Loading...
1990 Spring i CIWOF FRIDLEY Spring Newsletter 1990 No. 66 A.R.E. D, Wyman Smith - s . . To Say No Founding Father magine this. You are 10 or 11 years old,your yman Smith is truly one of the founding fathers of the City of Fridley. To quote him, TV program is once again interrupted a by he liked to get people organized and"stir it up commercial. Someone opens a beer and the and get people to think positively." ocean, surfboards and beautiful girls ap- W pear. Yuck! girls. You turn the channel. Another Even though Wyman Smith preferred to work behind beer is opened. This time you are in the mountains or the scenes he was very visible during the time Fridley was maybe horses are romping around. You like horses. seeking to incorporate and become a village in the late 1940's. Why not read a magazine. There are the horses again. He spoke before a group calling themselves "The This time a rugged looking guy is lighting up a smoke. Fridley Booster Club" who were seeking to incorporate Next page. A beautiful woman in a black velvet dress is Fridley Township into a village in 1949. By the time he had pouring her sophisticated man a whiskey. You like fancy finished his meeting,he had joined them in their quest. In clothes. the ensuing two years Wyman Smith acted at no cost The next day a"friend"offers you some stuff to make appearing before the Minnesota Supreme Court three times you feel good. Should you take it? You are feeling kind as the Fridley attorney fighting the legal challenges to of low because your parents were arguing when you left. incorporation. Don't they do that before they get divorced? The Boosters surveyed Fridley to confirm that Fridley A program for Fridley fifth graders just began that will was urban oriented and at least 100 people lived on platted help children sort through situations such as those. D.A.R.E. lots. In fact, at that time there was no farming in the or Drug Abuse Resistance Education is a 17 week course township except the Nelson creamery. that gives kids the know how to recognize dangerous See History, page 3 situations and the tools to deal with them. D.A.R.E.is unique because it is taught by a uniformed 6 police officer and deals with the many subtle pressures that k influence children to experiment with illegal substances. Fridley Police Officer Mike Trancheff spends one hour a week with each fifth grade class in Woodcrest, Hayes, ' and Stevenson schools, teaching about 280 students. In ° 1991 North Park Elementary will be included in the e: program. 9' To be certified, Trancheff spent two intense weeks learning the D.A.R.E. curriculum and the best way to present the 17 lessons. The program is logically suited for fifth graders because it is the transition grade to middle school and the kids are a little more receptive at this age. When the students Fridley Police Officer Mike Trancheff become sixth graders they need the D.A.R.E.information teaches D.A.R.E. to students at Hayes See D.A.R.E. Questions, page 4 Elemantary School . l PAGE 2 CITY OF FRIDLEY SPRING 1990 1990 Water 1990 Conservation . Census Policy Once again it is time fora decen- By Steve Billings, nial census,the nationwide count of a people and housing units in the United Councilmember Ward 1 � States,which occurs every ten years. Water is one of the most important ingre- _ In the last week of March each dients to life. Because of dry weather condi- aFridley household will receive a . tions we experienced during the lastcouple of census form. To make this a suc- years the way we look at this valuable re- cessful count,each form should be source has changed drastically. Instead of completed and returned in the post- being able to supply unlimited amounts of age paid envelope by April 1,1990. water,we now need to conserve it.This is not Residents who miss a question or do due to a deficiency in our water system,but to During times of severe drought,our sys- not return their forms will be visited regional demand placed on a limited water tem cannot meet unlimited demands. Nor- by acensus taker who will recordthe supply• mal demand during wintermonths is about 6 missing information. Because of this need to conserve water million gallons a day. On 3uly 7, 1989,the Participation by everyone is im- and low underground water levels, the Fri- Fater system pumped 16 million gallons and portant to ensure an accurate census dley City Council passed a resolution estab- it is possible for the demand to be even count. The census information is lishing a lawn watering conservation policy. greater. confidential and will be used to: Thisresolution willtake effectApril 15,1990 Water that you drink,flush,sprinkle on 1)Redraw legislative districts to en- Easter Sunday. your lawn, and wash your car with is sup- sure