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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004 April Newsletter�i Hugo City Hall • 14669 Fitzgerald Avenue North Hugo, Minnesota 55038 New Public Works Building Is A Go Parkos Construction of West St. Paul has been cho- administrative equipment,and landscaping. Hugo sen to build the new Hugo Public Works facility. Public Works Director Chris Petree explains,`By In addition to the main 15,400 square foot build- determining exactly what our needs were and bid- ing,the Hugo City Council decided to go ahead ding these items separately,we will be saving quite with both of the proposed alternates: an additional a bit of taxpayer dollars over bidding them as a 3,600 square feet of garage and storage space package through the general contractor. We also designed to meet the City's needs for 8-10 years, get the exact equipment we want and maintain as well as a 3,200 square foot community room. tighter control on what's going into the building." The building will be located on the Rice Lake property,and its new address will be 6900 137th The Public Works Building Committee started Street North— 1.5 miles east of Highway 61 on meeting in January 2003. Petree notes,"City County Road 8. Plans are also underway to hire Council members Frank Puleo and Mike Granger a landscape architect or park planner to prepare were on the committee and have put in a lot of a detailed master plan for the Rice Lake property time on this project." Both are local small busi- site as an active use park that would most likely ness owners and have knowledge of various include soccer fields. aspects of the construction industry. Petree adds, "They were very involved in the process and did a It is expected that contracts will be awarded in good job of communicating the details to the full April for the site work,well, septic system, fenc- Council,which facilitated the Council's discus- ing;and building equipment. The final contracts sions on this project." to be awarded will include furniture and fixtures, Continued On Page 5 From Hugo Mayor Fran Miron: One of my personal goals this year is to begin a public outreach and accountability initiative by meeting with residents of the community to dis- cuss any issues that concern them and to get feedback on the direction we're headed. This is a personal goal of mine,and a number of the City Council _ members have indicated an interest in participating in that process as well. Any group who is interested in having me,a Council member,or City staff member attend one of their meetings is invited to call City Hall or to contact me personally. We will gladly schedule a meeting at your convenience. The Oneka Room in City Hall is available for such purposes. Through this process,and with the citizens'input,I hope to -,,, maintain a responsive local government. Historical Commission Display Planned For Good Neighbor Days The Hugo Historical Commission will once again have a Hugo historical timeline and a graphic representation of Hugo in the 1930s,both updated from last year,on display during Good Neighbor Days. "New this year will be a display on the polio epidemic and how it affected Hugo,"explains Commission Chairperson Carrie Meyers. "We will also have a display on the St.John's cemetery,including photos and stories about some of the people buried there. We encourage family members of :xthose buried there to share their photos and stories." gn-E These displays will be available for viewing in the Oneka This year's commemorative Room at City Hall on Saturday,June 12 and Sunday,June mug of the Hugo Historical 13 from noon to 5:00 pm. The Commission will also be Commission,featuring a painting offering its first annual commemorative mug for sale,featur- of the Hugo Feed Mill by local artist Len Shimota. ing a painting of the Hugo Feed Mill,which has been owned and operated by the Marier family since 1927.The painting was created by local artist Len Shimota. The cost for each Artist Len Shimota shown with some of his favorite paintings in will be mug will be$8.00. his historic 1880s farmhouse in the southeastern corner of Hugo. New Leadership For Hugo Historical And Parks Commissions Both the Hugo Historical Commission and the job at the University of Minnesota." Cheesebrow Parks Commission have recently named new plans to continue to be an active member of the Chairpersons. Historical Commission Chairperson Historical Commission. Kitty Cheesebrow has left that position to become Chairperson of the Hugo Parks Commission. Asked about her goals as the Parks Commission's Carrie Meyers,one of the founding members of new Chairperson,Cheesebrow states,"I hope Hugo's Historical Commission,has now become to see more parkland dedicated and eventually its Chairperson. developed to provide park and trail access to every neighborhood in the City." She also notes that the Cheesebrow was appointed to the Parks Parks Commission is on the lookout for a larger Commission in the summer of 2002. "I have great- parcel of land to be developed into a major ball ly enjoyed being involved in the strategic planning complex to accommodate the rapidly growing pop- of Hugo's future,and want to preserve some of the ulation of Hugo youth involved in organized sports rural aspects of the City that give us our identity, through the school district. She adds,"We also while acknowledging that development is coming want to see establishment of strategic trail connec- our way in a big hurry." When Robyn LaCasse tions with our neighboring cities and throughout announced her intention to step down