HomeMy WebLinkAboutMay 2019The Official City Newsletter for Arden Hills Residents May 2019
On April 2, the Ramsey County
Board of Commissioners authorized
Ramsey County staff to explore legal
options to move the TCAAP/Rice
Creek Commons project forward. The
county also previously asked the city
to agree to terminate the Joint Powers
Agreement and to agree to dissolve
the Joint Development Authority.
The county and city had been
negotiating to create a master
development agreement for the 427-
acre project that would be developed
over phases on the former Twin Cities
Army Ammunition Plant property,
but the county halted negotiations last
fall, citing the lack of a shared vision
with the city.
County Votes to Explore
Legal Options to Advance
TCAAP/Rice Creek Commons
After a long winter, it's time for spring yard cleanup. You can bring your
yard waste to the Arden Hills yard waste collection site at 3530 Hudson Ave.,
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to
5:00 p.m.; and Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. A photo ID is required.
Ramsey County operates seven yard waste collection sites. All sites are
free and open to all county residents. For locations visit ramseycounty.us/
yardwaste.
The following items are accepted at the site:
• Leaves, grass and garden waste (dead plants leftover from last season)
• Branches, trees and shrubs (no stumps with roots)
• Organics recycling (food scraps and non-recyclable paper, including
tissues, paper towels, etc) in the required recycling bag
Organics recycling starter kits are available at the yard waste site, along with
recycling bags. You can also pick up compost and wood mulch for your lawn
and garden.
Yard Waste Site Hours of Operation and Accepted Items
For more information about this ordinance
amendment, please review Chapter 3 of the
City Code by visiting the city’s website at
cityofardenhills.org. You may also call the
City Clerk at 651-792-7811 if you have
questions.
In March, the Arden Hills City Council
voted to change the way that tobacco is
sold in the city. The ordinance related
to tobacco was amended to prohibit the
sale of tobacco products to anyone under
the age of 21 and to prohibit the sale of
all flavored tobacco products, including
menthol cigarettes and products flavored
with mint and wintergreen.
This restriction applies to all forms of
tobacco (cigarettes, e-cigarette liquid,
e-cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, blunt
and hemp wraps, shisha and smokeless
tobacco, including chewing and snuff). In
other words, any tobacco product that has
a taste or smell other than plain tobacco
cannot be sold in Arden Hills. These
changes take effect on July 1.
City Council Raises Age to Buy Tobacco to 21 and
Bans Sale of all Flavored Tobacco Products
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 612-599-2457
fholmes@cityofardenhills.org
Dave McClung 651-332-0352
davemcclung@cityofardenhills.org
Steve Scott 651-604-0919
sscott@cityofardenhills.org
City Administrator
Dave Perrault 651-792-7824
dperrault@cityofardenhills.org
Communications Coordinator
Dawn Skelly 651-792-7817
dskelly@cityofardenhills.org
Communications Committee
Council Liaisons
Brenda Holden
Fran Holmes
Council meetings are held at City Hall
on the second and fourth Mondays of
the month at 7:00 p.m. Meetings are
televised live on Cable Channel 16.
Meetings of the Planning Commis-
sion are televised as well. Please visit
cityofardenhills.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.
City News Updates
If you have buckthorn in
your yard, the public works
staff will pick it up from
your curb, starting at the
end of May and continuing
through the end of October,
or you can take it to the
Ramsey County Yard
Waste Collection site.
Buckthorn is an invasive
species that negatively
impacts local plant life
diversity.
To schedule a pick up, please fill out a form at visit cityofardenhills.org/
buckthornrequest. The Public Works Department will pick up buckthorn from
residential curbs on Friday mornings. Residents are required to place the buckthorn
in neat, manageable piles along the street curb. Please note that only buckthorn will
be accepted. If the pile contains other shrubbery, it will not be picked up. Pick up
procedures must be followed.
For information on what buckthorn is and why it is a problem, please visit dnr.state.
mn.us and search for buckthorn. The city also has buckthorn pullers for rent. Please
call City Hall at 651-792-7800 for details.
Please remove any roots from the buckthorn plants that you want picked up or that you
bring to the yard waste site. The Ramsey County yard waste collection sites do not
accept buckthorn plants with roots attached. You should place the roots in a yard waste
container provided by your garbage hauler. Call your hauler for more information.
