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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004 June Newsletter �ti 1 Hugo City Hall • 14669 Fitzgerald Avenue North • Hugo, Minnesota 55038 Hugo Bond Rating City Considers Using Jumps From A3 to Al Tax Abatement The City of Hugo's bond rating was recently The City of Hugo is considering the use of tax upgraded from A3 to Al by Moody's,one of the abatement to help fund the CSAH 8/14 realign- country's major investment services. Having been ment project.Tax abatement is a financing tool rated A3 for five years,Hugo was able to com- that allows cities to use property taxes from a par- pletely skip A2 and move directly to Al due to the ticular geographic area to fund a specific project. strength of its financial condition. "Moody's rec- Hugo Mayor Fran Miron notes,"Use of tax abate- ognized the direction the Council has been moving ment for this project follows the Council's policy and the fiscal responsibility that's been shown and that development is going to pay its own way in felt the ranking was appropriate,"comments Hugo Hugo. This means that taxes collected within this Mayor Fran Miron. developing area will pay for necessary improve- ments because of that development." The City Council increased the City's reserve fund from 35 to 50 percent. Careful planning over the For the CSAH 8/14 project,the City of Hugo past four years in areas such as housing develop- would request that the property.taxes in the ment,water and sewer,new school and economic Everton/Elmcrest Study Area go directly to fund development contributed favorably to Hugo's CSAH 8/14 rather than the usual procedure of first improved rating. "This policy decision, along going to Washington County and then to the City. with the fiscal management that's been demon- "Those within the abatement would still pay prop- strated,are major reasons we achieved the rating erty taxes based on their valuation,but those taxes we did," states Miron. This new rating will save would be dedicated to paying for these improve- the City money by reducing the interest it must ments,"notes Mayor Fran Miron. pay on future bonds and improves the rate for outstanding debts. Miron adds,"This savings in Tax Abatement interest will be passed on to the citizens." Continued on Page 3 Downtown Redevelopment Master Plan Hears Completion +• An open house was held planning and urban design,to •,.- at Hugo City Hall on May assist the City in updating and ' 10,2004 where conceptual finalizing its downtown plan. + designs for the new Downtown ' ` •• Redevelopment Master Plan Landform relied heavily on were presented to approxi- input from the community, mately 80 Hugo residents and including business owners,Citi- ` business people. Work on the zens,Planning Commission, Residents and business people look over the plan began in September 2003 master plan for the new Downtown Hugo. when the Hugo City Council Downtown hired Landform,a consultant for Continued on Page 3 s ;F � p s Update on Oneka Elementary School The City of Hugo's once known as Oneka new elementary school Township. It was also ewhas been named Oneka noted that Oneka Lake Elementary School. is located just a few School I The term"Oneka" miles from the site as pdate 'comesfrom the Dakota well. School Naming word onakan and Committee member Len is translated to mean Pratt comments, "I real- striking rice into the ly like the name Oneka canoe. The name and feel it reflects the rte:t proved popular in the heritage and community "Name Our Schools" well." t` contest because of its Photo(L to R):Bob Brewer(Central M.S.Associate tie-in to the area where The existing elementary Principal),Noah McCoy(Winner of the"Name Our the school will be school will retain the Schools"contest),Ted Blaesing(WBLAS Superintendent of built the area was name Hugo Elementary Schools),Mike Ericson(Hugo City Administrator) — School. "We heard Bear Lake Area School loud and clear from Board had concerns current and former stu- that some might take dents that they wanted issue with the fact that w Y to keep the Hugo one school would bear Elementary name,cit- the Hugo name while ing the important con- the other didn't,but nection the school has DeNucci adds,"That µ a with the broader Hugo assumption proved community,"notes false." Photo(L to R):Ted Blaesing(WBLAS Superintendent of Director of Schools Construction on Oneka Schools),Mike Ericson(Hugo City Administrator), Terra and Committee Co- Hunt(One of the winners of the"Name Our Schools" Elementary School is contest),Rolf Parsons(School Board Chair),Carla Triggs Chair Larry DeNucci. (Hugo 5th grade teacher),Boh Morse(Bremer Bank),Barb Members of the White expected to begin in Kearn(Hugo principal) spring 2005. Hugo Historical Commission Displays Are Featured At Good Neighbor Days The Hugo Historical Commission once again Hugo's first annual commemorative mug was had several displays available for viewing in the available for purchase. It featured a painting of