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1981-04 Eagan Newsso= 0garunew�— CITY OF EAGAN 3795 PILOT KNOB ROAD EAGAN, MN 55122 PHONE: 454-8100 APRIL 1981 EAGAN BUYS WARNING SIRENS Action taken by the City Council has made it possible for Eagan to acquire four warning sirens. The sirens were purchased in conjunction with the Cities of Rosemount, Lakeville and Hastings in a joint purchase from FIREAP, Inc. Plans are drawn to eventually cover the entire City with sirens and further purchases will be considered this fall with money from next year's budget. The four siren locations are: (1) 1454 Red Cedar Road; (2) 3800 Pilot Knob Road; (3) 3940 Rahn Road; (4) 4580 Cliff Road. Construction is already underway and the sirens shall be up and tested quite soon. When con- struction and the intitia'l testing period are finished, the sirens will be tested on the first Wednesday of each month at 1:00 p.m. This is done to insure that they work and for repairs to be made if necessary. The sirens will be used as an integral part of the Eagan Civil Defense Plan. The system is designed to warn citizens of a potential emergency, such as severe weather, aggressive acts against the United States or localized disasters such as toxic spills. When the sirens are sounded, you should go into a building and turn on a radio or T.V. Unless there is an emergency, avoid calling the Police Department. Instructions will be given, telling you what type of problem has arisen and what action is to be taken. 1 POSTAL CUSTOMER EAGAN, MINNESOTA VOLUME 4 NUMBER 1 HOUSING BOND — A SUCCESS! The City of Eagan sponsored a Single Family Mortgage Revenue Bond in 1980 for the amount of $20,460,000. This very popular program was designed to help families purchase a single family home. At 11-3/8% interest on a long term loan, the program became popular because of its low rate of interest. Approximately 300 loans were given final approval under the program. All funds Piave been committed to pro- spective loanees and will be given approval within the next few months. The City has explored the idea of issuing another bond for more housing loans but has found the possibility of such a program to be doubtful at the present time due to state and federal statutory regulations. INSIDE Cable TV (Questionnaire Results)..Page 8 Summer Park & Rec Programs .. Pages 3-6 New Library .................. . .... Page 2 1980 Annual Report Summary...... Page 7 CITY OF EAGAN ELECTED OFFICIALS Mayor Bea Blomquist Councilmembers Thomas Egan James Smith Mark Parranto Ted Wachter VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION WEEK Governor Al Quie has proclaimed April 27 through May 3 as Volunteer Recog- nition Week in Minnesota. The purpose of the recognition week is to show appreciation to the volunteers of local and state ,government-. The Eagan City Council is planning to show its appreciation to the volun- teers associated with Eagan's city government by sponsoring a city wide tour on May 2. The tour will be for city volunteers and community business leaders, showing them new developments within Eagan. The types of develop- ments will include industrial expansion, residential expansion, public works improvements, commercial developments, City park projects and public facilities improvements. The day's schedule will include the tour followed by a picnic if the weather permits. TREES - TREES - TREES The City of Eagan has a City Forester who has the responsibility of carrying out the State Shade Tree; Program. The forester is responsible for periodic tree inspections and responds to citizens requests concerning suspected Dutch Elm disease or Oak Wilt. Home owners are responsible for the cutting down and the removal of diseased trees, which must be accomplished within 20 days after date of notification. If you are not certain if you have a diseased tree, elm or oak, contact the Parks and Recreation Department concerning an inspection. (454-7802) Reforestation and transplanting of trees onto City parks and public facilities is conducted during the spring and fall of each year. Several trees were planted at Cedar Pond Park last fall after the devastating storm which destroyed many of the large trees. Additional tree planting is being plan- ned throughout the entire park system. This project is being financed in part through a matching grant with the State of Minnesota. Recently, the City also received a cash gift from the Eagan Ladies Lions Club to purchase additional trees for Cedar Pond Park. 2 LIBRARY The groundbreaking ceremony for the new Dakota Library facility to be located in Eagan is scheduled for either June or July of this year. The doors will open early in the fall