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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCitySlick_April_2012by Kaylin Martin, Communications Assistant Did you know that your nose is not as sensitive as a dog’s, but it can still remember 50,000 different scents? Did you know that the Employee Health & Wellness Fair will be held 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 18, at the Public Works & Park Maintenance Facility? If you saw the health facts posted around your facility, you probably did. Employees are invited to this year’s Employee Health & Wellness Fair, which will feature the following activities and much more: by David Katz, Communications Intern Last month, Edina City Hall witnessed a little bit of horticultural history in the making. On Tuesday, March 13, after six consecutive days of mild weather and the 10-day forecast promising no cold snaps, City Horticulturalist Tim Zimmerman decided to push up some of the City’s most visible seasonal plantings. First on his list was the replanting of 14 yellow daffodils of the popular tête- à-tête narcissus strain in the two planters outside the main entrance to Edina City Hall. “This is so unheard of. It’s history in the making,” Zimmerman said. “I’ve been here for 28 years, and I’ve never been able to work with this plant as early as the second week of March. I’ve never heard of anyone else doing it, either.” While some buds bloomed before or immediately after being transplanted, others held off until later in the week, giving more visitors a chance to see them at their very best. Provided Minnesota winter doesn’t reassert itself in force before May, Zimmerman projects that Edina’s 2012 flower season could be as much as two and a half months longer than what is typical. The flowers peaked outside City Hall before being switched out for multicolor pansies – a more traditional candidate for March and April, as they can thrive through frosts and temperature fluctuations. At some point in the next couple weeks, those pansies will in turn be replaced by a crop of annuals that will be on display for the rest of the year. All are grown by Zimmerman at the Arneson Acres greenhouse. The earlier-than-expected daffodil replanting was prompted, in part, by necessity. “These plants shouldn’t be kept too warm while growing. The Arneson facility’s basement includes a cooling mechanism that pumps cold air from outside. But when it’s 55-plus degrees, a change is necessary – even if it is still technically winter.” A newsletter for the City Council and employees of the City of Edina CITYSLICK p1 Volume 15.7 4|13|2012 INSIDE THIS ISSUE 2 Around The Water Cooler 3 Letter Bag 4 Techy Tidbits 5 A Day In The Life Of ... 6 Where Are They Now? Continued on page 6... April 14, Kris, Community Development April 16, Cindy, Edinborough Park April 16, Jason, Public Works April 17, John, Park Maintenance April 17, Kaylin, Communications & Technology Services April 18, Todd, Braemar Golf Course April 19, Mark, Park Maintenance April 20, Katie, Communications & Technology Services April 20, Richard, Braemar Golf Course April 23, Darrel, Public Works April 24, Vince, Park Maintenance April 25, Scott, Public Works April 26, David, Police April 26, Jim, Public Works April 27, Darin, Police April 29, Brian, Public Works City Hall’s Flower Planters Witness ‘History in the Making’ Give your health something to smile about: Employee Health & Wellness Fair CITYSLICK p2 Braemar Golf Course Braemar Golf Course was recently filmed for the TV show “House Hunters.” The episode features golf enthusiasts looking for a new house in the area. The episode premiered April 11 on HGTV. The nice spring weather has been an added bonus for business. Edina Art Center The Annual Edina Art Center Student Exhibition is running through May 9. Anyone who took classes this past year could enter their work for display in the Gallery. You will see portraits, landscapes, pottery, glass work and more, created by students at all experience and talent levels. The Edina Art Center Garden Sale opens Thursday, May 17, with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. As the weather warms and we begin to think about getting outside into the garden, the Edina Art Center Garden Sale is the perfect place to find artwork for the garden and items with an “Edina” green and garden theme for your home. The Garden Show committee has been hard at work selecting artists and artwork for this exciting annual show. Plants from the Edina Garden Sale will also be available if you miss the Mother’s Day event at Arneson Acres. A copy of the new Spring & Summer Class Schedule is shown with an example of the pottery you will find at the Garden Sale. The Garden Sale is on display in the Margaret Foss Gallery May 17 through June 20. Edina Aquatic Center The Edina Aquatic Center has a new identity! A