1990/1991 Winter CITYOF FRIDLEY Winter Newsletter 1990/1991
No. 69
Door-To-Door
Rides
Available
or only$1,door-to-door rides
are now available to anyone
®�® in Fridley wishing to go
or
in Anoka County.
isV'-
Starting December 3rd,Fridley residents
r w wanting to go anywhere in Fridley,
Columbia Heights, or Hilltop will use
w a Shared Ride taxi service. If people
want to go elsewhere in Anoka County,
a�
the taxi will take them to the Northtown
Mall where they transfer to a van which
will complete their journey. The Shared
Ride taxi service has operated in Colum-
Trustidley parks are truly parks for all seasons. Pictured above is Flannery Park, bia Heights for 10 years and was
waiting for colder weather and anxious young skaters. In the winter its expanded to allow Fridley residents
brand new building is a warming house for ice skating. In the summer it is full access to Anoka County.
a picnic shelter with grills included. The door-to-door Shared Ride taxi
ictured below is a rest area along one of the trails at Springbrook Nature service operates from 6am. to l 1pm.
Center. In the summer,relax after hiking a portion of the way through the Monday through Friday. On weekends
woods. In the winter,stop for a moment while cross country skiing along and holidays hours are Sam. to l 1pm.
the trails to listen to the many species of birds or wait for a deer to cross the Standing orders are available. Rides
trail. The tall white stump-like protrusions are grow tubes. They protect must be requested 2 hours in advance
young seedlings from deer, rabbits, and other animals. Part of the nature unless you are transferring, then you
center is being replanted to repair some of the 1986 tornado damage. must call 24 hours in advance.
Besides protecting the trees,the tubesdramatically increase the growth rate. This is a public service with no eligi-
new parking lot and shelter completed this fall, will make picnicing and bility requirements. It is for everyone,
parking much easier. commuters, teenagers, senior citizens,
parents,and children.
The Traveler van service with a trans-
# fer point at the Northtown Mall started
in August and has been very successful.
dP It carried 6588 passengers in October,a
48%increase since August. Cities north
of Anoka do not have service every day,
consequently excursions in that part of
Anoka County should be planned
carefully. There is no transfer fee.
For General Information about the
door-to-door dial-a-ride service or
See Dial-A-Ride
page 5
i
PAGE 2 CITY OF FRIDLEY WINTER 1990/1991
tee.
NOR-
f
Crime
Prevention m
}
Specialist
Hired .r
ears ago the City of Fridley _
became one of the first _ k
t
municipalities in the metro
area to use civilian Crime
Prevention Specialists in- Rosie Griep teaching students ,
stead of sworn officers to in Mrs. Pieott's room at Hayes Assessor s
work with the residents to reduce crime. Elementary School.
Since Crime Prevention Specialists do Corner
not have to be on the streets catching
criminals,it is their full-time job to meet
with neighbors, students, teachers, and by Leon Madsen
business people taking a proactive or -Bus Safety for Kindergartners. For tax study purposes, our office
crime prevention approach to reduce regularly tracks the taxes on specific
criminal activity. Their mission is to -Personal Safety for 1 st and 4th grades. Fridley homes.These studies show that
help people find ways to reduce crime -Officer Friendly for 2nd graders where the average Fridley home is a rambler
and promote safety in their lives. areal Fridley Police Officer shows containing 1134 square feet, built in
Rosie Griep is the newest Fridley
and tells the students what they do. 1963, with an attached single garage
Crime Prevention Specialist and is as- - Theft Prevention for 2nd and 6th and a small porch with 77 x 132 lot. This
signed to work with younger school graders. home has had no improvements done to
children. it except receiving normal maintenance.
Connie Bauman is the other Crime - On My Own for 3rd graders where Below is the actual Assessor's Market
they learn what to do if left alone Values and the actual taxes from one of
Prevention Specialist whose primary
responsibilities are the Neighbor Crime before or after school as well as Fridley's typical homes.
