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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMarch 2017The Official City Newsletter for Arden Hills Residents March 2017 New appointments in the Ramsey County Sheriff Department announcedThe City of Arden Hills contracts with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office for police services. On January 10, the Ramsey County Board of Commis- sioners unanimously appointed Jack Serier as the new sheriff, to replace retiring Matt Bostrom. He will serve until the next elec- tion in 2018. Serier has been with the Sheriff’s office since 2011, serving as Chief Deputy the past two years. His career in law enforce- ment spans 26 years, including as a St. Paul police commander. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Hamline University, a Master’s in Education, and a doctoral degree in Lead- ership, Policy and Administration from the University of Saint Thomas. He teaches an Ethics course there, as well as at St. Mary’s University. Jack and his wife have two adult children and enjoy skiing, running and traveling together. Since taking office, Sheriff Serier has made significant appointments. Julie Rudie stepped into Serier’s previous role as chief deputy sheriff, the first woman to hold that post. Rudie has a bachelor’s degree in crim- inology from the University of Minnesota- Duluth and is a graduate of the Northwest- ern University Center for Public Safety in the School of Police Staff and Command. She is a member of the Lower Sioux Indian Community. She has been with the sheriff’s department since 2011 and now supervises the day-to-day operations of the sheriff’s office. Booker Hodges, who has led the depart- ment’s regional services division since March, 2016, was promoted by Serier to undersheriff of administration, the second African-American man to reach that rank in the sheriff’s office’s 168-year history. Hodges has a Bachelor’s degree from Florida Southern College, a Master’s from St. Mary’s University, and a doctorate in Public Administration from Hamline Uni- versity. He was previously president of the Minneapolis NAACP. The Ramsey County Friends of the Parks organization is again sponsoring their spring tree sale, which gives you the opportunity to help add trees to area parks, as well as planting in your own yard. Many of our Arden Hills parks have benefitted from gener- ous donors in the past. The trees available, grown locally at Bailey’s Nursery, are species of birch, honeylocust, ninebark, plum, mountain ash, and spruce, as well as roses and flowering shrubs. You can see all the choices on the Friends’ website at http://friendsoftheparks.org/tree-sales/. Trees may be ordered until Friday, April 21, at the website above. Prices range from $25 to $85. Trees will be available for pickup on May 6, at sites in Maplewood and St. Paul. If you would like to give a gift to an Arden Hills park, scroll to the bottom of the tree sale web page and indicate the amount you would like to donate and select Arden Hills as the recipient. City staff will select and plant trees appro- priate to the park site. Your gift is tax deductible and greatly appreciated. Pictured at right are Sheriff Serier, Chief Deputy Sheriff Julie Rudie and Undersheriff of Administration Booker Hodges. Friends of the Parks spring tree sale on the horizon 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 3 Want information about the work of the City Council? Looking for information about your City and the work of the Arden Hills City Council? See the Services Directory on page 2 of this newsletter for information about replays of City Council meetings. You can also visit the City of Arden Hills website; click on Government and then on City Council. The recycling journey Many people use Arden Hills’ trails and parks in all seasons, and it is im- portant that it be an enjoyable experience everyone. The approach of spring is a good time to remind dog owners of the City’s laws regarding their pets in public areas. All dogs and cats are required to be licensed. An application can be filled out by visiting the City’s website (cityofarden- hills.org) and clicking on the orange On- line Services tab and selecting Pet License Application. You must provide proof of a current rabies vaccination and pay a fee of $30, which is good for two years, 2017 and 2018. Pet owners are responsible for cleaning up and disposing of feces in a sanitary man- ner. Pets may not be on public property or someone else’s private property without the owner having in their immediate possession the means to remove feces and dispose of it in a proper receptacle on the property or on the pet owner’s property. Except in designated off-leash areas, the owner of an animal within the City of Arden Hills must keep their pet restrained at all times while in a public place. This includes but is not limited to school properties, trails, parks, open space areas, and streets. There are two off-leash parks available in Arden Hills. One is Field 4 at Perry Park, at 3700 New Brighton Road, available year-round. The other is the hockey rink at Hazelnut Park, 3301 New Brighton Road, available as a dog park in the summer. Do you ever think about where recy- clables go after you toss them into your curbside bin? Depending on the type of material, there are a lot of different pos- sibilities for the journey of a recyclable. The journey begins as the contents of your bin head down the road to a materi- als recovery facility where recyclables are sorted and separated into different materi- als. Machines like cardboard screens, fiber cabins, fiber balers, and magnetic separators are used to separate the different materi- als. Recovery facilities handle an immense number of items every day, and what you put into your bin makes a huge difference in how each day goes. Plastic bags and other items that may have been mistakenly placed in curbside bins can contaminate recyclables, clog