HomeMy WebLinkAboutCitySlick_March_2014by Krystal Caron,
Communications Coordinator
On March 7, a four-legged hero passed away.
Kodiak, the Edina Police Department’s K-9 from
2002 to 2010, died at nearly 14 years old.
“Everyone has an off-day, but these
dogs have the same energy and
playfulness [all the time]. If
you’re exhausted, you just
look in the backseat and
have this dog that wants
to play. It makes it so
fun, because it’s like
having a happy partner
with you every day,”
said Sgt. Kevin Rofidal,
Kodiak’s owner and
handler.
The Police Department’s
K-9 program had been
dormant since the early
1970s when the City’s first
K-9 unit took a job with Min-
neapolis. With the help of an
anonymous donor, Rofidal and
Kodiak breathed new life into the local
program.
Kodiak was born in the Czech Republic and
moved to the United States specifically for the
K-9 program. Kodiak was a graduate of the St.
Paul Police K-9 School and twice participated
in the National Detector Dog Trials.
Kodiak spent his days, and nights, with Rofidal.
He shared a home with Rofidal, Patrol Officer
Kenna Dick, and their children, Lucy and George.
“In his retirement years, he grew especially
fond of sleeping under the kid’s high chair to
catch any food scraps that happened to fall,”
remembered Dick. “Kodiak and Kevin were a
great team. They developed a bond that will
never be forgotten. Kodiak was more than a
police dog – he was a partner to everyone at
the Police Department and part of our family.”
Thinking back to one of Kodiak’s many im-
pressive moments, Rofidal re-
membered a call to Hopkins to re-
trieve a missing firearm after
a shooting. “They wanted to
see if I could find the gun
in the courtyard of the
apartment. Kodiak was
looking for the human
scent on the gun and
within 10 seconds, he
put his nose in the
mulch and found the
gun, stuffed down into
the mulch.”
After that, the mood
lightened considerably
as Rofidal congratulated
Kodiak for a job well done.
“I’m jumping up and down
and patting him, and trying to
be as animated as I can – all in front
of these ‘bad guys’ and Police Officers,”
Rofidal explained, laughing.
“Kodiak set the standard for all Edina PD K-9s.
Kodiak was able to differentiate between work,
play, community relations and home. He was
a great K-9 and we will never be able to count
how many people and officers he protected or
saved,” said Sgt. Viktors Konters.
Kodiak’s legacy continues. The K-9 Unit in-
cludes Officer Mike Seeger and Diesel and
Officer Jason Behr and Blade. Like Kodiak,
both German Shepherd dogs were imported
from Europe to join their handlers.CITYSLICK p1
A newsletter for the City Council and employees of the City of Edina
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
2 Around The
Water Cooler
2 Staff Notes
3 Employee Milestones
4 Letterbag
4 Wellness Corner
3|14|2014
Remembering Kodiak
March 16, Rebecca,
Engineering
March 17, Jeff, Engineering
March 17, Heather,
Administration
March 18, Peter, Braemar
Arena
March 20, Gary, Public
Works
March 20, Morgan, Police
March 22, Tim, Police
March 23, Tim, Public
Works
March 23, David,
Centennial
Lakes Park
March 29, Doug,
Centennial
Lakes Park
March 31, Vera, Parks &
Recreation
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.
Fire-Rescue & Inspections
The Edina Fire Department was called to the
5500 block of Malibu Drive at 11:30 a.m.
Monday, Feb. 10, after receiving a report of a
furnace fire. Fire crews discovered a working
fire upon arrival, which was quickly extin-
guished. However, due to the buildup of smoke
and carbon monoxide (CO), the home had to
be aired out. No injuries were reported.
The mother, who was home alone with her
three children, did the right thing by getting
everyone out of the home and calling 9-1-1
as soon as she smelled smoke. When fire
crews arrived, carbon monoxide levels were
measured at 400 parts per million (ppm) –
a lethal amount. Residential CO alarms start
alerting occupants at 70 ppm.
The family had CO alarms plugged in.
However, they had expired. According to man-
ufacturer’s warranties, CO alarms should be
replaced by the detector’s expiration date. If
there’s no expiration date, CO alarm manu-
facturers note that the active live span of the
devices range from five to seven years.
According to a state law passed in 2006, all
homes must have a CO alarm within 10 feet of
each bedroom.
People were encouraged to change their bat-
teries in their smoke and carbon monoxide
alarms when they changed their clocks after
daylight saving time. If you didn’t change your
batteries then, do it now. It may just save a
life!
Police
As part of a Special Olympics fundraiser, the
Edina Police Department’s “Polar Bear Plunge”
team dubbed The Spider Pigs jumped into the
icy water of Lake Riley on Saturday, March 8,
in Eden Prairie.
The Spider Pigs, comprised of Reserve Officer
Katie Heymer, Officer Brian Hubbard, Lead
Dispatcher Tony Martin, Police Chief Dave
Nelson, Property & Evidence Technician Jan
Rodriguez and Officer Mike Seeger, raised
more than $3,300 prior to the big jump. Even
though the plunge is over, the group can still
collect donations at www.plungemn.org/team/
spiderpigs.
The Polar Bear Plunge – presented by Min-
nesota law enforcement as part of the year-
round Law Enforcement Torch Run events to
benefit Special Olympics – is a unique oppor-
tunity for individuals, organizations and busi-
nesses to support Special Olympics athletes by
jumping into frigid Minnesota waters.
The Spider Pigs have participated in the Polar
Plunge since 2007.
