Eagle Scout Project at Bryantwood Park

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1 SPRING Summer QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER Winter 2018 Winter Good Neighbor Award Winner: Carol Cheswick At the November 27, 2017 City Council Meeting, the Maple Plain City Council recognized Carol Cheswick as the chosen recipient of the 2017 Good Neighbor Award. The Good Neighbor Award is the highest award granted by the Maple Plain City Council to an individual, organization, or business in Maple Plain. The Good Neighbor Award exhibits a lifetime service and dedication through volunteerism, virtue, civic engagement, and creativity to meet community needs. This is the first year of this award. Carol has given and continues to give her time and energy not only in Maple Plain but also in surrounding cities in a number of ways. Carol is always willing to lend a hand and make a difference where ever possible. Good Neighbor Award...continued on page 3 Pictured left to right: Councilmember John Fay, Councilmember Mike DeLuca, Mayor Julie Maas-Kusske, Carol Cheswick, Councilmember Caitlin Cahill, Councilmember Dominic Broda Eagle Scout Project at Bryantwood Park This fall Maple Plain resident and Troop 206 Boy Scout Carter Brandt completed his Eagle Scout project at Bryantwood Park. Carter identified areas of improvement at his local neighborhood park and took action! Carter completed a number of upgrades and maintenance items including installation of a new adaptive swing, addition of two new benches and a table, replacing the timber framing surrounding one of the play areas, power washing and staining picnic tables, and refurbishing an existing bench. Eagle Scout Carter Brandt with his finished project Thank you Carter for all of your hard work and commitment, we are so excited about how it turned out! Congratulations on the impressive achievement of becoming an Eagle Scout!

2 Decrease for 2018 Tax Levy and General Fund Budget Expenses E-bills have begun! 0.64% Decrease! 2.56% Decrease! This free service allows you to view current and past statements online, receive bill notifications, and opt out of receiving paper bills. Please note, you do not have to pay online in order to view your bills online. For more information on ebills including registration instructions visit and click on Online Payments and ebills under Quick Links on the left. Go Paperless! By enrolling in ebilling, you have the ability to opt out of paper bills. This reduces your paper clutter and saves trees! In addition, cost savings from paper, postage, and printing will go back into our community! Enroll today by signing into your online utility billing account and going to the View Bills tab and selecting Go Paperless. The City s final property tax levy as well as the General Fund budget for 2018 was approved on Monday, December 18, The result is as a whole Maple Plain property owners will be paying less to the City in property taxes! The 2018 levy is a 0.64% decrease from 2017 (see chart above). A major contributing factor of the decrease is a 2.56% reduction in the budget for General Fund expenses (see chart above). The City s General Fund is for operating expenses and includes municipal services such as public works, administration, police and fire, building inspections, and parks. Despite, expense reductions, the City will continue to make improvements through projects and initiatives in 2018 including a street, water, and sewer construction project along portions of Independence Street and Howard Avenue as well as a new City website. If you have enrolled in paperless billing, but are still receiving paper statements please contact Nicole Kathman, Assistant to the City Administrator by at nkathman@mapleplain.com or by phone at (763) with your name and address. Please note that changes to opting out of paper bills or back to receiving paper bills must be made by the end of the month before a statement is sent out to be effective on the next utility bill otherwise changes will not take place until the following quarterly bill. All changes for your next statement must be made by March 31! See below for a yearly schedule. Changes effective for April s Bill must be made by March 31. Changes effective for July s Bill must be made by June 30. Changes effective for October s Bill must be made by September 30. Changes effective for January s Bill must be made by December 31. Page 2

