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Summer The ON THE GREAT RIVER ROAD NV. Vol. 15 JULY/AUGUST 2004 Newsletter of the City of Otsego Lots of funplanned a►�rsE . for Otsego Festival °NNE GRIMMER ROAD low- UI FU & Festivities A full dayof familyfun and festivities is planned for F.. the third annual Otsego Festival on Saturday, September 18,2004. The festival opens at 10:00 a.m. at Otsego SeptemberIt 2.04 Prairie Park, located behind Otsego City Hall. Festival Chair Rose Cassady is very excited about 10 $.0 pale how many more organizations, crafters and vendors are planning to attend and she expects it to be an even Otter Prairie Perk bigger event than last year. Many favorites from last year will be back, including 10:00 Festival Opens the large inflatable games, Teency the Clown,the silent 11-1:00 Shrek & Spongebob Visit auction and storyteller Cheryl Sawyer.New attractions include horse-drawn wagon rides, a petting zoo, 3-on-3 11-2:00 Horse-drawn Wagon Rides basketball contest, large radio control model airplanes, a 11-3.00 Classic Car Show classic car show and VFW Bingo tent. There will be 11-4:00 Teencythe Clown many crafters,businesses, food vendors and community information booths. 11:00 Storyteller Cheryl Sawyer The family can make this a full day of activities and 11-1.00 Jaycees Punt Kick & Pass Competition enjoy the delicious variety of food. Volunteers are always welcome. Contact Rose Cassady(763-441-8769) 11:30 Little Miss & Mr. Otsego Coronation for more information. 12:30 Rogers Choral Group Elections ahead 12-2:00 North West RC Club Hobby Planes The polling location for all Otsego residents is Otsego 12-4:00 Waltons Hollow Petting Zoo City Hall. Polls will be open 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. for 12-4:00 BINGO both the State Primary and State General elections. 12-4:00 J.C's Pony Rides If a resident's address or name have changed since the last election,they will need to complete a voter 1:00 3-on-3 Basketball Contest registration card. These will be available at the time of 2.30 Story teller Cheryl Sawyer the election, or can be downloaded from the web and completed in advance. Go to Otsego's web site 2-3:30 Long Time Gone — Bluegrass Music http://www.ci.otsego.mn.us/for a link. State Primary Election The four-year mayoral term of Larry Fournier and the Tuesday, September 14,2004 four-year terms of city council members Virginia Wendel State General Election and Jerry Struthers expire in December. Filing opens Tuesday,November 2,2004 August 24 and closes September 7 at 5 p.m. Interested parties can file at Otsego City Hall. Otsego voters will elect a mayor and two council Fournier will be seeking his third term as mayor and members in the upcoming general election. These offices Struthers is seeking his second term. Wendel will be will not be on the primary ballot. moving out of the city and is not seeking re-election as council member. .. City of Otsego 8899 Nashua Avenue NE Otsego,MN 55330 (763)441-4414 Dept.:c ) A friend indeed ., F ..�,. , , .: . .i Building (763)-441-2593 /� ;r e ��GI, �' Fax(763)441-8823 On June 16th, Otsego lost a dear friend and loyal bil:ite:www.ci.Otsego.mn.usgNOTES , Web Site:www.ci.Otsego.mn.us supporter, Carl Swenson. Carl loved Otsego and He ' OFFICE HOURS worked hard to help make Otsego a great place to live. Monday through Thursday from the 8:00 a.m.to 6:00 p.m. Carl is most known for his 26 years of service as a Fridays 8:00 a.m.to noon Planning Commission member, in which many of those MAYOR CITY COUNCIL ears he served as its chaff erson. Carl was the last Mayor Y rP Larry Fournier remaining member of the original PlanningIIIIINIMIIM Council Members Commission which was formed when Otsego was still }�! Mawr Larry Fournier d Vern Heidner __--- Dan Scharber a township. I had the opportunity to work with Carl Jerry Struthers over the years as our city was transformed from a township into one of the finest cities in VirginiaSTWendel • the area today. We will all miss Carl. His hard work and dedication were an inspiration to CITY STAFF P Mike Robertson,City Administrator us all. Judydm ndso ,City Clerk/Zoning Otsego's festival, "The great Otsego get together"will be held on Saturday September tor Karee Rowell,Deputy Clerk 18`". It has been a huge success in the past and promises to be even better this year. I look Kathy Grover, Bookkeeper forward to seeing all of you there. Enjoy the remainder of our summer and let's make it Tami Loff, Receptionist Don Mass,Maintenance our safest summer ever.,-A.A., BUILDING DEPARTMENT Tim Rochel, Building Official Harold Leonard,Inspector Rick Knutson,Maintenance Sandy Lindenfelser Barb Williams Contracted Professional Staff: CityEngineer Ron PLANNING&ZONING g Richard Nichols,Chair Wagner, Hakanson Anderson Associates Pam Black,Vice Chair Tammie Fallon Doug Hackman Otsego's engineering services are provided Jim Kolles by Hakanson Anderson Associates, a Steve Schuck David Thompson municipal engineering and surveying firm Tom Darkenwald, 1st alternate that employs approximately 50 people. Troy Watring,2nd alternate Hakanson Anderson has worked for the city PARKS&RECREATION Pauline Nelson,Chair of Otsego since 1987. They design the Mike Brumm collector roads(such as Odean Ave., Page Tose er y ady Terry LongAve., 85th St. and 78th St.), trunk water and 9 Kathryn Roberts,Alternate sewer systems (water towers, wells, Jessica Stockamp,Vice Chair liftstations, pumphouses), and trunk storm ` .,� x . Aaron Stritesky,Alternate Mark Thorstad ponds and control structures. They also A„. _` •t Peter Torresani review all the developers' construction plans HERITAGE PRESERVATION Ron Black,Chair and observe the construction of the ,,•. Sharon Carter,Vice Chair developments. 