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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1994 MarchMarch is "Food Share Month," and the Friends in Need food shelf hopes to restock its shelves with 15,000 pounds of food and $15,000 in cash donations. "Churches, schools and civic organizations will be involved in helping us meet our goal," according to Friends in Need coordinator Sue Kainz. "Donations made during Food Share Month will help us feed the hungry of our area well into the summer months." More than 22,000 pounds of food were collected during the Thanksgiving Food Drive in November, but that supply is almost gone. Monetary donations can be mailed to Friends in Need Food Shelf, 7064 W. Pt. Douglas Rd. S., Cottage Grove, MN 55016. lnneSOta Items the food shelf needs most include: OOC� I1aTe Saltine crackers Canned fruit Peanut butter Jelly Spaghetti sauce and noodles Spaghetti -o's Chicken noodle soup Vegetable soup Tomato soup Canned corn, peas or beans Canned tuna Toilet paper Baby supplies like diapers and Q -tips are always a big need at the food shelf. PLEASE BE GENEROUS! Recycling expands to cardboard Beginning April 1, Cottage Grove residents may put brown corrugated cardboard out for collection with other recyciables and trash. The City Council unanimously passed a resolution adding corrugated cardboard to the list of targeted recyclables. If you have any questions, please call City Hall at 458 -2800 or your garbage hauler. HOW TO PREPARE CARDBOARD FOR COLLECTION: 1. Remove all packing materials. 2. Flatten and tie in bundles no larger than three feet by three feet. 3. Place cardboard in, under or alongside recycling bins. 4. Do not include gray or white boxboard (such as cereal or cracker boxes) or cardboard coated with wax or plastic (such as milk cartons). v� 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 M VACANCIES ON PUBLIC WORKS COMMISSION The Public Works Commission is looking for two new mem- bers. Please pick up an application form at City Hall if you want to help your City by serving on this important commis- sion. Call Public Works at 458 -2808 for more information. M1070 City Vision ........... 2 Pet licenses ......... 3 Storytime ............. 3 Water /sewer bills 3 Forms book 4 Ice Arena ............ 5 Tree care .............6 Streets .................. 6 Property Maint ... 6 Spring cleanup... 7 Flushing ............... 7 Food Share ......... 8 Cardboard .........8 City m akes contingency pla by Kevin Frazell City Administra- tor With the failure of the Nov. 2 General Obligation bond referendum, City officials have begun to consider alternative ways to meet our most pressing capital improvement needs in order to "get by" until the climate is more conducive to another referendum. The Mayor, City Council and Public Safety personnel have con- cluded that the most critical situation is our fire stations, and that they must be addressed as soon as possible. Both Fire Station No. 1, located south of the Cottage Square Mall, and Fire Station No. 3 in Old Cottage Grove no longer meet minimum standards for employee safety. In addition, these stations are too small to house the new modem pumpers that the City needs to acquire to replace aging equipment. Therefore, the City is considering proceeding with the construction of these two stations, plus a fourth station along 100th Street, which Is critical to making our overall fire prevention plan work. Estimated fire station expendi- tures of some $1.5 million would be handled through a lease arrangement between the City of Cottage Grove and the Cottage Grove Economic Development Authority. Depending on how the lease is structured, impact to the average Cottage Grove homeowner will likely range some- where in the neighborhood of $12 to $16 per year. The Mayor and Council have also given the green light to minor refur- bishing and redecorating of the existing City Hall on 80th Street, to provide more usable office space for the City's Administration, Community Development and Police Depart- ments. Structural modifications to the building will be kept to a minimum, with the expectation that the City's longer -range plan will still be for this entire building to be turned over to the Police Department, and a new City Hall constructed elsewhere in the community. Costs of the immediate upgrading will be handled with cash reserves the City has already has set aside for this purpose. Unaddressed at this time are the needs of the Public Works Department (Cont. on Page 4) a C OUNCIL • Vision by Jeff Rageth City Counciimember At a recent Plan- ning Commission meeting the comment was made that the City is lacking a long -range vision. Apparently from what the speakers could see, or maybe from what they could not see, it