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Home My WebLink AboutJanuary 1999 · .... Hastings Rivertown News , --' ~ H~~~U~~H~ ~~.~.:;.~~~ 'I.WI...-j.-...-J,; .I. .... .... .... ~ A J. ... ~~_____ _________ 'Ci~~fH;sti~9S ;;O'1-East Fourth Street Hastings, MN . 55033-1955. (651)437-4127 . Snow EmergenCY~I' '. '.J ,~. Reminder ~..:~.: "'f. The Hastings Police Departmentwould like to remind all citizens of the snow emergency rules and regulations concerning fresh snowfall in ~e ~!ty of Hastings, City ordinance section 8,09, subdiVision 2, concerning declaration of emergency, states that snow emergency conditions should automatically go into effect whenever the snowfall is measured and reported by the National Weather Service at the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metropolitan Airportto meet or exceed two inches in depth, Emergency officials shall declare an emergency and notify the news media requesting them to cooperate in giving notice toY~e community and its motorists, A snow emergency IS m effect two hours after notice to the news media. During a snow emergency it is unlawful to park or leave standing any vehicle upon any street until the street has been cleared of snow to its full width, orin case of emergency other than those caused by large snowfalls, until such time as the emergency condition has been remedied, The Hastings Police Department would like to remind all residents that any time there is more than two inches offresh snow on the ground a snow emergency is in effectand vehicles must be off the street at that time or be subject to tagging and ~ towing by the Police Department. ~4!' , f .,ci;),' -~- '.,-,:-{' Summer Jobs . '_/;_~,~?r The City of Hastings is accepting applications for lifeguards, lifeguard instructors, cashiers, locker room attendants and maintenance workers for the new aquatic center at Roadside Park. Applications for these positions can be picked up at Hastings City Hall located at 101 East 4ili Street from 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p,m. Monday through Friday. The City of Hastings will be paying competitive wages for these positions, Volume IV Issue 1 Volume IV The City of Hastings is in the process of completing a reorganizational effort in several Departments that will assist with the implementation and enforcement of various building, housing and code compliance issues, At the completion of the reorganization and hiring process, an Inspections and Code Enforcement Department will be responsible for all aspects of the City's building code, structure maintenance ordinance, housing maintenance ordinance andrental housing ordinance, The goal of the City is to have all inspection and code enforcement of the City under one department to assure timely and consistent enforcement of the various ordinances that relate to each of these functions. Previously, the Planning and Building Departments of the City each played a role in the enforcement of these ordinances, which at times led to certain enforcement tasks being incomplete or delayed in their implementation, Once the reorganization is complete, there will be two Building Inspectors, one Housing/Buildinglnspector and an Inspections and Code Enforcement Supervisor, all responsible for the various tasks associated with the inspections and various codes in need of enforcement. The Planning Departmentwillhave its previous code enforcement functions removed, thus allowing for the staff of two to concentrate its efforts completely on the planning, land use and growth management issues facing the City, January'1999 Page 1 Dakota County HRA Program Helps Homeowners Make Repairs ~ The Dakota County HRA offers Home Improvement Loans for eligible homeowners throughout Dakota County. Funds can be used to finance a new roof, furnace, doors, windows, plumbing and electrical repairs, and more! There are two types of loans available. The Deferred Loan has no interest and no monthly payments. It is secured with a mortgage against the property. The loan would be due when property is sold, transferred, when title is conveyed for a property, or if a property ceases to be an individual's principal place of residence. The Installment Loan has a low Annual Percentage Rate of3% and would require a monthly payment. An applicant's gross annual income and the amount of fmancial assets held, will determine which of the two loans an individual would be eligible for. Financial assets include checking, savings, CD's, etc. (an applicant's home would not count as a financial asset). The limit on financial assets for the Deferred to Installment Loan is $30,000 and $60,000 