Spring The
OTSEGO
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ON THE GREAT RIVER ROAD VIENV
Newsletter of the City of Otsego Vol. 4, No.2, April 1994
Otsego Clean-up
Day set for May 7
Otsego Clean-up Day 1994 is just ', „� ,' - ''� "
around the corner. On Saturday, May s ,''
7th city residents can get rid of their ;
unwanted junk in one easy trip.
Trash will be accepted from 9 a.m.to
2 p.m. at the public works area behind - _
the old city hall.There will be a nominal i
fee for some items. , 110111.
Used oil,auto and marine batteries, _ ic'
scrap metal and household goods can be '""""�"� `T
deposited free of charge. No hazardous ,', " 03
'�Ii l
waste, recyclables or household trash
will be accepted. -_ ._'
Appliances will cost $5 each, small "
tires $1 each, mattresses and uphol- Judy Hudson checks in a resident's load at Otsego Clean-up Day
stery$5, larger tires $5 and up. 1993.This year's Clean-up Day will be Saturday,May 7,9 a.m.to 2 p.m.
This is the fifth year that Otsego has at the old city hall.
held Clean-up Day. Last year over 400 The cost to the city in the past has been in cars, direct traffic and help unload.
residents took advantage of the service over$8,000. Call City Hall if you would like to help
by bringing in more than 300 appli Volunteers are being sought to check with this effort to clean up our city.,,,,...,
ances, 1,200 tires and 78 mattresses.
Otsego Steps taken in water management
Clean-Up Day The city of Otsego is continuing to Resources maps,field surveys and wet-
Saturday, May 7, 1994 work towards a comprehensive surface land inventories to create topographic
water management plan for the city.By maps that show drainage ways,storage
9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 1997, a plan must be submitted to the requirements and identify sizing and a
county.Funding is the biggest obstacle continuous system of ponds and pipes.
Assorted Refuse No Charge in solving the city's water problems. A Some surveying was also made pos-
1991 overall plan was presented at a sible after Otsego incorporated in 1990.
Appliances $5.00 each cost of$169,000.00. As a city, Otsego was able to write its
Tires $1.00 each One of the first steps in any planning own development ordinance requiring a
Large Tires $5.00 &up process is a survey of existing condi- drainage plan for each new develop-
tions.The city has begun working to get ment. When Otsego was a township,
Mattresses the surveying done in various ways. Wright County had jurisdiction and did
&Upholstery $5.00 each Recently, another step was taken. not require drainage plans. Antelope
Wright County has hired Markhurd Park and Country Ridge are the two
to do low fly aerial photography this developments that have been put in
No hazardous waste accepted. spring to get the contours of the land. under the city's ordinance.
Otsego is taking advantage of this op- Minnesota State Aid (MSA) road
portunity to get another portion of the funds became available to Otsego as a
People will be asked to show city mapped. Money that had been set city, also. A drainage plan was needed
proof of Otsego residency. aside to purchase a new grader became for the 85th St. MSA project, so those
available when the council decided not funds were used to help cover that cost.
City officials may withhold to make that purchase. The Highway 101 construction will re-
service in case of flagrant abuse. The aerial photography is combined quire drainage surveys to be included in
with street and Department of Natural
WATER continued to page 2
liurAINANIANAINAIN•AirAm".^."."110,
City of Otsego Snowmobile ordinance committee formed
8899 Nashua Ave. NE A committee of residents interested in discussing ordinances in other communi-
Otsego, MN 55330 formulating a snowmobile ordinance for ties and make recommendations to the City
(612)441-4414 Otsego has been organized. A number of Council.
residents approached the City Council with Concerns about firearms in the city has
OFFICE HOURS their concerns about snowmobiles operat- the Council looking at forming an advisory
Monday through Friday ing on their propelty,prompting the organi- group to look into this matter, also..
8:00 a.m.to 5:00 p.m. zation of the group. The committee will be
CITY COUNCIL
Mayor— Uncontrolled dogs bring spring complaints
Norman F. Freske Springtime in Otsego means the usual leashed, confined to their own property or
Council members—
Ron Black increase in complaints about dogs running under control of their owners.
