The URL can be used to link to this page

Fall 1996 Shore ReportCITY OF SHOREWOOD CITIZEN INFORMER OPEN, DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT IS ENHANCED BY AN INFORMED POPULACE Fall 1996 1996 Service Evaluation Survey Report Enclosed in the last Shorewood City Newsletter was our annual Citizen Evaluation Survey. A summary of some of the results is presented on Page 3. There were a few surprises this year. Despite our trying "return postage paid" for the first time, the number of responses was down from last year. There was a special snow- mobile survey sent out previously which could have affected the response. It is important the City know how residents think we are doing over the years. Survey results bring to our attention areas which need improvement. They help us set objectives for the coming year. Survey Continued on page 3 - Fall Weed Spraying at City Parks Annual spraying of the Shorewood ball fields will occur in the month of October during appropriate weather conditions. Please watch for signs when spray- ing is conducted and remain off the fields until the signs are removed. If you have any questions, please contact the Public Works Depart- ment, City Hall, phone 474 -3236. NOTICE OF UPCOMING ELECTIONS The City of Shorewood will hold the Primary Election on Tuesday, September 10, 1996 and the General Election on Tuesday, November 5, 1996. Voting for both elections begins at 7:00 a.m. and ends at 8:00 p.m. Voting will take place in the following locations: Precinct 1 Shorewood City Hall, 5755 Country Club Road Precinct 2 Excelsior Covenant Church, 19955 Excelsior Boulevard Precinct 3 Minnewashta Elementary School, 26350 Smithtown Rd. Precinct 4 Labore Residence, 4445 Enchanted Point Applications for absentee ballots are available at Shorewood City Hall during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). Any eligible voter who reasonably expects to be unable to vote at their precinct on election day because of absence due to illness, disability, religious discipline, observation of a religious holiday, or service as an election judge in another precinct may vote by absentee ballot. After an application for an absentee Elections - Continued on page 2 - City Hall Has a New Address ...On the World Wide Web In April of this year, several resi- dents met to volunteer their time to develop the City's HomePage. That group met faithfully every week for several months in order to meet their deadline of June 1, and on that date the HomePage went live. The effort by that group of citizens is very much appreciated by the City Council and staff. Establishing a HomePage on the World Wide Web for Shorewood is WWW - Continued on page 7 - Inside this Issue. Truth in Taxation Hearing Sates Pg 2 Survey Results Summary Pg. 3 Waste Reduction Week Pg.4 Snowmobile Task Force Conclusions Pg.5 Senior Events Pg 6 1996 Project Update Pg. 7 Fall Calendar Pg'. 8 Flushing Schedule This fall fire hydrants in the City of Shorewood will be opened to flush out accumulated minerals in the watermains. To avoid drawing discolored water into your own system, the City requests that you refrain from major water usage activities during this time. Check for water clarity prior to doing laundry. After flushing is completed in your area, residents are advised to let the cold water taps (preferably outside faucets) run until the discoloration is cleared from your individual service lines. The flushing schedule is as follows: • Boulder Bridge /Shorewood Oaks Area: To be announced pend- ing completion of the water tower. • Amesbury Area: Sept. 30 - Oct. 2, 1996 • Woodhaven and Badger Well Areas: Oct. 3 and 5, 1996 • Southeast Area: Oct. 7 - Oct. 12, 1996 Rake- A -Thon The Tenth Annual Tonka Rake -A- Thon is scheduled for Saturday, October 26th. The Tonka Rake -A- Thon provides teams of volunteer rakers for seniors and disabled res- idents in the Minnetonka School District. There is no charge for this service. Applications are taken by Jan Gray, Senior Service Program Manager, Minnetonka Community Education and Services, 261 School Avenue, Excelsior, MN 55331. Phone: 470 -3488. page 2 Truth In Taxation Hearing Dates Set The City Council will hold its annual Truth in Taxation Hearing on Wednesday, December 4, 1996, at 7:45 p.m. at City Hall. The hearing pro- vides residents the opportunity to review and comment on the City's proposed budget for 1997 and proposed tax levy for 1996 payable in 1997. A continua- tion hearing will be held, if necessary, on Thursday, December 12, 1996 at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall. The final 1997 Budget and Property Tax Levy will be adopted