1989 Summer CITYOF FRIDLEY Summer Newsletter 1989
No. 63
Municipal Center
Renovation Continues
It took a little longer than expected
to move in, but the wait was worth it.
That is what Fridley employees are
saying as they prepare for the June 17
a� E
Municipal Center, open house.
Not only were many old and decrepit parts of the former
Civic Center renovated,the name was changed to The Munici-
pal Center. The new name better reflects what is happening
under its roof. '4 9 e rs Celebrate
The upper level, housing five of the City's seven depart-
ments Years
is complete except for a few final adjustments.The City
Council Chambers are nearly complete,and will again be used
for Council meetings by July 10th. The Plaza Parking Ramp �j
will be ready for '49er Days, so there should be no parking i' ridley's history dates back to before Minnesota
problems. The Recreation Department is still in the Plaza was a territory and includes many fascinating stories
Office Building,room 305 and will stay there until their new about the past. Fortyniner Days started 15 years ago as
facilities are completed in September. a one-time celebration,honoring 25 years of being a
city. The festival was so popular that it became an
To provide uninterrupted service to residents,the Finance annual event.
and Police Departments stayed on the lower level during upper
level renovation. They should be commended for their work, The western theme is intended to remind Fridley
since they lived with continual noise, dust, fumes, and an residents of their long and colorful history and that the
occasional flood while work went on above and around them. community grew through neighbors helping neigh-
bors. The celebration was named after the year Fridley
The Police Department will continue living with those was incorporated into amunicipality- 1949.
problems until their new quarters are competed this fall. They
are currently located on the lower level, nearest the Plaza Please see '49er Days Events,page 3
Parking Ramp.
To show off this facility,an open house with guided tours
will take place during '49er Days on June 17,from 1 pm.to 5
pm. We hope everyone will be able to see the renovated
Municipal Center. Road , . _ TV, more
PAGE 2 CITY OF FRIDLEY SUMMER 1989
Summer Water
Conservation Assessor's
By Councilmember-at-Large �� Corner
Nancy Jorgenson
No one is sure what this summer will by Leon Madsen
bring as far as moisture is concerned.
However,after the drought of 1988,I think Many Fridley homeowners received prop-
we need to take some water conservation erty tax increases this year exceeding 10%.
steps to ensure that we have adequate water State law provides that you may be eligible
supplies in the underground aquifers that be passed at a regular or special Council for a refund of 75% of the increase that
we use. No one has been able to tell me meeting. Under that ban, for example, we exceeds 10%, over last year's tax. The
how long it takes to replenish the aquifers might ask you to water your lawns on the minimum refund is $40 and maximum is
that were considerably drawn down last odd/even system. If your house or business $250. The refund does not apply to tax on
summer. I can only surmise that it would address is an odd number,you would water value added for improvements. To file for
take several years of above normal rainfall your lawn on odd days. If your house is the refund, you must complete Minnesota
to replenish the aquifers. even numbered,you would water only on revenue form No.M-IPR. Forms may be
even numbered days. found in your 1988 Minnesota State in-
Last winter we had above normal snow- come tax packet, from the FridleyAsses-
fall, however, the snow melted and went Because lawns do not need to be watered sor's office, or by calling 296-9118.
into the storm sewer system, lakes, and every day to stay healthy, I urge you to
rivers as runoff long before the ground was voluntarily use the odd/even system at the This year,Fridley Assessor's office per-
thawed. Since we do not take our munici- present time. I think if we all do our part to sonnel will be visiting homes generally in
pal water from these sources, I have to conscientiously conserve water until the the area of School District No. 14 which
believe we didn't return a lot of that mois- aquifers are replenished, we will ensure lies north of Mississippi Street, between
ture to the underground aquifers. water availability to all. This may seem the railroad tracks and the river These
inconvenient to some of you, however, inspections, for the 1990 Market Value,
The Fridley City Council adopted a Water how inconvenient would it be to turn on the will take place from approximately June 1
consumption ordinance stating that a par- water tap and have nothing come out? Our through October Your continued coopera-
tial or complete watering ban could be water resources are renewable,but only if tion in this effort will be greatly appreci-
implemented by a Council resolution in an we use them cautiously. Thank you for ated. Remember! Always ask for identifi-
emergency situation.This resolution could your cooperation and enjoy your summer. cation of persons entering your home.
