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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEditionEdina_July_20144801 W. 50th St. Edina, MN 55424 952-927-8861 mail@EdinaMN.gov www.EdinaMN.gov The City’s next online discussion is now available at www.SpeakUpEdina.org. The discussion, which focuses on community gardens, is available until Aug. 31. The City is wrapping up its second year of the Yorktown Community Garden at York Park. In the discussion, the City will ask whether or not residents use a community garden; if they think more community gardens should be added; and where they think additional community gardens would be beneficial in Edina. In July, the City gathered feedback on public spending on public art. Questions posted ranged from whether or not the City should purchase permanent public art, additional areas to display public art and how much should be spent on public art. Feedback from the discussion will be presented to the City Council Aug. 19. To weigh in on this month’s discussion, visit www.SpeakUpEdina.org. The City of Edina Speak Up, Edina! JULY 2014 Volume 1, Issue 7 Legend: Infrastructure Commercial and Mixed-Use Redevelopment Workforce Communication and Engagement Community Vision Aviation Noise Edi tion: Edina To Go: The Mobile App to Keep You Updated Our 21st century world never stops. We are in a constant state of updates and downloads. As we continue to move toward a new-and-improved world filled with technology and online competency, apps have taken over, and the City of Edina will not fall behind. In early June, the City launched a free mobile app, called “Edina To Go.” “This is a way to literally put Edina’s City government in residents’ hands to help solve problems and issues,” said City Manager Scott Neal. The City hired PublicStuff to develop the app. PublicStuff is a company specializing in both service requests and mobile apps for municipalities. PublicStuff has developed mobile apps for many cities, including Philadelphia and New York City. Edina To Go was PublicStuff’s first municipal project in Minnesota. “This is further evidence of the City of Edina’s strong commitment to being responsive to the needs of their community,” said Surya Yalamanchili, CEO of PublicStuff. “We’re excited to partner with Edina in making it easier for residents to work together in improving their neighborhoods.” “This [app] will transform the way residents interact with the City and find information,” said Communications Coordinator Jordan Gilgenbach. The instantaneous nature of mobile apps is a benefit for the City in this case. This type of medium will allow the City to keep content fresh and to provide periodic updates. “Edina To Go is a source for quick information for residents,” said Gilgenbach. “Through the app, residents can read recent news, connect with City staff and elected officials and even make service requests, like reporting potholes and other issues.” Since its release, the app has been downloaded over 600 times and 38 service requests have been made through the app. Numbers are expected to steadily increase. Edina To Go is available for free in both the iTunes App Store and the Android Google Play store. For more information on the Edina To Go mobile app, visit www.EdinaMN.gov/edina-to-go. With a father who was a lifetime PGA member, new Braemar Golf Course General Manager Joe Abood grew up steeped in the golfing community. “I basically grew up in the golf industry. … We had a family- owned driving range … and I used to go to golf courses that my father worked at,” explained Abood, who started work in Edina July 7. Abood is originally from Maryland and helped run the family driving range for several years. Sixteen years ago, he began working for KemperSports and helped manage six courses for them over that time. His first assignment with KemperSports landed him in familiar territory. “There was a course that [my dad] opened up [as head pro] in 1968 and in 1998, I went back and I started working for that course,” recalled Abood. He spent several years there and then at another course in Maryland before KemperSports took him to New Jersey. Although he’s an East Coast native, he isn’t without Minnesota connections. “The main reason we came out here is that my wife’s family is from around here. New Jersey is not where I wanted to raise my family,” he explained. Abood is anxious to revitalize Braemar and help make his mark on the direction of the golf operations. He’s well-suited to the task; his last assignment in New Jersey was strikingly similar. The Union County course was a municipally owned golf club that the county decided to revitalize. In addition to a notable golf course, they also boasted a learning center – much like the Braemar Golf Dome. Abood also noted that Union County made the difficult decision to close one of its courses – similar to Edina’s difficult decision of closing Fred Richards Golf Course at the end of the 2014 season. “Joe was chosen for his experience successfully managing large golf