equal representation for all. The resolution only limits the time lawns plied by the same pipes thatprovide water to can be watered.The Council decided to limit fire hydrants in your neighborhood. If you 2)Distribute Federal and State money. watering to the times which are best for get- have a low flow or limited water pressure in Since it is distributed based on need, ting water to the lawn's root system. Resi- your home,the same conditions will gener- an accurate count, especially of dents and businesses MAY NOT sprinkle ally exist at the fire hydrant. minorities,is needed so that human service programs receive adequate during the hours of 12 noon to 8 p.m. It is possible to tap additional water sup- funds. The specific purpose of this policy is to plies to meet virtually any drought condi- 3)Update private firms with statisti- limit the amount of waterthat is used for lawn tion,however,the cost to residents would be cal information for their marketing, irrigation.Waterfor shrubs,gardens,wading enormous and would also create a severe advertising, and product develop- pools,and car washing is not restricted by the environmental impact. ment needs. policy at this time. If drought conditions A policy to conserve water makes sense Personal census information is should worsen,additional emergency meas- from both an economical and ecological ures may be taken along with increasing point of view. If Fridley citizens follow confidential and is not disclosed. Aggregate data is hourly restrictions. these limited restrictions,we may be able to used to tabulate what Americans have and helps The only exception is for newly sodded or avoid more stringent measures. We encour- determine what services we need. seeded lawns which are automatically granted age you to water your lawns in the early So, let's be counted in the 1990 morning when it does the most good. Plac- a 30-day exemption to establish the lawn. ing sprinklers where they will water your census! Following this 30-day period,you must com- ply with the conservation policy. People lawn and not driveways,sidewalks,and streets having private wells or pumps should also will reduce water waste. The Council,City follow the schedule.Private well wateris just Staff, and your neighbors will appreciate CENSUS '90 as precious as City water and should be used your cooperation in this important matter. during the hours that will provide the best benefit,using the least amount of water.Ad- ditionally, noncompliance will confuse the Editors note:Violations of the watering pol- public and code enforcers who may not be icy are considered misdemeanors and are aware of your private supply. subject to the appropriate penalty. SPRING 1990 CITY OF FRIDLEY PAGE 3 History from page one. Water a� r ra e Since there was a legal challenge to incorporation,government funds were frozen. For a time Fridley's every day Tank operating expenses were paid by reve- nues collected from the Fridley Munici- //�� pp A r V V G d pal liquor store which had recently opened. Wyman helped transform an area that g The study to evaluate Fridley's water had been growing in a random fashion, distribution system has been completed. into a well conceived community by getting Once the five year improvement plan is zoning ordinances and land use restric- completed, the system will be able to tions established and enforced. His strong accommodate demands until the year 2010. commitment to a municipal sewer service Phase one calls for building a new 1.5 at a time when that was not a popular million gallon elevated water storage tank. concept finally got part of Fridley con- Wyman Smith at his home ' stem.s The contract should be awarded in April nected to the Columbia Heights y in Vermont. and will be completed in July of 1991. He was also instrumental in getting devel- One of the beneficiaries of the tank is Tar- operstodedicatelOpercent oftheirlandtoparks at a time when that was unheard of. get Corporation which donated the$50,000 Awards needed to design it. It will be built on the As part of his dedication to education west side of the NSP transformer station he chaired a committee to develop the first Wyman Smith received an award from located on Highway 65. curriculum for Fridley High School. He the City of Fridley for his of forts in getting helped acquire tax forfeited land for the the cit started. The storage tank will improve water school system that saved taxpayers thou- y pressure throughout the system. It will sands of dollars. An example is the High Also receiving an award at the Prog- also increase the wateravailable forevery- School and Middle School commons area ress Luncheon was the Fridley Lions Club day use and especially in case of a major which used to be a garbage fed pig farm. which donated money for the Senior"Lift" fire. The study was conducted by HNTB Hayes School and the district offices are bus, other Senior Center programs, the engineering. also located on tax forfeited land. He was Recreation Department,Fire Department, the school district attorney from 1949 to and for city recycling efforts. 