Buckthorn Pickup and Collection Options
City Hall Hours of Operation will Change for the Summer
Summer staffing hours at City Hall begin Tuesday, May 28 and end Friday, August 30.
City Hall will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from
7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Friday.
Get Your Garage Sale Permit
If you are planning a garage sale, you are required to get a cost-free
permit from City Hall. You can apply for a permit through the city
website or in person.
Your sale cannot last longer than three days and you may not hold
more than two sales per year.
Sign requirements will be listed on your permit. Visit cityofardenhills.
org/garagesalepermit to apply online.
City Welcomes New Employees to Engineering and Recreation Positions
David Swearingen, Senior Engineering Technician
As a senior engineering technician, I assist in planning, preparing
and reviewing plans for infrastructure projects including street
reconstruction, trails, stormwater, sanitary sewer and watermain.
I review right-of-way and erosion control permits and complete
field inspections. I also coordinate with neighboring cities and
Ramsey County to execute projects in an efficient manner.
I obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical
engineering at Minnesota State University, Mankato. My career
background includes working in public works for the City
of Little Canada and the City of St. Paul. I also worked as a
construction laborer on heavy highway projects. Before I came to
Arden Hills I was employed at Stantec Engineering Consulting,
where I was involved with designing and inspecting a variety of
municipal developments and reconstruct projects.
Joe Vaughan, Recreation Programmer
As the recreation programmer for the City of Arden Hills,
I oversee the youth programming for the city, such as the
summer Playground Program, dance program, before-and-
after school activities and more! I organize youth special
events for the city, for example, the Spring Egg Hunt, Penny
Carnival and Breakfast with Santa. I am excited to work
for the city and to give kids the opportunity to have fun and
make memories!
I was born and raised in Minnesota. I have lived in the
Twin Cities for the past five years and absolutely love it! I
graduated from the University of Northwestern – St. Paul in
the spring of 2018. During my time at Northwestern, I met
my beautiful wife. We love going on walks with our puppy,
Huron, watching the Minnesota Twins and enjoying the
different forms of Minnesota weather.
Steps We All Can Take To Protect City Stormwater Ponds
With all of the snow
and rain, city
stormwater ponds
and wetlands are working
especially hard to take care of
the extra water. Stormwater
that’s not properly managed
can contaminate streams,
rivers and lakes and destroy
aquatic habitats, plants, fish and
animals. Below is information
about these systems and what
you can do to help protect
them.
Stormwater Ponds vs.
Wetlands
Both stormwater ponds and wetlands
capture and treat stormwater runoff.
Stormwater ponds are man-made and
designed to collect and catch water runoff
in developed areas. Wetlands are distinct
ecosystems that are permanently or
seasonally full of water.
Algae blooms or aquatic plants in
ponds and lakes need nutrients to grow.
Pollutants or nutrients that enter a pond
through stormwater runoff can lead to large
algae blooms, excess plant growth or even
hurt wildlife.
An overabundance of plant and algae
growth may inhibit a stormwater pond’s
function and degrade the pond’s water
quality. More importantly, however, the
degradation of a stormwater pond results
in polluting the watershed, or drainage area
around a lake, stream, wetland or pond.
This negatively affects water quality,
which has an adverse effect on plant and
animal life, and decreases the recreational
potential for these bodies of water.
Common pollutants that are washed into
stormwater ponds and wetlands include:
• Fertilizers and pesticides from lawn
care
• Animal waste and debris
• Lawn clippings or leaves
• Oil or grease from vehicles
• Road salt
What You Can Do
1. Seal your trash bags and keep litter out
of the street.
2. Use pesticides and herbicides
sparingly.
3. Pick up and properly dispose of pet
waste.
4. Wash your vehicle
on your lawn instead of on
the driveway so that the water
infiltrates into the ground.
5. Keep your car
maintained so it does not leak
fluids onto the streets.
6. Maintain healthy sod
and grass to limit erosion. Reseed
or re-sod all bare areas to keep
stormwater from washing soil
particles, which also contain
phosphorus, into a storm sewer or
pond.
7. Be aware of where your
stormdrain is and keep it free of
debris.
City Responsibility
The city does not treat stormwater ponds or
wetlands for algae, weeds, odors or other
aesthetic problems; however, the city is
responsible for the following tasks:
1. Maintenance of the “hydraulic and
treatment function” of water resources
that are located within city-owned
property, drainage or utility easements.