operations, knowledge of the industry and golf trends, experience providing strong leadership and vision for the golf team and his experience managing golf course renovation projects,” explained Assistant Parks & Recreation Director Susan Faus. “We are thrilled to have someone with Joe’s talents leading our golf course operations.” In addition to managing seven full-time employees, Abood will oversee operations at Braemar. The course is set on 500 acres of rolling hills and scenic lakes. It features 27 regulation holes, a 9-hole executive course, a pro shop, driving range, practice putting green, indoor golf dome, banquet and meeting rooms and other amenities. After 50 years of operation, Braemar Golf Course has grown immensely and will continue to be improved in the coming years. “I think the potential is here. It’s a great golf course; it has a lot of history. I think it just needs that little something to bring it back to where it should be,” said Abood. He’s looking forward to the challenge. “It wouldn’t be as exciting if the potential wasn’t there. You can see what it has and what it can be in the future.” For more information, visit www.BraemarGolf.com. Contact Abood directly at jabood@EdinaMN.gov or 952-903-5754. Edina Is ‘Open To Business’ Are you looking to start a business in Edina? The City and the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers (MCCD) are ready to help you get that “open” sign in the window with the “Open to Business” program. Endorsed by the City in 2012, “Open to Business” provides free one-on-one consultation and micro lending to potential and existing business owners to promote economic development and growth in Edina. “I love tapping into the dreams of entrepreneurs and helping them at least explore and sometimes achieve them,” said Business Advisor Rob Smolund, Edina’s primary consultant. The program offers free, one-on-one confidential business consulting to help Edina residents and existing Edina businesses start or grow their business. With “Open to Business advisors, they have resources to help make strategic business decisions in areas of technical assistance, like accounting and record keeping, business start-up, business plan development, strategic planning and others. Advisors also help determine borrowing need and access to financing. In a 30- to 60-minute consultation, Smolund walks clients through an exercise to visualize 10 transactions and instructs them to write a case study on each one. “What did you charge for the service? What do you want to charge for the service? What did it cost you to provide the product or service? Why did the customer choose you over a competitor?” are some of the questions Smolund requires entrepreneurs to answer. “The City is a participant in the program to encourage Edina entrepreneurs to follow their dreams and grow more business investment,” said Economic Development Manager Bill Neuendorf. “Anyone thinking about starting a small business or expanding an emerging business should take advantage of this great resource.” Smolund holds convenient two-hour walk- in sessions 2:30-4:30 p.m. the second Wednesday of every month in the Mill Room of Edina City Hall, 4801 W. 50th St. He is also available to meet any time by appointment. For more information or to schedule a consultation, contact Smolund at 612-789-7337 or visit www.opentobusinessmn.org. New Braemar Golf Manager Brings His Game Braemar Golf Course Celebrates 50 Years Ph o t o b y M i c h a e l B r a u n On July 23, Braemar Golf Course celebrated its 50th anniversary. To recognize the milestone, Braemar will host several events in September. Join the anniversary celebration! Thursday, Sept. 25 Junior Shoot-Out Invitational Braemar Executive Course, 4:30 p.m. Shotgun Start Students are invited to participate in a junior shoot-out at Braemar Golf Course. This free event will include a BBQ dinner. Friday, Sept. 26 “Bellbottoms, Birdies and Beers” Golf Tournament Join us for a ‘70s flashback with “birdies, bellbottoms and beers.” Wear your tie dye and bellbottoms and toast to 50 years of Braemar Golf Course! The tournament will be a two-person team format, $100 per twosome. Registration includes a round of golf, a cart, prizes and a casual dinner. A cash bar will also be available. Saturday, Sept. 27 Drive-In Movie at Braemar For the anniversary celebration finale, watch the movie “Caddyshack” under the stars. Enjoy this classic movie from your very own golf cart! The movie will be shown in the parking lot beginning at 7:30 p.m. Refreshments and treats will be available. JULY 2014 Parking and Streetscape Improvements Under Way at 50th & France Slow the Flow! Future iQ Partners Selected by City to ‘Extend the Horizon’ The City is working to provide better free parking in downtown Edina at 50th & France. Visitors to 50th & France may have already noticed the parking and landscaping improvements under way. Construction was planned in several phases so the work would be done in small batches, allowing visitors to make use of as many of