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Home My WebLink About2022 Fall NewsletterFALL2022 TUNE INTO Government Channel 16 for community updates and to watch City meetings Hugo City Hall 14669 Fitzgerald Avenue North Hugo, MN 55038 651-762-6300 • www.ci.hugo.mn.us Fire Department 651-762-6362 Washington County Sheriff’s Ofﬁce Non-emergency: 651-439-9381 I thi issu... Letter from the Mayor ..................1 A Word for Public Works...............2 General Election Info ....................3 Saving Monarch Butterﬂies ..........4 Fall Activities .................................4 Construction Update ....................5 Lions Volunteer Park Grand Opening .............................6 City Commissioners Openings ......6 Updates from the Fire Chief .........7 Open Burning Reminders .............7 Food Scraps Pickup Program ........8 Butterﬂy on Purple Cone FlowerButterﬂy on Purple Cone Flower Hugo’s progression has been very evident in the last couple months. We are welcoming new residents in Adelaide Landing, Fable Hill, Oneka Place, Rice Lake Reserve, and more. With a population now over 16,000 residents, Hugo’s growth has led to increased needs for infrastructure and recreation. The new Public Works Building and Lions Volunteer Park are nearing completion. Maintaining existing infrastructure remains important as well. Oneka Parkway is being reconstructed and a traf- ﬁc signal is going in at Frenchman Road. The ﬁnal chapter of constructing the new south water tower is coming to close as the old water tower has been torn down. It is exciting to see everyone out en- joying our community and witnessing these changes together. The Public Works Department is running well out of their new building. The City used property it already owned, at Irish Avenue Park, which allowed for a “forever home” for Public Works. However, the new streets, utilities, and parks being construct- ed mean increasing maintenance needs. The new site can accommodate long term expansion, elimi- nating difﬁcult facility discussions for future Councils. Additionally, the new facility better houses the Washington County Sherriff’s Department as they serve Hugo. The previous Public Works building has been sold to the White Bear Lake School District. Lions Volunteer Park was recently named to honor the volunteers that continue to make Hugo a better place. With recreation needs growing, it came time to have a community park with amenities worth a longer walk or a drive. More than a neighborhood park, Lions Volunteer Park offers indoor and outdoor space for events, an expansive accessible playground, sport courts, and a skate park. The beautiful new pavilion will be available for residents to reserve for a wide range of gatherings. The new community building has been named Peder Pedersen Pavilion, in honor of his tireless volunteerism. Each element of Lions Volunteer Park was designed by volunteers. The planning process started with community visioning meetings in 2010. In 2020-2021, committees of volunteers designed everything from the playground slides to the pavilion rooﬂine. Volunteers are what make the City go around. I hope that Lions Volunteer Park acknowledges the contribu- tions of volunteers past and present and serves as a reminder of the importance of giving back to our great community as it continues to grow. The City Council has responsibly managed taxes while providing for the growing infra- structure residents depend on and the amenities they deserve. It is important to balance growth with revenue. The Council has maintained a ﬂat tax rate policy and still has continued to meet the growing needs for infrastructure and recreation. Tom Weidt, Mayor Hugo’s growth has led to increased needs for infrastructure and recreation. If you have a question you would like to ask the Mayor, send it to info@ci.hugo.mn.us Your question could be featured in the next newsletter! 2 A WORD FROM PUBLICWORKS STREET SWEEPING begins around October 3, 2022. HYDRANT FLUSHING begins around September 26, 2022 FALL CLEAN-UP DAYWILL BE DIFFERENTTHIS YEAR. Please go to the City’s website at www.ci.hugo.mn.us for information about the event. SMART SALTING Salt helps melt ice on roads and sidewalks and protects drivers and pedestrians, but when the snow melts, de-icing salt, which contains chloride, runs into nearby bodies of water. Chloride accumulates in the water over time, and there’s no feasible way to treat or remove it. Residents and business owners can do their part to reduce chloride levels in local water bodies by using a few simple tips: Shovel: Manually remove as much snow and ice as possible. Apply Less: A coffee mug of salt will cover about 10 sidewalk squares or a 20-foot driveway. Sweep Up Extra: If you see salt on a dry surface, it is no longer working. Sweep up and reuse excess salt. 15 Degrees (F): Most salts stop working at this temperature or colder. Use sand for