from the the county. We have a big job ahead of us and the Parks Commission,Cheesebrow expressed interest challenge is exciting." in continuing her work. "At the same time,Carrie Meyers expressed interest in chairing the Historical Meyers became involved with the Hugo Historical Commission,so the timing was good. I knew that Commission because of her interest in history and I could not begin to devote the time that would be genealogy,and because she believes that com- required to lead both commissions and hold my munity involvement is important. Although the New Leadership Continued On Page 7 City Recognizes Long-Term Parks Commissioners At its March 1 City Council meeting,two vol- Commission from scratch. The City Council put unteers were officially thanked for their work on together the framework of the Parks Commission, the Parks and Recreation Commission. Robyn but they really took on the initiative to get it mov- LaCasse and Dave Strub served on the Parks ing." and Recreation Commission from July 1998 to March 2004. "There really were no parks when LaCasse will still be involved in the community, we started this,"LaCasse recalls. "We had two especially with the new elementary school. "I wooden swings and hardly any money. If I recall, am very involved in other things and continue to our amount when we started back then was about serve on the advisory commission for the new $7,000." school,more as a citizen,but also to make sure there is community space,"she said. She is very LaCasse and Strub were involved in establish- proud of her work with the Parks and Recreation ing the Neighborhood Block Program,Lions Park Commission stating,"It's amazing to me every- playground equipment,Beaver Ponds soccer fields, thing that we have accomplished." Bernin Park, Oneka Ponds Park, and many other beautification efforts. "We've come a long way. Strub will be stepping away from the Commission There's certainly a long way still to go,but I think with wonderful memories. "Eight years was long we've made a huge dent and set some guidelines enough...I felt like I was being selfish staying on for future development,"LaCasse said of her ser- there myself. I want to let someone else have a vice. Commenting on the early days of the Parks turn doing this and having fun. It's a great group end Recreation Commission, Strub said,"The fun of people that are on there now,and no doubt they part for me was the planning session. It's amazing will find some other great people to fill our spots. to me how well the master plan is holding up. Two To step down was hard,but it felt like it was the years of writing it,six years of trying to implement time to give someone else a turn,"he said of his it,and it's still a pretty valid document." service. Mayor Fran Miron remembers the volunteers as key players in the early days of the Parks and Recreation Commission. "Obviously the area has been urbanizing for a number of years,and we rec- ognize that. With the day-to-day business that the Public Invited to City Council is involved in,it seemed like we were not spending enough time developing and planning Open House our parks. We needed some expertise and some people that were willing to focus in to get our Residents are invited to attend an parks development moving within the community. Open House at the Hugo City Hall on They were two very key people in that process,"he Monday,May 10,2004 from 5:00—9:00 noted. p.m.to provide input on the new pro- LaCasse and Strub will be missed by the Parks and posed Downtown Redevelopment Plan. Recreation Commission because of the strong lead- Please call City Hall at 651-762-6300 if ,rship roles they played. Mayor Miron described you have questions or are interested in chem as"very qualified, self-starting individu- attending. als that were really able to develop the Parks zµ Not News From The Hugo Fire Department Residential Burning Permits Hugo residents are reminded that any recreational fire larger than 3 feet by 3 feet requires a burning per- mit. Applications for burning permits may be made at City Hall during regular business hours. A mem- ber of the Hugo Fire Department will respond to all applicants,generally within 48 hours,to set up a time for inspection of the fire. A fee of$15 is required at the time of the inspection. Hugo Assistant Fire Chief Jadon 011ila offers these general guidelines for burning within the City: • Burning is allowed from 6 pm to 6 am,unless other special arrangements are made. • No burning is allowed if winds are greater than 10 miles per hour. • Burning of leaves is prohibited. Please take your leaves to the City's compost site located on 170th Street. Any questions regarding burning permits or regulations can be directed to Assistant Chief 011ila at 651-429-6366,extension 19. Become A Hugo Firefighter Applications are being accepted through May 1, 2004 at City Hall for any Hugo resident who is interested in becoming a firefighter. In order to apply, you must be a high school graduate (or have a G.E.D.), be at least 18 years old, and live within four minutes of the Hugo Fire Hall. Nvdrant Flushing Begins April 26 ` Hydrant flushing will begin Monday,April 26,2004,and will take place Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m.to 3:00 p.m. for approximately three weeks. Flushing allows the Public Works Department to purge rust and stagnant water from the dis- tribution system and to identify hydrants in need of maintenance. As a result of the hydrant flushing, it is inevitable that some residents will receive rust-colored water that could stain laundry. Please check that