Blaine CityConnect
Summer Summer Special Special Edition Edition 2017 2017
Blaine – Anoka County’s Economic Engine Over the last 20 years, Blaine has experienced sustained, high quality growth in housing, retail, and commercial and industrial businesses. Today, Blaine has a total market value of over 6 billion dollars. This amounts to one fifth of all property value for Anoka County. In 2016 Blaine accounted for 33% of new single family housing construction in Anoka County and 44% of new commercial and industrial construction. Combined, this accounts for one third of all new construction in the County. The net benefit for Blaine tax payers is that this growth in value also grows Blaine’s tax base allowing the City to have one of the lowest tax rates for a full service City, while providing quality services and amenities for residents and visitors.
The additions of companies such as Streamworks and Infinite Campus, add good, high paying, high tech jobs to Blaine. The City has also seen an influx of high quality medical facilities such as Fairview Clinics, Twin Cities Orthopedics, and Centers for Diagnostic Imaging. This type of growth in quality housing, commercial, and industrial, drive more retail and dining opportunities for residents and make Blaine an attractive community for people and businesses to relocate to which help to grow the City’s tax
City of Blaine Launches New Website Our New Address
BlaineMN.gov 100% Read the Full Story on Page 4
Find Out More on Page 5
BlaineMN.gov
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Summer Special Edition 2017
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Blaine Wetland Sanctuary
City Council*
May 4 | May 18 | June 1 | June 15 7:30 pm | City Hall Council Chambers
10801 Town Square Drive Blaine, MN 55449 763-784-6700 763-785-6156 (fax)
CITY COUNCIL
May 4 | May 11 | May 18 June 1 | June 8 | June 15 6:30 pm | City Hall Cloverleaf Room
Planning Commission*
May 9 | June 13 7 pm | City Hall Council Chambers
Park Board*
May 23 | June 27 7 pm | City Hall Council Chambers
Traffic Commission*
May 2 | June 6 6:30 pm | City Hall Council Chambers
Nat’l Resource Conservation Board*
May 16 | June 20 7 pm | City Hall Cloverleaf Farm Room
Arts Council
May 9 | June 13 5:30 pm | City Hall Lunch Room
MAYOR Tom Ryan
Over ten years ago, the city began researching the feasibility of creating a wetland area in the 500 acre open space west of Lexington Ave. adjacent to Anoka County Ditch 53-62. This area is part of the larger Anoka Sandplain which is home to unique plant communities found in very few places anywhere in the country. Several species of rare and endangered plants were discovered and the concept of restoring the wetlands to allow those species to flourish began to take shape. Combined with the big picture of being in a city open space and the prospect of adding a nature center for public education and access for the enjoyment of nature lovers, plans were put in motion.
RECYCLING CALE NDAR
Blaine City Hall
PUB LIC ME E TING S
City Council Workshops
The goal of the project is to enhance, restore and protect three wetland community types and upland islands. The Upland communities will be restored to Oak Forest or Aspen-Birch Forest types. The wetland communities will be restored to Anoka Sand Plain Rich and Poor Fen which are unique and rare plant community types containing two confirmed threatened and endangered species. The restoration will release the dormant native seed bank and existing rare species and their habitats will thrive and expand.
Historical Society
12147 Radisson Road NE Blaine, MN 55449 763-757-3390 tryan@blainemn.gov
May 9 | June 13 6:30 pm | City Hall Sanctuary Room
Holiday
Zone A
Zone B
For more information, visit www.WaltersRecycling.com or call 763-780-8464 .
*Meetings can be seen live on cable channel 16.