by the City Council at a meeting to be held on December 16, 1996. Everyone is invited to attend the hearing and take part in this process. A copy of the proposed budget is available at City Hall. Truth in Taxation hearings for other taxing jurisdictions will be held on the fol- lowing dates: Initial Hearing Hennepin County Tuesday, Dec. 10 Metro Special Taxing Dists. Monday, Dec. 2 School District 276 Tuesday, Dec. 3 School District 277 Tuesday, Dec.3 Watch for the Truth in Taxation notice you will the time and place of these meetings. Continuation Hearing Tuesday, Dec. 17 Monday, Dec.9 Friday, Dec. 13 Wednesday, Dec.l l receive in November to learn College Bound Students. . If you are interested in voting in either the Primary or the General elections as a Shorewood resident, make sure you obtain an absentee ballot application from City Hall as soon as possible. Remember to allow time for mail deliv- ery. Elections - Continued,from page 1 - ballot is completed, a ballot will either be issued to the eligible voter to be completed at City Hall or may be mailed to that voter at an address provided. City Hall will extend its hours to accommodate absentee voting on the follow- ing dates and times: Saturday, September 7 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday, September 9 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturday, November 2 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday, November 4 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The City will accept filings for candidacy on Tuesday, August 27, 1996 through Tuesday, September 10, 1996 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The affi- davit of candidacy will be accepted at the Shorewood City Hall, 5755 Country Club Road, Shorewood, Minnesota with a filing fee of $2.00. The City offices to be voted on are:. One Mayor - term of two (2) years Two Councilmembers - each for a term of four (4) years One Councilmember - for a term of two (2) years Citizen Informer Introducing Shorewood's Community Police Officer Jeffrey W. Keller Survey - Continuedfrom page I - This year's survey included a section on trails which is still being analyzed by the Park Commission. As always, we thank those who took the time from their busy schedules to return the survey which helps us be the best we can be. Citizen Service Evaluation Survey Results 1993 1994 1995 1996 Officer Keller's knowledge and experience will be a valuable asset to the Shorewood Community. Jeff was raised in Tonka Bay and has been a full -time officer since February 1988. During his last eight years as a patrol officer, he has been very active in Crime Prevention and is a member of the Minnesota Crime Prevention Officers' Association. He also brings experience in commercial vehicle enforcement, receiving train- ing from the Minnesota State Patrol and the Federal Highway Administration. Officer Keller is certified as an Emergency Medical Technician as well. Currently Jeff is enrolled in Metropolitan State University pursu- ing a Bachelor's degree in Public Administration. Number of Surveys Received Survey Topic Physical condition of my street Physical condition of streets in general Level of park maintenance Condition of playground equipment Amount of recreation equipment in parks Feeling of safety in my neighborhood Southlake Police overall service Police traffic enforcement Fire department overall service Animal control overall service Maintenance of my streets Snow removal Recycling program Utility Maintenance response 404 262 397 316 % Satisfied or Very Satisfied 55% 58% 64% 59% 60% 63% 75% 64% 92% 90% 93% 90% 82% 84% 93% 95% 75% 75% 89% 91% 88% 86% 91% 91% % Excellent or Good Rating 87% 90% 92% 92% 69% 70% 72% 64% 97% 93% 100% 98% 41% 33% 53% 51% 59% 62% 68% 67% 88% 91% 94% 86% 93% 85% 91% 87% 81% 94 % 100% 83% Full survey results may be reviewed at City Hall. Senior Community Center Groundbreaking Ceremony Citizen Informer page 3 South Lake Minnetonka Public Safety Department has assigned Patrol Officer Jeff Keller as Shorewood's Community Police Officer. From left to right: Arlene Boutell, Advisory Board President, Bob Bean, Mayor of Shorewood, Rick Wessling, Architect, Alan Albrecht, Mayor of Greenwood, Howard Bennis, Mayor of Deephaven, Vern Haug, Mayor of Tonka Bay, John Anderson, Mayor of Excelsior, Dorothy Huffman, Advisory Board Past President, Bob Gagne, President, Friends of the Southshore Senior Community Center. o �- Waste Reduction Week Don't Throw It All Away Conserve • Take the stairs, bike, bus or car pool if possible. Communities all over Minnesota are gearing up for a statewide environ- mental celebration: Waste