the parking stalls as possible. “We’ve stretched the project out over a longer timeframe. … At any particular time, there should be no more than about 80 stalls taken out of service – that’s less than 10 percent. So, you have 80 stalls taken out, but you’ll still have 950 parking stalls available,” explained Economic Development Manager Bill Neuendorf. This project, funded by the City and area business owners, will continue in the South Ramp through the end of July. Improvements to the other ramps, as well as landscape and sidewalk work, will be finished by October. Perhaps the most impactful portion of the improvements will come in the form of way-finding signs located near and in front of the ramps. The signage will denote the parking ramps as public parking and alert visitors when a parking ramp is full. Neuendorf explained that the groundwork is being laid for those signs already, but it will be a few more months before they are erected. “The new signage is inspired by the iconic Edina Cinema sign,” explained Neuendorf. “This style fits with both the history and the present.” Part of the project also includes the replacement of sidewalk pavers and landscape improvements. Neuendorf explained that the pavers are roughly 25 years old and are deteriorating on the bottom. Construction crews will replace the pavers in segments to prevent blocking entry to several storefronts at a time. In addition, irrigation and new plants will be added around the area. Any dead or dying trees will be replaced with healthy mature trees. The final piece of the project will happen in the spring of 2015 when an elevator will be added to the South Ramp, making it more accessible to all patrons. For more information, contact Economic Development Manager Bill Neuendorf at 952-826-0407 or bneuendorf@EdinaMN.gov. This spring was the wettest on record, and people across the metro area witnessed the unfortunate effects, from flooded basements to mudslides. There has been enough rain to inundate any landscape, but in the urbanized metro area – with its roads, parking lots, driveways and roofs – the effects are more dramatic. Instead of soaking into the soil as it does in natural areas, most rain in the metro runs off of these hard surfaces and into storm drains, where it flows untreated, directly to a water body. This means that our lakes and streams are not just taking on the rain that falls into them, but also the rainfall that drains from hundreds of acres of surrounding developed land. This phenomenon caused Minnehaha Creek to jump more than a foot and a half in a matter of hours after a heavy rain in June. These quick spikes can cause flooding, erosion and habitat destruction. There are many ways you can help slow the flow from your property: • Direct your downspout away from hard surfaces to let more water infiltrate into the ground. • Install a rain barrel to collect rainwater, which can later be used to water your lawn or garden. • Use native plants, which have much deeper roots than standard turf grass. They anchor the soil, filter out pollutants and are less likely to die from high water. • Plant raingardens, which are bowl-shaped gardens filled with attractive plants and flowers that collect the rain from your property. • Plant a native buffer along shorelines to reduce erosion, filter stormwater runoff and deter geese. • Use a strip of pervious pavement on your driveway, which allows water to flow right through the pavement! The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District offers grants to help pay for raingardens, shoreline plantings, pervious pavers and other landscaping features that protect clean water. Learn more at www.minnehahacreek.org/cost-share. By recognizing the importance of the past while preparing for the future, Edina has evolved to be a model among municipalities in the Twin Cities. To continue this value, Edina has teamed up with Future iQ Partners – an international visionary consulting firm that provides an innovative, scenario-based approach for developing community visions – to help update the City’s strategic visionary documents. “Edina Vision 20/20” was completed in 2000 and last updated in 2003. “It’s 2014 and time to extend the horizon,” said Assistant City Manager Karen Kurt. “For this new plan, we may be looking as far ahead as 2040.” Future iQ’s role in the “Vision Edina” project will be to assist with the process to get broad community feedback and to consolidate it into a feasible plan that will help City officials develop a shorter-term strategic plan and a comprehensive plan. “[Edina’s visioning project] is a chance for the people who choose to make the City of Edina home, to have a real say and input into shaping the future,” said Future iQ Partners CEO David Beurle. Similar to the Vision 20/20 plan, from a visionary perspective, Vision Edina will examine where the community has been, where it wants to go and how it is going to get there. From a strategic planning perspective, the plan will examine the challenges and opportunities