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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEditionEdinaJan2018NFL Super Kids, Super Sharing Kicks off Super Bowl Events Braemar Field to Host Super-sized Event The first major NFL event leading up to Super Bowl LII will be at Braemar Field Jan. 18. NFL Super Kids, Super Sharing is an all-day event where kids have the opportunity to help underprivileged local youth and get involved with Super Bowl events. This is the 18th consecutive year the NFL has started Super Bowl festivities with the Super Kids, Super Sharing event. Braemar Arena & Field and several organizations from across the Twin Cities area will collaborate with the NFL, Minnesota Vikings and Verizon to help gather school supplies and sports equipment for underprivileged youth in the area. Verizon will also collect used cellphones for its HopeLine program, which provides victims of domestic abuse with cellphones and financial assistance. The phones donated are either refurbished and sold with the profits going to victims or are given to victims so they have a means of communication. “This is going to be a really big event,” said Braemar Arena & Field General Manager Chad Eischens. “It will be the biggest Super Kids, Super Sharing event the NFL has put on. It’s the largest facility they’ve used, so not only can more schools be included, but the play area for the kids will be bigger.” Braemar Field will be split in half with one side being used for donation collection and the other side for kids to play and have fun. Kids bringing donations will be able to run around and take pictures with the Vikings mascot and also meet and talk with some Vikings players and cheerleaders. This year, more than 100 schools, including all of the public schools in Edina, will donate to more than 70 organizations in the Twin Cities area. Almost 100 volunteers will staff the event. For more information, visit mnsuperbowl.com or call Braemar Field at 952-833-9512. Edition: Edina JANUARY 2018 Volume 5, Issue 1 Council Approves 2018 Budget Street Projects Also Given Green Light The median-valued home in Edina of $501,000 will see a monthly increase of just $6.50 per month in City property taxes in 2018. The City Council adopted the 2018 operating budget and tax levy last month. The total of all levies increased by 5.8 percent. The budget projects increases in street and bridge maintenance; capital improvement plan funding; and the City’s focus on housing-related issues such as affordability, rental and redevelopment concerns. The budget also includes funding for two new Police Officers and one public safety staff support position, money for the planning and implementation of the Southdale circulator transit line and continuation of the City’s race and equity initiatives. The budget allows the City to focus on the priorities of its biennial work plan: maintain assets and infrastructure, maintain service levels, provide for connected and sustainable development, and build an inclusive and engaged community. In other business last month, the Council: • Recognized Mythili Iyer and Eva Hadjiyanis as the winners of the 2017 Human Rights Essay Contest. • Approved a subdivision with variances at 6017 Walnut Drive. The existing home on the lot would remain and a new home built on the south parcel. • Approved 2018 roadway reconstruction projects in the Concord A & G and West 62nd Street neighborhoods. • Signed off on a mutual aid agreement with the City of Bloomington to assist with law enforcement before, during and after the 2018 Super Bowl. • Approved a resolution that will allow parking along the west side of France Avenue from 47th Street to 49th Street from Jan. 1 until Oct. 30, to support the redevelopment on Market Street. For more information on the activities of the City Council, visit EdinaMN.gov. The parking ramps at 50th & France will be expanded and upgraded over the course of 2018 and 2019 as part of a major redevelopment on Market Street in downtown Edina. Alternative parking and pedestrian walkways will be provided to ensure that local residents and shoppers still have access to businesses at 50th & France. “The project begins in January, but at this point in the project, only the North Ramp will be shut down. You can still anticipate short days, cold temperatures and good shopping at 50th & France,” said Economic Development Manager Bill Neuendorf. “That ramp will be shut down for three months, but we’ll still have the center and south ramps available and complimentary valet parking Mondays through Saturdays during the prime shopping hours.” The project will include an expansion of the North Ramp with new commercial space on the ground floor and an additional floor of parking in the ramp. The ramp will be expanded over the former sites of Hooten Launderers & Cleaners and Edina Realty. Beginning in April, the Center Parking Ramp will be replaced with a new structure that will contain apartments, ground- floor commercial space and below-ground parking, arranged around new public plazas and pedestrian-ways. New, free valet parking options will be available to shoppers from January to September. Valet