1979. The Fridley VFW received and award Wyman Smith moved to Columbia for financially supporting Senior Center Heights in 1937 from Rochester Minne- programs, fire prevention education pro- sota. Once the incorporation efforts started grams,and the tire recycling day. he moved to Fridley to what was known as pp Fridley Jaycees helped 1989 and "Rusty" Retires After the Nelson fame,north of Mississippi Street, were also honored for donations helping He earned his law degree from the Min- Recreation Department and Springbrook 32 Years neapolis School of Law, now known as Nature Center programs. They donated a William Mitchell. Wyman'sundergradu- Arthur"Rusty"Silseth retired after 32 ate degree is from Vermont where he still puppet wagon and a public address system for it and helped the Senior Center, the years of service to the City of Fridley. In has strong family ties. Fire Explorer Post and Fridley Police 1958 Silseth was hired and in 1990 he the Today Wyman Smith lives in Burling- Department crime prevention efforts. completed his service to Fridley 9 onlySewerForemanthatFridleyever had. ton Vermont and produces maple sugar The American Legion received an award fromhis40acrefarminthe nearby town of for donating flags poles for the two Rusty has seen a lot of changes in the Cabot. Some of the few hundred gallons g g p city including the doubling of Fridley's Fridley satellite fire stations and for help- that he is available at Lund's. in Senior Center programs. population since he started. In the early g p g developmental years he said, "There To summarize Wyman Smith's The City of Fridley truly appreciates were so many contractors in City Hall Accomplishments, he was a community these generous donations. They greatly needing permits and other information builder. He got people together to do enhance the quality of life for residents. they almost had to take a number to get what had to be done. service." PAGE 4 CITY OF FRIDLEY SPRING 1990 D.AR.E. Questions One lucky student gets to hold the D.A.R.E. Bear during each session. The from page 1 students start asking to hold the bear as to meet new social challenges encoun- soon as they see the D.A.R.E. Officer tered in middle school. They will also receive more instruction that builds on the Can drugs hurt your Friendship? Have you arrested someone in Fri �e D.A.R.E.principles. dley with drugs? ��� D.A.R.E. was developed for the Los - What is the youngest drug user Angeles Police Department b the Univer- you have caught. g P Y -Canf die ou from too much alco- Y sity of Southern California in 1984. It is hol?Cigarettes?Pot? designed so each lesson builds on the last. Is it ok to drink wine and drive? D.A.R.E. does not take the "just say no,, Are needles a type of drug? stance. D.A.R.E.gives the kids an idea of Why aren't cigarettes and alcohol illegal. what is out there, what the drugs do, and - What does a drunk driver look a" why they are harmful. like? - Do you know how many kids or One of the most important and ongoing people in Fridley are on drugs? lessons is that each child is important. In Do drugs cause AIDS? short,the goal is to help each child build What's in PCP that makes peoples and keep a high self esteem, so they will crazy? � � not want to take drugs. Substances cov- The Fridley Lions Club dona- ered in the program include cigarettes, tion that made the Drug Awareness alcohol,marijuana,and hard drugs. Resistance Education program pos- sible was used to purchase most History shows that the program is suc- of the materials distributed to the cessful. But it will take a while to reverse children. the spiral of kids taking drugs because their parents do, or kids taking drugs be- cause their friends do. The theory of D.A.R.E. is that high school students will come back and say the program helped them.Eventually,children of the first class Compost Site will go through the program. Hopefully, by then the spiral will have been broken and drug related problems will have Stays Open lessened. Personal safety, how to use 911, and The good news is that the Fridley good touch - bad touch are included in compost site will again be open this year. discussions. The bad news for homeowners is that Minnesota State law mandated that no Access Guide At the end of each session Trancheff yard waste will be allowed in landfills. answers questions from the D.A.R.E.box Consequently, homeowners will have to Available which allows the children