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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997 MarchFirefighters ... Cont. from Page 1 it's a great way to meet people - both in the Depart- ment and in the community." "What you learn here you can share," added P.J. McMahon, who was a medic in the military for three years, then came to the Cottage Grove Fire Department. in March, 1996. "There's a lot here about safety in the home and the workplace. I've really enjoyed teaching safety issues at schools, Safety Camp and National Night Out." And after six months in the volunteer fire corps, Jill Jarosz said, "I wanted to see if a woman could do the job. There are three women here now, and we cant" She is a second - generation Cottage Grove firefighter. The three rookies talked about the extensive train- ing - a year of weekly classes before being reimbursed, then every Thursday night to hone their skills. In addition to basic firefighting and medical train- ing, firefighters may opt for specialized training in Hazardous Materials and Emergency Medical Tech. Oh - and they're on call for fires too - every third day or night on a 12 -hour shift, 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. All firefighters carry pagers so they can be reached. The Department responds to some 1,500 calls per year, mostly medical emergencies. It sounds time - consuming, but all three firefighters also hold other jobs or go to school. Cottage Grove's Fire Department relies heavily on its part-time force. At this time the Department has three full -time and 65 part-time firefighters. If you're interested in finding out more about this exciting part-time job that provides essential service to the community, please contact the Cottage Grove Fire Department at 458 -2809. Contains a minimum of 10% postconst POSTAL PATRON Carrier Route Presort Bulk Rate U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 1 COTTAGE GROVE, MN 55016 • 1 ' • - • Approximately 70 adult volunteers are needed on Saturday, April 26, to beautify a local stretch of Highway 61. This joint project of the City of Cottage Grove and Minnesota Department of Transpor tation will involve planting trees and shrubs along the north- and south -bound ramps of Highway 61 and 80th Street. A similar project was completed last spring at the Highway 61/ Jamaica interchange. If you are interested in participating, pleas contact John Fredrickson, Director of Parks at TT PT4 Cedarhurst dig ..... 2 Golf tourney ......... 2 Water mains.. 3 D.A. R. E ................ 3 Watch Block ......... 3 March for Parks.... 3 New employees ..... 4 Preservationists .... 4 'Great Grove' funds 4 Public Safety news 4 Tree Tips .............. 5 Preservation kits... 5 Spring Cleanup .... 6 Free garden plots.. 6 Public Works tips.. 7 NSP free offer ....... 7 Want excitement, service? Join part -tune firefighters If you've experi- enced a house fire, heart attack or car accident in Cottage Grove, chances are you've been helped by a part-time firefighter from the Cottage Grove Fire Department. Now the Depart- ment is recruiting new candidates for the force, especially for the daytime shift. Why should you consider it? Excite- ment, the chance to train in specialties and "seeing if I could do the job" were some of the reasons that three of Cottage Grove's firefighters applied to the De- partment. What they've found after six to 14 months on the job is that firefighting is everything they'd hoped - and more. "It's as exciting as I thought it would be," said Firefighter Jeff Brown. "The training has been fantastic. Besides, Cont. on Page 8 "What kind of growth shall we have? What kinds of housing and where? What mix of businesses should we encourage? Where and how do we come together as a community? What rote(s) will our schools play? How will we commute? What will we do for fun in our city? What are our common goals, if any ?" These are some of the questions the CityVision 21 Task Force wants Cottage Grove residents to consider as the Task Force begins an "information collec- tion" mode, soliciting ideas from individu- als, businesses and organizations about how the City should look in the next century. "We've been receiving some excel- lent public input already," according Cont. on Page 2 Recreation, at 458 -2847. 