WARD 1 Wes Hovland
8650 Van Buren Street NE Blaine, MN 55434 763-228-1117 whovland@blainemn.gov
Receive Emergency Communications BlaineMN.gov/CivicReady
WARD 2 Dave Clark
Julie Jeppson
1702 - 116th Avenue NE Blaine, MN 55449 763-354-4709 jjeppson@blainemn.gov
WARD 3 Jason King
424 - 122nd Avenue NE Blaine, MN 55434 763-360-5266 jking@blainemn.gov
Andrew Garvais
12744 Petersburg Street NE Blaine, MN 55449 612-229-8890 agarvais@blainemn.gov
CITY MANAGER Clark Arneson
763-785-6120 carneson@blainemn.gov
CITY DIRECTORY
10833 Fillmore Street NE Blaine, MN 55434 612-940-5207 dclark@blainemn.gov
Police & Fire............................................................ 911 Police (non-emergency) ....................... 763-785-6168 Fire (non-emergency)........................... 763-786-4436 Anoka County Dispatch........................ 763-427-1212 Building Inspections............................. 763-785-6170 Cable Channel 15.................................. 763-780-8241 City Cable Channel 16 .......................... 763-785-6192 City Clerk ............................................... 763-785-6124 City Manager......................................... 763-785-6120 Community Standards.......................... 763-785-6187 Crime Prevention.................................. 763-785-6113 Economic Development....................... 763-785-6180 Engineering........................................... 763-785-6172 Fire Inspections .................................... 763-785-6187 Forestry ................................................. 763-717-2660 Housing Services .................................. 763-785-6146 Human Resources ................................ 763-785-6109 Job Line ................................................. 763-717-2679 Newsletter ............................................ 763-785-6192 Operator................................................ 763-784-6700 Parks & Recreation .............................. 763-785-6164 Planning & Zoning ................................ 763-785-6180 Public Works.......................................... 763-785-6165 Recycling & Solid Waste ....................... 763-785-6192 Senior Citizens Center ......................... 763-786-9375 Sewer Backup........................................ 763-785-6165 Streets ................................................... 763-785-6165 Stormwater............................................ 763-785-6188 Utility Billing ......................................... 763-785-6141 Water & Sewer System ........................ 763-785-6165 Web........................................................ 763-717-2638
Share Anonymous Tips with Police or Download Our Blaine PD App BlaineMN.gov/Tip411
Conncect with Your Community and sSign Up for Topics that Interest You BlaineMN.gov/NotifyMe
Visit BlaineMN.gov/SocialConnect for more communication options.
ABOUT
8702 Hastings Circle Blaine, MN 55449 763-370-2557 dswanson@blainemn.gov
BLAIN ECONNECT
Dick Swanson
CityConnect is published bimonthly by the City of Blaine and distributed to all residents and businesses. Past copies of the city newsletter are available at BlaineMN.gov/Newsletter Feedback can be directed to Newsletter@BlaineMN.gov All city legal notices are published in the city’s official newspaper, the Blaine/Spring Lake Park Life.
The boardwalk through the Blaine Wetland Sanctuary (BWS) is nearing completion. It will give the public the opportunity to walk from East Lake Park in The Lakes of Radisson to the regional trail along Lexington Ave. A parking lot will also be constructed with access to Lexington Ave. providing a trail head for the boardwalk and parking for the future nature center. The parking lot is scheduled for completion by early July.
Management of the wetland site will continue over the next 5 years to accomplish the plan approved by the regulatory agencies. This spring and summer, crews will be out applying herbicides to control the invasive species which inhibit the growth of the native vegetation. Prescribed burns and over-seeding with native herbaceous species will allow the area to thrive and provide important habitat for birds and wildlife.
www.blainemn.gov
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Summer Special Edition 2017
Welcome to BlaineMN.gov We are excited to announce the City of Blaine new and improved website, BlaineMN.gov. This engaging, user-friendly redesign features local photography and a colorful interface with intuitive buttons and icons making navigation of the new website much easier. The new website is Mobile Responsive, easily viewed from all devices including tablets and smartphones – something that was missing from the previous website. In addition, the new web address is easy to remember, BlaineMN.gov. Along with the change of web address, city staff emails have also changed.
Redesign
The unique design was a collaborative effort between CivicPlus and the City. The homepage features spotlights, city news, events, meetings, and frequently requested information. Three department-specific designs highlighting BlaineBiz.com, BlaineParks.com, and BlaineSafetyServices.com were part of this first phase of the redesign. BlaineBiz.com Developed for our business community, includes a new and improved Business Listing, an updated Available Land and Buildings, and a news section dedicated to local business. Other features include business visit requests and opt-in notification options for up-to-date business information. BlaineParks.com Showcases our many events, programs, and park facilities, and includes an easy to find Senior Center section, improved park facility finder, and subscribable calendar.
BlaineSafetyServices.com Developed for our public safety units of Police, Fire, Emergency Management, and Community Standards, includes easy to use forms to request reports, submit traffic complaints, and thank a cop. Additional department designs are planned for the coming years.
