The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About1992 September/October0 printed on recycled paper POSTAL PATRON Carrier Route Presort Bulk Rate U.S. Postage PAID PERMIT NO. 1 Cottage Grove, MN 55016 LOCAL POSTAL PATRON ■ September- October 1992 • •" •^ "Al To at Cub or curbside Look for a new utility payment drop box at Cub Foods beginning this fall. Also for your conven- ience, the drop box at City Hall is moving curbside, to the parking lot east of City Hall, so you can drive up and deposit your payment without leaving your vehicle. Precinct Map ......... 2 Absentee Ballots ...2 Pre- Register! ...........2 Snowmobiles .........2 Hazardous Waste..3 Flushing Schedule .3 Hunting ...................4 SCCS Move ............ 4 Food Drive. . ...... .... 4 CGAA Basketball ..5 CG Ravine Park ..... 6 Goodwill .................6 Road & Bridge ....... 7 Halloween Parade 8 ,. a Housing starts in Cottage Grove continued their steady annual increase as the city chalked up 208 single - family housing starts from January through August of this year. The number repre- sents a 23 percent increase over single - family homes under construction during the same period a year ago, and a 36 percent increase over housing starts in the first eight months of 1990. The 208 housing starts included 30 or more starts each month from March through June. "These figures represent a continued, steady growth pattern in Cottage Grove," accord- ing to Community Devel- opment Director Gary Berg. "Our city is under- going a major surge in single- family homes, especially in the Jamaica/ 70th Street area." Multiple family units also increased from last year, with 44 units started in the first eight months of 1992. Last year there were only 19 new units built in the same period, while in 1990 starts for multiple - family housing totaled 64 from January through August. If I Primary voters were greeted by changes in legislative and county districts, plus a major change in precinct boundaries which sent some voters from one polling location to another on election day. Under redistricting, Cottage Grove is now in U.S. Congressional Dis- trict 3, State Senate District 57, State House Dist. 57 -B, and County Commissioner Dist. 4. Precinct boundaries have been redrawn to match the city's popula- tion shifts, according to Caron Stransky, city clerk. The number of city precincts remains the same at 12, but the precinct map on page 2 shows many changes in voters' assigned precincts and polling locatons. Each resident should check the pre- cinct map on page 2 to see if he or she has been assigned to a new precinct or polling place. Anyone with ques- tions on polling places, absentee ballots or voter registration procedures should contact the City Clerk's office at Cottage Grove City Hall, 7516 80th St. S., 458 -2814. i VOTE November 3 I Has your precinct changed? Many residents have new precinct, polling place This map shows new precinct boundaries and polling places (marked by flags.) PLEASE CHECK CAREFULLY. YOUR PRECINCT AND /OR POLL- ING PLACE MAY HAVE CHANGED IN 1992. Prec. 8.�Prec. 9 'NMREE ' Sl. LVNCS e"HN al.l CHVRLH Prec. 7 y awl RMI( i HIGH SLHLOL P ec. " aESTMEw r o RE scuooE o . Prec. 4 Prec. 3 r,R LHVRLH ^sTM n. 4 Prec. 5 i PNEH� SLHOOI Prec. 2 POLLING LOCATIONS Precinct 1 ECG FIRE HALL Precinct 2 PINEHILL ELEMENTARY Precinct 3 NATIONAL GUARD AR- MORY Precinct 4 CRESTVIEW SCHOOL Precinct 5 ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH Precinct 6 FIRE STATION NO. 2 Precinct 7 Precinct 8 Precinct 9 Precinct 10 Precinct 11 Precinct 12 Prec. 12 i PARK HIGH SCHOOL (BOARD ROOM) ST, LUKE'S CHURCH PINETREE VALLEY PARK GREY CLOUD ELEMENTARY COMMUNITY EVANGELICAL COVENANT CHURCH WOODRIDGE PARK Absentee ballots should be available at Cottage Grove City Hall approximately Wed- nesday, Oct. 7 and can be picked up during regular office hours (8 to 4:30 Monday through Friday.) City Hall will also be open from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, and 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, for residents to pick up absentee ballots. Absentee ballots may be used by those unable to vote because of absence from the precinct, illness, disability, observance of a religious holiday or service as an election judge in another precinct. According to City Clerk Caron Stransky, the deadline for pre- register- ing to vote in the Nov. 3 General Election will be Tuesday, Oct. 13. Regis- trations will also be handled at the polling location on Election Day, but may involve some wait depending on the turnout. People who have never registered, who have changed their name or address since they last registered or who have failed to vote in the past four years must register to vote. Snowmobilers A new city code regu- lating the operation of snowmobiles within Cottage Grove has been adopted by the City Council, and is effective immediately. The code, written by representatives of snow- mobile clubs, members of city safety commissions and city staff, covers: • legal routes; • hours of operation; • certification require- ments for young people; • noise standards; • equipment. The ordinance pro- vides penalties for non- compliance with