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Winter The --1\"qP ON THE GREAT RIVER ROAD 1ENv Vol. 12 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2001 Newsletter of the City of Otsego Recycling subsidy ceases, . Law enforcement increases The Otsego City Council decided to stop subsidizing recycling and use the resulting savings to cover an t increase in law enforcement for the city. The cityhas been paying $1.25 per household per ' ...� month to trash haulers towards the cost of recycling. R14YY'T.1.f X11 Beginning January 1, 2002, residents will pay the full .� o cost to their trash hauling company. :,*- � This change will free up $45,000 of the annual budget that the City Council plans to use for increased police coverage. Otsego currently contracts with the Wright County Sheriff Department for 14 hours a day of coverage for the city. This will be increased to 16 hours beginning Otsego will end subsidy payments for resident recycling January1, 2002. The hours of coverage will be varied. January 1 and use the resulting savings to pay for increased g law enforcement coverage. The Otsego City Council will spend some time investigating the most economical way to provide Recycling is provided by independent haulers good law enforcement for the city in the future. The retained by residents. Blue plastic bins are provided by council will look into all possibilities, including the city of Otsego for every home. The bins should starting the city's own police department. stay with the house if the owner moves. Replacement • bins can be purchased from City Hall for$5.00. w City maintenance department H) i u i ready for snow removal With only one heavy snow so far this season,the the most difficult as the ground still hadn't frozen. The Otsego Maintenance Department has had an opportunity to grader had to go slowly to keep from sinking in and get especially prepared for the next snowfall.A recent visit keep from scraping off the gravel. to the maintenance building found the entire department City policy is to not begin plowing until after the working on equipment to make sure it was in top condition. snow stops falling. Crews will return later to clean up The department has three tandem axle trucks and cul de sacs and shoulders. one single axle truck that can accommodate plows as The City Maintenance Department is able to do the well as two loaders, one grader, and three mower most thorough job of snow removal when cars are not tractors. Maintenance Supervisor Dave Chase said he parked in the streets. Garbage cans and recycling appreciates having Don Mass as their chief mechanic containers should be placed in driveways rather than and praised the entire staff for their fine work. the roadway. Always give the plows plenty of room All four plow routes put in 16 %2 hours each to and be aware of their decreased visibility while clear the Nov. 27 snowfall. The gravel roads posed moving snow. City of Otsego 8899 Nashua Avenue NE Otsego,MN 55330 .: .. .. . �. ,:. :�;. .. (763)441-4414 A Safe City . ' Fax(763)441-8823 NOTES Email:cityhall@ci.Otsego.mn.us Law enforcement is a very important concern OFFICE HOURS for all of us. We need more hours covered per day Monday through Thursday with officer on duty. This means our law from the 8:00 a.m..tto 6:0:0 0 p.m..m. an Closed Fridays enforcement budget needs to be increased to MAYOR CITY COUNCIL provide additional funding for police protection. Mayor Larry Fournier The City Council has made the decision to take onium Council Members the $45,000 per year used for city sponsored by Mayor Larry Fournier Suzanne M.S.Ackerman - „ Vern Heidner curb-side recycling and put those dollars into law Jerry Struthers enforcement. The citywill no longer payfor our recycling, but we will still be Virginia Wendel CITY STAFF able to do recycling each month. Our garbage collectors will continue to collect Mike Robertson,City recyclable materials the same as in the past and we will then be charged an Administrator Judy Hudson,City additional amount each month for this service. Clerk/Treasurer Providing more officer on-duty hours will be accomplished by either expanding Carol Olson.Deputy Clerk Dave Chase,Maintenance the hours Wright County provides, or by establishing Otsego's own police Supervisor department or a combination of these two options. The City Council's goal is to Rick Knutson,Maintenance Don Mass,Maintenance provide the quality of police protection we all want and need. Kenny Shierts,Maintenance With the upon us,holidaysI wish everyone a safe, wonderful and blessed Karee Rowell,Secretary Kathy Grover,Bookkeeper holiday season this year. ,.,.,,-, PLANNING&ZONING Carl Swenson,Chair Ken Fry Meet Your Cit Staff: Dave Chase Jim Kolles Patrick Moonen { �.I Richard Nichols • ' i„ I .1 s' Steve Schuck _ _ _ ^_ ___.4I ,' . Christian MbanefoII IOW IN PARKS&RECREATION � _ , tim �4 David Thompson,alternate ii: __ I : I 1111 II . ,,) Michael Day,Chair �" . ' 1 1t Thomas Baillargeon - + ' ii�it Tom Constant i ,�� Jim Gaikowski - fti Terry Long '1iii ' t,. r Pauline Nelson EDA ADVISOYit ` I - LeRoy Lindenfelser,Chair -'OTSIGQ F , • a<.