anonymity. The work a little harder to get rid of their grass ones not answered immediately are per- clippings and leaves or pay garbage haul- An updated guide that tells residents sonal, and are handled by a school coun- ers to pick them up. which businesses,parks,restaurants,and selor or by the officer privately. Residents may use the compost site churches are handicapped accessible is Here is a sampling of real questions behind Columbia Area at 350-71st Ave- now available at no cost.It tells if parking that real students ask every day. nue. Remember, only unbagged leaves is available, if curb cuts are there, and -I don't have any friends.I want help,but and grass. Please no branches,or garbage other pertinent information. This guide I don't know who to go to. or the site hours might have to be restricted was prepared by the North Suburban -If your friend asked you to do drugs,but to eliminate abuses. The site is open from Consumer Advocates for the Handi- you did not want to, would you lose your April 17 to November20,Tuesday through capped (NSCAH). If you want a copy, friend? Saturday 9 am.to 5 pm. call the Cit of Fridley at 571-3595. What are narcotics? Y Y If someone in my family is doing drugs, should I tell someone? SPRING 1990 CITY OF FRIDLEY PAGE 5 Sewer � Back-up r 6 Reminder 9 Council Call-in By Edward Fitzpatrick Show Chan e S Councilmember Ward IIIg It's one of those things that is frequently Format taken for granted. Then one day it makes its presence known in a very abrupt manner. Now that the Fridley Council Cham- That thing,is the sanitary sewer system. bers are completed, Call On The Council is cablecast live using the Of the 60 sewer back-ups reported in Fridley is responsible for the eight Chambers as a studio. The shows guests Fridley's 10,000 houses and 102 miles of inch line running under the streets;home- discuss the previous night's Council sewer line, only nine result from a blocked owners are responsible for their four inch meeting in detail so residents might see city line during the average year. line to the point where it connects to the the issues in a clearer light. This good record does not happen by city line. Because the sewer system is an accident. The Fridley Sewer Division con- open system,Fridley has no control over Being that it is a live program,resi- ducts a comprehensive sewer maintenance the waste dump in it. Consequently,cities dents are urged to call in at any time with program that checks every inch of line on a do not and cannot guarantee that its sew- their queries. Questions directly relat- regular basis by visual inspection or closed ers will never back-up. ing to the topic being talked about or circuit television. Minnesota courts have made it clear another matter of concern are welcome. that cities are only liable for damages if The half hour show is produced by the The most common problems are tree roots City of Fridley Municipal Channel 31 in the homeowner's line leading to the city the back-up was caused by the city's neg- ligence. Many home insurance policies, and begins at 7 pm. On March 13, service, or grease and other materials that Ward II Councilmember Dennis gradually accumulate near the kitchensink. however,exclude sewer back-up damage. If you call the City first,a sewer maintenance Rulings have stated that cities are consid- Schneider will be featured. worker will tell you where the blockage is. ered negligent only if four conditions are Call On The Council is shown after This might save you the cost of having the met: the first Council meeting of the month. entire line cleaned when only a few feet near 1)there was a defect in the city sewer line; 2) the city knew, or should have known That program and the City Council your drain are clogged. meeting can be viewed b anyone who about the defect; 3) the city failed to g Y Y I The tree root problem occurs most fre- correct the defect within a reasonable subscribes to basic cable TV in Fridley. quently in homes that were connected to the time; and 4) the city's failure caused To receive a complete Channel 31, city in the 50's and 60's. Tree roots can damages. schedule or to be a volunteer camera easily grow through the oakum that was used operator,call 572-3501. to seal the joints and quickly close the pas- Some insurance companies offer sewer sageway. This problem tends to occur more back-up coverage,however,homeowners frequently during drought conditions similar usually have to request it. to what we are experiencing now. Often If you experience a sewer back-up or when the city line is blocked, it is because have roots cleared from your line,call the , homeowners had their line cleared of roots Fridley Public Works Department imme- and failed to inform the city. Those roots diately at 572-3566 during work hours or then wedge in the city line snagging dispos- 572-3629 at night. Someone is available able diapers and other debris, causing the 24 hours a day to conduct an inspection sewer to back-up into some unfortunate soul's and determine if the problem is in the basement. The Public Works Department resident's sewer service or in the city's will gladly flush the city line to prevent line. There is never a charge for this cleared roots from forming a clog. There is service and it could prevent an unneeded no charge for this service,and it will keep the sewer line cleaning. 