Larry Fournier loose,getting into garbage cans and leaving Responsible dog owners comply with the
Douglas Lindenfelser little gifts on our lawns. ordinance for the safety of their pets as well
Floyd Roden Dogs in the city are required to be as out of respect for their neighbors.,..,.....
CITY STAFF
Jerome Perrault, Clerk Burning permits required
Elaine Beatty, Deputy Clerk Open burningpermits are required state- must be on your person and your fire must
Zoning Administrator wide. Open burning permits can be issued be attended and kept under control. Any
Jim Barthel, Treasurer for vegetative fuels, only. fire that has gotten out of control must be
Judy Hudson, Secretary
Dave Chase, Maintenance A permit is not required for a recre- reported.
Duane Fiedler, Maintenance ational campfire if it is no more than three It is illegal to burn at any time oil,
Curt Otterness, Maintenance feet in diameter by three feet high and has rubber,plastics,chemically treated materi-
PLANNING & ZONING the ground cleared of combustible material als or other materials that produce exces-
Carl Swenson, chair for five feet around it. sive or noxious smoke, hazardous waste,
Eugene Goenner Burners (often called burning barrels) building materials from demolition of a
Jim Kolles can only be used to burn vegetative fuel.A commercial structure, industrial solid
Dennis McAlpine permit is not needed for a burn barrel from waste,motor vehicles,food garbage,painted
Arleen Nagel, alternate 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m., but a permit is or treated wood.
Bruce Rask needed to use the burner during the day. Permits are available from Otsego City
I.G. Roskaft Information on burner design approved by Hall.There is no fee.For their convenience,
Mark Wallace the Department of Natural Resources can residents may call in advance during busi-
PARKS & RECREATION be obtained from City Hall. ness hours and make arrangements to pick
Thomas Baillargeon, chair Permits are issued for five days from up their permit.
Debbie Carron 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. The burning permit
Tom Constant
Darlyn Kofoed New subcommittees handle city operation
Roche Martin
Darlene Solberg The Otsego City Council has formed sub- month but matters requiring its input often
Carl Swenson committees to take care of day to day opera- come up daily. According to city staff, the
EDA ADVISORY tions in the city that don't require discus- subcommittees have helped them resolve
Vern Heidner, chair sion by the entire body. minor matters in a timely fashion and have
Nancy Brunell Public Works and Administrative Staff streamlined City Council meetings.It keeps
Luvern Klinker committees include two representatives from council members on top of what's happening
Richard Nichols the council who meet regularly with city at City Hall and on the streets of Otsego,too.
Wally Odell staff. They listen to staff, provide direction Council members also serve as represen-
Rudy WilderTheau and helpthem work out solutions and proce- tatives to the Planningand ZoningCommis-
Liz
Commis-
dures for city operatiom. The subcommit- sion, Parks and Recreation Commission,
tees perform some of the same functions Economic Development Authority Advisory
that a city administrator might in other Committee, the Otsego Creek Authority,
cities. the Fire Service Committee, and the 728
VIEW
The City Council meets only twice a Area Recreation Board. w..
The Otsego View is a community WATER continued from page 1
newsletter for the city of Otsego. p g
Jacquie Rognli,Editor the cost of that project. An Otsego Creek taxing district is being
Carol Corr McGuire,ncaProductionnews The formation of the Otsego Creek Au- considered at this time.Apublic hearingto
Correspondence and news items are g
welcome and should be sent to Otsego thority was prompted by Albertville's sew- establish the taxing district to cover storm
City Hall, 8899 Nashua Ave. NE, age treatment plant expansion. A creek water drainage was held April 26, 1994 at
Otsego,MN 55330(612)441-4414 clean up to improve flow to the Mississippi 7:30 p.m.A second hearing would have to be
Is Contains 50%recycled River was ordered. Part of the cost is to be held for levy assessment.'..
«pre consumer material covered by Albertville.
2
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UPDATE _._ :: :
The Monticello-Big Lake Counsel-
Otsego -R
in Center which was rentingan office »ill-.. .... _ :::::•
g
in Otsego City Hall has been released was once
early from its lease at its own request. <': ..;4w.
Not enough clients were using the ser B1' Woods �` € >
vice to make e it viable.