appeared to them that the City has little in the way of a well- thought -out and well - defined set of goals and plans for the future. Upon hearing this statement, it occurred to me that maybe it would be helpful to better communicate how the City comes to see its vision; to describe a few of the many considerations that go into shaping the community's vision, and to make clear how every resident can, if he or she chooses, contribute to the planning and direction of the City. HOW THE VISION IS SHAPED Without question, the vision of the City begins and ends with the desires of its citi- zens. The people of the community are always the emanating force behind every City plan and goal that is pursued. However, if you were to ask 10 residents about their vision for the City, you might well get 10 different responses, in reality, not everyone is going to agree with everyone else on what direction to go. For this reason, it is important to understand that having an appropri- ate `vision" for the community is not a simple "one best an- swer" exercise. Rather, visioning involves making trade -offs between deeply held but often competing and even contradictory values, goals and objectives. The City can't always be every- thing to everybody. Sometimes when people say that we are proceed- ing without any vision, what they really mean is that they disagree with the vision that the City has adopted. For example, com- munity surveys have consistently shown that some of the things Cottage Grove residents value are, in fact, quiet- ness, proximity to rural areas and "small town ambience." However, the same surveys show that the number one dislike about Cottage Grove is "a lack of shopping/restaurants." A prime example is the Target development — we had 22,000 signa- tures of people petition- ing for location of a Target in Cottage Grove. When Target decided to build here, one of the things they wanted to know before finalizing their decision was whether we anticipated continued future residen- tial growth. These conflicts and contradictions are not just between people or groups within the com- munity, but in fact each one of us may be some- times conflicted and contradictory in what we want. In doing compre- hensive planning, the City Council, Planning Commission and staff must try to delicately balance these contradic- tory desires, ending up with a community as close as possible to one that decision makers believe the majority of citizens want. Also, it is not something over which we have total control— often we can only try to influence private market deci- sions. Recently, some have alleged that the City's current Compre- hensive Plan Amend- ment concerning residential expansion into the West Draw is inconsistent with any previously stated vision for the community. This is simply untrue. In terms of vision, the truth of the matter is that opening the West Draw for residential development has been reflected in every City comprehensive land use and sanitary sewer plan since the early 1970's. In fact, sewer facilities were being planned and even installed in the 1960'x. The West Draw is likely to command more "upscale" residen- tial development, completely consistent with the vision for a community that provides a diversity of "life cycle" housing. It continues the emphasis on single - family housing, but provides move -up opportunities for indi- viduals and families. Upper value housing will also assist in diversify- ing and broadening the (Cont. on Page 4) 0 PUBLIC WORKS GARAGE 8635 W. Pt. Douglas Rd. Cottage Grove Cottage Grove's Annual Spring Cleanup will be held this year on Saturday and Sunday, April 30 and May 1. This is the chance to clean out your basement, garage and yard, and bring unwanted items to the Cottage Grove Public Works building between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Waste oil may be deposited at the Public Works garage year -round at no charge. Used anti- freeze may be brought to the following businesses for disposal: Cottage Grove Tire & Auto, 8085 Grange Gerlach Service, 7473 Lamar Ave. Jack's 76, 8101 Hadley Ave. NOTE: Do NOT bring leaves and grass clippings to the disposal area. These must be taken to the compost site at 95th and Jamaica. Cost of disposal of the unwanted items will be: By Item Box spring or mattress (single) $5.00 • Box spring or mattress (double) $10.00 Hot water heater $7.00 Washer or dryer $7.00 Stove $7.00 Freezer $7.00 Refrigerator $7.00 Dishwasher $7.00 Microwave $7.00 Air conditioner $15.00 • Sofa $10.00 Chair $5.00 By Load • Car trunk $5.00 Station wagon $10.00 Pickup truck - level load $25.00 (proportional rates may be applied to partial loads and overloaded trucks.) Tires and Batteries Car tire $1.50 Truck tire $10.00 Tractor tire $35.00 