Otsego View_Summer2016PUNT
for a
CONTEST
TRUCK
NEWSLETTER • SUMMER 2016
VIEW
IN THIS ISSUE:
Upcoming City and Parks/
Recreation Events
Reminders:
Irrigation Restrictions,
Street Maintenance and
Burning Permits
Otseg o
The Otsego Prairie Festival will feature familiar events and activities that so many
have enjoyed in previous years starting at 10:00 A.M. ON SEPTEMBER 10, 2016
at Prairie Park.
The Otsego Prairie Festival includes activities for all ages and interests including
displays by community organizations and businesses and there will be more
than 50 craft vendors offering their works. OTSEGO ROD AND CUSTOM will
partner with the Prairie Festival to host the car show open to all street, modified,
restored or hot rod cars, trucks and motorcycles. A wide variety of food
vendors will service festival attendees. There will be LIVE MUSIC and CARNIVAL
RIDES during the day followed by FIREWORKS AT DUSK!
We look forward to seeing you and your family at the Otsego Prairie Festival this year!
otsego Night to Unite!
Otsego Night to Unite is Tuesday, August 2, 2016. Sponsored by the Otsego Public Safety Commission, this is a
great opportunity for neighbors to come together and get to know one another. If your neighborhood is planning
an event for that evening, and would like a visit from the Wright County Sheriff or Fire Department, please register
no later than Thursday, July 28, 2016. To register online, please visit the Parks and Recreation Department
within the City website or call the Parks and Recreation Department at 763.235.3148.
SAVE THE
DATE
September 10, 2016
08.02.16
Street Maintenance
The City has established a pavement management program that includes ongoing preventative
maintenance such as crack filling, seal coating and overlays to provide for safe travel and extend the
usable life of City streets. Maintenance activities are funded through property taxes with overlays paid
50% by the City and 50% by benefiting properties in accordance with City policy. Information regarding
the location and schedule for street maintenance this season is posted on the City’s website.
New for 2016!
PUNT A FOOTBALL
35 YARDS TO WIN A
FORD TRUCK AND A
YEAR’S WORTH OF GAS!
SPONSORED BY:
CONTEST DETAILS:
• You must register at otsego.recdesk.com.
• One contestant will be chosen from
the registration pool
• Each registration is $5
• Register has often as you want
• No age minimum to participate
For event, sponsors and
exhibitor information,
please visit
otsegoprairiefestival.com
BURNING PERMIT FAQ
If you have a burning permit, it is not legal to burn until the permit is activated.
Why do you have to activate the permit daily before burning?
When the permit is activated, it shows on a map. The map is viewed by local dispatch
offices, law enforcement and fire departments. To provide a clear and up-to-date map for
these emergency managers, the map is reset every day at 8:00 a.m., so they know who
is actively burning that day.
How do I activate my burning permit?
You may activate your permit in two ways:
» Visit mndnr.gov/burningpermits
» Call 1- 866-533-2876 and follow the instructions in the pre-recorded message.
ADDRESS DISPLAY
To aid fire, police and medical responders, residents are reminded that all properties in the City are
required by the City Code to display address numbers on the principal building. If you have painted or
resided your home, please be sure to reinstall the address numbers. Address numbers must be at least
four inches high and be a contrasting or preferably reflective material and color.
EMERGENCY SIRENS
The City has installed outdoor emergency warning sirens to increase public safety. The sirens are
activated by Wright County and sounded in the event of severe weather or other public emergency.
There are two additional sirens in the City operated by Xcel Energy located northwest of CSAH 19/80th
Street and the other at Lily Pond Park. Outdoor emergency warning sirens are not intended to be
audible indoors so people are encouraged to purchase a weather alert radio.
DOGS AND CATS
Dogs are required by the City Code to be kept
within the boundaries of their owners’ property
or otherwise leashed or controlled by electronic
device by a responsible person so as to effectively
be under control as by leash. Cats are also
prohibited from running at large. The Parks and
Recreation Commission has established a dog
park as well as the area west of the baseball
fields at Prairie Park and Carrick’s Waterfront
Landing as off-leash areas for dogs. Feces must
be picked up and disposed of from yards, City
parks and trails. To report a dangerous dog, dog
or cat running at large, or barking dog that is
disturbing the peace, please call the Wright
County Sherriff by dialing 911.
NORTHWOOD PARK
Northwood Park is underway for construction this
fall. The City’s newest neighborhood park, located
at Quenroe Avenue and 72nd Street, will feature
a playground, baseball field, soccer field, parking
lot, and walking trails. One special feature of the
park will be a community garden that will include
both raised beds, and ground plots. Development
of Northwood Park is occurring on land dedicated
to the City as part of the Wildflower Meadows
subdivision and funded with cash fees paid by
subdividers as a requirement for new development
in the City. A map of the planned park is available
on the City’s website or by calling the Parks and
Recreation Department.
SEVERE
WEATHER
AWARENESS
SEVERE WEATHER
TORNADO WATCH: Means be
prepared – severe weather/
tornado possible
» Check for forecast updates
» Plan where to take shelter
if needed
» Stay weather ready
SEVERE WEATHER
TORNADO WARNING: Means
take action – severe weather/
tornado expected
» Take shelter indoors immediately
» Find the nearest shelter if driving
» Check forecast updates
» Stay weather ready
Ways to receive a weather alert:
» NOAA weather radio
» Local TV and radio
» Internet sites
» Wireless emergency alerts and
weather apps
» Outdoor sirens
» Family, friends and co-workers
For more information about being
weather ready from the National
Weather Service visit www.weather.gov.
WHAT IS A
BURNING BAN?
A burning ban is a restriction issued for a specified
part of the state under extremely dry conditions in
which existing burning permits are canceled and
new permits not issued. Burning in approved burners,
recreational fires, and even smoking outdoors may
be prohibited, depending on the fire danger.