that have been identified as having the highest priority within the community. Edina will use community feedback to identify these aspects, with the help of Future iQ. “This project is unique, in my view, because Edina is a very high-capacity community and there is a serious commitment from key stakeholders to engage in a meaningful, thoughtful and long-range discussion about the future,” said Beurle. “I think this project has the potential to have an original conversation about the very nature of the future of City living in North America, especially in the Midwest context.” Future iQ has done similar work both in the United States and abroad; these types of projects are their specialty. “Global and societal trends are moving so fast, that 20 years in the future, we might be living in quite a different world. This project has the opportunity to explore and anticipate some important future trends, and find a unique competitive niche for the City of Edina and its residents,” Beurle noted. “[The City has] an aggressive goal of having 1,200 touch points with residents, businesses and other stakeholders with respect to the plan,” said Kurt. “We hope to have the new plan completed by early 2015.” Initial community meetings will be held the second week of September. For more information, contact Kurt, 952-826-0415 or kkurt@EdinaMN.gov. Parking ramp construction has begun at 50th & France, though visitors should see minimal parking reductions during this time. Ph o t o b y K r y s t a l C a r o n Upcoming Events 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1 Music in the Park, Rosland Park 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 4 City Council meeting, Edina City Hall 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5 Edina Police Department Night to Unite Party, Rosland Park 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10 Lighthouse Night, Centennial Lakes Park Enjoy 25-cent ice cream cones, 5-cent balloons, Model T Fords, tricks by a sleight-of-hand magician, music by an Italian organ grinder, a Mechanical Man, “penny farthing” bicycles and more at the Centennial Lakes Torchlight Concert. More than 100 Tiki Torches will burn behind the Hughes Pavilion and the park’s special lighting will be highlighted. Fife & Drums will perform at 7:45 p.m. At 8 p.m., there will be open boating in the Central Pond for model yachts organized by the Edina Model Yacht Club. The First John Philip Sousa Memorial Band will perform in the amphitheater at 8:30 p.m. Fireworks will cap off the night. 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 11 Park Board meeting, Edina City Hall 7 p.m., Monday, Aug. 11 Heritage Preservation Board meeting, Edina City Hall Tuesday, Aug. 12 Primary Election Day 5 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 12 Filing period for City Council candidacy closes 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12 Planning Commission meeting, Edina City Hall 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19 City Council meeting, Edina City Hall 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 21 Transportation Commission meeting, Edina City Hall 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 26 Human Rights & Relations Commission meeting, Edina City Hall 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27 Planning Commission meeting, Edina City Hall 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28 Arts & Culture Commission meeting, Edina City Hall Police ‘Focus In’ on Child Safety and Seat Belts As a part of the 2014 “Focus In” campaign, Edina patrol officers will focus efforts on child safety and seat belts during the month of August. “This month’s Focus In topic is simple,” said Sgt. Tim Olson. “Seat belts and properly installed child car seats save lives.” Often the requirements, use and proper installation of a child passenger restraint system are not clearly understood by those transporting children. The Edina Police Department will enforce the use of seatbelts and encourage residents to properly install children’s car and booster seats. Education will include a warning to those who violate the statutes or codes. In extenuating circumstances, a citation may be issued. Last August, officers issued 10 warnings. “Focus In” is a campaign aimed to educate the public and gain compliance with various state statutes and ordinances. The violations the Police Department focuses on have seasonal relevance, affect the quality of life in Edina or pose safety risks to residents. All statutes are enforced year-round, but additional attention is paid to the focus of the month. This year, Police have already focused on obstructed vision, failure to signal, unsafe equipment, failure to display headlights, bike safety, use of phone or texting while driving and pedestrian safety. For the following months, police will “Focus In” on distracted driving, speed in school zones, night and snow parking, and the “move over” law. For more information, contact the Edina Police Department at 952-826-1610.