Watch program, National Night evenings or weekends. Year Value Taxes
Out, and McGruff the Crime Dog -5th graders receive the 17 week D.A.R.E. 1978 $42,145 $849
assignments. program taught by an Officer and 1979 $45,300 $7701980 $51,500 $532
Griep has been doing this type of will receive additional anti-van- 1981 $51,800 $435
work since 1973 and came to Fridley in dalism training if time permits. 1982 $63,400 $515
October. Besides working with Stu- In addition to classroom presenta- 1983 $67,200 $765
dents, she also works with parents in 1984 $69,900 $833
neglect and abuse cases where it is not tions,Griep will teach summer programs 1985 $68,700 $749
obvious if there is a criminal problem. covering various subject matters, and 1986 $68,400 $691
also conducts Police Department tours. 1987 $69,800 $689
Itis Griep's goal to teach two subjects She expects to expand many of the pro- 1988 $72,600 $818
to each K - 6 grade class in Fridley's grams to middle school students within 1989 $74,300 $902
four elementary schools. Topics a year. 1990 $77,800 $798
include: The figures show that while the market
Griep is a Certified Crime Preven-
-An overall safety class for kindergart- tion Specialist and is also a board mem- value has increased 85% during the 13
ners covering strangers, accident ber for the Minnesota Crime Prevention year period,taxes have decreased$20 to
prevention inside and outside the Officers Association. She replaced the $10 per$1000 of value.
home,emergencies,safety friends. previous Crime Prevention Specialist The wide tax swings,during the study
-Bicycle safety for K, 1st,3rd,and 6th who left to establish a similar program period,are largely caused by major state
grades. in another metro city. tax legislation changes.
WINTER 1990/1991 CITY OF FRIDLEY PAGE 3
Recycle Fee (SWAP) Set
ity residents will be charged Though the City regrets having to program,they are encouraged to recycle
$2.50 each quarter on their collect the fee,it is now needed to offset by taking their materials to the SORT
water/sewer utility bill to help the rising recycling program costs which Recycling Center behind Columbia Arena
recover some of the City's are required by State law. Examples of at 350-71st Avenue.That location pays
recycling and solid waste these are: cash for aluminum and glass. Newspa-
abatement program costs. The special --No yard waste in landfills. Pers including Sunday advertising
Solid Waste Abatement Program Required 35%.reduction of solid inserts,cardboard,tin cans,plastic milk
(SWAP)fee will be collected from resi- waste by 1994. and water jugs and plastic pop and
dential dwellings having four or fewer liquor bottles are also accepted.
units, or a total of 7,661 households. The bins,one for glass and the other
Money collected during the first year for cans are made of at least 50 percent
will go toward purchasing two recycling recycled plastic. They should be deliv-
bins for each Fridley residence and a ered in February to each of the residents EMS
portion of the curbside recycling cost. who are charged the fee.
In future years, the fee will be used to For more information about recy-
offset some of the costs associated with cog, contact Lisa Campbell, the Fri- D
the leaf/grass drop off site,the curbside dley Recycling Coordinator,at 572-3574.
recycling program,and other programs Even though apartment residents do
which abate solid waste from landfills. not benefit from the curbside recycling
The fee will be charged regardless of
recycling participation, but it is hoped
that the combination of the fee and the
recycling containers will increase par-
ticipation. Antifreeze In 1989 bins were donated by
the Fridley Lions to 200 households. In
the two test areas, recycling participa- helpful home hozordou$ woste tip
tion increased by 30 percent. Within a This is the time of year when our car's cooling system is often cleaned and
year of receiving the bins 60 to 70 per- flushed. To do the job completely and correctly, proper disposal of the used
cent of the residents recycled on a regu- antifreeze is a must.
lar basis.
The fee will first appear to custom- According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency(MPGA),antifreeze is
ers who receive their utility/sewer bill- safely disposed of by flushing it down your sink or toilet if your home is connected
ing in January. The optional field box to the city sanitary sewer system. The hazardous chemicals in antifreeze are
will be marked with an RC to note the broken down in the sewage treatment process. Use plenty of water to ensure that
ReCycling fee. all the antifreeze is washed down the drain.
This fee is not new to most Anoka Do not pour antifreeze down your toilet or sink if you have a septic tank.
County residents. In fact, at least 11 Antifreeze can damage your septic system by destroying the microorganisms that
other communities pay a similar feemake the system work. Instead,ask someone who is connected to a sewer system
Sometimes the fee is collected by the to dispose of your antifreeze for you.
city, other times it is collected by theNever use street storm sewers for disposal of antifreeze. Storm sewers empty
refuse hauler on their bill. In the rest of directly to lakes,creeks,and rivers without treatment.
the County, the highest fee is $2.70 a Never mix antifreeze with used motor oil stored for recycling. Mixing anti-
month collected by some haulers in freeze makes the oil impossible to recycle.
