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March 1999 Shore ReportCITY OF SHOREWOOD CITIZEN INFORMER March 1999 OPEN, DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT IS ENHANCED BY AN INFORMED POPULACE Public Information Meeting Planned T he City of Shorewood has consid- ered three alternatives for the recon- struction of the intersection of County Road 19, Smithtown Road and Country Club Road. Before moving forward with any of the alternatives, the City of Shorewood desires comments from the residents of Shorewood and Tonka Bay. The City Council has scheduled an open house meeting to provide residents an opportunity to come to City Hall on an informal basis to review the alterna- tives with staff and provide input as to the most desirable alternative. That meeting is scheduled for March 4 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Shorewood City Hall. All three alternatives will be available for review and comment. Input from the public, the Shorewood City Council, and neighboring Tonka Bay residents will all be considered by Hennepin County be- fore a final plan is determined. The "Who's New " of the Planning Commission The names of three newly appointed Planning Commissioners were included in the last Citizen Informerwith promises to follow this month with introductions. Meet the three who complement the Commission with their varied histories and strengths. See page 2. Senior Housing Settlement Reached he City has settled a lawsuit with Eagle Crest Northwest Inc., a developer which originally applied to build an 80 —unit senior housing project 1 1/2 years ago. The development, which is planned for the area along the north side of Highway #7 between Freeman Park and Eureka Road, would now include 60 to 62 units, consisting of as many as fifteen four —unit, single -story buildings. (The final design may include some two —unit buildings.) A settlement agreement and a Resolution allowing the Concept Plan were approved by the City Council at their February 8 meeting. Even with the reduction from 80 to 60 (or 62) units, area residents who attended the meeting voiced concern for additional traffic near the Eureka Road/Highway #7 intersection. The next step for the Eagle Crest proposal is application for Development Stage Approval, which they plan to do in time to be considered at the April 6th Planning Commission meeting. Moratorium Extended While this proposal moves forward, the moratorium on other senior housing projects was extended to mid -1999 to allow time for the City to complete a review of the Comprehensive Plan. Board of Review Meets Monday, April 19th roperty valuation notices should arrive shortly via the mail. Market values in the City of Shorewood saw average increases over last year of: 7% for "off lake" residential property and 11% for residential lakeshore property. These figures are about average for cities around Lake Minnetonka. The increases are generally due to the higher demand in the real estate marketplace for properties in the area. Market value adjustments are also made for building additions, remodeling and other improvements. Property owners who have questions regarding any of the information on the notice may call the number listed on the notice and ask to speak to an assessor. The assessor will be prepared to discuss your situation and, if necessary, will perform a review appraisal on your property. If you are not satisfied following discussion with the assessor, you may appeal your valuation at the Local Board of Review, which is scheduled for Monday, April 19, 1999 at 7:00 p.m. at Shorewood City Hall. Should further appeal seem appropriate, the next step would be to the Hennepin County Board of Equalization. Board of Review — Continued on page 4 MARCH EVENTS 3/2 S I1li T W T F S Road 19 Intersection 3/8 7:00 City Council Meeting. 3/9 7:30 Park Comm. Meeting 3/16 7:00 Planning Comm. Mtg. 1 2 3 4 5 6 V 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Q 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Senior Housing Settlement Reached he City has settled a lawsuit with Eagle Crest Northwest Inc., a developer which originally applied to build an 80 —unit senior housing project 1 1/2 years ago. The development, which is planned for the area along the north side of Highway #7 between Freeman Park and Eureka Road, would now include 60 to 62 units, consisting of as many as fifteen four —unit, single -story buildings. (The final design may include some two —unit buildings.) A settlement agreement and a Resolution allowing the Concept Plan were approved by the City Council at their February 8 meeting. Even with the reduction from 80 to 60 (or 62) units, area residents who attended the meeting voiced concern for additional traffic near the Eureka Road/Highway #7 intersection. The next step for the Eagle Crest proposal is application for Development Stage Approval, which they plan to do in time to be considered at the April 6th Planning Commission meeting. Moratorium Extended While this proposal moves forward, the moratorium on other senior housing projects was extended to mid -1999 to allow time for the City to complete a review of the Comprehensive Plan. Board