3 2018 Citizens Police Academy Enrolling Now! 8-week Academy Thursdays February 15 April 5 7:00 pm 10:00 pm The West Hennepin Public Safety Department will be holding a 2018 Citizens Police Academy. This class is a must for those people who live or work in or near the West Hennepin Public Safety Department s jurisdiction. At this time, they are establishing a list of participants. Please contact the West Hennepin Public Safety Department at (763) between the hours 9:00 am 4:00 pm, if you are interested in enrolling. The recommended attendee age is 18 years and older. What is it? The Citizens Academy is a FREE 24-hour block of instruction, sponsored by the Crime Fund, designed to give citizens knowledge about how your public safety department operates, our policies, procedures, programs and challenges. In addition, you will be introduced to government officials and staff and learn about the responsibilities of their respective office. Participants in each session will commit to meeting 3 hours, one night a week for 8 weeks. The Citizens Police Academy was designed to create a better understanding of law enforcement through education. The Citizens Police Academy participants are presented with realistic hands on information, which will help each participant better understand the police department functions. The classroom and hands on information covers: DWI and Traffic Enforcement, home security, personal security, use of force, including deadly force which includes a demonstration of the Taser Gun and FATS training (firearms simulation), Hennepin County Dispatch Center, Court procedures including testifying before a Judge and many other areas related to law enforcement. This is a great opportunity to meet your police officers, fellow citizens, and other members of government to learn why we do what we do. At graduation you will receive a certificate and become a member of the Citizens Academy Network Alumni. Why should I attend? We believe an informed citizenry will enhance public safety, make better decisions about how to protect themselves and their business, understand law enforcement strategies to problem-solving and provide leadership to other areas of government. Good Neighbor Award from page 1 Some of her many current and prior commitments and contributions include: co-founder and former co-chair of Heart Safe in Maple Plain, served on the West Hennepin Chamber of Commerce Board and the Maple Plain Days Committee, as well as volunteering at a number of organizations including the Westonka Historical Society and the West Hennepin Pioneer Association. Upon receiving the award, Carol described the legacy she would like to leave stating, I d like to leave the legacy of myself behind that I made a difference in my community as well as the surrounding communities. Thank you Carol for always being willing to lend a hand a make a difference wherever possible! Page 3

4 School Zone Speed Limit Reduction by the Discovery Center The speed limit along Independence Street in front of the Discovery Center has been changed to a school zone of 20 mph when children are present. This speed limit reduction was passed by the Maple Plain City Council at the November 27, 2017 City Council Meeting as recommended by West Hennepin Public Safety Department. West Hennepin Public Safety Department studied the traffic patterns and completed a hazard identification analysis of the area. The results were the basis for their recommendation. They noted there is a heavy traffic flow of plus cars going in and out of the parking lot during multiple times of the days for pickup and drop off. Furthermore, they observed the parking lot is unable to handle this congestion causing many to have to park on Independence Street and walk children across during heavy flow of traffic and vehicles traveling 30 mph. These vehicles parked on both sides of Independence Street cause many blind spots for children running in-between cars to get to their vehicles. While there are two crosswalk signs in the area, West Hennepin Public Safety observed that most if not all pedestrians do not use it. New sign on Independence near Howard Ave. As a note to motorists, if children are arriving at or leaving school during opening or closing hours, or during recess periods, then children are considered present and the 20 mph speed limit must be followed. Thank you for your cooperation by reducing your speed in this area to help pedestrians navigate the area safely! The City is working with EvoGov to design and create a new City website. EvoGov specializes in government sites. The new website will have an attractive modern design, improve usability, and allow for a mobile friendly interface. The new site will be a tremendous upgrade and is expected to launch this spring. Check out the City of Minnetrista s website at for an example of their work! Business Assistance Program The City of Maple Plain offers assistance to businesses seeking to make building façade improvements. The assistance is a 2:1 loan to grant ratio that covers 50% of the project costs up to a $5,000 loan and $2,500 grant. For example if the business invests $4,500, the assistance would be a $1,500 loan and a $750 grant. The loan is a 5 year loan at 3% interest rate. For more information and details regarding the Business Assistance Program visit businessassistanceprogram Page 4