Strong Recycling Effort Continues
QAs many of you have no doubt Plastic- Pop&Liquor Bottles,Milk&Water Jugs. Preferred
heard,the company which has been crushed or stepped on,do not have to be separated by
handling curbside recycling is hav- color or type,labels can be left on.
ing financial troubles. Despite tem- Newspaper- Bundled or bagged,no magazines or glossy paper,no
porary inconveniences, the Fridley phone books.
City Council encourages citizens to Glass- Clear,Brown or Green,separated by color, rinsed,no
continue recycling. need to remove lids,rings or labels. Glass will be
The recycle center on 71st and UniversityAvenues behind Colum- purchased.
bia arena is still open and ready for your business. The recycle center Cans- Beverage&Food Aluminum,Bi-metal,Steel&Tin
hours are Wednesday to Saturday 9 am.to 5 pm.andTuesday 11 am. food cans. Separate rinsed food cans from beverage
to 7 pm.during the summer to make it easier to bring yard waste for cans.Beverage cans will be purchased at market rate.
composting. Compost- Leaves and Grass clippings only,no branches.
The following table indicates which materials are recyclable and Cardboard- Corrugated only,no glossy,bundled maximum size,
what must be done before they are brought to the center.If you have three feet square.
recycle questions call Lisa Campbell at the City Offices,572-3594. Oil- Oil can be taken to the City's waste oil tank 24 hours
day. Located just outside of the recycle center.
SUMMER 1989 CITY OF FRIDLEY PAGE 3
'49er Days Events a button this year is eligible to win a 1989
from page 1 trip to Las Vegas and other prizes.
Come join the fun! This year's Many of the'49er activities will be 149er Events Calendar
'49er Days will return to Fridley's featured on the City's new showmo- June 14-Wednesday
Center City District,with most of the bile. The showmobile is a covered 6 pm Carnival Starts
activities occurring in and around the mobile stage that will protect per- 6:25 pm 2 mile Run follows Parade Route
Fridley Plaza next to the Municipal formers from the weather and offer 6:30 pm Parade Starts at H.S.
Center at 6431 University Avenue. excellent viewing to spectators. Many
other Recreation Department activi- June 15-Thursday
This year there will be a$500 treas- ties will take place on the showmo- 10-Noon Senior Bowling-Maple Lanes
ure hunt for '49er button number 40, bile this summer. 1-3 pm Senior 500 Tourney-Sr.Center
representing the age of Fridley. Clues 6-12 pm Carnival
will be given hourly on KDWB radio. To actively discover Fridley's his- 7 pm Talent Show
The radio station will also be broad- tory,join the Fridley Historical Soci- 8 pm Movie"Snow White"
casting live from the plaza area for a ety. Call Fern Moe,at 571-5041 for
portion of the day.Everyone who buys more information. June 16-Friday
9-11 am Senior Billiards-Univ.Billiards
- 11:30 am Pageant Luncheon-Skywood Inn
1-3 pm Senior Cribbage-Sr.Center
1S! 3 pm "Close Encounters With
% �A� Fridley Reptiles"
.O%r ' V 3-7 pm Senior Dance/Party Am.Legion
6 pm Carnival
JUNE 6 pm Craft Show
Fridley '49er Days is a 14-18 6 pm Taste of Fridley '
fun time for the whole 7 pm Police-Vs-Fire Dept. Softball Game
0
family •��4BIRTHDAY �� At Community Park
9
8-11 pm"Rockin'Hollywoods"
All Day Fun Run and Track-H.S.Track
� June 17-Saturday
All Day Carnival .
All Day Taste of Fridley
All Day Craft Show
This year's All Day Treasure Hunt
button 1-5 pm Tours of City Hall-Municipal Center
contest 4 p Fridley Birthday Party Ages 4-9
.. winner is Free Cake for Everyone!