respectively. Additional qualifications for eligibility include sufficient equity in the applicant's property, a satisfactory credit history, and manageable monthly debt load. If an applicant qualifies, the HRA will inspect their home, prepare specifications, and assist in obtaining at least two bids for the work to be done. Loan proceeds are kept in escrow for you by the HRA. Payments are made directly to the contractor on behalf of the applicant when the work is completed. Work completed must be inspected by both the HRA and homeowner before payments can be made to the contractor. HASTINGS INDUSTRIAL PARK Spiral Boulevard-offHwy 316 Lots availablezoued for mauufacturing, processing, wholesaling, warehousing and garagiug ContactJohn Grossman at Hastiugs City Hall at 651-437-4127 Volume III Issue 4 For more information on these loan programs, call Mark Hanson at 651-423-8175. . Household Size I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8+ Income Limits Deferred Loan $21,300 $24,300 $27,350 $30,400 $32,850 $35,250 $37,700 $40,150 Installment Loan $31,700 $36,250 $40,750 $45,300 $48,900 $52,550 $56,150 $59,800 City Hall Contacts & Telephone Numbers Ward Hastings City Council Mayor Mike Werner 1 Councilmember Janette Yandrasits 2 Councilrnember Mike Simacek 3 CounciImember Ed Riveness 4 Councilmember Janice Johnson At Large Councilmember Paul Hicks At Large Councilmember Lynn Moratzka Staff City Administrator David Osberg City Hall General Information City Hall Fax Number City Clerk/Administrative Assistant Joyce Hottinger Acting Community Development Director Matt Weiland Finance Director Lori Webster Fire Chief Don Latch Fire Department & Ambulance Service Parks & Recreation Director Marty McNamara Parks Department Civic Arena Police Chief Nick Wasylik Police Department Public Works Director Tom Montgomery Streets Department Utilities Department HRA Director John Grossman Emergency 9~1-1 OFFICE HOURS: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday . 437-4143 438-3194 437-3387 437-4416 437-2831 437-8866 437-7869 437-4127 437-4127 437-7082 437-4127 437-4127 437-4127 437-5610 437-5610 437-4127 437-5858 437-4940 437-4126 437-4126 437-4127 437-4415 437-3922 437-4127 . Page 2 . Parks and Recreation Hastings Aquatic Center The construction of the Hastings Aquatic Center is on schedule. With the warm weather this fall, the contractors are able to complete work that they normally would not have been able to accomplish. . The City of Hastings issued three contracts in order to complete the outdoor pool project. The General Contractor is A & L Construction out of Maple Grove, Minnesota. Their responsibility is to construct the bath house, complete the site work on the project and to reconstruct Veterans Memorial Monument. Currently, A & L Construction is working on enclosing the bath house so they can complete the necessary inside work at the bath house this winter. A & L will be working on some retaining wall work on the south side of the pool off West 10'" Street and the north side of the pool by the existing bike path. With weather permitting the retaining wall work should be completed this winter. Final grading will take place early next Spring with irrigation and landscaping to be completed in April and May of 1999. The Veterans Memorial Monument has been reconstructed at Roadside Park. The Contractor is responsible to stucco the back part of the monument which will take place early next Spring. The Veterans organizations will make additional improvements to the Veterans Memorial in the Spring of 1999. . Global Specialties out ofBurnsville, Minnesota was awarded the contract to construct the pool. The shell of the pool is completed which consists of a 25 meter 6 lane area, zero depth area and an area for the water slide. At the deep end of the pool will be a I meter diving board along with a dropslide. The pool contractor is currently working on connecting the electrical equipment in the mechanical room. Global Specialties will complete this work during the winter months. It is the intent of Global Specialties to do the final pour of the pool deck area next Spring. Splashtacular was awarded the contract for the water slides. There will be two water slides installed at the swimming pool. One will be a 200 Volume III Issue 4 foot water slide which will be located in the northeast corner of the pool. The other slide that will be installed is a drop slide that will be located in the north end ofthepool area. The water slides are currently being manufactured and the intent is to install the slides in the early Spring of 1999. The Swimming Pool Committee that was appointed