Spring 2012 HIGHLAND ROAD PROJECT UPDATE ......................... 4

LIVING WITH COYOTES & PREVENTING CONFLICT.... 6

RAINGARDEN WORKSHOP IN TRAINING CENTER ...... 9

Minnetrista Messenger

Precinct Changes A s part of the State redistricting

process,, cities are required to review and amend or affirm the

boundary lines of all election precincts under their jurisdiction. At their March 19, 2012 meeting, the Minnetrista City Council passed a resolution establishing four election precincts and polling places. These changes will be in effect for the 2012 Primary and all subsequent elec-tions. A detailed parcel map and addi-tional information is on the City website. Contact Terri Haarstad, City Clerk, at Minnetrista City Hall with your questions or concerns.

Minnetrista Precinct 1A consists of those properties within the ISD 277 (Westonka School District) boundaries

that are also north of County Road 15. Voters in this precinct will continue to vote at the Wes-tonka District Education Center located at 5901 Sunnyfield Rd East.

Minnetrista Precinct 2A consists of those properties within ISD 879 and ISD 111 (the Delano and Watertown-Mayer School Districts) boundaries. Vot-ers in this precinct will continue to vote at Minnetrista City Hall located at 7701 County Road 110W.

Minnetrista Precinct 3A consists of those properties within the ISD 110 (Waconia School District) Boundaries. Voters in this precinct will vote at Fresh-

water Community Church located at 4319 Steiner Street just off Highway 7 south-west of St. Boni Motor Sports.

Minnetrista Precinct 4A consists of those properties within the ISD 277 (Westonka School District) boundaries south of County Road 15. Voters in this precinct will vote in the Minnetrista Po-lice Training Room located in the Police Building at 7651 County Road 110W.

Mayor’s Message

Winter seems to have not really happened and it feels like summer as I write this article. The City Council is reviewing the goals and the recent community survey to make sure we can achieve the priorities set out in our Council/Staff retreat. The City Council reached its top goals last year including: adjusting to the changing economy, continuing our inter-jurisdictional collaboration to bring closure to the Police and Fire Departments studies, managing the Woodland Cove Project, improving communication with the public, addressing the city’s infrastructure needs, and focusing on long term planning.

Mayor’s Message continued on page 2

The City of Minnetrista will deliver quality services in a cost effective

and innovative manner and provide opportunities for a high quality of

life while protecting natural resources and maintaining a rural character. Vote at Minnetrista

City Hall

Vote at the Westonka District Education Center

Vote at the Minnetrista Police Training Center Vote at Freshwater

Community Church

2A

Visit our website to see a detailed

map showing specific parcels.

CONTACT INFO

Minnetrista City Hall 7701 County Road 110 W

Minnetrista, MN 55364

Phone: 952.446.1660

Hours: 8:00a—4:30p M—F

Email: Minnetrista@ci.minnetrista.mn.us

Website: www.ci.minnetrista.mn.us

Minnetrista City Council

Mayor Cheryl Fischer 952.472.6510

Arlene Donahue 952.472.4456

Anne Hunt 952.472.7034

Mark Vanderlinde 952.446.9341

George Zenanko 952.955.2499

Mayor’s Message Once again the city’s Finance Depart-ment has earned the CAFR award for excellence in financial reporting. This is the 7th year running. Thanks to Fi-nance Director Brian Grimm and his team for keeping us on task and budget.

Several months ago, the City Council found it necessary to increase the sani-tary sewer fee ($95) per quarter and the surface water management fee ($18) per quarter. You will see these changes on your 1st quarter 2012 utility billing. Costs of repair and maintenance of the sanitary sewer infrastructure, unfunded water quality mandates and increase in Met Council’s fees are what drives this change.

At this time the City of Mound has re-quested that the City of Minnetrista propose a contract in concept for po-lices services that would provide the same or better service for the same or less cost. Savings would be realized over the life of the agreement. Details are still being worked on to determine if this is feasible and advantageous to the residents of both cities. If approved by both cities, it would be a long term con-tract designed to work now and for the future. This would bring all police ser-vices from both Mound and Minnetrista together under the Minnetrista Public Safety Department (MPSD). The MPSD also provides police services to the City of St. Bonifacius.

