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HomeMy Public PortalAboutJune July 2013 Inside this issue: Mayor Tom Crosby Resigns; Elizabeth Weir Appointed as New Mayor of Medina ............ Pg. 1 City of Medina to Enter into Direct Cable Franchise Agreement with Mediacom ........... Pg. 1 New Home Construction Activity ................. Pg. 2 Open to Business Program ............................. Pg. 2 Land Use Applications Under Review .......... Pg. 2 Groundwater Sustainability Report................ Pg. 3 Protect Your Waters from Aquatic Invasive Species ................................................................ Pg. 3 Vegetation & Sediment in Wetlands .............. Pg. 3 Organics Blue Bag Recycling .......................... Pg. 4 Park Commission Nature Walk ...................... Pg. 4 Medina Bike Rodeo .......................................... Pg. 5 Night to Unite—August 6th ........................... Pg. 5 2012 Annual Report Summary ....................... Pg. 5 City Business Profile: River’s End Trading Company ........................................................... Pg. 5 2013 Road Improvement Projects ................. Back City Calendar June 4th Tues—City Council 7:00 pm 11th Tues—Planning Commission 7:00 pm 18th Tues—City Council Work Session 6:00 pm 18th Tues—City Council 7:00 pm 19th Wed—Park Commission 7:00 pm July 2nd Tues—City Council 7:00 pm 4th Thurs—City Offices Closed (Holiday) 9th Tues—Planning Commission 7:00 pm 16th Tues—City Council Work Session 6:00 pm 16th Tues—City Council 7:00 pm 17th Wed—Park Commission 7:00 pm All meetings at City Hall unless otherwise noted. Meeting agendas on website when available. Summer City Council Saturday Office Hours Suspended City Council Saturday Office Hours will expe- rience a summer break during the months of June, July, and August. 2013 Road Improvement Projects Willowbrook Drive: Willowbrook Drive is located on the south border of Medina, half of which lies in the City of Orono. Residents living along Willowbrook Drive all signed a petition in 2011 requesting that the City make improvements to their road. In the 2013 CIP Plan, the road was identified as a mill and overlay project, with the City of Orono agreeing to pave their portion as a joint project. The City held an Open House at City Hall on Wednesday, May 1st for the residents living along Willowbrook Drive. The City of Medina will be using its assessment policy for its por- tion of the project at a 50% cost share with the residents. Public Improve- ment and Special Assessment Hearings will be held at City Hall on Tues- day, May 21st at 7:00 p.m. at the regularly scheduled Council meeting. Willow Drive South of County Road 24 to County Road 6: In 2008 Wil- low Drive South was added to the Road CIP Plan as a reconstruct with a cost of $1.23 million at the recommendation of the City Engineer consult- ant. Because of funding issues and a long list of projects, staff was in- structed to come up with other options. In 2009 Public Works used the option of patch and sealcoat with a goal of extending the life for 5 years. In 2012 Willow Drive South was added to the CIP, this time as a mill and overlay project in 2014; however, it was recommended that the mill and overlay project be moved up to 2013 to preserve what is left of the integrity of the road. An Open House was held at City Hall on Monday, May 13th for Willow Drive South residents and also residents using Willow Drive South as an indi- rect access road. A Feasibility Report will be presented to the Council at their May 21st meeting, and if accepted, the Council will call for Public Improvement and Special Assessment Hearings to be held on Tuesday, June 18th. CITY OFFICE INFO 2052 County Road 24 Medina, MN 55340-9790 p: 763-473-4643 f: 763-473-9359 e: city@ci.medina.mn.us PUBLIC SAFETY p: 763-473-9209 f: 763-473-8858 City Hall Office Hours Mon-Fri 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Mayor Elizabeth Weir 763-473-3226 City Council Jeff Pederson 612-916-6448 Melissa Martinson 763-473-8082 John Anderson 612-618-5702 Kathleen Martin 612-344-1111 City Council Meetings First & third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Planning Commission Meetings Second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Park Commission Meetings Third Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Newsletter Editor Jodi Gallup Assistant to City Administrator June / July 2013 Mayor Tom Crosby Resigns; Elizabeth Weir Appointed as New Mayor of Medina On April 16th the City Council regretfully accepted the resignation of Mayor Thomas Crosby, Jr. Crosby has served as the Mayor of Medina since 2007. Earlier this year, he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and his health conditions have made it no longer possible to serve as Mayor. He is currently in a clinical trial that in- cludes weekly chemotherapy sessions. Councilmember Elizabeth Weir had been filling the role as Acting Mayor in Cros- by’s absence and once Crosby’s resignation was accepted, she was appointed by the City Council as the new Mayor to fill the remainder of his term. Weir has served on the Medina City Council for eight years and prior to that served the City as a Planning Commissioner for seven years. Mayor Weir recommended Planning Commissioner Kathleen Martin to be ap- pointed as the City Councilmember to fill her vacant seat. Martin has served on the Planning Commission since 2009 and has a background similar to Crosby’s as a practic- ing attorney knowledgeable in real estate. Mayor Weir and Councilmember Martin were sworn into office at the May 7, 2013 City Council meeting. City of Medina to Enter Into Direct Cable Franchise