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2013 April - Spring Newsletter City of Scandia Scandia Community/ Senior Center 14727 209th St. N. Scandia, MN 55073 Phone: 651 433-2274 Fax: 651 433-5112 E-mail: mail@ci.scandia.mn.us Hours: Mon. thru Fri. 9 to Noon & 1 to 4 (except Tues. open until 6) Community Calendar, April 2013—September, 2013 Dedicated to Rural Community Values We’re on the web! www.ci.scandia.mn.us and Facebook Household Scandia, MN 55073 City Council: Randall Simonson, Mayor 651.538.4320 Dan Lee 651.433.4309 Chris Ness 651 707-5689 Jim Schneider 651 433-3692 Sally Swanson 651 433-3010 Regular Council Meeting: Third Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. Council Work Session: Second Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. Planning Commission: First Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. City Staff: Kristina Handt, Administrator Brenda Eklund, Deputy Clerk Colleen Firkus, Treasurer Tim Kieffer, Maintenance Superintendent Jim Finnegan, Fire Chief Nick Vivian Attorney Eckberg Lammers Phil Gravel, Engineer Stantec Sherri Buss, Planner, TKDA PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Scandia, MN 55073 PERMIT #6  June-Sept., 4 p.m.—7 p.m. Wednesdays Scandia Farmers Market, Gammelgården July  July 4, Independence Day, Office Closed August  August 6, 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. National Night Out, Community Center  August 17, Spelmansstamma, Gammelgården September  September 2, Labor Day, Office Closed  September 6-7 Taco Daze Festival  September 21-22 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. April  April 8, 5 p.m. Board of Appeal and Equaliza- tion, Community Center Board Room.  April 20, 9a.m.-11a.m. Rain garden Workshop, Prairie Restorations  April 27, 4 p.m—8 p.m. Lions Chicken Dinner Benefit, Fire Hall May  May 4, 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., Heavy Metal Day, Community Center Parking Lot  May 8, 3p.m.-7p.m. Well Water Testing Clinic, Community Center  May 18, 6 a.m.—12 p.m. PTO Fun Run  May 27, Memorial Day, Office Closed June  June 28, 1 p.m.—7 p.m. Bloodmobile at Scandia, Community Center  June 22, Midsommar Dag, Gammelgården Summer Recreation Brochure Inside! More than four years after the application was first submitted, the Scandia City Council voted to approve a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for the Zavoral Mine and Reclamation Project. Tiller Corporation, Inc., (Tiller) with offices located in Maple Grove, Minnesota, will operate a sand and gravel mine on the site of a dormant, unreclaimed gravel mine (Zavoral Site) that is located along St. Croix Trail North (State Trunk Highway [TH] 95), a State Scenic Byway, near its intersection with TH 97 in the City of Scandia. Tiller will mine and reclaim 64 acres of the 114-acre Zavoral Site. Of the 64 acres proposed for mining and reclamation, 55 acres are located on portions of the Site that were previously disturbed by mining. Only reclamation activities will occur within the St. Croix River District and USA Scenic Easement Areas. The Council found that the criteria in ordinance were met for a CUP approval when 83 conditions were placed on the permit. The conditions involve monitoring groundwater, surface water, air quality, noise and traffic; limiting hours and days of operation; reimbursing City costs incurred related to the Project; completing reclamation activities; and other measures to protect the public welfare. The permit also includes a condition that no mining of silica sand for industrial purposes (“frac sand mining”) shall be permitted at the site. The hours of operation are limited to 7a.m. to 7p.m., Monday through Thursday and 7a.m. to 2p.m. on Fridays, excluding federal holidays. The Project is permitted to operate for 3.3 years beginning 30 days after all other permits required before the start of mining operations are obtained. Tiller will need to obtain a number of permits from other agencies prior to the start of mining including the Minnesota Department of Transportation, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Carnelian-Marine-St. Croix Watershed District. Also at the regular February Council meeting, an Annual Operating Permit (AOP) was approved which contains 31 conditions, most providing further details on the monitoring to be completed during the year. City Code requires mining operations to submit an application for an AOP by January 31 of each year. The conditions of the AOP are set each year by the City Council, typically in February or March. The last item approved by the Council at their February meeting related to the Zavoral Mine and Reclamation Project was a Conditional