31 debris from causing sewage to back-up into a basement,maybe even yours. PAGE 6 CITY OF FRIDLEY SPRING 1990 City Calendar - Spring 1990 Briefly . . . Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday from the City Council 1 2 Recycle 3 HR Area 1-North of Miss.St. CAR SEAT USE URGED 4 5 6 7 8 9 Recycle 10 To reduce child injuries and deaths in PR A HRA Area 2-South automobile related accidents February ��// of Miss.St. 11-17, 1990 was proclaimed Child W 11 12 13 14 15 16 Recycle 17saint Passenger Safety Awareness Week. All cc PL Area 1-North Patrick's residents are urged to buckle their chil- of Miss.St. Day dren in protective car seats. J 18 19 20 EQE 21 22 23 Recycle 24 Area 2-South NEW VOTING EQUIPMENT A of Miss.St. On January 22,1990 the Council voted 25 26 CC 27 28 PL 29 30 31 to buy optical scan voting equipment CH contingent upon other cities in Anoka County who participate in a Joint Powers Agreement also buying them. This r Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday equipment will greatly speed up voter 1 2 3 4 5 6 Recycle 7 tabulations. If purchased,precinct totals National CC Conf Area 1-North would be available ten minutes after Census the OI1S close. Day PR A HR of Miss.St. p 8 9 10 11 12 13 Recycle 14 Palm CC Passover PL HR Area 2-Soutl RECYCLE CONTRACT Sunday of Miss.St. A one year curbside recycling contract 15 16 17 18 19 20 Recycle 21 was approved on January 8,1990. Every a Easter CC EQE CTV Area 1-Nortt other Friday Supercycle will again be Conference of Miss.St. picking up glass, newspaper, alumi- 22 23 24 25 26 27 Recycle 28 num cans, steel cans, and non-glossy CC PL Area 2-South cardboard. Check the calendar for your of Miss.St. recycle day. 29 30 CH MAYOR PRO TEM NAMED Councilmember Steve Billings was voted the Mayor Pro Tem for 1990. The Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Mayor Pro Tem assumes mayoral du- ties if Mayor Nee is absent. 1 2 3 4 Recycle 5 Area 1-North HR of Miss.St. 6 7CC 8 9 10 11 Recycle 12 Area 2-South �I PR A HRA of Miss.St. Calendar Code 13 14 15 16 17 18 Recycle 19Armed Mother's CC EQC PL HR Area 1-NorthForces A -Appeals Commission Day Conference of Miss.St. Day 20 21 CC 22 23 24 25 Recycle 26 CC -City Council Area 2-South CH -Charter Commission CH A of Miss.St. CTV-Cable TV Commission 27 28 Memorial 29 30 31 EQE-Environmental Quality&Energy Day PL L Holiday HR -Human Resources Commission The HRA and the Cable TV Commission meet at 7:00 p.m. HRA-Housing Redevelopment Authority The City Council and all other Commissions meet in the Municipal Center and begin at 7:30 p.m. PL -Planning Commission The Municipal Center is located at 6431 University Avenue NE. PR -Parks&Recreation Commission SPRING 1990 CITY OF FRIDLEY PAGE 7 April Assessor's Corner Hydrant By Leon Madsen Our office observed a slight increase in salesprices of single family homes from 1988 a Flushing to 1989. In 1988,211 sales had an average selling price of$86,124,and 188 sales had an average price of$86,912 in 1989. The City of Fridley will flush The average home that sold in 1989 was a rambler built in 1962 and contained hydrants during the month of April. Flushing is done every six months 1,137 sq.ft.plus an attached 2-car garage. The highest selling price was$215,000 and the lowest was$38,000. to remove iron and manganese de- posits plus many other minerals When you receive your annual property valuation notice, sometime in March,the that build up in the lines during the average increase from last year's value will be aproximately 2% exclusive of new winter. The serviceability of the construction. The Assessor's estimated market value averaged 94.1% of actual 1989 fire hydrants is also checked at this selling price. The Anoka County Assessor prescribes a countywide average ratio of time. between 94 and 95%. Flushing may create a distur- bance in the water mains which results in water discoloration. The water is acceptable for drinking, Nuisance Pets though there is the possibility clothes may be stained during washing. The Fridley City Code states that all animals must be Anyone who experience water kept and controlled in specific ways.Animals are consid- /`'�I I Dogs