HomeMy Public PortalAboutApril May 2009
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City Hall Office Hours
Mon-Fri 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Telephone Numbers
City Hall ..............763-473-4643
Fax ......................763-473-9359
Police emergency ....................911 non-emergency .... 763-473-9209
Mayor
Tom Crosby...........612-332-9111
City Council
Carolyn Smith.......763-475-1003
Daniel Johnson......763-473-0744
Elizabeth Weir ......763-473-3226
Mike Siitari …….. 612-719-2453
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
City Administrator
Chad M. Adams
Other Contributors
Jodi Gallup
Madeleine Linck
2052 County Road 24, Medina MN 55340
Website: www.ci.medina.mn.us
Inside this issue:
City Logo Design Feedback Needed........Pg. 1
2009 and 2010 Budget Forecasts..............Pg. 1
Moratorium on Religious Institutions.......Pg. 1
Park Project Updates.................................Pg. 2
Road Improvement Schedule....................Pg. 2
Bird Watching Nature Walk ....................Pg. 2
Spring and Bird Nesting Season...............Pg. 2
Medina Clean-Up Day..............................Pg. 3-4
$20 Discount Plan on Next Utility Bill.....Pg. 5
Get to Know Your Planning Department..Pg. 5
Economic Development Program.............Pg. 5
Civil Defense Siren Grant Award.............Pg. 5
Spring Code Enforcement.........................Pg. 5
Low Impact Development Workshop.......Pg. 5
e-mail: city@ci.medina.mn.us
General City Information
Upcoming Public Hearings/Meetings
Board of Appeal & Equalization, April 8, 2009 at
6:30 p.m. at City Hall - The Local Board of Appeal &
Equalization meeting is held for the purpose of reviewing and cor-
recting the 2009 assessed property values or property classification
recently mailed to all properties in Medina from Hennepin County.
The 2009 property values will be used for 2010 taxes payable.
Religious Institutions - April 14, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at
City Hall - The Planning Commission will be conducting a pub-
lic hearing on proposed zoning regulations for institutions such as
churches, schools, government buildings.
Storm Water Pollution Prevention Program - April
21, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall - The City is required to
conduct an annual public hearing on the City’s SWPPP. A presen-
tation will be provided at the City Council meeting, followed by
any public comments or questions.
Cherry Hill Roads Public Improvement/Special As-
sessment - April 21, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall -
Notices will be mailed in the next few weeks outlining proposed
assessments for street improvements to the Cherry Hill neighbor-
hood streets. Residents may attend the meeting to ask questions or
provide comments on the proposed assessments.
*City Clean Up Day Information Enclosed*
City Calendar
Ap
r
i
l
► 7th Tues—City Council 7:00 pm
► 8th Wed—Board of Appeal 6:30 pm
► 14th Tues—Planning Commission 7:00 pm
► 15th Wed—Park Commission 7:00 pm
► 18th Sat—Council Office Hours 9 am to 11 am
► 21st Tues—City Council 7:00 pm
► 5th Tues—City Council 7:00 pm
► 12th Tues—Planning Commission 7:00 pm
► 16th Sat—Council Office Hours 9 am to 11 am
► 19th Tues—City Council 7:00 pm
► 20th Wed—Park Commission 7:00 pm
► 25th Mon—City Offices Closed (Holiday)
A Bi-Monthly Newsletter of the City of Medina www.ci.medina.mn.us April/May 2009
► All meetings at City Hall unless otherwise noted.
► Meeting agendas on web site when available.
Ma
y
New Logo Project Background - In 2008, the City solicited vol-
unteer designs for a new City Logo. Design submittals were dis-
played at Medina Celebration Day in September 2008 for public
viewing. Following the review of public comments, the City
agreed to contract $500 with the winning design resident and con-
sultant Lori Dalrymple to modify the design and demonstrate the
functionality of the new logo into City operations, equipment, etc.
Dalrymple presented the updated design at the March 3, 2009 City
Council meeting.
Logo Implementation - The Council is seeking public input be-
fore revisiting the final approval of the design and implementation
at the April 21st Council meeting. Implementation of the logo will
generally occur as existing equipment, letterhead, and other items
are phased out and replaced. The Park Commission has also been
planning for the last few years to install park signs at all City
parks. Existing park dedication funds, not taxpayer funding, will
be utilized to install the Park signs with the new logo.
Resident Input Needed on Proposed Logo
Please take time to visit the City’s
website at www.ci.medina.mn.us to
view the color version of the logo
and provide feedback on the pro-
posed new logo design. All com-
ments should be submitted by April
15th to jodi.gallup@ci.medina.mn.us
or call 763-473-8850.