Agreement with Mediacom On April 16, 2013, the Medina City Council took official steps to withdraw from the Lake Minnetonka Cable Commission (LMCC) and enter into a Cable Franchise directly with Mediacom. The key provision of the Cable Franchise between City of Medina and Mediacom includes buildout of 30 miles of infrastructure to accomplish 100% access for residents and businesses within 3 three years (may be accelerated by mutual agreement). The agreement also includes cable drops to residences and public buildings. The first 500’ of residential installation is paid 100% by Mediacom. After 500’, Mediacom will pay 50% of the residential installation’s actual cost. Mediacom will install its infrastructure at the same time as other utilities in new developments, either in a joint utility trench or in its own trench at its own expense. Provisions are included in the cable franchise to assess need for and mutually agree on upgrades to keep the system design modern and reliable. Consumer Protection and Customer Service Standards have also been included in the agreement. Mediacom must comply with all local, state and federal standards, keep records of complaints and trouble calls for review by the city. Franchise Fees and PEG Fees will continue at cur- rent rates. Community Access/PEG Programming will include, where technically and legally permissible, programming from Wayzata, Orono and LMCC. The cable franchise is for 10 years with an extension of 5 years upon mutual agree- ment. The agreement is a Non-exclusive franchise and will be implemented December 15, 2013. Planning Department Page 2 June / July 2013 Land Use Applications Under Review The following land use and development projects are currently under review by the City. For more information on one of the projects, or for an update on the review schedule, please contact the Planning Department at (763) 473-4643. Reserve of Medina – south Hackamore Road, east of County Road 116 Toll Brothers, Inc. has requested approval of a subdivision with 125 single-family lots on 80 acres (65 net acres) located at 525 Hackamore Road. The Planning Commission held a Public Hearing on April 9, 2013 and recommended approval of the sub- division, and the City Council reviewed at the May 7 meeting. The Council is scheduled to take action on the request at the May 21, 2013 meeting. Lake Setback Variance – 2959 Lakeshore Avenue Sandra Fenske and Randy Cole have requested a variance from the setback requirements from Lake Independence in order to remove an existing deck and construct an addition to their home within the same footprint. The applicants also propose to add a new deck adjacent to the addition. The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a Public Hearing on the matter at their May 14, 2013 meeting. Lot Split – 1525 Hunter Drive T. Truxton Morrison has requested approval of a lot split in order to subdivide the existing 18 acre parcel at 1525 Hunter Drive into two lots. The Planning Commission held a Public Hearing on April 9, 2013, and continued the hearing to the May 14, 2013 meeting. Fawn Meadows – east of County Road 116 at Medina Lake Drive Money Tree Holding, LLC has requested approval of a subdivision with 13 single-family lots on 10 acres (5.72 net acres) locat- ed north of the proposed Reserve of Medina subdivision. The Planning Commission is tentatively scheduled to hold a Public Hearing on June 11, 2013. Comprehensive Plan Amendment – 4200 Hillview Lane Ned Sorley has requested a Comp Plan Amendment to extend the Metropolitan Urban Service Area (MUSA) to include his property in order to allow his existing 6-acre parcel in Medina to be connected to the City of Loretto’s sanitary sewer system. The Planning Commission is tentatively scheduled to hold a Public Hearing on June 11, 2013. New Home Construction Activity The City of Medina has issued 57 permits for new homes already during 2013. Most of the activity is occurring within The Enclave and The Fields of Medi- na neighborhoods. The City Council has also recently approved additional phases of both of these projects. Free One-on-One Technical Assistance for Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs Are you thinking about starting your own business or are you currently operating a small business and interested in FREE technical assistance? Medina has partnered with the Metropolitan Consortium of Commu- nity Developers (MCCD) to offer the “Open to Business” program. This program provides FREE one-on-one assistance from MCCD’s expert staff, customized to meet the specific needs of each entrepreneur. This can in- clude creating a business plan, suggestions on financial management and bookkeeping practices, assisting with marketing, and referrals for financing. MCCD also administers a small business loan fund which provides capital to expand local businesses. For more information or to schedule a session, please contact Rob Smolund from MCCD at rsmolund@mccdmn.org or (612) 789-7337 ext. 11. More information is available on the City’s website: www.ci.medina.mn.us/ed/OpenToBusiness.htm June / July 2013 Page 5 Community News City Business Profile: River’s End Trading Company For more than 30 years, River’s End Trading Company has served as a leading distributor of apparel and accessories to the promotional products and golf industries, as well as the imprinted sportswear and uni- form markets. The Company has recently moved into the branded retail market with great success, with the River’s End Branded Apparel, which is designed for the true American Lifestyle, now being sold at retail throughout the USA. River’s End bought the Temroc Metals building in 2010 and spent five months reno- vating