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Home My WebLink AboutNovember 197911 L C� C. 11 Published by the Arden Hills Newsletter Publication Committee No. 131 November 1979 ZONING ORDINANCE Arden Hills' proposed new zoning ordinance (Ordinance #99) is back for discussion after being in limbo for nearly three years. It is being amended now to conform to changes in State Laws (day care centers are now allowed in residential areas) and to cover minor problems that have come up in AH itself (distance between a driveway and an intersection). There may be another Public Hearing on this ordinance sometime in November or December; please watch for notices on this. RENDERING PLANT RESOLUTION The City Council has passed a resolution concerning the rendering plant which is located northeast of 694 and 35W; however the final agreement has not yet been sent to the company for approval. Arden Hills does not feel it has the right to attempt to close down the plant, as one irate caller sug- gested, despite the "tendency to emit...from time to time ... odors which are offensive to the residential neighborhood surrounding the grounds of said plant..." The City's resolution says that a permit to operate will be granted only if the doors and windows of the plant are kept shut during operating hours, all the plant air is 'scrubbed', the sewer system is not impaired by the dumping of an excessive amount of grease (more than 100 mg./liter), and that the emissions from the stacks be monitored throughout the year. Editor's comment: For those living in this area, the smell from the rendering plant is a terrible problem. One new home owner said he was VANDALISM Several occurrences of theft and vandalism have been reported in our Village this fall. T The first episode took place at the Presbyterian Homes where the cars belonging to the residents O there are parked outside all night. Some of vehicles have had the batteries stolen Wandthese • the connecting wires ripped out. This is C not only expensive to repair, but also often quite difficult for our senior citizens to take care of. R The second episocre was a report of breaking and entering in some of the homes in the Hunter's I Park area. In these cases, nothing was stolen, but windows or doors were broken to gain entry. E Clothes drawers were also dumped around and food R was taken from the refrigerator. When contacted about these things, the • • • Ramsey County Sheriff's Office said that one of the best deterrents to such crime is to report "suspicious -looking" characters to the police immediately. For instance, the Hunter's Park people said they have seen a trio of teen-agers, whom no one recognizes, walking through the area with a tool box. This is the sort of thing the police should know about ----BEFORE the crime. Of course, a big dog is always a good burglar alarm too, but I suppose it might be difficult to keep one chained to your car battery. ZONING ORDINANCE Arden Hills' proposed new zoning ordinance (Ordinance #99) is back for discussion after being in limbo for nearly three years. It is being amended now to conform to changes in State Laws (day care centers are now allowed in residential areas) and to cover minor problems that have come up in AH itself (distance between a driveway and an intersection). There may be another Public Hearing on this ordinance sometime in November or December; please watch for notices on this. RENDERING PLANT RESOLUTION The City Council has passed a resolution concerning the rendering plant which is located northeast of 694 and 35W; however the final agreement has not yet been sent to the company for approval. Arden Hills does not feel it has the right to attempt to close down the plant, as one irate caller sug- gested, despite the "tendency to emit...from time to time ... odors which are offensive to the residential neighborhood surrounding the grounds of said plant..." The City's resolution says that a permit to operate will be granted only if the doors and windows of the plant are kept shut during operating hours, all the plant air is 'scrubbed', the sewer system is not impaired by the dumping of an excessive amount of grease (more than 100 mg./liter), and that the emissions from the stacks be monitored throughout the year. Editor's comment: For those living in this area, the smell from the rendering plant is a terrible problem. One new home owner said he was embarrassed to invite guests over because he never knew which way the wind would be blowing. He added that jogging after work was often unpleasant because of the air. ----- The high school students simply blame it on their cafeteria. FLOOD INSURANCE MEETING A meeting has been tenatively scheduled for November 19, at 7:30 PM, at the Village Hall, to explain the Flood Boundary and Floodway Map of Arden Hills. If your house is located in a certain flood zone, you'will need flood insurance for certain mortgages; the mortgage company usually checks on the location with the Village Hall. If you are interested in this, please call the Village Hall (633-5676) for verification of the meeting date --it may change. You are also welcome to go to the Village Hall and look at the flood maps; they are available 8s00 AM to 4:30 PM. CABLE TELEVISION The City Council at its October meeting has appointed a Cable Commun- ication Citizen Advisory Committee. So far, members of this committee are Gerald Landsberger, Roger Moerke, Glenn Geffert, and Chairman Jim Wingert. The purpose of the committee is to find out just what are the current fed- eral and state laws governing Cable TV, to discover what our community wants, and then to see what the Cable TV companies have to offer. The Council will then listen to the committee's recommendations and decide what to do. If you have any ideas on this, feel free to contact any of the committee members or call the Village Hall. NEW RECEPTIONIST Mary Michaud is the new receptionist and clerk -typist at the Village Hall, and a lovely lady she is indeed. Coming to us from across the border (Shoreview), she is bright and efficient and will work full-time-. The only other thing I know about Mary so far is that she was born in England and came here when she was three. THANK -YOU LETTERS Two letters of appreciation were received at the Village Hall this month, and it's so nice to hear praise instead of complaint that I thought you should know about them. The first was a thank -you note for the Open House at the Village Hall sponsored by the League of Women Voters. The man who wrote in said his small children had a ball on the fire engines and public works equipment and wanted to return the next day. The other letter is a giant thank -you to Rice Creek Watershed for the improvement of the ditches into and out of Lake Johanna. When the lake stays Inside its banks during the next "100 -year" storm, more people will probably be writing letters too. DEFERRED ASSESSMENTS FOR SENIOR C ITI ZENS The Arden Hills City Council has passed a resolution saying that under certain circumstances, special assessments for Senior Citizens can be paid later. Please call the Village Hall (633-5676) for more details. POTPOURRI The State has sent us a letter promising grant money to the tune of , $4654 for the Arden Hills Hiking Trail. This is 40% of the total expected cost ..... The Public Safety Committee asks that residents and businesses in AH please keep the fire hydrants clear of snow this winter. And If there is a senior citizen with a hydrant near you, maybe you could keep his clear too..., The Presbyterian Homes are hoping to have the Sutton Place apartments com- pleted by January. Hard to believe the place was once a school..... 11 The cost of police protection for Arden Hills for the coming year will be just under $2009000.....There are no elections cowing up this November for our village, and the Clerk -Administrator is sighing in relief. She says these odd -numbered years are a real breathing space.....After Rice Creek said it would be O.K., the Council approved the culvert installation and fill for the pedestrian trail which links Floral to Cummings Park..... The Public Safety Committee recommends no change in the speed limit on County Road E-2; they feel the recorded accidents there do not appear to be speed related. However, the Council did concur that a School Zone sign be requested for Valentine Hills School. (Ramsey County requires both the School District and the municipality to request such a sign before it will be installed.).....The Council agreed that a 9' minimum width is enough for a car stall when a parking lot is planned. They've never seen me trying to maneuver my husband's 164 Lincoln..... Did you know there is a homebound book service offered by the Ramsey County Library? There is no charge for this either! If you are interested in this service for yourself or for someone else, or if you could donate a few hours a week to pick up and deliver materials, please call Charlotte Clark at 631-0494...... Three Arden Hills employees have beennominated for the Kiwanis Public Service Recognition Award. They are Charlotte McNiesh, our Clerk -Adminis- trator; Dorothy Zehm, our Deputy Clerk; and Hans (Bud) Johansen, head of our Public Works Department. The City would be in real danger of disintegrating without these three.....I.C. Systems has been granted approval of a request to enlarge their parking lot. There is space also for a future walkway and stairway connection to Arden P1aza.....An idea was broached at the October Planning Commission for a doctor's clinic in amongst the residential homes on County Road E, between McDonald's and Lindey's. The PC strongly suggested the applicant look elsewhere for property..... NATURE TRAIL Bethel College has developed a walking trail which runs through the woods, thickets, and swamps on their campus in Arden Hills. A two-mile path has been marked out by biology professor Gregg Johnson and was worked on this summer by Forest Lake junior Steve Prange. Bethel welcomes anyone to come and enjoy this woodchip trail and surrounding wild life. i Trail Directions: Enter the Bethel campus from 1` starts Old Snelling and park in the first lot to here the right. Walk back across the road to Lake Valentine and follow the orangey Lake ��, gravel path around the Lake to your right Valentine (north) onto the blacktop path. Follow jthis past the first marker which says "Willow Thicket Station" and the woodchip trail will strike off uphill to the right. 3Rditor's Comment: Be sure and wear old shoes because parts of the trail can be quite muddy after a rain. Some of the trail is difficult to discern because of Parking Lot the fallen leaves, but if you lose the woodchips, just follow the plastic trail liner. I managed to get lost after "Inter- mittent Pond", but found my way back along an apparent jogging path. It might be interesting to walk this in the winter too. Z96T 'ON i!UU d •uuiw dined '3S Quid rivisu s 'n 3.LVN xznS SIGN ORDINANCE The Planning Commission reviewed AH's proposed new sign ordinance for the first time, and a spokesman from Naegele Outdoor Advetising came to argue in favor of Naegele's 3 billboards (6 sides) located in the 694-35W area. After much discussion, the PC decided to amend the no -billboard portion of the ordinance to accommodate these billboards since they already exist. NOVEMBER CALENDAR Nov. 1 Human Rights Nov. 14 Rice Creek Watershed 7 Planning Commission 19 Public Safety 8 Finance 19 Flood Insurance Study 12 Council 21 Public Works 13 Parks & Recreation 22 Thanksgiving Holiday 14 Newsletter Publication 26 Council 6:45 AM at Steak Inn 28 Rice Creek Watershed (maybe Most of these meetings are held at the Village Hall at 7:30 PM, but it's a good idea to check before you come. The Town Crier newsletter is designed to inform Arden Hills residents of Village activities and business. Feel free to comment on anything. The deadline for the next issue will be November 16. Secretary -Editor: Diane McAllister, 1200 Ingerson Road, 55112. 484-0773 Arden Hills Village Hall: 1450 W. Highway 96, 55112 633-5676