2009 and 2010 Budget Forecasts
City Staff will be presenting a 2009 quarterly budget
report to the City Council on April 21st. The report will
include projections and recommendations for the remain-
ing 2009 budget activity.
As indicated in the February/March issue of the Me-
dina Message newsletter, the City reduced the 2009
budget by $65,000 in December 2008 to reflect budget
revenue shortfalls. The City has further decided not to
refill 1.5 full-time equivalent employees (FTE) that were
left vacant in January.
While some short-term and long-term projects have
been deferred and more will continue to be evaluated,
City departments have been reducing training budgets
and other day-to-day operational expenses in the event
revenue shortfalls continue through the year.
Over the next several months, Staff will also be pre-
paring the preliminary budget for 2010. The City is re-
quired to establish a preliminary tax levy by mid-
September for 2010 taxes payable. The Council will hold
2010 budget sessions and an Open House this summer.
The City will face similar budget challenges to past
years for 2010 including the funding of improvements to
aging infrastructure such as streets and utilities, as well as
continued shortfalls in building permit and new develop-
ment related revenues. The City continues to monitor
proposed State budget cuts or tax policy changes to deter-
mine any affects on the City’s budget and services.
Moratorium on Religious Institutions
The City Council approved a moratorium on religious institu-
tions and facilities at the February 3rd Council meeting. The pur-
pose of the moratorium is to allow the City sufficient time to study
and update any official controls related to religious institutions.
The moratorium was established for one year, but the Council
directed staff to begin preparing any related ordinances as a top
priority with the intent the moratorium may be lifted early.
Prior to approving the moratorium, the City had received an
application from Woodridge Church on County Road 24 propos-
ing an expansion of their current facility. The application has
been delayed for review until the City completes the official con-
trol review to include possible updates to any zoning ordinances.
The Planning Commission has already conceptually discussed
possible regulations to religious institutions, government facilities,
and schools at their March meeting. The Commission will be
conducting a public hearing on a proposed ordinance at their April
14, 2009 meeting. The earliest the City Council would review the
ordinance is May 5, 2009.
Parks & Public Works
Page 2
Park Commission Nature Walk
Residents are invited to join Medina Park Commissioner,
Madeleine Linck, on a Saturday morning bird watching nature
walk on May 16th from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. This will give
residents an opportunity to visit
one of the city’s nature areas,
Medina Lake Preserve, and learn
about birds, bird houses, and
other Medina wildlife.
Residents interested in tak-
ing advantage of this opportunity
should register with Jodi Gallup
at jodi.gallup@ci.medina.mn.us or call 763-473-8850 by May
8th. The event will be cancelled in the event of severe
weather. Remember to bring your binoculars and wear a pair
of boots.
2009 Road Improvement Projects
The City Council accepted a Feasibility Report for four road mill
and overlay improvement projects this summer. Because the City
plans to use special assessments for the projects, a public improve-
ment hearing and special assessment hearing are required. City Staff
is currently preparing the notices for the meetings that will include
the proposed assessments for each parcel benefiting from the im-
provement projects. The road projects and hearing dates include:
Cherry Hill neighborhood April 21, 2009
Elm Creek neighborhood May 5, 2009
Sycamore Trail May 19, 2009
Pioneer Trail (from Hamel Rd to Willow Dr.) June 2, 2009
In addition to the roads above, these projects are also scheduled:
► Hamel Road - The final lift of asphalt will be placed on Hamel
Road in Uptown Hamel this summer, along with sidewalk instal-
lation, as part of the street reconstruction completion.
► Highway 55 - MnDOT has notified the City a mill and overlay
and median installation will be completed between County Road
116 and the Plymouth border. MnDOT is in the process of send-
ing formal notices to all affected properties.
Park Project Updates
A number of projects are presently planned for completion
or to be initiated in 2009. Here’s an update of some projects:
► Field House (Concession) Facility - The City has issued
RFP’s for architectural services. An architect is expected
to be selected this spring and project construction would
begin in the fall. The project budget is $300,000 and is
funded through donations and park dedication monies.
► County Road 19 Trail - Hennepin County will be com-
pleting the regional trail on the east side of County Road
19 this fall from Baker Park to Highway 55. The project is
funded through a federal grant and will connect Baker to
Crow-Hassan Park.