0,-. " Debbie Carron Otsego City Engineer Ron Wagner has 13 '-, Jeannine S.Christensen Jean Schneider,Secretary years of engineering experience and has Joy Swenson worked for Otsego since 1997.ChriWilson POLICE COMMISSION "I enjoyworking with the citystaff&the ` Sandra Michaelson,Chair other city consultants to solve issues that face Jane M.Bartheld,Secretary •, * - Thomas Carter,Vice Chair the city on a day to day basis. I have found Tom Koerwitz Ron Wagner, City Engineer Alvin McClure the city council makes well informed and Rudy Thibodeau thoughtful decisions and asks pertinent questions. My co-workers and I take a lot of pride OT GO VIEWinthe work we do for the city of Otsego." Current projects in the city include MacIver Avenue(80th St. to CSAH 37); Kadler The Otsego View is a bi-monthly Avenue (85th St. to CSAH 39); and the western Otsego development area. Quaday Ave newsletter for the city of Otsego. (78th St to CSAH 37) is one of the next future projects. Jacquie Rognli,Editor Correspondence should be sent to Otsego City Hall. T Contains 50%recycled pre- consumer materials. O Carl Swenson: Otsego pioneerSit i Information provided by Carl's daughter, Karen Swenson I t0 II Ca l Carl A. Swenson, 85,an original member of the Otsego Pning Commn, dJune , 4. wswastill hlit tillserving on the commissionissioied at the time16200of hisSdeathenand at only ig g charter member still serving. He was the chair for much of his time on the Commission. Before moving to Otsego, Swenson served as member and chair of the Brooklyn Park Planning Commission and the District 11 School Board. He was also a member of the Wright County Parks Commission after moving here in 1972. The Otsego Planning Commission was formed in 1978. Swenson grew up in Duluth and d 11 attended Duluth Community College, earning a bachelor's degree in electrical ', " • engineering from the University of 14 Minnesota. 8 , Early in his career, Swenson did ;-v ., 41 ii ,.-4, , : design and testing of aircraft controls � � ���' after World War II. He was an electrical ' w i and aerospace engineer for Honeywell S. for 42 years,where he designed control , `' systems and instruments for space shuttle , ; .. .,, Apollo and other manned space programs. He later had his own 111WO $, - a ` A consulting firm,Interference Control, A. -- , _ . specializing in electromagnetic compatibility. � . " Swenson lived on Viking Farm in Otsego from 1972 until his death. In 1999 he sold most of the farm for the creation of Mississippi Pines, a 4 -- " i residential conservation development. In this 199 91 photo of the Otsego Planning Commission working on the city s first 4111* Swenson had recentlybeen restoringthe comprehensive plan at the Old City Hall,left to right:David Licht of Northwest Associated Consultants, Inc.,commission members Jim Kolles and Ing Roskaft,council barns on the farm. His family plans to member Larry Fournier,commission members Carl Swenson and Mark Wallace...w complete that project for him.w.. Heritage Preservation members wanted CORNER The Heritage Preservation Commission is seeking % Lily Pond Park additional members. The commission advises the City Lily Pond '4. - • Council on preserving historic structures and properties Park, located at r : \ and reviews past records to maintain a sense of the history co the northwest corner of Otsego. Interested people should fill out an application of 1015`Street and £ Kadler Avenue, is at City Hall by Wednesday, September 8, 2004. Call or currentlyunder -� email City Hall for more information.. _ ° � _ construction. Lily PUBLIC SAFETY BITS 12•,1 Pond Park will be a i, t _ . , `' %' five acre park The Otsego Police Commission will be giving out containing a park shelter, Lily Pond Park DNA kits and gun trigger locks at the Otsego various types of play equipment,picnic tables,walking Festival Saturday, Sept. 18 in Otsego Prairie Park. trails, and a basketball court. There will be a small parking They will also have information available on snowmobile, lot, and the city is also looking at adding a tennis court. firearms, ATV,peddlers and dog ordinances. The construction bid was$345,400 and is funded entirely Residents are advised to lock vehicles in driveways, from park fees charged to developers. stow valuables out of sight and not leave garage door Halloween Event openers in them. There has been an increase of theft from Park and Rec will be having a Halloween event October vehicles parked in driveways in the city this summer. .....