Norm Johns, 8-11 pm"White Sidewalls"
a resident of
Fridley for June 19-Sunday
over 30 All Day Carnival
years. All Day Craft Show
All Day Taste of Fridley
3 pm "Wild Wings&Things of Fridley"
4 pm Baby Photo Contest Winner
7 pm Pageant-H.S.Auditorium
� 8 pm Fireworks Community Park
w
� All events are at the Frieley Plaza unless noted
differently.
' All Concerts are Free and Open to the Public
149er - 24 hour Hotline !
571-3042
PAGE 4 CITY OF FRIDLEY SUMMER 1989
STOP:
Too Many Mandate$
n recent years in an effort They object, however, because
City 'nstaI's to balance their budget,the of the financial burden it causes
federal government has taxpayers.
New Phone System been transferring programs
to state governments and Specific examples help explain
making them responsible for im- how state mandated programs
plementing and financing those affect taxes. Some of the pro-
While the Municipal Center was being renovated, many services. grams cost only a few thousand
other vital systems were also modernized. The telephone sys- dollars, but that money adds up
tem was improved so that now calls can go directly to the Now,the Minnesota Legisla- quickly, causing a significant
desired department, instead of to the City Operator first. Of ture is requiring municipalities burden on city finances.
course,if you do not know the department telephone number, to take over existing programs,
simply dial 571-3450 and someone will gladly forward your placing the financial burden on • In 1988 the State manadated
call. The following table shows the most commonly called the cities without providing tax that cities, instead of counties
numbers. If for some reason,the desired number is busy,then relief. The Legislature has or- must prosecute gross misdemean-
call the City Operator. dered cities to institute new ors - cost to Fridley, $13,000 in
1988.
programs for citizens and new
EMERGENCIES FIRE OR POLICE 911 policies governing city employ- •Minnesota Legislature mandated
ees while severely restricted cit- that all election locations must be
MUNICIPAL CENTER 571-3450 ies to a maximum three percent made handicapped accessible with
limit on levy increases. Again, special signage-cost to Fridley,
Assessing • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 572-3537 no new funds have been made $2,600.
Tax Rates,Ownership,Valuation
City Management • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 572-3500 available to city governments. • Recycling requirements man-
dated by the State - cost to Fri-
Council Proceedings,Meeting Rooms, Fridley gets almost half of its dley,$20,000 to$25,000 per year.
Announcements on Bulletin Board general fund revenue from state
Election Information • • • • • • • • • • • • • 572-3523 •The Pay Equity Act of 1984 is
aid, which is a partial return of
Engineering • • . • • • • • • • • • . . . • • • 572-3552 state sales tax and income tax. the most expensive mandate to
Sewer,Water,&Street Projects According to the Association of this date, -cost to Fridley, about
Fire-General Non-emergency Services • • • • 572-3612 $120,000 a year.
g y Metropolitan Municipalities,
Inspection . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 572-3604 most cities and schools in the As it now stands,Fridley spends
Building Permits,Building Requirements, metro area are receiving less,or close to $200,000 annually on
Building Inspections at best, only slightly more aid state mandated programs. This
Liquor Warehouse: • • • • • • • • • • • • o * 571-3480 than they previously received. does not include the cost of hun-
Bottleshop: • • • . . • . . • • . • . • . 571-8365 Therefore,to maintain the same dreds of employee hours, and
Municipal Channel 31 • • • • • • • • • • • • • 572-3501 level of services and education, one additional full time staff
Newsletter Information • • . • • . . • • • • • 572-3505 cities must raise property taxes person, completing countless
Personnel . • • • • • • . . • . • • • • . • • • 572-3507 to make up for the lost state aid. forms, verifying that mandated
Planning • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • 572-3592 This also means that people liv- programs are working.
Commission Meetings,Zoning ing in the metro area,even though
Police-General Non-emergency Information • •572-3629 they are paying more property Because Fridley has a good
Neighborhood Crime Watch taxes, will not necessarily re- tax base with an optimal mix of
(All otherieports call Emergency Number911) ceive proportionally more serv- business and residential taxpay-
Public Works Maintenance • . • . . • • • • . 572-3566 ices from their city and school ers,city taxes have not had to be
Water,Sewer,Street&Park Maintenance district. increased. If this trend of man-
Recreation and Natural Resource Department• •572-3570 date after mandate continues,
Recreational Programs and Services Fridley City Councilmembers taxes will have to be increased or
Recycling • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 572-3594 support some of the mandates services reduced.
