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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFall 06 FALL 2006 City of Oak Park Hei S In This Issue 2006 Election 2006 Election Tuesday, November 7, 2006 is the day to get out and vote in the General Election, City Meetings The City has two precincts; the Precinct 1 polling location is City Hall and the How to Prepare Precinct 2 polling location is Calvary Assembly of God Church on Osgood Avenue. Your Recyclables If you are unsure where to vote on Election Day, please call City Hall at 439-4439. Party in the Park Voter Registration If you have not preregistered, you may register at the polls on Election Day by Parks News showing proof of residence to the election judges. Proof includes photo identification {Insert} such as a valid Minnesota Driver's License, a passport, military or student ID Press Release accompanied by a current utility bill to establish residency. Another registered voter Water Report Card in your precinct may also confirm your residence. Utility Billing Absentee Voting Fall Webworm State law permits any eligible voter who reasonably expects to be unable to go to the Tree Selection for Fall Color polling place on Election Day to vote by absentee ballot. Reasons a person may vote Tree & Shrub Problems by absentee ballot include: Oakgreen Avenue -Absence from the precinct Closed -illness or disability -Religious discipline or observance of a religious holiday Winter Parking Restrictions -Service as an election judge in another precinct Pet Owner Reminders Applications to vote by absentee ballot may be requested from Washington County or City Hall, In person absentee voting is conducted at City Hall, 14168 Oak Park Fall Clean-Up Boulevard North, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. City Hall will be open extended hours on Saturday, November 4th from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. and Monday, November 6th from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. If you have any questions about absentee voting, registration or polling location, please contact City Hall at 439-4439. We look forward to serving you on Election Day! The Oak Park Heights newsletter is published by the City of Oak Park Heights, Comments are welcome, MAYOR The City Hall monument sign David Beaudet and the flower beds in front of COUNCIL MEMBERS City Hall received extra care this Les Abrahamson Jack Doerr sunitner from two Oak Park Heights Mary McComber residents, Chris Doerr and Mark Swenson CITY OF Bonnie Polichnia. Each generously OAK PARK HEIGHTS donated their tinte to plant and 14168 Oak Park Blvd. N. Box 2007 care for the gardens this summer: Oak Park Heights MN 55082-2007 Thank You, Chris and Bonnie! Phone: 651-439-4439 (i Meetings Part y in the Park tY g Cit Co 12th Annual Party held Tuesday, August 1 at Brekke Park 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. The 12th Annual Party in the Park was transport bus and information about € held on Tuesday, August 1st at Brekke the facility. The event also featured live Planning Commission: Park. Party in the Park is held in music, a visit from the Bayport Fire 2nd Thursday at conjunction with National Night Out in Department ladder truck and two large 7.00 p.m. an effort to bring residents together to inflatables for the kids to jump in and Parks Commission: promote crime prevention awareness climb on. 3rd Monday at While enjoying food, activities and The City would like to thank the 6:30 p.m. prize drawings. businesses that were able to participate Despite the pouring rain, hundreds of in the rain. Joseph's Restaurant served City meetings are residents turned out to enjoy the event. chocolate malts and First State Bank broadcast li� on cable City Councilmembers and City Staff of Bayport provided popcorn and channel 16. served approximately 400 hot dogs, promotional items. Donations were Agendas and minutes can 14 pounds of potato chips, three gallons also received from Pizza Man for the gift he accessed on the City's of pickles and dozens of snocones certificate prize drawing and Xcel Energy tivebsite: € during the event. Oak Park Heights made a generous cash donation to the Police Department distributed crime City for the event. Several businesses wwweiryofoakparkheihts.com prevention material and held a drawing that had planned to attend were forced for hike helmets, water toys and four to cancel their plans due to the weather. € bicycles. Oak Park Heights Correctional Haw to Prepare € Facility staff offered tours of the prison MMMM. - Your Recydables x .MMMMMM. .MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMw MMMMMMMMMMMMMM. Newsprint: Place entire Parks News newspaper in separate grocery hag. Place in or near recycling bin. City_ Breaks Ground for Autumn Hills Park Shelter Cans: Place aluminum and metal cans in bin. On August 25th the City held a groundbreaking ceremony in Autumn Hills Park at the location of the new park shelter building. The City hopes that the building will Glass: Jars and bottles he completed sometime next month. only. Rinse and place in bin. No light bulbs, ' window panes, glassware or ceramics. Brekke Family Unveils Plaque in Brekke Park Cardboard: Corrugated cardboard, break into Eighty eight members of the family of pieces no larger than Morris and Fay Brekke came from as far 3' x 3'. Bundle with away as California and Texas to attend a twine or string. fanhily reunion held at Brekke Park on Mixed Paper: All mail July 22nd. The highlight of the event was including envelopes, the unveiling of a plaque honoring the magazines, catalogs, memory of Fay and Morrie Brekke who direct mail, office and school paper plus were instrumental in the forming of boxboard. (Boxboard is Oak Park Heights and donated the land cereal, cracker, cake and for Brekke Park in the early 1970s. snack boxes plus shoes, gift, game, pop and detergent