by the Mayor and City Council consisted of Chairman Turney Hazlet, Terese Behnke, Mike Slavik, Sue Slavik, Joan Warner, Walt Amble, Janet Swanson, Sharon Lawrence and Becky Erickson. The Pool Committee raised over $80,000 which has been used to purchase the drop slide and to install the outdoor lighting at the pool. The Committee is still continuing its fund raising efforts to provide additional amenities for the pool. If you are interested in donating money towards these additional amenities, please contact one of the people above. j Swim to Complete the Pool Sunday, April 18, 1999 Hastings High School Pool The Hastings area swim team will be coordinating this fund raising event for the Friends of the Pool. This community wide event is for swimmen; of all ages elementary through High School aged youth, adults and senior citizens. The purpose is to promote community spirit, fitness and swimming, as well as, raise funds to complete the new outdoor pool project currently being constructed at Roadside Park. Each swimmer will swim as far as he or she can for a IS minute time period. Recognition and incentives will be awarded to each swimmer based on how much money they raise, as well as how far they swim. All pledges will be turned in prior to swimming. Pledges will be tax deductible and all proceeds will go to the (Friends of the Pool). Current sponson; for this fund raiser are Hastings Community Education, Speedoand Wal-MartCornpanies. Currently, other sponson; are being solicited. If your business is interested in sponsoring this event, please call Kim Olson at 437-4311. Page 3 _..'.'.....~. ...., . ,- ;"7'~';S: , ... " ~: " Parks and Recreation . Hastings Civic Arena &. The arena is well into the ice skating season, ~ and programs are operating well at the civic arenas. Skating lessons ran for a 7-week session with good participation. Kelly Kratzke, skating instructor, advertises registration in the local paper in August and September. Ms. Kratzke is arranging to have a second 6 to 7 week session mid-January thru February with a skate recital on February, 28. The youth hockey program has 445 d1!. participants from 5 years old to 18. The ,.....,::; High School has added another junior . ..... . ... . varsity girls team. Public skate is available at the arena. The schedule is in the local paper weekly and available at the arena. Admission is $2.50 a person, skate rental $1.75, booklet of 10 $20. For Ice or Dryfloor rental call 437-8279. ...... Community Development Public Skate Hours Wednesdays: 12:30pm-2:30pm January 27 to March 17 Fridays: 9:00am-1 1:00am January 29 to March 19. Other times are as follows. Sat Jan. 3...............2:30-4:3Opm Sun Jan. 31.............2:30-4:3Opm Sun Feb. 7...............5:30-7:3Opm Sun Feb. l4.............5:30-7:3Opm Sat Feb. 20.............2:30-4:3Opm Sun Feb. 21.............2:30-4:3Opm Sun Feb. 28.............1:45-3:45pm Sun Mar. 7..............2:30-4:3Opm It is anticipated the City will have the east ice rink melted down on March I, 1999. The west rink may be iced an additional five to seven weeks, depending upon demand. In mid-March the east rink will be open for dryfloor events, including soccer, baseball, fast pitch practices or soccer games. Look for advertising for Matvichuk Summer Hockey Camp to begin August 1999. . Comprehensive Plan Update Tbe Planning Department is currently focusing on the Land Use Component of the City's New Comprehensive Plan. The land use component of the plan involves existing land uses, housing, redevelopment, and future growth. It is the starting point and the backbone ofthe plan. Policy statements will be guided trom and decisions will be made based on this part ofthe plan. The following work has been completed: · Existing Land Use Map · Vacant Land Use Map · Estimated City Population within City Limits · Estimated Households within City Limits · Estimated MUSA Expansion/Annexation Needs · Estimated Year 2000 Musa Volume III Issue 4 ~;.J." · Strategic Annexation Map . Working Map (transportation and infrastructure) · Conflict Map Identifying Conflicts Between Existing Compo Plan and Zoning A major part of the land use comprehensive plarming process still needed is community participation. Tbe City will be conducting public meetings to receive public input and direction regarding the Comprehensive Plan. In the meantime, the public is invited and encouraged to contact Matthew Weiland with the Planning Department, if they have any specific questions about the Comprehensive Plan, the process, or land use. . Page 4 . Fire Department Dialing 911 on a Cellular Telephone All calls to 911 ITom cellular phones are