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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999 September Newsletter HUGO CITY HALL, 5524 UPPER 146TH STREETNO 0, MN s �� . _ . SIGHTINGS OMACk PANTHER ' LEAD TO COMMUNITY CONCERN Numerous sightings of a black panther in the Hugo area The City does not wish to downplay the threat the leop- this spring and summer have been reported in the press, and and other wild animals pose to people, but dramatiza- causing some local anxiety. The City of Hugo is con- tions should not lead to apprehension beyond the facts"of, cerned with the threat this animal poses to the community. the situation. Hugo is not a more dangerous place to lied Both the Washington County Sheriffs Department and than any other largely rural area in Minnesota. It is the Department of Natural Resources are attempting to unlikely that a wild animal will attack a human if not remove the animal from the area, though this is not an provoked to do so. easy proposition. The panther is nocturnal, and has many hiding places from which to choose. Both the Sheriffs Office and DNR are using dog teams to track the animal, following reliable and timely sightings. The term "panther" is used to describe a number of large predatory cats. The panther in question is an exotic black and which, in all likelihood,escaped or was released captivity. Washington County is apparently home to a number of native cougars with ranges in Hugo. Confusion reported in the press regarding whether the animal being hunted was a leopard or cougar may ha come from sightings of different animals. As the amount of farmland in Hugo has declined, and Hugo's new Fire Hall is located at 5323 140th Street,on the west side of T.H.61, people have restored forests and wetlands, an abundance near Nadeau's Market. of wildlife has returned to the area. It should not be sur- FIRE DEPARTMENT OPEN HOUSE prising that predatory species would return with the deer With special guest, "Smokey the Bear" population. Coyote, and an occasional bear, are found in Hugo. Timberwolves have established their range south Smokey the Bear will host the Fire Department's Open of Hinckley. Other wildlife, such as raccoons, can also House being held on Saturday, October 2, 1999, from 11 pose a threat to humans in certain situations. In estab- am to 4 pm. As a kickoff to Fire Prevention Week, lishing its wildlife control policies, the City of Hugo Smokey will lead games and hand out balloons,tattoos, must conform to state law and be sensitive to the level of and other items to children, while teaching fire safety compassion the community maintains for the entire techniques. Antique fire trucks will be on display, and wildlife ecosystem. visitors may participate in demonstrations of a residential The leopard poses a unique threat because it may have a sprinkler system. higher tolerance for human contact than an animal raised Firefighters will provide guided tours of the recently- in the wild. For this reason, both the Sheriffs Office and completed Fire Hall, and answer questions on the DNR are placing a great deal of effort into removing the Department's facilities, operations, and equipment. Free leopard from the community. hot dogs and beverages are to be served. all of the confirmed sightings of the leopard, the ani- A craft and bake sale is being presented by the Hugo al fled as soon as it spotted a human being. There have Fireflies to benefit the Fire Department. Door prizes will been no reported attacks by a predatory animal on a per- be awarded to randomly-chosen visitors. son in Washington County for many years, nor has there been any recent report of an attack on domestic livestock Hugo residents and guests are invited to learn about the in the area. Department and fire safety, as well as to enjoy a sociable afternoon. NEW HOUSING DEVELOPMENT TEMPORARILY DELAYED determine appropriate City staffing Ievels and building space The City of Hugo has adopted a temporary moratorium on needs; and review specified areas of the City's zoning ordi- new residential development serviced by municipal sewer nance that may need to be altered to better manage neighbor- and water. Adopted under the authority granted to cities hood development. under Minnesota Statutes Section 462.355, the ordinance is The ordinance does not stop new home construction, or the , meant to protect the City's planning process and the health, development of commercial or industrial property in the .safety, and welfare of City residents by prohibiting the subdi- community. Given the number of lots available in Hugo, the vision of residential land within the City's 2020 Urban rate of new home construction will probably increase over Development Area for one year,beginning August 18, 1999. the next year. Commercial and industrial development is No applications for the subdivision of residential property in occurring at a much more modest scale than residential the designated area will be accepted or approved during this development, and is not posing a management problem for period. the City. The ordinance was printed in the White Bear Press on August 18, 1999. Copies of the ordinance may also be obtained: USED RAILROAD TIES AVAILABLE "FREE OF CHARGE" ` from the City Clerk. Free railroad ties are available from the City for landscaping The Council adopted the moratorium as City services are and other uses. These ties were removed from the railroad having difficulty keeping up with the growth. During the last tracks near the intersections of 130th and 140th Streets, as year, 1,062 new home lots have been platted in Hugo. These the grade of these tracks was lowered to provide for better lots will result in a fifty percent increase in the City's popula- traffic safety. Approximately 2,000 ties were removed and tion when fully occupied,and more than double the number replaced as part of this project. The used ties are being of homes receiving municipal water service. provided free ofcharge to the public on a first-come, This growthis being driven by what realtors have described first-served basis. Anyone interested in obtaining the ties as the hottest housing market the Twin Cities Metropolitan may contact the City Hall at 429-6676 to obtain permission Area has experienced for decades. Interest rates are still rela- to remove them from the stockpile. The City does not guarantee the fitness of these ties for any use. A waiver hold tively low, and a large number of people are buying homes. I.ng the City harmless any damage