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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Information Memorandum 09-12-1990CITY OF September 12, 1990 PLYMOUTR Peter Goddard 18525 - 30th Place North Plymouth, MN 55447 Dear Mr. Goddard: Thank you for calling the Plymouth Customer Service Line. I referred your concern about the timing of the traffic signal at County Road 101 and Highway 12 to Street Supervisor Tom Vetsch. He has contacted Hennepin County to inform them of the problem and will follow up to see that it is corrected. Thanks for using the Customer Service Line to bring this matter to our attention. Sincerely, J es G. Willis Ci y Manager JW:kec cc: Tom Vetsch, Street Supervisor Fred Moore, Public Works Director Jim Kolstad, Public Works Superintendent CIM SEP 14 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447, TELEPHONE (612) 550-5000 CITY OF PLYMOUTH 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447 DATE: September 11, 1990 TO: Blair Tremere, Director of Planning & Community Development FROM: Helen LaFave, Communications Coordinator SUBJECT: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING CUSTOMER SERVICE CALL FROM MRS. ORVILLE ANDERSON Mrs. Orville Anderson, 15555 - 26th Ave. N., 557-6720, called to provide additional information regarding the problems she reported earlier at Timberton. Since your visit to Timberton she has discovered that neither Jeff Fazen nor Tom Healey have filed for bankruptcy. She wanted to pass this information on to you. Thanks for your attention to this matter. Your personal visit to Mrs. Anderson's home demonstrates a real commitment to customer service. HL:kec cc: James G. Willis, City Manager ciM SEP 14'90 CITY OF PLYMOUTH 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447 DATE: August 29, 1990 TO: Blair Tremere, Director of Planning & Community Development FROM: Helen LaFave, Communications Coordinator SUBJECT: CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE CALL Mrs. Orville Anderson, 15555 - 26th Avenue North, 557-6720, called the 24-hour Customer Service Line on August 28, 1990 to report some problems at Timberton. Mrs. Anderson said that the owner of the development, Bradley Builders, has apparently gone bankrupt. She is concerned that two buildings have been left unfinished and dead trees have been left on the development. She also reports that improper grading has caused drainage problems and that patios and entryway repairs have not been made. She would like to know if the City has the authority to require the builder to: o Complete the two unfinished buildings. o Remove dead trees. o Repair patios and decks. o Remedy drainage problems. o Reinvest association fees in repair and maintenance of the buildings. Please respond to her concerns by September 13. If you need more information, please contact Mrs. Anderson. Please forward a copy of your response to me. HL:kec cc: James G. Willis, City Manager S.F. 9/13/90 cim SEP 14 19 CITY OF September 7, 1990 PLYMOUTR Ernie Kulas 2505 Queensland Lane Plymouth, MN 55447 Dear Mr. Kulas: City Manager Jim Willis has forwarded your customer service line call to me for review. It is my understanding that you've had a problem with the Highway 101 trail due to the gravel on the road right-of-way washing onto the trail surface. I have gone out and observed this situation and agree with you that something should be done to make this situation safer. I have been in touch with Ted Hoffman, Director of Maintenance for Hennepin County highways, regarding this situation. Mr. Hoffman has indicated that he will have his staff look into this and help us make the necessary corrections. I expect some type of response from his staff the week of September 10. Once a plan of action has been developed, I will let you know. Thank you for calling this matter to our attention. Sincerely, Eric Blank Director of Parks and Recreation EB/np cc: City Manager Director of Public Works Superintendent of Parks cim SEP 1419 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447, TELEPHONE (612) 550-5000 September 13, 1990 CITY OFPLYMOUTR Ernie Kulas 2505 Queensland Lane Plymouth, MN 55447 SUBJECT: CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE CALL Dear Mr. Kulas: This is to confirm our conversation regarding your concerns expressed on August 23, 1990 on the Customer Service Line. Your first concern was with the ponding of water on Queensland Lane after a substantial rainfall. Since you live in the area that the City reconstructed under its annual reconstruction program last year, you expected improved streets that drain properly. You indicated that sand and dirt remain in the gutter area from the ponded water after it dries over a period of approximately 24 hours. As I explained, in the reconstructed areas where grades are very flat, water that ponded for approximately 24 hours was deemed acceptable