2 CityVision 21 ... Cont. from Page 1 to co -chair Louise Smallidge, as she talked about the busy first few months for the Task Force. "We've taken a bus tour of Cottage Grove that focused on various neighbor- hoods and rural districts, we are meeting with mem- bers of the Metropoli- tan Council and we're in the process of defining a Mission Statement." The 18- member Task Force was named by the City Council late last year. Area residents will be able to dig into the 10,000 -year archaeological heri- tage of the Cottage Grove area during "A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Archaeology of South Washington County." The program is scheduled for 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, May 6, at Historic Cedar- burst. It will be sponsored by the City's Historic Preser- vation Division, in cooperation with School District 833 Community Educa- tion. Historic Preserva- tion Officer Robert Vogel will lead par- ticipants as they examine artifact collections from local When I think of Cottage Grove in the 21st century, I hope for: It has elected Eileen Weber and Louise Smallidge as co- chairs and set its meetings for the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers. All residents are always welcome. "It's exciting to have such a variety of people getting together and trying to create a city over the next 20 -50 years that well be proud to leave to our grandchildren," Smallidge said. If you have ideas, B I I I 0 0 I I � I I � � 0 I I I I � I NAME ADDRESS PHONE Please return to CityVision 21 Task Force, Cottage Grove L City Hall, 7516 80th St. S., Cottage Grove, MN 55016. ------ - Thank you! -- ___ --� sites. Weather permit- ting, there will be a "hands-on" opportu- nity to explore the underground heritage of the Cedarhurst estate, which dates to the middle 1800s, as part of a dig carried out by professional archaeologists. A brief tour of the Cedarhurst mansion and refresh- ments will be in- cluded. Registration through District 833 Community Educa- tion is required, and there will be a $10 fee. For registration information, please call 458 -6600. dreams or questions about the future of Cottage Grove, please write them on the form above, or write to the CityVision 21 Task Force, City Hall, 7516 80th St. S., Cottage Grove, MN 55016. Or, call the CityVision Hotline: 458 -6057; TDD 458- 2880; FAX 458- 2897. Friday, June 20, will be the date for the first annual 4- person scramble golf tourna- ment sponsored by the Cottage Grove Crime Prevention Advisory Board at the River Oaks Municipal Golf Course. For one entry fee, participants will receive 18 holes of golf, a motorized cart, a full buffet evening dinner and eligibility for tournament and door prizes. Proceeds from the tournament will help support Public Safety programs and events, including: • D.A.R.E. pq • G.R.E.A.T. • Annual Night Out celebration • McGruff House and McGruff Truck programs • Neighborhood Watch • Criminal Appre- hension reward money If you would like additional informa- tion and are inter- ested in sponsoring a hole or participating in this fun summer event, please contact Crime Prevention Advisory Board Police Liaison, Community Affairs Officer Greg Reibel, at 458 -6025. 7 SWEEPS WEEK Street sweeping will commence on or about April 1. As in past years, the first streets to be swept will be 80th Street, Jamaica, Hinton, Hadley, East & West Point Douglas and Grange. New this year will be the addition of six hired sweepers working in conjunction with City crews. We hope this change will condense the first pass through town to five to seven days instead of weeks with the City's one sweeper. Residents are encouraged to sweep sand off boulevards before City crews sweep their neigh- borhoods. For more information, please contact Public Works at 458 -2808. OULEVARD REPAIRS e Public Works Department will once again be performing boulevard repairs resulting from plow damage. Repairs are tentatively scheduled for the third week of May, depending on the availability of sod. Residents who feel their boulevard has sustained plow damage may contact Public Works at 458 -2808 to be placed on the schedule. ' N- STREET PARKING PROHIBITION T e On -Street Parking Ordinance is still in effect! Between Oct. 1 and April 30, no vehicle may be parked on any residential street between the hours of 2 and 6 a.m. Parking is permitted at other times as long as the removal of snow and 'ace by City plows is not obstructed. Please help our Public Works Department in their efforts to clear snow this spring by complying with this ordinance. PARK PLANTINGS eminder to homeowners living adjacent to parks and open spaces: During the past several years, the City has experienced an increase in the number of violations on park and open space properties by adjoining property owners and others. Common violations include the illegal dumping