of 1982. Road. The park will be The library will be built just off Wes- cott Road to the east of Pilot Knob Road near the Police Station. The library is planned to be connected to the Eagan Bicycle Trails Plan so it will be accessible to citizens without road travel being necessary,. The library, which will be the district headquarters for Dakota County, will be a full service facility offering 40- 50,000 books of all sizes and types, audio-visual facilities ranging from 16 mm. films to audio and visual cas- settes to phonograph records, periodi- cals such as magazines, newspapers and pamphlets. Studying and typing facilities will also be available, along with a 200 person meeting room which would be available as a meeting area for citizens and groups. The building will be approximately 48,000 square feet or one football field in size and three floors high. It would seem that this library will be a giant leap forward for the City of Eagan. It will serve as the cul- tural hub for the city, and since it is to be a regional headquarters for the Dakota County Library System, it is a major commitment by the county toward Eagan's future. PARK DEVELOPMENTS Acquisition of 20 acres of park land adjacent to Rahn Park was recently completed by the City with financial assistance of a State Grants Program. The park area is located east of Nicols Road. The park will be developed sometime in the future into community athletic fields. Burr Oak Park: IChapel Register: First week, 1:00 p.m. at The City is developing a park master plan for Ridge Cliffe Park. This park was received by the City as part of the parks dedication from the develo- per. The developer is required to grade the park to City plans, necessi- tating the development of the park plan. EAGAN PARK AND RECREATION SUMMER PROGRAMS SUMMER IN THE PARK The Eagan Park and Recreation Depart- ment will conduct afternoon playground activities at the locations listed below. The recreational activities are for children who have completed kinder- garten through age 12. Playground staff will plan and conduct activities that include games, talent shows, story telling, nature hikes, special events, and crafts. EAGAN WAGONFUL O' FUN The Eagan Wagonful 0' Fun program has been expanded to bring supervised playground activities to additional neighborhoods in 1981. This specially built trailer houses numerous instant games and activities led by enthus- iastic recreational staff. Children who have completed kindergarten through age 12 are invited to take part in the activities. Dates: June 15 through July 30, 1981 Field trips will be arranged and of- Cost: No charge fered for a fee. Specific information Register: At the playground will be furnished during the first week of the "Summer in the Park" program. Morning Sites: 10:00 - Noon Dates: June 15 through July 30, 1981 Mondays: Pilot Knob School Play - Time: 1:00-4:00 p.m. round: Lone Oak Road, Days: Monday thru Thursday - mile west of Pilot Knob Cost: No charge Tuesdays: Burr Oak Park: IChapel Register: First week, 1:00 p.m. at Lane & Highway 49 the playground Wednesdays: River Hills 9 Park: Met- calf Dr., east of Hwy. 13 Playground Locations: Thursdays: Highview Park: Skyline Dr., west of Pilot Knob a Rahn Park: Sandstone Dr., west of iRahn School Afternoon Sites: 1:00-3:00 p.m. Woodhaven Park: Gold Trail, south- east of Beau D' Rue Mondays: Country Home Heights Park Carnelian Park: Carnelian Lane at Egan Ave., east of Pilot Blackhawk Road Knob Evergreen Park: Pilot Knob Road & Tuesdays: South Oaks Park: Green- Walfrid, south of leaf Dr., north of Cliff County Road 30 Wednesdays: Cedar Pond Park: Garnet Oak Chase Park: Oak Chase Road at Ln., north of—County Rd. Wilderness Run Road 30 Thursdays: Lexington Park: East of The playgrounds offered at Carnelian Lexington Ave., north of Park and Oak Chase Park are new to Lone Oak Road the program. 3 TENNIS LESSONS Two summer sessions of tennis lessons for adults and children 10 years of age or older are planned. The lessons will consist of four (4) one and one half (1 Z) hour class meetings. Class size is limited. Class members are to provide their own racket; balls will be furnished. A fee of $10.00 is charged for the lessons. Description of Class Levels: Beginner: Never have played Advanced Beginner: Have played some or taken beginner lessons previously Intermediate: Play fairly well or have taken advanced beginner lessons previously To Register: In person or by mail at the Park & Recreation Office Deadlines: Session I - June 5, 1981 Session II- June 26, 1981 Lesson Sites & Class Times: Session I June 8-18 (Tuesday & Thursday) 10:00-11:30 Pilot Knob (Mon. & Wed.) Adult Beginner 10-11:30 a.m. Youth Beginner 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Adult Beginner 1:30-3:30 p.m. Youth Advanced Beginner 6:00-7:30 p.m. Intermediate Oak Chase 7:30-9:00 p.m. Adult Advanced Beginner Oak Chase (Mon. & Wed.) Adult Beginner 9:30-11:00 a.m. Youth Beginner 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Adult Beginner 1:00-2:30 p.m. Youth Advanced Beginner 6:00-7:30 p.m., Adult Advanced Beginner 7:30-9:00 p.m. Intermediate Rahn (Tues. & Thurs. ) 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. 