HomeMy WebLinkAboutCitySlick_February_2013A newsletter for the City Council and employees of the City of Edina
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by Brady Skoglund, Communications Intern
For a police officer, it’s hard to ignore the
call of duty no matter the situation. Brian
Hubbard is no exception. For the past five
years, Hubbard has served the City of Edina
as a Patrol Officer, but recently he transitioned
from the streets of Edina to the hallways
of Edina High School as a School Resource
Officer.
“The goal is to be a resource to staff, students
and parents at the school,” said Hubbard of
his new position.
As School Resource Officer, Hubbard is a man
of many talents all relating to his previous
position as a patrol officer. Hubbard is
responsible for a variety of tasks, including
helping with student issues, presenting in
classes and consulting on security concerns
throughout the district.
“It can be extremely varied,” said Hubbard.
Hubbard has given presentations on subjects
ranging from constitutional rights to proper
emergency airway management for lifeguards.
Aaron White is the Resource Officer for the
middle schools. The two work together often
and attend Tuesday morning meetings at the
Edina Police Department. Their desks are
across from each other at the station.
Both Hubbard and White have similar
responsibilities as Resource Officers, but the
main distinction is the age of students with
whom they work.
Taking over for former Resource Officer Kenna
Dick, Hubbard’s position as Resource Officer
began at the beginning of the 2012-2013
school year. He will continue to serve this post
for the next four years.
According to Edina Police Lt. Mike Nibbe,
Hubbard was selected for the position out of
three total applicants and was eligible for the
spot by having five years of experience with
the Edina Police Department.
Before becoming an officer, he worked for
10 years as a youth worker for the YMCA,
working primarily with middle school and
high school students.
Sgt. Brian Tholen thinks Hubbard was a great
choice for the position.
“Brian is dedicated and he cares about the
kids,” said Tholen. “He can relate to high
school kids perfectly.”
Although Hubbard misses being a patrol
officer, he is happy to be in his new position
because he enjoys having the opportunity to
get to know the staff and students.
“It’s a different type of job,” said Hubbard.
Hubbard has enjoyed being in the schools
because of the variety his position offers
him while still being able to work in the law
enforcement field in Edina.
“The school district is fantastic,” said Hubbard,
“it’s a good gig.”
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
2 Around The
Water Cooler
2 Letter Bag
3 A Day In The Life
4 Staff Notes
Feb. 18, Sean, Police
Feb. 29, Tom, Public Works
Mar. 2, Daniel, Public
Works
March 4, Mitzi,
Community
Development
March 5, Brian, Fire
March 7, Matthew, Public
Works
March 7, Travis, Public
Works
March 9, John, Fire
March 9, John, Public
Works
From the Roadways to the Hallways
EMPLOYEE MILESTONES
Scott Denfeld,
Communications &
Technology Services, 5
years. (Feb. 17, 2008)
Donald Dibble, Public
Works – Streets, 25
years. (Feb. 24, 1988)
Tony Leone, Public
Works – Maintenance,
30 years. (Feb. 22, 1983)
2|15|2013
CITYSLICK p2
Communications & Technology
Services
A new monthly program debuted Feb.
1 on Edina 16 featuring the business
community. “Enterprise Edina” is a short
program featuring local businesses. It is
hosted by Edina Chamber of Commerce
President Lori Syverson with regular guest
appearances by City of Edina Economic
Development Manager Bill Neuendorf. The
show is sponsored by the Edina Chamber of
Commerce and other area businesses. The
program airs daily at 2:15 a.m., 10:15 a.m.
and 6:15 p.m. The videos are also posted
online and can be found at
www.EdinaMN.gov. A new episode begins
airing on the first day of
each month.
Fire
Edina’s Special Operations Team (SOT) used
several different types of tools to train in late
January for rescue operations that would require
them to cut through cement floors and walls.
The SOT became a member of Minnesota Task
Force One (MN-TF1) in 2004, which responds
to statewide structural collapse emergencies,
such as the 2007 Interstate 35-W bridge collapse
in Minneapolis. Members of the SOT used
jackhammers, heavy-duty saws and other tools to
train for such emergencies at Edina’s old Public
Works building on Eden Avenue.
While the SOT trains regularly, it’s not every day
they get to cut holes in the walls and floors of an
old building!