Minnetrista has asked the Mound and St. Boni Fire Departments to propose a single contract to Minnetrista that would provide fire services to the en-tire city of Minnetrista giving details on how that would be accomplished. The City Council has also requested that the departments consider future growth which would include Woodland Cove. The cities continue to work on the de-tails.

In order to continue with the theme of better service the Public Works Depart-ment has undergone some reorganiza-tion. Our City Engineer Mark Erichson (WSB Engineering) will now also fill the role of Public Works Director. The city is in the process of hiring a Supervisor in that department to over-see daily duties.

The City Council recently negotiated with the unions to exchange employee’s “floating holiday” for the Friday after Thanksgiving. Accordingly, beginning in 2012, the day after Thanksgiving will now be a holiday for the city.

Another collaborative project will take place this spring and summer. The im-provement to Highland Road with the City of St. Bonifacius is long overdue and we are happy to have received ex-cellent bids and favorable interest rates to move it forward now. A portion of the city’s MSA (Municipal State Aid) dollars that we receive each year for road projects will pay the bond pay-ments for this project. Bonding for this project will not have an effect on our excellent AA+ bond rating.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

May 12th – RECYCLE/CLEANUP DAY- at City Hall from 8am—3pm

May 19th – TRISTA DAY featuring the Teddy Bear Band! An annual event which promotes public safety and fun for all ages from 11am—2pm

Details for both events are in this news-letter, on the city website and at City Hall.

As always, feel free to contact me with your interests and concerns,

Mayor Cheryl Fischer

FREE TV Classes

T he Lake Minnetonka Cable Commission (LMCC) offers a variety of television pro-duction classes to people who

live in the Minnetonka area. These classes are designed to teach anyone the basics of Studio Production and Final Cut Pro Editing. Classes are free but space is limited. Please contact the LMCC today and make arrangements to take a class! For more information, please call Chris Vogt, LMCC-TV Productions Man-ager, at (952) 471—7125 or by email at chris@lmcc-tv.org.

Mayor’s Message continued from page 1

Election Judges & Trainees Needed

T he City of Minnetrista is seeking citizens to serve

as election judges and elec-tion judge trainees to staff polling places and assist vot-ers during the State Primary Election being held on Au-gust 14, 2012 and the General Election on November 6, 2012. The city is also looking for individuals to serve on the Absentee Ballot Board that will meet weekly during the absentee voting periods.

Election Judges are officials that staff local polling places, administer election proce-dures and ensure the rights of voters are protected on Elec-tion Day. Duties include but are not limited to: setting up the polling place, operating voting equipment, directing voters to the correct line, reg-istering individuals to vote, ensuring qualified voters are permitted to vote, assisting voters, closing the polling place, determining the results after the polls close and certi-

fying the polling place re-sults.

Serving as an election judge is a great learning and civic opportunity for those citizens who want to be involved in their community. You do not have to be an active member of a political party, be a mem-ber of a board or commission or have previous volunteer experience. In fact, serving as an election judge or election judge trainee is a great way to boost your resume!

You may qualify to serve as an election judge or election judge trainee if you are: A United States Citizen Able to read, write and

speak English Going to be 16 years old or

older on Election Day NOT the parent, child,

spouse or sibling of a po-litical candidate on the ballot

Able to complete election duties in a fair and impar-tial manner

Much like Jury Duty, State law requires employers to permit you to take time off work or school without pen-alty (financial or otherwise) to serve as an election judge. Likewise, the stipend earned from serving as an election judge does not count towards unemployment income limits.

Additional information can be found on the elections page of the city website. Or, contact Terri Haarstad, City Clerk, at City Hall with questions or concerns you may have.

An application can be found on page 7 of this newsletter and is due by 4:30pm on May 15,2012.

YOU ARE INVITED...

Open Book Meeting WHO: Minnetrista property owners WHEN: April 25, 2012 from

4:00 to 7:00pm. WHERE: City Hall in the City Council

Chambers

WHY: This meeting is intended to

provide property owners with an opportunity to dis-cuss area sales activity, and talk about their property’s value and/or class with a Hennepin County assessor.

E

G

I n January, the City Council

appointed five citizens to serve two year terms on an ad hoc Road Committee. Meet-ings are listed on the calendar page of the City’s website and are open for public viewing.

