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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11 November 2009 Gem Lake News November, 2009 Volume 3, Issue 11 Gem Lake News Special Interest Articles: • Haven Lane Dries Out • New City Ordinances – See Page 4 • Reduce Strangers on Your Doorstep • Remembrances: Thanksgivings Of the Past Upcoming Recycling Dates: November 18 December 2 December 16 December 30 Gretchen Artig-Swomley, Newsletter Editor The Gem Lake City Council recently allocated funds to install a new storm sewer at the end of Haven Lane. After assessing the request, the council deemed the project to be essential. “For well over a decade, the neighbors at the end of the Haven Lane cul-de-sac have endured the results of a failed sewer system,” says Mayor Bob Uzpen. Unable to handle large volumes of water, heavy rains would flood the cul-de- sac. Repeatedly, adjacent driveways would be left with standing storm water, New Storm Sewer Designed for Haven Lane If You Like Strangers Knocking on Your Door—Don’t Read This… Gem Lake now has an ordinance specifically designed to regulate door-to-door sales people who knock at your door from time to time. City Ordinance #111 requires that peddlers of for-profit merchandise have to be licensed by the city. Certain organizations engaged in religious, social or political canvassing are exempt from licensing. However, as a property owner you can post an appropriate sign on your property denying entry to all peddlers, canvassers, solicitors, etc. This will allow law enforcement personnel to more sometimes up to a nearby garage door. Gem Lake Planning Commission member Beth Herzog volunteered to coordinate the project, thus saving the city money on management costs. Due to the slow economy, Gem Lake obtained additional savings from very competitive contractor bids. “We are very grateful that Beth volunteered her time and expertise for this important project,” added Bob Uzpen. After reviewing bids, the easily follow through in the case of nuisance visitors, trespassers and strangers who are just making you uncomfortable. For best results, the sign must follow guidelines spelled out in the ordinance. For instance, the sign must be at least four inches long, at least four inches wide, it must have at least 48 point size and it must have language that clearly states your intention. An example is “No Peddlers, Solicitors, or Transient Merchants Allowed.” Please feel free to give the Gem Lake City office a call for more information. City awarded the contract to Commercial Utilities Co. Beth anticipates that the Haven Lane project will be completed in early December, depending upon the weather. Gem Lake News Page 2 of 6 Leaves and Grass Clippings Affect Ground Water Quality Last spring’s street sweeping project in Gem Lake resulted in 26 tons of refuse being gathered up from city streets. This staggering amount of waste consisted largely of leaves, yard waste, twigs and other refuse from the immediate area. Storm water runoff, combined with leaves and grass clippings, can have an adverse effect on the environment and the quality of our ground water. At this time of year, it’s worth remembering that all these things are related to one another, and your actions play a part. Storm water comes from rain or melting snow that does not soak into the ground. It flows from rooftops, over paved areas, over bare soil and through sloped lawns. As it flows, this runoff collects and transports soil, pet manure, salt, pesticides, fertilizer, oil, leaves, litter and other potential pollutants. You do not need a heavy rainstorm to send pollutants rushing towards ditches, storm sewers, streams, wetland, lakes and oceans. A garden hose alone can supply enough water to get the process started. Here are some things to keep in mind: Never, ever block drainage ditches or curb lines by raking your leaves into them. If left on sidewalks, driveways or roads your grass clippings, leaves and other yard wastes will wash away with the next storm. Although leaves and other plant debris accumulate naturally in our ditches and streams, homeowners can contribute excessive amounts of plant matter. Imagine if everyone in Gem Lake raked their leaves onto the street. By allowing our leaves and grass clippings to flow into our streets we contribute to the overall pollution of our lakes and streams. These clippings and leaves have nutrients in them. While these nutrients are good for our own grass, bushes and trees within our own yards, they have a negative effect when they get into lakes, streams, and eventually ground water. These nutrients can be filled with fertilizer and promote algae growth, which can crowd out other aquatic life. Burning yard waste is not an environmentally friendly alternative. It is also illegal in most municipalities, including Gem Lake. Hydro-Carbons and nutrients released by burning leaves can contribute to water pollution, as well as air