logo was recently developed for the Aquatic Center and is now in place. The pirateship- themed logo brings together the unique amenities of the facility, including Shipwreck Express, Pirates’ Plunge and the new Flowrider. The logos of Braemar Golf Course and Centennial Lakes Park have also been modified in recent weeks to meet the City’s branding standards. Edina Liquor After six weeks of construction, Edina Liquor – Southdale opened just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, March 17. The staff put in many long hours to get the store ready to open and it paid off with sales of $22,000 for the day. This was half of what we would normally do on St. Patrick’s Day, but with little or no time to get the word out, we had better- than-expected sales. The store has been well received by all our customers. They love how open it looks, the color of the store and the vinyl floor. Many customers think we added on to the store because it looks that different, but all we did was change the layout and lowered the height of our shelving. Another positive is that our stores are only down 8.5 percent in sales through the end of March. The other stores’ business really picked up during the remodeling project, which we were hoping would happen. The staff at all three stores should be commended for their hard work and extra hours that were put in over the past few months. If you haven’t had a chance to stop by the store yet, we’d love to see you. Please let us know what you think! Fire While this spring has been extraordinarily warm and dry, we have only had a handful of fires. On March 13, the Fire Department was called to the 3100 block of Heritage Drive on reports of smoke coming from an apartment building. Firefighters quickly suppressed the fire. All the residents were able to evacuate the building safely and a cat was rescued from the affected unit. The exact cause of this fire is unknown, but it is believed that nearby combustibles caught fire from a stove burner. This was the City’s first major structure fire since July 2011! The South Metro Public Safety Training Facility is now home to the nation’s second highest flash burner in its burn tower. The new burner is on the sixth floor, the only one at that height in the Midwest and is capable of producing flashover flames. This is the closest thing to fighting a high-rise fire without an actual high- rise fire. Park Maintenance The Parks & Recreation Department’s annual Arbor Day Event will be held at Creek Valley Park, 6301 Gleason Road, at 10 a.m., Friday, April 27. City Forester Tom Horwath and Park Maintenance staff will plant 15 to 20 various species of evergreens between the hockey rink and the general skating rink. The trees will be in the 3- to 4-foot height range. As the trees grow, they will give shade to the hockey rink to reduce ice melt on the rinks during the AROUND THE WATER COOLER Following is a summary of some of the projects of some departments, divisions and facilities. Other areas of the City will be featured in upcoming issues. Selected letters are printed in City Slick each month to let you know what residents and businesses think of your services. “Recently one of your staff, Adam [Proulx], responded to a really bad vomit accident in your play structure [at Edinborough Park]. Many of us sitting in your bleachers were impressed with how quickly he ascended the structure and completed his task - so much that several of us applauded him when he came out. Most of us would grimace or growl having to do something so arduous; he smiled and seemed to laugh and wave us off. This was amazing! “Next, a little girl came darting out right after him, crying and running to the doors. He ran after her, seemed to calm her, and then carried her back into our seating area. She had not gotten sick, but crawled into the play structure before it was cleaned. Whatever he said and did, he calmed her down. She went from screams and tears to a gentle smile as she looked for her family in our area.” – Antonio Gracchi “I really did not get a chance today to finish talking about the last taping [of ‘In Edina’] … it must have been a bit emotional for staff and crew and I hope you all had a chance to celebrate your huge successes with the program over the years. You helped market and communicate so many ideas, issues, businesses and great things going on in the City that we all owe you a huge thank you. “Your crew was professional and always fun to work with and I wish them the best going forward. “I know we all move on, but I will miss this opportunity offered by your department as great opportunity for all of us. “Thank you!” – Arrie Larsen Manti Edina Chamber of Commerce “Thank you, [City Forester Tom Horwath], for your long explanatory letter. I understand your reasoning and am in complete agreement. Once I understood your position, my complaint vanished. I