CGN0x042612 by Renee Fette

Vol. 5 No. 2

Prepared and paid for by the City of Cologne

April 2012

POSTAL PATRON PRST STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT 120 COLOGNE, MN

Cologne ¾ Intersection with U-turns Hwy 284

(February 22, 2012)

3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, April 28 Fire Station

CSAH 53

• • • • • •

Standard & Poor’s Fire Affirms Department Bond Rating Steak Fry

Revised layout based on Nov 14, 2011 public meeting comments All Hwy 212 movements are retained Accommodates heavy trucks Vastly increases intersection safety Delays are minimized Construction to start in August, 2012

MnDOT finalizes Hwy. 212 intersection plans

fter several months of discussions and meetings, MnDOT has finalized the Hwy 212/284/CR 53 intersection. The City of Cologne initiated the discussions with a June 6 Resolution 11_15 requesting a stop light and/or slower speed limits on Hwy 212. Throughout the discussion process MnDOT was adamant in not allowing stop lights and slower speeds. The state agency was convinced neither of those options would provide a safer intersection. MnDOT’s first proposal was an R-Cut design that would require a majority of North/ South traffic to use Village Parkway to cross Hwy 212. After public meetings and input from the community, MnDOT redesigned the intersection to include U-turns so that North/South traffic could continue to cross at Hwy 212.

Emergency vehicles will have access to go straight across the intersection while normal traffic will need to make a right turn and use the U-turns 800 feet away to access north/south bound traffic or east/west traffic in lieu of left turns. The city was able to persuade MnDOT into extending the U-turn lanes closer to the north/south bound intersections, allowing a quick crossing into the U-turn rather than merging on the highway and then crossing over. This should also allow tractor/trailers a safer crossing into the U-turn lane. The $1.3 million dollar project will be paid for with 90 percent federal and 10 percent MnDOT funding. A $250,000-$300,000 stop light would have been paid for by the local taxpayers had it been allowed to be installed. A fall construction is planned.

New R-Cut highly successful in Willmar

Hwy. 212 free right access removed

ate in the discussion a nd t he prel i m inary design stage, MnDOT notified the City of Cologne that the free right access to Hwy. 212, and the acceleration lanes, were being removed. This will cause all north/south bound trafﬁc to come to a complete stop while waiting for access onto Hwy 212. While M n D O T ’s s e n i o r staff was in favor of maintaining the free rights, their technical staff felt it was a safety issue. Their concern was a motorist may use the free rights as access to the U-turns to jump a head of traffic at the stop sign. This maneuver would cause the motorist to merge over three lanes of trafﬁc in a short distance.

n DOT recent ly installed an R-Cut U-turn intersection on Hwy. 71 near Willmar. Highway officials claim the intersection should reduce accidents by at least 80 percent. So far there has been 100 percent reduction in accidents, according to Jon Henslin, MnDOT traf-

fic engineer for the Willmar area. Dick Arne, a Willmar insurance adjuster for 17 years, was sure they made a “huge mistake...what were they thinking of? But I lived to ﬁ nd out I was way wrong because they haven’t had any accidents and it’s been

over a year.” Arne has driven through the intersection many times from different directions and finds it easy to use. “It’s hard to make a mistake there now, just follow the signs.”

The Cit y wa s extremely disappointed in the late change of design plans. Instead of a llow ing all east/west bound trafﬁc to merge with accelerating speeds on the free right, they will now be forced to a complete stop and then attempt to merge with traffic traveling an average of 67 mph.

ta nda rd & Poor’s p e r formed a rev iew of t he City’s ﬁnancial standing in Febr uary of 2012. After the S&P review they determined the City was to maintain it’s A+ bond rating with a stable outlook.

Commercial improvements planned

ocal operators of M & M Home Contractors, Inc. have purchased the old Cologne Meat Market building located next to Holiday Stations and car wash. They are looking to transform the building into ofﬁce space and storage for their insulation and contracting business. The City allowed a utility easement waiver and will work with the property in regards to storm water runoff. Congratulations to M & M Contractors on a very nice improvement to the business district.

COMMUNITY CENTER • Wedding Receptions • Graduation • Baby & Bridal Showers • Family & Class Reunions • Community Functions

Seating for 400 Super Sound System Variable Lighting

952-466-2064 www.ci.cologne.mn.us 1211 Village Parkway • Cologne, MN

Dance Floor Serving Kitchen Community Room

Source: Article from the West Central Tribune, January 11, 2012.

City of Cologne

Cologne City Council

Park & Recreation Board

1211 Village Parkway, P.O. Box 120, Cologne, MN 55322 Web site: www.ci.cologne.mn.us or www.Cologne-iSP.net

Mayor Bernie Shambour Don Meyer Scott Williams Matt Lein Jill Skaaland The City Council meets on the 1st and 3rd Mondays at 7 p.m.

Craig Pexa Scott Rynerson Open Park Board position

Planning Commission

District #108 Community Education

Marcia Tellers Joel Sievers Kenton Exner David Reif Don Meyer (Council Rep) The Planning Commission meets on the 1st Monday at 6 p.m.

531 Morse Street, Norwood Young America, MN 55368 Phone: (952) 467-7390 Web site: www.dist108ce.org

Contact Us City Hall/Clerk’s Office ........................................(952) 466-2064 John Douville, Administrator ............ douville@ci.cologne.mn.us Public Works .................................... Terry Bullock, Jeff Wildung Cologne-iSP .........................................................952-466-2184 Emergency/after-hours public works pager..............................................(612) 579-7054

Mark Kalstas Mark Willems

Win $500, help protect water

innesota’s lakes and rivers need your help! And, Carver County Water Management Organization is hosting a competition aimed at doing just that.

Join the fun:

Cologne Area Senior Citizens

he Colog ne A rea Senior Citizens group continues to enjoy gathering for social events, lunches and card playing. Pictured here is the group celebrat i ng Ma rdi Gras wearing festive beads and enjoying a soup and sandwich lunch. New member are always welcome. The group meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month in the Community Room at the Cologne Community Center at 1:30 p.m. Please consider joining them for a fun afternoon!

Check out the Cologne Fitness Center The City of Cologne has a

Batter up! Hollanders baseball season gets underway

top-of-the-line fitness center located in the City Offices/ Community Center building. Members enjoy 24/7 access, top-of-the-line equipment, locker rooms with showers and satellite TV and radio. Colog ne F it ness Center offers fitness reimbursement to qualified members. Current participating insurers include Blue Cross Blue Shield Minnesota, UCare and Preferred One. To date, our members have received over $2,200 in fitness reimbursement. If you would like additional information regarding the fitness center, contact the City Offices at 952-466-2064.

Hard to be sad about GLAD Days!

he Cologne Hollanders would like to thank everyone who has helped make the offseason a success. We would also like to welcome all of you to “The Hill” to enjoy a baseball game or two this season. The season is starting up! Thank you again for being the best fans that a team could ever ask for!!!

2012 Cologne Hollanders Schedule @ Norwood

7:30

Sat., June 16

Young America (FTH)

4:00