•
Otsego Prairie Park has had brush The early European settlers Minnesota published by the U.S.
and trash clearing done by Sentence to have described the three major Forest Service describes the meth-
Serve crews from the Wright County biomes that meet in Minnesota- ods used to construct early vegeta-
Jail. Seeding of the open area was done tallgrass prairie, northern conifer- tion maps:
last fall. ous forests and eastern deciduous "The information available to
• forest, according to Natural Vegeta- Marschner included brief written
The Economic Development Au-
thority Advisory Committee tion of Minnesota at the Time of the descriptions of the soils, land forms,
(EDAAC) felt that they needed to do Public Land Survey 1847-1907 pub- and vegetation of each township:
more research on the proposed third lished by the Minnesota Depart- the township plat maps; and loca-
industrial site for home extended busi- ment of Natural Resources.. tion notes for each section corner,
nesses after an informational meeting Most of Wright County and meander corner, quarter corner, or
brought questions from the public. The Otsego were covered with vast other monumented point or survey
hearing on the site is scheduled for May forests of maple,basswood and elm lines. Where trees were available,
4. The EDAAC has also begun to put that the French explorers called the corners were usually identified by
together a data base of Otsego busi- "Big Woods." inscribing the corner's legal descrip-
nesses. The Big Woods was a maple and tion on a deep axe-blaze on three
• basswood forest. Elm,basswood, 'witness trees' facing the actual
A moratorium on development in sugar maple, red oak and white oak monumented corner.
the LeFebvre Watershed has been en- grew so thick that it was often dark Where witness trees were used,
acted until the city procures necessary in the day time. their species, diameters and corn-
easements. After more than a century of pass bearings, and distances from
♦ European settlement, nearly all the the corner are given in the notes.
The Kadler Ave.bridge has been re-
, natural communities in the state The plat maps also may show lakes,
placed with a culvert. have been substantially altered. The streams, wetlands, etc. There may
♦ Big Woods is now restricted to small also be notes on the terrain and
New City Hall furnishings include scattered islands of forest sur- vegetation along section lines."
coat racks and a map cart. The comwith rounded by croplands. In the northeast corner of
puter system has been improved with
the addition of a personal computer, Narrative accounts of life in the Otsego, where the Mississippi takes
laser printer, notebook computer, tape Big Woods in Wright County de- a major bend,there was an open
drive backup and power backup. scribe the mosquitoes as unbearable prairie area. This is approximately
• and the trees so close together that where Hwy. 101 crosses the Missis-
A new residential development settlers could not see beyond the the sippi River. This was known as
called Oday Acres has been approved.It clearings they had hewn from the Carrick's Prairie, named after
is one acre lots located on Odean and forest. That isolation is said to have Sammuel Carrick who settled there
78th St.The existing farm outbuildings contributed somewhat to the fear and ran a trading post and ferry.
will be removed. and rumors that spread in the Where John McDonald settled
• county during the Indian uprisings. and operated a ferry was described
A mining permit has been applied for Along the Mississippi River, as an open grove. This is near the
by Randy Larson to remove dirt and there was floodplain forest. These original city hall site.
gravel from the property of Ed lowland sites were subject to peri- An 1867 account of Otsego
Dauphinais (Big Ed's) located at Hwy. odic flooding and drought. The describes a large quantity of land in
101 and 72nd St.The hill there will need dominant trees of the floodplain Otsego not yet settled upon, some of
to be removed for the Hwy. 101 project. forest are silver maple, elm, cotton- it with a very heavy growth of
An historic preservation• ordinance wood and willow with an understory timber. 1
is being formulated for Otsego.The city of poison ivy and stinging nettles. Knowing the native vegetation
attorney and city planner are reviewing Fine examples of floodplain forest in of an area can help gardeners create
the ordinance and making recommen Otsego exist in Otsego County Park, low maintenance landscapes by
dations before it is brought to the Plan- on the Mississippi River islands, planting things that would natu-
ning and Zoning Commission. Estab-
lishing
and along the river's edge. rally grow in that location according
an official historical society M.L. Heinselman in his Interpre- to type of soil, climate and topogra-
would set the stage for funding applica- taions of Francis J. Marschner's phy.��-,
• tions for possible historic preservation Map of the Original Vegetation of
projects in the city. The public hearing
is scheduled for May 4.....,, 3
ii•AiligANANIA,..114 ."•^1111^asiniii/
Road projects determined MAINTENANCE
Several road projects will be under the existing curve and entrance will be REPORT
way in Otsego this summer. obliterated. The proposal is to provide
Public Works will open
Quaday Avenue has been chosen for turn lanes at the intersection.
