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9.f 2 Spring 2017 Newsletter-version 2 CITY OF SCANDIA Dedicated to Rural Community Values Household Scandia, MN 55073 City of Scandia Scandia Community/ Senior Center 14727 209th Street North Scandia, MN 55073 Phone: 651.433.2274 Fax: 651.433.5112 E-mail: mail@ci.scandia.mn.us Hours: Mon. thru Fri. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. City Council: Christine Maefsky, Mayor 651.433.2684 Jim Schneider 651.433.3692 Bob Hegland 651.538.2129 Chris Ness 651.707.5689 Steve Kronmiller 651.538.0094 Regular Council Meeting: Third Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. Council Work Session: First Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. Planning Commission: First Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. City Staff: Neil Soltis, Administrator Brenda Eklund, Deputy Clerk Colleen Firkus, Treasurer Adam Hawkinson, Director of Public Works Mike Hinz, Fire Chief Andrew Pratt, Attorney Eckberg Lammers Ryan Goodman, Engineer Bolton & Menk Sherri Buss, Planner, TKDA PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Scandia, MN 55073 EDDM Like us on Facebook for the Most Up-to-Date Information Community Calendar, April 2017 - September, 2017 April  April 7, 7 p.m., Ham Bingo  April 10, 5 p.m., Board of Appeal and Equalization, Community Center Board Room.  April 28 - April 30, Opening Weekend - Gammelgarden  April 29 - May 6, Spring Clean- up Collection Week, SRC, Wyo- ming May  May 6, 4 p.m. - 8 p.m., Lions Chicken Dinner Benefit, Community Center  May 28, Immigrant for a Day - Gammelgarden  May 29, Memorial Day, Office Closed June  June 7, Farmers Market - open- ing day  June 24, Midsommar Dag, Gammelgården SUMMER RECREATION BROCHURE INSIDE July  July 4, Independence Day Holiday Office Closed  July 8, St. Croix Fat Cat Triathlon August  August 1, 6 p.m. - 7 p.m., National Night Out, Community Center  August 19, Spelmanstamma, Gammelgården September  September 4, Labor Day, Office Closed  September 9, Taco Daze Festival  September 16-17, Marine Art Fair For more information and a City meeting calendar, see the website www.ci.scandia.mn.us. For Gammelgården events, see: http://www.gammelgardenmuseum.org. Update to City’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan Underway APRIL 2017 VOLUME 11, ISSUE 1 CITY OF SCANDIA Inside this issue: Public Comment on Log House Landing Boat Ramp 2 Meet the City Council 3 Welcome Adam Hawkinson 3 Crack Filling and Sealcoating 3 Clean-up Week 3 Short Takes 3 Community Calendar 4 What is a Comprehensive Plan? A Comprehensive Plan defines the vision, goals and aspirations for the long-term development and redevelopment of the com- munity. The plan is intended to shape land use and transportation patterns, conserve natural resources, and identify needs for utilities, housing and parks and open space. The Comprehensive Plan also guides decisions on both public and private invest- ments in infrastructure and facilities. The City of Scandia Comprehensive Plan will address future land uses, housing needs, natural resources, transportation, utilities, parks and trails, and economic opportunities. Why Update the Comprehensive Plan? State law requires Comprehensive Plans be updated at least every 10 years, and the Plan must align with the Metropolitan Council’s regional system plans related to highways, transit, airports, wastewater services, parks and open space. Scandia’s current Comprehensive Plan was completed in 2008. The City is required to complete this update, submit it to the Metropolitan Council for review and approval, and adopt it by the end of 2018. What is the Process? In November 2016, the City of Scandia hired Bolton & Menk, Inc., to complete the Comprehensive Plan update. The process will involve a full review and evaluation of the current Comprehensive Plan and identification of specific issues that need up- dating. Scandia is also including extensive public outreach for this project. Opportunities for citizen involvement include a Steering Committee appointed by the City Council, four focus groups, pop-up meetings, and an open house. There is also a project website (https://www.bolton-menk.com/clients/scandia/index.html) which will provide regular updates and offer an opportunity to answer brief surveys. Bolton & Menk staff attended the Lions’ Vinterfest pancake breakfast in January and ask ed attendees to take a brief survey about what they see for the future of Scandia. We received more than 30 responses. This sur- vey is also available on the website. On March 9, 2017, the Steering Committee held its first workshop. This was a “Visioning Workshop” to determine a direction for the Comprehensive Planning effort. The Committee reviewed the Comprehensive Planning process, updated maps, data, and projections, and participated in an exercise to identify community strengths, weak- nesses, opportunities and threats. The next meeting will be on April 20, 2017. How can I get Involved? The City is seeking volunteers to participate in focus groups on the Comprehensive Plan. The focus groups will participate in personal interviews within a small group (10-12 participants) to discuss specific issues for the Plan. Volunteers are needed in three areas: A twice-yearly publication for residents of the City of Scandia, Minnesota · The Business Community: owners and proprietors of Scandia businesses, including home-based businesses and agricultural-focused businesses. · The Agricultural and Rural Residential Community: residents or owners of local farms and rural lots within the City. · Youth: Scandia students, Scouts, 4-H members and other local youth. The focus group discussions will take between 2-3 hours and are planned in April and May. If you are interested in participating in a focus group, please send an email to mail@ci.scandia.mn.us. Answer the survey on the project website; Watch for the Comprehensive Plan pop- up event at Taco Daze this summer; Attend the public open house later this year. Updates on the Comprehensive Plan will be posted at https://www.bolton- menk.com/clients/scandia/index.html. City Council Looking for Public Comment on the Log House Landing Boat Ramp Page 2 CITY OF SCANDIA Are there legal implications? If the ramp were to be closed, the access is still