Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutNovember 2017The Official City Newsletter for Arden Hills Residents November 2017 State-of-City meetings focus on new building projects and Rice Creek Commons Cummings Park will have a push-light system available during the week for open skating. Lights will automatically turn off at 10:00 p.m. The warming house will not be open during this time. A warming house attendant will be on duty Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays only. Two 2017 State-of-the-City meet- ings were held this fall, one at the Tavern Grill on September 28 and another at City Hall on October 3. The sessions focused on new development projects for Arden Hills including: • TCAAP/Rice Creek Commons and associated road work • The MnDot I-35W MnPass Project • Land O’Lakes Corporate expansion • Phase II of the Lexington Station development • An expansion at the Health Partners Clinic • A Proposed Marriott Springhill Suites to be built west of Lexington Avenue and south of I-694 • Additional City improvements inclu- ing roads and streets, trails and trail extensions, and more. To learn more, visit City News at www.cityofardenhills.org City leaders, residents, and members of the community met for State-of-the-City meet- ings this fall. Arden Hills skating rinks are sched- uled to be open from December 11, 2017 to February 19, 2018. Dates are subject to change depending on weather conditions. Rinks will be closed if the temperature is -20 degrees Fahrenheit, and/or the wind chill is -20 degrees Fahrenheit. Warming house hours for Freeway, Ha- zelnut, and Perry Park are: Monday – Friday: 4:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday – 12:00-8:30 p.m. Sunday – 1:00-7:00 p.m. When can I use the rinks? Vacation and holiday hours for the warm- ing houses are: December 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 29 – noon –3:30 p.m. Christmas Eve –CLOSED Christmas Day –CLOSED New Year’s Eve –noon-5:00 p.m. New Year’s Day –noon-5:00 p.m. Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 15) – noon-8:30 p.m. President’s Day (February 19) – noon-8:30 p.m. Call Sara Knoll at 651-792-7845 if you have questions. Get out your skates! 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@cityofardenhills.org 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 Dawn Skelly named Communications Coordinator Cold weather can be especially difficult for vacant houses where damage from storms and frozen pipes can go unnoticed. If you know of a vacant house in your neighborhood, please contact City Hall. It is City policy to shut off water to homes that are vacant. Help prevent damage to vacant properties this winter Buying in bulk? Some things to consider Buying in bulk is a great way to reduce packaging waste, save money, and try foods in small quantities. People who are new to buying bulk are often intimidated by the bulk section of the grocery store, so here is everything first-timers need to know: • Bring your own container—preferably the one you’ll use for storage at home. If you forget, stores supply plastic bags too. • Use the scale to find your container’s “tare weight” (the weight of your container when it’s empty, which you’ll subtract from the total weight on the scale after it’s filled). At some stores you’ll do this; at others the cashier will. Ask for help your first time! • Only buy as much as you can eat before it goes bad. Some stores even allow you to sample an item before you fill up. • Write the item’s code on your container or on a label provided by the store, and bring your purchases to the cashier. It’s that easy! • Buy only what will be used before spoiling and what you have storage space for. The cost and waste savings go away when the leftover food ends up in the trash. Buying from the bulk bins will help you to enjoy less packaging waste, less food waste, and more money in your pocket! Learn more at getLESStoday.com. Dawn Skelly was hired in early October as the Communications Coordinator for the City of Arden Hills. Her responsibilities include developing a communications plan for the City and overseeing the City website, social media, and publications. Dawn has 25 years of experience in community journalism, communications, and marketing. She began her career as a reporter at the White Bear Press in 1991 and has worked in the fields of magazine publishing, non-profit communi- cations, public relations, and higher education marketing. She holds a master’s degree in public affairs from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor’s degree in journalism and sociology from the University of Wisconsin. As a resident of Arden Hills, Dawn is looking forward to using her talents and skills to serve the City. She and her husband, Joe, have two children, Summer, 14, and William, 13, and a Chihuahua Terrier named Shadow. Dawn enjoys hiking, reading, nature photography, and meeting new people. Please contact her at the City of Arden Hills to share your story at dskelly@cityofardenhills.org or by calling 612-792-7817. from Rethink Recycling 3 Benchmarks-- a review of City Council Action September 11, 2017 Consent Items Approved (all by 5-0 vote): • Accepted resignation of Communica- tions Coordinator Alexandria Olson • Approved Resolution 2017--027 to award sewer relining project to Michaels Corp for $197,398 • Approved Resolution 2017-028 ordering a public hearing October 23 for US10 highway project • Approved Resolution 2017-029 to accept $600 donation from AH Foundation for a park bench Public Hearing items: • Approved Resolution 2017-030 adopt- ing quarterly assessments for delinquent utilities (5-0) • Approved Resolution 2017-031 ordering nuisance abatement at 1870 Glen Paul Ave (5-0) New Business Items: • Approved City Project 17-W-001 scope and final design fees to WSB for trail and watermain projects (5-0) for $89,000 September 25, 2017 Consent Items Approved (all by 5-0 vote): • Approved appointment of Communica- tions Coordinator Dawn Skelly • Approved Resolution 2017--037 City cost participation in the County Road F reconstruction for $99,000 • Authorized $11,840 to Norsk Concrete Construction for curb and sidewalk work at Hazelnut Park Public Hearing items: • PMP street reconstruction/reclamation for Indian Oaks/Floral Dr and Brueberry/ Parkshore areas • Ordinance 2017-007 Right of Way for Small Cell Wireless infrastructure New Business Items: • Established Preliminary Levy for Taxes Payable in 2018 at 4 percent (5-0) • Approved WSB scope and fee engineer- ing fees for 2018 