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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011 Fall NewsletterInside: A Word from 2 Public Works Fall Clean Up 2 Market Val- 3 ues Go Down Winterizing 3 Your Home Lions Park 4 Elections 4 Design 5 Guidelines Peddlers 5 Permits Seal Coating 5 Hugo By the 6 Numbers Economic 7 Development sur rlu 0 R 1tv ne FEMA Grant Used For New Tornado Sirens New tornado sirens will be installed in September. There will be a total of twelve throughout Hugo. Tour de Hugo Take a bike ride through eastern Hugo's beautiful lakes, woodlands and farms on the first annual Tour de Hugo on Saturday, Septem- ber 17. Honoring Hugo's heritage, the family - friendly bike ride will be followed by a French themed picnic lunch and activities at the Hanifl Fields Athletic Park. The Tour de Hugo features ride options for all ages and cycling ability: 5 '/2, 18 and 23 mile rides. The bike The City of Hugo has received a grant for $117,914 from the Federal Emergency Manage- ment Agency (FEMA), and the Minnesota Department of Homeland Security and Emer- gency Management (HSEM), for the purchase and installation of several new tomado warning sirens in the City. The City of Hugo was awarded this grant over many other applications nationwide that were considered by FEMA and HSEM. The installation of tornado sirens throughout the city will be a great benefit to the citizens of Hugo, many of which were im- pacted by the F3 tornado that devastated portions of the City in 2008. City Staff worked carefully to identify locations for the new sirens where they could be heard by nearly all of Hugo's resi- dents. The City currently has 5 tornado warning sirens. The existing siren located at City Hall will be removed. An exist- ing siren will be relocated for better coverage. Residents who were most directly impacted by the new site locations were noti- fied in August 2011. Staff an- ticipates that the project will be completed in September 2011. For more information please contact Dennis Fields at 651- 762-6311. rides will start and. Tour finish at the Hanifl de Oft Fields Athletic Park (7032 137th St. N.) The 5 '/Z 00 mile and 18 mile rides will be supported by 2011 Penn Cycle and Fa►nil Fitness and Satprd y Bike Ride start at 9:30 Hanifl piay' September 17 am. We will e�as gth�etic park ride rain or shine. tainment, Following the ride, the Tour stretching station, bounce de Hugo will include a bike castle and other activities. decorating contest, enter- Continued on pg. 3 A Word From Public Works Beginning 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 (2) inches or more of snow any other time during the year, parking is prohibited on City streets from 2:00 am to 7:00 am. The City Council passed this ordinance in 2003 to allow the Public Works Department to clear the snow from the roadways in a safe and effi- cient manner. The compost site is located on the south side of 170th Street North approximately 1/2 mile west of Highway 61. The site is open April 18 - November 15 on Satur- days & Sundays from 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. This is a deposit site for grass clip- pings, leaves, and soft organic matter only. No brush, twigs, branches or woody materials are accepted. - - 0•.00 a.m. -Noon Saturday, September 24 ani Cleanup a it of Hug° F C y 4 `of of residency red Wed ' r - ,Rawus rrwterlals and Pro electronleswrll be acceptedfree-of-cha e r from households only (no businesses)• rdo r r • computers $5andup tOYement&Cunstradlon: , Computermorl or rtls, n Homelmo . PeriphemislkeY Car load of crash — --- $25 and Q , Latexpaml mice, speakers, etc.} load of trash $25 and up • oil-based Paint ri er thinner printer. PicKup P .paint remover/st PP •TVs Trailer load ofttash _ _ — -- $15/unit . Stain/varnish • pVD &VGR Players wer Push) unit . f,machmes Lawn mo ( $30( qutornotme&Recreation •' "trfreeze and filters Cell phones Lawn mower(Rlder) $15/unit .usedmotoroil Rance _ •Propene tanks Housp__ __-- $75 an up banes •Rechargeablebattenes Commercial app Garden. yard &WieHpTE: Electronics and -- A -- roachJant des/Wee Mier naZ beuusmatedas AHcondihoner _—� .Insect( fust_ -- . FertitlzersJpesbcides! will be unloaded $20)unit Please organize your load Water softener — �- rboxsf)"ng each HouseholdAerosolcanss: accordingly, ts Mattresso $5/each geroWryt s —_ and `` • Mercurytne�om�ersaodthermosta uphotstere — $1Jy _ I • Fluorescent bulbs Carpet .Some household 0Vean C "don" I forwords " The City of Hugo would like to remind everyone that it is