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1978 March No. 18 March 1978 CITY OF FRIDLEY SPRING NEWSLETTER J CATV / A Communications Alternative � The City of Fridley has had access, to cable television facilities for over three years. Throughout this period, the City has encouraged citizen par- ticipation in local television program- ming. However, this unique communi- cations medium for the most part has been under utilized. Many residents are unaware of the opportunities avail- able to produce television program- COMMITTEE DONATES $1000.00 ming with lightweight, easy-to-operate opera Y television equipment.ment. Both the Fridley TO ISLANDS OF PEACE Library and general television have facilities and trained personnel to as- sist with what is called "public ac- cess". The Employee Community Service Committee (ECSC) of the Prudential Public access is a means by which Insurance Company donated $1,000 to the Islands of Peace on December 21, 1977. any individual or organization may The Islands of Peace, located in Fridley on the banks of the Mississippi River produce television programming on just north of Interstate 694,_is designed specifically for use by visually, audibly any subject (except "obscene and in- and physically handicapped decent matter", commercial advertis- ing or lotteries) to be "aired on the ECSC was formed to assist non-profit, community-based organizations in the cable television system. greater Twin Cities area. Their assistance is either monetary or volunteer help, In the interest of pursuing public or a combination of these. The $1,000 donation has been designated for prepara- access, the Anoka County Communi- cations Workshop (ACCW) was estab- tion of brochures for the park and for aid in furnishing the library. lished in 1976. This workshop is com- In the spring of this year, ECSC also plans to assist with planting trees and posed of people who share a common volunteering time to other construction projects on the Islands of Peace. interest in local television program- ming. Recently, Anoka County Com- munications Workshop submitted its tax-exempt status to the State of Minnesota for approval. If obtained, this status will enable the workshop F R I D L EY GETS FINANCE AWARDS to receive tax deductible donations and grants for the purpose of producing The Cit of Fridley has and promoting local television pro- The y qualified for a Certificate of Conformance gramming. for its 1976 financial statements. This is the highest award possible In an attempt to measure interest for excellence in financial reporting. Our community joins a select in local television programming, the group who have earned this distinction in Minnesota. City is requesting that interested in- In addition, the City's Finance Director, Marvin Brunsell, attained dividuals contact Blake Balzart, Com- an accounting achievement award. munications Aide, at 571-3450, Ex- tension 160 or Mark Scott, Library Media Specialist at 571-1934. (STEP) SELECTIVE TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM PROGRESS UPDATE We are proud to announce that December's accident rate was reduced below the preceding three Decembers' monthly figures. Assisted by the breathalyzer, regular police officers have been instrumental in making Fridley a very bad place to drive while intoxicated. This, together with the increased enforcement s program, is making Fridley a safer place to live and drive. s CRIME AWARENESS AND PREVENTION CLASSES ;u Back by popular demand are the Crime Awareness and Prevention Classes. This course is designed to equip you with different techniques that can help you guard against becoming a victim of crime. Classes will Et L�.� include guest speakers, films, displays, and discussions on such topics as burglary and theft protection, fraud _ I and consumer protection, shoplifting, drug abuse, per- sonal protection, juvenile delinquency, child abuse and ` neglect, and more. Starting Wednesday, March 15, .O classes will meet every Wednesday evening from 7 to p L G 9 p.m. for six weeks in the Fridley Civic Center Com- munity Room. All classes are free of charge. Anyone----- -- interested in attending should contact the Fridley Police Department at 571-3457 as soon as possible to register. 