- ..r w- �— Steve Ackerman i I l t - �� 7r►' ,I Gabriel Davis — 1 Tom Koerwitz „l,, w Vincent Peterson ,,,,,,_`.,,•, 1 irk ;, Rudy Thibodeau !-. Jon Zack ^,•. . ^ HERITAGE PRESERVATION Joy Swenson,Chair ,,. Sharon Carter - ` o r -� Arlene Nolen ,V! Frieda Lobeck ' ~ • Joan Nichols Elaine Norin ) , i 2 TOGO �� VIEW kr r The Otsego View is the Maintenance Supervisor Dave Chase is currently Otsego's longest term community o newsletter for the city employee. When he started in 1986, there were only two people in the Jacquie Rognli,Editor maintenenace department and 54 miles of roads to take care of. There are now Correspondence should be sent three full-time and two part-time people in the department and 75 miles of city to Otsego City Hall. Contains 50%recycled streets to maintain. He says he has a great crew of guys working with him and he •rf, pre-consumer materials. enjoys his job. 0 rica1History of Otsegoighlights By Elaine Nori Before pioneers settled in Otsego, it was part of the "Big Woods,"a forty-mile wide band of deciduous The first school in Wright County was taught in trees ranging from about 100 miles northwest of the 1854 by Margaret Faulkner(Mrs. Alvah) Cooley in Twin Cities, south to the vicinity of Mankato. Otsego her home. A frame school building was built in 1855. is in the area that separated the Sioux(Dakota, After it burned, the stucco building located on County Winnebagos) and Chippewa(Ojibway,Anishnabe) road 39 near Nashua Avenue was built. It served as nations. Some Winnebagos camped in this area. the Township Hall after the school was consolidated The first and later as the City Hall until the new one was built. permanent It continues to be used as a Head Start school. i.. white settler In spite of a population of over 6,000, Otsego has a in Wright country atmosphere featuring large residential lots, 4 . / s` County was some working farms within the city limits and the "' John scenic Mississippi River bordering on the east and McDonald north. a ' .` who took his The logo adopted by the city reads "Otsego—On claim in July the great River Road." The segment of the Great I . 1852, built River Road in Otsego is now identified as county A his house and roads 39 and 42. On July 2, 1855,the Wright County *' moved his ka0..0 commissioners granted a petition for this road,the a" family into it first in Wright County. . * in October The city of Otsego is about seven miles long and 1852. The four miles wide. It is served by three school districts: 4 Nowt house is still Elk River, Monticello and St. Michael-Albertville. in use as a Since Otsego does not yet have its own post office, :4 residence, there are six zip codes in use: Monticello, Elk River, located on tAlbertville, Dayton, Rogers and St. Michael. Three . County Road different telephone companies and two electric power John McDonald,Wright County's first 39 near companies provide service. In addition to the permanent white settler,settled in Otsego in Nashua 1852. Riverwood Inn Conference Center and the Minnesota Avenue. Road research Center in the western part of the city, Otsego was originally established as Pleasant commercial and industrial development is (sometimes referred to a Pheasant) Grove Precinct of concentrated along the Highway 101 and the Wright County on April 9, 1855 under the Minnesota Interstate 94 corridor. Territorial government. A village of about 400 acres The city has a well-equipped City Hall built in was platted in 1857 around the intersection of County 1993 with an adjacent park area. The historic city Road 9 and Nashua Avenue. It once contained a post cemetery,which dates back to 1856, contains over office, school, town hall, general store, ferry boat, 400 graves and is still in use. A Wright County park sawmill, blacksmith shop, church, parsonage and and two golf courses provide attractive recreational hotel. Following the financial crisis of 1857,the sale areas. A newsletter, The Otsego View, is published bi- of lots almost ceased and the village failed to develop. monthly and delivered to residents without charge. According to the 1860 Federal Census, the total An annual Clean-up Day where large appliances,tires population was 322. Eighty-seven percent of the and unwanted