Other Notables Request Tracker allows the Community to report concerns such as potholes, weed control issues, street light outages, etc. In addition, the tool allows the ability to track the work from start to finish via email notifications. Improved Menus with the addition of our How Do I and Services sections. Website visitors no longer need “inside” knowledge of City Hall organization. Items are grouped in categories such as Apply, Contact, Find, Pay, Sign Up, Submit, and View. In addition, our Services section highlights specific duties performed by our many departments. Our Residents section was incorporated from our former site and continues to point citizens to important information such as Garbage and Recycling, Residential Community Standards, and Online Payments. Our Construction Updates blog gives timely information on the many projects happening around the City and allows you to subscribe to the updates that matter to you. Additional user-friendly functionalities such as drag-and-drop features will help streamline City Staff processes including workflow centers, bid postings, synchronized calendars, citizen request tracker, mass communications, and media integration. The City invested approximately $100K in the new website which included redesign, content and data migration, on-site training, and a four-year hosting fee. Many of the high-resolution photos used throughout the site were taken by local photographer, Sarah Grace Photography. City employees also contributed to the photography. “Kudos to Heidi Andrea, Blaine’s Web Coordinator, for the successful implementation of the City’s redesigned website using CivicPlus. The project took well over a year from inception to full launch and Heidi did a remarkable job coordinating all social media and other aspects involved in the
BlaineMN.gov (cont’d) upgrade,” states Finance Director, Joe Huss. “Special thanks to our IT staff for their assistance and all the employees who put in extra effort to implement the much-improved, fully integrated website,” adds Huss. A mobile app will be added in the future. The smartphone app will allow citizens to submit concerns via their mobile devices, as well as receive alerts and push notifications.
History
In January 2016, the City of Blaine requested bids from qualified firms to design, configure, and implement a new and improved City website that would increase engagement with the public and optimize our communication. The City entered into a contract with CivicPlus in May 2016. CivicPlus is a website company whose primary focus is designing website solutions for governmental agencies and cities such as Blaine. CivicPlus has more than 2,000 government clients with over 50,000 users and a staff of more than 200. CivicPlus clients have won over 370 state and national awards for website design and implementation. “CivicPlus was founded on designing website solutions for government entities and cities like ours,” states Web Coordinator, Heidi Andrea. “They also redesigned the websites for the City of Coon Rapids and Anoka County, so we were confident in their ability to design and implement a website that would fit our customer’s and employee’s needs.”
BLAINECONNECT ® The City of Blaine is committed to connecting with the Community and proudly introduces BlaineConnect. We collaborated with several partners to achieve this goal and each tool is designed for a specific purpose: • Receive Emergency Notifications with CivicReady® Blaine’s Emergency Notification System Opt-In to Receive Alerts BlaineMN.gov/CivicReady • Submit Anonymous Tips to the Police Department with Tip411® Sign Up to Receive Tips or Download the App BlaineMN.gov/Tip411 • Connect with Your Community with NotifyMe® Opt-In to Receive Blaine Updates on Topics that Interest You BlaineMN.gov/NotifyMe
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Spring into Home Improvements Spring is here and remodeling season has begun. If you are ready to update your bathroom, put new windows in your home, or finally replace the siding or roof, the Lending Center can help make your home improvement projects a reality. The City of Blaine has partnered with the Lending Center at the Center for Energy and Environment (CEE) to provide low-interest financing for your home improvement projects. Through this partnership, residents have access to financing as low as 5% (APR 5.010%)*. With flexible terms, monthly payments will be affordable. Most interior and exterior home improvement projects are eligible including remodeling, windows and doors, siding, roofing, and more. To get started or for more information visit mnlendingcenter.org or call 612-335-5884. The Lending Center at CEE is a Minnesota nonprofit that has been helping homeowners for over 35 years. *APR is based on a loan amount of $15,000 for a 15 year term.
Body Worn Camera Program Enters Phase 2 The Police Department is entering its second phase of implementing the Body Worn Camera Program. Phase 2 consists of posting a draft policy on the website. We welcome feedback from you. The draft policy is available to view on our website at BlaineMN.gov/BodyWornCameras A copy is also available at the Police Department. Please send policy feedback to BWCPolicy@BlaineMN.gov
Summer Office Hours for Mayor Ryan These new tools streamline our communication with the public, offering seamless integration with our social media platforms and emergency management applications.
Mayor Ryan’s office hours will resume after Labor Day. Residents may still contact him with comments or concerns at tryan@blainemn.gov or 763-757-3390.
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www.blaineparks.com
Blaine Introduces an Outdoor Farmers Market
& Connection 2017 Summer
Parks Recreation Parks & Recreation Connection
2017
Summer
World Fest
Sharing Ethnic and Cultural Diversity May 20
Due to the success of the indoor farmers market and suggestions from residents, the Parks and Recreation Department will be hosting a farmers market on Wednesday evenings beginning May 24. The Parks and Recreation Department is committed to providing healthy activities for the community. Expanding access to fresh and local food, along with community and social engagement, through the farmers market is a major benefit to the community. According to the Farmers Market Coalition, “farmers markets facilitate personal connections and bonds of mutual benefits between farmers, shoppers, and communities. By cutting out middlemen, farmers receive more of our food dollars and shoppers receive the freshest and most flavorful food in their area and local economies prosper.”