the Oneka Room in City Hall on Saturday,June 12 Hugo Feed Mill done by local artist Len Shimota. and Sunday, June 13 from noon to 5:00 p.m. dur- The limited quantity mugs sold for$8.00 each. ing Hugo Good Neighbor Days. One of the many Next year,the Commission will have a 2005 mug highlights included a 1976 Bicentennial quilt made which will feature a different Hugo"scene." by Rita Shimota that features different barns from around the Hugo landscape at that time. Someone The Hugo Historical Commission will NOT meet also found the proverbial"treasure in the attic"–a during June or July, but will resume their regular quilt featuring the embroidered names of several meeting schedule, 3rd Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m., start- Hugonians that dates back to the late 1800s. ing in August. Hugo Business Briefs EDA Commission City Of Hugo Gets A New Considered Newspaper The Hugo City Council held a workshop on Beginning in June, all residents of May 21,2004 to discuss the re organization of Hugo and Centerville received a W Ni npe. QRR� OOD nas.„ me Nea�s+A New °* ryCM?"yg"l°n°an Economic Development Authority(EDA)or new city newspaper. Published Pe ` possibly an Economic Development Commission monthly by an independent com- Oft loft, La,. � —which would be similar to the City's other pany,Bow Wow Publishing, M M1� `,A,w • `~ M.rn M 'w r"'MM rA• CMN A .r current commissions—Historical,Planning and the newspaper is called Your rmr> M r ry�n.M�Np� q. µrA Mn ' MI '��VMreAV Parks. The City Council currently operates as the Neighborhood News and EDA for Hugo,but they have determined that the Report. "We are committed ., •;n.M M1 0 r rM A' City has reached a stage where it is important to to providing the best quality g discuss economic issues on a regular basis. newspaper filled with fair . `+k rM Ary�'4ee '""rM Y.A"rAA pc� ��RI�Mg0.6 A.r u� ae 1 and balanced reporting," The EDA would be responsible for economic states Louis Melamed,pub- development issues in the City, essentially work- lisher and owner of the newspaper. ing in three areas: keeping businesses in the com- munity,helping existing businesses that want to Hugo residents Debi Burmeister(writer and pho- expand and attracting new businesses to the com- tographer),Katie Riopel(writer and consultant) munity. and Cathy Suess(advertising sales)are part of the team that help create the newspaper. The Council voted at its June 7 meeting to pro- ceed with the creation of a seven member com- Each month 7,000 copies are printed and mailed mission made up of two council members and five through the Hugo Post Office to residents in citizens. The council will finalize work on the the 55038 and part of the 55110 zip code areas. EDA by July. Copies are also available at City Hall and select businesses around the Hugo area. "Everyone is Downtown welcome to contribute story ideas or write letters Continued From Page I of opinion to the editor," adds Melamed. Your Neighborhood News and Report can be reached City Council and City staff. at TheHugoNews@aol.com or 651-426-NEWZ (651-426-6399). Hugo City Council member Mike Granger was pleased with the number of people who attended the May 10 event. He notes,"the Master Plan offers specific ideas for the future of downtown Tax Abatement Hugo. We have business people who want Continued From Page 1 to redevelop and new businesses that want to come to Hugo. It's important that they have an Following Minnesota State statutes,a formal idea of what the downtown area will look like." public hearing is planned for June 21,2004 to Carolyn Krall, an architect and urban designer for Landform,notes that the new alignment of CSAH request this special variance. Public comment is welcome; call City Hall for final details regarding 8/14 was a factor in the concept plan that was presented. "It offers opportunities for new devel- the meeting. opment yet the community feels strongly that any development that occurs should conform to the `small town character'that Hugo residents desire." Not News From The Hugo Fire Department Make Your Summer Safe The Hugo Fire Department offers the following If you have a charcoal grill,purchase the proper barbecue safety tips: starter fluid,and store the can out of reach of children and away from heat sources. • Always supervise a barbecue grill in use. • Never use barbecue grills on decks. Place the If you have a propane grill, check the propane grill a safe distance away from lawn games,play cylinder hose for leaks before using it. All pro- areas,and foot traffic. pane cylinders manufactured after April 2002 must have an overfill protection device(OPD). • Declare a 3-foot"safety zone" OPDs shut off the flow of propane around the grill,keeping chil- before capacity is reached, limiting dren and pets away from - the potential for release of the grill area. propane gas if the cylinder heats up. OPDs are • Use long-han- easily identifiable by dled grilling their triangle-shaped tools to give the hand wheel. chef plenty of clearance from heat and flames when flipping foods. 