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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCitySlick_October_2014by Lauryn Grimes, Communications Intern As most of us begin settling in for the long winter months ahead, three employees are packing up their things and saying goodbye. Electrical Supervisor Dan McMahon, Public Service Worker Don Dibble and Police Department Records Technician Susan Quist – all longtime stewards of Edina – are retiring this month. “Dan was always so giving of himself; always a go-to guy – you could always count on him,” said Greg Bretson, South Metro Public Safety Training Facility Building Engineer and longtime colleague of McMahon’s. “He was a real asset. The City will be at a loss without him.” McMahon has been with the City for 35 years, so he said retirement is going to be a big change. “The friends and the people [I’ve gotten] to know, I’m going to miss that. It’s going to be weird not driving the 35 miles from Waconia [every day],” said McMahon. “I won’t miss the traffic, but I never had a time when I didn’t want to get up and come to work. The City of Edina has been a great place to work.” “Dan takes initiative to make sure the job is done right. He also empowers his employees to flourish and complete projects of their own, which gives them leadership skills,” said Public Works Director Brian Olson. McMahon started with the City as a Custodian in 1979 and worked his way up the ranks from serving as an Electrical Technician to obtaining his master electrician’s licenses. He is now the Electrical Supervisor and oversees a division of four which includes two HVAC employees and two electricians. Aside from his supervising duties, McMahon is in charge of filling out electrical permits as well as inspecting the jobs his employees complete to make sure that they are done to standard. ”I’ve done everything from hang banners for the Bicentennial in 1988, to cutting in traffic loops at 50th and Wooddale and doing an electric remodel at the Art Center,” said McMahon. After leaving the City, McMahon plans to join his brother and sister-in-law at their electrical business doing odd jobs and also help when they need someone to do service work. He recently bought A newsletter for the City Council and employees of the City of Edina INSIDE THIS ISSUE 2 Around The Water Cooler 3 Letter Bag 4 Staff Notes 10|10|2014 Edina Says Goodbye To Three More Oct. 11, Craig, Fire-Rescue & Inspections Oct. 11, Steve, Edina Liquor Oct. 13, Amy, Police Oct. 20, Mary, Braemar Golf Course Oct. 22, Eric, Finance Oct. 22, Brandon, Fire- Rescue & Inspections Oct. 23, Laurene, Police Oct. 23, Mike, Fire-Rescue & Inspections Oct. 24, Dave, Police Oct. 24, Beverly, Community Development Oct. 25, Ann, Parks & Recreation Oct. 25, Bill, Administration Oct. 26, Kyle, Finance Oct. 26, Lee, Public Works Oct. 27, Ruth, Fire-Rescue & Inspections CITYSLICK p1 Edina Says Goodbye, Continued on Page 3 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. Edina Liquor Every October, Edina Liquor holds a food drive for Volunteers Enlisted to Assist People (VEAP). Annually, we collect more food and money than the previous year and we hope this year will be no exception. We always appreciate the food donations. However, the dollars we collect go much further, because $1 is the equivalent of three pounds of food. If you bring in five non-perishable food items or make a minimum of a $5 donation to VEAP at Edina Liquor, you will receive a coupon for 10 percent off your next purchase. Thanks in advance for your support of our local food shelf! Edina Liquor – 50th & France closed its doors temporarily Sept. 22 to begin a month-long remodeling project. The store was last remodeled in 1998, but was in need of an update to reflect the refreshed brand. The updated interior will boast new lighting, vinyl floors, checkout area, entry way, office, ceiling and other improvements. The goal is to make it look consistent with our other stores and make it brighter and easier to shop. Edina Liquor – 50th & France will reopen in late October, but until then you can follow our progress on Facebook. Edina Liquor – Southdale is sponsoring a free community shredding event! From 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 25, bring in those unneeded documents and shred them in a safe and secure way. This event is only at our Southdale location, 6755 York Ave. S., next to Cub Foods. Police Eight members of “The Crew,” a North Minneapolis-based heroin trafficking organization, were recently arrested and charged for conspiring to distribute heroin. The indictment is the result of an investigation conducted by the Southwest Hennepin Drug Task Force, which includes Police Officer Adam L’Heureux. The Crew would buy heroin from Chicago and drive it back to the Twin Cities, where they would sell more than 5,000 packets of heroin each month for an approximate street value of more than $140,000. L’Heureux will continue work on the case and complete his assignment with the Task Force until he returns to Patrol in December 2015. Fire According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a home structure fire was reported every 87 seconds in 2009. October is National Fire Prevention Month and serves as an excellent time to examine your preparedness. Here are some questions you should be able to answer: Do you have a home fire escape plan? Have you changed your smoke-alarm batteries within the last year? Do you know the main reasons fires start in homes? What precautions are you taking to prevent a fire from happening in your home? Engineering This season’s street reconstructions are quickly wrapping up. Work has already been completed in Strachauer Park B and Countryside F. In addition, Hazelton Road was reconstructed between the Promenade and France Avenue, where a roundabout was added at the entrances to Byerly’s, Think Bank and Guitar Center. Construction on France Avenue, the 50th & France parking ramps and in Morningside B and Bredesen Park D are expected to wrap up in the coming weeks. MILESTONES Thomas Mason, Police, 25 years. (Oct. 31, 1989) Michael Swanson, Public Works, 20 years. (Oct. 5, 1994) Laurie Aasen, Finance, 15 years. (Oct. 27, 