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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDecember 2020Do you have strings of holiday lights that no longer work? Perhaps you’re switching to energy efficient LED lights this year. Recycle holiday lights by dropping them off at our collection bin located by the main entrance at Arden Hills City Hall, 1245 Highway 96 W in Arden Hills from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Holiday lights will be accepted until Friday, January 29, 2021. For more information, visit RamseyRecycles.com/hhw. rTake a Local Tour of Festive Light Displays with the 2020 Holiday Light Map Take a Local Tour of Festive Light Displays with the 2020 Holiday Light Map Jump start your holiday celebrations with a drive to check out the best and brightest holiday light displays. No need to roam aimlessly: download the Holiday Light Map! Decorated homes and yards are marked for you on a downloadable map. Take the tour and vote on your favorite displays by December 28—prizes will be awarded to the top contenders. This event is a collaboration among the cities of Arden Hills, Mounds View, New Brighton, Roseville, and Shoreview. For more information and to download the 2020 Holiday Light Map, visit cityofardenhills.org/1021/Holiday- Light-Map, or contact Joe Vaughan, Recreation Programmer at the City of Arden Hills at jvaughan@ cityofardenhills.org. Residents looking for relief opportunities regarding COVID-19 should visit Ramsey County’s website at ramseycounty.us/ residents/assistance-support/ assistance/financial-assistance/ emergency-assistance. Aid may include resources for housing assistance, automobile repair, and food support. The county has relief available for both residents and businesses, and provides information from other agencies, such as the State of Minnesota and the CDC. For more information, visit cityofardenhills.org/ CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=852. City offices will be open from 8 a.m. to noon on December 24 and December 31. Offices will be closed all day December 25 and New Year’s Day. The City Council and Staff wish you all a very happy and safe holiday season! String Lights Recycling City Hall Holiday Hours COVID-19 Resources The Official City Newsletter for Arden Hills Residents December 2020 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 dmcclung@cityofardenhills.org Steve Scott ● 651-604-0919 sscott@cityofardenhills.org City Administrator Dave Perrault ● 651-792-7824 dperrault@cityofardenhills.org Communications Coordinator Gretchen Needham ● 651-792-7817 gneedham@cityofardenhills.org Communications Committee Council Liaison Steve Scott Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas that can seep up from the soil and enter homes. The gas can come through pores, cracks and floor- wall joints in your home. Winter home heating systems tend to draw in radon gas from the soil, increasing radon levels inside the home during this time of year. The only way to know if you have radon is to test your home. Ramsey County offers a $2 radon test kit so you can protect your family from this harmful gas. Call the Environmental Health office at 651-266-1199 for more information or visit ramseycounty.us/content/ january-national-radon-action-month. January Is National Radon Action Month Neighborhood Watch Signs Donated The Arden Hills Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non- profit, generously donated funds toward additional Neighborhood Watch Signs around the City. These signs promote public safety, deter criminal activity, and remind residents to keep an eye out for suspicious activity. The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for managing the City’s Neighborhood Watch Program; interested neighborhoods that do not have a watch group, or maybe their group has become inactive, can visit the Sheriff’s Neighborhood Watch website for more information at ramseycounty. us/your-government/leadership/sheriffs-office/sheriffs-office-divisions/ public-safety-services/volunteer/neighborhood-watch. Chicken Ordinance Update Truth-In-Taxation Budget Summary The City of Arden Hills recently completed a survey gauging resident support on relaxing the standards for the keeping of chickens on residential properties within the community. 660 residents completed the survey; of the respondents, 75.2 percent indicated that they were in favor of allowing egg-laying hens. City Council has since directed staff to start drafting ordinance language. The proposed ordinance is slated to go before Council for approval in March. The City Council adopted a 2021 property tax levy of $4,280,080 on December 14, 2020. This sets the City’s property tax levy increase for 2021 at 3.50 percent, which is less than the preliminary levy increase set in September 2020 of 4.25%. Additional information will be provided in a future newsletter, or residents can visit the City’s website for more information. 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 Commission are televised as well. Please visit cityofardenhills.org for information about archived meeting playbacks. Arden Hills Notes is the official newsletter of the City of Arden Hills, an equal-opportunity employer. Benchmarks - A Review of Recent Council Action New Perspectives Senior Living Boldt, on behalf of New Perspectives Senior Living, has submitted an application for a Conditional Use Permit, Amended PUD, Site Plan Review, and Zoning Code Amendment for a proposed four (4) story multi-family senior living facility on the western lot of the recently subdivided land at the Bethel Anderson Center on Pine Tree Drive. The proposed senior living facility will feature 53 independent, 60 assisted living, and 33 memory care units. The project would include such amenities as a pool, library, movie theater, dance hall, salon and