This committee acts as an ad-visory board to the City Coun-cil regarding public streets and roads issues (both gravel and paved) in light of federal, state and local regulations. State, county and private streets and roads are not reviewed or con-sidered by the committee.

The Road Committee has an interest in creating a compre-hensive Road Maintenance Plan and will be forwarding recommendations to the City Council in the near future.

Roads Committee members are volunteer appointees who do not collect a salary or sti-pend to perform their duties.

The Road Committee consists of the following members:

Chair Ralph Harrison rharrison@capsecurities.com (952) 472—6828

Vice Chair Tim Lembke timlembke@aol.com (952) 472—2062

Guy Warner guytool@citlink.net

Tom Donahue (612) 799—8017

Bill Holm (952) 472—6985

Roads Committee

Filing for Office

I nterested in becoming a candidate for office?

For federal and state offices, file at the Minnesota Secre-tary of State’s Office during regular office hours from May 22, 2012 through June 5, 2012. Contact the MN Secre-tary of State’s Office directly for additional information.

For state, county and judi-cial offices, file with the Hen-nepin County Elections Divi-sion during regular office hours from May 22, 2012 through June 5, 2012. Contact the Hennepin County Elec-tions directly for additional information.

For school board offices, contact your school district office to determine the filing dates and process. Most school board candidate filings will take place between May 22, 2012 and June 5, 2012.

To file for municipal office, complete an affidavit of can-didacy and submit the re-quired filing fee at Minnet-rista City Hall during regular

office hours from 8:00am on July 31, 2012 through 5:00pm on August 14, 2012. The mayoral Office and two Minnetrista City Council po-sitions will appear on the ballot in November 2012.

As you plan campaign events, please be aware that a liquor license is required if you are serving alcohol and charging admission, asking for dona-tions or collecting contribu-tions. A liquor license takes up to 45 days to acquire. Contact Terri Haarstad, City Clerk, at City Hall for more information and an applica-tion at least 45 days prior to the event. Using a caterer licensed to serve alcohol would also meet legal re-quirements. Additionally, if you are expecting 300 or more people at attend your campaign event or if you re-quire special city services (road closures, traffic control, parking permits, etc) a special event permit may be required. Permit applications can be downloaded from the city’s website.

To Flush or Not to Flush

R esidents are reminded to limit toilet usage to hu-

man waste and toilet paper that has been treated to be biode-gradable. City staff in Minnet-rista and surrounding communi-ties have recently been finding everything from diapers and toys to mop heads and handi-wipes blocking sanitary sewer pipes and pumps. Unfortu-nately, when these types of items are flushed, they cause major problems to the sewer system and cost taxpayers money.

When items that belong in the trash are flushed, they get stuck and clog the pipes. The only way to stop the blockage is to remove the materials by hand. This costs taxpayers extra dol-lars in staff time as well as in repair and replacement costs for equipment damaged by the de-bris. During normal usage times, sewage can occasionally flow past the debris at a slower rate. However, during times of

heavy rain, runoff, or snow melt, the sewage can not flow past the debris fast enough to keep up with the volume. As a result, the untreated sewage backs up into homes, yards, streets and parks. Items found blocking sewage pipes include: underwear, con-doms, feminine products, handi-wipes, cloth cleaning towels, disposable diapers, toilet clean-ing brushes, rubber gloves, medications, golf balls, rope, mop heads, paper towels, and more. Dental floss has proved to be especially harmful as it wraps around the shafts of the pumps and causes additional damage to pump motors. The problem appears to be get-ting worse as more products are listed as disposable. Fortu-nately, this problem is 100% avoidable. Please keep in mind that disposable items are in-tended to be placed in the trash and not in the toilet. Thank you for your assistance!

Adjust your lawn mower to a higher setting. A taller lawn shades roots and holds soil moisture better than if it is closely clipped.

Water your plants deeply but less frequently to encourage deep root growth and drought tolerance.

Adjust sprinklers so only your lawn is watered and not the house, sidewalk, or street.

Use sprinklers that deliver big drops of water close to the ground. Smaller water drops and mist often evapo-rate before they hit the ground.

Check your sprinkler system valves periodically for leaks and keep the sprinkler heads in good shape.