Summer Special Edition 2017
The City Recommends Annual Testing of Backflow Prevention Devices In 2015, the State of Minnesota adopted the Uniform Plumbing Code, (UPC). Minnesota amendments were created and incorporated into what is now the Minnesota Plumbing Code Chapter 4714, which became effective January 23, 2016. The new code brought significant changes, including annual testing of all testable backflow prevention devices. See full article at BlaineMN.gov/BuildingInspections. A backflow prevention device is used to protect potable water supplies from contamination or pollution due to backflow. Pressure vacuum breaker (PVB) is most common in residential system and typically installed at the connection to lawn irrigation systems and some pools or hot tubs. Pressure vacuum breakers are listed to standard ASSE 1015. Spill proof pressure vacuum breakers (SVB) (not shown), listed to standard ASSE 1056
Wednesdays thru October 18 3 to 7pm Blaine City Hall 10801 Town Square Drive NE BlaineEvents.com/FarmersMarket 763-785-6164
The vendors at the Blaine Farmers Market grow or make their own products. They are extremely knowledgeable about the ingredients, benefits, and the quality of their products. Our vendors enjoy talking to their customers and explaining the process of growing, producing, and selling their products. Customers will enjoy the quality produce, farmstead, and artisan products – all fresh and local.
Double Check Valves (DC), listed to standard ASSE 1020, are occasionally used in residential systems as the backflow prevention device in the plumbing system at low hazard boiler connections and rarely as part of the lawn irrigation system. Reduce Pressure Principle Assemblies (RP) previously referred to as RPZ valves, listed to standard ASSE 1013, are typically for high hazards. An RP may be found in homes with boilers or where the connection to a lawn irrigation system cannot meet the installation requirements of the PVB or SVB.
Blaine Farmers Market Wednesdays beginning May 24
Reduced Pressure Detector Fire Protection Assembly (Standard ASSE 1047) and Double Check Detector Fire Protection Backflow Prevention Assembly (Standard ASSE 1048) are typically installed in larger fire sprinkler systems. (Not Shown)
Blaine Parks and Recreation
Cover photo by Sarah Grace Photography
2017 Summer Recreation Connection
Online registration begins May 20, visit BlaineParks.com/Register
The property owner or responsible person is required to ensure the devices are maintained in good condition and functioning properly. The Blaine Farmers Market has established a frequent shopper program. For every 5 market visits, customers will receive a useful giveaway. Customers can sign up at the Market Manager Booth.
Register Online at BlaineTriathlon.com
BlaineParks.com
More information about Parks & Recreation programs is available at 763- 785- 6164 or in the current Recreation Connection online at BlaineParks.com. FACEBOOK.COM/ BLAINEPARKSMN
TWITTER.COM/ BLAINEPARKSMN
BlaineEvents.com
BLAINE
RECYCLING SATURDAYS! 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
3rd Saturday of Each Month Drop-Off Location is Moving
Green Lights Recycling 10040 Davenport Street NE, Blaine Enter off of 99th Lane NE The City of Blaine sponsors a recycling drop-off day the third Saturday of each month. You do not need to be a Blaine resident to bring items to the drop-off day. Please note, no garbage will be accepted.
Green Lights Recycling 763-785-0456 | GLRNow.com Collects mattresses, box springs, carpet, appliances, florescent lamps, electronics, rechargeable batteries, and tires. Free items include scrap metal and vehicle batteries. There is a small fee for some items: • Mattresses/box springs are $20 each. • Most appliances are $8 each. • Most electronics are between $2 and $50 depending on size. • Carpet - $4/ roll (up to 7 rolls). Drop off tires and rechargeable batteries for a small fee. See the complete list of fees at BlaineMN.gov/RecyclingSaturdays
Randy’s Environmental Services 763-972-3335 |
What are the code requirements?
Saturday, September 9
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In addition to providing healthy and locally made products, the Blaine Farmers Market offers opportunities for non-profit community groups to host a booth free of charge. Groups can raise awareness, host a small fundraiser, or provide a service to the public. Adding to the Blaine Farmers Market experience is the summer concert series. The concert series has been moved to Wednesday evenings at 7 pm at Town Square Park. A total of nine performances in a variety of musical genres will follow the market. Shoppers are encouraged to stay for a relaxing evening in the park. Products offered at the market include: seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables, breads, cakes, cookies & cupcakes, meats, eggs, honey, cheeses, nuts, jams & preserves, sauces, bloody mary mix, pierogis, sweet & savory strudels, gluten free & dairy free baking mixes, olive oils, goat milk soap & lotions, jewelry, garden art and cookbooks. Groups interested in hosting a booth should contact Ann at aringgold@blainemn.gov.