Special Assessments • • • • • • • • • • • • • 572-3531 because they help city residents.
Springbrook Nature Center . • • • • • • • • • 572-3588
Utility Water Billing • • • 9 9 • • 9 • 9 9 9 9 572-3530
SUMMER 1989 CITY OF FRIDLEY PAGE 5
Charter Referendum Set
ridley residents will have the oppor- same time state or national elections were
FM TV31 tunity to vote on Tuesday July 18, held,more people would help decide local
1989 and decide if the City Charter issues. Holding elections every other year
FeaturesFshould be amended. would also save taxpayers some money.
The Fridley Charter Commission rec- The following table shows when offi-
" C r i m e File" ommended that the Charter be changed so cials will be elected if the change takes
"off-year" elections for Mayor and City place. If you do not know where to vote,
Council would be eliminated. They theo- call 572-3523,between 8 am.and 5 pm.
Fridley's Municipal Television Channel rized that if local elections were held at the
31 (FMTV 31) has just received "Crime
File", a series of 32 half-hour programs
which explore law enforcement trends of Chronology of Elections Under Proposed City Charter Changes
today and the future. This series comes
from the National Institute of Justice,will Current Public Official 188 '89 '90 191 '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 `98
premier in June,and will continue through- Mayor X * X
out the year. Bill Nee
Starting July 10th, City Council meet- Councilmember-at-Large X * X
ings will again originate from the remod- Nancy Jorgenson
eled Municipal Center and will continue to
be seen"Live"on FMTV 31 at 7:30 pm on Councilmember,Ward I * X X
the night of the meeting. Steven Billings
After months of temporary locations, Councilmember,Ward II X X * X
FMTV 31 is finally settling into its perma- Dennis Schneider
nent location in the Municipal Center. Groups
are welcome to tour our cable access facil- Councilmember,Ward III * X X
ity. Edward Fitzpatrick
An internship program is available for
people interested in assisting with cable Indicates first election to a four year term.
television operation. You will learn about
editing, camera operation, and will help
with cable programing.
For more information about the intern-
ship program, group tours, or a program Filing dates set
schedule,call Terry Kucera at 572-3501.
This fall, the Mayor and the Council-
F33tet �ts°�z �� tttttt member-at-large will be elected during a
fLge-mRa �� Fridley city-wide general election. To be a
awl
�eVrdi�- ie strupme, €i t tt tat candidate,interested citizens must file with
the City Clerk between June 30 and July 17
�u�a yob xtVt�a at 5 pm. There is a$5.00 filing fee.
destrutin,, id tw a 1feletVvith
.hope and promise. 1f you can help, call..;' For information contact the City Clerk,
42.2-7144 for more information on how to Shirley Haapala,at 572-3523.
tlec�rn�;att�naka uty Eyster Ptt�.,
PAGE 6 CITY OF FRIDLEY SUMMER 1989
City Calendar - Summer 1989 Briefly
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 2 3 From the City Council
HR PUBLIC WORKS WEEK
May 21 to May 27 was proclaimed Public Works
4 5 CC 6 7 PL 8 HRA 9 10 Week to honor the people in the Public Works
W PR Department, and the work they do to keep Fri-
Z 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 dley's municipal facilities working properly. The
A Flag Day CTV open proclamation also encouraged citizens to recog-
House nize the contributions that keep Fridley healthy,
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 safe,and comfortable.
Father's CC EQE PL WATER ORDINANCE CHANGED
Day Summer
25 26 27 28 29 30 On April 17 an ordinance regulating lawn sprin-
CC A kling was changed to allow the Council more
Conference latitude when dealing with future droughts.(See
article page 5).