Use Permit Compliance and Reclamation Agreement. This document reiterated a number of conditions in the CUP and provides financial securities for reclamation and monitor- ing activities related to the project. While the timeline for the start of mining operations is largely dependent upon the approval of other permits, Tiller hopes to begin operations by late summer or early fall this year The City will be focusing on selecting consultants to complete the monitoring activities in the coming months. Materials related to this project, are available for review at the City of Scandia Office, 14727 209th St. N., during office hours (9:00 a.m. to Noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Tuesdays open to 6:00 p.m.) and on the City’s website http://www.ci.scandia.mn.us. Call Administrator Kristina Handt with questions (651 433-2274.) City Permits Approved for Zavoral Mine Inside this issue: Meet Your New 2013-2014 City Council 2 New Office Assistant Joins the City Staff 2 New Fire Engine for Fire and Rescue 2 “Heavy Metal Day” is May 4th 3 Scandia Farmers Market 3 Short Takes 3 Community Calendar 4 A TWICE-YEARLY PUBLICATION FOR RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF SCANDIA, MINNESOTA April, 2013 Volume 7, Issue 1 With Conditions, Application Meets Requirements for Conditional Use Permit and Annual Operating Permit Meet Your 2013-2014 City Council Page 2 Since our fall newsletter, a new member has been elected to the City Council. Dan Lee was elected to a four year term on the Scandia City Council in November 2012. Previously, Lee served on the Scandia Parks and Recreation Committee for a couple years. Chris Ness was also elected to a four year term on the City Council in November 2012. Ness had been previously appointed to the Council in 2010 to fill a vacancy. Prior to that Ness had served on the Scandia Planning Commission. Mayor Randall Simonson was elected to a second two year term for the Office of Mayor last fall. All three took the oath of office on January 8, 2013. Lee, Ness and Simonson join Council members Sally Swanson and Jim Schneider. In addition to searching for more efficient ways to provide city services, the Council has prioritized economic development for the next couple of years. Discussions have begun on forming an Economic Development Authority. A public hearing will take place at the May 21, 2013 Council meeting. New Fire Engine for Fire and Rescue Department For months, the City Council has been discussing the need to purchase a new fire engine to replace Engine 5180 which was purchased in 1988 and is nearing the end of its expected useful life. Engine 5180 is the second fire engine Scandia Fire and Rescue operates. In a rural community like Scandia, where there is not a hydrant system, a second tanker and pumper truck is very important in meeting the water supply needs at a fire scene. Not replacing the second engine would not only impact the level of service provided during a fire, but will also impact the City’s ISO rating which could in turn impact property insurance premiums. In addition to supplying 1,500 gallons of water at the scene, this engine also serves as a second medical rescue vehicle. Fire and Rescue staff have been working to finalize the specs for a new engine that will meet the needs of the community not only today but also for the next 25 years that the engine is in the community. The Council reviewed and questioned the options proposed by staff in March and approved the purchase of a CustomFire Pumper for $344,952.98. In order to minimize the impact to taxpayers, the Council will be looking into various financing options including low interest bonds and the use of fund balance. Attention Lakeshore Residents… No grading, filling or excavating near shore without permits! Pictured from Left to Right: Dan Lee, Chris Ness, Randall Simonson, Sally Swanson and Jin Schneider Judi Negus Joins City Staff Tackling Office Duties and Recreation Programming Judi Negus has taken on the newly combined role of office assistant and recreation coordinator. When the two city positions became vacant last fall, the Council decided to combine them in order to provide more efficient services to City residents. Negus had a background and interests that aligned well with the two roles and began working for the City of Scandia in October 2012. Negus’s background includes experience in both the public and private sector with considerable office support, organizational, and supervisory skills. Negus previously worked for Silicon Graphics Inc. and Scott County and currently teaches art classes with Watch Me Draw! in addi- tion to her work for the City. Judi, along with her husband Rod