77 City Projects Update on Subdivisions Several subdivisions in Hugo are nearly complete or recently completed. Following are details regarding location,number of lots and types of homes included in some of the City's current development projects: Development Location Humber of Lots Wilderness View* 128th St. and Foxhill Ave. 11 single family homes Fable Hill* Northeast of Creekview 52 single family homes Water's Edge North 159th St. and TH 61 481 multi-family homes, 124 single family homes Victor Gardens 4th Addition Frenchman Rd. and 146th St.N. 92 multi-family homes *Project is completed ' Io The latest News On CSAN 8/14 Realignment The Commissioner of the Minnesota Department ments and preliminary plans." A meeting is of Transportation has granted the City of Hugo's planned for July to provide the public with an petition to establish a new highway/railroad opportunity to review the preliminary design and ROAD crossing for the 142nd/143rd Street alignment to offer comments. Notice of the meeting will f1 chosen for County State Aid Highway(CSAH) be mailed and posted on the Washington County WORK 8/14. In coordination with the City and St.John website. AH E A the Baptist church officials,the new roadway alignment will intersect TH 61 just south of the existing church parking lot. According to Washington County Project Design Coordinator Chris Manthey,"The project team is currently completing the environmental docu- The Circus Comes To Hugo The Culpepper&Merriweather Circus will be stay for a free Endangered Species Show. This coming to Lions Park in Hugo on July 31,2004. is an opportunity to meet and learn about the Sponsored by the Hugo Lions Club,the circus animals of the circus family and includes a -omes to the City every other year;this is the walking tour of the circus grounds. fourth time it has made its way to Hugo. There are two scheduled performances—one at 2:00 Advance tickets for the circus are p.m. and another at 4:30 p.m. With seats located available at Nadeau's Market and at just 10-12 feet away from the action"you really Granger's 61 Stop. Cost is$7 for feel like you're part of the circus,"comments adults, $S for children ages 2-12. Hugo Lions Club member Pete Pedersen. Admission is free for children Y� under 2. Ticket prices at the door Between 9:30 and 10:00 a.m. on the day of the are an additional$2. All profits circus,citizens are invited to watch the raising of from the circus will go toward the big top. "This is a throwback to circuses of college scholarships for the 100 years ago,with elephants pulling up the tent City's high school students. y with the help of skids and poles,"adds Pedersen. After the tent raising,people are encouraged to r City looking To Acquire land For Parks The City of Hugo would like to acquire land for neighborhood parks,active recreational areas,and open spaces. While primarily interested in land located in the central portion of the city,any parcel of 20 to 100 acres suit- able for active recreation purposes will be considered. Funds for purchasing this land would come from the City's park dedication fund,which is obtained from new development in the City. A$1,800 fee is collected and deposited into this fund when new residential lots are created. Anyone who is interested in selling land to the City of Hugo is asked to contact City Administrator Mike Ericson at City Hall or Parks Commission member Pete Pedersen at 651-426-4126. Compact Remember To Fluorescent lights Recycle! w Use Less Energy And In Hugo, items for recycling are collected curb- side as part of your bi-weekly trash collection. A Last longer recycling container is available from your garbage hauler or by calling City Hall at 651-762-6300. Fluorescent lights use up to 70 percent less elec- Those items which can be recycled include news- 'Y tricity and last up to 10 times longer than incan- papers, aluminum beverage cans,tin cans,glass descent lights. There are a wide variety of fluo- jars and bottles, corrugated cardboard,glossy rescent lights available forjust about every fixture magazines,and car and tractor batteries. in your home. Buying and using compact fluores- cent lights is great for saving energy and money. Fluorescent lights are safe to use as long as they are carefully stored, installed,and disposed of properly. Don't break the lights, and keep them { .t out of the garbage. Fluorescent lights can be f� recycled at the Washington and Ramsey County Household Hazardous Waste Collection sites. Or, ask your hardware store or local retailer if they take fluorescent lights for recycling. For tips on safe storage,transport, and recycling,see www. GreenGuardian.com. Hazardous Waste Clean-Up Day Is August 21 Hugo's annual Household Hazardous Waste Clean-Up Day will be held on Saturday,August 21 from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. in the Hugo City Hall parking lot. This is your once-a-year opportunity to get rid of household hazardous