Reduction Week, September 30 through October 6. "Most people care about the environ- ment and want to help, but they don't know where to begin," said Jeff Ledermann of the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance (OEA). As proclaimed by the gover- nor of Minnesota, the purpose of Waste Reduction Week is to have a week -long effort to focus on waste reduction, pollution prevention and community action by all Minnesotans. Some ideas for participation include: Reduce • Go electron- ic. Use elec- tronic mail or voice mail to send memos at Pat c k at SMAIRT luncH. the office. • Share, borrow, or rent things you use infrequently, such as tools, equipment, and machinery. Buy Recycled • Shop for products or packages with recycled content (products packaged in glass, aluminum and steel contain- ers usually contain a high percentage of recycled materials). Reuse Guy recyc Encourage Pollution employees to • Conduct a household bring their own hazardous washable mugs waste home to work or pro- audit to make vide mugs for note of which chemicals them as a gift. up or recycled and which • Donate goods or food items that are still usable or edible to local charitable organizations or schools 1}a,+{ Oe tlispa3a6le, Prevent .3f -0 *- f you don' Pollution have +P. @ • Conduct a household hazardous waste home audit to make note of which chemicals can be used up or recycled and which need to be saved for a household hazardous waste collection. Community Action • Adopt a community clean -up project. • Hold a garage sale. • Give away your garden harvest surplus! Be a Good Steward • Live in such a way that future gen- erations may live at least as well as we do now. For more information, contact the Office of Environmental Assistance at 612 - 296 -3417 or 1- 800 - 657 -3843 toll -free. (Information provided by the Minnesota Office of Environ- mental Assistance). Seasonal Employment Opportunity It is time to start planning for winter park activities. Specifically, we are beginning to work on staffing the warming houses for skating season. There is always a demand for rink attendants (RA). Perhaps it would help prospective applicants if we would dispel some common miscon- ceptions about the job. Myth: It's a guy thing. Reality: Some of the best rink attendants are girls! Myth: It's too cold out there. Reality: Most of the RA's time is spent in a warm building, (hence the name "Warming House "). Myth: Only hockey players can be rink attendants. Reality: You don't even have to be a skater to do this job. Myth: If the first digit of my age is not a "1 ", I am too old. Reality: College students, parents, seniors ... anyone over age 15 is encouraged to apply. Myth: Winter is too long. Reality: Yes, winter is too long, but skating season only lasts about two months. (Mid December to Mid February) Conclusion: Being a rink attendant is a good idea! And if you are a hockey parent, it's a GREAT idea. You are probably at the rinks all the time anyway. Now you can see the job get done the way you have always thought it should be. Give it some thought ... and call City Hall for more information. page 4 Citizen Informer Snowmobile Task Force Concludes with Report and Recommendations The Shorewood Snowmobile Task Force was formed by the City Council in June of 1995 to review issues relating to the use of snowmobiles in the City of Shorewood. The City Council asked the Task Force to gather and evaluate infor- mation to more clearly understand the nature and severity of snowmobile viola- tions and concerns. They were also asked to make recommendations with respect to a ban, or in the alternative, develop steps to allow snowmobiles to remain as a form of recreation and trans- portation within the City of Shorewood. The Task Force conducted a survey of Shorewood residents to obtain your views on snowmobiles in Shorewood. There were 781 total responses out of 2600 households. The majority of respondents, 484 or 63 %, felt that snow- mobiles could remain in Shorewood as long as there are changes in the current program. This view was consistently held throughout all areas of the City. Overall the respondents split 50/50 on whether snowmobiles should continue to be allowed on the Regional Trail. Residents of the City nearest the trail tended to respond in favor of allowing snowmobile riders to continue using the Regional Trail. Resident concerns regarding snowmo- biles were noise (14 %); additional sig- nage at key usage spots (26 %), and addi- tional training and education for owners, riders and residents (87 %). There is also support for an additional trail for pedes- trians near the Regional Trail (29 %). The