5 Letter from Fire Chief McCoy As we take time to celebrate the holidays with our loved ones, we at Maple Plain Fire Department are celebrating the blessing of serving each of you on a daily basis. The role of a Firefighter in Maple Plain is much more then putting wet stuff on the red stuff our firefighters are trained as Emergency Medical Responders, Technicians and Paramedics, Confined Space Rescue Technicians, State Certified Firefighter, Hazardous Materials Operators as well as many other types of rescue including water / ice rescue and car crash response and extrication to name a few. It is our goal and mission to treat each situation as if we were serving our own families by serving you with compassion, empathy and with the highest level of professionalism. As we embark in a new year, we look forward to our continued service to you and your families. If you ever find yourself in a time of need, please call 911 and we will be ready to assist you. Also, if you are interested in becoming a Firefighter with Maple Plain Fire Department, I encourage you to check out our website at for more information on how to become a Maple Plain Firefighter we are a family looking to grow to serve the families of our community. We look forward to seeing you around town. Make sure you stop by and say Hi when you see us at the station or in your neighborhood! Have a Safe and Happy 2018! Best, Justin McCoy Fire Chief Maple Plain Fire Department Heart Safe AED Training February 13th The West Hennepin Chamber of Commerce is hosting a FREE AED and CPR training session at Independence City Hall (1920 County Rd 90 ) on February 13th from 12:00 pm 2:00 pm. There is no fee and businesses are encouraged to send employees. Lunch will be served at 11:45 am for those who order. There is a need for a Volunteer Coordinator for Heart Safe so please let us know if you are interested! For more information on the open position or to RSVP for the event contact Jennifer at (763) or Karin at (763) Page 5

6 Holiday Pick-Up Delays 2018 Memorial Day (Monday, May 28, 2018)- Service on Tuesday, May 29 Labor Day (Monday, September 3, 2018)- Service on Tuesday, September 4 Page 6

7 2040 Comprehensive Plan Community Survey Results Summary This past fall Maple Plain residents and business owners were given the opportunity to take a community survey to let us know what opinions are in regards to how Maple Plain should grow, develop, and invest in City services. The 250 responses that were received are being used as we draft the City s next Comprehensive Plan. Below is a highlight of select results. For the complete report, visit or stop by City Hall to view a copy. Although the survey may be complete, public input is welcome and encouraged as the plan develops by attending Planning Commission meetings. Meeting information is available on the City s website. Recreation facilities to develop or enhance 1. Playgrounds 2. Trails 3. Baseball Fields 4. Sports Fields (soccer) 5. Courts Priority Rankings (1-5)* Transportation facilities to improve/maintain 1. Maintain existing roads 2. Improve existing roads 3. Pedestrian 4. Bicycle Trails 5. Public Transit Types of Housing to promote and develop 1. Single-Family 2. Townhomes 3. Senior Owner 4. Senior Rental 5. Apartments Types of Businesses to promote and develop 1. Grocery 2. Restaurants 3. Retail 4. Convenience 5. Senior Care Facility *Participants were asked to rank the 5 choices provided. Participants were given the opportunity to add provide other answers separately which are included in the full report. Maple Plain should use tax incentives and other resources to help bring businesses to the City and expand the commercial tax base. I would support urban development (more density and taller buildings) in the downtown areas of Maple Plain. Page 7

8 Hours Monday-Friday 8:00 am 4:30 pm Public Works Maple Plain Fire Department 1645 Pioneer Ave. PO Box 97 Maple Plain, MN Emergency: 911 Fire Station: West Hennepin Public Safety 1918 County Rd 90 Independence, MN Emergency: 911 Office: City Hall 5050 Independence St. PO Box 97 Maple Plain, MN Other Frequently Used Phone Numbers Delano Senior Center Maple Plain Library Maple Plain Post Office Stay Connected Like us on Facebook! See the News and Announcements on our website homepage! Check the Community Calendar and City Meetings Calendar on our website! Sign-Up for CodeRED Notifications! City Council Julie Maas-Kusske, Mayor 1489 Three Oaks Ave Mike DeLuca, Councilmember 5825 Maple Ridge Dr , John Fay, Councilmember 5819 Three Oaks Ave Dominic Broda, Councilmember 5439 Clayton Dr Caitlin Cahill, Councilmember City Meeting Schedule City Council Workshops Second and Fourth Mondays at 5:30 pm City Council Business Meeting Fourth Monday at 7:00 pm Economic Development Authority First Monday at 5:30 pm Parks Commission Third Monday at 5:30 pm Planning Commission First Thursday at 6:00 pm Call City Hall or visit the City s website to ensure a meeting is not cancelled or rescheduled. For the most up-to-date meeting calendar as well as agendas, meeting packets, and minutes, visit