traction. YARD WASTE Bring leaves, grass clippings, brush, tree waste, and other plant materials to Washington County’s Northern Yard Waste collection site at 5527 170th Street N. It is free for Hugo residents and open the following hours through November: Wednesday: 11:00 am -7 pm (or dusk) Friday: 8:00 pm - 4:30 pm Saturday: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Sunday: Noon - 4:30 pm For more information, go to https://www.co.washingtonmn.us/ 3261/Northern-Yard-Waste-Site. PREVENT STORMWATER POLLUTION, REPORTILLICIT DISCHARGES An illicit discharge is any discharge into the stormwater drainage system. It is unlawful to dispose of any substance other than storm- water into streets, gutters, ditches, ponds, streams or lakes. As a community member, you play a large role in identifying and reduc- ing illicit discharges in our community. What can you do about illicit discharges? If you see anyone discharging any material other than rainwater in roadside ditches or storm drains, please report it to Public Works at (651) 762-6301. For potentially hazard- ous materials or petroleum spills, call 9-1-1 FIRST if there is an immediate threat to life or property. WINTER PARKING ORDINANCE Between November 1 and extending through March 31, parking is prohibited on all City streets from 2:00 am to 7:00 am. Also, if we receive two inches or more of snow in one snow event during the year, parking is prohibited at those times. This is to allow the Public Works Department to clear the snow from the roadways in a safe and efﬁcient manner. Please be aware that violations of parking restrictions set forth in § 90-253 shall constitute a petty misdemeanor punishable by a ﬁne of $50.00. SNOW REMOVAL The City of Hugo would like to remind every- one that it is against the law to deposit snow on or next to a public street. Minnesota State Statute 160.27 prohibits plowing, shoveling, blowing, or otherwise placing snow onto any public road right-of-way, and doing so is punishable by a misdemeanor. Snow that is moved to the public right-of-way can create hazardous situations, including slippery areas, frozen ridges, bumps, sight obstructions and drainage problems. Property owners are liable should an accident occur as a result of improper snow placement. Also, residents should check their mail boxes to ensure they are sturdy and in good condition. Mailboxes that are damaged by snow, and not actual plow contact, will not be repaired by the City of Hugo. HUGO PUBLIC WORKSGRAND OPENING Wednesday, September 7 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm 8220 140th St N Take a tour of the new City of Hugo Public Works Facility. Meet the people and see the equipment needed to maintain Hugo’s streets, utilities, and parks. 3 NEW THIS YEAR - Know where to go! Redistricting is done every ten years after the decennial census. Wards in Hugo have remained the same, however; polling places have changed. You must vote at your assigned polling place, even if it is not the polling place closest to you. • Ward 1 was split.If you voted at the Fire Hall in the last election AND live on the west side of Highway 61, you will still vote at the Fire Hall (Precinct 1). If you live on the east side of Highway 61, you will now vote at City Hall (Precinct 2). • Ward 2 no longer votes at Oneka Elementary School. Most will now vote at the new Lions Park Building (Precinct 3). The northern part of Ward 2 (Precinct 4) will vote at New Life Church. • Ward 3 that voted at City Hall will now vote at the New Public Works Building (Precinct 5), except for a few that are in the Stillwater School District. They will vote at the Rice Lake Centre now (Precinct 6). Ward 3 that voted at the Rice Lake Centre will continue to vote there. What’s on the local ballot? You will be voting for Mayor and Council Members for Wards 1 and 3 (if you live in those Wards). Current terms expire on December 31, 2022. Council Member terms are four years, and the Mayor term is two years. Other Ways to Vote • Absentee vote in person at the Washington County Service Center between the dates of Friday, September 23, 2022, and Monday, November 7, 2022. • Absentee vote by mail by ﬁrst completing the application requesting a ballot. It can be ﬁlled out electronically on the Secretary of States website at https://www.sos.state.mn.us/ elections-voting/ or contact Washington County or the Hugo City Clerk for a paper application. Once the application is received and the ballots are available, one will be sent to you for you to complete and send back. Pre-registration Pre-register to save time on Election Day. You can register online on the Secretary of State’s website or contact Washington County or City Hall for an application. The last day to pre-register for the General Election is October 18, 2022. Registration can also be done at the polls. IMPORTANT ELECTION INFORMATION H H H H H H GENERAL ELECTION TUESDAY, NOVEMBER , Please contact City Clerk Michele Lindau at 651-762-6315 with any voting questions. Take a tour of the new City of Hugo Public Works Facility. Meet the people and see the equipment needed to maintain Hugo’s streets, utilities, and parks. 