spa, bistro/bar, and onsite physical therapy and wellness services. The applicant will be constructing a public trail connection to the existing trail on the Anderson Center campus. Ecko Estates Demolition of the vacant fire station at 3246 New Brighton Road is nearing completion. The developer is anticipating new home construction to occur in the spring of 2021. At their June 22, 2020 meeting, the City Council approved a variance and subdivision to create four single-family lots at the subject property. Brausen Family Automotive Redevelopment Construction is under way on the new Holiday Station Store, carwash, repair bay addition, and customer service area for Brausen Family Automotive located at 1310 County Rd E. Construction is anticipated to be completed in the spring of 2021. Did you know that one teaspoon of salt permanently pollutes 5 gallons of water? Salt can make sidewalks and roadways safer, but salty run off settles in lakes, wetlands, and soil, which raises the risk of surface and groundwater contamination. How much salt do you need? A 12 oz. mug is enough salt for 10 sidewalk squares or a 20-foot driveway. Here are some more smart salting tips. 1. Shovel walkways before snow turns to ice and before you apply salt—the more snow you clear manually, the less salt you’ll need. 2. Salt doesn’t melt ice if the pavement is below 15 degrees, so use sand for traction when it’s too cold. 3. Use salt only where it’s critical, leaving plenty of space between granules. 4. Sweep up leftover salt, sand, and de-icer to save and reuse as needed. Development Updates Nov 9, 2020 Regular Council Meeting Adopted Resolution 2020-051 establishing City concurrence to conduct proceedings for a major Rice Creek Watershed District infrastructure modernization of Ramsey County Ditch #4 on the extreme southern boundary of the City (4–0, McClung excused absence). Nov 23, 2020 Regular Council Meeting Approved Cooperative/ Maintenance and Traffic Control Signal Agreements with Ramsey County and City of Shoreview (Traffic Control Agreement only) for Lexington Ave. reconstruction project, which will take place in 2022. For a complete listing of recent City Council action, visit cityofardenhills.org and click on View Agendas & Minutes. Practice Smart Salting This Winter Concept elevation of the proposed senior living facility, New Perspectives. Parks & Rec Programs The Parks & Rec Depart. has compiled a list of indoor, outdoor, and online activities for people of all ages at cityofardenhills. org/1011/Recreation-Activities- During-COVID-19. As 2020 comes to a close, I think we can all agree that 2021 will be a much needed reset. The COVID-19 pandemic and associated mitigation measures dramatically altered everyday life not only for Arden Hills residents, but the entire world. The tragic death* of George Floyd brought unwanted attention to Minnesota, and further highlighted deep-seeded racial and cultural issues that have transcended generations. Last, but not least, the country endured a divisive Presidential Election, which will no doubt be talked about for years. Given the chaotic nature of this last year, I wanted to say thank you. Thank you to our residents; every day I am out in the public and I see residents wearing masks, abiding by social distancing requirements, and taking COVID-19 seriously. Many Arden Hills residents, and residents of surrounding communities, participated in the Awaken the Suburbs march from the Shoreview City Hall to the Arden Hills City Hall, a peaceful march organized by local youth pushing for social justice. Lastly, we read stories across the country about families, neighbors, and friendships hurt as the politics of the election boiled over. Arden Hills residents remained civil and neighborly with one and other maintaining the small-town, intimate feeling that keeps people in the community. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the city employees that have been working in-front of and behind the scenes to keep the City running smoothly. While City Hall has been closed to the public since March, normal city services have not stopped. Our Public Works Crews, the most visible component of our city, have been in the field repairing local streets, maintaining our water and sewer infrastructure, and keeping the parks and trails in good working order (many of which saw a higher than normal usage over the warmer months). Employees at City Hall have been working in and out of the office to ensure residents still receive the same level of service as if City Hall were open to the public. For example, inspections for both commercial and residential projects, which are key to life safety, have not stopped; sometimes our inspectors needed to adapt and perform inspections virtually, but the work continued. Permits for building projects were still issued, allowing construction projects to move forward and the jobs that follow. Lastly, I would like to thank the City Council. In the end, they are the ones that have to make the tough decisions, such as closing City Hall to the public or declaring a State of Emergency as neighboring communities experience civil unrest. I have personally felt the City Council’s kindness as they constantly remind me, and the rest of the employees at the City, not to put our jobs in front of our family or well-being. Again, thank you to everyone and I look forward serving the City in 2021. —Dave Perrault, City Administrator Letter from the City Administrator Inside Postal Customer Holiday Light Map Neighborhood Watch Signs Donated New Perspectives and Ecko Estates City Council Benchmarks Arden Hills, MN . 55112-5734 ECR-WSS PRST STD U.S. Postage Paid Twin Cities, MN Permit #1962 *The wording in this sentence has been updated to “death” since the mailing of this newsletter; “murder” is a legal term and has yet to be determined.