9:30-11:00 a.m. Youth Beginner 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Adult Beginner 1:00-2:30 p.m. Youth Advanced Beginner 6:00-7:30 p.m. Adult Beginner 7:30-9:00 p.m. Adult Advanced Beginner 4 Session II June 29 -July 9 Pilot Knob (Tuesday & Thursday) 10:00-11:30 a.m. Adult Beginner 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Intermediate 1:30-3:00 p.m. Youth Beginner 6:00-7:30 p.m. Adult Beginner 7:30-9:00 p.m. Adult Advanced Beginner Oak Chase (Tuesday & Thursday) 9:30-11:00 a.m. Adult Beginner 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Intermediate 1:00-2:30 p.m. Youth Advanced Beginner 6:00-7:30 p.m. Adult Beginner 7:30-9:00 p.m. Adult Advanced Beginner Woodhaven (Monday & Wednesday) 9:30-11:00 a.m. Adult Beginner 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Adult Adv. Beg. 1:00-2:30 p.m. Youth Beginner 6:00-7:30 p.m. Intermediate 7:30-9:00 p.m. Adult Advanced Beginner TINY TOTS RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES Tiny Tots Recreational Activities is a program for boys and girls ages 3, 4, and 5. The children take part in games, singing, stories, simple crafts and outdoor play. Group size is limited to ensure proper supervision. Dates: June 15 through July 30, 1981 Time: 10:00 a.m. - Noon Days: Monday & Wednesday or Tuesday & Thursday Cost: $15.00 Register: In person or by mail at Park & Recreation Office. Regis- trations are on a first come, first served basis. Deadline for registration is June 5, 1981. Locations: Rahn Park: Sandstone Dr., west of Rahn School Northview School: Wildwood Ln. (Cty. Rd. 30), 4 mile east of Lexington Ave. Pilot Knob School: Lone Oak Rd., west of Pilot Knob Rd. GOLF LESSONS The Eagan Park and Recreation Depart- ment will offer golf lessons for begin- ners this summer. Classes will meet twice a week for three weeks. Class size is limited. Class members are to provide their own clubs. The first three class sessions meet at Northview Athletic Fields, located east off Lexing- ton Ave. , z mile north of Wildwood Ln. (County Road 30). The classes then meet twice at a driving range and con- clude at a putting green. Cost is $10.00 for six (6) lessons. Ad- ditional cost will be incurred at the driving range. Lessons postponed due to rain will be rescheduled by the instructor. Session Dates and Times: Session I - June 8-24 10:00-11:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m.-Noon 6:30-7:30 p.m. 7:30-8:30 p.m. Session II - July 6-22 10:00-11:0 a.m. 11:00 a.m.-Noon 6:30-7:30 p. m. 7:30-8:30 p. m. (Monday & Wed.) Youth Beginner Adult Beginner Adult Beginner Adult Beginner (Monday & Wed.) Adult Beginner Youth Beginner Adult Beginner Adult Beginner To Register: In person or by mail at the Park & Recreation Office Deadlines: Session I - June 5, 1981 Session II- July 3, 1981 RECREATIONAL ARCHERY FOR BEGINNERS The Recreational Archery program is designed to teach beginners the funda- mentals of target shooting, the safety aspects of the sport, and an insight as to the applications of archery as a recreational sport activity. The pro- gram will be offered to juniors, ages 13-17, and adults, 18 and older. Location: Lebanon Hills Regional Park West side of Johnny Cake, 4 mile south of Cliff Road Dates: Thursdays, Aug. 6 -Sept. 10 Section: I: 5:30-6:30 p.m. Juniors 11: 7:00-8:00 p.m. Adults Fee: $15.00, includes equipment Register: In person or by mail at the Park & Recreation office no later than July 20. EVENING IN THE PARK Cedar Pond Park on Wildwood Lane (County Road 30) near Cedar School is the site for family entertainment in the month of July. All events begin at 7:00 p. m. Admission is free. Bring a blanket or a lawn chair and enjoy. July 8 - Pangolin Puppets, "Manifred the Magnificant and the Frump" Rod puppets and human actors. July 15 - Shriner's German Band, Duane Warner, Director July 22 - "The Revelers" a Medieval Folk Tale Retold in Song and dialogue by "Storytalers" July 29 - Bloomington Sportman's Chor- us, John Berg, President, Barbershop Singing In the event of inclement weather, all performances will move indoors at Met- calf Junior High School on Wildwood Lane (County Road 30) just east of 5 Highway 13. RECREATIONAL