Batteries (car) No charge NOTE: These rates do not apply to construction materials. NOTE: NO HAZARDOUS OR HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE WILL BE ACCEPTED. The City of Cottage Grove has announced the spring schedule for flushing water mains, hydrants and sanitary sewer lines. Flushing will take place west of Highway 61 from April 11 to April 29, and east of Highway 61 from April 25 to June 10. During the flushing period, water is safe to drink. However, check for signs of discoloration before using the water for washing clothes, particularly white clothes. To speed the process of returning to clear water after flush- ing, open all cold water taps in your home and let them run for 15 to 30 minutes. Also, flush your toilet several times. This process will also help flush your plumbing system. Groundbreaking for Target's Cottage Grove store, which opened in July, 1941. 3 Forester spells out spring tree care by John Klinkhammer City Forester As this article is being written, we are nearing the start of the tree trimming season. The City is committed to maintaining the trees planted along our streets by pruning them at least once every five years. City crews maintain the trees until they reach eight inches in diameter. At that time, we are forced by the sheer numbers of trees needing maintenance to contract out the needed maintenance to local tree maintan companies. The p rim ,, ., , ­ pose of trimming is to keep branches from interfering with street traffic. Also important to the health of the tree is removal of dead branches and rubbing branches that can serve as entry points to insects and disease. After these primary responsibilities are taken care of, some thinning and balancing are done to improve tree shape. Brush removal is a part of this process. To give us a hand, we would ask those Spring street sweeping will take place on all residential and commercial streets beginning around the first of April. Resi- dents are encouraged to sweep sand from their boulevards before their streets are swept. To avoid damage to the sweeper units, sweeper opera- tors request that you bag all leaves and grass and dispose of them properly rather than sweeping them into the street. Your cooperation and assis- tance is greatly appreciated. people affected (please see map) to remove any Christmas lights at- tached to boulevard trees. We cannot guarantee the condition of the lights during trimming. The people doing the trimming are trained professionals. However, it you do see something being done you think is questionable, please contact City Forester John Klinkhammer at 458 -2808 and he will check out the situation as soon as possible. Please be patient during this time. It may appear that a lot of material is removed from the trees, but they need to be trimmed with a five -year rotation in mind. Those trees con- tracted out will be finished by the end of March, weather permit- ting. The trees to be trimmed by City crews will be taken care of as time and equipment availability permit throughout the spring and summer. 1111,11 1001 lzj • � , e lm Spring is just around the corner, and this is the time of year when we are reminded of all those projects we were going to get around to last fall — those piles of rubbish, branches and broken unwanted machinery and bicycles, old wood piles, broken fences, etc. What about housing mainte- nance? Remember how you were going to fix those broken gutters, scrape the eaves, paint the house and trim, or finish that deck or addition? The continued enforcement of the Structure Maintenance Code will be in effect again this year. This means that any type of unsightly, unhealthy, unsafe and annoying circumstances, whether it involve yard or house- hold maintenance, will be ad- dressed upon complaints re- ceived by the Housing Inspector. Again this year, the City's Public Works Department will be offering the spring clean -up service (see next page). This will help in keeping the appearance of your property pleasing to the community. It you have any questions, problems or concerns, please call me at 458 -2828. Are you a dog or cat owner? Then you should know. ♦ Animal licenses are available for purchase or renewal at the Park -Grove Pet Hospital, 7171 E. Pt. Douglas Rd., under a new system of animal control /licensure in Cottage Grove. Until March 1 the licenses were sold at Fire Station #2. ♦ You are required to license your pet each year. A late fee of $1 per month was imposed starting March 1 for anyone not renewing or purchasing the 1994 license(s); ® A current rabies vaccination certificate must be on file or presented at the time of licensing in order to receive the pet license. If your pet is spayed or neutered, a one -time presentation of that certifi- cate