of grass clippings, storage of recre- ational vehicles, storage of firewood, construc- tion of sheds, fences, playground equipment, landscaping materials, floral beds and vegetable gardens. These activities are prohibited by City Code, and violators are subject to a fine. Any planting of trees and shrubs on park and open space properties is subject to prior approval from the City. Residents are reminded to check property boundaries before making any modifications or alterations to their yards. Residents observing illegal activities are asked to report such activi- ties immediately to the Parks and Recreation office at 458 -2847. k GARAGE SALE SIGN RESTRICTIONS he Public Works department would like to remind residents it is unlawful to attach any type of sign to a regulatory sign or post, or to a street light pole. Garage Sale and similar signs should be placed on wooden stakes or an "A" frame type of placard. Residents should use caution not to block drivers' vision in the placement of their signs. After the sale, it would be appreciated if resi- dents would remove their signs as soon as possible. Thank you for your cooperation! Ltm Through a joint program funded by the NSP Gas Conservation Improve- ment Program (CIP), NSP and the City of Cottage Grove Utilities Division are offering customers a high- efficiency shower head at no cost. The program will not only conserve gas, water and wastewater, but will also pass on savings to the customers. Each qualified customer will be mailed a brochure in March. All you need to do is answer a few short questions and return the reply card. In approximately 4 -6 weeks, you will receive your free high - efficiency turbo jet adjustable shower head (Niagara Conservation Corpora- tion). Watch for upcoming mailings and take advantage of the savings! If you have any questions about this program, please contact the Cottaga Grove Public Works Department at 458 -2808. Remember: • Be wise: conservation begins at home. • Please help insure our children's future. 6 SPRING CLEANUP ' ®® DAYS o° " ' � D Drop off your items at: 1 I Cottage Grove Public Works Garage I I 8635 W. Pt. Douglas Rd. I I I SATURDAY, APRIL 26 ® 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. o a I 1 SUNDAY, APRIL 27 ® 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ITEMS ACCEPTED FOR SPRING CLEANUP BY ITEM: I Hot water heater $7 Dishwasher $7 I Water softener 7 Microwave 7 I 1 Washer or dryer 7 Air conditioner 15 Stove 7 Sofa 10 1 ( Refrigerator 7 Chair 5 1 Freezer 7 1 Box spring or mattress (single) $5 1 Box spring or mattress (double) 10 1 ADDITIONAL MATERIAL, BY LOAD Car trunk $5 1 Station wagon 10 Pickup truck: level load 15 I (Proportional rates may be applied to partial I loads and overloaded trucks.) ( I TIRES AND BATTERIES I Car tire $1.50 I Truck tire 5.00 1 Tractor tire 10.00 1 Batteries (car) No charge NOT ACCEPTED: Construction materials, hazardous waste, waste oil (Please take waste oil to Cottage Grove Tire & Auto, 8085 Grange Blvd., or Gerlach Service, 7473 Lamar Ave.) I L----------------- COMPOST SITE 95th St, and Glendenning Rd. OPENS APRIL 1, 1997 Monday through Friday: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Saturday, Sunday: 9 a.m. - 5 P.M. For more information, please call 224 -6329. Free garden plots available SPRING D.A.R. at Ashland tank farm site GRADUATIONS Cottage Grove gardeners are invited to sign Later this spring, up for free 30'x60' garden plots located near the more than 500 Cot - Ashland Oil tank farm, 85th Street and Granada tage Grove sixth Avenue. Residents who planted garden plots last graders will graduate year have first choice in obtaining the same from the 17 -week space this year. Others may call after April 1 to Drug Abuse Resis- request a plot. tance Education To reserve your same garden plot, please program conducted by call the Public Works Department at 458- the Cottage Grove 2808 before April 1. After April 1, all plots Police Department. will be assigned on a first -come, first- served Graduations will be basis. held in the elementary The plots will be plowed by the City in early school gyms. Dates spring as soon as the ground dries. A water and times are as spigot is available to the gardeners, who must follows: bring their own hoses. Armstrong: Friday, Some restrictions apply: April 25 1 P.M. • Steel stakes cannot be used, because Crestview: Monday, they can puncture tractor tires when April 28 1 P.M. plots are plowed. Grey Cloud: Tuesday, • Wire cannot be used because it gets April 29 2 p.m. caught in the plow disc. Hillside: Wednesday, • Leaves