TEE BALL Recreational T -Ball is a softball pro- gram open to boys and girls ages 6 & 7. Planned activity includes: Learning and practicing fundamentals, forming teams and playing games. Children are to provide their own gloves. The new activity planned by the Park & Recreation Department re- quires a minimum registration of 20 children per site. Where: Site I: Lexington Park Site II: Pilot Knob School Dates: June 15 -July 30, 1981 Days: 1: 1:30-3:30 P.m., M & W 11: 1:30-3:30 p.m., T& Th Fee: $8.00 Register: In person or by mail at the Park & Recreation office. Dead- line is June 5, 1981. EAGANETTES - FUN WITH DANCE Fun With Dance includes movement that is aerobic, "old tyme", acrobatic, dance line, jazz, to mention a few. Boys and girls ages 5-12 are eligible to participate in this program. Each class will meet twice a week for 7 weeks. Children ages 5-7 will meet from 1:00-2:30 p.m., ages 8-12 from 2:30-3:30 p.m. A fee of $3.00, to be paid at the time of registration, will be charged. Registration takes place at the lesson sites during the first two weeks of classes but will then be closed for the remainder of the session. The Eaganettes march in the Eagan 4th of July parade and prepare a recital for presentation as a culminating activity. Locations: Pilot Knob School: Lone Oak Rd., west of Pilot Knob Road (Monday & Wed.) Rahn School: Sandstone Dr., west of Rahn Road (Tuesday & Thursday) Dates: June 15 -July 30, 1981 Cost: $3.00 Register: At the school, at start of class sessions. EAGAN PARK & RECREATION NAME PHONE ADDRESS ZIP BUSINESS PHONE NAME OF ACTIVITY Other activity information (day, time, section, # of tickets etc.) Make check payable to: City of Eagan Send to: Park & Recreation Department Enclose is $ 3501 Coachman Rd. to cover registration Eagan, Mn 55122 6 BICYCLING - CAN BE FUN & SAFE, TOO With the arrival of spring, children and adults are mounting their bikes for fun, transportation and exercise. Eagan is especially gifted with good bike paths which can take a rider to most areas of the City. And plans are drawn to expand the trails to parks, shopping areas and schools. However, it is important to be safe while riding your bike and even more important that your children are safe and understand the importance of bicycling rules. Last year, eleven * accidents involving bicycles were. reported to the Police Department. One of these accidents was fatal. The Eagan Police Department will be going to area schools to explain the rules of bicycling and to promote safety. They will hand out pamphlets and reflective tape and will promote registration of bicycles through the Operation I.D. Program. These are suggested safe .biking rules: 1. Obey all applicable traffic regula- tions, signs, signals and markings. Stop signs are the most often vio- lated regulation. 2. Keep right, drive with traffic, not against it. Drive single file. 3. Watch out for drain grates, soft shoulders & other surface hazards. 4. Watch out for car doors opening & parked cars pulling into traffic. 5. Don't carry passengers or packages that interfere with vision or con- trol. Each passenger must be pro- vided a seat. 6. Never hitch a ride on a truck or any other vehicle. 7. Be extremely careful at all inter- sections, particularly when making a left turn. Walk your bike across major intersections. 8. Use hand signals to indicate turning or stopping. 9. Protect yourself at night with the required reflectors and lights & wear white clothing at night. Tape available at Police Department. 10. Drive a safe bike, inspected to insure good mechanical condition. 11. Keep both hands on handle bars except when signaling. 12. Ride on bike paths if available. Ride on sidewalks, but yield to pedestrians in all circumstances and alert them when passing. 7 1980 ANNUAL REPORT The results are in! The Eagan City staff has recently completed a review of 1980 City activity, and, as expected, it was a noteworthy year for City development. Recent results of the 1980 Census show that the City has grown to an approxi- mate population of 20,700 from 10,398 in 1970. This ranks Eagan as one of the fastest growing cities in the metro- politan area. Growth for the City is reflected in the increased activity for City departments. A total of $4,642,526 in public improve- ment contracts (consisting of street, water and sewer improvements for 'resi- dential, commercial and industrial pro- perty) were awarded in 1980. The Building Inspection Department reported that permits were issued for approxi- mately 1,043 building units. In addi- tion, the Planning Department reported that 32 final plats were completed in 1980 and approximately 67 acres of agriculturally zoned . land was