junk are collected for a minimal charge occupations listed were "farmer." Otsego remained a has contributed to keeping unsightly waste from farming community until after World War II when accumulating.,,, farms began to subdivide for residential development. CD yThCORNER Snowmobile School Knoll Park • e Otsego Park and Recreation Commission ordinance c I a ri f ed will hold an information gathering meeting ! In response to the complaints of Wednesday,January 9, 2002, 7;00 p.m. at City residents wanting more control on Hall for residents who live near the site of snowmobile use in Otsego, a School Knoll Park. The Commission will show series of information meetings were held and work done to clarify the city's snowmobile ordinance. The AO the proposed park plan and hear resident feedback. Preliminary discussion on the park revised ordinance was adopted in October. has brought forth suggestions of picnic tables, Snowmobiles may not operate closer than 300 feet from any residential area, except in coming and going toddler play equipment, and tennis and from a residence to a designated trail on the most basketball courts. School Knoll Park is located direct route (or if the operator is on their own at the city well site next to Otsego Elementary property or has the property owner's permission). The School. maximum speed is 10 miles per hour in designated No ice rink this winter residential areas. Snowmobiling is prohibited from The ice rink at Otsego Prairie Park next to 11:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and City Hall will not be available this season. The from 1:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. on other days. weather has not been cold enough to form ice in Snowmobiles may not operate on a paved walkway time for the winter school break. or walkway for pedestrian use, such as the bike trail along Odean Avenue. They may not use the Loose dogs garner complaints boulevard(which is the right of way between the curb Uncontrolled dogs top the list of complaints and the property line). Where there are no curbs,they received at Otsego City Hall. The city's dog must be operated on the right hand side of the street within six feet of the roadway. ordinance prohibits dogs from running loose. They Operators should only be operating in residential must be on a leash or confined to their owner's areas while traveling to a designated trail. The trails property.Not only are loose dogs a nuisance to in Otsego are the County Road 42 trail that parallels others, but they are also in danger of injury to Parrish Avenue beginning 'A mile south of the bridge, themselves from traffic and other hazards. ,s,-,-, Trail 8 that goes from Mason Avenue and Country Road B u rn i n e rm its 39 west to Monticello and Trail 8A which tees off Trail 8 g p and follows County Road 37 east to Highway 101. Maps Burning permits are not required when there is at least of area trails are usually available at businesses along the three inches of snow on the ground. It is never legal trails and at City Hall. to burn household garbage. Property owners should not put obstacles in the way of snowmobiles, as they can be a serious danger CITY 11IIEETINGB to snowmobiles and motorists. Snowmobilers MEETING DAYS TIME violating the ordinance should be reported to the City Council 2nd&4th Mon. 6:30 pm Wright County Sheriff at 763-682-1162. Planning &Zoning 1st&3rd Mon. 8:00 pm The Otsego Great River Riders Snowmobile Club EDA Advisory 3rd Mon. 6:30 pm worked with the city to revise the ordinance. The club Parks&Recreation 2nd Wed. 7:00 pm meets the first Tuesday of the month, 7:30 p.m. at Heritage Preservation 4th Thurs. 7:00 pm Timothy's. The group has a great concern for • Submit City Council agenda items seven working days prior to snowmobile safety and offers training required for meetings. juveniles by the state of Minnesota. The group works • To be placed on the Planning Commission agenda,submit on trails and plans activities for the club members, completed forms&information 15 working days prior to which currentlyconsists of about 15 families. Contact meetings. • Official meeting notices are published in the Elk River Star News Otsego River Riders President Jay Swanson, 763-856- and posted at City Hall. 4201, or Tom Constant, 763-441-3654, for more • Please call City Hall to confirm times if you plan to attend. - information on the club. vw The IEWON THE GREAT RIVER RO I) Newsletter of the City of Otsego Volume 12, January 2001 1211.12C7:1 121:1111U172 Otsego set a new record as 3,074 people voted in the recent election. That was a voter turnout of over 75%, ahead of the state average of 70%. There were 349 newly registered voters. Mayor Larry Fournier 2,463 Council Member Virginia Wendel 1,199 Jerry Struthers 1,176 Pauline Nelson 1,110 Richard Nichols 1,023 The new members took office on January 8, 2001, when they were sworn in before the start of the City Council meeting. Development Update The city has issued building permits for the construction of 197 new single family homes in 2000. 