parking can be found at 50th and Halifax, as well as Market and France. Hours are anticipated to be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. six days a week, but may be adjusted based on actual demand. Project Communications Coordinator Pat Tucker has been hired to help keep area businesses, residents and visitors informed and involved in the process. “I am available to meet, talk, send materials – really whatever is needed,” explained Tucker. “I’m available and I’ll be visiting businesses and neighbors to discuss the project throughout this process.” New pedestrian walkways have also been planned. Whenever possible, sidewalks will be maintained and kept clear of debris during construction. “For this first phase of the project, sidewalks really shouldn’t be affected. As additional construction begins, pedestrians can expect to find covered walkways if a sidewalk is near the construction site or is affected by the work being completed,” said Tucker. While the construction process may result in some noise and dust, the inconvenience will be worth it. The expansion will result in more shopping and housing options, solidifying 50th & France as a leading shopping and lifestyle destination in the Twin Cities. For more information about this project, visit EdinaMN.gov/50thandFrance. Photo by Scott DenfeldMaking Ice! Keeping Edina’s outdoor ice rinks in tip-top shape is Bill Hanley in Park Maintenance. Hanley and his crew are out maintaining the ice rinks every day at 5 a.m. during the winter months. It usually takes three hours to sweep, edge and water the rink to make new ice for skaters. 4801 W. 50th St. Edina, MN 55424 | 952-927-8861 | mail@EdinaMN.govCity of Edina EdinaMN.gov Construction at 50th & France Begins in January North Parking Ramp to be Expanded During First Phase An expanded ramp will open in about three months. Sculptor is Not Cooling Down After Two Decades Rust is Part of 2018 Winter Ice Festival The cold never bothered him anyway! Forty-three-year veteran ice sculptor Roger Rust is the king of frozen ice at Centennial Lakes Park’s Winter Ice Festival. Centennial Lakes Park, 7499 France Ave. S., will host the 28th- annual Winter Ice Festival Sunday, Jan. 14, from 1 to 5 p.m. Visitors can participate in face painting, horse-drawn wagon rides, ice skating and ice sculpting demonstrations done by Rust. Rust started sculpting ice for the Winter Ice Festival after former Park & Recreation Director Bob Kojetin saw him carve ice at another event. Kojetin talked to Rust and told him to get ahold of the park management to get his talent involved in the Winter Ice Festival events. “Roger is really good at interacting with the festival attenders,” said Centennial Lakes Park General Manager Tom Shirley. “He talks to them, answers questions about ice carving and, overall, he has an entertaining personality. He’s fun to talk to and is open to telling anyone about what he does.” Most of the time, Rust’s inspiration for ice sculpture designs come from popular kids movies and current events. He says the most important part is to see the design in the ice, picture it in your mind and then cut away everything that isn’t the design. In the past, he has done ice carvings of Lilo and Stitch and Snoopy on top of the doghouse. Rust started out in the ice carving business after taking a cooking class that included 10 hours of ice carving. He was hired at the Minneapolis Club in 1974 after taking the class. The club handed him ice carving tools and declared him the ice carver there, a title he would hold onto for almost 33 years. “I was the only guy who did the ice for the Minneapolis Club,” said Rust. “So, that’s how I sort of perfected ice carving. Ten years after that, I entered the Monarch Food Ice Carving Contest and saw that they were using electric tools! And so that’s when I got into the modern age of electric tools. It made life a lot easier!” Rust looks forward to the ice festival in Edina because his family likes to join him. His daughters bring their children to enjoy the ice skating and his sons get in on the fun, too. The Winter Ice Festival at Centennial Lakes Park is a tradition for many families and Rust has become a staple at the event. “People are starting to recognize me now. They say ‘Hey, you’re that ice carver who was here 20 years ago!’ They’re at the festival with their kids now,” said Rust. For more information on the Winter Ice Festival, visit CentennialLakesPark.com or call 952-833-9580. Edition: Edi na JANUARY 2018 4801 W. 50th St. Edina, MN 55424 | 952-927-8861 | mail@EdinaMN.govCity of Edina EdinaMN.gov Upcoming Events Thursday, Jan. 4, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Open Soccer, Braemar Field Thursday, Jan. 4, noon Teddy Bear Band, Edinborough Park Friday, Jan. 5, 5-7 p.m. “Hola, Cuba!” Art Exhibit Opening, Edina Art Center Saturday, Jan. 6, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Family Night, Braemar Field Sunday, Jan. 7, 7 p.m. Axis Mundi World Jazz Trio, Edinborough Park Monday, Jan. 8, 9-11 a.m. Tot Time, Braemar Field Tuesday, Jan. 9, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Open Soccer, Braemar Field Tuesday, Jan. 9, 10:15-11 a.m. Sing, Play, Learn Class by MacPhail Center for Music, Edinborough Park Wednesday, Jan. 10, 9-11 a.m. Tot Time, Breamar Field Thursday, Jan. 11, noon Westwood Hills Nature Center, Edinborough Park Thursday, Jan. 11, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Open Soccer, Braemar Field Saturday, Jan. 13, 11 a.m.