of Review Meets Monday, April 19th roperty valuation notices should arrive shortly via the mail. Market values in the City of Shorewood saw average increases over last year of: 7% for "off lake" residential property and 11% for residential lakeshore property. These figures are about average for cities around Lake Minnetonka. The increases are generally due to the higher demand in the real estate marketplace for properties in the area. Market value adjustments are also made for building additions, remodeling and other improvements. Property owners who have questions regarding any of the information on the notice may call the number listed on the notice and ask to speak to an assessor. The assessor will be prepared to discuss your situation and, if necessary, will perform a review appraisal on your property. If you are not satisfied following discussion with the assessor, you may appeal your valuation at the Local Board of Review, which is scheduled for Monday, April 19, 1999 at 7:00 p.m. at Shorewood City Hall. Should further appeal seem appropriate, the next step would be to the Hennepin County Board of Equalization. Board of Review — Continued on page 4 MARCH EVENTS 3/2 7:00 Planning Comm. Mtg. 3/4 4:30 -7:30 Open House on County Road 19 Intersection 3/8 7:00 City Council Meeting. 3/9 7:30 Park Comm. Meeting 3/16 7:00 Planning Comm. Mtg. 3/22 7:00 City Council Meeting Underlining indicates cablecast of Council meetings - see schedule on page 2. INSIDE THIS ISSUE Trail ........... ............................... 2 Year 2000 ......... ............................... 2 Communications Corner ................. 2 New Commissioners ....................... 2 Community Events .......................... 3 Senior Center ... ............................... 3 Another Award .. ............................... 3 Mutt Mitt Reminder .......................... 3 Road Restrictions Ahead ................ 4 Shorewood Events Map .................. 4 Communications Corner Good News and No News A n increasing number of people are discovering the convenience of e -mail and are employing it as a communication method for expressing their opinions or making inquiries to City Hall. That's the very good news. Unfortunately, there have been some recent "gaps" in the electronic connection to City Hall and people have reported problems with sending e-mail to our address. Staff, Council and Commissions are "all ears" to input in any form and want to be sure that your messages make it to their appropriate destinations. All correspondence sent via e -mail will be followed by an electronic reply to acknowledge receipt of the message. Anyone sending an electronic message to City Hall who does not receive a reply by the following business day is asked to call 474 -3236 and report the problem. Please keep those "e -cards and letters" coming! cityhall@shorewood.state.net Note: If you get a "bounce back message" when attempting to e -mail City Hall, please forward that message to our intereet service provider at: support @state. net. That information may help them to solve the problem. Council on Cable City Council meetings can be seen on Cable Channel 8 at the following times: February 22 Meeting Thursday, March 4 at 1:30 p.m. March 8 Meeting Wednesday, March 10 at 5:30 p.m. Friday, March 12 at 10:00 a.m. March 22 Meeting Wednesday, March 24 at 5:30 p.m. Friday, March 26 at 10:00 a.m. Trail Talk F ollowing the inclusion of a four page "trail" insert in the February City newsletter, the Park Commission spon- sored a Public Open House on trails February 23. The results of that meeting were not available at press time, but with ample input from the public, the Park Commission can continue in the process: ♦ March 9 Meeting - Park Commission decides on which potential trails will get further consideration. ♦ During April and early May the Commission will meet with potential trail neighbors along the routes being given further consideration and actually walk the area together to talk about possibilities and constraints. ♦ May 11 Meeting - Park Commission decision on which potential trails to include in the Capital Improvement Program. Begin working with neighbors on the trail design process. The process is still in its early stages. If you have an interest in trails, let the Com- mission know your thoughts. Be involved. Commissioners New Introducing the three new members on the Shorewood Planning Commission: Donna Woodruff is a two -year resident of Enchanted Island who enjoys the natural beauty of the area and has a strong interest in the issues of land use and preservation. She has a varied background professionally and, as a retired person is now active as a volunteer in several capacities. Donna looks forward to the challenges and opportunities to learn and grow in her new role as Planning Commissioner. After spending much of his boyhood in Shorewood, Tom Skramstad returned to the community in 1972 to raise a family and enjoy lake living. Part of his active interest has been around the protection of lake quality. He has seen many changes since 1955 when he first lived here, and yet recognizes a community's need to grow with the times. Tom is interested