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2009 October - Fall Newsletter City of Scandia Scandia Community/ Senior Center 14727 209th St. N. Scandia, MN 55073 • December 13, Lucia Dagen at Gammelgården • December 15, 7 p.m., Budget Adoption Hearing • December 24, Christmas Eve— Office Closed at Noon • December 25, Christmas Day—Office Closed January • January 1, New Years Day— Office Closed • January 18, Martin Luther King Day— Of- fice Closed February • February 6, Vinterfest • February 7, Lion’s Pancake Breakfast • February 15, President’s Day— Office Closed • February 27, Fireball 2010 For more information and a city meeting calendar, see the website, http://www.ci.scandia.mn.us. For Gammelgården events, see: http://www.gammelgardenmuseum.htm. October • October 2,3 & 4, Traditions in the Trunk: Swedish Folk Dress, Quilts and Art, Gam- melgården & Community Center • October 6, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Fire Depart- ment Open House • October 11, Lion’s Pancake Breakfast • October 12, Columbus Day— Office Closed • October 31, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Safe Hallow- een at the Fire Hall November • November 3, Election Day (ISD 831) • November 11, Veteran’s Day— Office Closed • November 19, Lutfisk & Meatball Dinner, Elim Church • November 20, Turkey Bingo • November 26 & 27, Thanksgiving Holiday— Office Closed December • December 1, 6:30 p.m. Public Meeting, 2010 City Budget • December 12, Lion’s Community Breakfast Community Calendar, October 2009—March, 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 Supv. 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 A Design Standards Committee recent- ly explored how the vision of Scandia’s new Comprehensive Plan could be car- ried out by ensuring that new commer- cial buildings reflect the historic charac- ter of Scandia. The committee, led by Planning Commissioner Susan Rodsjo, has recommended a set of design guide- lines that will be formally adopted when the city revises its development codes in the coming year. The purpose of the proposed design guidelines is to sustain and improve the economic viability of the city by pre- serving and enhancing historic charm and allowing for compatible new devel- opment. The city’s desire is to increase the economic and financial benefits to local businesses by enhancing communi- ty character, thus drawing new and repeat visitors to Scandia. Scandia was the home of Minnesota’s first Swedish settlers, dating back to the mid-1800s. As the settlers and their descendents prospered and Scandia grew, businesses emerged to serve residents. Although the overall number of historic buildings in Scandia is small compared with nearby cities such as Stillwater and Osceola, the Scandia Village Center and nearby rural com- mercial nodes (such as Copas and the Big Marine Lake Store) are endowed with a variety of unique architecture influenced by the area’s immigrant settlers. The buildings live on today with new owners making creative use of the space. The design guidelines include an overview of the historic building styles present in Scandia today, and explain how the design of new or remodeled buildings should echo their architectural themes. The report uses pho- tographs to illustrate a menu of design choices. The guidelines call out some design elements that will be prohibited, such as “trademark architecture,” buildings that are identified with a particular chain restaurant or store and are built the same no matter the location. Scandia’s unique history shapes future vision— Design Guidelines to Preserve and Enhance Scandia Community Character Inside this issue: 2010 Budget 2 EIS for Mining Project Underway 3 Have a Safe Halloween 3 Short Takes 3 Community Calendar 4 A TWICE-YEARLY PUBLICATION FOR RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF SCANDIA, MINNESOTA October, 2009 Volume 3, Issue 2 Design Guidelines, continued on page 2 Scandia Store (aka “the Mercantile”) circa 1910-1915 Scandia’s Vision Scandia is known as a rural small town with a unique character and history. The village is the center of social community activities, while Gammelgarden attracts people to learn about Minnesota history and enjoy a slice of Swedish culture. Rural buildings endowed with Scan- dia’s history and identity are preserved or incorporated into develop- ment and redevelopment, and family farms can still be found within the city. Structures in the village (store, old bank, and other store- fronts) are recognizable from old photos, and rural commercial nodes with distinct community or historic character retain their uniqueness, including Big Marine, Copas, and Otisville. … -Excerpt from 2030 Vision Narrative Scandia’s 