machines, and slow down the recovery process. Recycled materials can be found in more products than you might think. Clothing, construction materials, packaging, and office supplies can all be the end of the journey for recycled materials. A fun way to look at how recyclable materials are transformed into new goods can be found at iwanttoberecycled.org. Here are a few ways common recyclables get turned into new products: • Glass bottles – These can be recycled an infinite number of times without losing any quality. They are used to make new glass containers. • Milk jugs – Plastic bottles and jugs can be used for clothing like fleece jackets or maybe even a new favorite chair. For example, the Minnesota- based company By the Yard uses them to make outdoor furniture. • Steel food cans – Steel cans can be melted and rolled into flat stock or steel sheets. Flat stock can be welded into tubes for bicycle frames. from Rethink Recycling Do’s and don’ts of dog ownership in Arden Hills Come to the 2017 Spring Egg Hunt Saturday, April 15! Join the Spring Bunny for a hopping good time! Hunt for candy- filled and prize-filled colored eggs, plus special golden eggs! There will be carnival games, too. The event will take place rain or shine (or snow)! Participants must register by Wednesday, April 12. Please indicate age category. You can register via the City of Arden Hills website. www.cityofardenhills.org. Click on City News on the site’s home page. WHO : Ages 1-12 COST : $8 per child WHEN : Saturday, April 15 WHERE : Cummings Park - 1219 Cummings Park Drive Spring clean-up day is May 20 Here’s your chance to get rid of those unwanted household items that have been cluttering up the place all winter. This year’s annual Spring Clean-Up Day is Saturday, May 20, from 7 a.m. to noon at 1425 Paul Kirkwold Drive. You’ll be able to find details on the City website as the date approaches. Questions about recycling? Visit rethinkrecycling.com. I n s i d e Arden Hills, MN . 55112-5734 ECR-WSS PRST STD U.S. Postage Paid Twin Cities, MN Permit #1962 Postal Customer From the Mayor A year in review As the first quarter of 2017 comes to a close, it is time to take a look at what the City accomplished in 2016. Listed be- low are some of the major items of 2016. Land O’ Lakes As a major employer, Land O’ Lakes chose to remain in Arden Hills and expand its corporate campus. In late fall they broke ground on a new office building of approximately 155,000 sq. ft. This build- ing will help consolidate their other local buildings to the Arden Hills campus and provide room for new employees. Tavern Grill Last June construction started for the Tavern Grill. As I write this article, the Tavern Grill just opened. It is a quality local chain restaurant with both standard menu items and a variety of build-your- own choices. Its uniqueness, service and selection help to offer a local dining experience that many residents have asked for. The company website describes it as “a celebration of food, beer, and great people.” Bridge replacements for County Road E2 and County Road H Finally all of our major bridges are complete. Last year saw the completion of County Road E2 and the functional completion of County Road H, with only one on ramp remaining to be completed this year. Along with past years’ bridge construction of County Road F, County Road E and County Road 96, our City is in good shape with major bridge infra- structure. Century Link In March our City and other cities that are part of the North Suburban Cable Commis- sion approved a franchise agreement with CenturyLink to provide telephone, internet and video services. These services are pro- vided through the existing communications infrastructure. However, some upgrades to this infrastructure must be completed to accommodate the addition of video service. The cable television service that Centu- ryLink offers is called PRISM®TV. Parts of our City have PRISM®TV service and more areas will be added by CenturyLink in the future. Red Fox Business Center Last year saw the completion of the Red Fox Business Center, a light industrial site located on Red Fox Road. This business center consists of two multi-tenant build- ings, totaling 93,300 sq. ft. The Red Fox business center is open and home to new Arden Hills business and employees. Rice Creek Commons In May the Joint Development Authority (JDA) selected Alatus Arden Hills LLC as the developer for Rice Creek Commons. Alatus Arden Hills LLC consists of Alatus, Inland Development Corporation, and Tradition Homes. After years of cleanup, in August, the Min- nesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) issued a certificate of completion for the cleanup efforts. This certificate is the formal signoff that the site is cleaned to residential standards and ready for devel- opment. The City completed its redevelopment code and zoning for the future develop- ment. These two actions clear the way for the property to be sold to the developer for development. Perry Park After years of reduced baseball field use, the Parks, Trails, and Recreation Commit- tee recommended that field 4 be turned into a dog park. The dog park was officially dedicated last summer during the “Bark and Rec” event. Field 4 is fully enclosed and has a double gate for dog access. 2017 Trail Plans This past year has seen the planning for several trail segments. At this point, two segments are under consideration. The county Road E2 segment is short and will connect to existing segments to complete a longer trail section and to improve pedestrian safety. The second trail under consideration is west of the County Road E Bridge to Old Snelling and Old Snelling north to Bethel University. These proposed trail segments are at the top of the Parks, Trails and Recreation Committees recommended list of new trails. Sincerely, David Grant, Mayor Staff changes in the Sheriff Department Spring tree sale Matt Schifsky retires Dog licensing details