any part of the code. Copies are available at the Public Safety De- partment in City Hall. 7 pa ves, Street crew •• • • _ oh ye plo 9 0 = 1 0( This article is part of a series that describes the workings of Cottage Grove city government If you walk, pedal a bike or drive a car, there are certain people in Cottage Grove you want to thank for getting you from here to there. They're members of the city's Road and Bridge Department, part of the Department of Public Works. These are the em- ployees who go to work at 2 a.m. to plow the city's streets after a snowstorm, who fill the potholes, sweep the sand off the streets, grade country roads, mow the grass on city property, take care of the streetlights and traffic lights, and handle a thousand other tasks that keep Cottage Grove residents moving safely. "These guys are great," says their boss, Robert Pommerening. "When you call them in, they're here. They come out in the middle of the night when the weather is at its worst — and if they absolutely can't make it here, one of our other employees will pick them up with a snowplow and bring them in to work. They're good workers, and they're here when they're needed." Last year, Pommeren- ing said, was an "extreme year" because after the Halloween snowstorm the weather never warmed up enough to melt the packed -down snow. Fortunately, the city was prepared with enough sait/sand mix to make driving possible, if not easy. They'll be ready this year too. The crew is mixing 1,000 tons of salt with 4,000 tons of sand for the winter season, and early in October takes a day from their other duties to make sure all the plows and trucks are in good repair for winter. While the city has grown by about 20 percent in the past five years, the size of the Road and Bridge depart- ment has stayed about the same. The result is that when a major snow- storm or other crisis occurs, employees from all public works depart- ments (more than 20 people) work together to get the streets cleaned. "We all go," Pommer- ening said. "Otherwise we'd never get the job done in less than eight hours, which is what we do now." And while the depart- ment's staff hasn't grown to match the expanding city, Pommerening said the city has purchased new equipment that has allowed the department to work more efficiently. The kinds of jobs handled by the Road and Bridge Department now are a bit different from the ones Pommerening did when he first started working for Cottage Grove 30 years ago. (Pommer- ening has now worked more years for Cottage Grove than any other employee in its history.) Pommerening was born in a farmhouse which stood where the First Bank is now, on a farm purchased by his grandfather in the early 1900's. Now that land is the site for Grove Plaza on the south, Crestview and Park Schools to the east and Deer Run to the north. When Bob Pommer- ening was hired by the city, the four - person city staff worked out of the back half of the pumphouse at the Fire Station on Belden Blvd. In addition to grading miles of unpaved roads (includ- ing 80th Street), Pommer- ening's job included running the wastewater treatment plant, which was then new. A few years later, the four employees moved to 99 Belden Street, next to Coast to Coast Hardware. "It had just one door and no windows," Pom- merening said, "but it was better than the pump - house. At least it had a restroom." "Now we're in the Public Works Garage and we have 150 miles of roads to maintain in Cottage Grove," Pommer- ening said. "In the last few years we seal - coated most of our gravel roads so we have less than 10 miles of gravel in the whole city. There've been a lot of changes in 30 years — and it's still a good place to live!" EA1'i cORRGE GROVE i1RE H4J. LREY LYOVO R sLH00� Prec. 10 VNf1Y /EN.WI CNVRLW Prec. i Prec. 11 c Prec. 12 i PARK HIGH SCHOOL (BOARD ROOM) ST, LUKE'S CHURCH PINETREE VALLEY PARK GREY CLOUD ELEMENTARY COMMUNITY EVANGELICAL COVENANT CHURCH WOODRIDGE PARK Absentee ballots should be available at Cottage Grove City Hall approximately Wed- nesday, Oct. 7 and can be picked up during regular office hours (8 to 4:30 Monday through Friday.) City Hall will also be open from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, and 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, for residents to pick up absentee ballots. Absentee ballots may be used by those unable to vote because of absence from the precinct, illness, disability, observance of a religious holiday or service as an election judge in another precinct. According to City Clerk Caron Stransky, the deadline for pre- register- ing to vote in the Nov. 3 General Election will be Tuesday, Oct. 13. Regis- trations will also be handled at the polling location on Election Day, but may involve some wait depending on the turnout. People who have never registered, who have changed their name or address since they last registered or who have failed to vote in the past four years must register to vote. Snowmobilers A new city code regu- lating the operation of snowmobiles within Cottage Grove has been adopted by the City Council, and is effective immediately. The code, written by representatives of snow- mobile clubs, members