Consider using drip irriga-tion for shrubs and trees to

apply water directly to the roots where it is needed.

Install a rain sensor on your irrigation controller so your system won't run when it's raining.

Minimize evaporation by watering your plants during early morning hours when temperatures are cooler and winds lighter.

Lay down mulch to retain moisture.

Plant in the fall when condi-tions are cooler and rainfall is more plentiful.

Trickling or cascading foun-tains lose less water to evaporation than those spraying water into the air.

Monitor your water bill and your water meter for unusu-ally high use. Your bill and water meter are tools that can help you discover leaks.

Water $aving Tips

The City of Minnetrista and St. Bonifacius have entered into a construction contract with Fehn Companies, Inc. for the recon-struction of Highland Road from CR 110 south approxi-mately one mile. Removal of trees will take place mid April with roadway construction tak-ing place the beginning of May. During roadway reconstruction, Highland Road will be closed to thru traffic. Access to proper-ties adjacent to the proposed improvements will have access throughout construction from one direction or the other, with regular newsletters issued to them regarding status of the project. Police, fire, ambulance, US Postal Service, garbage haulers, and school district will also receive regular updates. Part of Highland Road is being

realigned to improve safety where it crosses the Dakota Rail Trail. A short segment of the Dakota Rail Trail will be closed for a period of time no longer than ten days. During the closure, trail users will be de-toured on Kennedy Memorial Drive and that portion of High-land Road not being recon-structed (south of proposed improvements). Trail recon-struction must be completed by May 25. Substantial completion of the improvements is sched-uled for August 30th, 2012 with the final completion date being September 28, 2012. Newslet-ters to property owners will be placed on the City’s website and can be a resource for any-one citywide looking for an update on the project status.

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Watering Restrictions

City Calendar Meetings start at 7:00pm unless otherwise specified.

For updated meeting information and additional details please visit the city website.

April 2012 2 - CC Special Meeting 5:30p 2 - City Council 10 - Park Commission 16 - City Council 23 - Planning Commission 24 - Road Committee 3:00p 25—Open Book meeting 4p—7p 27 - Land Use Applications due 4:30pm

May 2012 7 - CC Special Meeting 5:30p 7 - City Council 8 - Park Commission 12 - Recycle Clean-up Day 8a—3p 15 - Election Judge apps due 15 - Utility Bills due by 4:30pm 19 - Trista Day 11a - 2p 21 - City Council 22 - Rain Garden Workshop 6:00p 25 - Land Use Applications due 4:30pm 28 - Memorial Day City Offices closed 29 - Planning Commission

June 2012 4 - CC Special Meeting 5:30p 4 - City Council 12 - Park Commission 18 - City Council 21 - Required election judge training opt 1 (TBD) 22 - Land Use Applications due 4:30pm 25 - Planning Commission 29 - Absentee voting begins / Primary Election

July 2012 2 - CC Special Meeting 5:30p 2 - City Council 4 - Independence Day City Offices closed 10 - Park Commission 10 - Required election judge training opt 2 (TBD) 11 - Required election judge training opt 3 (TBD) 16 - City Council 23 - Planning Commission 24 - Last day to pre-register to vote 5:00p 27 - Land Use Applications due 4:30pm 31 - Road Committee 3:00p 31 - Filing for municipal offices open City Hall

Looking ahead August 7 - National Night Out August 9 - Public Accuracy Testing of election equipment 9:00a August 14 - Filing for municipal offices closes 5:00p August 14 - State Primary Election 7a - 8p September 21 - Absentee voting begins November 6 - General Election 7:00a - 8:00p

As discussed in the first newsletter of 2012, the Sewer Utility and Surface Water Management (previously titled Storm Water) rates have changed for 2012. The new amounts of $95 per quarter for the Sewer Utility (for resi-dential users the base rate is the flat rate) and $18 per quarter for the Sur-face Water Management Utility were reflected on the first quarter utility bills that went out. The surface wa-ter/storm water quarterly fee had not

been adjusted since 2004. These ad-justments were needed to help with low cash balances in the above enter-prise funds, increasing mandates from other agencies, completing re-quired surface water projects identi-fied in our surface water management plan, and are in conjunction and con-sistent with our utility financial man-agement plan. For additional infor-mation, visit the City website or call City Hall at (952) 446-1660.