2008 Comprehensive Plan The document provides guidance on general building design including roof lines, building mate- rials, height, colors, setbacks, parking, and how renovations should be carried out. Re-use of existing buildings, rather than tearing down build- ings, will be encouraged. It also shows how de- sign details (such as windows, doors, awnings, signage and lighting) contribute and offers sugges- tions and options for designers. The guidelines are not intended to curtail crea- tive design; instead, they are intended to educate builders on historic architecture in Scandia and inspire creative design that reflects the historic character of the community. The idea is not for new construction to look identical to historic buildings, but rather to look new and unique while drawing upon historic design elements. The design guidelines will be applied to new commercial, office, institutional, and multi-family residential construction and renovation projects in Scandia. The guidelines will generally not apply to industrial uses unless they are adjacent to historic structures or front and/or are highly visible from arterial or collector roadways. Alt- Design Guidelines, continued... 2010 City Budget Drafted The historic patterns of windows & doors are details that can be repeated in new buildings. Page 2 At its September 1 meeting, the City Council took the first steps in the process of adopting the budget and tax levy for 2010. The Council set a maximum, "not to exceed" tax levy at $1,928,647. Scandia must comply with a state limit that holds the base levy to a maximum inflationary increase of 0.08337% for most spending. The total levy, which includes special levies for debt service and police and fire personnel costs, would increase by up to 3.64% compared to the 2009 tax levy of $1,860,893. The net increase to Scandia taxpay- ers, after fiscal disparities (a regional tax base- sharing program) is considered, would be up to 2.36%. Even though the levy will increase, the City tax rate is estimated to go down by approximately 0.9% for taxes payable in 2010. Since the city’s median change in property market value from 2009 to 2010 was unchanged, the property tax bill for 2010 would go down by about the same percentage or more, for most homeowners. When the governor “unalloted” payments to cities for local aids in 2008 & 2009, Scandia lost $98,249, most from reimbursements to pay for the state’s Market Value Homestead Credit pro- gram. In 2010 the city is expected to pay the full cost of the program, estimated at $76,146, from its local levy. The 2010 operating budget will be affected by expenses for preparing an EIS (Environmental Impact Statement), the costs for which will not be paid by taxpayers but by the project proposer. If the cost of the EIS were not in- cluded, the city’s draft operating budget for 2010 would actually be 1.99% less than the 2009 operating budget. No new major initiatives are proposed for 2010. There will be no new road paving pro- jects, but the road repair budget would focus on maintaining existing roads, as laid out in the 2008 Pavement Management Plan. Re- placement of Fire Rescue Truck #5179 is planned. The estimated $220,000 cost will be paid from the Equipment Replacement Fund and borrowing which will require a tax levy in 2011. The city would increase its reserves for future equipment replacements, as another fire truck and a snow plow/ dump truck will come up for replacement in 2012. In November, each property owner will re- ceive a “Truth in Taxation” notice with their estimated 2010 property tax bill from each of the property taxing jurisdictions. Scandia will hold a public meeting on its 2010 budget and tax levy on Tuesday, December 1 at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Center. The budget and tax levy will be finalized after the adoption hearing scheduled for Tuesday, December 15, 2009 Public Meeting on 2010 Budget Tuesday, December 1 6:30 p.m. Community Center hough some guidelines may not be applied to industrial structures, quality architecture will be encouraged, and landscape guidelines will be applied to help screen less desirable as- pects of sites, such as parking lots. Design review will take place concurrently with review of any other planning, zoning, or building permit applications required by the city. Individuals, developers, and/or architects will be encouraged to request an informal meeting with the City before beginning formal design work on their projects. In addition to Rodsjo (who authored the guidelines) the following Scandia residents and business owners participated in the Commit- tee: Connie Amos, Peter Curtis, Margie Dreher, Sue Fitzgerald, Dave Hume, Jim “Moose” Malmquist, Dan