the city's Minnesota State Aid (MSA) Otsego and Wright County will share for oil recycling
road construction for 1994. The City the cost of the project. Used motor oil can be
Council will order a feasibility study for When Otsego incorporated, one of deposited for recycling at the
construction of Quaday between County the first projects was that Wright County Otsego Public Works Depart
Road 42 and 72nd Street.A public hear- traded roads with the city of Otsego.Co. ment when employees are
ing will be held. Rd. 122 was changed to Co. Rd. 37 and present. Beginning June 8, the
Construction of the new intersec- the county put its County State Aid for Public Works Department will
tion at County Road 37 and Odean Av- Highway (CSAH) funds on Co. Rd. 37. stay open the second Monday of
enue is also proposed for 1994.A hear- The old Co.Rd.37 was changed to Odean the month until 6:00 p.m.
ing was held Dec. 27 to take public Avenue NE and taken over by the city. A city employee must be
comment on the project. The city put Odean on its MSA road present in order to deposit oil.
The intent of the project is to delin- system from Co. 39 to Co. Rd 37. The Public Works garage is
eate between the city and county streets The city also plans to have repairs located at 13474 NE 95th Ave.
and to eliminate the unsafe curve where and bituminous overlay done on NE next to the old city hall build
there have been numerous accidents 80th St., NE Kadler and NE 85th St. ing.
and people sliding off the road. between LaBeaux Ave.and Jalger Ave. New truck ordered
For one-quarter mile on each side, The City Council has recommended that A Ford LT9000 dump truck
the intersection will be corrected and Odean Ave. be striped.,-.w with truck body, hydraulics and
plow equipment has been
Bike rodeo set in Otsego ordered for the city at a cost of
$90,662.00.
A bike rodeo will be held at Otsego
City Hall on Saturday, May 21, 10:30 Spring road
a.m. to noon. Bike safety will be part of maintenance continues
this event being put on by the Wright Crack filling of city streets
County Sheriffs Department and the begins with warmer weather.
Otsego Parks and Recreation Commis- Filling fissures in the road
sion. Residents should watch for the surface keeps moisture out that
spring mailing of the 728 Area Recre can break down the road sur
ation brochure for more details.Volun-
teers are being sought to help with the sand and gravel is also done
this time of year.
rodeo.-'
Road restrictions set
All city roads in Otsego are
now restricted to 5 tons per axle
April 29 Tree planting in Otsego Prairie park weight. Wright County has also
May 2 7:00 p.m. Economic Development Advisory Committee set weight limits on county
May 4 8:00 p.m. Planning&Zoning Commission
May 7 9 a.m.-2 p.m. OTSEGO CLEAN-UP DAY roads.
May 9 7:30 p.m. City Council Weight restrictions are set
May 10 7:30 p.m. Park&Recreation Commission every spring to minimize
May 18 8:00 p.m. Planning&Zoning Commission
M ay 23 7:30 p.m. City Council damage to roads when frost
June 6 7:00 p.m. Economic Development Advisory Committee goes out of the ground. Restric-
June 8 Public Works open until 6 p.m.for oil recycling tions are lifted in the winter.
June 13 7:30 p.m. City Council Overweight permits can be
June 14 8:00 p.m. Park&Recreation Commission
June 15 8:00 p.m. Planning&Zoning Commission issued for emergency situations
June 20 7:00 p.m. Economic Development Advisory Committee as approved by city staff. School
June 27 7:30 p.m. City Council buses, garbage trucks and milk
To be placed on the Planning Commission agenda,submit completed forms and information 15 trucks are exceptions. They are
working days prior to meetings.Submit City Council agenda items seven working days prior to permitted to operate on all city
meetings. streets with a maximum axle
Please call City Hall to confirm times if you plan to attend any of the listed meetings.
weight of 7 tons.,,,,,-,
4