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday CHILDREN'S INITIATIVE SUPPORTED
1
A group of bills are moving through the State Leg-
islature that meet the needs of children, espe-
cially preschoolers. The Fridley City Council
2 3 4' S 6 7 8 passed a resolution supporting the children's
ndee,�ilc = agenda on March 20. If passed,these bills will
provide grants to start extended day care in
All City Council and C mmission me tings are now in the Munici al Center schools and screen preschoolers for physical and
9 10 CC 11 12 PL 13 HRA 14 15 mental problems.Another proposal would estab-
lish a Head Start program that preparesfouryear-
16 17 18 Q 19 20 21 22 olds for school, and another which subsidizes
EQE CTV day care costs for mothers who have jobs and are
A getting off welfare.
23 24 CC 25 26 27 28 29 ENVIRONMENTAL PACKAGING
30 CC conf31 PL FAVORED
The City Council sent letters to St.Paul and Min-
neapolis City Councils supporting their efforts to
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday require biodegradable or recyclable packaging.
1 2 3 4 5 In their letter the Fridley City Council said,"it is
A HR clear that the environmental consequences of
M non-biodegradable and non-recyclable consumer
goods should be born by the producers and
6 7 PR
8 9 10 HRA 11 12 distributors of those goods"
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Calendar Code
CC EQE PL CTV A _Appeals Commission
20 21 22 23 24 25 26 CC -City Council
A CTV-Cable TV Commission
27 28 29 30 31 EQE-Environmental Quality&Energy
CC PL Commissions meet jointly.
HR -Human Resources Commission
The HRA and the Cable TV Commission meet at 7:00 p.m. Housing Redevelopment Authority
The City Council and all other Commissions meet at 7:30 p.m. HRA-
Starting July 10th all meetings will be held at City Hall. Before July 10,meetings PL
-Planning Commission
will be held at the Community Education Center-6085 Seventh Street. PR -Parks&Recreation Commission
SUMMER 1989 CITY OF FRIDLEY PAGE 7
Crime Watch . R
Connie Kampa, the new Crime .
Prevention Specialist is revitalizing the
Neighborhood Crime Watch program. R U St a n d
This summer she will try to get two
people from each block in each of Re h a stat r1
Fridley's 39 neighborhoods to become
Block Captains. The Block Captain dis-
tributes crime prevention information to by Mayor Bill Nee
each of their 10 or so neighbors.
If a neighborhood becomes organized, We built our present home 22 years ago.
a crime watch sign will be placed in their And wouldn'tyou know it,about fouryears
neighborhood, warning potential crimi- ago all kinds of big ticket items began to
nals to stay away, because people are "die". Recently we've had to replace many cause we had been setting aside replace-
working together to prevent crime. The major components ranging from the fur- ment funds as we"consumed"the old fil-
crime watch program encourages people nace and air conditioner system to the ters.
to call the Police at 911 if they see some- washer and dryer...and soon it's time for a
thing suspicious, not to apprehend sus- roof. Fortunately,we had some savings so Another example is the Civic Center...
pects. we didn't have to finance those purchases a facility that ranges from 25 to 40 years
as we did the first time around. There's a old,that was in urgent need of rehabilita-
The Fridley Jaycees donated crime lesson there, and we've applied it to city tion and remodeling. The roof was leaking
watch mugs which Connie is giving to finances. despite many patches. The heating and air
new residents this summer to help them conditioning plants were some of the most
become aware of the Crime Prevention Back in 1975,when I started my second energy wasteful in town and were con-
program. She will also help neighbors term as Mayor,we got serious about budg- stantly breaking down. Electrical service
plan activities for National Night Out on eting a reserve for the inevitable costs of was overloaded by modern office equip-
Tuesday,August 8. On that night people replacing depreciated city facilities. ment and 25-year old desks, chairs, and
are encouraged to get together to demon- files were decrepit. Parking was inade-
strate that the night belongs to them,not The general idea was to pay for replace- quate. And most important, the Police
criminals. Kampa can be reached at the ment while the item was being"consumed". Department needed twice as much space as
Fridley Police Department, 572-3629. That way a future City Council wouldn't they were allotted when the building was
face a big money crunch, when the inevi- expanded in 1966. Fire Department facili-
C ity Staff Retire table happened. For example,consider the ties...parts up to 40 years old,also needed
reconstruction of our main water treatment major structural rehabilitation to meet
plant last year.After 24 years of service the modern building codes.