it to turn it into their corporate head- quarters and warehouse. They currently em- ploys 65 people at their Medina location. In addition to the Medina, Minnesota, corporate headquarters and warehouse, River’s End has a state of the art decoration and distribution center in Clarksville, Ten- nessee, providing more than 15 years of quality embroidery experience. Brands and licenses currently managed by River’s End Trading Company include: Columbia®, Page & Tuttle®, PING®, Brooks Brothers®, Lacoste®, Jockey®, DRI -Duck® and Forsyth®. For more infor- mation about the Company’s products or decoration services call 1-800-488-4800 or visit www.riversendtrading.com. 2012 Annual Report Summary The City’s annual report provides an overview of the City’s activities, ac- complishments, and fiscal responsibility for 2012. The report outlines activity for each of the city departments including administration, planning, public works, and police as well as statistics and charts demonstrating trend history. This is the sixth year a comprehensive annual report has been completed. The theme of the 2012 annual report “Fulfilling Medina’s Comprehensive Plan” is selected to represent the City’s planning efforts over the last 20 years as em- bodied in several comprehensive plans. Considerable growth is occurring with- in the city, particularly in single family residences. All of this growth is con- sistent with past planning: roads, utilities and other infrastructure have been in the city’s long range plan for many years. The City Council’s general fund budget for 2012 was a decrease from the prior year and has not increased since 2008. Unfortunately, the changes with the State Market Value Homestead Credit System may have created increases in property taxes for some residents. Wage and salary increases for City staff were held at 1.5%. Many of the City’s partners, such as contracted service providers and consultants, agreed to freeze their service rates or implement low increases to meet the City’s financial objectives. The City Council approved the purchase of the facility at 600 Clydesdale Trail. The 69,487 SF facility will be renovated and used for the Public Works and Police facilities. The building will provide a safe work environment with additional space to grow with the needs of the City. The new facility will open up space at City Hall for future growth. The building and renovations will cost $7.5 million. The City was able to sell bonds with an interest rate of 2.125% to finance the project. Bond payments will increase city taxes. However, even giving ef- fect to the bonds, Medina continues to maintain a mill rate among the lowest in the western suburbs. Finally, the City continues to review and implement changes in the budget process to provide quality and cost effective services to Medina residents. The complete report can now be found on the City’s website at www.ci.medina.mn.us under News & Current Events. Night to Unite—August 6th The 2013 Night to Unite is Tuesday, August 6th. The Night to Unite is a program established to take a stand against crime in our neighborhoods. How it works is that parties are held in your neigh- borhoods, which gives our residents a chance to get to know their neighbors. Crime is solved and prevented by having neighbors watching out for each other. The police cannot be everywhere at once so we rely on our citizens to be alert and re- port suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. What we need are people to step up and act as block leaders and work with the police department to organize the parties in their neighborhood. If you are interested in being a block leader, please contact Jeff Kordiak at 763-473-9209. Medina Bike Rodeo The Medina Police and Target Store would like to invite you to the annual Bike Rodeo for kids! Join us on Sunday June 9th, 2013 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. It will be held at Target located at 300 Clydesdale Trail. The event is free and is intended to have your children ages 3-12 polish up their bicycle skills before summer kicks in full gear. Bikes will also be inspected. This event will allow your children to go through various obstacles that children may face every day while riding their bike such as safely leaving your driveway and making a quick stop. Come for family fun, education on bicycle safety, and prizes! The best part is it’s FREE! If you would like to participate, please go to our city website at www.ci.medina.mn.us and fill out the registration form. You can either mail or email the form to Community Service Officer Kordiak at Jeffrey.kordiak@ci.medina.mn.us. If you have any questions, please call the Medina Police Department at 763-473-9209. Environmental News Page 4 June / July 2013 Park Commission Nature Walk At Tomann Preserve June 20th—6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Residents are invited to join the Medina Park Commission on an evening wild life/nature walk on Thursday, June 20th from 6:30-8 p.m. at Tomann Preserve at the corner of Pioneer Trail and Tomahawk Trail. Residents interested in attending should register with Jodi Gallup at Jodi.gallup@ci.medina.mn.us or call 763-473-8850 by June 14th. Have You Called to Start Your Blue Bag Organics Recycling Service Yet? The Blue Bag Organics Recycling service is available to all Medina residents at no addi- tional fee. The fee is already included in your single-sort recycle fee and garbage service. To start service, all you need to do is call Randy's Environmental Services at 763-972- 3335 to set up the delivery of your 32-gallon organics can and lid, sixty 32-gallon Blue Bag Organics compostable can liners, and a venti- lated kitchen