and grass clippings may not be May 14, 12:45 p.m. dumped near the edge of your plot. You Pine Hill: Thursday, are encouraged to spread them over your May 15, 12:45 p.m. entire garden plot or take them to the compost site at 95th Street and NEIGHBORHOOD Glendenning Avenue. WATCH • Wooden stakes, hoses, etc., must be removed from the plot when the season More Block Cap- p tains are needed for the Neighborhood + a Watch program in all parts of the City. Block Captains are the link between the 10 -18 homes in their Illlding Code suldeboo Watch Block and the Police Department. ®® av ai la ble at C ity Hall, Ubrary The Neighborhood Watch program is Copies of a guidebook that may help answer designed to heighten awareness in an effort the most commonly -asked questions about to reduce crime building code requirements are now available at . Please contact the City Hall Community Development Dept. Office Greg Reibel at front desk and at the Park Grove Library. 458 -6025 or Neigh - During 1996 the staff processed more than borhood Watch Coor- 2,600 permits. If you have questions or con- dinator Ceil Peterson cerns about your building project plans, please for more information. contact the Building Division at 458 -2804. 3 To protect the City's water supply, water main flushing will begin the week of April 7 and con- tinue through the end of April. Please check the map at right to see which zone you are in and when flushing will take place in your area. Flushing the water mains involves opening fire hy- drants so the sudden rush of water will loosen accumulated mineral deposits and suspend them in the water. This process often causes discol- oration of the water. While the water is safe to drink, it could stain cloth- ing, and home- owners should check for signs of discoloration before using the water to wash clothes. City residents should also flush out the taps of their " A Family Event" This will be a great oppor- tunity for family and friends to enjoy our new two -mile paved pathway and the beauty of the natural wildlife ponds. A picnic dinner will be served to all participants for a small fee. Friday, April 18 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Hamlet Park Donations will be ac- cepted for park improve- ments. homes, as iron deposits tend to build up in the lines. When weather permits and hydrants in your area have been flushed, open outside faucets and run all the cold water taps in your home at full capacity. The water will start out clear, then become discol- ored. Leave the water on until it looks clear again, usually 10 to 30 minutes. If you have any questions about the flushing procedure, please contact the Public Works Depart- ment at 458 -2808. 4 • • • You'll meet KAREN MATTHEES, below, the new Community Development Secretary, if you need a variance or conditional use permit or have questions about zoning, CityVision 21 and other Planning /Community Develop- ment projects. Karen started with the City Jan. 6 after working in the Personnel Dept. of the MN Pollution Control Agency. New Ice Arena Manager DEAN MULSO, above, comes to our City from Albert Lea, MN, where he was Arena Manager and Recreation Supervisor. "I really like it here," Mulso said. "The City staff has been friendly and helpful, and the Arena staff is excellent. They put in the extra hours when needed, and are willing to help out any way they can. I'm looking forward to serving the citizens of Cottage Grove." Nip Nominations are welcome for the City's 1997 "Preservationist of the Year" Award honoring an individual, family or organiza- tion that has preserved historic resources. Nominations should be submitted by April 25 to Robert Vogel at City Hall, 7516 80th St. S., Cottage Grove, MN 55016. Donations are needed by May 1 to help with planning for the second annual "Great Grove Get - Together" July 18 -20. Planned events for the all -City festival include a golf tournament, car show, parade, Beauty Pageant and 10 -k run. Please make your donation payable to the City of Cottage Grove Celebra- tion Fund, and send to The Great Grove Get - Together, P.O. Box 46, Cottage Grove, MN 55016. For more information, please call co-chairs Teri Flipp at 458- 8837 or Ralph Marquardt at 459 -7940. JASON T. WEST, below, joined the Recreation Dept. as a full - time Program Coordinator in January, but he had plenty of experience with the department already. Jason had been here 3 summers as a seasonal worker, and did his senior internship here in the Fall of '96. He received his degree in Recreation Management from LIW LaCrosse. Jason is especially