park"$ 'Since the meeting was now runningahead of schedule which no one could be- � lieve, there was a short discussion of miscellaneous problems. The Council discussed the eternal pond in Ingerson Road, some passive park areas, news- , paper drop sites, and paying the registration fee for our Treasurer to at- tend a meeting on small city finances in San Francisco. "Then the Building Inspector arrived to say everything was find in A.H. He ' is certainly a handsome gentleman with a marvellous voice -- should have his own TV series. But would a series about a'Building Inspector sell? , "Council then discussed the new zoning ordinance for a while, and since j there were only two of us observing, Mrs. McNiesh got some extra copies of the ordinance for us to follow along with. It's quite a sizeable volume. There was some mention that if you are allowed only two dogs per dwelling, what about Cardian Pacemakers and their experimental animals? It was point- ed out that,this was taken care of in another section of the ordinance. "As I left this fascinating meeting at 10:00 P.M. the Chief of Police was presenting estimates on a new squad car, and the Council was questioning him at great length. "I would like to praise our Mayor and Council for putting in so much time , on such routine matters. I realize these things must be attended to, but until you watch the actual process, you are not really aware of how much it all takes. Our Council is very careful about spending our money, and they seem to care a great deal about the Village. "I came away with a distinct good feeling about seeing our local government , in action. However, at coffee break time, two Councilmen separately suggest- ed to me that I return the next time a new apartment building, or another ' fast food establishment, or a road widening is suggested. That, they said, is local government in REAL action!" Thanks, Diane! ...... And speaking of road widening, discussion of this for Lexington Avenue is coming up. A joint Arden Hills/Shoreview re- port is being prepared for presentation to the Planning Commission. Possibl this will be ready for their April 6 meeting - call the Village Hall that day to find out if the report is scheduled for presentation. After P.C. discus- sion, recommendations will be made to Council. Council then will be discuss ing this item at some one of its April meetings. Council meetings for Aprill 11 are the 12th, 19th and 26th, and again, it is best to telephone the Village Hall the day''of the meeting to learn what items are on the agenda. ......PUBLIC NOTICE: Minnesota's Department of Agriculture, in its rules and regulations relating to the control of dutch elm disease and oak wilt, state that all public and private properties be annually inspected prior to April 15 for elm wood or logs that could serve as bark beetle breeding sites. A city tree inspector will be inspecting woodpiles throughout the Village to comply with these regulations. Should disease be present, property own- ers will be advised and will have 20 days after notification to remove or de -bark wood to be retained. Elm wood or logs not removed within 20 days shall be removed by the municipality and the cost shall be assessed against the property. ****'*The Human Rights Commission invited an Arden Hills Police officer to a recent meeting to discuss crime prevention and property protection. The officer reported one of the most effective burglary deterrents is "Operation Identification" and encouraged its wider use. Apparently not enough homes in the Village utilize this means of protection. The Police Department praises its value and urges more residents to contact the Village Hall for information, and instructions on how to become "identified". The Police Department will also keep an eye on your property during vacation absences. Call the Arden Hills Police Department at 633-6711 weekdays be- tween 8:30 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. advising them of your schedule. They will then pay special attention to your property on their daily rounds. Police also recommend leaving a key to your home with a neighbor. (Let the Police know who this neighbor is.) The Officer also suggested not closing drapes all though the house when you are gone as it implies an empty house - a potential scene for burglary or mischief. Perhaps your neighbor with the key would re -arrange your drapes occasionally. (Thereby saving the carpeting and furniture and plants from crisping in the sun') Having inside lights on timers is highly recommended - ditto for outside yard lights if possible...... Darkness invites trouble.... And even when you are at home, please, warn the police, do not tempt passers- by with an open garage door displaying your collection of bikes, skis, snow - blowers, lawn mowers, etc. * * * * * * * * * * * ' Arden Hills property owners are eligible for flood insura-ce under federally subsidized rates. Check with the Village Hall to determine if your specific property lies in the vulnerable "flood plain" areas of the Village. * * APRIL CALENDAR tApril 1 - 7:30 P.M. Village Hall. Human Rights Commission Meeting. Dis- cussion of a possible program for Vietnamese refugees in our area, and an exchange of ideas for the Library Lecture Series. Dorothy Sullivan, 633- 1666 is Chairwoman of this Committee and can be called for agenda information. 9 Z96T 'ON 3!wJad 'uuiyy 'Ined '3S (IIVCI 3w1Sod 'S 'n �.tdu Erna April 5 - 7:30 P.M. Village Hall. Public Safety Meeting. April 6 - 8:00 P.M. Village Hall. Planning Commission Meeting - A Public ljearing is scheduled on a'request from Northwestern College for a Special Use Permit for the addition of a fine Arts Building on Campus. Check with Village Hall to verify if widening of Lexington Ave. will be discussed. April 7 - 7:30 P.M. Public Works Bldg. - Public Works Committee Meeting. April 8 - 8:00 P.M. Village Hall. Finance Committee Meeting. April 12 - 8:00 P.M. Village Hall. Council Meeting.* April 13 - 8:00 P.M. Village Hall. Parks and Recreation Committee Meeting. 1 I April 14 & 28 - 7:30 P.M. Village Hall. Rice Creek Watershed. This commi- ' tee is composed of representatives from municipalities within the Rice Creek Watershed area and their discussions include ecological concerns, pollution, etc. of water bodies within the area. Arden Hills lakes and creeks are sub- , jects of concern and conversation. April 19 - 8:00 P.M. Village Hall. Council Meeting.* pylic Hearing on pro- posed improvements to County Road F. between Hamline and Lexington and for Hamline Ave. north of 694. The meeting will probably not be dull ...... April 26 - 8:00 P.M. Village Hall. Council Meeting.* 11