157 of those homes are on the city sewer and water system and 40 have private well and septic. In addi- tion, the city has issued 193 other per- mits for additions, garages, decks, septic systems, commercial buildings, and other items. Total valuation of building permits in 2000 was $26,905,000. F Pulte Homes'Dennis Griswold presents a check of over$900,000 to City Administrator Mike Robertson for sewer, water, and other fees. Page 2 Newsletter of the City of Otsego SNOWMOBILE REGULATIONS City ordinances restrict the operation of nated snowmobile trails are available at City snowmobiles and other motorized recreational Hall. Call 763/441-4414 for more informa- vehicles within the city limits. Snowmobiles tion. are required to stay at least 300 feet from resi- State law allows snowmobiles to use the dential areas except when coming and going state highway and county road right-of-ways. from a residence to a designated trail by tak- State law allows the city to restrict use of city ing the most direct route. Constantly circling road right-of-ways by snowmobiles. City the block or repeatedly going up and down the sidewalks and bike paths may not be used by same street is not allowed. Snowmobiles are snowmobiles or other motorized vehicles. required to stay at least 100 feet from pedes- The city ordinances try to balance the rights trians, skating rinks, or sliding areas. The of snowmobiles to access trails with the rights speed limit while in the developed part of the of homeowners. Irresponsible use of snow- city is 10 miles per hour. The speed limit on mobiles due to speeding, trespassing on pri- state trails in the undeveloped part of the city vate property, and noise _ is 50 miles per hour. Snowmobiles are not violations, all increase permitted on private property without the per- pressure on the city mission of of the property owner. They are also to further restrict ;ji -04/ not permitted on school and public property, snowmobiles. such as Otsego Elementary School, Prairie Please use your ,3 5 Park, and Otsego County Park. Snowmobiles snowmobile lam' � ` using the road right-of-way must travel with responsibly. . traffic starting one-half hour before dusk. . Snowmobiles can only be used in the devel- ' oped parts of the city between 8:00 a.m. and \- -r 11:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and ,��1 � until 1:00 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and the `, .— �,,cs d - . 14411 days before national holidays. Maps of desig- \-. ", , CITY NEWS, HOW TO KEEP UP ON WHAT'S HAPPENING •All city meetings are open to the public. •The city newsletter, Otsego View, is published every other month and distributed to residents. •The weekly Star News is Otsego's official newspaper and regularly reports on city business. They have instituted an Otsego page as part of the paper to highlight Otsego news. 'Official notices of meetings, hearings, and ordinances are printed in the Star News. Notices are also posted on the bulletin board outside City Hall. • 'Minutes for all meetings are available for the public at City Hall. Copies can be viewed or purchased during regular business hours. 'Call city staff Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. We love to discuss what's going on and to hear the latest rumors. Newsletter of the City of Otsego Page 3 'list()) Tit ij Ilico 11111-0 las By Elaine Norin, Historic Preservation Commission THE WASHBURN FAMILY IN OTSEGO was deprived of. From 1856 to 1860 the slavery ques- Following are some excerpts from an autobiography tion was all-absorbing. In April 1861 the great Civil from Edson Dean Washburn, one of the early resi- War was upon us. In 1862, duty called. When Ienlist- dents of Otsego. ed I told my mother I would lay by $100 a year and I sent my money to my mother. . . I now had $142. I "I was born on the 9th day of January, 1842, in the bought a pair of oxen and on May 13, 1866, I married town of Wilmington, in Essex County in New York, Amelia Wells. We commenced living in a log house." the fourth son of John Ward Washburn and Mehitable Edson Washburn's first farm was 100 acres on the Lawrence Washburn. In 1855 my father caught "west- bank of the Mississippi River, about two miles east of ern fever" and thought it offered a better chance for a the Lily Pond school (around