4 The monarch butterﬂy is but an insect. As an indicator species and a symbol of the things we love most about nature, however, it is powerful. This July, the IUCN added monarch butterﬂies to its Red List of Threatened Species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is considering adding monarchs to the U.S. Endangered Species list as well. Overall, eastern monarch populations have declined by more than 80% over the past two decades, and western monarchs have declined by 99.9%. USFWS estimates that there is a 96-100% probability that western monarch populations will collapse within 50 years and an 80% probability that eastern monarchs will as well. Community residents in Hugo and other Midwest towns play an important role in helping to increase monarch habitat, and it’s easy to take action. In fact, fall is an ideal time to plant milkweed and other native species. Milkweeds are a group of native plants that act as the larval host for monarch butterﬂies and are essential to their survival. There are 73 species of milkweed native to the United States, eight of which grow in Minnesota. Most people are familiar with common milkweed, a fast-spreading plant that farmers and gardeners have often treated as a weed. Other, more well-behaved, varieties to consider adding to your yard include: •Whorled milkweed (narrow stem, spiky leaves, white ﬂowers) •Butterﬂy weed (short with bright orange ﬂowers, grows in dry sun) •Purple milkweed (considered endangered in parts of its growing range) •Poke milkweed (ﬂowers hang like little bells, grows in part shade) •Green comet milkweed (green ﬂowers) •Showy milkweed (pink ﬂowers and can grow as tall as 6ft); and •Swamp milkweed (pink ﬂowers, grows in wet soils). It is also important to provide nectar for adult butterﬂies with native plants such as meadow and prairie blazing star, maximilian sunﬂower, wild bergamot, stiff goldenrod, common boneset, and joe-pye weed. Plant Milkweed and Native Plants to Help Save the Monarch Butterﬂy Ways to Keep Active This Fall! Though it may be tempting, avoid planting tropical milkweeds that are commonly sold in garden centers. These can carry a parasite that can cause defects in monarchs’ wings, and may also confuse monarchs by signaling a breeding season when it’s time to migrate due to the ﬂowers’ extended blooming season. To ﬁnd a list of native plant nurseries in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin, request a free site visit, or connect with additional resources, go to www.mnwcd.org/planting-for-clean-water. CONSTRUCTION UPDATE HUGO WELCOMES NEW RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES! Ways to Keep Active This Fall! Walking ClubMemory Café Third Wednesday of each month 1:30 pm –3:00 pm Haniﬂ Fields Gathering Room 7032 137th Street North Memory Cafés are a welcoming place for those with memory loss and their caregivers to come together, socialize, and connect with each month. Senior Fitness Class Mondays and Thursdays 11:30 am Rice Lake Centre 6900 137th Street N Fun, personalized exercise classes designed for seniors. Improve your balance, strength and ﬂexibility in classes led by a nationally certiﬁed trainer. Brought to you by the Hugo Senior Citizens’ Club. Kidz ‘n Biz Saturday, September 24th 9:00 am - Noon Oneka Elementary School Sponsored by the Hugo Business Association and the Economic Development Authority Kidz ‘n Biz brings together businesses and residents of Hugo for hours of games, entertainment, and fun. Admission is free! 5 RICE LAKE RESERVE ND ADDITION FINAL PLAT A ﬁnal plat was approved, in February 2022, for the 2nd and ﬁnal addition of Rice Lake Reserve. It includes 31 residential lots located east of Goodview Avenue and north of Egg Lake Road. ONEKA ELEMENTARY EXPANSION In May 2022, a site plan was approved for a 10,000 square foot addition to Oneka Elementary school. The addition added ﬁve classrooms and included an interior renovation of the school’s media center to create a “learning commons”. LIBERTY CLASSICAL ACADEMY RENOVATIONS Liberty Classical Academy purchased the property and building for- merly used as “Withrow Elementary”. In May 2022, a site plan was approved for additional parking and enhanced main entrance to the existing school. The school will be used for their pre-k through 2nd grade education programs. QUESTIONS? Please contact Rachel Juba, Community Development Director at 651-762-6304 Scale Project number Date Drawn by Checked by Revisions 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 A B C D E A B C D E I hereby certify this plan, specification or report was prepared by me or under my direct supervision and that I am a duly Licensed Architect under