East Bethel, the lowest are $1.25 per Never store this poisonous liquid in open containers. Pets are attracted to the
month by Hilltop and$1.30 per month sweet-tasting antifreeze and lap it up.
collected by Blaine. The average fee for For more information about household hazardous waste and collection pro-
the 11 Anoka County communities stud- gra,contact the MPCA's Household Hazardous Waste program at 296-6300,or
ied is $1.77 per month or $21.24 per the Fridley Recycling Coordinator,Lisa Campbell,at 572-3594.
year.
1
PAGE 4 CITY OF FRIDLEY WINTER 1990/1991
Councilmembers Reelected he 1990 general
election was
truly a historic
w election. No,
not because of the peculi-
_ arities surrounding the
governor's race,but because
this was the first election
` affected by the 1989
..
Fridley City Charter
4 change which established
four year terms.
g The City Charter was
�.
amended to eliminate off-
* year elections. Previously,
the Mayor and Councilmem
bers served three year terms.
This resulted in off-year
elections where voter
Steve Billings, Councilmember Ward Ed Fitzpatrick, Councilmember turnout was frequently
was elected to his second term. Ward 3 was elected to his 6th term. less than 400, when thou-
sands could have voted.
Ed Fitzpatrick defeated
Bill Sandin by 93 votes,
FMTV 31 Informs Citizens 1502 to 1409 in the Ward 3
race. Steve Billings was
unicipal Channel 31 is one of the avenues that the City uses to inform its citizens. unopposed in Ward 1.
Besides showing City Council meetings live,a live call-in program with the Mayor The new electronic
or a Councilmember is produced the day after the first meeting of each month. In voting machines worked
January, the third quarterly video newsletter which generally follows the written very well,eliminating many
newsletter will be shown. This production joins other programs produced by FMTV hours of hand counting
31 staff. When regularly scheduled programing is not being cablecast, the video that was required when the
Community Billboard is running. punch cards were used.
Channel 31 also offers internships on a paid work-study basis or a stipend program. Of the 17,482 voters
Presently we are looking for an intern to help us out with production,camera work,and registered in the City of
administrative duties. Hours are flexible,amounting to about 10 to 20 per week. Fridley, 65% voted in No-
For a monthly programing guide or for more information about the internship vember,which is high for a
program,call the City of Fridley at 572-3501. non-presidential election.
Brian Strand, Voter registration was high
' FMN 31 Video too, with 1,027 registering
Specialist
on election day.
editing a
program. He
also directs
� aCity Council .
rPti
� w
� r productions
awhich can be
iChannel
a,
seen live on
Channel 31.
Seethe
calendar on
page 6 for
meeting times.
WINTER 1990/1991 CITY OF FRIDLEY PAGE 5
Dial-A-Ride
from page 1
advanced sale tickets,call the Hot-
line-422-7075.
For a$1 taxi ride in Fridley,
Columbia Heights,or Hilltop call
-935-9911.
For a ride to other areas of
Anoka County where there is a
transfer at the Northtown Mall
call-4648883.
" - Cash fares are $1. Advance
discount tickets for youth and
handicapped are available at Fri-
� dley City offices.
Drivers do not carry change,
, so have correct fare ready. Be
ready at least 10 minutes prior to
Workers unveil the sign naming this structure pickup time. Allow ample time
the Mike O'Bannon Underpass earlier this to get to your destination.
summer.
It was completed in 1976 allowing regular
and emergency traffic to safely go under the
railroad tracks. Before the underpass was
built, houses sometimes burned completely
because fire trucks could not get to fires for up
to 20 minutes when trains blocked their way.
Its presence is a constant reminder of Fridley's
continuing development.
r
s 1 �
The new one and a half million gallon water
tower behind the NSP power station just off Highway
65 is structurally complete. When the weather gets
warm in the spring, the welds will be sanded and
the whole tower will be painted,first with a primer
then with a final artic blue colored paint.
When painting is completed, it will be similar in
color to the water tower at Commons Park. After
painting, the tank will be filled with water and �
ready for use by August of 1991. =�
The half million gallon Commons Park tower will
be repainted with the same colored artic blue
paint at that time.
PAGE 6 CITY OF FRIDLEY WINTER 1990/1991
City Calendar - Winter 1990 - 91
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 Brief ly . . .
$0 from the City Council
Q) 2 3 4 5 6 7 Recycle 8
PR A HR Area 1-North
of Miss.St. BUDGET APPROVED
9 10 11 12 13 14 Recycle 15 The 1991 City of Fridley budget
Area 2-South was approved on November
V CC PL HRA of Miss.St. 19th,only 2.2 percent higher than
4�A
16 17 18 19 20 21 Recycle 22 the 1990 budget. The preliminary
Area 1-North budget was first submitted on
CC EQE August 27th. For a co of the
of Miss.St. g copy
23 24 Holiday 25 26 27 28 Recycle 29 Budget message, call the City
Christmas Area 2-South Manager's Office.