mostly from from their use Proximity to the central cities, the existing road network, and the availability of sewer service has made Hugo a favored is required. market. Community growth is not unexpected, given Huff 's relation- � • `'� ship with the metropolitan area, regional population fore- -: casts, and the development occurring in adjacent communi- ties. To ready the community for expected change, Hugo has recently revised its comprehensive land use plan, and pre- pared master plans for stormwater management, parks devel- opment, sanitary,sewer, and public water service. Traffic management and housing plans are currently being prepared. The Hugo compost site.will be open The dramatic increase m the rate of growth that.occurred dur- weekends ing the last year was more than expected. Prior to 1999, the November, or until the first heavy �i greatest number of home building permits issued in any Year snowfall, whichever occurs first. , was 99,processed in 1995. With the number of new lots Hours of operation are from 8:00 being developed, the City can expect to handle 300-400 new home permits per year for the immediate future. AM to 6:00 FM. This site accepts grass, leaves, and other Based on contacts made by developers, another 320 acres of similar soft organic matter only. is being considered for subdivision within the com- property g dd bwoo limbs,Brush, tree ms, an munity. This would add 500-800 new home lots requiring service by municipal water, and would likely build out the are not accepted. The com City's current sewer allocation. post site is located on the south side of 170th Street, The City Council feels it is necessary for the community to take a hiatus from the platting of new home lots in order to approximately one-half j allow the municipal water system to catch up with develop- mire west of Forest ment, and to consider staffing requirements to handle the ` \ Boulevard (T.H. 61). increased level-of work involved with new home construc- a ;;�,, tion. During the next year, the City will choose a location for, and begin construction of, a new water tower and well; -- IMPROPER SNOWPLOWING CAN LEAD Flushing allows the Public Works Department to purge TO.TRAFFIC PROBLEMS rust and stagnant water from the distribution system. In addition, it allows the Department to identify hydrants in Improper plowing of driveways continues to be a prob- need of maintenance. 1 in Hugo. The piles of snow and ridges that remain ' Due to the hydrant flushing, it is inevitable that some res roadways after property owners push snow across them create a safety hazard. The snow on the roadway idents.will.receive rust-colored water that could stain can create slippery conditions, and frozen clumps of ice laundry. Please check that water coming into the house is clear before doing laundry during this time. are as hazardous as large rocks. Piles of snow act as a snow fence and create blowing and Questions regarding hydrant flushing should be directed drifting conditions that compounds the amount of snow to the Public Works Department,at(651) 429-4583. piled alongside and on roadways. Piles of snow freeze and become nearly immovable. Snowplows have been dammed when they hit compacted and frozen snow CITY AWARDED FEDERAL GRANT TO HIRE deposited on, or across, public roads. POLICE OFFICER Plowing snow onto, and across,public roads is punish- The City of Hugo has been selected to receive a$75,000 able as'a misdemeanor under Minnesota Statutes 160.27, grant from the federal government to hire another police Subd. 5. The person responsible for depositing snow on, or across, the highway may also be liable in a civil law- officer for the community. Hugo contracts with the Washington County Sheriffs Office for law enforcement suit if damage or injuries occur as a result of the action. services, so the grant will allow afourth deputy sheriff to Please do not add to the hazards of winter driving by be assigned to patrol the City. The funds will be paid to depositing or plowing snow onto, or across, public the City over a three-year period, covering about one-half streets. of the cost of the position during this time.All other associated costs will be paid for by the City. Funding for the grant comes from the Community FALL HYDRANT FLUSHING The Public Works Department will be flushing hydrants in Oriented Policing Program. The City applied for the grant earlier this year to help fund the replacement of a City of Hugo beginning Monday, September 27, 1999. sydrant flushing will take place Monday through Friday, position that was cut in 1997 due to budgetary, constraints. from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm, for approximately two weeks. ATTENTION SNOWMOBILERS In order to make snowmobiling in the community safe .-On private property with the specific written, and enjoyable, the City of Hugo has established the fol- dated, and signed permission of the property owner or lowing rules for the use of snowmobiles within City lim- person in control of the property. Such permission its: must be carried with the operator of the snowmobile at TIMES OF OPERATION: all times the vehicle is being operated on the property, unless the operator is the owner or a family member of Snowmobiles may be operated between the hours of 6:30 the owner. AM and 11:00 PM, except the hours are extended on weekends until 1:00 AM, Saturday and Sunday mornings. •On City streets, when traveling in the most right-hand lane available for automobile traffic, or as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of roadway, SPEED LIMITS: and when traveling in the same direction as Speed limits for snowmobiles are set by State law, except automobile traffic in that lane. Use of snowmobiles that no snowmobile may be operated in Hugo at a speed on City streets is only authorized when it will not in excess of 15 mph within 100 feet of any residential result in damage to the street. dwelling. • On the ditch bottom or outside slope of any drainage iNERE ALLOWED: ditch that lies within, and runs parallel to, any City- controlled public road easement. Snowmobiles may On public lands and waters under the jurisdiction of not be operated on any boulevard area where an the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of identifiable ditch is not present. Natural Resources, as permitted by law. • On the ditch bottom, or outside slope of County • On posted trails approved for such use by the Highway 8 EAST of Goodview Avenue, County Hugo City Council. Highways 4, 4A, 7, and 57.