in those areas where drainage was very difficult to maintain. This appears to be the case in your situation. Without the installation of concrete curb and gutter, it is very difficult to drain areas such as your's, but we feel the City's contractor has done the best he could in these situations. Your second concern which you indicated was your primary concern is the 30 m.p.h. speed limit sign located on Queensland Lane just west of County Road 101. There is a rather severe curve just west of the speed limit sign for westbound traffic. You indicated that the speed limit sign implies that the curve can be taken at 30 m.p.h. Since this portion of Queensland Lane between County Road 101 and 26th Avenue is rather short, I will request our street superintendent to remove this speed limit sign. As we agreed, this would be an improvement over the existing situation. If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact me at 550-5071. Sincerely, Daniel L. Faulkner, P.E. City Engineer DLF:kh cc: Fred G. Moore, Director of Public Works Helen LaFave, Communications Coordinator James G. Willis, City Manager CIM SEP 14 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447, TELEPHONE (612) 550-5000 0 September 12 1990 CITY OF PLYMOUTR Bill Beissel 6075 Yucca Lane Plymouth, MN 55446 SUBJECT: STREET LIGHT Dear Mr. Beissel: I have checked into the installation of the street light which was installed on Yucca Lane, approximately two lots southerly of your home. You had called the City of Plymouth Customer Service Line regarding the installation of this light. The type of light which was installed is on a 35 foot pole. This is an incorrect type of light and is generally not used in residential areas. This type of light is used on major roadways such as along County Road 47. We have instructed the utility company to change this street light to our "standard" light which is a lantern type on a 15 foot pole. This is similar to all of the other street lights within the Lake Camelot Estates residential area. I wish to thank you for calling this to our attention and apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused you. Please contact me if there are any additional questions. Sincerely, Fred G. Moore, P.E. Director of Public Works FGM: kb cc: Helen LaFave, Communications Coordinator GIM SEP 14,99 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447, TELEPHONE (612) 550-5000 i 12 SEPTEMBER 3, 1-990 IV///J .. K SPECIAL FOCUSw. CONSTRUCTION bus' msolifoundatlon -it our�efmess hasBudd hoe Miles Homes holds it own - inastable, iflimited; niche• By RHONDA HILLBERY Kit -home firms used to be as prolific as crabgrass, but crushing interest rates a de- cade ago put many of them out of business. One of the survivors is Miles Homes, -a pri- vately Bald P y li-based company. Even in t say's tough housing market, Miles has held its ranking 4s one of the na- tion's largest kit -home companies, selling 700 to 900 -homes a'year and earning an- nual revenues of W million to $45 million in the process. Its product appeals to the' cash -short, typically first-time homebuyer woling to tackle the ultimate erector set. What Miles really sells is the prospect of home ownership to people willing to sub- stitute sweat equity for a down payment. "We work primarily with first-time home- buyers, people who make a good income but dont have a lot of cash on hand," said Scott Gerber, staff architect and director of marketing. Miles was established in 1946 as a lum- beryard by St. Louis Park businessman- Miles usinessmanMiles Fiiterman, who later sold garage and house kits. In 1972, Miles was sold to In- silco Co;p., of Meriden, Conn., for $29. million. The company was taken private for $100 millibi "in -1988 by Peter De - George, a Connecticut businessman. The kit -home business flourishes during times of high interest rates and rapid ap- preciation that locks many would-be buy - lis out of the market: Those hot -market days.may be over for a long time-, accord- ing to housing experts. During the mid-1970s, Miles sold 1,200 to 1,300 homes annually, but sales have stalled in the 700 -to -900 range for at least the past five years, according to Gerber. "Since the mid-70s, housing has never really been a windfall," Gerber said. "We vehadtobeverycareful."