within the City’s road right-of-way and road easement and, consequently, would remain public. If the road or portions of it were to be vacated, the road right-of- way would be split between the adjoining property owners. What are the budget impacts? Funds have been budgeted for the ramp improvements with $20,000 from the City and Watershed District, $15,000 for materials from the National Park Service, and concrete planks donated by MnDNR. The improvements would reduce the need for regular mainte- nance of the ramp. What are the health and safety impacts? The ramp is used by Scandia Fire and Rescue for emergency access to the riv- er and would remain accessible under all of the alternatives. What are the historic impacts? The house adjacent to the Log House Landing served as a public house during the years of Swedish immigration. Historically, the landing was used by local Scandia residents without river access as a place to leave a boat and has transitioned to a more public landing over the years. What are the environmental and aesthetic impacts? The City has made improvements to slow the flow of storm water and to divert the runoff from 205th Street to a settling basin in order to minimize the erosion into the river. Regardless, the ramp itself is still subject to erosion from vehicular traffic and the banks next to the ramp have been eroded by non- vehicular uses. All of the alternatives, except leaving the ramp as-is, will provide improvements. The ramp itself is somewhat blocked from view of users of the river. Closing the ramp or limiting to non-vehicular uses will provide aesthetic improvements. Who benefits or is harmed by the project? Based on DNR invasive species inspections conducted in 2016, the users of the ramp are split close to 50/50 between motorized and non- motorized users. The alternative to limit the use to carry-in or walk-in will impact most motorized users while the alterna- tive to close the ramp will negatively impact all users. Either of these options will impact more than the local residents since both the NPS and MnDNR include the landing in their literature and maps. New Members Join City Council Short Takes Page 3 VOLUME 11, ISSUE 1 City-Wide Clean-up Week is scheduled for Saturday, April 29, through Saturday, May 6, at the SRC/Forest Lake Sanitation site in Wyoming, MN. Residents may drop off rubbish items not taken by their regular trash hauler, such as appliances, tires, furniture, mattresses, scrap metal and wood, at the SRC facility located at 6320 East Viking Boulevard, Wyoming, MN. During this week, Scandia residents will receive a 20% discount off regular collection prices. Be prepared to show proof of residency, such as a driver’s license. Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Please call SRC at 651.464.2321 for more information. A pricing schedule is posted on the City’s website. Did you know curbside recycling carts are available at no cost to all Scandia residents. Contact Forest Lake Sanitation (SRC) for more information. There are a couple new faces on the Scandia City Council. The November election saw Christine Maefsky elected to a two-year term as Mayor, replacing Scandia’s previous Mayor Randall Simonson who served three terms. Chris Ness was re-elected and Steve Kronmiller was elected to four-year City Council terms. Maefsky, Ness, and Kronmiller were sworn in at the January 4, 2017 City Council meeting. The re-elected and two newly-elected members join Council members Jim Schneider and Bob Hegland. Maefsky previously served as Chair of the Planning Commission. Clean-Up Week Scandia’s new Public Works Director, Adam Hawkinson, started his duties on December 12. He brings 17 years of municipal parks and public works experience to the City of Scandia along with 8 years of grounds maintenance experience at the University of Minnesota. Most recently, Hawkinson worked as a grounds supervisor for the Ecumen Parmly assisted living facility in Chisago City. He is a graduate of Chisago Lakes High School and the University of Wisconsin – River Falls. The Public Works Director provides oversight and work direction for the 3 full-time and 1 part-time maintenance personnel and along with contractors to ensure that all City infrastructure (including roads, street lights, drainage systems, sewer and water) and facilities (including parks and public buildings) are operated and maintained in good condition. Adam provides staff support to the Parks and Recreation and Wastewater Committees. Hawkinson lives in Lindstrom with his wife, Nancy Teel, in the house where he grew up and they are planning to remodel it as their spare time allows. Adam can be reached at 651.433.5223 or a.hawkinson@ci.scandia.mn.us. City Welcomes Adam Hawkinson Hazardous Materials & Electronics Washington County will sponsor special one-day household hazardous waste collections throughout the county, at no cost. Nearby collections are scheduled at the Hugo Public Works building on April 22nd from 8 a.m. to noon, and at the Forest Lake Transit Center (enter at Headwaters Parkway) on June 3rd from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. See the County website for more information. Conversations with the Mayor are Held First Wednesday of Each Month Mayor Christine Maefsky is holding office hours to meet with residents on the first Wednesday of each month at the Scandia Community Center in the Heritage Room. Mayor Maefsky meets mornings from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and again in the late afternoon from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Feel free to stop by and join the next conversation. Crack Filling and Sealcoating Planned for 2017 Improvements will be made to 239th Street N., 238th Street N. from Melanie Trail to Morgan Avenue, 235th Street N. from Mead- owbrook Avenue to west end, Meadowbrook Avenue from 238th Street to Melanie Trail, Morgan Avenue, 236th Street N., Nolan Avenue from 236th Street to 230th Street, 230th Street from Oren Road to west end, Ogilvie Avenue, Pickett Avenue, Pomroy Ave- nue from 240th Street to south end, 235th Street from MN 95 to Quentin Avenue, Quentin Avenue, 223nd Street east of Olinda, and Paris Avenue. The crack filling work is anticipated to take place in late spring with sealcoating later during the summer.