► County Road 116 Trail - Final engineering design and
title work is being completed for acquisition of trail ease-
ments between Highway 55 and Hackamore Rd. The trail
will be located on the west side of CR116. City project
completion is planned for fall 2009. The project is funded
through Hennepin County cooperative agreement funds &
City park dedication monies.
► Rainwater Park - Phase II restoration work to include
native plantings, trees, etc. is expected for completion in
2009. A trail and grading work were completed in 2008.
The project is funded through City park dedication monies.
► Holy Name Park - A grand re-opening of the park will be
scheduled for this spring. Grant funds from Minnehaha
Creek Watershed District and City park dedication monies
supported the project, which included a trail to the lake,
shoreline restoration and a partial porous pavement park-
ing lot.
► Park Signs - Designs for installation of uniform park signs
is planned to occur after the City’s logo design is selected.
Funding for the signs are through City park dedication
monies.
Spring & Bird Nesting Season
Many of our breeding birds return to Minnesota in March and
April and it is always wonderful to watch them raise their young in
our own backyards. There are many ways landowners can provide
nesting habitat. Dead trees with cavities are especially important for
species such as owls, woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches, wrens,
and even bluebirds. Leaving snags in your woodlot greatly benefits
birds and mammals.
If you do not have nesting cavities on your property, you can
provide nest boxes, but it is important to select the right type of box
and place it in the proper location. Predator guards are also important
to provide safety from raccoons, squirrels, domestic cats and other
predators of baby birds. If you have questions about how to attract
nesting birds to your yard, please feel free to contact resident Made-
leine Linck at 763-475-0485 or Madeleine.linck@gmail.com.
A special thanks to Madeleine for volunteering this article.
Spring Road Restrictions In Effect
Each spring, the majority of City roads are restricted to a four-
ton axle weight limit, which eliminates most truck traffic on City
roads. The weight restrictions are usually in effect early spring
through May 15, but the determination is made as weather conditions
improve. The restrictions are necessary to prevent damage to roads
when the first frost comes out and road sub-bases are saturated with
water. See the City website to view a map of streets not restricted.
Page 5
Administration & Planning
Utility Bill Worry Free Payment Plan
With a $20 Discount!
The City is offering a $20 one-time discount on your next utility bill
if you sign up for the City’s Automatic Pay Plan. This one-time discount
will also be retroactive to those customers already signed up. Medina
utility customers are provided with this opportunity to have utility pay-
ments directly deducted from your checking or savings accounts.
Anyone interested in the Automatic Pay option must sign up by com-
pleting and returning to the City an authorization form (found on the
City’s website) and submit a voided check for checking accounts or a de-
posit ticket for savings
accounts.
Once signed up, bill
payments will be taken
from the designated bank
account and automatically
sent to the City. The payment will be deducted from the bank account on
the date that the payment is due.
Because bills vary, the City will send automatic payment statements
to the utility customer showing the exact amount due to be deducted from
the designated bank account. The utility customer bank statements will
also show the amount of deduction.
Benefits of the $20 one-time discount program to the City include
time and labor savings in distributing and processing the bills manually.
Economic Development
Program Study
The City will soon be researching and reviewing
options for the City to become more involved in pro-
viding economic development programs or services to
the community. A Staff report is expected to be pro-
vided to the City Council in July to include options,
programs, and recommendations for the City.
More details and opportunities for public participa-
tion will be outlined in early June. The City recently
conducted a “Getting to Know You” Business Survey
to solicit feedback from the community’s businesses.
The report and results of that survey are posted on the
City’s website.
Spring Code Enforcement
Zoning staff will be focusing code enforcement efforts this
spring on junk vehicles, nuisances, commercial businesses in
residential zoning districts, and conditional use permit reviews.
The City will be requiring property owners to meet City Code
and conditional use permit compliance.
Residents who have a question or complaint may contact
Deb Peterson-Dufresne at Debra@ci.medina.mn.us or by call-
ing City Hall. Residents issuing a complaint may do so with-
out their identity being made public. The Minnesota Data
Practices Act protects resident complaints against another prop-
erty as private information.
Get to Know your Planning Department
The City Planning Department consists of a Planning Director
(currently vacant), Associate Planner, Planning Assistant, and
an Office Assistant to Planning and Public Works. All of these
positions are filled by city employees. The City contracts with
Metro West Inspection Services, Inc. for building inspection
services.
Planning Director - oversees day-to-day functions of the Plan-
ning department including management of department person-
nel, coordination with consultants, and land-use application re-
view.