- In the late 70s, half of Miles' market was in Texas. That dried up in the oil bust. Then' business shifted to the bustling Northeast • in the early' 1980s. Now the Northeast has dropped to 35 percent or 40 percent of the market,with the bulk of sales concentrated in the Midwest. During' the past three years, Miles has opened sales offices • in Chicggo and Detroit, spinning off from its Twin Cities and Pennsylvania offices. The compahy's current market research favors a move into the only booming hous- ing market in the nation — the Pacific Northwest. Miles plans to enter that mar- ket next, but management hasn't decided exactly when. "Right now, housing is going through one of its cyclical downturns,"- Gerber said. "As we wade through that, we have plans to increase our volume. But not this year, and maybe not next." • - Total gross builder markup on a house might be around 20 percent, said Lee Fish- er, senior industrial engineer with the Na- tional Association of Home Builders in Washington, D.C. Homebuyers willing to build themselves might save that much. "I wouldn't think the savings were that great if I factor in my time, but if I didn't have many other options, it might look re- ally good," said Fisher... Miles sees the ongoing housing afford- ability problem helping its business. Since 1980, home ownership among young mar- ried oouplexwithchildren fell from 71 per- cent to 60 percent. "That means 2 million fewer young families own homes," Fisher said. Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity; a nonprofit group that provides housing to low-income families, has* built several Miles homes with donated labor and plans tobuildmore. "For each house, they've put together a comprehensive construction manual as "well as a blueprint," said Phil Dommer, an Edina senior planner and Habitat for Hu- manity volunteer. "That's attractive to a nonprofit. We're labor -rich but cash - r' Gerald and Karen Johnson of Plymouth are a local- couple tackling the job. They went with a Miles home becagse their op- tions were limited. "Realtors told us we could not live in Plymouth for:lhe money we're able to spend andjhe level of quality I""S rued on page 16) Q=ld jobmw works on his kit home, whkh VM be worm SIZOA m amra "A"m m" •v ah/' 1 hMBER 3, 1990 OPUS A.. . (WntimW from page 11) Ci has now reached the overbuilt age, y with the four new office buildings ingon-lineinMinneapolis.' KB:'I think 'ght now offices are oven built, but wha in -saying is Opus Corp, has a lot of wor Remember, too, that whereverweare, aredesigners, build. ers and developers. n overbuilt office market might mean t we don't spec any office space, but it 't mean we stop building. CB: So are you looking to shi - into areas such as iridustrialspaee to comp to for thelossof offkeprojectap KB: We see industrial as healthy in ost Parts of .the Country, even some -o slowest- So yes, we do see industrial placefor us to maintain our work. I guess in addition to that, because o+ the way we do business, because of tht fact that we did sell ii whole lot of siff . over the last three, four; five years, we do' an awful lot of single -tenant, *-lease buildings like Dayton HudsonX [ware- house Project in St. Paul's Energy_Park]. . So we can quote some of these things without getting financing,. and without finding buyer;. These da* there are few, People who can do that./ And then, too, we're building an 8W,000-square-foot6ffice building here in town [West 06blishing Co.'s new headquarters in Eagan]. I guess I'm say- ing there are st)11 people that are growing and do need,fo OCCUPY space, and all of them don Piave to be spec office build- ings. CB: competition intensifies with the 3 Cn V u Ioftmarket, doyouttonPro eL- qr lesa�toell-noxi 0 ...5 vwr, . .. an: I could atm say that right now we think that there ' be a little less compe tition, beca of 'some of the troubles that a bunch 0developershad. It is iust nother cycle. We all lived '74 • and felt like the world to an end.'But it didn't. We -r realoi ompa smaller s drop - was got( Se people are so negative right now, Zre saying, "God, can it ever come b? And all I can say is, they probably dont have -any gray hair, because it felt f like that in, 73-74 and many, many, many People came back,— better than theyeverwerebefore. B: What your forecast for the Twin Well, right now Opus Corp. has, a Ph enal backlog. I think all of us would that there will be far, far fewer office buildings in the Twin Cities. to the .degree• that those are the larger p 'Ocie, I guess you'd have to - say that you w dn't think construction It takes a who loyment e f squ d go of industrial buildings to make u or one square foot of offieespace. CB: Is that going to dri me people out of the market? KB: People who aren't cas smart. It's the Donald Trump synd e. You know, when you can't pay r bills. Lack of positive cash flow is the f or. p SPECIAL FOCUS:-CONSiR`UCTTON AIRES (cnntinued from page 12) _ on materials durina designated" gnated" 15- we wanted," Karen said. The Johnsons found a half -acre lot for month buddingg mod' rcent of its _ rts ampletee anage $30,000 and bought a $47,000, three -bed- tomers mes totheir homes within 15 months and then obtain perma- -hent room home package with about 2,000 square feet of living space. Miles custom- financing. In the few cases wherethey don't, and walk away, Miles takes the ized the home for them when they wanted a fireplace omitted from the property and the kit and resells it. plan. By Thanksgiving, their estimated com- date, According to a housing expert, one of the greatest limitations on the kit market may pletion the Johnsons will have a house appraised at $120,000 for an invest- beAmericans' shortage of freetime. "I ment of less than $100,000, according to • Karen. see it as a niche market," said George Karvel, professor and holder of the Minne- Unlike many of its competitors, Miles sota chair in real estate at St. Cloud State University. "I don't- think it represents a pre -frames its stud -wall sections in the fac- tory, so buyers so - lution to the housing affordability prob- receive pre -assembled, paneled exterior and -interior walls. Each' lem.