-noon Grant Awards for Minnesota Ceramic Artists, Edina Art Center BY THE NUMBERS Advisory Boards & Commissions Edina’s advisory Boards and Commissions are established by the Edina City Council. The duties of board and commission members are to investigate matters within the scope of the particular board or commission or as directed by Council; advise the Council by communicating the viewpoint or advice of the group; and recommend direction to the Council based off of evidence, research and reports. Learn more at EdinaMN.gov/volunteer. 101 volunteers serving on 10 advisory Boards and Commissions The time commitment for board members and commissioners 26 1-31 Jan. May March Sept. hours per month Deadline for adults to apply for a board or commission appointment Student board and commission applications open Adult volunteer terms begin Student volunteer terms begin Student applicants must be 14 years of age or older.in each group. 6-8 The City of Edina has Sign Up to Get Emergency Notifications Reverse 911 System Will Contact You for Warnings Near Your Home or Office What if 911 called you to let you know about an emergency near your home or business? A new notification system will let the City of Edina’s 911 dispatchers send out messages via email, text, landline, cellphone or social media within minutes. Those messages can notify people of major incidents and what action they should take, if any. All people need to do is sign up. Rave Alert, a program from Massachusetts- based Rave Mobile Safety, will replace the City’s current notification system called Code Red. The Code Red signups will not transfer, so people need to sign up for Rave. Notifications could be made for incidents such as a hazardous material spill, severe weather, drinking water problem, a missing child or when police are searching for a suspect in a neighborhood and want residents to be aware. Dispatch Supervisor Tony Martin said alerts can be sent out to a specific area, so people aren’t notified of incidents that don’t affect them. “We can put it out to as little or as many people as we need to,” Martin said. People who live or work in Edina should consider signing up, as should those who live elsewhere but have relatives in Edina. There is no fee; the system cost is paid for from the existing 911 fee on your phone bill. Edina Fire Chief Tom Schmitz promises people won’t be flooded with messages. “You want to make sure to utilize it appropriately because you want people to react when the notification does come,” he said. HOW TO SIGN UP • Go to EdinaMN.gov/fire. • Click on “Emergency Notifications.” • Fill out the information and submit. If you live and work in Edina, don’t forget to include both locations for geographic- specific notifications. Text-to-911 is Now Available in Minnesota Call 911 If You Can, Text If You Can’t In an emergency, your first call should be to 911, but now you have the ability to text 911 if needed. The Text-to-911 option is meant to allow people who are hard of hearing, speech- impaired or unable to talk safely on the phone to connect with emergency services. “It’s for the people who truly need it like the deaf and hard-of-hearing community and for people who cannot speak like in a domestic violence case,” said Tony Martin, Dispatch Supervisor. There may be other instances where texting is the safest option. “Imagine having to hide from an intruder in your bedroom closet or witnessing a domestic violence situation. Text-to-911 is a lifeline for people who would put themselves in harm’s way if they called 911,” said Jackie Mines, Director of the Department of Public Safety Emergency Communications Networks. “Speaking with a dispatcher is still the fastest way to receive help, so call if you can, text if you can’t.” Texting 911 is not meant as a total replacement for calling 911 traditionally. There are extremely long delays getting the messages, and the texts can get out of order. “We have seen up to three minutes before our message can be delivered,” said Martin. “Our dispatchers can only ask one question at a time and they have to wait for a response. If we ask multiple questions at a time, what answers go with what question?” More challenges are that location detection is not as accurate with texting, there is no language translation service for texts to 911 and a text or data plan is required to use it. To text 911, enter the numbers 9-1-1 in the “To” field. Text your exact location and type a description of the emergency. Send the message. Promptly answer questions and follow instructions. Use simple words and do not use abbreviations, emojis, pictures or slang. And do not text and drive. Texting 911 with a false report is a crime just like it is for making a phony 911 call. For more information on Text-to-911, contact the Edina Police Department at 952-826-1610. 2 1 student members