boxes). Place New Plav_ ground Ea_uioment all these in a separate hag. The old playground equipment in Cover Park has been removed to make way If you have further for new equipment that is safer and offers activities for a wider age range. In questions call Onyx at addition, the sand and dirt under the equipment has been removed and will he (651 459 -3029. replaced with wood chips and the site will he ADA compliant. PRESS RELEASE ... OPH Seeking Declaratory Judgement on How the City May Review the STH 3b /St. Croix River Crossing SU � City of Oak Park Heights 14168 Oak Park Blvd. N • Box 2007 • Oak Park Heights, MN 55082 • Phone (651) 439 -4439 • Fax (651) 439 -0574 PRESS RELEASE - 9/13/06 On Tuesday, August 22, 2006 the City Council for the City of Oak Park Heights directed its City Attorney and Staff to prepare and file the necessary action to secure a Declaratory Judgment to determine the correct Municipal Consent process to be utilized by the City and the Minnesota Department of Transportation in the review of a proposed layout for the new St. Croix River Crossing /State Trunk Highway 36 Reconstruction Project. In October 2004, the Minnesota Department of Transportation ( MNDOT) provided a written commitment to the City that it would follow the review process for municipal consent of this Project proceeding under the Pre -2001 Municipal Consent Process as outlined under former Minnesota statute. Following such formal commitment from MNDOT, the City proceeded to join in negotiations on a Memorandum of Understanding that would outline commitments of both parties so that the Project can move forward in a timely fashion, yet protecting the taxpayers from being required to accept an unsatisfactory layout or unreasonable expenses. Unfortunately, in a letter to the City dated August 8th, 2006, MNDOT reversed its commitment to utilize the Pre -2001 Municipal Consent process, citing that the former process was, in their view, "not defensible ". While both processes provide timelines for the City to review a submitted layout from MNDOT, the Pre -2001 is preferred by the City and consistent with the MNDOT representation that the current project is but an extension of the 1995 project as conditionally approved by the City but stopped by the 1998 Federal Court determination that it had not complied with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The City is disappointed that MNDOT has rescinded its prior commitments to the City in this matter and is proceeding without first resolving essential issues on the project to the detriment of the residents of Oak Park Heights. The City of Oak Park Heights has invested significant dollars and other resources to address issues with the proposed highway and bridge layout. Unfortunately, MNDOT is proceeding with the project without funding commitments and has chosen not to fund aspects of the project that will ultimately burden local City taxpayers to significant amounts that can not yet be adequately projected. The City Council has taken this action to secure the interests of its residents and taxpayers and will remain committed to successfully working to resolve problems for this project to the betterment of all interests. What IS Your Water Report Card? How your everyday life affects the St. Croix River Oak Park Heights is blessed onward to our waterways. That means that everyone with abundant natural in Oak Park Heights must work together to keep this resources, including an chunk of the St. Croix clean. extensive city trail system, What can you do at home to keep polluted runoff from and direct access to the scenic reaching the river? The first step is to limit the amount St. Croix River. Clean lakes of water that leaves your property. Redirect your and rivers increase local downspouts from the driveway to your law=n or garden property values, provide so that some of the water can he absorbed. If you have recreational opportunities a green thumb, consider planting native flow=ers and and support healthy wildlife populations. When local grasses to create a buffer along the edges of your water bodies get dirty, how=ever, it's up to all of us property or build a rain garden to collect and infiltrate to clean them up. runoff into the ground. The most recent Lake Grades Report issued by The second step is to limit the amount of pollution the Metropolitan Council gave 21 of the 74 ....... _ leaving your lakes tested in Washington County (30/,) a F yard. This means grade of "D" or "F." Here in Oak Park Heights w� ' the report is mixed. The good news is that the applying fertilizer St. Croix River is far cleaner than other major sparingly (and rivers in the Midwest, including the Mississippi only using no and the Minnesota Rivers. On the other hand, phosphorus local researchers at the St. Croix Watershed fertilizer), picking Research Station have w=arned that the St. up after your pet, Croix River is carrying high levels of Excessive phosphorous from fertilizer and sw=eeping phosphorus and other nutrients, and the can cause algae growth grass clippings Met Council gave Lake St. Croix a grade of C - and leaves out of the streets. okay, but not great. So who is responsible? The shocking truth is that the It might not seem like much, but when everyone chips majority of w=ater pollution in Washington County is in, little changes can have a big impact. For more caused by storm w=ater nun -off, not industry. Every time information on howl you can make your yard a "clean it rains, w=ater w=ashes dow=n your roof, your drivew=ay water" yard, visit wvvw.cleanwatermn.org. To get and into the street, carrying sediments, phosphorus and involved in local projects, contact Angie Hong at the toxic chemicals into storm sew=ers and culverts and Washington Conservation District (651) 275 -1136 ex. 35, angie.hong @nanwrcd.org. „ Quarterly Utilit Billin Y 9 The City Council has approved changing the