of city safety commissions and city staff, covers: • legal routes; • hours of operation; • certification require- ments for young people; • noise standards; • equipment. The ordinance pro- vides penalties for non- compliance with any part of the code. Copies are available at the Public Safety De- partment in City Hall. 7 pa ves, Street crew •• • • _ oh ye plo 9 0 = 1 0( This article is part of a series that describes the workings of Cottage Grove city government If you walk, pedal a bike or drive a car, there are certain people in Cottage Grove you want to thank for getting you from here to there. They're members of the city's Road and Bridge Department, part of the Department of Public Works. These are the em- ployees who go to work at 2 a.m. to plow the city's streets after a snowstorm, who fill the potholes, sweep the sand off the streets, grade country roads, mow the grass on city property, take care of the streetlights and traffic lights, and handle a thousand other tasks that keep Cottage Grove residents moving safely. "These guys are great," says their boss, Robert Pommerening. "When you call them in, they're here. They come out in the middle of the night when the weather is at its worst — and if they absolutely can't make it here, one of our other employees will pick them up with a snowplow and bring them in to work. They're good workers, and they're here when they're needed." Last year, Pommeren- ing said, was an "extreme year" because after the Halloween snowstorm the weather never warmed up enough to melt the packed -down snow. Fortunately, the city was prepared with enough sait/sand mix to make driving possible, if not easy. They'll be ready this year too. The crew is mixing 1,000 tons of salt with 4,000 tons of sand for the winter season, and early in October takes a day from their other duties to make sure all the plows and trucks are in good repair for winter. While the city has grown by about 20 percent in the past five years, the size of the Road and Bridge depart- ment has stayed about the same. The result is that when a major snow- storm or other crisis occurs, employees from all public works depart- ments (more than 20 people) work together to get the streets cleaned. "We all go," Pommer- ening said. "Otherwise we'd never get the job done in less than eight hours, which is what we do now." And while the depart- ment's staff hasn't grown to match the expanding city, Pommerening said the city has purchased new equipment that has allowed the department to work more efficiently. The kinds of jobs handled by the Road and Bridge Department now are a bit different from the ones Pommerening did when he first started working for Cottage Grove 30 years ago. (Pommer- ening has now worked more years for Cottage Grove than any other employee in its history.) Pommerening was born in a farmhouse which stood where the First Bank is now, on a farm purchased by his grandfather in the early 1900's. Now that land is the site for Grove Plaza on the south, Crestview and Park Schools to the east and Deer Run to the north. When Bob Pommer- ening was hired by the city, the four - person city staff worked out of the back half of the pumphouse at the Fire Station on Belden Blvd. In addition to grading miles of unpaved roads (includ- ing 80th Street), Pommer- ening's job included running the wastewater treatment plant, which was then new. A few years later, the four employees moved to 99 Belden Street, next to Coast to Coast Hardware. "It had just one door and no windows," Pom- merening said, "but it was better than the pump - house. At least it had a restroom." "Now we're in the Public Works Garage and we have 150 miles of roads to maintain in Cottage Grove," Pommer- ening said. "In the last few years we seal - coated most of our gravel roads so we have less than 10 miles of gravel in the whole city. There've been a lot of changes in 30 years — and it's still a good place to live!" 6 The beauty and environmental diversity of the Cottage Grove area will be highlighted at Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park if a pro- posed Master Plan for the park is adopted this fall. The park is located south of County 19 between Highway 61 and 90th. Under the Master Plan, prepared by the Washington County Public Works Department, Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park will be a place to see and study glacial deposits, river valley formations, a freshwater pond and prairie areas. The plan calls for a small Interpretive Center near the existing pond area, with pathways leading from the Center to three major sites: the Pond Area, to include a boardwalk and blinds where visitors can view pond life without disrupting it; a Mississippi Valley Overlook which will focus on the Missis- sippi River valley environ- ment and show the impact of glaciers on the area; a handicap - accessible Prairie Area, with renewed prairie plantings, on the south- west corner of the park. Each of the three major sites will have a sign interpreting the geological and ecological features of the area. Reforestation of some parts of the park will also be a part of the park's de- velopment. The Master Plan also calls