and son Sam, live in Scandia and enjoy a variety of sporting activities as well as volunteering at Scandia Elementary and Cub Scouts. Scandia Compost Registry– Got lawn clippings, leaves, or brush and no where to put it? Looking for this type of yard waste for your garden or farm? Last summer the City of Scandia started a Compost Registry. Just call City staff at 651-433 -2274 and we’ll play match maker. In the mood for some spring cleaning? “Heavy-Metal Day” , Scandia’s annual spring clean-up, is scheduled for Saturday, May 4 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the Community Center parking lot. Residents may drop off items not taken by your regular trash hauler, but NOT considered hazardous waste. Examples of items accepted are: appliances, tires, furniture, mattresses, scrap metal and wood. There will be a fee for some items. The fee schedule is posted on the city website. Hazardous materials, electron- ics, and all other recyclables, are accepted year round at the Council Meetings Stream on the Web— Visit www.latvten.com to access the videos. Cable subscribers can watch the replays on cable channel 10. Contact LATV at 651 464-1143 with any ques- tions. Exterior Storage and Park- ing— Scandia requires that all personal property be stored in a building or fully screened, with a few exceptions for licensed vehicles and recreation equip- ment. No more than four pas- senger vehicles per dwelling unit are allowed on parcels less than 10 acres in size. No more than 2 recreational vehicles (such as campers, boats, trailers etc.) may be stored in the side or rear yard on any lot. Disposing of Leaves—Did you know that dumping your Signs— Permits are required for all signs, including temporary signs for garage sales and com- munity events. There’s no fee for temporary sign permits. No signs may be placed in any public rights-of-way, on any roof, or painted on walls or attached to utility poles. Burning Permits— A (no- charge) burning permit is re- quired for open burning when there is no snow cover. In all cases, please notify the Washing- ton County Sheriff’s Office (651 439-9381) one hour before you burn. There may be restrictions depending on weather, time-of- day or air-quality issues. See the city office for more information and for permits. Spring Load Limits— are in effect and are expected to last for about 8 weeks after they went into effect on March 15. leaves in the ditch is also illegal. This causes ditches to fill up with sediment prematurely resulting in poor drainage or even flooding. The decomposi- tion helps to accelerate the forming of algae in our lakes and rivers. Please dispose of your leaves properly. Landscaping in the Right-of -Way—Summer is right around the corner and many people take this opportunity to landscape their yards. Before you do any work, make sure that you are not encroaching into the right of way. Land- scaping within the right of way is not permitted and you may be forced to return it to its original state. Don’t waste your time and money and check with the City first. “Heavy Metal Day” is Saturday, May 4 Short Takes Page 3 Volume 7, Issue 1 The City of Scandia will be collaborating with the Gammel- gården Museum again this summer to offer residents and visitors a weekly Farmers Market where they can purchase fresh produce, honey, flowers, crafts and more. The market will be held every Wednesday from 4-7pm, start- ing June 12 and running through September 25, 2013. The Market will be held in the museum parking lot, 20880 Olinda Trail. The market is currently seeking vendors who produce and sell vegetables, fruits, baked goods, plants, flowers or crafts. Home-based business owners are also welcome. Call Judi Negus, Office Assistant at 651-433-2274 for more information. Vendor guide- lines and registration forms are also available on the city website (www.ci.scandia.mn.us) You Can’t Buy Happiness But You Can Buy Local... Dates to Remember Well Water Testing Scandia Community Center Wednesday, May 8th 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Heavy Metal Day Scandia Community Center Saturday, May 4 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Farmers Market Gammelgården Parking Lot Wednesdays June 12 through Sept. 25 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. “Spring Chicken” Benefit Fire Hall Saturday, April 27 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Proceeds to Fire Dept. and Lions Scholarship Fund Washington County Environ- mental Center, 4039 Cottage Grove Drive, Woodbury (corner of Bailey Road & Cottage Grove, 4 miles south of I-94.) Call Wash- ington County at 651 430-6655 or check their web site at www.co.washington.mn.us/ publichealth.