want to emphasize what a treat it was to receive a response that was not bureaucratic blah-blah-blah. “For my purposes, this represented city government at its very best. – Donald P. Gussman “We are pleased to let you know of our experience in communicating with Aaron [Kuznia] regarding the renewal of streets in our neighborhood. We found him to be an attentive listener as well as action oriented. As much, he is a credit to Edina City staff and an example for others to emulate.” – Linc and Fran Shea LETTER BAG CITYSLICK p3 winter months and thus improve ice conditions and even longevity of the skating season. Park Maintenance recently wrapped up another year of managing the white-tailed deer population in Edina. From Nov. 1 to April 1, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) allows removal of nuisance deer. The deer are removed by licensed contractors in accordance with DNR regulations from City and private property where permission has been obtained. Parks & Recreation Edina, Bloomington and Richfield Parks & Recreation departments are hosting the first-ever “Vehicle Day” on Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to noon in the southeast parking lot of Southdale Center. More than 20 vehicles will be on display, including nine from the City of Edina Police, Fire, Park Maintenance and Public Works fleets. Check out a vintage bus from Richfield, a race car from Raceway Park, a Negotiator Command Post from Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, a U.S. Coast Guard Safe Boat and more. Kids can try a backhoe simulator from the local chapter of the Union of Operating Engineers. Simon’s Kidgits Club is sponsoring a face painter and a jump house shaped like a fire engine. Children of all ages are welcome, but must be accompanied by an adult. The event is FREE! Get a grip on summer while we still have space in the Parks & Recreation evening adult beginner tennis lessons. If it’s been years since you picked up a racket, playing tennis is a great way to stay active. We also offer intermediate lessons with excellent tennis instructors. Find more information and register online at www.EdinaParks.com. EMPLOYEE MILESTONES Aaron Kuznia, Engineering, 5 years. (April 30, 2007) Jeff Siems, Fire, 20 years. (April 6, 1992) Bob Presrud, Park Maintenance, 35 years. (April 13, 1977) Doug Zylka, Braemar Golf Course, 20 years. (April 13, 1992) CITYSLICK p4 TECHY TIDBITS by Katie Bisek, Network Support Specialist The Communications & Technology Services Department began a “help desk” earlier this week. Please try to troubleshoot issues on your own. Should you or a member of your staff still require technical assistance from our department after troubleshooting, send an email to helpdesk@EdinaMN.gov or call 952-903-5711. When possible, restart your computer and attempt the procedure you were trying before. Don’t just log off. You must completely restart. 1) Phones • When you pick up the receiver, if you hear a busy signal it means that your phone is forwarded to voicemail or another number. • If you do not hear a dial tone, unplug the cable from the LAN port underneath the bottom of the phone and plug it back in to reboot the phone. • If “Security Lock” is active and asking for a password, enter “0000” and press the “OK” soft key. • When using the speaker phone, make sure that the Mic button has a red light on it. Otherwise, people will not hear you. • If you or the people you are talking to are hearing an echo when speaking, turn down the volume on your phone. 2) Printers • Extend the life of your toner! When the “Low Toner” warning comes on, take the toner cartridge out and gently shake it side to side. Repeat this every couple days until you are asked to replace the toner. • City Hall and Braemar Arena staff: When sending documents to the Ricoh copier and nothing comes out, ensure that you entered the Valid Access Code when submitting the print job. 3) Network • When network drives do not map at login, completely restart the computer. • If you receive an error at the bottom right corner in Windows stating your network cable is unplugged, unplug the network cable from the back of the computer and plug it back in. If easily accessible, check the network cable that plugs into the wall. 4) Monitor • If you don’t see anything on the monitor when you turn the computer on or bring it out of sleep mode, check to make sure that the monitor is turned on. (You should see a little green light on the front of the monitor.) Check that the VGA (blue) or DVI (white) as well as the power cable connections on the back of the monitor didn’t come loose. Check the VGA or DVI connections on the back of the computer as well. Each month, I.T. staff will highlight in “Techy Tidbits” some commonly asked technical questions they receive from staff around the City. If you have questions you’d like answered