Police
The Edina Police Department kicked off the New
Year with a new monthly safety initiative, “Focus
In.” Since Feb. 1, Police have focused on one of
the most prevalent and under-enforced traffic
violations – failure to signal.
“These violations may pose little safety risk to the
driver, but failing to signal has a great potential
for accidents caused by other affected motorists,”
said Sgt. Scott Kuyper.
Education will include a warning to those who
violate the statutes or codes. In extenuating
circumstances, a citation may be issued.
January’s focus was obstructed windshields
and 52 drivers were stopped in violation of the
statute.
Each month this year, patrol officers will focus
police efforts on a specific statutory violation in
order to educate the public and gain compliance.
For the following months, police will “Focus
In” on unsafe equipment, failure to display
headlights, bike safety, curfew violations,
pedestrian safety, child and seatbelt safety, school
bus stop arm protocol, speed in school zones,
night and snow parking, and the “move over”
law.
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 to let you
know what residents and
businesses think of your
services.
“I just received my issue of About Town. I
really liked the way the photos turned out in this issue, especially
the black-and-white photo of Ann Kattreh. Seems like there were
more color photos in this issue, too – nice.”
– Michael Braun
“I just wanted to say thank you to the Edina snowplow crew. The
plow came down my street twice on Sunday and both times, as I
was backing up on my tractor, got near the end of my driveway and
looked for traffic ... there was the plow, stopped down the street,
waiting for me to confirm that I saw him so that I could wave him
on through.
“You don’t realize how big those plows are until you look at one
head on. If you can figure out who the driver was, please thank him
for watching out for me. I always intend to stop at the end of my
driveway and look both ways, but it only takes one time to forget to
do it.”
– Mary Wolff
LETTER BAG
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Having worked 10 years in the parks and recreation
field, Amanda Holle knows she made the right career
choice. As Assistant Manager of Edinborough Park,
she remains enthusiastic about the future of the park.
Holle’s passion for parks and recreation
careers began in 2003 while she was
working at the City of Minnetonka’s
Fitness Center. After she graduated
from Hopkins High School in 2005,
Holle began working at a few of the
other Minnetonka facilities: Gray’s
Bay Marina in Minnetonka and the
Minnetonka Ice Arena.
In the summer of 2007, Holle began
work in the Minnetonka Recreation
Department as the Playground
Supervisor, where she was in charge of
Summer Playgrounds, Camp Jidana and
the T-ball programs. That was when she
realized her inherent interest in recreation.
After a year of studying at the University of
Wisconsin–Stout, Holle transferred to the University
of Minnesota to study Recreation Administration.
She first began at
Edinborough Park
in 2009 in guest
services. She was
promoted to the
manager of the
concessions stand
at Edinborough Park
once it opened in the
fall of 2011. When
Susie Miller became
Manager of Braemar
Arena, Holle was
made the Interim
Edinborough Park
Assistant Manager.
Once Ann Kattreh
became Assistant
Director of the
Parks & Recreation
Department and
Susan Faus began
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF ...EDINBOROUGH PARK ASSISTANT MANAGER AMANDA HOLLE
by Jordan Gilgenbach, Communications Coordinator‘I am excited
about all the
changes. It’s
fun to be part
of it all.’
as Edinborough Park and the Aquatic Center’s
Manager in 2012, Holle was hired as the full-time
Assistant Manager of Edinborough Park and the
Edina Aquatic Center.
“I like to be busy,” Holle said. While the
addition of the Aquatic Center means
there will be no more ‘quiet season’
for Holle, she thinks it is a great
fit. “Edinborough can be quiet in
the summer. This keeps me busy
year-round and I love it.”
As Assistant Manager, Holle
helps with all the day-to-day
operations, oversees operations
of the concession stand, answers
a wide range of inquiries,
supervises part-time staff and
more. This time of year, she is
heavily involved in preparing for the
upcoming season at the Edina Aquatic
Center.
While there have been a lot of changes at both
facilities over the last two years, she said there are
more, smaller changes to come.
“I am excited about all the changes,” she said.
“It’s fun to be part of it all.”
“I’ve always wanted to work in the Parks and
Recreation field” Holle said. “I can’t wait to
continue to grow in my most recent role and see
what the future holds for me.”