- Kit -home makers are unlikely to see a section is marked and numbered at one of the firm's factories, either in Owatonna, huge surge in business because there is a limited pool of families motivated to invest Minn., or Mountaintop, Pa. Miles offers more than 75 floor plans ranging from six months to a year or more of nights and weekends required to build a home, Karvel $28,000 to $79,000 and sells in 30 states in the Midwest, Northeast and South. said. Furthermore, people face more time , After the purchase; building materials demands in the workplace and many lack even basicoonatruedon skills. are shipped in sequential truckloads, deliv ering plumbing and heating systems, Among the shall number of Miles' Com- elect trical wiring and fixtures required fora completed home. The petitors in the area is President Homes in Brooklyn Center. The 28 -year-old Com - purchase price ex- cludes the foundation and lot. pany sells about 75 to 100 home kits a year, Buyers also receive a thick construction ranging from $30,000 to $70,000. Unlike the Miles approach, President sends out its manual, blueprints and the promise of field support from some of Miles' 200 staff _ own crews to do the framing. The rest of the materials are supplied to customers. members. Miles gets no money down on materials but requires that buyers have "There used to be about 18 of these com- 25 percentequityintheirlot. Construction and long-term financing panes in the area," said Barb Kaliher, re- ceptionist. "Now were down to just a Handful." are offered by a sister company, Plymouth Capital, also owned by. DeGeorge. Pur- chasers may make interest -only payments Rhonda Hillbery is�a free-lance writer in St. Paul. No boom Many buildeis expect an aging baby - boom generation to put some boom into the Twin Cities Area housing market for older people a few years from now. But a new Metropolitan Coun- cil report says they are expecting too much too soon. Most older people (86 percent in a 1989 nationwide survey) want to remain in their longtime homes instead of moving to hous- ing for older people, the report says. In addition, the vacancy rate for market - rate (or nonsubsidized) housing for older people in the seven -county Metro Area is at least 14 percent. That's more than twice the six percent considered healthy for multifamily housing. Most older people want to stay in their longtime homes instead of moving to housing for older people. low/t"_"_ ies. soon in housing for older people While everyone knows the baby -boom generation is getting older, even the oldest in that group won't start to reach retirement age for nearly 20 years. And it will be yet another decade before they reach their mid-70s. That's when declining health is most likely to force people to leave their longtime homes, the report says. Earlier Council studies have indicated the Metro Area is likely to have more housing than is needed by the smaller "baby -bust" generation now following baby -boomers into apartment rental and first-time home -buying. Services to help older people stay in their homes may be a better idea than building new housing designed for them. Some local governments are encourag- ing older people to move out of their l6ngtime homes so young families can move in and diversify the community's tax base. But local governments should be cautious about planning to build additional housing for older people, the report says. Such ad- ditional housing could further soften a housing market already expected to face ex- cess supply and falling values. Rather than build new units; com- -NEW PUBLICATIONS munities could focus on making sure that in-home services are available to help older people stay in their homes, which is what most older people prefer. "Because of a reduced market for modest -cost single-family homes, older couples or single* people may not want to sell their modest -cost homes to move into -newer rental housing, said Council Chair Steve Keefe. "They'll have a tougligr time finding buyers and getting the price they want." The location of the area's older popula- tion will be shifting, the report says. While all seven metro counties are projected to experience growth in their older popula- tions, growth