30 31 Holiday of Miss.St. AUTO MALL OWD
A three building, 30,000 square
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday foot Auto Mall and restaurant on
the corner of Highway 65 and
1 2 3 4 Recycle 5 73rd Avenue was approved at
New Years HR Area 1-North the November 5th meeting.
Holiday of Miss.St.
6 7CC 8 9 10 11 Recycle 12 ACCW FUNDING
Area 2-Soutl At the November 5th meeting,
PR A PL HRA
of Miss.St. funding and support for the
13 14 15 16 17 18 Recycle 19 Anoka County Community
EQE Area I-North Workshop public access cable
of Miss.St. channel 33 was approved.
oww�''20 21 Martin 22 23 PL 24 25 Recycle 26 D.A.R.E. DONATIONS
Luther Area 2-South
King Day CTV of Miss.St. Generous contributions t0 the
Drug Abuse Resistance Education
27 28 CC 29 30 31 program by the American Legion
CH and Lions were announced at
the October 15 Council meeting.
The program for 5th graders is
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday taught by the Police Department
and would not be possible without
1 Recycle 2 community support.
Area 1-North
of Miss.St.
3 4 5 6 7 8 Recycle 9
Area 2-south Calendar Code
PR A PL HR of Miss.St.
10 11 12 13 14 15 Recycle 16 A -Appeals Commission
CC HRA Area 1-Nort
of Miss.St. CC -City Council
r 17 18 19 A 20 21 22 Recycle 23 CH -Charter Commission
l�1 Presidents area 2-South
EQE of Miss.St.
Day PL CTV-Cable TV Commission
24 25 26 27 28 EQE-Environmental Quality&Energy
CC
CH HR -Human Resources Commission
The HRA and the Cable TV Commission meet at 7:00 pm. HRA -Housing Redevelopment Authority
The City Council and all other Commissions meet in the PL -Planning Commission
Municipal Center and begin at 7:30 pm. PR -Parks&Recreation Commission
The Municipal Center is located at 6431 University Avenue NE.
WINTER 1990/1991 CITY OF FRIDLEY PAGE 7
Systematic - 11 I' ll
Briefly Code
from page 6 Enforcement
RECYCLE CONTRACTOR Is Working
g
Also on October 15, Super Cycle By Nancy JorgensonOU
was named as the contractor which COUnCilmember-At-Large �
will collect recyclables for Fridley's °
curbside program. Their fee is $9 After World War II many people Compliance rates are very good,with
per ton less than in 1990. moved here because there were no City 80.7 percent correcting the problem after
codes. Residents kept their yards any
PROCLAMATIONS! way they wanted and sometimes con- the first notice.
World Summit Week for Children - structed poor quality buildings. Generally, there have been few
September 23rd to 29th. Once Fridley became a city,it took a complaints about the program. Some
Cathy Nelson Day-November 7th, long time to clean up some of the blighted people have even called to see how they
was proclaimed to honor her for areas and increase land values so devel- can get rid of or recycle excess material
being named Minnesota Teacher opers would construct quality homes lying around their homes.
of the Year. Cathy has taught in Fri- and businesses. In fact, the struggle A few people have expressed dis-
dley since 1977. continues today. The City Council wishes pleasure at the parking ordinance which
October was proclaimed Crime to maintain the quality suburban com- restricts parking to driveways and pro-
Prevention Month. munity that has developed. To help hibits parking on lawns. This ordinance
November 23 was proclaimed achieve that goal, the Council author- Passed in the 1960's,also required paved
Championship Football Day hon- ized a Systematic Code Enforcement driveways for all future homes. It was
oring the Fridley Tigers high school program earlier this year which pro- designed to encourage the orderly stor-
football for their championship vides fair and equitable code enforce- age of automobiles,while discouraging
season. They won the Class A ment throughout the City. people from keeping cars which should
championship game at the Met- City Staff reports that since the Sys- bejunked.
rodome. tematic Code Enforcement program Programs such as the 1989 tire recy-
began in July,20 percent of the City has cling day will be held periodically to
been inspected. A total of 153 property help residents keep their neighborhoods
owners received code violations:59 for clean and tidy.
improper exterior materials storage; 33 To file a code complaint or if you
for junk vehicles; 26 for parking on wish more information, contact Steve
TDDIncreases lawns;15 for improper garbage storage; Barg, Fridley Code Enforcement
and 20 had a variety of code violations. Officer,at 572-3595.