the laws of the state ofMINNESOTA Mark Wentzell Date: 07.18.18 Reg. No: 15125 SITE PLAN REVIEW 7/30/2021NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION7/29/2021 11:24:24 AMA301 CONCEPTUAL RENDERING 21009.00 BUILDING '7' MANUFACTURING VICTOR LAND HOLDINGS 7/30/2021 ZHF MW NO. DESCRIPTION DATE CONSTRUCTION UPDATE HUGO WELCOMES NEW RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES! THE SHORES OF ONEKA LAKE In June 2022, the Shores of Oneka Lake gained approval of a preliminary plat and planned unit development for 218 residential lots that are a combination of single family homes, villa homes, and twin homes. The development is located east of Highway 61 and north of Goodview Avenue. Site work will start this fall. GOODVIEW ESTATES In August 2022, a preliminary plat was approved for 59 single family residential homes called Goodview Estates. It is located west of Goodview Avenue and south of Birch Tree Ponds. The ﬁnal plats were approved with construction anticipated to start immediately. SCHWIETERS EXPANSION A site plan and Conditional Use Permit was approved in January 2022 for a seventh building to be occupied by JL Schwieters. The campus expansion included an approximately 43,000 square foot ofﬁce, manufacturing and ware- house building, associated parking, and extension of 140th Street. 6 You are invited to celebrate the grand opening of Lions Volunteer Park! Please join us in celebrating the new Peder Pedersen Pavilion, accessible playground, sport courts and skate park. A ceremony honoring the many volunteers that contributed to the planning of the park will start at 4:00 pm. Lions Volunteer Park GRAND OPENING Thursday, September 22 3:00- 5:00 pm Ceremony at 4:00 pm 5524 Upper 146th Street CITY COMMISSIONER POSITIONS OPEN! If you are interested in getting involved with your community, please consider volunteering to be on a City Commission! Please visit www.ci.hugo.mn.us/jobs_ volunteer to ﬁll out an application. 7 UPDATES FROM FIRE CHIEF Chief Jim Compton Jr. jrcompton@ci.hugo.mn.us HUGO FIRE DEPARTMENT ANNUAL OPEN HOUSE You are invited to the Fire Department Open House on Saturday, October 8, 2022 from 11:00am to 3:00pm at the Hugo Fire Station. OPEN BURNING REMINDERS The Hugo Fire Department asks that residents use caution while having recreational ﬁres and to have a water source nearby, especially after a very dry summer. Burning permits are required for any ﬁre over 3 feet by 3 feet. A reminder as the leaves begin to fall, open burning is not permitted within the City unless a permit was obtained. Open burning includes burning to dispose of small amounts of vegetative matter. SMOKE/CO DETECTORS Please be mindful to change your smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries every 6 months. A good way to remember this is to check your detector every time you change your clocks for daylight savings. Please remember that detectors have a service life of eight to ten years and do need to be replaced. You may want to consider ten year life smoke/CO detectors that you don’t have to change batteries. Extinguishing a trailer ﬁre on Highway 61 Extinguishing a demonstration vehicle ﬁre at 2021 Hugo Fire Department Open House Hugo Fire Department checking for hotspots in attack of a house ﬁre. Burning permits can be found at www.ci.hugo.mn.us/hfd FALL2022 Hugo City Hall 14669 Fitzgerald Avenue North Hugo, MN 55038 651-762-6300 or info@ci.hugo.mn.us Ofﬁce Hours 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Monday - Friday Closed weekends and holidays www.ci.hugo.mn.us 8 PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. Twin Cities, MN Ramsey and Washington counties are working together to bring food scraps pick up service to all residents, with rollout beginning in 2023. Why:Over 20% of household trash is food scraps, like fruit peels, eggshells, coffee grounds, bones and more. By separating your food scraps, you can help them turn back into soil instead of becoming waste. Who: Residents of Ramsey and Washington counties – whether you live in an apartment, condo or house. When:Rollout to begin in 2023. How: Food scraps will be picked up from your home along with your trash. To participate, you will sign up online or via phone to receive an annual supply of thick, compostable bags that will be shipped to your home at no charge. You’ll use these bags to collect your food scraps. Once a bag is full, you’ll place it in your regular trash can, and trash will be collected as usual. The bags will be mechanically separated from the trash after collection so that they can be composted. This new program is part of a larger system for managing food scraps. County food scraps drop-off sites will remain in operation, and some people may prefer to compost food scraps in their backyards. Do what works best for you! Stay tuned for updates. In the meantime, more information can be found at https://www.foodscrapspickup.com/