2010 April - Spring Newsletter City of Scandia Scandia Community/ Senior Center 14727 209th St. N. Scandia, MN 55073 Community Calendar, April 2010—September, 2010 Dedicated to Rural Community Values We’re on the web!www.ci.scandia.mn.us Household Scandia, MN 55073 City Council: Dennis Seefeldt, Mayor 651 433-5999 Dolores Peterson 651 433-2229 Pete Crum 651 433-5034 John Lindell 651 433-2755 Connie Amos 651 433-5772 Regular Council Meeting: Third Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. Council/Planning Commission Meeting: First Tuesday, 7:00/7:30 p.m. City Staff: Anne Hurlburt, Administrator Brenda Eklund, Deputy Clerk Colleen Firkus, Treasurer John Morrison, Public Works Supervisor Steve Thorp, Building Official Jim Finnegan, Fire Chief David Hebert, Attorney Hebert & Welch PA Paul Hornby, Engineer, Bonestroo Sherri Buss, Planner, TKDA, Inc City Office: Phone: 651 433-2274 Fax: 651 433-5112 E-mail: mail@ci.scandia.mn.us Hours: Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to Noon & 1p.m. to 4 p.m. PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Scandia, MN 55073 PERMIT #6 ence Day, Office Closed July 10, Hay Lake Day, Hay Lake Museum August August 3, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. National Night Out, Community Center August 10, Primary Election Day August 15, Spelmansstamma, Gammelgården September September 6, Labor Day, Office Closed September 10 - 11, Taco Daze Festival September 18 - 19, 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 11, 8:00 a.m., Lion’s Club Pancake Breakfast, Community Center April 12, 5:00 p.m. Board of Appeal and Equalization, Community Center Board Rm. April 24, 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. Lions Club Benefit Chicken Dinner, Fire Hall May May 1, 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., Heavy Metal Day, Community Center Parking Lot May 22, Scandia PTO Fun Run/Walk, Com-munity Center May 31 , Memorial Day, Office Closed June June 26, Midsommar Dag, Gammelgården July July 5 (Monday), observance of Independ-Early Fall in Scandia is signaled by trips to the State Fair, Labor Day, the start of school, our Taco Daze festival and (in even years) the state-wide primary election. That’s about to change. The primary election is moving to Tuesday, August 10, 2010 from the traditional second Tuesday in September. The general election will continue to be held on the first Tuesday of November (November 2, 2010.) The law moving the primary up from September 14 to August 10 was recently passed by the State Leg-islature and signed by the Governor. The change brings the state into compliance with a federal law requiring more time between the primary and the November general elections. The intent is to give military and overseas voters more time to return absentee ballots than if the general election candi-dates are not determined until mid-September. There is a concern, however, that already-low voter turn-outs could be further reduced. Scandia voters are urged to mark their calendars now for the new primary date. Absentee balloting for the August 10 primary election will begin on June 25 and continue through Au-gust 9, 2010. For a calendar of important election dates, see page 2 of this newsletter. Filings for City Council also Affected The same law that changed the primary date also affects filings for Scandia’s local election of a Mayor and two Council Members, which will be on the November 2 general election ballot. Mayor Dennis Seefeldt’s two-year term will expire at the end of 2010. The four-year terms of Council members Dolores Peterson and Pete Crum will also expire. The two-week filing period for the City election will begin on Tuesday, August 3 and run through Au-gust 17, 2010. A candidate must file in person with the city clerk a signed and notarized affidavit of candidacy, along with a $2 filing fee. A petition signed by eligible voters numbering 5% of the number of persons who voted in the last general election may be submitted in lieu of a filing fee. Scandia had 2,644 voters in the last general election (5% = 133 voters.) If a candidate will be absent from the state during the filing period, the candidate may file for office during the seven days immediately before the candidate leaves the state. Because August is vacation time for many Minnesotans, potential City Council candidates should contact City staff for more infor-mation on filing early if they may be out of town during the filing period. The timeline for selecting and training election judges for the primary election will also change. Former election judges will be contacted. Anyone interested in serving as an election judge should contact City staff. 2010 is an election year for Minnesota and Scandia— State Primary Election Moves to August 10 Inside this issue: Scope Modified for Mining & Reclamation EIS 2 Development Code Update is Underway 2 Clip and Save Elections Calendar 2 “Heavy Metal Day” Spring Cleanup on May 1 3 “Take 10” to Participate in the 2010 Census 3 Short Takes/ Announcements 3 Community Calendar 4 A TWICE-YEARLY PUBLICATION FOR RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF SCANDIA, MINNESOTA April, 2010 Volume 4, Issue 1
In March 2009, the City Council ordered prepa-ration of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Tiller Corporation’s Zavoral Mining and Reclamation Project. Tiller Corporation pro-posed to operate a gravel mine and processing facility on a 114-acre site located east of State Highway 95 (St. Croix Trail) at State Highway 97 (Scandia Trail) owned by Dr. James Zavoral. After the EIS was ordered, the City went through a “scoping” process to determine the issues to address in the EIS. Then, in August 2009, consult-ants (AECOM) were hired to prepare the EIS for the City. Tiller is required to pay all costs associ-ated with the EIS. A Project Advisory Committee (PAC) of agency and community representatives was formed to provide advice to the Council about the EIS. The PAC held its first meeting in December 2009. Also in December 2009, Tiller changed its pro-posal by eliminating on-site processing activities (such as washing or crushing.) Instead, material excavated at the site would be transported di-Scope Modified for Mining & Reclamation EIS Clip and Save— 2010 Elections Calendar Page 2 rectly to users or to the company’s Scandia mine (located at 22303 Manning Ave) for use as “add-rock” in products produced at that site. This change resulted in a modified scope for the EIS, to reflect the elimination of processing activi-ties at the Zavoral site and to include the evalua-tion of possible impacts related to the Scandia site due to the transport and use of the “add-rock.” A new contract with the consultants was ap-proved in February, and work on the EIS has started again. The next PAC meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 27 (4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Community Center.) Materials related to this project, including the revised scope for the EIS, 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) and on the City’s website http://ci.scandia.mn.us. Contact City Administrator Anne Hurlburt for more information. Primary Election Day August 10, 2010 Polls Open at 7:00 a.m. Friday, June 25— Absentee voting begins for Primary Election, through August 9 Tuesday, July 20, 5:00 p.m.