in Techy Tidbits, send an email to EDInformationTechnology@EdinaMN.gov or leave a message at 952-903-5711. Edina residents have started seeing chalkboards pop up in some unusual places, as the do.town project works to engage residents and provide them with an opportunity to tell City leaders what an even healthier Edina looks like. do.town is a collaborative initiative of the cities of Bloomington, Edina and Richfield, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross) that works to improve the health of each community by making changes that support healthy eating and active lifestyles. “The goal of do.town is to help communities make the healthy choice the easy choice for residents. So asking citizens for their ideas and involving them in the discussion is a key to bringing about healthy changes that benefit everyone – from healthier food in concession stands, to more walkable, bikeable streets for all ages and abilities, and worksite policies that support employee wellness,” said Katherine Bass, Blue Cross Senior Project Manager for do.town. “These chalkboards in gathering places throughout Edina will provide a unique platform to learn what matters most to people.” The chalkboards, which measure five feet tall and six feet wide, were placed last month at Braemer Arena and Edinborough Park. Earlier this week, one of them was moved to the lobby of City Hall. Volunteers will collect ideas that residents provide on the chalkboards and share them with City leaders, including Mayor James Hovland and City Manager Scott Neal. Throughout the spring and summer, the chalkboards will be moved to different locations in Edina and a variety of questions tied to the health of the community will be posed to residents. “We’re facing a real health crisis as kids today may have shorter life expectancy than their do.Town Chalkboard moves to City Hall Continued on page 6... In every organization, there are those who have a major part in making things run smoothly. For the Edina Fire Department, that person is Fire Prevention Administrative Assistant Karen Bretson. She has had an integral role for the last 13 years, making sure everything goes as it should in the Fire Department’s office. Karen grew up and still lives in Edina. Before she began at the Edina Fire Department, she was a stay- at-home mom. She also worked a series of part-time jobs until her two children were in high school. While her job is “very clerical,” she said she really enjoys the day-to-day variety. “One day I might be doing data entry and issuing permits, while on another, I could be taking resident calls and educating them on proper procedures,” she said. Every morning, the first thing Karen does is enter the prior day’s fire and EMS runs into the computer while “trying to read everyone’s handwriting,” she joked. She issues and mails sprinkler and alarm permits, for example, and enters them into a LOGIS application. The Fire Department also receives numerous calls every day from residents. Karen takes many of these calls and tries to answer any questions. “We get a lot of smoke alarm questions,” she said, “mostly about where smoke alarms should be located.” Other questions often come from occupants of apartment buildings and senior residents asking what happens when a fire alarm sounds and what they should do. Karen keeps records such as copies of past grant application and letters, and collects statistics and other data for the Fire Department. She also compiles the monthly fire calls for the City’s website. “It’s always fun to see what’s going on,” Karen said. When a building is sold or its use changes, she pulls up its history. “It’s fun for us natives to see old records and see what’s changed or what used to be there.” Karen is a member of the Fire Secretaries for the Metro Area group and serves on an advisory group for the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s office. Karen enjoys traveling with her husband, Greg, who works at Edina’s Public Works & Park Maintenance Facility. The two often travel to a cabin in central Minnesota near Brainerd where Karen’s family has visited for the last 50 years. They also go on a regular 15-hour road trip to visit one of their children in Montana. CITYSLICK p5 ‘It’s fun for us natives to see old records and see what’s changed or what used to be there.’ A DAY IN THE LIFE OF ...FIRE PREVENTION ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT KAREN BRETSON by Jordan Gilgenbach STAFF NOTES David Knudsen began work on Monday, April 9, as Centennial Lakes Maintenance Supervisor– Greenskeeper/ Grounds. For the past 10 years, Knudsen worked at Woodhill Country Club in Wayzata as an Irrigation and Drainage Technician. Jessica Nikunen started with the City of Edina on April 9, as a Human Resources Generalist. Prior to working for the City of Edina, she was employed at the City of Shakopee as Human Resources Technician. Nikunen has a bachelor’s degree in Economics from St. Olaf College and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Hamline University. Amanda Holle was promoted to Assistant Manager of Edinborough Park and the Edina Aquatic Center on March 26. Holle has been working part-time for Edinborough Park office since 2009 and was the Interim Assistant Edinborough Park Supervisor prior to being promoted full-time. Holle is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree in Administrative Recreation. CITYSLICK p6 by David Katz, Communications Intern Retired Equipment Operator Ron Anderson started his career with the City of Edina in 1976, the nation’s bicentennial. Recently, Anderson celebrated a 200th anniversary of his own: 200 episodes of “Driveway Talk,” an automotive show he has hosted since 1998 on Southwest Community TV Channel 15. Anderson got his professional start with the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Highway Division before transferring to the Street Division of the Public Works Department in Edina. Anderson received a great deal of cross-training over his long career with the City and remembers doing everything from trimming trees to maintaining ice rinks. He ended his career as Sign Shop Equipment Operator, a position from which he retired seven years ago. The interest in cars and knowledge of traffic infrastructure that brought Anderson to Edina paid big dividends 14 years ago when he approached Comcast about producing a half- hour show on classic cars for the Bloomington/ Edina/Richfield market. “After some conversations around town, I definitely thought there would be an audience for that kind of program,” Anderson said. There was; after testing the pilot episode, the station took on “Driveway Talk” as a regular bit. “It’s a great pastime. I figured this was something I could do outside of work and potentially continue to commit to after retiring,” Anderson said. Anderson took advantage of the free time afforded by retirement to pursue his car hobby in other ways as well. He is now also very active in several classic car clubs, including the Minnesota Street Rod Association and Goodguys, the world’s largest hotrod association. Anderson also volunteers time with Aliveness Project, a community center in South Minneapolis that supports the metro’s HIV-positive community with meals, one-on-one counseling and financial consulting. “As time allows, it’s good to help out those in great need,” Anderson said. “Where Are They Now?” is a new feature meant to give employees an idea of what their former colleagues are doing in retirement. If you know of a retiree who might want to be featured in “Where Are They Now?,” call 952-833-9522. beganemployment:1976 WHERE ARETHEY NOW? year ofretirement:2005 present • Bone density screening • Total cholesterol & glucose testing • Cardiorespiratory fitness • Hearing screening • Vision screening • Chair massages • Smoothies • Oral health • Blood pressure reading The Employee Health & Wellness Fair is just another tool the Wellness Committee uses to promote a healthy lifestyle among City of Edina employees. “We value our employees and want to be as supportive as we can about their well-being,” said Recreation Supervisor Donna Tilsner, a member of the Wellness Committee. “The Health Fair will provide outstanding resources and give employees an opportunity to learn more about their health.” Since this will be the first Employee Health & Wellness Fair in many years, employees are looking forward to the event. Associate Planner Joyce Repya is grateful the City is lending a hand when it comes to healthy living. “Maintaining one’s health is a responsibility,” she said. “We’re fortunate to work for a city that provides this opportunity.” Office Coordinator Janet Canton is excited about the event, too. “Definitely looking forward to the chair massages,” she added. The total cholesterol, glucose testing and hearing screening require appointments. Contact Katie Bisek, kbisek@EdinaMN.gov, to schedule one. Enployee Health & Wellness Fair Continued from page 1... parents due to chronic diseases caused by obesity, unhealthy eating and sedentary lifestyles,” said Dr. Marc Manley, Chief Prevention Officer for Blue Cross. “Sustainable changes within communities are urgently needed and the best way to support people in making the healthy choice the easy choice.” The do.town initiative launched in September 2011 and is supported by Blue Cross. This 18-month pilot project to improve the health of citizens in Bloomington, Edina and Richfield focuses on preventing illness caused by unhealthy eating and physical inactivity, which combined are the second leading cause of death and disease in Minnesota. Learn more about do.town by visiting do-town.org or Facebook.com/dotownBER. do.Town Chalkboard Continued from page 4...