Task Force collected and reviewed data on key issues including ordinance violations, safety, resident perceptions and the need for limitations, restrictions and/or, if necessary a ban. The Task Force identified several key areas of concern and made recommendations in seven program areas: 1 . Safety: Concerns exist in the fol- lowing areas: the mixed use of motor- ized vehicles and pedestrian activities on the Regional Trail (LRT); the use of the Timber Lane access and street boule- vards by snowmobiles; and the need for more young riders to pass the required safety training course. Recommendations include: providing a separate trail near the regional trail and in Freeman Park for cross country skiers and snowshoers, reduced speeds when snowmobiles meet pedestrians, and mod- ifications to Timber Lane access. 2. Enforcement: Citations are given for curfew, speed, and public property violations. Enforcement is difficult because of lack of manpower, proper equipment, and the inability to identify and pursue the rider, allowing many vio- lators to avoid apprehension. Recommendations include: a commit- ment to strict enforcement of laws and rules (snowmobilers need to know that disobeying rules will result in a fine or impoundment of their snowmobile), a zero tolerance policy, increase in fines for violations, effective response to tres- pass calls and coordination of law enforcement agency efforts. 3 . Education: Confusion and misin- formation exists among residents, police, snowmobile owners and riders with respect to property rights, speed limits, right -of -way issues, prohibited riding areas, season dates, Shorewood laws and regulations and trespass laws. Recommendations include: educate through newsletters, articles, snowmo- bile material, and signage; and offering safety training certification classes at City Hall. 4 . Signage: To support enforcement, safety, and education programs a com- prehensive sign program should be developed. Recommendations include: speed and directional signage on the regional trail, warning signage at City entrances, lake access signage at Timber Lane, mixed use signage, and prohibition of snowmo- bilers in public wetlands and parks. 5. Ordinances: The current City snowmobile ordinance is confusing and open to interpretation. It can be easily misunderstood and misapplied. Recommendations include: rewrite the ordinance to be clearer; allow snowmo- biles to be ridden in the City from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; establish a 150 foot buffer zone along the lake shores: and the snowmobile sea- son will be from December 1 through March 31. There are eleven additional recommendations to improve the ordi- nance. 6 . Follow -up and Further Study: The Task Force listed 13 areas where further follow -up and study is needed. An example is to request the Chief Judge of Hennepin County to raise fines for snowmobiling violations in the City of Shorewood. 7. Accountability and Oversight: If the recommendations as outlined in this program are adopted, it is the opinion of the Task Force that snowmobile usage can remain in Shorewood as a viable form of recreation and transportation for its residents. In order for the City Council to determine if the program is working there needs to be clear account- ability established for monitoring the program and obtaining data to evaluate its effectiveness. The full Task Force Report and survey results are quite lengthy and are avail- able at City Hall. The 24 page report summary will soon be available on the City Web Site www.state.net/shorewood. The City Council is currently consider- ing implementation of the recommenda- tions. Citizen Informer page 5 AREA YOUTH HELP OUT AT SHOREWOOD CITY HALL Area youth have been working at City Hall through the Summer Youth Employment Program directed by Twin Cities Tree Trust. The program provides summer employment for eligible youth. It encourages a positive self concept for each individual and the opportunity to be a team player while working together to help their community complete significant projects. They work in structured, closely supervised crews of 8 -10. Supervisors stress basic job skills and a positive work attitude, giving the participants a solid founda- tion for future employment. This summer the youth gave City Hall a fresh The Southshore Senior Center is open for lunch and programs on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. On Tuesday and Thursday card games are scheduled. Transportation is available to bring seniors to the Center and also grocery shopping. Please call two days in advance at 474 -7635 to reserve a ride. Two new programs