water coming into your house is clear before doing any laundry during this time. Any questions regarding hydrant flushing should N directed to the Public Works Department at 651-762-6300. � 1 1 The latest News On CSAN 8/14 Realignment The City is still awaiting final approval from the Commissioner of Transportation for the Minnesota Department of Transportation to establish a railroad crossing for the 142nd/143rd Street alignment chosen for County State Aid Highway(CSAH) 8/14. p OAD "We are currently working with the City on design details related to the 142nd/143rd Street alignment R including exactly where the road will intersect TH 61 and what type of improvements are needed on TH WORK 61 and to the east,"Washington County Project Design Coordinator Chris Manthey said. A meeting is planned for later this summer to provide the public with an opportunity to review the preliminary designA H E A D and see how the projects affect individual property owners. Notice of the meeting will be mailed as well as posted on the Washington County web site. The project web site contains additional project information and can be found at: www.co.washington. mn.us. The web site has just been revised,and County officials are asking people to let them know if they found the information that they are looking for easily,or have any suggestions for improvement. If you have any questions or comments,please contact them through the web page. Continued From Page 1 eel Petree expects the groundbreaking for the Watering ' Public Works facility to take place by early Restrictions May. Following the site work,the actual work on the building should begin by June 1. Petree states,"We hope to be occupying the building by Hugo residents and property owners who Take Note: February of 2005,but there is a real possibility use the municipal water supply are being that we could be up and running by the end of asked to help conserve water and protect this year." the environment by restricting their water- ing of lawns,trees, or other vegetation. Ifyour address City looking To Acquire The days you may water are determined ends in an odd by your street address. Land For Parks number, you may The City of Hugo would like to acquire land If your address ends in an odd number, water only on for neighborhood parks, active recreational you may water only on odd-numbered areas,and open spaces. While primarily calendar days; if your address ends in odd-numbered interested in land located in the central por- an even number,you may water only on tion of the city,any parcel of 20 to 100 acres even-numbered calendar days. calendar days, suitable for active recreation purposes will be considered. Funds for purchasing this land if your address would come from the City's park dedication An exemption from the odd-even fund,which is obtained from new develop- restriction of up to 30 days is avail- ment in the City. A$1,800 fee is collected able for new sod,seed,or plantings. and deposited into this fund when new resi- number, you may dential lots are created. You may call the Hugo City Hall at 651-762-6300 to be added to water only on Anyone who is interested in selling land to a 30-day exemption the City of Hugo is asked to contact City even-numbered Administrator Mike Ericson at City Hall or list. Parks Commission member Pete Pedersen at Calendar days. 651-426-4126. Hugo Recycled Tons In 2003 Last year Hugo residents recycled over 641 tons of paper,glass,cans,and plastic bottles,which were used by industry to make new products. In most cases,using recyclables as raw materials saves energy and water and creates less pollution than making the same product from non-recycled materials. It also 'f keeps valuable materials out of landfills and decreases waste to energy facilities. Here is a summary of how much material Hugo residents recycled in 2003: Glass—64.91 tons collected. Glass is recycled at the Anchor Glass Company in Shakopee where it is made into new glass jars and bottles. Look for the anchor symbol toward the base of a bottle to see if it Y has been made at Anchor Glass. Remember To Aluminum Cans—11.01 tons collected. The nearest aluminum smelter is in Indiana,about 500 miles Recycle! away,where cans are melted and made back into new aluminum cans. In Hugo,items for recy- Tin Cans—14.85 tons collected. Tin cans are really steel cling are collected curbside cans with a very thin layer of tin on the surface to keep them as part of your weekly trash from rusting. The cans are used to make construction prod- collection. A recycling ucts such as metal beams, sign posts,rebar,and even knives and forks that we eat with. } container is available from your garbage hauler or by ; Pacer—543.02 tons collected. This includes newspaper, calling City Hall at 651- cardboard,junk mail,office paper,and phone books. Paper 762-6300. Those items is taken to the Rock-Tenn mill in St. Paul where it is made which can be recycled into cereal boxes. General Mills,makers of Cheerios and include newspapers,alu- Wheaties,uses our recycled paper for its cereal boxes. minum beverage cans,tin plastic Bottles—8.09 tons collected. Pop and water bottles cans,glass jars and bottles, are recycled into a polyester-like material used to make hats, corrugated cardboard, mittens,vests,and other winter clothing. Milk and deter- glossy magazines,and car gent bottles are made into lawn edging and plastic lumber for decking,park benches,and picnic tables. It takes about and tractor batteries. 