Four of Fridley's City workers have iron-removal filters went kaput They rusted
decided to retire. Between them,they have out,as we knew they would. Fortunately,about 14 years ago we started
103 years of experience and a great deal of serious preparation to deal with the cer-
contact with residents. Bill Sandin the That big,but necessary expenditure didn't tainty of the problem...again,setting aside
Plumbing and Heating Inspector has 31 hit our annual budget or our tax rate be- a little money every year in a reserve ac-
years experience. Jerry count so that future City Councils would be
Norldund an Engineering able to manage necessary rehab and re-
Technition,has been with the modeling without having a budget crunch,
Y,
City 28 years. Betty Oker- � jd now or in the future.
strom has been the Senior
Utility Billing Clerk for 25 By this kind of planning we avoided any
years. Bob Rehard retired in �� adverse impact on either the annual budget
March after being with the s or the tax rate. And we didn't need to
Police Department for 19 years. � borrow a penny. That keeps our debt low...
� among the lowest in the metro area, and
KA
keeps our credit rating tops(Aal).
Betty Okerstrom and
Bill Sandin have So if you visit the Civic Center after the
worked a total of 56 rehab is finished,I think you'll be pleased,
years for the City of J.3 especially knowing that the work was pre-
Fridley, paid in this businesslike manner.
PAGE 8 CITY OF FRIDLEY SUMMER 1989
Fridley Road Construction
E
During the summer,four city 51st Wa Yat East River
road construction projects will Road. Construction will begin
be taking place and will slow in early June,and should be
residents only slightly. Road Con- completed in 6 to 8 weeks.
struction by the Minnesota De- People entering and exiting
partment of Transportation will, parking lots at FMC, Burl-
however, greatly affect driving ington Northern,and the Navy
in Fridley. Check the following will be delayed at times.
list to determine if your summer
driving routes will have to al- University Avenue Serv-
tered. ice Road at 83rd Avenue will
be extended 500 feet. Con-
I-694. Daily non-rush hour struction will begin May 15
lane closures will slow traffic and should be completed in 3
drastically.Ramp reconstruction to 4 weeks. No traffic delays
will limit access to I-694. For a are expected.
weekly I-694 construction up-
date, call 593-8484. MN/DOT Northco Drive will be built
will also gladly send a brochure starting July 1st, and should
and map detailing construction be completed by August.
plans. Northco Drive will open up
the 45 acres west of Carter
Commerce Lane from 73rd Day for industrial develop-
Avenue to Osborne Road. Con- ment. This project will cause City workers reinstall the plaza fountains that
struction will begin May 15 and no traffic delays. were refurbished and repainted during the winter.
will be completed in6to8weeks. The fountains were built in 1984 when the plaza
During construction Commerce was created as a part of Fridley's Center City
Lane will only be open to North District This summer'49er Days and a variety of
bound traffic. South bound traf- Recreation Department activities,including movies
fic should use University Ave- and puppet shows will take place in the plaza.
nue.
CffY OP,FRIDLEY CITY`"OF FRIDLEY
6431 Un*ersily Avenue,N.E. 6431,University Ave. N.E. CAR-RT-SOflT
Fridley,,Minnesota 55432 Fridley, MN 55432 BULK RATE
U.S.POSTAGE
Telephone: 571-3450 PMD '
Mayor.,
.William 1 Nee Minneapolis,MSV.
eCouncilmemnber--at-large. Nanc�'Jorgenson" Perrn*No.28M.`
Coi�ncilmember 1st Ward .............. Steven$filings
Councilmember 2nd Ward.: . Dennis Schneider
Councilruember 3rd Ward...........Edward Fitzpatrick
City ,Manager.. William W.Burns
Editor .............................. Jim Froehle
CITY OF FRIDLEY SERVICE DIRECTORYos�AL STOMER-1.
Administrative Offices/Municipal Center .. ,..5713450
Ofto Hours 8 a.m.to pm-,Mon.-Fri,
Motor.=Fri,
?4,'� illation ...............571-9397
Pcsllce" imrs-llozm-�ergermcy ... .572-3629
FI: AI II POI.1CkEi' IE G)E;NCY .............911