scheduled for this fall are a women's group and speakers from the Minnesota Senior Federation. The new Women's group will be led by Kay Alsip, MA in Psychology. It will be a time for women to share memories and reflect on the stages of their lives. The group will meet Friday after- noons at 1:00 p.m., October 4 through November 4. The speakers from the Minnesota Senior Federation will touch on top- ics including "The Future of Social Security," and "The Cost of Prescription Drugs." Please call the Center for more information and to register to attend either seminar. The Fall Festival at the Waconia . Lakeside Ballroom is scheduled for October 30. A delicious luncheon buffet is planned along with a pro- gram "Humor, Health, and Harmony." The cost is $25 for the show, lunch and transportation. The senior fitness class for men and women is a "kinder and gentler" approach to fitness for seniors. It is scheduled to be held Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 a.m. Yard Waste Drop -Off Day The City Council has established Saturday, October 26 as Yard Waste Drop -Off -Day. Yard waste can be dropped off at the Public Works parking area, 24200 Smithtown Road, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. For the resi- dents on Shady and Enchanted Islands, a container will be provid- ed near the corner of Shady Island Circle and Shady Island Road. Grass, leaves and mixed brush will be accepted. All yard waste must be emptied from bags and the bags taken home. Brush and sticks must be bundled with branches less than 1 1/2" in diameter and less than 4' in length. Alternative Options for Disposal of Yard Waste Include: • use as mulch around trees, shrubs and in planting beds; • compost; or • hauled away by private refuse hauler. beginning September 9. The cost is $27 for six weeks. Free private legal consultations will be available by appointment every 2nd and 4th Monday at 1:00 p.m. A foot clinic will be provided by a registered nurse from Fairview Southdale Hospital by appointment beginning at 1:00 p.m. the 2nd and 3rd Mondays of every month. Free flu shots for Medicare will be available Tuesday, October 8 begin- ning at 9:00 a.m. For more information on programs, services and fun activities, or to obtain a copy of the Senior Community Newsletter, please call 474 -7635. page 6 Citizen Informer Fall Senior Center Activities LAKE MINNETONKA COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION Vol. 5 No. 3 ■ FALL 1996 612. 474.5539 ■ FAX 612. 474.0430 1996 COMMISSIONERS Deephaven Dale Moe *Dennis Stanga, Secretary Excelsior Robert Murphy *James R. Olds, At Large Greenwood Miles Canning Mark Elias Long Lake James D. Benson *Elizabeth Olson, At Large Medina *Ann C. Thies, Chair Kevin Wagman Minnetonka Beach Nancy Check Thomas Markle Minnetrista Gene Partyka Orono Gabriel Jabbour *Tim Pattrin, Vice Chair St. Bonifacius Andrew Weinzierl, Jr. Shorewood Jeffrey Foust Tad Shaw Spring Park Richard Dietz Roger Westman Tonka Bay *Bob Anderson, Treasurer Steven Johnson Victoria *Barb Brancel, At Large Tom Jones Woodland Jane Barry Maria Saulsbury * Executive Committee FCC EXAMINES EFFECTIVE COMPETITION As the FCC begins the process of revising the 1992 Cable Act, they are being strongly urged by your LMCC and MACTA, as well as the cable and telephone companies, to closely examine how "effective competition" will be defined. This action is ultimately geared toward deregulating the cable operator because of new competition. The 1992 Cable Act has a three way test on "effective competition": ■ If the cable operator serves less than 30% of potential homes in the franchise area. Katie Bodin Producer "Phat TV" PROGRAM OF THE QUARTER: "PHAT TV' Katie Bodin's "Phat TV" is a perfect example of how much fun producing a program at Channel 21 can be. Hosted by Jake Bodin, Ryan Cairns, Ryan Kiefer and Joe Simons, the weekly call in show ■ If another competing provider of service, reaches as least 50% of the potential homes in an area, and at least 15% of the entire market. ■ If the franchise authority builds its own cable system and reaches 50% or more of the market. This is a very important challenge for your LMCC, regarding signals carried, technical standards, and customer service guidelines that residents receive now and into the future. Watch a subsequent NEWSLETTER for more information. has quickly developed a loyal following of devoted fans. Behind the scenes, Katie directs the technical aspects of the program that features an unpredictable mix of various guests, live music and the added input of many callers. Each program is spontaneous and unre- hearsed, and that's precisely the way Katie