CITYSLICK p2
AROUND THEWATER COOLER
STAFF NOTES
Vanessa Politz began work
on Feb. 18 as the new As-
sessing Specialist. Politz
most recently worked at
Scott County as a Res-
idential Appraiser. She
holds a bachelor’s degree in
hospitality management and
business from South Dakota State University.
By Krystal Caron, Communications Coordinator
The Edina Fire Department was recognized last
month for its dedication to fire safety, prevention
and education of Edina youth.
“The Fire Department strongly believes that edu-
cating our youth is vitally important in establishing
a lifelong practice of fire safety,” said Fire Chief Tom
Schmitz. “We pride ourselves on interacting with our
youth in a variety of ways such as Safety Camp, in-
school presentations and many other types of com-
munity engagements.”
The Fire Department’s commitment to youth begins
with pre-school children and follows the kids through
high school. The Department works with pre-school
children to teach them the basics of fire safety. That
education is the foundation for Safety Camp for in-
coming fourth graders and the many neighborhood
block parties and City park programs held during the
summer months. The Fire Department works with
high school students to create a mock drunk driving
accident every two years before prom. The simu-
lation puts students face-to-face with the dangers of
drinking and driving.
Part of the Edina Community Foundation, Con-
necting With Kids (CWK) works to connect indi-
viduals, families, organizations and other resources
in Edina to help fulfill their responsibility to raise
healthy children and develop a healthy community.
Each year, CWK presents Leadership Awards to
people and organizations that have had direct and
positive impact on Edina, specifically by fostering
greater ties between youth and adults while building
developmental assets in children.
The Edina Fire Department was one of six recipients
of the 2014 CWK Leadership Awards, which were
presented Feb. 28 at Braemar Golf Course. In ad-
dition to the Edina Fire Department, the 2014 re-
cipients included:
• Beverly Claflin, Director of Music, Mt. Olivet
Church
• Kathleen Foye MacLennan, STRIVE volunteer
and ACCESS founder
• Nancy Schaber, Fairview Southdale Volunteer
Specialist
• John Flynn, Rotary Club of Edina Camp
Enterprise Leader
• Creek Valley PTA Wellness Committee
For more information on the award, visit
www.connectingwithkidsedina.org.
CITYSLICK p3
Paramedic/Firefighter Brian Hanrahan accepted the 2014 Connecting
With Kids Leadership Award award on behalf of the Edina Fire
Department.
Ph
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Connecting with Kids Honors EDINA FIRE DEPARTMENT
“...educating
our youth
is vitally
important in
establishing
a lifelong
practice of
firesafety.”
EMPLOYEE MILESTONES
Mark Biermaier, Police, 15 years.
(March 8, 1999)
Dominic Hadzima, Fire-Rescue & Inspections,
15 years. (March 29, 1999)
Michael Gorshe, Fire-Rescue & Inspections,
15 years. (March 22, 1999)
Elissa Kapala, Police, 15 years.
(March 7, 1999)
Justin Simonson, Public Works, 10 years.
(March 15, 2004)
David Goergen, Public Works, 5 years.
(March 16, 2009)
CITYSLICK p4
If your computer is
infected, turn it off.
The latest malware strains – or
“viruses” – have proved to be
very destructive. If you think
your computer is infected, the
best thing you can do is hold
down the power button until it
shuts off, even before calling I.T. We do not normally rec-
ommend shutting your computer off this way, but in this
particular case, time is of the essence. We understand that
you need your computer to do your job, but if you leave it
on, it could potentially affect every computer or every file
on the network. Once your computer is off, please contact
I.T. at 952-903-5711 or helpdesk@EdinaMN.gov.
You should “hard power” your computer off when:
• You see warnings from the antivirus in your taskbar
• A message pops up stating your computer is infected
• Your files appear to be corrupt
You can avoid infection by:
• Avoiding suspicious websites
• Not opening email attachments or click on links from
unknown senders
• Verifying the web address before clicking on a link,
• And paying attention when clicking on pop-ups. Read
the message before clicking “Yes” or “Install.”
Please remember that network security is everyone’s re-
sponsibility.
For more information, contact I.T. staff at 952-903-5711 or
helpdesk@EdinaMN.gov.
TECHY TIDBITS
LETTER BAG
Selected letters are
printed in City Slick
each month to let you
know what residents
and businesses think of
your services.
“I want to commend [Utility Operator Matt Egan] and
[Utility Operator Josh Wagner] from the Utilities Di-
vision for responding so rapidly and professionally to the
water pipe break near our house. Matt came out Sunday
morning within a half hour of our call to the Police De-
partment describing our suspicions about a possible
break. He kept in touch throughout the process and had
a great “ear” for where the leak was located. Matt en-
couraged us to call at any time if the situation worsened
before the contractors could fix the break. Josh was with
the contractor on Tuesday slogging through the water and
mud, and keeping me apprised of the situation.”
“I look forward to telling everyone who listens, what a
great job the City did.”
– Kolleen Sogard
It’s time to
plant a plant!
The Edina Wellness
Committee will host
its annual spring
plantings for employees in the lobby of City Hall and at
the Public Works & Park Maintenance Facility in April.
Tomatoes and Peppers
• 10-11 a.m. Tuesday, April 1 at Edina City Hall
• 9-10 a.m. Wednesday, April 2 at Public Works &
Park Maintenance Facility
Lettuce, Squash and More
• 10-11 a.m. Tuesday, April 22 at Edina City Hall
• 9-10 a.m. Wednesday, April 23 at Public Works &
Park Maintenance Facility
There’s no need to sign up! Just show up at the
planting table with your sleeves rolled up and ready to
get a little dirt on your hands. Think spring!
WELLNESS CORNER