is also required. A few related ordinance tips: ♦ Remember: "No resident shall keep a pet which habitually barks, cries or creates a noise in a manner which disturbs the peace and quiet of any neighborhood." ♦ Do not permit a pet to "damage any lawn, garden or other property." (This applies to dogs and cats.) ® Don't let your dog or cat run free, "except when it's on its owner's or caretaker's property or under direct control of its handler." AT THE LIBRARY: PARENT A PARENTAND CHILD STORYTIME features Early Child- hood Family Education activities for children and parents at Park Grove Branch Library, 7900 Hemingway Ave. S., Cottage Grove, 459 -2040. Evening storytimes this spring will be 7 p.m. Thursday, March 17, April 21 and May 19. Storytime Is also held Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. and Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. No registration is needed, Parent and Child Storytime is co- sponsored by South Washington School District #833 and Washington County Library. New water /sewer billing system rewards light users ♦ A revised water and sewer rate structure that focuses on conservation and rewards low- volume users has been adopted by the Cottage Grove City Council "Conserving our groundwater resources is a goal being promoted throughout the metropolitan area," accord- ing to the Public Works department. The City's consulting engineers have prepared a comprehensive Water Supply Study showing that, given current usage patterns, the City will have to spend almost $5 million during the next few years to expand its water system. The City believes that these expenditures can be reduced through effective demand management. At least, according to the Study, a good share of the cost of these improvements should be borne by those who are creating the peak level demands. In 1993, water rates were: Under 15,000 gallons $20.30 Over 15,000 gallons $.98/ 1,000 gallons Under the adopted plan which began in January, 1994, the water rates are: Under 10,000 gallons $15.00 10,000- 45,000 $1.05/1,000 gallons Over 45,000 gallons $1.35/1,000 gallons ♦ Charges for sanitary sewer flow have also been changed. In 1993, each homeowner was charged $35.30 per quarter. The new rate Is $1.70 per 1,000 gallons of water sewage. Your sanitary sewer flow will be determined by the amount of water consumed during the winter quarter, when there is little or no outside usage for things like lawn sprinkling and car washing. ® Another change to utility billing, remote meter reading, is already in effect. You no longer have to send in meter cards. Instead, the Utility Department reads the meter from a device outside your home. O Changes to street light rates were necessary because of increases in the cost from Northern States Power to supply the service and increases in operating costs. The street light rates increased to $5.72 per quarter for City -owned street lights and $13.13 per quarter for NSP -owned street lights. ® Another change is new utility billing software to be operational by April. The utility bill will not be a post- card; it will be a paper form. A sample of the new utility bill format will be enclosed with your first bill. 4 Frazell ... (Cont. from Page 1) and the Parks system. The Public Works staff will be considering whether there are minor modifications that might ease space storage crunch problems in that building. The Mayor and City Council are meeting with the Cottage Grove Athletic Assn. Board of Directors to explore alternatives for creating additional playfield facilities. Articles in upcoming editions of the Cottage Grove Reports will keep you updated as we plan and implement needed improvements. (Cont. from Page 2) City's tax base. At the same time, despite the tone of some news articles, we are in no way compromising our capacity for industrial development. We still have an adequate supply of acreage for many years to come, even with an aggressive economic development program. HOW CAN YOU AFFECT THE VISION? There are many ways we can all communicate our ideas, concerns and goals: • Write or call your elected officials and/or City staff; • Speak under Open Forum at the City Council meetings; Every City Council meeting has a time reserved on its agenda for the sole purpose of hearing from residents. This is an excellent time to let your wishes be known; • Attend or serve on one of the City's advisory commissions. These commis- sions have long been a valuable way for the City to receive input and suggestions. Over the years, the City's vision has been guided and shaped by the efforts of many dedicated citizens: citizens who are willing to give of themselves in order to make for a better community in which to live. • •• MZfl • • •= The Community Development Department (made up of the Planning, Engineering and Building Inspection Departments) of the City of Cottage Grove has put together a book of information that will help answer the question that are most commonly asked by the public about building requirements in the City. The book will be placed in the Park Grove Branch Library next to City Hall. The citizens of Cottage Grove should feel free to make copies of any of the forms or information offered in the book on the copy machine available at the Library. It is our hope that making this information available at the Library, which has evening and weekend hours, will make it easier for the public to organize their home projects. The following is a list of the information included in the book: • building rules and regulations • residential requirements ° R l syt , permit applications and procedures • egress windows • cutting, notching and boring of holes • deck information • electrical • remodeling • garages and swimming pools • roofs underground lawn sprinklers • smoke detectors • masonry fireplaces • woodburning stoves /zero- clearance fireplaces If you have additional questions or concerns about your building plans, please feel free to call the Building Department office at 458 -2804. R SKATING SCHEDULE: FEB. 12 - MARCH 20 Monday .... 6 - 7:30 p.m..... Public Skating Tuesday.... 4 - 5:30 p.m..... Figure Skaters' Practice Wednesday6 - 7:30 p.m..... Public Skating Thursday.. 4 - 5:30 p.m..... Figure Skaters' Practice Sunday ..... 12:30 - 2 p.m... Public Skating SKATING SCHEDULE: MARCH 21 -APRIL 1 ICE ARENA CLOSED: APRIL 11 THROUGH JUNE 19 Though we will be closed for ice rental or skating, the office will be open most weekdays between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. You can register for group skating classes or the TCM League, or call for program information or brochures. Our phone number is 458- 2845. Tuesday.... 4 - 5:30 p.m..... Figure Skaters' Practice Wednesday - 7:30 p.m..... Public Skating Thursday.. 4 - 5:30 p.m..... Figure Skaters' Practice Sunday ..... 12:30 - 2:30 ..... Public Skating COST FOR ALL PUBLIC SKATING SESSIONS IS $1.75 PER PERSON Season Pass holders admitted free of charge. COST FOR ALL FIGURE SKATERS' PRACTICES IS: $2.75 PER PERSON Season Pass holders only pay $1.75 per skater. Ell. SPRING ICE CHALLENGE: On Saturday, March 26, the Arena will host a one -day skating competition for precision skating lines. 1994 ICE SHOW: The Arena's 14th Annual Spring Ice Show, "From the Stone Age to the Space Age," will be held April 9 and 10. Ticket prices are $2 per person, with children 12 and under free. • The Arena's 15th annual Summer Hockey League for children of Squirt and Pee Wee age will run this summer in June, July and August. The cost will be $75 for Squirts and $80 for Pee Wees. Registration information is available at the Arena, or call 458 -2845 and we will mail you an application. This is not an instructional league: we place most emphasis on equal ice time for all player: and on having a good time playing hockey, without the pressure of winning at all costs. We will accept the first 136 paid registrations for each division to play in the league this summer. When the Arena reopens on June 20, we will offer public skating, figure skaters' practice, contract ice sessions, group and private skating lessons, ice rental, the TCM Summer Hockey League for Squirts and Pee Wees, the Hogue - McAlpine Goalie Clinic and the EuroCan Hockey School. GROUP SKATING LESSONS This summer we will be offering skating lessons in both afternoon and evening sessions. Classes will be available for all levels from the rawest beginners to accomplished figure skaters, from tiny tots to adults. Registration for summer skating classes should be done by June 10. Call the Arena office for a brochure outlining the days, times and costs (458- 2845). « « «< NEW THIS SUMMER » » »> Open in -line skating on Sundays from 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. $2.00 per skater. ws- -• r This summer we will be offering a roller hockey league, which will play on the cement floor of the Studio Rink. The program will be a five -week session beginning on Tuesday, June 21. Cost will be $20 per player, with pre- registration a must. The leagues are divided by age level according to the following sched- ule: Mon & Wed ..... 9 - 11 year olds ........ 1 - 2:30 p.m. Mon & Wed ..... 12 - 14 year olds...... 3 - 4:30 p.m. Mon & Wed .....15 - 17 year olds...... 6 - 7:30 p.m. Mon & Wed .....18 year olds and up 8 - 9:30 p.m. Tues & Thurs..15 -17 year olds...... 1 - 2:30 p.m. Sundays .........18 year olds and up 6 - 8:00 p.m. Call the Ice Arena now to register for this new and exciting program, since registrations will be limited to 20 players per session.