against the law to deposit snow, in any fashion, on or next to a public highway or 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 mis- demeanor. Snow which is moved to the public right-of-way can create hazardous situations, including slippery areas, frozen ruts and ridges, bumps, sight obstruc- tions and drainage problems. Property owners are respon- sible for informing any per- son who performs snow re- moval on their premises of this law. It is also impor- tant to remember that both ___ — _ —FREE (check labs Danger" ,Polson") the property owner and the BicycleW ti� "Waming".M L31cyc1ewlChhuthres _ taG'ty°fF° person who moved the metal 62.50 and uP - please bring small hills. Please makepayable Scams Cash orelrecxsonly. snow onto the roadway asadriver'slicense.�required, rre5 - ua„&ds3nd proof Offes'dn � - may be liable should an (4roWr[wr�t��edto Var e�doae��e�l�i city of Hugo Public Warks Building 0900137th St N -- -- J— 782-6300 -- o Questions? Cali the City of Hug at 651- Public at651-762-6300. accident occur as a result of improper snow place- ment. If you have questions about snow removal or would like a copy of the City's Snow and Ice Con- trol Policy, contact the Works Department Market Values Go Down But Taxes May Go Up While Hugo market values trend downward, your taxes may not. In a partial state budget fix, the Minnesota Legislature has replaced the Market Value Homestead Credit with the Market Value Homestead Exclusion. Under the old system, City officials set the total property tax levy and then used a sliding -scale formula to reduce the tax on your house if you were a homesteader. The state then reimbursed the City for that reduction. Instead of figuring your tax and then giving you a credit, the new system effectively "lowers" the value of your home before figuring your tax. The main thing to realize is that by reducing your property's value before figuring out taxes, local officials suddenly have a lower tax base to deal with. That means even if the total tax levy is held flat, the tax rate will rise. This would be the first tax rate increase since 2003. "Bottom line is, it's a tax shift from the state budget Winterizing Your Home The number one concern during heating season is usually your heating bill. With temperatures dropping you need to do everything you can to maintain comfort and lower your heating bills. •Install or adjust your programmable thermostat Tour de Hugo Continued There will be a Bike Safety Rodeo with the Washington County Sheriffs Office from 8:30-9:30am before the ride. Bike helmets will be fitted for free and avail- able to purchase for $5 from 8:OOam— 9:30am The Tour de Hugo cele- brates the conclusion of the summer -long Health Up and GO Wellness Chal- lenge. Registration for the Tour de Hugo is $15 for deficit onto the local property tax base, although it will have the appearance of a local spending increase," said Hugo Finance Director Ron Otkin. "Virtually everyone is likely to pay slightly higher property taxes because of this," he added. The City Council remains committed to keeping spending levels in check and lessening the impact this state imposed change will have on taxpayers. •Caulk and seal air leaks Weather is capable of *Fix fireplace air leaks, clean chimney if necessary •Insulate your home testing your home in many different ways. •Replace your furnace filter With a few hours effort you •Check your sump pump •Install storm windows and doors •Clean and check gutters children 12 and under and $25 for adults until Septem- ber 12. Registration on the day of the Tour de Hugo is $20 for children and $30 for adults. All food and beverages are included. All bike riders will receive a free Tour de Hugo t -shirt and a bag of biking good- ies. To register orfor more information, please go to www.ci.hugo.mn.us or call Shayla Syverson at 651- 762-6342. can help improve the comfort and safety of your home while saving money. Thank you to our sponsors: KinderGardens Child De- velopment Center Lake Area Bank Logicore Networks Postal Credit Union Oneka Chiropractic Snap Fitness Boyd's Promos Dairy Queen MasTec Litin Key Automotive As a resident, you can choose any one of the seven licensed refuse haulers. All are required to pro- vide recycling ser- vices. Haulers will drop off a blue recy- cling bin to new resi- dences. If you are in need of a blue recy- cling bin, please con- tact Hugo City Hall at 651-762-6300. Get involver your Comn= The City of Hugo has vacancies on the Board of Zon- ing and Parks, Recreation and Open Space Com- mission. If you would like to apply and get involved in your community, please call 651-762- 6300 or visit the City's website for an application. Programs At Oneka Elemen- tary: Tot Time (ages 0-6) Tues. & Thurs. 