1 /� Class size is limited. i ASSESSOR'S CORNER MONEY SOON AVAILABLE TO HYDE PARK Since the sees L's depart set RESIDENTS FOR REHABILITATION sign, the Assessor's department has been mandated by the State of Minnesota to physically view The City will soon be taking applications for rehabilitation grants and loans and appraiseone-fourth of its in the Hyde Park area. The money will be a part of a $140,000 Community Block jurisdiction each year and to Grant Program approved by the Department of Housing and Urban Development view every property at least once (HUD) last October. The primary focus of the Block Grant will be to provide in four years. The ane-quarter money to qualified applicants to upgrade single family structures in an area to be revalued for this coming bounded by 7th Street on the east, I-694 on the south, Main Street on the west year is the area generally be- and 61st Street on the north. Other projects of the Block Grant Program include tween Mississippi Street and 57th a tool loan program, a maintenance resource center and an implementation of Avenue and east of East River the housing maintenance code. Road. The City will be sending more detailed information on the rehabilitation If you are not home when the project to those persons who will be affected at a later date. Questions concerning appraiser is there, he will leave a this project should be directed to the Planning Department, Housing Services tag or send a letter with our tele- Section at the Fridley Civic Center, 6431 University Avenue N.E., phone number phone number. Please make con- 571-3450. tact with us immediately so the appraiser can come back while he is still- in your -sr,-_a. This saves time and mileage for us, NEIGHBORHOOD INPUT SOUGHT thereby keeping your expenses to a minimum. IN DESIGN OF CITY PARK SYSTEM Also, those of you who have bought or will' buy ,and move The City Planning Department is continuing to study the adequacy of the into homes before June 1, 1978 present park system and will be designing and/or redesigning the park facilities that did' not qualify for Home- to more adequately reflect the needs of the neighborhood which they serve. The stead as of January 2, 1978, be City will be making direct contact with each of the neighborhood areas about sure to apply for Homestead im- their facilities throughout 1978 to encourage as much input from the residents as mediately so you will receive possible. your due credit for taxes pay- In order to initiate this input, the Planning Department will be taking a able in 1979. survey in each of the neighborhoods in the Community. Each neighborhood If you it buy a home through a survey will be preceded by a letter telling the neighborhood residents the dates Contract for -Deed, you must that the survey team will be in their neighborhood. After the data is gathered have it recorded at the County and processed, a neighborhood meeting will be held to discuss the outcome of Auditor's' office in Anoka, to re- the survey and to field any further input from the area. A preliminary design of ceive the Homestead credit, the park facilities will then be completed for further response from the neighbor- Remember, the first one-half hood at a second public meeting. Final designs will then be submitted to the of the 1978 taxes is dire May 31, Parks and Recreation Commission for approval. 1978 and as much as a 7% pen- Your input is important to the City so that your needs can be better served. alty is added as of June 1, 1978. Please feel free to contact the Planning Department if you have any questions regarding this program. t� D=am � �w PARKS & o¢ RECREATION U< SOFTBALL MANAGERS' MEETING A pre-season softball managers` meeting will be organized to explain the league format for the upcoming season, the field reservation system, rules inter- pretation and managers' responsibilities. The meetings will be held in the Civic Center classrooms according to the following schedule: Men's {pen/Recreationail .......;...Wednesday, March 22, 6:30 p.m. I Men's,Church ,, .Wednesday, March 22, 7:45 p.m. -Men's Industrial '. . «.;.; ., ...--Wednesday, March 22, 9.00 p.m. Women's,_ecreational%Fun Z`hursday, March 23, 7:00 p.m. A public works maintenance man Couples' ..;Thursday, March 23,;8:30 p.m. trimming city trees. Yount BPo1FIv" R a'r1STRAIrioN Registration for spring/summer sports: Youth Soccer, Girls' Softball, Babe Tree Maintenance Ruth Baseball, and LittleLeague Baseball will be held on the following dates in Program the classroom of the Fridley Civic, Center. Saturday, April 1 .. 