Locate before you Excavate!

Utility Rate Changes

Did you know that to protect your underground utilities as well as the public, MN state law (Chapter 216D) requires you to call 651.454.0002 or 1.800.252.1166 to contact Gopher State One Call before you dig on your property. Utility providers with infrastructure in your work area will then mark with paint or flags the ap-proximate horizontal location of your underground utilities on or before your legal start time.

Before digging, contact Gopher State One Call to obtain a ticket with a list

of all the utilities that were notified and be able to see if they have marked the job site. Excavators are required to maintain a minimum hori-zontal (side to side) clearance of two feet (24") between an unexposed facility and the cutting edge or point of any power operated excavating or earth-moving equipment.

If a utility is accidentally hit, please immediately evacuate everyone in the area, call 911 and the affected utility provider.

REMINDER: Outdoor odd/even watering restrictions begin on May 1st and are in effect through September 30th. Homeowners whose address ends in an odd num-ber may water their lawn using the public water supply only on odd numbered calendar days. Home-owners whose address ends in an even number may water their lawn using the public water supply only on even numbered calendar days. In addition, City Code (700.33) states that “no person shall Irrigate using the public water supply be-tween the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on any day of the week. This Time of Day Restriction ap-plies to established lawns, vegeta-tion, shrubs, trees and gardens and also applies to new sod and seed UNLESS written permission to Irrigate during the restricted times

is obtained from the city adminis-trator or his or her designee.”

City water customers are permitted to wash cars and water shrubs, trees and gardens with a handheld hose. These restrictions also do NOT apply to homeowners who use private sources of water (a well) and are not using the public water supply. The restrictions also make an exception for recreational use, such as children running through a sprinkler. Please be aware, however, that water toys or sprinklers must be present and children must be actively playing with the toys or sprinklers.

Violations may result in a misde-meanor citation. Please contact city hall with any questions you may have.

Drinking Water Report

H ardly any animal in America is more adaptable to

changing conditions than the coyote and one of the keys to its success is its diet. A true scavenger, the coyote will eat just about anything. Identified as a killer of small livestock, poultry and deer, the coyote will also eat snakes, foxes, rodents, rabbits, birds, frogs, grass-hoppers, pet food, pet cats, pet dogs, carrion, fruits, vegetables, doughnuts, sandwiches and just plain garbage.

Coyotes look like small collies or German Shepherds. They have erect pointed ears, slender muzzle and a bushy tail. Most coyotes are brownish gray in color with a light gray to cream-colored belly. How-ever, a coyote’s color varies and may be somewhat darker or lighter depending on the time of the year.

According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Re-sources, there has never been a coyote attack on a human being in Minnesota. However, if you enjoy seeing coyotes and want a closer look, please use bin-oculars. Do not ever put out food to lure them. Nearly all wild animal bites occur when people attempt to feed or treat wild animals as domestic ani-mals. All wild animals are un-predictable and caution is the watchword when coyotes are around.

In areas where they are hunted or trapped, coyotes are very wary of human beings. How-ever, in urban and suburban areas, they are more likely to associate people with an easy and dependable source of food and they can be very bold. In fact, they can come right up to the door of a house if food is regularly present. Unfortu-nately, wild animals that lose

their fear of humans are more likely to pose a danger to hu-mans and the lifespan of such an animal is shortened.

Taking the following steps may reduce the chance of human-coyote conflicts: Do NOT feed coyotes

Do NOT allow pets to run free. Keep them safely con-fined and provide secure nighttime housing for them. Walk you pets on a leash and accompany your pet outside, especially at night.

Feed pets indoors whenever possible. Pick up any left-overs if feeding outdoors. Store pet and livestock feed where it is inaccessible to wildlife.

Bird feeders should be posi-tioned so that coyotes can’t get to the feed. They are attracted by bread, table scraps and seed. They may also be attracted by the birds and rodents that come to the feeders.

Secure garbage containers and eliminate garbage odors.

Trim and clean, near ground level, any shrubbery that provides hiding cover for coyotes or their prey.

If you see a coyote acting ag-gressively, please call 9-1-1.