This action is generally taken when fire risk becomes
extreme across a broad area of the state. A burning
ban is used only in the most severe conditions and
is more restrictive.
WHAT ARE BURNING PERMIT
RESTRICTIONS?
Burning permits are not issued in fire-prone portions of the
state in the spring when fire danger is traditionally high. A variance
to permit open burning, however, may be obtained for special
circumstances such as prescribed fire projects, approved agri-
cultural practices, construction projects, or economic hardship.
Variances may only be issued by DNR Forestry personnel. Dates
of the restrictions are posted on this website each spring.
These restrictions only regulate fires that require a permit.
Recreational campfires not larger than 3 feet by 3 feet are still
allowed under annual restrictions.
WATER QUALITY
The way you maintain your yard can have a large impact reducing phosphorous, decreasing algae
growth and promoting overall water quality for plants, animals and you. By following these techniques
your lawn will look great and will not be harming nearby wetlands, streams, lakes or rivers.
» Leaving grass clippings on the lawn provides the
equivalent of one application of fertilizer per year.
» Sweeping lawn clippings from sidewalks, driveways and
streets will greatly reduce the amount of phosphorus that
reaches area water bodies.
» Maintain a 20 foot buffer of native plantings from any
wetland or stormwater basin to filter out nutrients that
cause algae and water plant growth – these plants will also
keep geese from your yard.
» Water lawns between 4:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. to reduce
evaporation and minimize the potential for diseases to
harm your lawn.
» Wash your car on the lawn using non-phosphorus soap
to keep water out of the storm drain and irrigate the
grass at the same time.
» Use pesticides and herbicides only to the extent
necessary and by following the label directions exactly.
» Compost containers must comply with City Code
requirements and be set back from water or drainage ways
to avoid leaching phosphorus directly into the water.
» It is illegal to dispose of yard and tree waste with house-
hold garbage or to deposit it on City outlots, drainage
easements or park property, which may result in a $200
fine. Contact your waste hauler for a yard bin or visit the
City’s website for information on compost sites.
» The City is required to inspect 20 percent of the storm
water basins within the City each year and provide
maintenance to ensure that they function as intended to
prevent flooding of surrounding properties and provide
treatment for water quality. The inspection includes
evaluating the amount of sedimentation within the storm
water basin inflow, outflow and overall depth, vegetation
growth and fences installed without permits that en-
croach into the storm water basin. City staff will access the
storm water basins using easements recorded at the pe-
rimeter of every lot and over the storm water basin itself.
IRRIGATION RESTRICTIONS
Beginning in 2016, irrigation restrictions will be in effect May 1 –
September 30, 2016 for all Public Water System customers.
Addresses ending with an odd number may water on odd
numbered days and even numbered addresses may water on
even numbered days between 5:00 p.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Restrictions include no watering between 11:00 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Violations of the watering restrictions may result in a $50 code
enforcement fine assessed on the customer’s utility bill.
A 30 day exception is provided for newly establishing lawns and
landscaping. Please visit the City Website, www.ci.otsego.mn.us,
for additional details. Your cooperation is appreciated; water
conservation will keep water rates low and help to ensure an
adequate water supply is available.
For more information about irrigation restrictions, please
contact the Utility Billing Department at 763.441.9163.
PRSRTD STDU.S. POSTAGEPAID
PERMIT NO. 1791
TWIN CITIES, MN
Time Dated Material
CITY HALL:
13400 90th Street NE
Otsego, MN 55330
PHONE NUMBERS
Main: 763.441.4414
Building Dept.: 763.441.2593
Utility Billing: 763.441.2310
Fax: 763.441.9163
RECREATION INFO LINE:
763.235.3148
OFFICE HOURS:
Monday–Thursday
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Friday
8 a.m. – Noon
CITY COUNCIL:
Jessica Stockamp (Mayor)
Tom Darkenwald
Vern Heidner
Doug Schroeder
Jason Warehime
CITY WEBSITE
www.ci.otsego.mn.us
Information listed herein as being available
on the City website will also be mailed upon
request by calling City Hall.
2016 ELECTION
Otsego residents will head to the polls
on August 9, 2016 for Federal and State
primary elections. The polls open at 7:00 a.m.
and close at 8:00 p.m. The City is divided
into three precincts that will vote at two
polling places. The polling places are:
Precinct 1-A Prairie Center, main entrance
8899 Nashua Avenue NE
Precinct 2-A Otsego Elementary*
8125 River Road NE
Precinct 3 Otsego Elementary*
8125 River Road NE
* Look for signs directing you to the
appropriate entrance.
To determine which Precinct you are in visit
the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website
at http://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us. A map
showing the Precinct boundaries and polling
places is also available on the City’s website
or by calling City Hall.
Filing for City Offices opens August 2, 2016
and closes August 16, 2016. Filing must be
done in person at City Hall.
Wastewater Treatment
Facility Improvements
The City is undertaking improvements at its East
and West Wastewater Treatment Facilities to
increase efficiency and improve operations.
• The East Wastewater Treatment Facility have added aeriation
and mixing equipment to an existing structure this year. The
project provides process options for Utility staff. Engineering
is currently reviewing equipment electrical requirements for
the project and a bid has been awarded
by the City Council for the installation.
• The West Wastewater Treatment Facility digester equipment
is being improved to increase capacity of this component
to match the capacity of the rest of the facility and improve
operations. Concrete work is on-going and electrical
and process piping installation will occur throughout
the summer.
The projects at the East and West Wastewater Treatment
Facilities are both expected to be complete by November
this year. Updates and more information about each
project may be found on the City’s website under Project
Updates or by calling the Utility Department.