1{1:00 am. 2:00 p.m. In 1975, the Public Works Depart- Wednesday,-- p e , 00 pin,-8.0f P.M. ment began a tree maintenance pro- Saturday, April8 ..10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. gram to ensure the health and longev- ity of the City's existing tree stock on boulevards and other City property. A tree trimming crew, in operation al- most year-round, trims, shapes, and repairs damaged trees. These trees may appear unattractive for some time after trimming has been completed; however, this procedure is necessary to eliminate dead and obstructive por- tions of the tree. The natural beauty of the tree will be restored with time, so please be patient while the tree fills out again. Originally, the City crew trimmed only enough of the trees to avoid You can earn a Presidential Sports Award through consistent participation damage to the snowplows. Now, with "An the sport of your choice. Spring and summer activities include archery, the right equipment, a complete tree bicycling, canoeing, walking, golf, jogging, sailing, softball, soccer, swimming, trimming job is performed to help tennis, water skiing, etc. Qualifying standards and personal log sheets are avail trees grow healthier and stronger, able at the RecreationOffice. thus protecting the trees against For more information on any of these activities or events, call the Parks and storms and diseases. Recreation Office at 571-3450. Residents are requested to help maintain trees for the benefit of the neighborhood and the City. If you DISEASED; TREE PROGRAM have any questions regarding the trim- ®ISS V ming of your boulevard trees, please Fridley residents are urged to watch for signs of Dutch Elm and Oak Wilt call the City of Fridley Public Works r•a„ rr� �h� ;+�, ^,,r ?„ t z.;t; h: :_ f .e; Department at 5713450, Extension 157. siring to identify these infected trees: If you suspect a problern o, need sitfjrrria- Problems with diseased trees should tion regarding the diseased tree program, call the Fridley Parks and Recreation be directed to the Naturalist Depart- Department at 571-3450. ment, 571-3450, Extension 125. Homeowners planning to purchase and 'plant shade'trees for 1978 should be aware that the demand will be great for these trees. A word to the wise, "shop Sewer Backups early". If the sanitary sewer in your resi- dence ever begins to back up into the basement, please notify the Public Works Maintenance Division immedi- ately. An inspection will be performed _ Doo.Aedelm by our sewer personnel to determine F if the problem is in the homeowner's x sewer service or the City sewer line. This quick action could prevent un- necessary water damage. yq ti If this should happen to your home, �� 4 please call 571-3450, Extension 157, or after hours the Police Department, 571-3457. ,E .t S I I REPLY CARD I I BACK TALK: DETACH AND MAIL TO: THIS NEWSLETTER IS: I This newsletter is an effort on City Manager's Office ❑ Very Informative the part of the City to provide 6431 University Ave. N.E. ❑ Worthwhile civic information to the citi- Fridley, MN 55432 E] Of Little Value j zens of Fridley. We would like to know what you think of COMMENTS: I J the contents. Are we covering - I areas of interest to you? Are _ we missing items that would be helpful to you? Sugges- tions, comments, criticism? I I This can be returned with your water bill. DATE — I RADIO NEWS NAME I Tune in WWTC (1280) on your (optional) - AM dial for the weekly City of Fridley Report. The broadcast is ADDRESS I at 6:20 p.m. Thursday evenings. (optional) ----------------------------------------------I BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE � PAID } Permit No.2886 Minneapolis, MN 4V I f WHAT'S YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE? SPRING REPORT IF YOU DON'T KNOW, the Fridley CITY,. ©F FRIDLEY Fire Department Emergency Medical I� EhEO .N' ' Technicians (EMT) invite you to stop at the Fire Station to have your blood pressure checked. You can make an appointment by calling the Fire De- girl Edala partment at 571.3450, Extension 177. Councilman 2V r .,: ......Dennis Schneider Councilman 3rd Ward ... ......:......Edward J. Fitzpatrick A national survey estimated that about 16/, of adults between the - ages of 18-79 have high blood g g Pressure. Be safe; have your blood pressure AdministrativeOffices—Civic' Center...................571-3450 checked. Police (24 Hours--Non Emergency)i....................571-3457 Office Hours..`....8 am. to 5 p.m. ,....Monday throughFriday FIRE AND POLICE EMERGENCY_-, ....427-1212