for a picnic area in the northwest section of the park. This would include a picnic shelter that could hold up to 350 people, an open play area, softball field, horseshoe pits, play struc- tures, parking and restrooms. The picnic area would be a trailhead for the seven miles of walkways now existing in the park, plus about four miles of new trails. According to Jim Luger, Washington County Park Planner, "This is a regional park which will draw people from a wide area, but will also be excellent for local residents and schools." The Master Plan, which was approved by the Cottage Grove City Council and Washington County Board in August, will be presented to the Metropolitan Council in October. If the plan is ap- proved, construction on park facilities is not ex- pected to begin before 1994. Goodwill no longer takes plastics Plastics will no longer be accepted at the Goodwill Donation Center (located in Cub Foods parking lot), but the Center will continue to welcome donations of clothing and household items. "Our goal is to focus on what we do best, collecting clothing and household items for reuse and resale," a Goodwill announcement said. "This raises funds for our nonprofit job training placement and related services for people with disabilities and disadvan- tages." Goodwill's "renewed focus on reuse" and the availability of curbside plastics pickup helped Goodwill make the decision, the announce- ment said. 3 by Anne Thorson Environmental Health Specialist Washington County The Household Hazardous Waste Collec- tion held in Cottage Grove on Aug. 20, 21 and 22 was a success' More than 450 residents brought in hazardous waste from their homes. Wastes collected included 1500 gallons of paint, 110 gallons of flammable solvents, five drums of aerosol contain- ers and approximately 4,000 pounds of pesti- cides and other hazard- ous products. The collection event was sponsored by the Washington County Public Health Department. The year we saw a noticeable decrease in the amount of latex paint that was brought into this collection. It seems that people are beginning to understand that latex paint can be dried out and thrown away in the regular garbage. If you did not realize that latex paint can be dried out and thrown away, please call the Washington County Public Health Department at 430 -6655 and request a paint fact sheet. Those of you who are interested in using alternatives to hazardous household products, you may call the Public Health Dept. and request infor- mation about alternative products. We also offer informa- tion and advice on adhesive products, products in aerosol cans, used antifreeze, recharge- able batteries and wood preservatives. If you have any questions about a particular product, please call the Public Health Dept. at 430 -6655. Want to avoid hazardous waste pileup? Here's how. In the future, buy only the amount of product that you need. Do not purchase more than the amount needed for the job — you'll only have to deal with the leftover material afterward. If a labeled, recently purchased, well - stored product that you no longer want exists in your home or garage, ask friends and neighbors or community groups if they have a use for it. Try giving it away at your next garage sale. A clean, safe and healthy environment is the re- sponsibility of each and every person. By properly managing your household hazardous waste, you are contributing to the protection of our environment. • • • • •: • ! Fall flushing of water mains and hydrants east of Highway 61 will be scheduled from now through Nov. 13. Areas west of Highway 61 were flushed from Sept. 21 to Oct. 2. City crews flush the pipes twice a year to clear the water of impurities. The sudden rush of water when hydrants are opened helps dislodge and remove particles which can build up in the pipes. During the flushing period, water is safe to drink. However, residents should check for signs of discoloration in the water before using it for wash- ing, particularly white clothes. To speed the process of returning to clear water after the pipes near your home have been flushed, open all cold water taps in the home and let them run J COTTAGE GROVE RECYCLES RECYCLING TONNAGES Jan. 1 - June 30, 1992, Cottage Grove Curbside 637.50 Tons Dropoff 160.29 Tons Commercial 55.00 Tons Yard Waste 519.00 Tons RK410 I MMIM I 11111111111 • Monday, Wednesday, Friday ...1 p.m. -7 /dusk Saturday, Sunday .................9 a.m. -4:30 p.m. for 15 to 30 minutes. Also flush your toilets several times. This process will help flush your home's plumbing system. If you encounter emergency situations, such as loss of service, broken pipes, etc., please contact the Public Works Department at 458 -2808. • — The city reminds homeowners that water discharge from your basement or outdoor pool should not be emptied into the sanitary sewer system. Instead, dispose of the water by running it outside the building and into a drainage area. I Revised ordinance COTTAGE GROVE HUNTING AREA MAP The city ordinance regulating hunting in Cottage Grove was revised by the City Council this year, and is now in effect. Within city limits, wild game hunting with firearms will be permitted only on