2. Removal of sediment accumulation,
obstructions and debris that impede
the flow of water and clearing clogged
stormwater pipes.
3. For drainage concerns, or pollution
and water quality concerns, contact
City Hall staff at 651-792-7800.
Keep Signs Out of the Way and Out of the Shoulder
If you have a yard sign that encourages
drivers to slow down, please place the
sign in your yard and out of the right of
way.
These signs cannot be placed in the
shoulder of the road, because they may
obstruct the ability for vehicles to use
the turn lane or for people to walk or run
on the side of the road.
Drivers: Please slow down on streets
where these signs are posted!
Do you need a fun, safe place for your
children to go this summer while you
work or get things done?
Check out the city's Summer
Playground Program.
For more information and to register,
visit the city website at
cityofardenhills.org/recregistration
Mark Your Calendar
New CTV Executive Director Focuses on Growing Community Networks
How can local cable television
grow when cable television
subscriptions shrink? That’s the
challenge facing local cable organizations
around the country. Dana Healy, executive
director of CTV North Suburbs, is hoping
a paradigm shift in the way cable access
stations operate may be the answer.
Healy joined CTV North Suburbs nearly
a year ago, replacing long-time executive
director Coralie Wilson. Her arrival
coincided with a turning point: Streaming
companies like Hulu and Prime had more
subscribers in 2018 than cable companies.
Locally, Xfinity/Comcast and CenturyLink
are feeling the squeeze as more residents
are choosing to ditch their cable.
Those choices lead to fewer franchise fees
going to local cities like Arden Hills to
offset costs for cable production, including
taping and airing city council meetings and
events. “The franchise fees, based on the
number of cable subscriptions, are falling,”
said Healy. “Less franchise fees mean less
money for community media production.”
Building Community Value
As a result, Healy has spent the past
several months transforming operations
at CTV by focusing on finding and
building value by serving as another
communications partner with cities like
Arden Hills.
“We want to deliver value for our city
partners, by amplifying their messages,
bolstering their communications,” Healy
said.
CTV has launched a new website with
city-specific landing pages and injected life
into its social media channels by creating
content in-house and also sharing content
from city social media channels.
“We are creating video content that
showcases our communities, the
‘warm and fuzzy’ events that make our
community a great place to live,” she said.
Redefining the Mission
CTV has shifted its focus from the
community coming in to produce their
own shows to CTV staff doing all of
the production in-house to support the
communities.
The new mission, “We produce community
focused digital media to educate and
engage our citizens,” provides volunteer
opportunities and career learning in new
media technologies.
Healy said she also is focusing on
partnering with companies and businesses
on local video productions. “Through cost-
sharing and production-for-hire services
we can help develop content about their
community for their community,” Healy
said.
Healy and her family moved to the
area from Boston, where she served as
executive director of Danvers Community
Access Television (DCAT). “People are
very nice here, very warm,” she said.
“We are enjoying being a part of the
community.”
Tune In
City Council and Planning Commission
meetings are aired on Xfinity/Comcast
Cable Channel 16. You can also view
them on high-definition (HD) channel
859 on Xfinity/Comcast and 8014 on
CenturyLink. CTV also has its sports
channel in HD on Xfinity/Comcast 799
and CenturyLink 8514.
Visit CTV’s website at ctvnorthsuburbs.
org.
Take Pride in our Community by Maintaining your Property
Having pride in the community and
pride in your home is the foundation of
a great city. It helps keep neighboring
property values high and neighborhood
integrity intact.
Whether you’re a homeowner, tenant or
landlord, spring can be a great time to
make home repairs after the long winter.
Common exterior repairs include but
are not limited to: peeling/flaking paint,
damaged roofing/siding and damaged
decks, fences and windows. Visit the
city's website to determine if you need a
permit at cityofardenhills.org/permits.
In addition, it’s time to clean up items in
the yard that may have been covered by
the snow, like pet waste and other debris.
All waste material, debris, refuse, yard
waste, or garbage shall be properly
contained.
Sooner or later the lawn will need to
be cut and maintained. Lawns must
not exceed eight inches in height and
noxious weeds must be removed. Well-
maintained properties protect property
values, livability and the overall quality
of life for the neighborhood and the
community.