pollution. Avoiding the problem is easy. Here are some tips: Compost—Start a compost pile or add leaves to an existing one. Composting is nature’s way of recycling leaves, grass clippings and other organic materials and converting them into a valuable soil enricher that can be utilized in flower and vegetable gardens. Mulch—by using a mulching mower, you can chop the leaves into small pieces which will decompose directly on your lawn. If the mower has a bagger, you can collect the leaf pieces and spread them around flower beds and shrubs. Till—Decomposing leaves provide a natural organic material, which is healthy to lawns and gardens. To reap the benefits of this natural recycling process, till leaves directly into a garden. At the end of the day, a good way to look at this is to consider the saying “If it comes from my land, it should stay on my land.” Our thanks to Chuck Watson for authoring this story. Gem Lake News Page 3 of 6 Nine property owners in Gem Lake also share ownership of a private road that provides access to their homes from County Road E. The road is owned by the South Road Owners Association and divides two Hansen family parcel that front County Road E. The association has decided to rename it “Daniels Farm Road” in honor of the rich history of the original Daniels estate that once stood there. There were several factors in the group’s decision to seek a new name. For instance, seven of the nine parcels in this small residential area have structures on them, yet none of the parcels have any frontage on County Road E. In fact, none of the affected properties are within 900 feet of County Road E, although all had street addresses on the county road, which led to confusion for people trying to find the addresses. Potentially, this could also have led to confusion for any emergency personnel trying to provide services. The South Road Owners Association also decided that it was time to pay homage to their past. “Most people describe the area where we live as the old Daniels Estate,” says home owner Tom Rasmussen. The Daniels family built an estate on the south end of Gem Lake around 1930. It was later sub divided and settled by a larger number of families, who built homes on the property in the 1970’s and beyond. The change has been cleared by county and city officials, as well as the U.S. Postal Service. A new street sign will be up by the end of November. Volunteer Tutors Needed Begun in 1995, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Literacy Plus Program is an after-school curriculum designed to improve an “at-risk” child’s literacy skills. Athletics is also a vital part of the program. Private Road Becomes “Daniels Farm Road” Literacy Plus students (ages 6-10) meet Mondays and Wednesday from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at McDonough Recreation Center. Volunteers assist students with written and spoken language skills and homework assignments, etc. Volunteers will receive training in the nationally- recognized “Read Naturally” curriculum and are asked to commit to a minimum of two hours a week. Training sessions will be held January 20 and 21 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. at McDonough Recreation Center, 1544 Timberlake Road, St. Paul. To sign up for one of the two sessions, or for more information, contact Literacy Plus Program Coordinator Susan Vang at 651-266-9391. (Susan.Vang@co.ramsey.mn.us) Volunteers are also needed to assist middle and high school students with their homework on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at McDonough Recreation Center. Contact Susan Vang (see information above) if you are interested in this opportunity. Assessments for South Scheuneman Road Repair Project to be Discussed on November 17 There will be a Public Hearing on November 17 at Heritage Hall to discuss how the costs for local road repairs will be assessed to affected property owners. The road and sewer repairs are now in the process of being completed on a stretch of South Scheuneman Road in Gem Lake’s business district. Part of the cost of project will be covered by a settlement with Ramsey County when it turned over the road to Gem Lake. The rest will be divided up among property owners along this stretch of the road. Methods for fairly dividing costs will be discussed at this public hearing. A notice on the public hearing was also published in the White Bear Press. An aerial shot of the Daniels Estate taken about 1930. Present day owners of the road shown in the center have decided to rename the road “Daniels Farm Road.” “Single Sort” Recycling Proposal to be Considered by Gem Lake City Council A proposal has been received from Waste Management Co. to move Gem Lake residents to “single sort” recycling next year for a slightly higher per household cost. Waste Management would provide each household in the city with a 64 gallon recycling cart for curbside collection of all recycling materials at no