involved with Spring Camp, Teen Scene, Teens in Action and computer scheduling for departmental activities and events. PUBLIC SAFETY NEWS NEW WEB SITE APRIL 1 On April 1, the Cottage Grove Police Department will activate its own informational internet Web site. Cottage Grove citizens with internet capability will be able to access the Police Department Web page at ci•eottage- grove•mn•us. The Web page will include information and pictori- als about the Department, its mission and goals, personnel and programs. COMMUNITY - ORIENTED POLICING DISTRICTS: 24 -HOUR ACCESS LINE As part of the implementation of Community Ori- ented Policing, the Cottage Grove Police Department has divided the City into four districts: District 1 Southwest District 3 Central District 2 Northwest District 4 East You may access our Community Oriented Policing line either to leave a message for an officer assigned to your area, or gather up -to -date information as to what has been occuring in your district. The 24 -hour number is 458 -6054. W by John Klinkhammer City Forester DUTCH ELM In our ongoing effort to limit the effects of Dutch Elm disease, please remember that elm logs to be used for firewood must be stored with bark removed from April 1 to Oct. 1. This will help limit the spread of the disease by beetles that live under the elm bark. The City Forester will be looking for piles of elm wood for the next several weeks. If you are unsure if wood you have is a potential hazard, please call the forester at Public Works and he will check it out for you. Elms will be inspected for disease throughout the summer. Prompt action can help save trees. If you see a suspect tree, please call, and the tree will be inspected. OAK WILT As people add oak trees to the land- scape, we need to increase our aware- ness of Oak Wilt disease. Oak Wilt is as deadly to oaks as Dutch Elm disease is to elms, but oaks are a natural and beauti- ful part of our land- scape and we should not fear planting them. Oak Wilt can be avoided if we follow certain precau- tions: • Do not prune or otherwise injure an oak tree from April to mid -July. If injury occurs or cannot be avoided, paint the wound immediately with a non -toxic paint. It's that easy. New infections require a wound to get into a tree. CRAB, BIRCH, ASH Did your flower- ing crab tree drop its leaves early last season? Does your birch look sick in late spring? Does your mountain ash (or other fruit- bearing tree) look "scorched "? If so, now is the time to prepare to avoid these problems this season. Flowering crab trees often lose their leaves in July when infected with apple scab in the spring. Use of Benomyl or Captan, carefully following the label directions, can save those leaves for a healthier, more attractive tree. Paper birch and weeping birch are attacked by birch leaf miners twice each season. Though not life - threatening, these attacks cause the trees to lose a lot of their beauty. Start inspecting leaves around May 15 for small light green spots. This is evi- dence that leaf miner larvae are feeding. Use Orthene or Cygon according to label directions at this time. Don't wait until the blotches are large and brown, since the damage is done by then. The bacteria that cause fire blight can affect apple, pear, mountain ash and other trees. Leaves will turn brown to black and be retained on wilted, crooked branches. When temperatures reach 65 degrees Fahren- heit or higher, an application of 100 parts streptomycin spray applied two or three times during bloom will help. As with most problems in shade and ornamental trees, cultural practices can lessen or eliminate the problem. Pruning of suckers, removal of canker - infested branches, and raking up diseased leaves or fruit will help. Also, if you are about to purchase a new tree, ask about resistant varieties to limit problems that may occur. If you have any tree - related prob- lems, please call the City Forester at 458- 2849. Tree calls are done on Wednesdays throughout the summer. Have a great growing sea- son! 1 1 0 5 Trr.Trr-m TM A joint effort by the cities of Cottage Grove and Newport to develop classroom materials for teach- ing about local his- toric places will involve the publica- tion of several "class- room resource kits" this coming July. The Heritage Education Project is funded in part by a grant from the Na- tional Park Service. Proposed topics include: A Agricultural Heritage; A Culture History of Old Cot- tage Grove and Red Rock; A the Native American presence at Grey Cloud and Red Rock; A the Suburban Frontier. `Preservationist'