land zoned AG -1 or AG -2 of 40 contiguous acres or more and located in areas shown on the map above. Hunting with bow and arrows will be permitted only on land consisting of 10 contiguous acres or more zoned AG -1, AG -2 or R -1 in areas shown above. A hunter cannot take wild game within 500 feet of any building occupied by humans or livestock, corral containing livestock, highway or roadway. Archery and firearms hunters are required to carry permits from the landowner or tenant and the Dept. of Public Safety. Check with the Dept. of Public Safety for specifics on obtaining permits. Other sections of the ordinance cover types of fire- arms allowed, regulations for rodent control and other information. A complete copy of the ordinance is avail- able at the Dept. of Public Safety, lower level, City Hall. M � SCCS, food shelf to move A "Multi- Service Center," the new home of the South Communities Counseling Services, is nearing completion at the site of the old Woody's Restaurant on West Pt. Douglas Rd., Cottage Grove. SCCS, which provides a variety of counseling and support services for South Washington County residents, has been located next to City Hall for the past seven years. The organization will move to the new space in late October. Friends in Need food shelf, a part of the SCCS, will also be housed in the Multi- Service Center. The building was purchased and remodeled for use by SCCS with the help of a $450,000 Capital Campaign. Major contributors included the City of Cottage Grove, Bush Foundation, McKnight Foundation, NSP, Mordac Foundation, Bigelow Foundation, Edwards Memorial Trust, St, Paul Companies, and many individuals and local civic groups. Anyone who would like to contribute to the fund is welcome; please contact Terry Creegan at SCCS, 458- 2849. According to Creegan, SCCS will host an open house at the new Center on Wednesday, Dec. 2. Visitors are invited to bring a non - perishable food item for the Friends in Need food shelf or a new toy to the Toys for Tots program when they attend the Open House. The annual food drive for the Friends in Need food shelf serving Cottage Grove, St. Paul Park and Newport will be held this year on Saturday, Nov. 21. Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and other youth groups will make a city -wide, door -to -door pickup of non - perishable food items and household supplies. "Our need is especially critical because of the closing of the South Washington County Volunteer Services food shelf earlier this year," according to Sue Kainz, food shelf director. "We've been in temporary quarters this summer, and the food supply is really low now. Please be generous so we can restock our shelves." Cit •� • •` • G ro v! 5 • ••DIEMEN A' i i• •• • •• • 17 1 or A This is the first article in a series spotlighting the sports of the Cottage Grove Athletic Associa- tion. If you and your kids love the game of basket- ball, you're living in the right place! More than 450 young people, grades two through eight, will be hitting the hoops in the CGAA Basketball Pro- gram this year. "We'll have 13 teams for girls and 24 for boys in our in -House League," ac- cording to Bill Foltz, CGAA Basketball Asso- ciation President. In addition, traveling teams for boys in grades 5 through 8 and girls in grades 6 through 8 will represent Cottage Grove at games and tourna- ments throughout the metro area. An annual highlight of the Basketball program is the second grade clinic, which will enroll about 90 boys and girls for an eight -week winter clinic that teaches the basics of basketball. The large number of students enrolled in the basketball program at all grade levels creates two problems for the Basket- ball Association, Foltz said. First is the amount of gym space available. Even with the opening of Grey Cloud Elementary last year, area gyms are busy every night with basketball, volleyball and other sports for kids and adults. Wanted: coaches! The second — and biggest — challenge is to get enough coaches for all the teams. "We have all our traveling team coaches selected," Foltz said, " but we'll need many more coaches for boys' and girls' teams." He said he's also looking for a 5th and 6th Grade Boys' Commis- sioner, and 'We can always use more help with equipment!" Foltz urged parents to get involved with their kids' teams. "It's a lot of fun and for the younger teams especially, you don't have to be a high school or college level coach," Foltz said. "You just need to organize kids and their practices." Coaches' Clinics He said the CGAA will offer coaches' clinics this year for new coaches who want help. 'We'll teach them a few drills and plays they might use with their teams," Foltz said. "We want them to be comfort- able coaching." Foltz himself coached 3rd, 4th and 5th grade boys' teams before joining the Basketball board as vice president last year and president this year. "Coaching is a lot of fun and real rewarding," he said. "It's great to see the progression of kids as they go along. The best thing of all is when a kid finally makes his or her first basket. That makes it worth it to be a coach!" LEGAL NMARMS AND ARCHERY I GRAND ATI OILD LEGAL FIREARM AND ARCHERY