Accessibility
Hearing or speech impaired people "'Toys For Joy„ Project
now have full access to the City of
Fridley offices. A Telecommunications Continues For 4th Year
Device for the Deaf, which is abbrevi-
ated TDD, is now fully installed and Toys,food,and new clothing are needed for the Toys For Joy program.
operational. For the fourth straight year,Fridley Chamber of Commerce members are
To call the City, users type in a sponsoring a program that makes the holiday season a little happier for
message from their telephone which also some needy Anoka County families. The program is unique in that parents
has a TDD system. The City operator choose presents and then take them home to wrap for their children.
then types a return message using Donations are accepted at the Fridley Chamber of Commerce, Suite
Fridley's system. To contact the 102,in the Fridley Office Plaza Building next to the Fridley City offices.
City's system, users must call the Or call the office at 571-9787 for ideas or other drop-off locations.
special 572-3534 TDD number. Donations are needed by December 14th.
PAGE 8 CITY OF FRIDLEY WINTER 1990/1991
Winter
Winter Parkingstorms
and
Regulations g � � � snow
are
Tnable traffic and emergency vehicles to , Coming.
MA
drive safely,streets must be plowed to full width. Make
The City does not want to tag and tow cars illegally
� it
parked during winter snow removal, but it is the
. �8 a. easy
only way to maintain properly plowed thoroughfares. >e. .
A city ordinance specifies that for 24 hours for
a day from November 1st to May 1st vehicles s yourself
% � � and the
must not impede the plowing or removal of
snow or ice. If cars must be towed to enable plows � � � r Plow
to properly clear City streets and alleys,the citation drivers
will cost$25,the tow at least$54,plus$12 a day this
charge if the car is not claimed the same day. season.
Snow plowing and sanding begin when driving
conditions become poor or at the end of a snow Snow Codes '
storm. Even if plowing begins in the wee hours of
- V
the morning, residents are still responsible for
hen the snow starts falling anyone who removes snow should
removing parked vehicles from city streets. So,
even though the weatherman is sometimes wrong, follow certain laws and rules of thumb.
e e s your advisable to heed the forecast and keep yoAccording to an ordinance,City installed walks must be kept clear of snow
car off the street if a snowfall probable. ur and ice. When shoveling please keep in mind that it is illegal to shovel,plow,
specific amount of snow has to fall and no snow or blow snow onto Fridley streets from driveways,sidewalks,or parking lots.
emergency has to be declared to put this ordinance To make snow removal easier place the snow on the right side of the
into effect. driveway while facing the street. This prevents the snow from being thrown
If a car is ticketed on a street or alley and not back into the driveway when the plow comes by. It also enables the plow and
towed, but is still there the next day, it may be other oncoming vehicles to see you when pulling out of the driveway.
towed to allow crews to make the final cleanup Children should be kept from playing near plows and snow forts or tunnels
plow for that snowfall. This is done as it is very should never be built near the road. Kids are difficult to see and might be buried
costly for the City to replow roadways to their full or hit by rocks or ice chunks thrown by plows.
width because a few people left cars snowbound. According to postal regulations mailboxes should be 48 inches from the
Formore information about the City's plowing bottom of the box to street level. This ensures enough room for snow to be piled
policy, call the Police Department at 572-3629 and still be able to find your mailbox after the plow goes by.
and request the snow bird fact sheet. Following these common sense rules will make winter safer and happier.
1990/1991 City of Fridley
Winter Newsletter CITY OF FRIDLEY CAR-RT-SORT AT
Mayor ................ William J.Nee 6431 University Avenue NE. U.S.POSTAGE
................................
Councihnember-at-large Nancy J.Jorgenson Fridley, MN 55432
Councihnember 1St Ward .................. Steven E.Billings 5 71-34 50 Permit
ea apot No..2 MN
Permi2886
Councilmember 2nd Ward ................ Dennis L.Schneider
Councilmember 3rd Ward.................. Edward J.Fitzpatrick
City Manager...................................... William W.Bums
Editor.................................................. Jim Froehle
CITY OF FRIDLEY SERVICE DIRECTORY
Administrative Offices/Municipal Center..........571-3450 POSTAL CUSTOMER
Office hours: 8 am.to 5 p.m.,Monday-Friday.
24 Hour Recreation Hotline................................571-9397
TDD....................................................................572-3534
Police(24 Hours-Non-Emergency)....................572-3629
FIRE AND POLICE EMERGENCY ............911