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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOctober 2017The Official City Newsletter for Arden Hills Residents October 2017 Poison hemlock makes its way into Minnesota Poison hemlock is often found near rail- ways, rivers, ditches, field edges, farms and bike paths. It requires sun and is unlikely to be found in shady areas. The University website describes it this way: “Leaves are triangular, dark green, very lacy, and fern-like. Stems are hollow between nodes, ridged, and hairless with purple spots and blotches. Flowers are white with five notched petals arranged in In May of this year, Arden Hills Notes published an article about buckthorn, with information about what it is and how and why to get rid of it. Now there is another nuisance plant invading Minne- sota that we need to be on the lookout for. Poison hemlock is a highly toxic member of the carrot family. According to a Uni- versity of Minnesota website, all parts of the plant are highly poisonous to humans and animals. They should not be added to compost piles. Protective clothing should always be worn before working with or exposure to this plant. Poison hemlock, a plant native to Europe and North Africa, has been spreading rap- idly in southeastern Minnesota and may be spreading to other areas. The Department of Agriculture is asking residents to help track it. If you think you spot the plant, photograph it and email the picture to (arrest.the.pest@state.mn.us) or contact the local University Extension Office. The City of Arden Hills was hon- ored for financial performance at the Local Leaders in Government Luncheon put on by the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce on September 13. The award was in recognition of the City’s excellence in financial accounting; promoting transparency throughout the or- ganization; and providing the best quality customer service to its residents, Council- members, and other organizations. This is reflected in the fact that the City of Arden Hills has consecutively won three annual awards (for budgeting, financial reporting, and transparency) over many years from the Government Finance Officers Associa- tion (GFOA). City Finance and Administrative Services Departments honored an umbel (umbrella shape) approximately 2 to 3 inches across.” Complicating identification is the fact that there are several native look-alikes which are harmless or even beneficial. For pictures and more detailed descriptions, go to the website http://www.myminneso- tawoods.umn.edu/poisonhemlock/. Pictured here are (left to right) Senior Planner Matthew Bachler, Mayor Dave Grant, and Interim Director of Finance and Administrative Services Dave Perrault accepting the City’s award. 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 am-4:30 pm 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 Coordinator Dawn Skelly 651-792-7817 dskelly @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 Night to Unite brings the community together Twenty-six Arden Hills neighbor- hoods celebrated Night to Unite on August 1. Night to Unite encourages law enforcement and communities to strengthen neighborhoods by getting to know one another. The annual event brings community involvement one step closer to help promote safety and com- munication within our city blocks. Above: City Councilmember Brenda Holden (center) visited with residents on Night to Unite. At left: Ramsey County Deputy Sheriff Brian Chelstrom attended a neighborhood gathering. Floral Park becomes a Monarch WaystationEach fall, hundreds of millions of monarch butterflies migrate from the United States and Canada to Mexico and California where they wait out the winter until conditions favor a return flight in the spring. The monarch migration is threat- ened by habitat loss in North America. Why We Are Concerned Milkweeds and nectar sources are declin- ing due to development and the wide- spread use of herbicides in croplands, pastures and roadsides. Because 90 percent of all milkweed/monarch habitats occur within the agricultural landscape, farm practices have the potential to strongly influence monarch populations as do ge- netically modified crops and development projects that consume habitat. Monarch Waystations Monarch Waystations are places that pro- vide resources necessary for monarchs to produce successive generations and sustain their migration. Anne Dooley, an Arden Hills resident, has been raising monarch butterflies for many years and releases them into the wild. She was out walking one day and found the Floral Park gardens that Dr. Bob Mullin and many volunteers have been working hard to restore. Anne thought it was a perfect place to release the butterflies, and Floral Park became a designated Mon- arch Waystation. By creating a Monarch Waystation in Arden Hills, the City is contributing to monarch conservation, an effort that will help assure the preservation of the species and the continuation of the monarch migration. At left: Arden Hills’ Floral Park, 1423 Floral Drive West, is a Monarch Waystation. 3 Benchmarks-- a review of City Council Action The big question: what to do with all those leaves? When it comes to yard waste dis- posal there is definitely a right way and a wrong way to go about it. First, prompt leaf removal is always appreciated. Leaves tend to accumulate in the street, curb, and gutter which can cause maintenance problems for the City. Please help by keep- ing the curbs and gutters free of leaves. You can drop leaves you’ve collected at a disposal site, have your trash hauler take them away, or compost the leaves. The Minnesota Extension website has a guide to composting at www.extension. umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/soils/composting-and-mulching-guide. Most trash haulers will pick up yard waste for a nominal fee. The law requires that yard waste be separate from trash and contained within a compostable bag, such as the large pa- per lawn and leaf bags found at the local hardware store. Trash haulers may also provide a special yard waste cart for a small fee. The time of year is important to keep in mind when planning yard waste disposal. Haulers may stop collecting yard waste after a certain date or if there has been a significant snow fall— another reason not to delay this chore. A quality mulching mower is also an option to chop leaves into fine bits so they will ad- equately decompose over the winter without causing lawn health issues. Never dispose of yard waste on public property. Heavy rains and fluctuating pond levels can carry debris away to clog pipes and cause flooding. Yard waste dumped on access routes or easements can delay crews from making repairs to critical