4:00-7:30pm Sun. 1:00-5:00pm Family Time (ages 7-12) Tues. & Thurs. 6:00-7:30pm Sun. 1:00-5:00pm Open Gym Mon. 8:00-9:30pm Sun. 5:00-7:00pm For more informa- tion please call White Bear Lake Schools Commu- nity Services at 651-407-7501. Lions Park Master Plan Lions Park is one of the most well-known parks in Hugo. It is the location of many big events— Hugo Good Neighbor Days, family reunions, and sports practices. Centrally located in Hugo's downtown and across from City Hall, the park is easily accessed What makes Lions Park special is that it is suited for a large crowd. The park is specified as a "community park" in the City's Parks Plan. That means that it is appropriate for unique park features. Lions Park has built up and changed over the course of Hugo's history. It was once the loca- tion of exciting regional baseball games, a water tower and City Hall. Proposals and requests have been made for development of additional park features. The Parks, Recreation and Open Space Com- mission and City Council are seeking public input on Lions Park The park does not have a master plan and before investments are made, a plan for future development will be put in place. All residents are encouraged to participate in the planning of this community park. The first pub- lic meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 27 at 7:00pm at Hugo City Hall. Residents will be asked share their visions for the type of park they would like to have, how it should look, and what features should be present. Join us in plan- ning Lions Park, a great park in Hugo. For more information on parks and park devel- opment, please contact Parks Planner Shayla Syverson at 651-762-6342. . School District Elections- November 8 All residents in Hugo are encouraged to vote on Tuesday, November 8, 2011 in their School District Election. Polls are open 7 a.m. — 8 p.m. See below for where to vote. District Where To Vote ISD #624 White Bear Lake Schools Ward 1 — Hugo Fire Hall On the ballot are three School Board seats 5323 140th Street North and a Local Operating Levy Renewal Ques- Hugo, MN tion. For more information on the Levy Ward 2 & Ward 3 - Oneka Elementary Question go to www.whitebear.kl2.mn.us/ 4888 Heritage Pkwy North levyrenewal.html Hugo, MN ISD #831 Forest Lake Schools On the ballot are four School Board seats Forest Lake School District Office and a question on the renewal of the Oper- 6100 210th Street North ating Levy. Information will be available Forest Lake, MN at www.forestlake.mn.us ISD #832 Mahtomedi Schools On the ballot is a question on the renewal Mahtomedi District Education Center of the School District Capital Project Levy. 1520 Mahtomedi Avenue Call the Superintendent's office at Mahtomedi, MN 651-407-2001 for more information. ISD #834 Stillwater Schools Rice Lake Centre On the ballot are questions on the Operat- Hugo Public Works Building ing Levy, Capital Projects Levy, and a �, 6900 137 Street North Bond. For more information go to www.stillwater.k12.mn.us/Levy_2011.html Hugo, MN Commercial & Industrial Design Guidelines Over the past several months a subcommit- tee has been working on the creation of the Commercial and Industrial Design Guide- lines. The guidelines include text and graphics to provide developers with further direction on the City's desire for quality commercial and industrial development. The subcommittee stated that they wanted the guidelines to be subjective to allow a developer to be creative when meeting the intent of the guidelines. The guidelines encourage quality develop- ment by providing direction on building design, color, and material. They also pro- vide direction on other aspects of the de- velopment such as signage, screening and lighting. The guidelines allow flexibility for industrial development in the strict ap- plication of four-sided architecture, screen- ing, and building footprint. There are also exceptions for properties that are not ser- viced by City sewer and water and have Hugo Fire pe annual p partment potential for rede- pen House velopment. On August 8,k6. Saturd Y, October o ber g 2011, the City 11:00am Council ap- H _ 3:00,;Mproved the ug° Fire Hall Commercial Celebrate St St. North and Industrial Fire Preventi ) Design Guide- Tour on lines. The the Fire Hall Week! guidelines can fighters an 7 meet the fire. be