in helping to see that Shorewood keeps a healthy balance as it grows. Laura Turgeon brings four years of experience as a Shorewood Planning Commissioner (1993 -1997) as well as participation in a variety of local government activities. She has been a resident of Shorewood since 1983 and has taken an active interest in community topics and organizations, such as South Tonka League of Women Voters. Laura has logged 23 years as an employee of Ford Motor Company and countless hours as an involved citizen. R ecently members of the City staff attended a meeting hosted by the League of Minnesota Cities, Hennepin County and the City of Plymouth where representatives of various service providers discussed their plans for fixing problems associated with the year 2000 and the delivery of services. U.S. West, NSP, and Minnegasco all assured attendees that they have been diligently working on this issue for years and will be compliant by mid -year. Not only must service providers look at this issue and prepare themselves, but so must individuals. The Red Cross has suggested that families should always be prepared for a disaster by having a plan and necessary supplies on hand. By doing so, you and your family will be prepared in the event that there are any interruptions of services on December 31, 1999. Throughout this year we will try to inform you of items that you as a homeowner should be aware of or should check prior to the end of the year. Following are a few suggestions: ♦ Check with manufacturers of any essential computer - controlled elec- tronic equipment in your house to see if that equipment might be affected. This includes fire and security alarm systems, programmable thermostats, appliances, consumer electronics, garage door openers, electronic locks, and any other electronic equipment in which an "embedded chip" may control its operation. ♦ Checkout your home computer with the many free utilities that are available on the Internet. Back up your system before the end of the year and keep a paper printout of any contacts and schedules. Information contained in this communica- tion relates to the City of Shorewood's Year 2000 efforts. The disclosure of this infor- mation is intended to serve as a Year 2000 Readiness Disclosure under the Year 2000 Information and Readiness Disclosure Act, Public Law 105 -271. Staying o l o of Year Citizen Informer/ March 1999 2 Minnetonka Reminiscences by George Day (1845 -1937) Reprinted courtesy of the Excelsior -Lake Minnetonka Historical Society The Original Vegetarians ome of the old names still remain to remind the old settler of early days - Carmen's Bay, for one, and Smithtown Bay remains the same. In the [18]50's a town was laid out on this bay and called Smithtown. A mill was built and two or three log houses. Hard times coming on, the town met the fate of numerous other town sites, and now nothing remains to indicate that a town was ever located there. After the mill was shut down the few people living there gradually departed for "pastures new." Among the last to leave were two congenial spirits who `batched it' in a cabin and through lack of funds or foresight neglected to lay in a supply of winter provisions. Trusting to an ample supply of turnips, they housed up for the winter. Now turnips are excellent for a side dish, but when taken for a steady diet for several months, that succulent vegetable looses its charm; and the two vegetarians soon abandoned the experiment and left the town in disgust. _ _m The Awards . F Go t t T. ` w� T he Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) has again honored Shorewood's Finance Department with awards in two areas. The first, for Excellence in Financial Reporting is, according to GFOA, "... the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management ". The second award is for the City's 1998 budget document. This distinction is awarded for publishing a budget that "meets program criteria as a policy docu- ment, as an operations guide, as a finan- cial plan, and as a communications de- vice." To earn both honors is impressive! We are proud of the standard of excellence which Mr. Al Rolek and City Staff have continued to maintain and which earns such high honor! ♦ The American Legion Post 259 (located at the County Road 19 / Smithtown intersection) is offering fish fry dinners every Friday during Lent. Hours are 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. ♦ Southwest Hennepin Red Cross is offering courses in CPR (adult or infant and child), First Aid, Instructor Courses, and HIV /AIDS Education in the Eden Prairie and Bloomington areas. Classes are scheduled during the months of March and April. For class details and registration information, call 942 -6998. ith the midwinter snow melt, has come an unpleasant revelation. Too many people have left too many "piles" from too many pets along the trail and roadside areas. Please "recycle" those plastic produce bags and empty bread bags by taking them on your walk with the family pet ... and use them to keep our roads, walkways and trails clean. Remember —A mutt mitt dispenser is provided on the Regional Trail just west of Eureka Road for your convenience. Senior Corner T he numbers are in and 1998 was a great year for recycling in Shorewood! Overall participation averaged 50% in the City. Residents recycled 556 tons of newspaper, paper and magazines; 15 tons of cardboard; 67 tons of metal cans; 155 tons of glass containers; 24 tons of plastic containers; and 58 tons of other recyclables. That's a lot of stuff that did not end up in a land fill! And remember the 3 R's again in 1999. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle I f your attic, basement and closet are too full for comfort, let some of it go for the Southshore Center's benefit. An "Attic Sale" is planned for Thursday, April 29 through Saturday, May 1 at the Southshore Center. Contribution of sale items will help fund senior community programs and operations. Clean household items in working order are welcome (except for used clothing, furniture or large appliances). Tax forms showing your contribution will be provided. Antiques are invited on a consignment basis. Half of the sale proceeds on antiques will be shared between the Center and seller. All pieces will be priced by antique professionals. For details about contributing items, call the Center at 474 -7635. Southshore Center – March Events Don some green and come to the St. Patrick's Day Party on Tuesday, March 16 for a special noon meal, some fun games and prizes. Cost for all is a suggested donation of $4. Reserve by Friday, March 12. Board the bus at the Southshore Center on Thursday, March 25 and ride into spring at the downtown Dayton's Annual Flower Show. Departure is 11:30 a.m. and return is around 3:00 p.m. The bus cost is $3. Lunch will be on your own. Register by Monday, March 22. AARP will offer a 4 -hour refresher senior driving class at the Center on Friday, March 26 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The $12 cost includes class fee, lunch and beverages. Register soon. Ride a motor coach bus to Mystic Lake Casino for the Copacabana Show on Wednesday, March 31. $8 covers transportation and the show. (Lunch is on your own.) The bus leaves the Shorewood City Hall parking lot at 10:45 a.m. and returns about 4:30 p.m. Register by Wednesday, March 24. For reservations or information on programs, building rental, transportation, and senior issues, call the Center at 474 -7635. 3 Citizen Informer/ March 1999 LAKE MINNETONKA COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION Vol. 8 No. 1 ■ SPRING 1999 SPRING PARK OFFICE /STUDIO: 612. 471.7125 • NORTH STUDIO: 612. 404 -2176 1999 COMMISSIONERS Deephaven Dale Moe *Dennis Stanga, Vice Chair Excelsior *James R. Olds, At Large Charlie Thomson Greenwood Julie Ekelund Independence Jim Smith Long Lake *James D. Benson, Secretary Medina John Hamilton Carolyn Smith Minnetonka Beach Mike Bloom Leonard MacKinnon Minnetrista Lisa Whalen Orono *Tim Pattrin, Chairman Bob Sansevere St. Bonifacius *Colleen Krisko, Treasurer Mike Laberdie Shorewood John Garfunkel Spring Dark Joanna Widmer Bruce Williamson Tonka Bay Judd Mowry Mary Ellen Wells Victoria Jerry Bohn Woodland *Ann Duff, At Large * Executive Committee FRANCHISE AGREEMENT ACCEPTED The LMCC and Triax Midwest Associ- ates L.P. franchise agreement was accepted officially on December 16. As stated in the agreement, the LMCC intends, by the adoption of the franchise, to bring about the further development of a Cable System and its continued operation. The franchise agreement set PROGRAM OF THE QUARTER: ORONO HOCKEY The very first quarterly award for 1999 goes to Mike Persons, a Booster Board member of Orono Hockey. Mike went through the FREE LMCC tv production classes and taped a couple of hockey games last year. This year he and the game announcer Jack Neveaux, have a goal of taping each team in the association at least once. They're also planning to tape the boys and girls high forth conditions accompanying the grant of the franchise and provides for regula- tion and use of the system and public rights -of -way. We are looking forward to working with Triax to better serve LMCC residents. The LMCC has begun discus- sions with Triax regarding the implemen- tation of the provisions of the agreement. Mike Persons Producer (left) Jack Neaveaux Announcer (right) ORONO HOCKEY school teams. 'With a lot of positive fan support and feedback, producing these games has been a rewarding and learning experience, " said Mike. "Next year we hope to have a hockey night at Orono Area where games can be shot back to back live." Since not everybody can tape or be at the games this gives everyone a chance to watch. Tune in to Local Programming Channel 21 for more action packed Orono Hockey. Thank you and congratulations Mike and Jack. ■ Visit us at: 4071 Sunset Drive New Location. 11 P.O. Box 385, Spring Park, MN 55384 612. 