�. 23,2004. There will be a pumpkin give-away,horse drawn wagon rides and other activities for the kids._..... O 3 Otsego Waterfront development continues Land Cor Construction continues to work on the Otsego include space for a dry cleaning store, liquor store, Waterfront West development located at Hwy. 101 and restaurant, coffee shop, flower shop,and a gift shop. All Cty. Rd. 39. It has begun construction of a 125 room other retail or office users will also be considered. Holiday Inn and Waterpark as well as the Sheils Interested parties should contact Ben Krsnak at Hempel Professional Building. Dr. Paul Sheils has contracted Properties at 763-398-4223. LandCor to build this medical office building just north of LandCor is also currently working on Otsego Waterfront the Holiday Station Store. In addition,plans are being East which will be located on the east side of Hwy 101. made to renovate the old Tom Thumb site for a retail tire The project will have an Old Riverfront Town Main Street and auto repair operation. consisting of a large supermarket,theater, 13 retail stores Also in Otsego Waterfront West, Hempel Properties is and four or more restaurants. Construction will begin in the spring developing "MarketPlace West Phase II on behalf of 5 of 2005. Heirs, LLC. Construction is expected to begin this fall, LandCor has already worked on Riverview Community with an open date during the first half of 2005. This Bank, BlackWoods Restaurant and Banquet Center, Market second phase of the highly successful MarketPlace West Place West Retail Center, Embers Restaurant and the will include 11,810 square feet of retail shops. Average Holiday Convenience Store and Carwash in the Otsego shop size will be about 1200 square feet, although some Waterfront West development. •�•� bays will be as large as 4,000 square feet. Availabilities 5 a'� 11 , 1 :z - Ni 1 o•o. laMnaI . _ _. = _ . •;.�.. '- ill 5�9u�ar • Hempel Properties will begin construction this fall on the MarketPlace West Phase II retail building,Tushie Montgomery Architects. It will be located just south of the existing MarketPlace West. Homeowners are responsible for septic system care According to the University of Minnesota Extension Office, over 25 percent of Minnesota households use on-site sewage treatment systems, commonly referred to as septic systems, to treat their wastewater. While septic systems are professionally designed and installed to meet the needs of individual sites, homeowners are responsible for the system's operation and maintenance. Often septic systems fail because owners do not maintain them after installation. Failure of a septic system means that wastewater may come in contact with people or enter the natural environment without complete treatment of all harmful contents. The solids that accumulate in the septic tank must be removed regularly. If excessive scum or sludge builds up, it will begin to enter the soil treatment area and over time will plug it. It is recommended that a septic tank be cleaned through the manhole, removing all solids, every one to three years. Cleaning frequency depends on several factors, including the number of people in the home, the size of the tank,and the use of a garbage disposal. Besides scheduling regular pumping,homeowners can maintain the health of their system by: A••••t r� • Controlling water use(quantity and spreading out use). • Eliminate harmful products from the system (harsh cleaners, disinfectants, solvents, paint, grease, lint,food particles,feminine hygiene products). • Do not use additives. • Have the tank regularly cleaned and inspected by a qualified service person. CITY MEETINGS • Maintain pumps and filters properly. MEETING DAYS TIME • Protect the soil treatment area. o Mow but do not fertilize or water turf grasses. City Council 2nd&4th Mon. 6:30 pm o Keep heavy vehicles(cars,tractors, snowmobiles, etc.) Planning &Zoning 1st&3rd Mon. 7:00 pm off soil treatment area. Police Commission 2nd Tues. 7:30 pm o Do not place gardens, swing sets, or sand boxes over this Parks&Recreation 2nd Wed. 7:00 pm area. Heritage Preservation 4th Thurs. 7:00 pm •Submit City Council agenda items seven working days prior to meetings. o Do not plant trees and shrubs on or close to this area. •To be placed on the Planning Commission agenda,submit completed o Maintain stands of appropriate plants on constructed forms&information 15 working days prior to meetings. wetland sites. •Official meeting notices are published in the Elk River Star News and For more complete information, including available posted at City Hall. pamphlets,visit the University of Minnesota Extension •All meeting are open to the public.Please call City Hall to confirm times if website at http://www.extension.umn.edu. you plan to attend.