discoloration that lasts longer than ered a nuisance if they are not confined by adequate a day should call the Public Works fencing of leashing.They are also classified as a nuisance Department at 572-3566 dining busi- if they bark or howl and disturb people. There are many Must B O ness hours, other rules;these are just a few. To report a problem with an animal,call the police at 911. A Community Service No flushing will . done on Officer will check into the situation. Violations of these Licensed O O weekends or Mondays. ordinances are considered misdemeanors. Fridley City Codes mandates that all dogs over the age of six months must be licensed and vaccinated against ra- Animal License Application bies. License period May 1, 1990 toApril 30, 1991 1.Print information on the form and return it to City of Fridley License No. the City of Fridley with 6431 University (leave Blank) proof of current rabiesvaccination. Fridley, MN 55432 2. Fees: $5.00 each Fee $5.00-N-N;N-S Vaccination Date: Age: Approx.Weight year for non-neutered of non-spayed dogs. $2.50- N; S Pet's Name: $2.50 each year for neu- tered or spayed dogs. Applicant: Address: (proof required) Zip: Telephone Number: 3.Your license,certifi- cate and tag will be sent Applicant Signature to you upon approval. FOR OFFICE USE PAGE 8 CITY OF FRIDLEY SPRING 1990 Rental Rehab Grants Available O Buck$ Does the rental unit you own need re- Tenants may he eligible for rent subsi- habilitating? Do you need to correct sub- dies if they are displaced by the renovation. & Fame, standard conditions to meet building codes? The Minnesota Housing Finance Agency Do your units comply with Minnesota signed an agreement with Fridley to have '49er Days commemorates the year Energy Efficiency Standards? Is your Anoka County Community Action Program Fridley became a village and started building handicapped accessible? If your (ACCAP) administer the Rental Rehabili- developing into the modem city that it units need work, you may be eligible for tation Program in Fridley. City of Fridley is today. grants ranging from $600 to $6,500 for staff will provide building inspections,and each two bedroom unit,with that amount administration of the Section 8 rent subsidy Again this year,a$50 prize will be being matched by the property owner. program and Quality Standard inspections. awarded to the person who designs the The rental unit also has to be located in an winning '49er Days button. eligible neighborhood. If you are an owner,call Donna Mattson at784-2443 to apply for Contest Rules % a Rental Rehabilitation l.Designs should reflect the Western I Grant,or to request de- theme of'49er Days and must include tailed information. To the words: fdetermine if the prop- -Fridley '49er Days Y " erty qualifies, call Pat -June 13-17, 1990 Wolfe at the City of Fri- -16th Annual dley,572-3597. submitted in black � 2.Design must be sub 3 If you are a tenant, ink on white paper. Clear and simple our call landlord and y designs are encouraged. tell them about the pro- + 3.Entries must include name, age, ad- gram. dress, and phone number. Drop off or The Rehabilitation mail to: J Program is federally 1990 Button Contest funded to improve pri- Fridley Community Education Center vatel owned residen- t' 6085 -7th Street tial rental property. This Fridley,MN 55432 program is offered by Entries must be submitted b Mon- ridley residents are fortunate to ave afire y epartment with three stations. is saves firefighters the Minnesota Housing day, April 10, 1990 and will be re- aluable minutes when respond�i to fires. Pictured Finance Agency incon- turned only if requested. For more in- 'ere is the newest satellite station n 77th Way and junction with the City formation,call Dorrie at 574-0470,or East River'Road. of Fridley. Norm at 571-2347. 1� 1990 City of Fridley CITY OF FRIDLEY CAR-RT-SORT c Spring NewsletterULK RATE P g 6431 University Avenue NE. U.S.uPOSTAGE Fridley, MN 55432 PAID Mayor ...................................................William J.Nee Minnneapolis,MN Councilmember-at-large ......................... Nancy Jorgenson 571-3450 Permit No.2886 Councihnember 1st Ward........................ Steven Billings Councilmember 2nd Ward....................... Dennis Schneider Councilmember 3rd Ward...................... Edward Fitzpatrick City Manager..........................................William W.Bums Editor........................................................Jim Froehle POSTAL CUSTOMER CITY OF FRIDLEY SERVICE DIRECTORY Administrative Offices/Municipal Center.........571-3450 Office hours: 8 a.m.to 5 p.m.,Monday-Friday. 24 Hour Recreation Hotline...............................571-9397 Police(24 Hours-Non-Emergency)...................572-3629 j FIRE AND POLICE EMERGENCY.............. 911 I