Sandager, Wayne Schmitt and Scott Westphal. A copy of the Proposed Architectural Guide- lines is available for review at the city office or may be downloaded from the website (www.ci.scandia.mn.us). Work has started on the Environ- mental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Zavoral Mine and Reclamation Project. The proposed project includes operation of a gravel mine and processing operation on a 114-acre, un-reclaimed former gravel mine site located along St. Croix Trail North (State TH 95) near its intersection with Scandia Trail (State TH 97.) The EIS was ordered after the Council found that the Environ- mental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) did not provide sufficient information to determine the potential for significant environ- mental effects. Tiller’s application for a CUP (Conditional Use Per- mit) to mine the property is on hold until the EIS is completed. The EIS is expected to take ap- proximately one year. In August the City Council ap- proved a $315,000 contract with AECOM, an environmental con- sulting firm, to complete the EIS. The proposer (Tiller Corpora- tion) must pay all costs. Environmental concerns to be addressed in the EIS include: potential impacts to surface wa- ters; groundwater; noise; dust; traffic volume & safety; visual impacts to people on the St. Croix, roads & surrounding prop- erties; impacts of proposed pro- cessing activities; economic im- pacts; and, the adequacy of the reclamation plan. The Scoping Decision identified four project alternatives to be evaluated in the EIS. (1) The Build Alternative will evaluate Tiller’s proposed aggregate mining, pro- cessing and reclamation activities. (2) The No-Build Alternative will evaluate impacts of the existing gram at Scandia School, (January and February) and Vinterfest (February 6), The popular learn-to -skate and after-school hockey programs will also be offered. Watch the city website for details. Burning Permits— A (no- charge) burning permit is required for open burning when there is no snow cover. In all cases, please notify the Washington 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. Exterior Storage— Scandia requires that all personal property be stored in a building or fully screened, with a few exceptions for licensed vehicles and recrea- Attention snowbirds— Leaving town for the winter? Make sure to contact the Wash- ington County Sheriff’s Depart- ment (651 439-9381) for free home-checks while you are away. Do I really need a permit for that?— Protect your investment 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 jeopardize a future sale or refinancing 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. Winter Rec Programs Planned— The Parks and Recrea- tion Committee is planning a varie- ty of winter programs including the Saturday morning open-gym pro- tion equipment. No more than four passenger vehicles per dwelling unit are allowed on parcels less than 10 acres in size. No more than 2 items of recrea- tional equipment (such as camp- ers, 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 utility poles. For more information on exte- rior storage and signs see the city website under “FAQs.” EIS for Proposed Sand and Gravel Mine is Underway Short Takes Page 3 Volume 3, Issue 2 On Saturday, October 31, 2009 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, the Scandia Fire and Rescue Depart- ment will hold a fun family event for all ages. Activities will include a large bonfire, games, hot dogs & hot chocolate. Co-sponsors are the Scandia Marine Lions Club, Elim Lutheran Church and Helke Tree Service. Location: Scandia Fire Hall, 15040 Scandia Trail (Highway 97.) “Safe Halloween” at Fire Department Free E-mail Alerts on Timely Topics Including the EIS, City Council meeting agen- das and Park and Rec- reation programs can be delivered to your mailbox! Visit www.ci.scandia.mn.us and click on “E-Mail Updates” to sign up. land uses. (3) Alternative #3 will evaluate proposed gravel washing, particularly potential impacts to groundwater and groundwater- dependent resources. (4) Alterna- tive #4 will evaluate the impacts of processing activities, including tim- ing and scheduling. The Council will appoint a Project Advisory Committee (PAC) to facilitate public information and give input on the EIS as it is developed. Applications for the PAC are due by October 6, 2009. The application form, and many other documents concerning this project, are available 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. Contact City Ad- ministrator Anne Hurlburt for more information. Reminder: Permits are required for all signs. Attend the Fire Department Open House Tuesday, October 6 5:00 pm to 7:00 p.m.