likes it. It's her hard work and dedication organizing this popular show that has made "Phat TV " a success. Thanks and congratulations, Katie! design & graphics for this newsletter by JamsWGMOt 474.4442 DEEPHAVEN EXCELSIOR GREENWOOD 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... If you recall in the last NEWSLETTER, LMCC Chair Ann C. Thies talked about the question of jurisdiction over public rights -of -way by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). Here is an update to the current status of this very impor- tant and challenging situation. On July 9, 1996 the PUC voted to dismiss the petition filed by US West, giving the PUC "exclusive" jurisdiction over public rights -of -way. As of the end of July 1996, however, the PUC and the Public Service Department seemed ready to support the US West assertion claiming some cities have tried to usurp the PUC's existing authority over telephone companies. A major disagree- ment occurs because cities maintain they already have the right to set certain reasonable construction /maintenance standards and the authority to recover on -going costs associated with any company tearing up the dedicated public rights -of -way /streets. It appears to be coming down to what your LMCC predicted, that this may ultimately be settled at the Minnesota State Legisla- ture. 0 I I Recent STUDIO chaii�el HOURS MON 10:00 am - 10:00 pm TUE 1:00 pm - 9:00 pm WED 10 :00 am - 10 :00 pm THUR 1:00 pm - 9:00 pm FRI 10:00 am - 6:00 pm SAT 9:00 am - 2:00 pm C To Recent Workshop O Class Graduates Pi Will Coward Givens G Nick Jim Grimley If WORKSHOP A CLASSES are one evening per at 7:00 PM. Call T week 474.5539 for more information. L WORKSHOPS SUMMER / THURSDAYS: A AUGUST 29 5 T SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER 12 SEPTEMBER 19 SEPTEMBER 26 O FALL / TUESDAYS: OCTOBER 22 N OCTOBER 29 NOVEMBER 7 S NOVEMBER 12 NOVEMBER 19 THE UPCOMING 1996 VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION AWARDS Every year the Lake Minnetonka Communications Commission presents awards honoring our producers for their hard work creating programs for Channel 21. These awards are cablecast live from our studio in Excelsior. The show will feature video clips from some of the hundreds of hours of original programming our volunteer produc- ers have made to cablecast over the past year. We encourage Commis- sion area viewers to watch for this special program coming up in October. Barb Brancel Victoria COMMISSIONER'S COMMENTS... BARB BRANCEL Your Lake Minnetonka Communications Commission has stressed for sometime, the importance of hearing from sub- scribers /residents about what they want in "future" communications. We have repeatedly stated that what is normally called the "future ", is upon us right now. The Needs Assessment Committee has asked for input from our resident, as well as organizations, e.g. government agencies, police, fire, churches, schools, libraries and Cham- bers of Commerce. If you were unable to respond at that time or could not attend the special meetings open to the public, we would still like your written input about what you want to see in communications that could be supplied by one or more provider of service. Simply call Jim Daniels, our Administra- tor, on how to proceed. DO IT NOW! tw"Cwc STAFF Administrator Jim Daniels Administrative Assistant Production Coordinator Greg O'Gorman Assistant Production Coordinator Corey Siewert LAKE MINNETONKA COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 540 SECOND STREET ■ P.O. BOX 473 ■ EXCELSIOR, MN 55331 -0473 THIS NEWSLETTER IS PUBLISHED BY THE LAKE MINNETONKA COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION. One of our goals is to promote community involvement in local programming. 1996 Project update Watermain Projects Watermain has been installed on Smithtown Road from Country Club Road to Eureka Road, Boulder Bridge Drive to the Victoria border and also on Eureka Road from Smithtown Road to Birch Bluff Road. This means the two municipal water systems on the west side, Boulder Bridge and Badger, are interconnected to the City of Victoria system and west end water tower. Restoration on these projects should be completed by mid- September. Minnewashta Water Tower The water tower construction project is substantially completed. Minor work yet to be completed involves electronic controls and internal work. The tower is scheduled to be on line by November 1. Southshore Senior /Community Center Stop by the Badger Park -City Hall complex this fall and take a look at this construction project. The foundation has been completed and the contractor is working on the