1999) CITYSLICK p2 AROUND THEWATER COOLER an Ice Castle – a trailer for ice fishing – which can be used like an RV and will be used for camping in the summertime. McMahon also enjoys making regulation bean-bag toss boards. “I’ve enjoyed my time here with the City. I just can’t believe it’s already time to retire, but I’m looking forward to it,” noted McMahon. Dibble, who’s been with the city for nearly 27 years, said he’s going to miss the camaraderie most, but that’s not to say, he won’t miss his job, too. “I’ll miss working on different tasks every day and doing the job until I’m finished with whatever it is,” he said. “When I worked construction before coming to Edina, I was taught to finish the job so someone else doesn’t have to.” Dibble started his career with the City as a Janitor for the Public Works Facility until he started work for the Streets Division a couple years later. While with Streets, just a few of Dibble’s tasks were serving as an equipment operator, repairing sprinklers and working on the patch truck. Once retired, Dibble will spend time with his 5-year-old grandson, play more golf at his “home” course, Braemar, and try to watch more movies with his wife of 40 years. Dibble grew up in Edina and still calls Edina home. “One of my friends recently said to me ‘Don, you never leave Edina,” said Dibble. “I replied ‘why would I leave Edina when everything I need is here?’ I live here. I work here. I love Edina.” Quist has been with the City of Edina for 14 years. She began as an Office Manager for the Police Department and transitioned to Records Technician when the Department reorganized. “Susan has always been so helpful and friendly to everyone,” said Crime Prevention Specialist Molly Anderson. “We’ll really miss her positive and upbeat presence, but I’m happy for her to start on her new adventure!” “I will miss the people, but also the assortment of things to do. It’s never dull. It’s crazy, but it’s organized chaos,” said Quist.” I have a lot of friendships on the City Hall side as well as the Police side that I will miss.” Quist has many duties to attend to on a daily basis. Some of them include managing false alarm billing, annual liquor license renewals, transcribing interviews and handling paperwork involving background checks for gun permits. “Susan has been a dedicated employee within the Department for more than 14 years,” said Police Chief Dave Nelson. “I’ve enjoyed working with her as she always maintained a positive attitude and a friendly personality. [Her] retirement will be a loss to our department, but I am happy for her as she opens a new chapter in life.” Quist has three grandchildren with whom she plans to spend plenty of time with following her retirement. Right now though, she’s “getting her ducks in a row” to figure out what she will do with her newfound freedom. Quist’s daughter is the Director of The Wildcat Sanctuary in Sandstone, Minnesota, where Quist will volunteer her time. Quist’s last day will be Thursday, Oct. 17; McMahon’s Wednesday, Oct. 29; and Dibble’s Friday, Oct. 31. Everyone is welcome to celebrate Quist’s last day at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17 in the Police Department break room, where cake and ice cream will be served. A celebration will also be held for McMahon at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29 and Dibble at noon Friday, Oct. 31, both in the break room at the Public Works & Park Maintenance Facility, 7450 Metro Blvd. Cake and ice cream will be served at those parties, too. LETTER BAG “Just wanted to thank whoever it was in Public Works who paved the pothole/strip cut into the pavement at 62nd Street and Wyman [Avenue.] It had been getting pretty jarring and hard to avoid. Glad it’s got a nice coat of pavement on it now. Thanks!” - Dave Bender “Thank you so much [Officer Dave Lindman] for your delightful and interesting visit to our Trillium Lane block party during Edina’s Night to Unite. We were so interested in hearing about your undercover beat in the Southdale area and how you identify people who may enter the mall with the intent to shoplift. We enjoyed seeing and hearing about the features of the traffic vehicle you were driving on Tuesday. “Thank you also for the literature, coloring books, crayons, sidewalk chalk and miscellaneous other give-aways. They were a big hit. We appreciate all that you and your colleagues do to keep us safe in our community.” - Carol Kaemmerer Edina Says Goodbye, Continued from Page 1 CITYSLICK p3 for their accomplishments and years of service. In addition, attendees will hear from City of Edina EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION LUNCHEONLUNCHEON Register through Edinet at www.extranet.EdinaMN.gov by Oct. 13. For more information, contact Heather Branigin at 952-826-0403 or HBranigin@EdinaMN.gov. Monday, Oct. 20 Braemar Golf Course 11 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. All full-time and year-round part-time employees are invited to attend. STAFF NOTES Dave Schmitzer was promoted to Fire Captain for the Fire-Rescue & In- spections Department Sept. 21. Schmitzer joined the Department in 1996 and worked as a Paramedic/Fire- fighter until he was promoted to Lieu- tenant in 2000. Brandon Freeman began work as a Utilities Public Service Worker for the Public Works Department Sept. 22. Freeman has worked for the Public Works Department as a seasonal employee in the Streets Division for the past two summers. Prior to working for the City, Freeman also worked for Morrie’s Cadillac as a Used Car Technician. Hannah Watkins began work as Communications Intern with the Communications & Technology Services Department Oct. 1. Watkins recently graduated from Saint Cloud State University with a degree in mass communications and a minor in marketing. She will work Mondays and Wednesdays, opposite Communications Intern Lauryn Grimes’ Tuesday and Thursday schedule. Scott Thiry began work as Video Production Assistant with the Communications & Technology Services Department Oct. 2. Thiry received his bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from St. Cloud State University and most recently worked at Shady Oak Studios as a Videographer/Editor.