infrastructure, causing increased costs and further damage. August 14, 2017 Present: Mayor Grant; Councilmembers McClung, Holden, Holmes, Scott • Consent Items Approved (all by 5-0 vote) • Accepted resignation of Recreational Programmer Aaron Thelen • Approved repairs to 21 fire hydrants for $71,115 • Authorized Public Works to install new stop signs on Chatham Ave at McCracken Lane (5-0) • Adopted Resolution 2017-022 for reception of 2018 Street and Utility Improvements with a public hearing scheduled for Sept. 25, 2017 (5-0) • Adopted Resolution 2017-023 au- thorizing bids for 2017 sewer lining project (5-0) August 28, 2017 Present: Mayor Grant; Councilmembers Holden, Holmes and Scott. Absent: Mc- Clung (excused) • Consent Items Approved (all by 4-0 vote) • Adopted Resolution 2017-024 award- ing 2017 seal coat project to Allied Blacktop for $49,573 • Adopted Resolution 2017-025 ap- pointing Angela Hames as alternate on the Planning Commission • Adopted Resolution 2017-026 ap- pointing Matt Dixon as a regular on the Planning Commission Time to think about those leaves! Arden Hills offers many online services. The options are located on the City’s main webpage, www.cityofardenhills.org, within the Online Services tab in the center of the page. Save a stamp and join the over 900 residents who use the Utility Bill Payments feature. You can set up a recurring payment or pay using the “quick payment” feature. From the Online Services tab, many services are available that include: •Utility Bill Payments •Update/Create New Account for Utility Billing •Park and Rec Program Registration •Pet Licensing •Overnight Parking Permit •Garage Sale/Boutique Form •Facilities Rental Application Form •Report a Concern/Request Tracker •Residential Rental Property Application or Exemption •Various permits that include building, electrical and grading, mechanical, plumbing, zoning, and right of way In the upper right hand corner of the City’s website is a button called “I Want to…Help Center”. This will bring up a tab that assists visitors with navigating the website. Of course, residents are always welcome to contact City staff by phone, email, regular mail, or an in-person visit. City Hall is located at 1245 West Highway 96, and business hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 p.m. Email cityhall@cityo- fardenhills.org or call 651-792-7800 to contact City Hall with questions or concerns. Important note about utility bill payments: The City cannot accept post-dated checks ~ all post-dated checks will be returned to the sender. Thank you for your cooperation. Short of time? Do it online! Terry Reid has joined the Arden Hills Public Works Department. He has previous experience in Wayzata, Plymouth, and In- dependence. He says he enjoys the friendly staff and small-town atmosphere in Arden Hills. He enjoys active time with his fam- ily and also likes going to movies, playing video games, and hanging out with friends. Terry is married and has a seven-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter. Reid joins Public Works Department I n s i d e Arden Hills, MN . 55112-5734 Postal Customer From the City Council On November 7, we have school board races and bond referendum decisions to make. For the first time in eight years, I’ll be returning to my home Arden Hills Precinct 3 to work as head judge. I hope all of you will take a few minutes to fa- miliarize yourself with the candidates and the referendum being put before us. If you decide to vote in person at your precinct, stop by to say “Hi” to the election judges. You’ll get an I Voted sticker and a personal thanks from those of us helping to make your voting experience a satisfying one. Steve Scott City Councilmember I reached the traditional voting age of 21 late in 1972, a year after the 26th Amendment to the Constitution, granting the right to vote to 18 year olds, was passed by Congress, ratified by the required number of states, and signed into law by President Nixon. The Amendment effectively added another 11 million po- tential voters to the electorate. Of course, I felt a bit slighted, having to wait until age 21 while these young kids got to jump right into the fray at 18. It made sense since we were drafting 18 and 19 year olds to go fight overseas, but they had no vote. We didn’t have such things as the Internet, and that made gathering information on lo- cal races and issues a bit harder. I have to admit, I knew little about all those judicial, school board, school levies or municipal positions. I also did not know you could leave those races blank, so I made some pretty poor arbitrary choices in many of those early elections. Jump forward another 28 years, and the problems with the 2000 Presidential elec- tions piqued my interest. I became an elec- tion judge in 2004, serving in that capacity every election since. I even decided to become a candidate myself last year. I’ve always been a bit ashamed that the country I consider as the world’s greatest democ- racy struggles to achieve a voter turnout of 60 percent or less. Minnesota, of course, nearly always leads the pack with turn- out rates in the mid-70s but, to me, that number is still unacceptable. Arden Hills turned out at the rate of 84 percent for the 2016 elections! Democracy is NOT a spectator sport! It requires an engaged citizenry who researches the issues, researches the candidates, and candidates that make informed choices. I’ve lived overseas where people have died for just trying to vote or run as a candidate. My father served in the military for 23 years with combat in Europe during WWII and through the Korean and Vietnam con- flicts. Voting is something I’ve always taken very seriously. City accepts finance reporting award Poison hemlock Online services Fall activities for families Family-friendly classes and events: Check out the City website for new fall classes and events. Need a night out? Try the new Parents Night Out & Kids Night In. Young Participants will spend a few hours creating fun crafts, playing games, enjoying a healthy snack, and watching a movie while parents have time for a night out. Dates are: Fridays, September 22; October 20; and November 10. Ages 5-12, $15 per person. Halloween Boo Bash: What could be more fun and a little spooky than winning prizes at a carnival, playing ghost bingo, creating Halloween crafts, carving and decorating pumpkins, and a pizza dinner? Join us at Arden Hills City Hall for a wonderful evening of family fun! Ages 2-10, $10 per person (child or adult). Children must be accompanied by a paid adult. Pre-registration is required. Call Sara Knoll at 651-792-7845 if you have questions. Fall events for the family ECR-WSS PRST STD U.S. Postage Paid Twin Cities, MN Permit #1962