additional cost (for the container). The single sort program allows residents to put all their recyclables together in one green/yellow cart including glass bottles, jars, metal cans, plastic bottles and jars, newsprint, junk mail, phone books, magazines, box board and corrugated cardboard. The service would be provided every other week at a cost of $4.68 per month per house, versus $2.91 for current service. Your feedback is requested. The proposal will be discussed at the November City Council Meeting on November 17. Gem Lake News Page 4 of 6 New Ordinance Regulates Peddlers . The Gem Lake City Council passed a new city ordinance on October 19 regulating door-to-door sales, or peddling. Ordinance #111 requires that peddlers and transient merchants engaged in for-profit activities must obtain a license from the city in order to offer merchandise for sale on a door-to-door basis. Solicitors of future orders on behalf of a for-profit company would have to register with the city but would not have to obtain a license. Canvassers and people engaged in door-to-door advocacy of political, social or religious organizations or causes would be exempt from registration, but professional fundraisers for any of these causes would still have to register. A property owner would be entitled to put up a “No Solicitors” sign denying entry to any uninvited peddler, solicitor, canvasser or advocate of any kind. (See story on page one for guidelines on how to placard your own property.) The new ordinance was the subject of a public hearing on October 19 and had also been discussed at previous city council meetings. Pigeon Owners Must Comply With New Regulations If you keep a flock of carrier or racing pigeons on your Gem Lake property, please take note. Standards and conditions for pigeon facilities and their maintenance are now covered by a new city ordinance. Gem Lake City Ordinance #110 was the subject of a public hearing last month and was passed by the city council on October 19. A city license is now required for property owners who want to keep pigeons. The ordinance allows for a maximum of 120 pigeons during peak season, and 90 at other times of the year. Only one license is allowed per property. Full Newsletter Now Available Electronically This monthly newsletter is now available electronically. If you would like to receive it each month as a pdf.file, you can do so by contacting Gem Lake City Secretary, Jean Reiter. Her contact information is listed on page 6 of this newsletter. You can chose to receive both the printed and electronic versions, but keep in City News Page mind that you can save some of your very own money by eliminating your printed and mailed copy. New Signage Ordinance Becomes Official A new ordinance regulating the construction and maintenance of signage in Gem Lake was passed by the city council on October 19. Existing signs are grandfathered into the new ordinance, although there are now more clearly defined guidelines on how both new and existing signs must be maintained. Ordinance #109 has been the subject of several public hearings over the past few months and has received a great deal of comment and feedback from the public and from the Gem Lake Planning Commission, which was in charge of the project. The ordinance was drafted with the expert assistance of city attorney Trevor Oliver. It has been updated to deal with more current technology, such as electronic message centers, illuminated signs and signs with moveable copy. Public Hearing on 2010 Budget A public hearing on the Gem Lake 2010 Budget will be held at 7:00 p.m. on November 17 at Heritage Hall. A preliminary budget for next year has been approved by the city council, but a final budget must be completed no later than December 15, per state law. Cities under 500 in population are not required to hold a public hearing, but Gem Lake Mayor Bob Uzpen scheduled the meeting in the interests of citizen communication. You are encouraged to attend. Military Families Take Note Do you have a Gem Lake family member currently in the active military? We would like to profile your soldier/family member in an upcoming Gem Lake News. Please email newsletter editor Gretchen Artig- Swomley (gretchenas@comcast.net.) Gem Lake News Page 5 of 6 Lorraine Birkeland, who owns White Bear Floral in Gem Lake, experiences a profound sense of gratitude when she remembers Thanksgiving holidays during the Great Depression. “Things were very hard then but we always ate well. My mother put on quite a spread on Thanksgiving.” Now in her 80’s, Lorraine still works daily. During the Thanksgiving holiday season in the 1930’s things were very slow. “Very few people came in for floral arrangements or centerpieces like they do today. I think we might have been open on Thanksgiving a few times.” Lorraine’s mother, Elizabeth, was an orphan from Switzerland. She came to the United States when she was only 15 years old and worked for her uncle for