Testable backflow prevention devices installed, repaired, relocated, or removed, after January 23, 2016 require a permit. Testing shall occur at the time of install, repair, or relocation and annually thereafter. What if the testable backflow prevention device was installed before the new code? All RP or RPZ devices require annual testing regardless of installation date. Other testable backflow prevention devices, installed prior to the code change, do not require annual testing. The City of Blaine does recommend testing all testable backflow prevention devices annually. Who completes the testing? Persons performing testing are required have completed American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) certification and be licensed as a Backflow Prevention Tester, by the State of Minnesota. If the test reveals a need for repair, a City of Blaine, permit shall be obtained by an ASSE certified and Minnesota licensed Backflow Prevention Rebuilder with testing to occur again after the repair. A test and inspection tag shall be affixed to the device and the City of Blaine Backflow Prevention Assembly Annual Test report shall be filled out in its entirety, by the certified backflow prevention tester and submitted to the City of Blaine within 30 days of testing the device. Submit reports to Backflow@ BlaineMN.gov.
RandysEnvironmentalServices.com Offers free paper shredding.
Bike Collection (April – October) Bikes4KidsMN.org Drop off any size bicycle that you no longer want. The bikes will be accepted by Bikes 4 Kids to be refurbished or have their parts used in reburbishing other bikes. Bikes 4 Kids then donate the bikes to people in need. There is no charge to drop a bike off. Bikes 4 Kids are part of the Robert & Wilma Burbach Bike Foundation.
Other City Recycling Opportunities 763-785-6192 | BlaineMN.gov/Recycle Walters Recycling & Refuse 763-780-8464
For information regarding curbside yardwaste service or to report missed garbage, recycling or yardwaste pick-up.
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID TWIN CITIES, MN Permit No. 29418 10801 Town Square Drive NE Blaine, MN 55449-8101 763-784-6700
ECRWSS
POSTAL CUSTOMER
DATED MATERIAL PREPARED BY THE OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
POSTMASTER: TIME SENSITIVE MAIL
Blaine Explorer Post is One of Minnesota’s Best This past April, the Blaine Police Explorer Post competed at the 42nd Annual Minnesota Law Enforcement Exploring Conference. The conference not only challenges the Explorers’ ability to perform in several law enforcement scenarios, but also tests their ability to work as a team. The conference is extremely competitive and allows explorers from all over the Midwest to meet and test their skills. Blaine’s Explorer Post is consistently one of the best in Minnesota, and this year was no different. At this year’s event the Blaine Police Explorer Post’s drill and ceremony team received 1st place in the drill and ceremony competition for the first time since its inception in 2015. The routine and uniform used for the competition was completely Explorer planned and coordinated.
In team based scenario competitive events, the Explorers received the following awards: • •
1st place in Street Decisions 1st place in Traffic Stop
In team academic competitions, the Explorers received the following awards: • •
3rd in the De-Escalation academic competition 5th in the Laws of Combat academic competition
Several explorers also competed in individual events. Among them, Matthew Stuber received 1st Place in the competitive 5K run.
Congratulations to the Blaine Police Explorer Post. Their hard work, dedication, and success not only reflect well on our Police Department but on the Community as a whole.
JUN 14 North Suburban Concert Band 21 Everett Smithson, Mississippi River music 28 Vinnie Rose, variety JUL
12 14 18 19 21 26 27 28
AUG 2 4 9 11 16 18
7pm, Town Square 7pm, Town Square 7pm, Town Square
The BZ Girls, jazz and pop The Splatter Sisters, children’s Family Fun Night, family, free games, food Backyard Band, variety Tricia and the Toonies, children’s QC Dance, dance recital Wendinger Band, polka Kids Dance, children’s dance party
7pm, Town Square 10:30am, aquatore 6pm, aquatore 7pm, Town Square 10:30am, aquatore 7pm, Town Square 6pm, aquatore 10:30am, aquatore
The Mooners, classic rock Kid Power with Rachael, children’s Harmonic Relief, show choir Mixed Nuts, children’s comedy Jam Hops Dance Connection The Alphabits, children’s
7pm, Town Square 10:30am, aquatore 7pm, Town Square 10:30am, aquatore 7pm, Town Square 10:30am, aquatore
Blaine City Hall Parking Lot Wednesdays thru October 18
BlaineEvents.com/FarmersMarket www.BlaineEvents.com/Performance-in-the-Park