Dusty Finke, Associate Planner - processes requests for vari-
ances, subdivisions, platting, site plans, comprehensive plan
amendments, and conditional use permits. Also is a resource for
wetland data, GIS (Geographical Information System) mapping,
code enforcement, zoning regulations, and septic systems.
Debra Peterson-Dufresne, Planning Assistant - provides admin-
istrative and technical support for general planning and zoning
information, building permits, code enforcement, and general
city information.
Linda Lane, Office Assistant to Planning and Public Works -
provides clerical and administrative support to the planning and
public works departments.
Low Impact Development Presentation
April 14th at 7 p.m.
Julie Westerlund, Education and Communications Man-
ager at the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, will present
"Protecting Water Resources with Low Impact Development
and Green Infrastructure" on April 14, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at
City Hall. This presentation will highlight planning and devel-
opment strategies that encourage development that works with
the landscape as opposed to more traditional "cookie cutter"
developments. Julie will talk about strategies such as conser-
vation design, reducing impervious surfaces, and using infiltra-
tion and bio-filtration to manage storm water.
Civil Defense Siren Grant Award
The City of Medina and
Hennepin County have received a
$25,000 grant to place a new
Civil Defense Siren on the
Hennepin County Public Works
Facility property (near Highway
55 and Arrowhead Drive).
Installation of the siren is
planned for April.
Page 4
RAIN BARRELS FOR SALE
This year the City of Medina will be selling rain barrels at the
reduced price of $75.00 each to Medina residents, and $85.00
each for non-residents.
An order form and additional rain barrel information is available
online at www.ci.medina.mn.us.
Questions on rain barrel orders should be directed to Jodi Gallup
at 763-473-8850.
BICYCLE COLLECTION
During Spring Clean-up Day, the City will
again be collecting good
useable bikes for
Interfaith Outreach
Community Partners.
BRUSH AND COMPOST SITE
Located behind the Public Works garage,
the brush and compost site is open year
round during daylight hours seven days a
week.
Accepted items for brush pile:
Brush and woody shrubs and vines
Christmas trees
Large logs
Stumps that have been cut up
Items not accepted:
Painted or treated lumber
Railroad ties
Accepted items for compost pile:
Leaves/grass clippings (no bags please)
Items not accepted:
Small twigs or vines
Hay and/or straw
Animal waste
TREES FOR SALE
The City of Medina will once again be
selling a limited number of trees at the
Spring Clean-up Day.
Sugar Maple $30.00 each
Autumn Blaze $30.00 each
Hackberry $25.00 each
Linden $25.00 each
The trees are approximately 1” in diameter
and 6-8’ tall. The trees are bare root stock
and will need to be planted
immediately.
Before a tree is planted, call
Gopher State One-Call at
651-454-0002 to locate un-
derground utilities.
Wood chip mulch will also be available
to Medina residents on a first come first
serve basis at no charge. Mulch can be
picked up behind the Public Works
garage.
Page 3
MEDINA CLEAN-UP DAY
SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2009
8:00 AM - 2:00 PM (Rain or Shine)
Accepted Items:
Brush No charge
Leaves No charge
Scrap iron No charge
Batteries (all) No charge
Anti-freeze No charge
Air conditioners $20.00 ea
Water softeners $20.00 ea
Appliances $10.00 ea
Dehumidifiers $10.00 ea
Televisions $3 - $8 ea
Computers $3 - $8 ea
Mattresses/Box springs $15.00 ea
Tires - Car $ 3.00 ea
Tires - Truck (w/o rim) $ 7.50 ea
Tires - Truck (with rim) $10.00 ea
Tires - Tractor* $15.00 ea
*Larger sizes will be charged more
Carpet, furniture, building
materials, etc: $10 small load
$30 large load*
(*Fully tied down pick-up truck)
When loading your items, keep them separated
into categories, as things will be unloaded in vari-
ous areas of the property.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Clean-up Day relies on help from volunteers in the community. Residents that volunteer
their time are not charged for items they bring to Clean-up Day, other than appliances. If
you are interested in volunteering, call City Hall at 763-473-4643 and ask for Linda.
Items Not Accepted:
Treated lumber
Recyclables
Paint
Concrete bricks
Commercial printers & fax machines
Commercial Copiers
Household/agricultural chemicals or
containers
Oil/Oil products
Household garbage
Fluorescent lights
Hazardous waste
To recycle any of the above items, or to
recycle other times of the year, contact:
Hennepin County Recycling Center
8100 Jefferson Highway
Brooklyn Park, MN
612-348-3777
www.hennepin.us (click on
environment)
The website also has a wealth of information
that provides many ways to reuse instead of
throwing away.