Holle lives in St. Louis Park with her boxer-lab
mix, Piper. She is an avid runner, finishing her
first half marathon in September 2012 and is
training for another one this year. She enjoys
exercising, yoga, ice cream and taking Piper on
long walks and to the dog park.
For more information, contact Holle at
952-833-9543.
CAUGHT IN THE ACT
Centennial Lakes Park staff hosted an
employee skating night Feb. 7, complete
with free skate rentals, hot dogs and hot
chocolate. Communications & Technology
staff Jordan Gilgenbach, Kaylin Martin,
Emilie Kastner and Katie Bisek had a great
time on the ice!
CITYSLICK p4
Communications Intern Brady
Skoglund began work for
the City Jan. 9. Skoglund is
a graduate of the University
of Minnesota Duluth. In
addition to his work for the
City of Edina, Skoglund is an
intern in Gov. Mark Dayton’s
communications office.
STAFF NOTES
Jan. 28, Trevor Tuinenga
began work as a full-time
Public Service Worker –
Streets/Asphalt for the
Public Works Department.
Tuinenga was an intern last
summer in the Public Works
Department and has worked
part-time for Braemar Arena since
2006. He is a graduate of Hennepin Technical
College with a Public Works Certificate.
Dietrich Nissen was hired as
part-time Video Production
Assistant. His first day
was Dec. 26, 2012. An
Edina native, Nissen holds
a bachelor’s degree in
broadcast journalism from
the University of St. Thomas.
Nissen comes to us with a strong
background in news reporting and production
and most recently worked as a reporter/
photojournalist at KAAL-TV in Rochester.
TECHY TIDBITS
by Katie Bisek, I.T. Specialist
With winter germs going around, we encourage
you to give your computer a little cleanup. Here
are some suggestions on the best ways to clean
these devices. You will first want to shut down
your computer.
LCD Monitor: For the screen, take a soft damp
cloth, such as a microfiber towel, and wipe the
screen. It is not recommended to use a
disinfecting wipe on the screen. Using one around the outside is
fine.
Keyboard: Flip the keyboard over and tap to dislodge any particles
from the keys. You may even want to find the nearest vacuum with
a hose or use canned air to get out any leftovers. Use a disinfecting
wipe or a wet paper towel to clean the keys and the rest of the
keyboard.
Mouse: Use a disinfecting wipe or a wet paper towel to remove any
buildup. Don’t forget to clean the bottom and the wheel.
Phone: You may unplug your phone to do this. Otherwise, just wipe
carefully. Use a disinfecting wipe or a wet paper towel to remove
any buildup. Make sure to clean the handset, too.
There is some file cleanup you can do, too!
A majority of the City’s copiers and large format printers are set up
to scan to specific folders on the Citywide and Police drives. These
folders are intended as a holding spot for scanned files and should
be moved immediately to their permanent locations. Unfortunately,
these folders continue to get filled up, occupying a portion of
our valuable backup space. Please help us out by looking in your
department’s scanning folder to clean out every last file.
In case you aren’t aware of the location of the scanning folders,
they can be found in the following places depending on your
department:
1. Start by opening Computer (Win 7) or My Computer (Win XP).
2. For the majority of City departments, you look in Citywide I:
or K: (for Fire). For the Police Department, you will look in the
Police G:
3. Within the above folders, there will be a Scanning folder. Open
this folder.
4. Within the scanning folder, there will be the individual
department/division folders. Open the appropriate folder for
your department/division.
5. The files located within your department/division folder are the
ones that need to be cleaned out. Also be sure to clean out files
in the new “Output” subfolder there.
For more information, write to helpdesk@EdinaMN.gov or leave a
message at 952-903-5711.
The Engineering Department
welcomed Laura Adler
Jan. 28 as Water Resource
Coordinator, a newly created
position. Adler most recently
worked for the City of St.
Louis Park, since 2003,
as an Engineering Program
Coordinator and, prior to that, as
a Hydrologist for the Minnesota Department
of Transportation. She received a bachelor’s
degree from the University of Minnesota.
Jamie La Manna was sworn
in Feb. 6 as the newest
member of the Edina Police
Department in the position
of Police Officer. La Manna
most recently worked as a
Detective for the California
Department of Insurance Fraud
Division and as an Investigator for
the Department of Motor Vehicles Investigation
Division. La Manna holds a bachelor’s degree in
criminal justice from California State University.