two years to pay back the cost of her passage. During those years on her uncle’s farm, Elizabeth learned to cook. “My mother canned a lot. She was a wonderful cook and we never suffered for lack of a good meal during the Depression. On Thanksgiving she made a big meal, turkey and all the trimmings.” Elizabeth married Lorraine’s father Henry Wohletz and the couple had two daughters. They moved to Gem Lake at the height of the Great Depression and started a floral business, with the help of Henry Hoffman, who would later be Gem Lake’s first mayor. “I don’t know where I would be today without that man’s help. I have a lot to be grateful for.” Another Gem Lake resident, Dick Arcand, spent Thanksgiving of 1944 moving across Europe with the 7th Army. “We were usually right behind the fighting, setting up logistics.” I don’t remember ever having turkey or a holiday meal of any kind that year. However, I can’t even look at a can of Gem Lake Residents Reflect on Thanksgiving Holidays of the Past spam to this day. We ate a lot of C-Rations.” After the war, Dick married Henry Hoffman’s daughter Shirley and the two ran Hoffman’s Grocery. “For years, we stayed open a half day on Thanksgiving. I remember one Thanksgiving when Mr. Rooney (who ran the nursery down the street on County Road E) came in because he wanted Molasses for his sick cow.” Dick’s late wife would cook a wonderful Thanksgiving meal for the family. Sometimes we had a goose. During the Depression, people didn’t eat as much turkey, it just wasn’t as available. Things were pretty tough then, people ate mostly pork on Thanksgiving, as I recall. But later, after the war and the Depression, we ate goose and turkey.” Turkey wasn’t the primary entrée for the Thanksgiving meal for either Lloyd or Madonna LaBore when they were growing up during the Depression years. “People just didn’t eat a lot of turkey, it wasn’t around or it was too expensive, I don’t know which,” says Madonna. Lloyd grew up on a dairy farm, located on what is now the Gem Lake Hills Golf Course. “We ate chicken and goose, because these were animals we were raising on the farm.” Lloyd has some particular memories of Thanksgiving meals during World War II. While at boot camp in Idaho in 1942, he was served a large Thanksgiving meal, including blueberry pie that had a large nail in it. “They weren’t too particular about the food we ate then. It kind of sticks out in my mind now.” While serving in the Navy on Tinian Island in the Pacific, he missed one holiday meal while they were securing the island from the Japanese. “I do remember that we had a couple of great holiday meals while I was there. I remember turkey and cranberries and not much else, but the meals were pretty good.” Gem Lake resident Vern Grundhofer was too busy fighting in Korea during the Korean War to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal. He does, however, remember one Christmas meal delivered right to his fox hole. “It was hot turkey with gravy and mashed potatoes. I will never forget that. It was one of the best meals I ever had.” After Vern returned home, he moved to Gem Lake, married the daughter of Edna and Oliver Tessier and built a house next door to them on Scheuneman Road. “We usually spent Thanksgiving at the Tessier house. Edna was a great cook.” Bob Uzpen-Mayor Phone: 651-492-5083 City Council Members: Gretchen Artig-Swomley Phone: 651-260-9742 Jim Lindner Phone: 651-429-7597 Tom Rasmussen Phone: 651-426-8854 The following Gem Lake Meetings will be held at Heritage Hall through October: November 17, 2009 City Council Meeting at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will include a public hearing on the 2010 Budget and another public hearing on the assessments for the road November/December Meeting Dates Your Gem Lake City Council The City of Gem Lake PHONE: (651) 747-2790 FAX: (651) 747-2795 City Hall Address: 4200 Otter Lake Road Gem Lake, MN 55110 GENERAL E-MAIL: City@gemlakemn.org Newsletter e-mail: gretchenas@comcast.net To reach the Gem Lake City Secretary Jean Reiter: Phone: (651) 747-2790 Jean’s E-mail: Jean.Reiter@co.ramsey.mn.us To report incidents for the Neighborhood Watch program or for information on that program contact Block Captain Chuck Watson 651-653-8319; Charles.Watson@bdk.com We’re on the Web! See us at: www.gemlakemn.org CITY OF GEM LAKE 4200 Otter Lake Road Gem Lake, MN 55110 December 15, 2009 City Council Meeting at 7:00 p.m. repairs on South Scheuneman Road. December 1, 2009 Planning Commission Meeting at 7:00 p.m. December 7, 2009 City Council Workshop at 7:00 p.m. Chuck Watson Phone: 651-653-8319 For more information on meetings, city ordinances, recent events, permit procedures, etc. please consult the Gem Lake web-site. The address is www.gemlakemn.org Each Gem Lake Newsletter is also posted on the web-site under the news section. Please email your ideas, comments and suggestions. See box at left for detailed contact information.