Living with Coyotes

Mark your calendars for our Spring Clean-up Recycle Day to be held on Saturday, May 12, 2012 from 8:00am to 3:00pm Minnetrista City Hall. This recycling event is co-sponsored by the cities of Minnetrista and Mound and is open to all resi-dents of the surrounding area. Identification is not required. Acceptable items include: used appliances, scrap metal, furni-ture, carpet, electronics, tires, plastic toys, fluorescent bulbs, computer components, Styro-foam, and concrete. Some of these items can be dropped off

at no charge. Other items re-quire a small fee to help with disposal costs. Paper shredding will be available from 11am until 1:00pm only.

Please be aware that brush, leaves, construction waste, household hazardous waste, insulation, lumber, newspaper, wood, treated lumber and gas refrigerators can not be ac-cepted at this event. Visit the City website for a complete listing of accepted items. Call City Hall with any questions you may have.

Recycle Clean-up Day

T he City of Minnetrista expects to receive, in the month of May, the results of monitoring

done on its drinking water for the period from January 1 to December 31, 2011. The pur-pose of this report is to advance consumers’ understanding of drinking water and heighten awareness of the need to protect precious water resources.

Source of Water

Minnetrista’s drinking water comes from a groundwater source: four wells ranging from 253 to 787 feet deep, that draw water from the Franconia-Mt. Simon and Quaternary Buried Artesian aquifers.

Results of Monitoring

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prescribes regu-lations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water sys-tems. Food and Drug Admini-stration (FDA) regulations es-tablish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health. Drinking water, including bottled water, may

reasonably be expected to con-tain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The pres-ence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. The water provided to Minnetrista resi-dents meets drinking water stan-dards. No contaminants were detected in the water at levels that violated federal drinking water standards. However, the Minnesota Department of Health has also made a determi-nation as to how vulnerable the source of water may be to future contamination incidents and notifies customers of contami-nants that were detected in trace amounts that were below legal limits.

For the complete 2011 Drinking Water Report, watch the legal notices in The Laker and the city website. Copies will also be available for viewing at Minnet-rista City Hall during regular business hours. If you have questions about the City of Minnetrista drinking water or would like information about opportunities for public participation in decisions that may affect the quality of the water, call 952-446-1660.

Rain garden Workshop

Get ready for spring by plan-ning a garden that beautifies your yard and helps keep our water clean. Whether you are an experienced gardener or have never tried gardening before, this eco-friendly gardening workshop will help you learn how to:

Use native plants in your garden landscape

Limit fertilizers and pesti-cides without compromising a beautiful yard

Capture rainwater on site with rain gardens

Redirect your downspouts Plan your own garden with one-on-one assistance from land-scape designers

“Metro Blooms has been part-nering with Twin Cities Metro communities to provide low-

cost rain garden workshops since 2005,” said Metro Blooms Executive Director Becky Rice. “More than 5,000 residents have attended our workshops and over 2,000 rain gardens have been installed.”

Tuesday, May 22, 2012 6-9 PM

Minnetrista Public Safety Training Center

7651 County Road 110W Minnetrista, MN 55364

Instructor: Michael Keenan, Metro Blooms Lead Landscape

Designer Workshop fee: $15

To register for the gardening workshop call 651.698.1390 or visit www.metroblooms.org. Sponsored by the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District and the City of Minnetrista.

Submitted by Metro Blooms

Mini-Grants For Groups

The Minnehaha Watershed District (MCWD), in part-nership with the state-wide non-profit Minnesota Wa-ters, is bringing dollars, resources and expertise to local citizens who want to provide and protect clean water. The program pro-vides mini-grants to help both new and existing groups take action on is-sues important to them, such as preventing the spread of zebra mussels or reducing the amount of polluted runoff. The Seed

Fund provides administra-tive support and $500 in start-up support to help groups cover the cost of outreach, obtain non-profit status and hold a commu-nity kick-off meeting. For more information about this program, contact Alex Gehrig the metro area pro-gram coordinator for Min-nesota Waters at (651) 278-7117 or view informa-tion on MCWD’s website www.minnehahacreek.org/what-can-i-do.