automatically routed to State Patrol dispatchers in 11 statewide districts across Minnesota. Unlike most calls to 911 trom your residence, the location of the caller is not displayed on the dispatcher's computer screen. In order to quickly dispatch emergency service personnel, the dispatcher must rely on the caller to tell them the location and nature of the emergency. . The Minnesota State Patrol urges cellular users to learn to pay attention to the following details that could help them remember their location in case of an emergency: * Mile markers and highway exit numbers * The county or city in which you're driving * The county or state highway number or road on which you are driving * The direction of travel Also, review procedures for placing a 911 call: · Tell the 911 dispatcher that you are calling trom a cellular phone · Give the dispatcher the cellular phone number you are calling trom · Stay on the line until the dispatcher tells you to hang up or until help arrives . Stay near the emergency scene only if it is safe ""'! Winter Fire Safety ~ Heating fires cause 17 percent of the identified residential fires in Minnesota and have been the number one cause of fires in Minnesota for the past eight years. Over one half of all heating fires in Minnesota involve fireplaces or chimneys. Over $7.4 million in damage was caused trom heating fires in Minnesota in 1997. Residential fires accounted for 68 percent of all fire deaths in 1997. The most dangerous place to be during a fire is in your own home. Safety around heating equipment and appliances is an important first step in reducing the number of fires that occur annually. Keep children and loose clothing at a safe distance. You should have at least three feet of clearance between anything that can burn and your home heating equipment. Always turn off portable heating appliances when leaving home or retiring for the evening. Be sure the fire in the fireplace is out before going to bed. Have chimneys, fireplaces and other heating devices inspected by a qualified professional prior to the start of every heating season. Use a sturdy screen or glass closure in tront of your fireplace, and bum only clean fireplace wood. Install smoke detectors on every level of your home, including the basement, and test them monthly. If installing new or replacing existing smoke detectors, we recommend dual sensor models, which incorporate ionization and photoelectric technologies in one unit These detectors have proven to be superior in detecting fast buming and slow smoldering fires - fires which normally occur in homes. CO Poisoning Can Kill . Carbon Monoxide - or CO - is an invisible, odorless gas, produced by incomplete burning of fuels in furnaces and other fuel-burning appliances. CO can build up inside homes during the winter, when the furnace is running and the house is sealed up. Low levels of CO can cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, weakness and shortness of breath. Higher levels can be fatal. To protect yourself and your family against CO, make sure your heating system and all fuel burning Volume III Issue 4 appliances are adequately vented and properly maintained. Make sure your furnace has an adequate air intake. Provide adequate ventilation when using fireplaces, wood stoves or space heaters. Do not use gasoline engines or bum charcoal in enclosed spaces. Do not use gas stoves or ovens to heat living areas. Rely on a qualified technician to install furnaces and other fuel-burning appliances. Do a furnace check and check all fuel-burning appliances. Install a UL- listed carbon monoxide alarm, which will sound when potentially dangerous levels of co are present. Page 5 Public Works Snowmobile ~ Ordinance Changes Last year, the Hastings City Council revised the snowmobile ordinance. The changes included; . City ordinances require property owners to clear snow and ice off of sidewalks abutting their property within 48 hours after each stonn. In addition, ordinances also prohibit blowing or shoveling snow back out into the street. . Snowmobile use within the City is permitted only between the ~ hours of8:00 AM. and 10:00 PM. After 10:00 PM ~ Free Water C:~;~~;~:~~;:itymustbereturningtohome. Free water conservation kits are now available at City Hall for Hastings residents. The kits include a high efficiency faucet aerator, a pulsing motion flow showerhead, leak detection tablets a toilet tank displacement bag, and a toilet tank fill cycle Snow Plowing . Snow plow drivers' visibility is limited. There is a large blind spot directly behind the trucks. When following a snow plow, please stay well back. The plows