Postal Customer
Inside
Arden Hills, MN . 55112-5734
TCAAP/Rice Creek Commons Updates
City Welcomes New Employees
Dana Healy, CTV North Suburbs
Steps for Protecting Stormwater Ponds
ECR-WSS
PRST STD
U.S. Postage Paid
St. Paul, MN
Permit #1962
Welcome and congratulations to the
following people, who were recently
appointed or reappointed to the city’s
Planning Commission.
Pictured (left to right) are:
Clayton Zimmerman (reappointed)
Planning Commission Chair Nick Gehrig
(reappointed)
Subbaya Subramanian (appointed)
Jonathan Wicklund (appointed)
Not photographed James Lambeth
(reappointed)
City Welcomes Planning
Commission Members
Current and Upcoming City Development, Park and Road Construction Improvement Projects
Development Projects
Mounds View Public Schools has
submitted an application for a Master and
Final Planned Unit Development (PUD)
at Mounds View High School. They
are seeking to construct 27,300 square
feet of additional classroom space and a
49,000-square-foot gymnasium addition.
In late 2018, Boston Scientific announced
that the Minnetonka Boston Scientific
campus will be shutting down and
transferring all product, processes and
employees to the Arden Hills Campus.
There will be approximately 400
employees transferring to the Arden Hills
campus by 2020. In preparation for this
move, campus site improvements will take
place.
Park and Playground Improvements
Designs are being developed for a
new parking lot and warming house
replacement for Hazelnut Park. The
basketball and tennis courts will be
reconstructed later this year.
The Cummings Park playground is
under construction and anticipated for
completion by the first week in June.
Royal Hills Park tennis and baseketball
courts will be reconstructed later this year.
Road Construction and Repair
Several streets will be sealcoated this
summer. See map below. A contract was
awarded and a schedule is being set.
The I-35W North MnPass project will
include the following closures (early May
through November):
• I-35W in both directions is reduced
to two lanes between Co. Rd. C and
Mounds View Blvd.
• I-35W in both directions is reduced
to three lanes between Mounds
View Blvd. and the northern Hwy 10
interchange
Ramp closures (late May through
November):
• Co. Rd. C to SB I-35W in Roseville
• SB I-35W to Co. Rd. I in Arden Hills
2019 City of Arden Hills Street Maintenance Project Overview
Recyclable Items Accepted:
•Electronics (TVs, Computers, etc.)
•Appliances
•Tires
•Water softeners
•BBQ grills
•Lawnmowers*
•Mattresses
•Snow blowers*
•Scrap metal
Non-Recyclable Items Accepted:
• Construction debris
•Carpeting
•Vacuum cleaners
•Furniture
•Household Hazardous Waste**
*If an item has oil or
gasoline, it must be drained
or it will not be accepted.
Used oil and gasoline can be
disposed at the Ramsey
County Household
Hazardous Waste (HHW)
site.
** Household Hazardous Waste: You can avoid
Cleanup Day traffic by bringing your HHW to any
one of the other HHW drop-off locations hosted
by Ramsey County, or by visiting the Arden Hills
site on a different day in May.
Re-Use Items Accepted:
•Bicycles
•Tools for the St. Paul Tool Library
Items Not Accepted:
• No brush/yard waste
•No railroad ties
•No oversized items such as hot tubs, boats, or sheds
•No engines containing gasoline or oil
•No donations other than the bicycles and tools listed above
VEHICLE
Cleanup Day is a residential waste collection event.
Open to Arden Hills and Shoreview residents only.
Must bring proof of residency, such as a driver’s license or utility bill.
Charges by Vehicle Type/Load
Please remember, CASH or CHECK ONLY!
• Standard Vehicle (Cars, SUVs, Minivans): $30
• Trailers: $45
• Oversized Loads such as rented U-haul vehicles will be
subject to extra charges. The minimum charge for an
oversized vehicle will be $75.
ARDEN HILLS & SHOREVIEWRESIDENTIAL SPRING CLEANUP DAY Saturday, May 18 7 am – Noon
1425 Paul Kirkwold Drive (Hamline Avenue and Highway 96)
For more information on Cleanup Day:
651.792.7800
www.cityofardenhills.org/cleanupday
For more information on other disposal
options: RamseyRecycles.com • 651.633.EASY