PMP Final Plans and Specifications for $188,000 (5-0) • Approved Planning Case 17-023 for Master and Final PUD to Marriot Spring- hill Suites for construction of a new 139 unit hotel at 3920 Northwoods Drive (5-0) • Approved Resolution 2017-039 award- ing Agreement for Legal Services to Surya Indian Foods opens There is an interesting new place to shop in Arden Hills. Surya India Foods opened in late September at 3531 North Lexington in Arden Plaza. Tina Jain, who owns the store with her family, explains that the name Surya means “Sun” in Sanskrit. The store offers a colorful panorama of goods, mostly from all regions of India, but also some foods from other Asian countries. There are fresh vegetables on offer, including some unusual varieties such as fresh okra and curry leaves. Good quality organic spices are available. The store offers a mind-boggling 50 kinds of rice and 75 kinds of flour. Although its name says Foods, there are also cookware, beauty prod- ucts, and an attractive display of seasonal gift items and treats. Jain finds the Arden Hills loca- tion to be excellent because they are attracting customers from local businesses such as Land O’Lakes and Deluxe who would not find many of these items in at least a ten-mile radius. There are frozen specialties for reheat- ing that make quick meals. The staff, which is mostly Indian and mostly moms, includes good cooks who are happy to offer suggestions for prepar- ing Indian foods. Jain says they are striv- ing for an upscale shopping experience and value customer feedback. The store is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Tina Jain, whose family owns Surya India Foods, stands in front of a display of gifts and treats. Campbell Knutson beginning January 2018 (5-0) Per Planning Case 17-020 Zoning Code Amendment for Higher Education Land Uses: • Approved motion to receive WSB study on Commercial, Industrial and Higher Ed report (5-0) • Approved Resolution 2017-032 amend- ing Ordinance 2017-005 modifying the 4th whereas (5-0) • Adopted Resolution 2017-005 modify- ing language to strike Higher Education Classroom/Office as a conditional use (5-0) • Approved publishing a Summary of Ordinance 2017-005 (5-0) • Approved publishing a Summary of Ordinance 2017-006 (5-0) • Approved Resolution 2017-033 rezoning Bethel and University of Northwestern campuses as Institutional districts (5-0) Here are things to remember as the white flakes begin to fly. The City does not have a bare street policy, as this requires tons of salt, around the clock plowing, and heavy traffic. Plows will get as close as possible to mailboxes, but the cleaning of the mailboxes and fire hydrants is up to residents. No vehicle can be parked on the street after the accumu- lation of two or more inches of snow and until after plowing has been completed. The City plows the walks and trails to the best of its ability after all the streets are done. There is no parking on any City street between 2:00 and 6:00 a.m. year round. And we shall have snow... 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 MayorArden Hills provides a wide variety of public services. Law enforcement is one of those, and it represents a large percentage of our operating budget. It’s something we cannot be without, and we contract with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, 24 hours per day, seven days per week. I make it a point to spend a shift in a squad car at least once each year to learn how things are going in the City and how the service is being performed. Past years have been relatively quiet; this year was an exception. The calls: Almost all of the calls on the day I rode along were for a variety of relationship and behavioral issues. Perhaps this was brought on by high temperatures that fall evening, or that it was Friday night. The issues and the severity of the situations were all very different. The common ele- ment was that the officers were involved in various situations where they needed to perform three very different tasks: They needed to document what happened, sort out any legal issues, and use their skills in human relationship management. It was amazing to watch them perform all three duties simultaneously with the utmost skill and professionalism. As you might expect, these calls can take much longer than the average call, often involving considerable emotional discus- sion. I was impressed at how the officers quickly, calmly, and effortlessly switch their focus back to patrol after such an incident. The paperwork: There is an old saying, “The job isn’t finished until the paperwork is done.” For the officers that means a police report. This year more than in the past, I noticed the use of cell phones as part of the process. In one case, the person calling 911 had a video to share with the officer along with pictures of the person they needed to locate. In another call, a cell phone was used to document a person’s injuries. In yet another case, a cell phone was used to take pictures of legal papers to be included in the police report. It seems that cell phones have become a valuable tool for law enforcement docu- mentation. The squad car: For years squads have been equipped with laptops and real time graphical maps of each street, similar to today’s cell phone mapping applications. Today squad car dis- play maps have been linked with property records to show the owner. Having quick access to the property owner’s name can be helpful in a variety of situations. Forward-facing dash cameras are common in squad cars now. What is new is the 3” x 6” monitor that is mounted in the car from the roof. It allows the officer to quickly view what the dash camera is recording. Officers never know what the next call will bring; some may be routine, and others may be much more difficult and in some cases pose a safety concern for the officer. Regardless of the call, they are always serving us, keeping the peace, provid- ing support, and enforcing our laws. The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office does an outstanding job for us. Next time they are in your neighborhood, give them a friendly wave. It is a quick way to show that you appreciate all that they do for us. Regards, David Grant Mayor The Truth-in-Taxation hearing will be Monday, December 11, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. State of the City Snow is coming! Get out your skates Surya Indian Foods opens Mayor Grant shared this photo to provide some perspective about the amount of technology in today’s Ramsey County squad car.