471 -7125 ■ Fax 471 -9151 DEEPHAVEN EXCELSIOR GREENWOOD INDEPENDENCE LONG LAKE MEDINA MINNETONKA BEACH MINNETRISTA ORONO ST. BONIFACIUS SHOREWOOD SPRING PARK TONKA BAY VICTORIA WOODLAND LAKE MINNETONKA COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR'S DESK... The LMCC has moved! We moved to our new location, 4071 Sunset Drive in Spring Park, on February 1. The studio and offices are being repaired and renovated and an open house is being planned for spring. As the new administrator for the LMCC, I'm enthused and excited to be working with the fifteen cities of the LMCC to help ensure quality cable and communication services. Speaking for the LMCC, we appreciate the efforts this month of Jim Hurm and the City of Shorewood, Joe Lynch and the City of Long Lake and Patricia Higus and the City of Spring Park for their willingness to accommodate us in the process of our move to the new loca- tion. Thanks, also, to Ann Thies, Samuel Lee, Chair Tim Pattrin, Jim Olds, Bob Vose and other commissioners and staff for their help in the transition of the administrator position and also in planning the move to the new location. To introduce myself, I am a resident of Minnetrista, have worked in commu- nity television for 15 years and have been an active community member. My work in community television has given me the opportunity to serve many governmental, educational and non- profit organizations as well as attend commission meetings for a number of the franchises on the Lake Minnetonka System. I'm looking forward to working with the staff at the LMCC studios to con- tinue the excellent local programming efforts of the fifteen cities, organizations and residents. As Dennis Stanga stated in the last newsletter there are new innovations coming with the new franchise agree- ment with Triax. I will do my best to contribute to this process as the LMCC moves forward. Coming this Spring "NEW" STUDIO Open House '99 WORKSHOPS STUDI SPRING / TUESDAYS: MAY 4. 11 ■ 18 ■25 -JUNE 1 SUMMER / FRIDAYS: JULY 9 • 16 ■ 23 ■ 30 ■ AUGUST 6 GREENWOOD COUNCIL ON CHANNEL 8 In January, the City of Greenwood added its council meeting to the LMCC Government Channel 8 lineup. Greenwood viewers are learning more about how their city government serves residents and benefits from citizen input. Thanks to Greenwood for providing this information to area residents via LMCC Government Channel 8. design 6 graphics for this newsletter by _� JansonGraph� 474.4 STAFF Sally Koenecke Administrator Samuel Lee Production Coordinator Tam! Bersie & Dan Johnson Assistant Production Coordinators Richard Bopp North Studio Coordinator CONGRESS COMES TO YOU Congressman Jim Ramstad was the guest December 12, on the Channel 21 monthly program "Congress Comes to You" hosted by LMCC Chair Tim Pattrin. The primary question posed to the congressman was 'What will be the focus of the 106th Congress ? " Tax cuts, health care reform, social security and quality education are the major issues this session according to Congressman Ramstad. Another topic that is of Interest and was discussed is the foreign market situation and the effect it is having on the US economy. RECENT WORKSHOP GRADUATES Abigail Adams ■ Rachael Adams Rachel Carlson ■ April Choate Emily Lirdo ■ Heidi Herkenhoff Linda Herkenhoff ■ Rachel Lasky — Sally Koenecke LAKE MINNETONKA COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 4071 SUNSET DRIVE ■ P.O. BOX 38S ■ SPRING PARK, MN 55384 THIS NEWSLETTER IS PUBLISHED BY THE LAKE MINNETONKA COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION. One of our goals is to promote community involvement in local programming. Congressman Jim Ramstad and Chair Tim Pattrin 12 Map Descriptions Board of Review- Continued from page I There are no map - related items on the March 2 Planning Commission agenda. The map does indicate locations referenced in two page larticles of this newsletter. 1 Locates the land being considered for Senior Housing . 2 Indicates the County Road 19 / Smithtown intersection planned for inprovements. •.• - • -• eight restrictions (in excess of 8,000 pounds on any single axle) are placed on local streets from March I through April 30. This measure is taken each year in order to preserve the condition of City streets from serious damage and destruction. Some streets are exempt from this restriction. All roads are posted with the allowable weight limits. Questions on specific streets can be answered by calling City Hall at 474 -3236 or checking our web site: www.state.neUshorewood. C C W its C 0 0 O c e CITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD SHOREWOOD, MN 55331 (612 )474.3236 M FAX 474.0128 BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #128 EXCELSIOR, MN 55331 City of Shorewood Council Members Woody Love, Mayor Kristi Stover John Garfunkel Christine Lizee Scott Zerby Administrator James C. Hurm Newsletter Editor: Connie Bastyr DELIVER TO: If you are unable to attend the April 19th meeting, you can retain your rights to proceed to the County Board by submitting your objection in writing to City Hall prior to the meeting date. Another option might be to appeal your value directly to the State Tax Court. The real property tax laws are legislated by your state representatives, and comments about the process can be sent to: District 43A: Representative Tom Workman 335 State Office Building St. Paul, MN 55155 Senator Edward Oliver 121 State Office Building St. Paul, MN 55155 District 43B: Representative Barbara Sykora 389 State Office Building St. Paul, MN 55155 Citizen Informer/ March 1999 This newsletter is printed on recycled paper.