billing of utilities from monthly to quarterly effective January 1, 2007. Changing to a quarterly billing will decrease the costs to the City for meter reading, postage and supplies. The City currently reads the water meters every other month, splits the usage and bills 1/2 half of the usage each month - i.e. the meter reading in June is for May and June, that usage is split and billed for June and July. Changing to quarterly results in actual billing of the usage for the quarter. To help facilitate this change, the December utility bill will be for two months, November and December. A separate notice will also be sent to all utility customers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall Webworm ATTENTI N PET In the past month "tents" of webbing two branches. This insect does not Co have appeared in the leaf canopy of completely defoliate trees and does not OWNERS several different tree species. These are kill them. After the larvae mature and very noticeable and are a protective pupate to adults the mass of webbing is Leash Law covering for an insect called the fall no longer used. Cutting the tents out of wehworm. This insect lays eggs on host trees when the caterpillars are in them, Reminders plants such as elm, birch, crabapple and is the most effective means of control. a few- other species. The caterpillar If the w ebbing is on the main trunk, The City of Oak Park larvae which hatch spin the w ebbing it can be disrupted with a stick and Heights has a leash law in and also feed on leaves within or near sprayed with insecticidal soap to effect that prohibits pets the web. The feeding of the fall discourage feeding. from running at large. webworm is usually limited to one or Any dog or cat that is off Tree Selection for Fall Color the premises of the owner Plan next year's autumnal splendor by White ash ("Autumn Blaze" and "Autumn and not under the planting trees next spring which have a Purple ") have a purple cast to the leaves physical control (by leash good fall color display. The "Freeman in autumn. Oaks run the gamut from tan or })y voice) of the owner Hybrid" maples, such as "Autumn Blaze" and other shades of brown for white are the offspring of a cross between red and bur oak, to the burgundy and or another designated maple and silver maple. The trees have maroon coloration of red oaks. Quaking person is in violation of beautiful orange to red fall color and aspen, birch and linden add yellow hues this Ordinance. have the best characteristics of both to the mix. Shrubs such as burning bush When you are out walking parents. "Sienna Glen" is another red and sumac seem to glow red in the fall and silver maple cross with a burnt and are great against a background of your pet, please orange fall display. Sugar maple leaves evergreens. remember to bring a turn glorious shades of orange and red. plastic hag. Pet owners Tree & Shrub Problems? are required by city ........................., Ordinance to clean up pet If you have a question regarding trees or shrubs in your yard, or about trees along waste on public and boulevards or in parks, please call the Oakgreen private property. Removal Arhorist, Dr. Kathy Widin at 439 -4439 n Hven u e and proper disposal of pet Ext. 252. She will return your call and Road Closure waste helps keep our City either answer your question over the clean and healthy. phone or make a site visit to examine The Oakgreen Avenue road closure the plant. From decay to galls to oak began on September 5th and will last wilt and birch leaftniner, you can find approximately one month. The City out homer to care for your trees and has contracted with Miller Pet Licences shrubs. This is a service which is Excavating to extend utilities under provided free -of- charge to persons Oakgreen Avenue. All dogs and cats residing residing within the Oak Park Heights in the City for more than city limits. 30 days are required to ----- ---- -- wwwwwwwwwr ----------------------------------------- Winter Parkin Restrictions have a Cit Pet License. Parking There is no charge for Winter parking restrictions are put in place in an effort to enable our snow this service and it could removal/plowing equipment the opportunity to do a top quality and efficient job in save your pet from a trip removing snow from city streets. Please be aware that these parking restrictions are to the animal shelter. in place AND ENFORCED regardless of if there has been recent snowfall or not. Bring proof of your pet s Please help us by obeying our winter parking restrictions and do not park on any rabies vaccination to City city streets from November 1 through March 31, between 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. Hall to receive a pet license and tag. Oak Park Heights Fall Clean U Saturday, September 30, 2006 1:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. The City of Oak Park Heights will be hosting a Fall Clean -Up on Saturday, September 30, 2006 from 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The clean -Lip will be at the southwest corner of the St. Croix Mall parking lot 14167 59th Street North in oak Park Heights. City clean -up events are an excellent opportunity for residents to dispose of unwanted items at no cost. Proof of residency such as a utility bill or driver's license will be required. Common items disposed of include small appliances, brush, construction materials, furniture, cardboard, scrap metal and carpet. Hazardous waste (including tires and computers), stumps, firewood or items larger than a major appliance will not be accepted. If you have any questions, please call City Hall at 651- 439 -4439 or Onyx Waste Services at 651- 459 -3029. wd 00: l - 'W'D 0£:L GWU 9002 '0£ aapoldaS 'AnpinInS d LOOZ NWSIOPH 3 1JUd V0 LOOZ x09 "N TA19 3 1JUd V0 89T� Vsfl XJ.I:) aaRi. SSS 'oN p+wiad d T, u NW � s 'ialoM� u . 1 1 ON NXrd NEO afiolsod 'S'0 piopoolS paliosaid fo djo