1,000 milk jugs to make a six-foot park bench. Hugo City Hall Garden Club Is Ready To Dig In The Hugo City Hall Garden Club is looking for residents to volunteer to assist with the landscap- ing plan for the City Hall. Made up of master gardeners and other interested individuals,the Garden Club is primarily involved in planting and maintaining the perennial gardens. "Volunteers are needed for a variety of tasks—planning,planting,watering,fertilizing—and on many time commitment levels,"explains Club member June Young. A planting day has been scheduled for May 22 at 1:00 pm. The rain day is June 5. "We are defi- nitely looking for people to come and help plant—to dig in the dirt,"notes Club member Carolyn Kay. Interested volunteers are asked to call Carolyn Kay at 651-429-7389 or June Young at 651- 429-3887 (evenings) for more information or to sign up for the planting day. i Plans Continue For New Elementary School Site T Ilia I he Newji'The design committee for the elementary school,the naming The Planning Commission new Hugo elementary school committee organized a"Name and City Council have not yet continues to discuss various Our Schools"contest,open to reviewed two other projects in School options for the site. They have students,staff,and residents of the area: completed a space needs study, the School District. At the April and Kraus Anderson has been or May meeting,the names sub- Waters Edge South is a hired as the general contractor mitted through this contest will 119.57-acre site planned for for the project. Pete Willcoxson, be presented. 534 town homes. The site Executive Director of Business includes a private pool with Services for the White Bear Lake Hugo City Planner Kendra a community building for the Area School District,says of the Lindahl,who is working on the residents. project's progress,"The design project,provides details of the team has met at least five or six housing and community areas • A development is proposed times so far,and has come up planned for the site: for the 125.28-acre Powers/ with three preliminary design Nesser property directly west concepts for the new school. Waters Edge North is a 186- of Waters Edge North. This At our April meeting,it is our acre, 597 unit development by project includes dedication of hope that the committee will Pulte Homes of Minnesota that an additional 17 acres for the narrow this down to two dif- received preliminary approval elementary school/community ferent designs that will then be last year. The project includes play field site and 14 acres forwarded to the School Board," 190 single-family homes and of parkland. The developer he said. 407 town home. The developer is requesting approval of 126 dedicated 22 acres of land for single family detached homes As part of the process of select- the new school/community play and 207 town homes. ing names for both the new field site and 9.24 acres of pub- school and the existing Hugo lic park land. New leadership Continued From Page 2 Commission is less than two years old,Meyers the resident sit down for an interview about where For more information believes they have already accomplished quite a they grew up and what they remember about about the Hugo Historical bit. "We now have software that enables us to Hugo. Meyers also hopes to create permanent Commission, or if you would properly archive all the data that we have and are displays so that the community at large is able to like to help by volunteer- acquiring,"she notes. "We also have a manual view bits and pieces of Hugo's history. "I'm sure ing, donating your his- archiving system in place that allows us to store there are many people who are new to the area torical items, or providing all of our acquisitions, including photographs, like myself,and are unaware that Hugo has had an oral history, contact City documents,newspapers, and other memorabilia." a murder,a few bank robberies, and was at one Administrator Mike Ericson One of her main goals as the new Chairperson is time a place where people came from all over the at 651-762-6312 or Carrie to continue to properly archive all these data. world to see a local horse show." Meyers at 651-429-9092. Another top priority is to obtain oral histories. The Hugo Historical Commission continues to wel- Meyers states,"We are asking anyone in the com- come residents'photos,documents,journals,and any key historical dates or information they may munity who has lived here a long time to take have regarding Hugo's history. part." She explains that it simply involves having c1tv report BULK RATE Hugo City Hall• 14669 Fitzgerald Ave.N.•Hugo,MN 55038 POSTAGE PAID HUGO, MN 55038 PERMIT NO. 21 OCCUPANT Visit our website: www.ci.hugo.mn.us City Directory Service Ciustaff Directory City Administrator Mike Ericson 651-762-6312 Community Dev.Asst. Michele Lindau 651-762-6315 Public Works Director Chris Petree 651-762-6316 Building Official John Benson 651-762-6313 City ' ll General -'" Building Inspector Gary Schwartz 651-762-6317 Information Sr. Engineering Tech. Scott Anderson 651-762-6326 City Clerk Mary Ann Creager 651-762-6311 Monday holidays • Deputy Clerk Renee Cunningham 651-762-6310 6300 Billing Clerk Jodie Guareschi 651-762-6309 Finance Director Ron Otkin 651-762-6314 City Hall FAX Number Fire Chief Jim Compton 651-429-6366651 9 City Council Washington County Mayor Fran Miron 651-429-5961 Sheriffs Department Ward 1 Becky Petryk 651-426-4722 P'lice non-emerge 651-439-9381 Ward 2 Frank Puleo 651-653-9369 Ward 3 Chuck Haas 651-439-4475 Council-at-Large Mike Granger 651-426-8171 Fire Hall Monthly Meeting Schedule ' City Council 1st and 3rd Mondays at 7:00 p.m. Fire&Police Emergency 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.