occasionally have to stop and back up and the drivers cannot see vehicles directly behind the trucks. . Snow plow operations occasionally damage mailboxes. The City has a policy to repair or replace mailboxes struck by snow plows. However, mailboxes damaged by snow thrown by the plow are the homeowner's responsibility to repair. Mailboxes are supposed to be installed flush with the back of the curb, 8 inches behind the edge of the street. The Postal Service requests that homeowners keep the area in front of their mailboxes clear so that postal vehicles are able to get close to the mailbox. A snow emergency automatically goes into effect when 2 inches or more of snow (as measured at the MinneapolislSt. Paul Airport) has fallen. Under a snow emergency, no parking on any City street is allowed until that street has been cleared to its full width. Violators will be ticketed and towed. Check cable channel 12 or KDW A 1460 AM if you are not sure if a snow emergency is in effect. . A nonnal snowfall takes eight to ten hours to clear with City crews typically starting snow removal ' operations at 5;00 AM. Snow windrowed in the downtown area is generally removed the following day. Volume III Issue 4 . . Removing Pleasant Dr. from the snowmobile corridor map and replacing it with General Sieben Dr. Adding 36th St. from Kendall Dr. to Highway 61 to the snowmobile corridor map. . Creating a Service District along 33rd St. between Highway 316 and Highway 61, and along Highway 61 from 33rd St. south to the City limits. Within the Service District snowmobiles may stop for food, gas, or lodging; and may use area parking lots for park and ride with the property owner's permission. Speeds within the Service District are limited to 10 miles per hour. A copy of the new snowmobile corridor map is included in this newsletter. The following is a summary of the snowmobile regulations listed in the snowmobile ordinance: Snowmobile Regulations: Snowmobiles are permitted to operate within the City limits only to travel from the operator's residence to outside of the City or from outside of the City to the operator's residence. Stopping is only permitted within the Service District. In traveling to and from the City limits, snowmobiles must follow the snowmobile corridors outlined on the adjacent City map. No recreational snowmobiling is allowed within the City limits. . Snowmobiles must use the paved streets. Snowmobiles are prohibited from using boulevards, sidewalks, bike paths, alleys, City parks or ponding basins, and School or City property. (Continual snowmobile use of the Pleasant Dr. boulevard and walks resulted in Pleasant Dr. being removed from the snowmobile corridor map.) diverter. A brochure titled "Easy ways to save water, money, and energy at home" will be handed out with the conservation kits. There is no charge for these conservation kits; just stop down at City Hall and pick them up. . Page 6 . . . HASTINGS SNOWMOBILE CORRIDOR MAP 4 ~ I::J; Snowmobile Corridors /"'\:% City Streets ~.\l Snow Service District ... Map Created by: Hastings Planning Dept. Map Designed by: Matt Weiland 1/3/98 Volume III Issue 4 Page 7 Police Department _ New Officer Hired .... Animal Control 1999 .... 'Top Dog Animal Control Services will , continue to be the City of Hastings animal control provider for the year 1999. There is one change that recently went into effect that the Hastings Police Department would like citizens to be aware of; the animal control officer in the city will not be taking custody of or responsibility for cats that are reported as being picked up by residents. As there is no local ordinance prohibiting cats trom running loose, the City police or animal control officer will not be picking up cats to take to the impound facility that is currently used for the dog ordinance. The City of Hastings Police Department has hired its newest officer as a result ofthe Cops Fast Grant the City of Hastings received trom the federal government. Officer Craig Puch was hired and began working in field training with the Hastings Police Department on November 23'd, 1998. ---- Hastings TRAC, Transportation Around the City, is hiring part time, back-up drivers. If you possess a Class "B" license with a passenger endorsement and have a clean driving record, call the City of Hastings for an employment application (437-4127). . City of Hastings 101 Fourth Street East Hastings, MN 55033-1955 Carrier Route Sort BULK RATE U.s. POSTAGE PAID Hastings, MN Permit No. 166 POSTAL CUSTOMER PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER CONTAINING NO LESS THAN 10% POST CONSUMER WASTE . Volume III Issue4 Page 8