Submitted by Minnesota Waters

Submitted by Hennepin County Environmental Services

We are excited to announce that Waste Management is now able to accept a wider range of items to recycle. Previously, plastics marked with only numbers 1 and 2 (inside the chasing arrows) were accepted. Now, items marked 3-7 may also be in-cluded. Some of these items include yogurt containers, margarine tubs and lids. Car-tons such as milk and juice

cartons and juice boxes are now accepted. Remember to rinse all containers thor-oughly. Please do NOT in-clude plastic grocery bags; most grocery and department stores will accept them for recycling. If you have ques-tions about what you may, or may not recycle, visit wmtwincities.com. Or call Waste Management at (952) 890-1100.

Curbside Recycling

Unused Medicines? Dispose of Them at County Drop Box!

Proper disposal of medicines is important to protect small children, family pets and the environment.

There is now a conveniently located free drop-off site for unused medicines located at the:

Hennepin County Sheriff’s Water Patrol facil-ity

4141 Shoreline Blvd. in Spring Park

Prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, supplements, and pet medicines are accepted. Leave

medications in original packaging or containers.

Please call 612.348.3777 or visit www.hennepin.us/medicine for further instructions.

The City of Minnetrista has received its seventh Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting (CAFR) Award from the Government Finance Officers Association.

Awards are presented to gov-ernment units whose Compre-hensive Annual Financial Re-ports achieve the highest stan-dards in governmental account-ing and financial reporting.

Dust Reduction Roads that carry a high volume of traffic will receive one city-paid dust reduction treatment this spring as part of the two-year pilot initiative approved by the City Council in 2011. Roads identified as meeting the high volume criteria include: Halstead Dr, Sunnyfield Road E, North Branch Rd, West-branch Rd and Blair Rd. If a second treatment is desired, residents will need to submit the application form and associ-ated fee. Residents who live on gravel roads that have not been identified as having high traffic volume can receive dust reduc-tion treatment by submitting an application and associated fee

to City Hall by May 4, 2012.

Dust reduction treatments are effective in reducing dust and also cause the roadway to be harder. In order to preserve this investment, the city will be grading treated roads less fre-quently. As such, residents can expect more potholes and bumps to form and the road to be in rougher condition.

For safety reasons, the City reserves the right to grade gravel roads regardless of whether or not dust reduction treatment was applied. Applica-tions can be found on the city website or obtained by calling City Hall.

Financial Award

This newsletter was published in accordance with the City of Minnetrista’s Publication Policy which may be viewed in its entirety on the City’s website at www.ci.minnetrista.mn.us or during regular business hours at Minnetrista City Hall; 7701 Co. Rd 110 W; Minnetrista, MN 55364.

PRESORT STD U.S. Postage

PAID Mound, MN

Permit No. 89

Phone: 952-446-1660 Fax: 952-446-1311

Email: minnetrista@ci.minnetrista.mn.us Web Page: www.ci.minnetrista.mn.us

7701 County Road 110W Minnetrista, MN 55364

The Teddy Bear Band

Mounted Patrol

Westonka Early Childhood Education

MADD Crash Car

Ambulance

Water Patrol

Helicopter Landing

McGruff the Crime Dog

Karate board breaking demos

St. Boni Fire Dept

Mound Fire Dept

Minnetrista Police

Mound Police FREE food, gunlocks, tree saplings, child ID kits, bounce house, balloons, fire extinguisher recharges, child safety seat info & MUCH, MUCH MORE!

T rista Day started in 2001 as an attempt to get safety information to kids in our com-munity. We quickly learned that helicopters and hot dogs draw a lot of kids and adults as well. This proved to be a great opportunity to educate our community on

issues like seat belt use, air bag safety, gun safety, fire prevention, theft prevention, first aid, water safety, park and trail safety, victim services, DWI prevention and many other safety topics. At its heart Trista Day has always been a safety education event. An added bonus is that it's been a lot of fun. Over the years, Trista Day has evolved to include more of the businesses in our area and what they have to offer. We also provide information on all of our City operations. Trista Day is a great family friendly event that continues to add more and more every year. If you've never attended Trista Day, please join us this year! If you have a local business or organization and would like to have a space at Trista Day or if you would like to help make Trista Day a success by volunteering your time, contact the Police Department at (952) 446 - 1131.

Saturday, May 19, 2012 11:00am—2:00pm

Minnetrista Police Department

7651 County Road 110 W