found on and d see the fire truc the City of equipment up close, ks Hugo web- site. admission is free! If you have questions about the design guidelines or would like a copy of them, please contact Planner Rachel Juba at 651-762-6304 or rjuba@ci.hugo.mn.us Peddlers Permit Required Permits are required for peddlers and so- licitors in the City of Hugo. Any person going door-to-door selling merchandise or services, or attempting to take orders for such, must carry on them a copy of their permit at all times along with identifica- tion. The permit is issued by the City of Hugo after the individual has passed a criminal background check. If someone comes to your door in an attempt to sell goods or services, ask to see their permit issued by the City of Hugo. If they are unable to provide this to you, contact the Washington County Sheriff's Department non -emergency number at 651-439-9381 to report the activity. Exempt from permit- ting requirements are local civic groups, nonprofit organizations, and vendors who go door-to-door in an attempt to establish a regular route such as food delivery ser- vices, lawn care services, or trash removal services. Seal Coating Projects Increase "Chip sealing" or seal coating roads plays an important part in maintaining a quality asphalt pavement. Combined with crack filling, chip sealing provides several benefits, such as protect- ing pavements from the sun's UV rays (which deteriorates the oils in the pave- ment and makes it brittle), seals up small cracks and helps keep water from entering the sub -base and freezing, and adds a fresh layer of rock to the surface which improves safety by increasing traction. The City has identified this need and looks forward to increasing the size of it's seal coating projects to keep up with recom- mended application intervals. Hot Tips from the Fire Department: Remember to clean your chimney be- fore this burning season. Also, re- member to use properly seasoned wood. Change your smoke detector batteries every time you change your clocks. Hugo By the Numbers As of September, the estimated Population of the City of Hugo is 13,669. The population continues to grow. The City of Hugo has a diminishing supply of residential lots available on which to build new construction homes. The City of Hugo continues to be planned to ensure smart development practices. Over 440 Building W- `DIrMRS have been issued since January 1, 2011. This 440 includes permits for 36 new homes as well as decks, accessory structures, commer- cial buildings, electrical and plumbing. 97 630 Hugo residents can pick up a building permit, pay their water bill, sign up for a rec- reation program, learn about local business and service organizations, and much more at Hugo City Hall. Hugo City Hall Staff consists of 12 dedicated individuals who are available to help Monday through Friday from 8:00 am through 4:30 pm. The households located in the 36 square miles of the City of Hugo are in one of 4 Approximately 75% of households are located in White Bear Lake Area School District, 5% in Stillwater Area School District, 5% in Mah- tomedi Public School District and 15 % in Forest Lake Area School District. There are 36 Total Volunteers on Hugo Commissions. This includes the City Council, Economic Development Authority, Planning Commis- sion, Parks Commission, Board of Zoning, and Historical Commission. Individu- als interested in serving on a public commission should contact Hugo City Hall. There are 97 Each winter, the Hugo Public Works Department works around the clock and uses a fleet of snow plows and trucks to manage snow on city streets. The City of Hugo maintains 17 Parks. The park properties range from the 96 acres of nature trails in Clearwater Creek Preserve Park to the 8 acre Lions Park to your neighborhood park Altogether, there are over 500 acres of parklands. There are 630 1 used by the Hugo Fire Department in case of a fire emergency. Public Works will be flushing hydrants starting Oct. 3rd. It should take about 2 weeks to complete all hydrants. Flushing removes rust and stagnant water from the system and identifies hydrants in need of repair. It is pos- sible that residents will receive rust colored water that could stain laundry. During this time, please check that water coming into the house is clear. Economic Development EXTRA! City staff continues to work with property owners in the area on the redevelopment of downtown. There have been several build- ings over the last few years that have been demolished to help encourage