County Road 39 and poor man and a family that were nearing manhood to Kadler Avenue). They moved from there in 1870 to a expand. . . (He) took a claim in the town of Otsego, in farm just northwest of 80th Street and MacIver Wright County in Minnesota. In September 1856, the Avenue. They had seven children. Their son, Edson family started for Minnesota. I was 14 years of age. studied at the School of Agriculture, University of The vast stretches of prairie and level ground looked Minnesota and eventually took charge of their 300 new and grand to me. Our new log house was not yet acre "Woodland Farm." It was considered one of the built; father was living in a shanty with a bark roof. finest in Otsego at the time, with many improve- ' That fall hordes of grasshoppers settled down on the ments such as a 100-ton silo. Edson Jr. specialized little patches of corn and potatoes we had and con- in dairying and had a herd of ,,,.rte - sumed them, leaving the settlers with very little to full-blooded Guernsey cat- .;,� � '4 - :— live on. . . (The) first winter was a hard one, most of tle. After his father died in •�t�" / _ % our clothing and bedding were somewhere between 1918, he sold the ' (/ ;/ �New York and Minnesota. farm and moved - - In the fall of 1857 the settlers thought it was time to to California. .. r ''�,�I�< have school for the children, so they got together and �y r t I _ built a little log schoolhouse. From the time I was 14 '' 1 ; I \•� _ until 20 I worked faithfully on the farm. I read all of �'^= �I .'L'`� \ _.; / i the papers I could get and all of the books I could .` — borrow tryto and make upinpart for the schoolingI --—` = 7• 1A ELAINE BEATTY'S RETIREMENT PARTY 4 " Elaine Beatty has retired after �� - 13 years with the City of '° . ' Otsego. A retirement party for 11 her was held Thursday, , - . .,-. . ,.., Ilk ----N . December 21, 2000. , Though we will miss Elaine, 0 - , we wish her a long and enjoyable retirement. Many people turned out on .. December 21, 2000, to wish City # , Clerk Elaine Beatty well in her retirement. Newsletter of the City of Otsego Volume 12, January 2001 CITY OF OTSEGO 8899 Nashua Ave.NE Pte (rss p Otsego,MN 55330 (763)441-4414 Fax(763)441-8823 OFFICE HOURS: STATE OF OUR 2001 Monday through Thursday CITY, 8:00 a.m.to ys 0 s we p.m. Closed Fridays Asbegin a new year, I ly. Otsego's tax rate has id CITY COUNCIL: am extremely pleased with the dropped about 9% this year, MayorLarry Fournier progress we have made in which is the sixth year in a Councilembers Suzanne M.S.Ackerman attracting commercial business row it has gone down. I see Jerry Struthers Vern Heidner to our city. The new that trend continuing in the Virginia Wendel Godfather's Pizza is a good future as our business commu- CITY STAFF example of this. This year we nity expands. Mike Robertson, City Administratorare lookingforward to a large Judy Hudson, development eveo lment In the past few years, deci- City Clerk/Treasurer commercialp Dave Olsoen,Deputy Clerk called "Otsego's Waterfront," sions were made that will help Maintenance Supervisor located on County Road 39 on insure that Otsego will contin- Rick Knutson,Maintenance ue to be a great place to live Don Mass,Maintenance both sides of Highway 101. Karee Rowell,Secretary and a city we can be proud of. PLANNING&ZONING This commercial development Carl Swenson,Chair will be the home of many new The state of our city is very Jim Kolles Patrick Moonen businesses which will provide Richard Nichols good! Steve Schuck shopping and jobs for our city. Christian Mbanefo Ken Fry,alternate Mayor Larry Fournier Eugene Goenner,alternate Our city budget is in excel- PARKS&RECREATION lent shape. Your City Council Michael Day,Chair Thomas Baillargeon has done an outstanding job Tom Constant Tony Faust spending our tax dollars wise- EDA ADVISORY LeRoy Lindenfelser,Chair Gabriel Davis Rudy Thibodeau Vincent Peterson 1\IEJI1BERSJll� llJ Steve Ackerman Tom Koerwitz HERITAGE PRESERVATION Ron Black,Chair The Park & Recreation Commission is seeking Arlene Holen Frieda Lobeck three new members. The commission oversees Joan Nichols Elaine Norin planning and development of new and existing Norman Schwanbeck p g p Joy Swenson parks in Otsego and manages the recreation events put on by the City of Otsego such as the Haunted House. If you are interested in being CITY EGO involved in our recreation events or planning ov r11e"�T� our parks, please fill out an application at City The OtsegoView is a communitytynewsletter for Hall or contact any member of the commission. the City of Otsego. 4111 Correspondence should be T1 sent to Otsego City Hall. Contains 50%recycled pre-consumer material.