compost bucket. The Blue Bag Organics food waste recy- cling system is an amazingly easy way to recy- cle kitchen scraps, discarded leftovers, spoiled produce, paper towels and paper- board take-out containers. This organics waste will be converted into nutrient-rich compost to fortify lawns, flower beds, and backyard and community gardens. What makes the program so affordable is that Randy’s Environmental Services is now picking up your Blue Bag Organics each week using the same truck they use to take away your regular household trash. That means one less truck will be traveling on your street. On trash day, please make sure your Blue Bag Organics liner is hand tied and placed in your regular garbage cart for curbside pickup (not your recycle cart). The blue bags are then separated at Randy’s Envi- ronmental Services’ facility. For more information on the Blue Bag Organics Program visit bluebagorganics.com. June / July 2013 Page 3 Environmental News Protect Your Waters from Aquatic Invasive Species Remember that we all play a role in protecting Minne- sota’s waters. Take the following steps to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species: 1. Remove any aquatic plants and animals from the pro- peller and underside of your boat, trailer and other equipment every time you move your boat from one body of water to another. 2. Drain water from bilge, livewell, motor, ballast tanks and portable bait containers before leaving water ac- cesses or shoreline property. Keep drain plug out and water-draining devices open while transporting water- craft. 3. Rinse, spray or dry your boat and other water recreation equipment to kill or remove harmful species that were not visible at the boat launch. Some aquatic invasive species can survive more than two weeks out of water, so it is important to do one or more of these before transporting boats and equipment to another body of water. 4. Compost unwanted bait or throw it in the trash. For more information, see the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Aquatic Invasive Species web page at: www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/index_aquatic.html. Report Examines Groundwater Sustainability Are Minnesotans overusing groundwater in ways that could leave us short of water in the future? The short answer: Yes, in some places across the state. A new Freshwater Society report estimates that total re- ported groundwater pumping increased by about 31 percent from 1988 through 2011; the state’s population increased 24 percent in the same period. Agricultural irrigation, the second- biggest use of groundwater and the fastest-growing use by far, increased an estimated 73 percent during those years. Pumping by city water systems, the largest single use, increased an esti- mated 33 percent. The Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Metropolitan Council warn that current pump- ing levels are unsustainable or close to becoming unsustainable in some areas. The report examines progress being made to better manage groundwater and recommends areas for im- provement. The complete report can be viewed at freshwa- ter.org. Mayor Liz Weir encourages each of us to become con- scious, daily, of the volume of water we use and how we might reduce our use to conserve ground water levels. While doing maintenance work on her home well, Stevens Well Company noted a four foot drop in ground water levels between 2006 and 2012. Vegetation And Sediment in Wetlands Near Residential Areas The City receives many questions every year about what residents can do to the wetlands near their homes. The answer is that the best thing to do for a wetland is to leave it alone. Toward that end, we hope the following information is helpful. Wetlands have many functions and are important resources. Wetlands are natural areas that hold and filter rainwater, pro- tect shorelines from erosion, recharge groundwater, and provide habitat for fish, birds, frogs, and other animals. Because of their importance, any alteration to a wetland is regulated under State and Federal law. When people think of wetlands, they often think of open water and ducks. How- ever, not all wetlands have open water (www.bwsr.state.mn.us/wetlands/ publications/wetland.pdf). Some wetlands are only wet in the spring. Some wetlands have grasses, wildflowers, cattails, or other vegetation growing throughout the area. While some residents are interested in native plants and enjoy the different vegeta- tion of the wetland near their home, others may think it looks messy or weedy. How- ever, this vegetation provides a critical function to filtering water, providing habitat for wildlife, and can keep the geese out of your lawn. Many wetlands in the City have a storm sewer pipe discharging to the wetland. This can cause sand and other debris to be deposited near the pipe in the wetland. While sediment or garbage deposited from a storm sewer system can generally be cleaned out, excavating a wetland simply to remove vegetation generally cannot be completed. This type of activity is regulated under State and Federal rules as a negative impact to the wetland. These rules prohibit excavation of the wetland and/or the removal of the vegetation for aesthetic purposes. Additionally, new wetland would need to be created to mitigate for the wet- land impact. Therefore, the City does not remove wetland vegetation or excavate out wetlands. The City is working to protect wetlands and water quality throughout the City. Therefore, the City does evaluate the storm sewer outfalls on a regular, rotating basis. If you have concerns about sediment or garbage being deposited into a wetland, please call City Hall at 763-473-4643.