redevelop- ment in downtown. The City also owns property in downtown across from City Hall and has entered into a purchase agree- ment with a development team to market the property for sale and redevelopment. This year staff helped a property owner in the downtown apply for a Metropolitan Council Livable Communities Grant to help finance the planning of the old lumber yard property at the southeast corner of Highway 61 and 145th Street. The property owner envisions a mixed use redevelop- ment with retail and housing. The goal is to provide a main street atmosphere for con- venient urban shopping to the residents of Hugo. The concept is consistent with Hugo's Downtown Master Plan. The Met- ropolitan Council will be announcing the successful grantees in December 2011. The property owner will then start plan- ning the redevelopment of the property. Joot Camp for Entrepreneurs Do you want to start a business or grow a small business? Business Networking In- ternational (BNI) and the Hugo Business Association (HBA) will be hosting a Boot Camp for Entrepreneurs on October 18, 2011, at Wild Wings of Oneka Hunt Club and Sporting Clays. There will be several speakers at the event that will pre- sent on topics that include business plans, financing, marketing, and business re- sources. If you are interested in this event please contact Rachel Juba at 651-762- 6304 or rjuba@ci.hugo.mn.us for more information. Hope to see you there! The Hugo Business Association has sev- eral events each year. Below are a few that you'll want to mark on your calendar! Community Business Expo October 1, 2011 Hugo American Legion 11:00am - 3:00pm Warm Hearts for Charity January 21, 2012 Hugo American Legion 5:00pm - 8:00pm Kidz n' Biz Fest April 21, 2012 Oneka Elementary School 11:00am - 2:00pm Business Networking Breakfast The Hugo Business Association (HBA), City of Hugo, and Business Networking International (BNI) will be hosting a busi- ness Networking Breakfast on September 20, 2011 at Hugo City Hall. The breakfast is held from 7:30am to 9:00am in the Oneka Room. Bobby Williams, owner of Bobby and Steve's Auto World, will be presenting to the group on team building within a busi- ness. The business networking breakfast has been a great success and representa- tives from approximately 70 businesses attend each event. Everyone is welcome to attend this event if they are interested. There is limited seating to the event, please RSVP to Rachel Juba at 651-762-6304 or rjuba@ci.hugo.mn.us if you would like to attend. A Library Express is located at Hugo City Hall and is available 24/7. You can check out a book through Washington County's Library Website and pick it up at City Hall. You can also re- turn books. ©Find us on Facebook For up to date in- formation, check out the City of Hugo, MN on Facebook. 0 vur nugo 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Michele Lindau 651-762-6315 Monday— Friday except holidays Bryan Bear 651-762-6320 tv Rena Scott Anderson 651-762-6326 Chuck Preisler 651-762-6313 ww _73.1 F . 1, Hugo City Hall, 14669 Fitzgerald Ave. N., Hugo, MN 55038 City Directory City Administrator City Clerk Community Dev. Dir. Public Works Director Building Official Building Inspector Sr. Engineering Tech. Community Dev. Asst. Parks Planner Planner Bldg. Dept. Secretary Finance Director Accounting Clerk Billing Clerk Fire Chief —�-tuncil Mayor Ward 1 Ward 2 Ward 3 Council -at -Large Current Resident Visit our website: www.ci.hugo.mn.us Service Directory BULK RATE POSTAGE PAID HUGO, MN 55038 PERMIT NO. 21 Mike Ericson 651-762-6312 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Michele Lindau 651-762-6315 Monday— Friday except holidays Bryan Bear 651-762-6320 651-762-6300 Scott Anderson 651-762-6326 Chuck Preisler 651-762-6313 ww _73.1 F . 1, Scott Baller 651-762-6322 651-762-2859 Steve Duff 651-762-6316 Dennis Fields 651-762-6311 + ' Shayla Syverson 651-762-6342 (Police non -emergency RachelJuba 651-762-6304 651-439-9381 Debi Close 651-762-6300 In case of a fire or Ron Otkin 651-762-6314 police emergency, dial 911. Anna Wobse 651-762-6338 (non -emergency) Jodie Guareschi 651-762-6309 651-429-6366 Jim Compton 651-429-6366 Monthly Meeting Schedule Fran Miron 651-429-5961 City Council 1st and 3rd Mondays at 7:00pm Becky Petryk 651-426-4722 Planning Commission 2nd and 4th Thursdays at 7:00pm Phil Klein 651-762-6340 Parks Commission 2nd Wednesday at 7:00pm Chuck Haas 651-247-0354 Historical Commission 3rd Tuesday at 7:00pm Tom Weidt 651-334-4076 Economic Development Authority 2nd Monday at 8:30am