rezoned to residential or light industrial desig- nation. The construction of major highways in the City continued actively in 1980, providing an additional catalyst for future City development. The new Cedar Avenue Freeway bridge officially opened in October of 1980. Additionally, the I-35 E corridor was established after lengthy litigation along a route to the east of Blackhawk Lake. Con- struction of the southerly most portion of I-35 E in the City of Eagan as it relates to the intersection of the Cedar Avenue Freeway begun in early 1980 and is expected to be completed during 1981. All indications for the coming year point toward the continued growth and development of the City. If more in- formation is desired concerning the 1980 Annual Report, please contact the City Hall. A copy is on file for your reference. The Eagan City Newsletter is dis- tributed three times a year as a public service by the Eagan City Council. The Newsletter is spon- sored by the Public Relations Com- mittee and prepared through the office of the City Administrator. CABLE TV -- ON THE WAY? In late February, the Eagan Cable Television Advisory Committee distri- buted a new to all households in Eagan. The results are now in and are being studied by the committee. The committee's duty is to study the possibility of allowing a cable company to construct a cable franchise in Eagan. As a part of this study, the question- naire was distributed. The results will be part of the basis for decisions con- cerning whether Eagan should have a cable franchise and, if so, what types of programming should be offered. The surveys showed that 86.4% of those responding would subscribe to cable TV if it were offered in Eagan. The types of programming were catagorized into eleven catagories and are listed 'below in order of most important to least important as responded to by the 817 surveys returned to the City. 1. Entertainment 2. Education 3. Sports 4. News 5. Children's Programs 6. Cultural 7. Community Service Information 8. Twq-Way Communications 9. Government 10. Public Access Channel 11. Religion No decisions will be made at this time as to which company will be awarded the franchise should Eagan go ahead with the franchising process. That would be a bidding process with many companies trying to win the franchise. The bidding process will also tell the committee how much the service would cost to the citizens should they sub- scribe. Franchising could take up to one year or more. A Public Hearing is scheduled for May 12th at the Eagan City Hall at 7:00 p.m. The questionnaire will be further reviewed, examples of cable television will be observed and there will be time for questions by the public. More to come in future newsletters. 8 EAGAN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM Since 1977, Eagan has been involved in a student training program called an Internship Program. Interns are students with college degrees who work for cities such as Eagan in an effort to gain experience and training in an "on the job" situation. Eagan has utilized this program very extensively, having as many as three interns on staff at any one time. The administration, planning, and park departments have all used interns as an effective, and inexpensive, way to reduce the ever increasing workload as Eagan grows. Interns generally remain on staff for six months and are provided many responsibilities in city government through the direct super- vision of the City Administrator. From the internship position, the students usually move on to become regular full time employees in local government in other cities. The city gains from having an educated student, usually with a master's degree, on staff to coordinate some projects which need to be done but cannot be done due to the high workload on the present staff. The student will work at a low rate of pay and brings fresh ideas which may help staff to be even more efficient. Most interns employed in Eagan are from either the Mankato State University Urban and Regional Studies Institute or the University of Minnesota -Humphrey Institute. Most interns are graduate students and have some working ex- perience in local government. All in all, the internship is a good working relationship between government and education. And the beauty of the program is that the school, the student and the city all come out ahead. NOTICE - HYDRANT FLUSHING The City of Eagan flushes hydrants every spring and fall, although we Often flush in between if necessary. Please watch the "Eagan Chronicle" for information regarding flushing in your immediate area.. We always flush be- tween the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday only.