wastes at the convenient City Hall location. Items that will he accepted include: Propane cylinders Paint and paint thinner Flammable household cleaners Drain cleaner Photographic chemicals Items NOT accepted include: 1 Driveway sealer Appliances and furniture Used motor oil,oil filters, and antifreeze Asbestos Roof cement Car batteries Fluorescent and high intensity discharge lamps Computers,TVs and other electronics Garden chemicals Construction,remodeling,and landscaping debris Pool chemicals Explosives Aerosol containers Recyclables and ordinary trash Old gasoline and other solvents Tires Lighter fluid Used cooking oil Public Works News Construction on the new Hugo Public Works facil- ity,located on the Rice Lake property,is currently e zHIKI underway. Site work and grading are already completed and the following steps are expected to be finished by the end of June: footings,pre-cast y r: panels and roof trusses. "The shell of the build- ing should be up by the end of June or the start of July,"notes Public Works Director Chris Petree. City Nall Garden Club Ready To Grow In addition,two change orders have been Members of the Hugo City Hall Garden Club approved to make the building more efficient. planted flowers and tended to other landscaping needs around the building in preparation for this First,the layout of the community room was year's Good Neighbor Days. While planters locat- revised so that its entrance will be on the east side ed at the back of City Hall have been completed, of the building,rather than the south. "This will "there is still more to be done to keep the flowers provide easier access to the park that will be locat- beautiful all summer and into the fall,"according ed on the building's east side,"adds Petree. to Club member June Young. Volunteers are still needed to help with tasks ranging from regular Second,the parking lot will be expanded to 60 Note Watering watering to pruning roses. stalls from its current 20. Petree notes that incor- Restrictions "We're going to need people to water during the porating these changes will make the facility year—it's not a big,heavy job seniors could "more user-friendly and it is more economical to If your address do it,and there is no obligation to join the Club," do the work now."These proposed changes have idds Young. Interested volunteers may call June been approved by the City Council. ends in an odd Young at 651-429-3887(evenings) or Carolyn Kay at 651-429-7389 for more information. number, you may water only on New Community Development odd-numbered Director Hired calendar days; will include working with devel- and moved up to senior plan- if your address opers and builders on new build- ner. Working in a larger city ings and subdivisions,economic offered Bear the opportunity to ends in an even development,overseeing the be exposed to a wide variety of Building Department and work- projects and responsibilities. number, you may ing in conjunction with Public water only on r Works and Engineering. Hugo City Administrator Mike Ericson states,"We are thrilled even-numbered Bear is originally from and excited to get someone of Chanhassen,graduating from his talent and ability here in calendar days. Bryan Bear began work as Chaska High School and obtain- Hugo." Hugo City Council Hugo's new Community ing his college degree from member Mike Granger adds, Development Director on May Gustavus Adolphus University. "The Council was impressed 3,2004 following the recent He comes to the City from with his credentials and exten- ,resignation of John Rask. As Overland Park,Kansas where, sive background in community Community Development during his eight-year tenure,he development." Director,Bear's responsibilities started in an entry-level position BULK RATE Hugo City Hall• 14669 Fitzgerald Ave.N.•Hugo,MN 55038 POSTAGE PAID HUGO, MN 55038 PERMIT NO. 21 1 OCCUPANT Visit our website: www.d.hugo.mn.us City Directory City Staff City Administrator Mike Ericson 651-762-6312 Community Dev. Dir. Bryan Bear 651-762-6320 Public Works Director Chris Petree 651-762-6316 Building Official John Benson 651-762-6313 ~ ' Building Inspector Gary Schwartz 651-762-6317 1 ' ` Sr. Engineering Tech. Scott Anderson 651-762-6326 • ' ' City Clerk Mary Ann Creager 651-762-6311 ' '' '' ' • ' Community Dev.Asst. Michele Lindau 651-762-6315 Deputy Clerk Renee Cunningham 651-762-6310 Billing Clerk Jodie Guareschi 651-762-6309 I Finance Director Ron Otkin 651-762-6314 • Fire Chief Jim Compton 651-429-6366 City Council I . Mayor Fran Miron 651-429-5961 • • " '" Ward 1 Becky Petryk 651-426-4722 ' • Ward 2 Frank Puleo 651-653-9369 Ward 3 Chuck Haas 651-439-4475 Council-at-Large Mike Granger 651-426-8171 • . Monthly Meeting Schedule City Council 1 st and 3rd Mondays at 7:00 p.m. I Planning Commission 2nd and 4th Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. Parks Commission 2nd Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Historical Commission 3rd Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.