— Last day to pre-register for State Primary Election. After this date, register at the polls on Election Day Tuesday, August 3— Filings for Mayor and City Council races open, through August 17 at 5:00 p.m. Saturday, August 7, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.— City office open for absentee voting Monday, August 9, 5 p.m.— Absentee voting for Primary Election closes Tuesday, August 10, 7 a.m.-8 p.m.— State Primary Election Day Thursday, August 19, 5 p.m.–-Deadline to withdraw filings for Mayor and Council Friday, September 17— Absentee voting begins for General Election, through Nov. 3 Tuesday, October 12, 5:00 p.m.— Last date to pre-register for General Election. After this date, register at the polls on Election Day. Saturday, October 30, 10 a.m-3p.m.— City office open for absentee voting Monday, November 1, 5 p.m.— Absentee voting for General Election closes Tuesday, November 2, 7 a.m.-8 p.m.— Election Day Development Code Update is Underway The Development Code— a group of ordinances that includes zoning and subdivision regulations— are some of the most important tools for imple-menting the Comprehensive Plan. Since adoption of the new Plan last year, the Council and Plan-ning Commission are working on updating Scan-dia’s regulations. So far, they have reviewed drafts of administrative and procedural language (also needed to make the transition from a town-ship ordinance to a city ordinance) and prelimi-nary drafts of new zoning districts and zoning maps. The work sessions on the code update are open to all. A public meeting/open house on the draft code will be held, prior to a formal public hearing, later this year. Please see the city web-site meeting calendar for dates and times. In the mood for some spring cleaning? “Heavy-Metal Day” , Scandia’s annual spring clean-up, is scheduled for Saturday, May 1 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 regu-lar trash hauler, but NOT con-sidered hazardous waste. Exam-ples of items accepted are: appli-ances, tires, furniture, mat-tresses, scrap metal and wood. There will be a fee for some items. The fee schedule is posted on the city website. For hazardous items or electron-ics, Scandia residents should take advantage of the free drop-off event sponsored by Washington County on Saturday, June 5 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Forest Lake Transit Cen-ter,19955 Forest Road North (next to the Washington County Headwaters Service Center & Library.) Products accepted will include household, automotive and lawn & garden hazardous ing with improvements not up to code. It’s more costly to correct problems later. Call Steve at 651 433-2274, Ext. 102 with any questions. Exterior Storage— Scandia requires that all personal prop-erty be stored in a building or fully screened, with a few ex-ceptions for licensed vehicles and recreation equipment. No more than four passenger vehi-cles per dwelling unit are al-lowed on parcels less than 10 acres in size. No more than 2 items of recreational equipment (such as campers, boats, trailers etc.) may be stored in the side or rear yard on any lot. 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 Dogs and Cats— The City of Scandia does NOT require li-censing of pets. However, if dogs are not on a leash, they must be under voice command and shall not infringe on your neighbor's property. Stray dogs may be reported to the Sheriff's department at 651 439-9381. Stray dogs that are impounded may be reclaimed at Hillcrest Animal Hospital (1320 County Road D Circle East, Maplewood) after payment of impound, boarding and any veterinary fees. Have four or more pets? A kennel permit may be required. Please contact City Staff with any questions. Do I really need a permit for that?— Protect your invest-ment in your home. Building Official Steve Thorp is here to help you do the job right. It’s a buyer’s market, so don’t jeop-ardize a future sale or refinanc-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 Wash-ington County Sheriff’s Office (651 439-9381) one hour be-fore 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 8. Call the City office with any questions. Council Meetings on Ca-ble— Lakes Area Television (available in limited areas of Scandia) tapes City Council meetings for replay on cable channel 10. Contact LATV at 651 464-1143. “Heavy Metal Day” — Scandia’s Annual Clean-Up Short Takes Page 3 Volume 4, Issue 1 All Scandia households have received forms for the 2010 Census, which will count every man, woman and child living in the United States. Every year the federal govern-ment distributes more than $400 billion to tribal, state and local governments based on census data. Census data also are used to reapportion seats in Congress and assure proper district representation in state and local governments. During Census 2000, 72% of households in Scandia returned their census forms by mail by the April deadline, lagging the state (78 %) and Washington County (86%) in forms mailed back. We can do better this year. So, if you haven’t already done so, please take 10 min-utes to answer the 10-question census form and mail it back. “Take 10” to Participate in the 2010 Census Dates to Remember Heavy Metal Day Scandia Community Center Saturday, May 1 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 am Hazardous & Electronics Drop-off Forest Lake Transit Center Saturday, June 5 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. waste and electronics such as televisions & computers. Hazardous materials, electronics, and all other recyclables, are accepted year round at the 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. Attention Lakeshore Residents... No grading, filling or excavating near shore without permits!