outside shell of the building. As part of this project, the Badger Park football field has been taken out of service for this football season to be realigned and regraded to improve field condi- tions. In addition, electrical wires for the football field lighting system have been buried. The Center is scheduled to be completed around the beginning of the year. just another tool for residents to gain information and have better access to their local municipality. The Shore- wood City Council is very commit- ted to the goal of ". . . continuously striving to keep citizens informed and asking for and listening to feed- back". In the most recent Citizen's Satisfaction Survey, several ques- tions regarding internet use and access to a City HomePage were asked. The results of those questions are as follows: Question: Do you have access to the Internet, either at work or home? Answer: Out of the total number of citizens responding, approximate- ly 50% have access and 50% do not. However, about 13% of those cur- rently without access intend to sign up within the coming year. Question: How often do you access the internet? Citizen Informer -WWW - Continued can page 7 Answer: Percentages of those responding is as follows: Daily 15.2% Irregularly 1.0% Weekly 20.0% Seldom 0.3% Monthly 2.1% Unanswered 50.7% Not at all 10.7% Question: What type of material would you most likely access? Answers: Of those responding, the following percentages were cal- culated: E -mail for questions 27.3% Minutes of meetings 21.9% Detailed maps 18.8% City ordinances 18.2% Election results 9.4% Every effort is being made to provide the types of information you have requested. Some of these may take time to develop, such as the detailed maps. Your response to these ques- tions has been very helpful in the development of this new communi- cation tool. On our web site you will find: Council and Commission actions, Or, leave us a message at: cityhall@ shorewood.state.net page 7 general information about the City, election news and updates, news tips, permit and license information, links to other entities, and public service announcements. Every effort is made to publish items on the site as soon as possible. Publishing is sometimes delayed due to the limited number of people currently involved with the project. We welcome any additional help by those who are familiar with HTML and would like to be a part of this venture. Call City Hall for more information. We hope this additional communica- tion tool proves to be invaluable in the coming years as the world of technology evolves. If there are additional items you would like to have access to, leave us a message on e-mail. Come visit us at our new address: www.state.net/shorewood This Old House The State of Minnesota encourages property owners to restore or reno- vate older homes. The Minnesota law, known as "This Old House," exempts from the property tax all or a portion of the value of improve- ments made to homes 35 years of age or older. Other restrictions and limitations do apply. Please call the assessor's office for additional information at 473 -1844. Shorewood Fall Calendar September 2 Labor Day (City Offices Closed) 3 Planning Commission Meeting ................7:00 p.m. 9 City Council Meeting ... ...........................7:30 p.m. 10 Primary Election 7:00 a.m. to 8 p.m. 17 Planning Commission Work Session....... 7:00 p.m. 23 City Council Meeting ... ...........................7:30 P.M. 24 Park Commission Meeting .......................7:30 p.m. October 1 Planning Commission Meeting ................7:00 p.m. 14 City Council Meeting ... ...........................7:30 p.m. 15 Planning Commission Work Session....... 7:00 p.m. 22 Park Commission Meeting .......................7:30 p.m. 28 City Council Meeting ... ...........................7:30 p.m. November For announcements and 5 General Election 7:00 a.m. to 8 p.m. general information, call 11 Veteran's Day (City Offices Closed) Shorewood 12 City Council Meeting ... ...........................7:30 p.m. City Hall after -hours line 19 Planning Commission Meeting ................7:00 p.m. at 474 -3236. 25 City Council Meeting ............................. 7:30 p.m. 26 Park Commission Meeting .......................7:30 p.m. 28 & 29 Thanksgiving (City Offices Closed) CITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD SHOREWOOD, MN 55331 (612) 474 -3236 City of Shorewood FAX: 474 -0128 e -Mail: cityhall @shorewood.state.net Web site: www.state.net/shorewood BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #128 EXCELSIOR, MN 55331 ow %J* This newsletter is printed on recycled paper. page 8 Citizen Informer