is expected to be greatest in the five outer counties—Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Scott and Washington. About 75 percent of the area's older population cur- rently lives in the two central counties, Hennepin and Ramsey, but by 2010 only about 61 percent will live there. The region's future older people may be poorer than older people today. Three- fourths of the areas people 85 and older are women, and the percentage of minori- ty people among the older population is growing. But young women and racial and ethnic minority people have disproportionately low incomes. So education and economic v conditions for younger people in these groups will affect their ability to pay for housing and service needs when they are � older. This should be considered in planning 3 for'future .older people, the report says. The report recommends new financing options for the housing and services older people need. Many have cash incomes that are quite low, but have a great deal of sav- ings in the form of equity in their homes. Financing methods that allow them to use that savings to pay for services—without having to sell their homes— can allow them to remain at home longer. For an executive summary or the full report of The Housing Market for Older People in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, see the "New Publications" section of the. next Monitor. ■ Hal Johnson f Hie Hou Re�rd ,Ttiese? Profile. Tivin Cities - Econorhy in rofilf�. f;ron♦ Z. 4 5 E P T E M II E It 3 1 9 9 0 CkYBUS111eSS _ Door swinging shut on upper -bracket home sales By DOMINIC P. PAPATOLA About a year ago. nervous homeowners in an upscale housing development in Shore. wood wrote their neighbors, asking them to remove the -'for sale" signs from their lawns Lots of corporate transferees paid top dollar for homes len the neighborhood when the market was strong in 1986. ex- plained a real estate broker familiar with ,bears. When the market became glutted with high-priced homes to o years later. it became tough to sell and homes languished on the market a longtime Neighbors w or. tried that so main sale signs would suggest that something u a% w Tong w kth the des el. opment. The letter campaign followed. That development has since recovered, but as a whole, the market for upper - bracket homes in the Twin Cities has slipped in the last year because of oversup- ply, corporate economic downturns and a soft residential real estate market. Construction of high-end homes — gen- erally defined as those eating more than $250,000 — is off between 15 percent and 20 percent from 1989, estimated Roger Conhaim, president of Conhaim and Awo- ciates, a Minneapolis -bard residential real estate consulting and marketing firm Conhaim also said building permits is- sued for custom homes have been declining during the year Local builders who work Stable housing market Construction starts are dropping from 1987 peak By DON JACOBSON Although the local market for new single-family homes is soft, a national slump in residential housing starts hasn't yet hit Minne- sota with full force Some local builders, however, think it soon will A report released Aug. 21 by McCraw -Hill Information Services Co. predicted that housingstarts will fall 11 percent to 1.38 million units this year, with a large portion of the slump coming in the apartment and condominium sector Meanwhile, figures from the Metropolitan Council show that housing starts in the seven -county metropolitan area rose slightly in affluent housing developments have re- ported decreases in activity, he said. 'The bade consumer he santy that is af- fecting all big-ticket items is the culprit" responsible for the downturn, according to Conhaim. "People seem to want to make than purchases, but when it finally comes to dotting the is on • contract, they back Off." Restructuring ed some of the Twin Cit- ies' major corporations has directly and in- directly affected the high-end housing market. Fewer transferees are being brought into the market. And indirectly, huge corporate layoffs can scare remaining employees into austerity. There's been a reluctance on the part of is losing some steam in the first half of 1990. From January to June, 5,217 construction permits were issued, compared with 5,090 during the first half of 1989, representing a 2 percent increase. In 1988, the figure stood at 5,876; down from a 198N peak of 7,470 in the first half of 1987. Area builders don't see too much to be excited about for the short term. They say factors that are affecting the national scene also are present here, and that only Minnesota's stable economy is keeping the area from being similarly harmed. "Home building has leveled off and slowed up," said Larry Laukka, president of L.A. Laukka Development Corp. in Edina. "Since 1984, we've had four or five years of a boom period. Usually after a robust period you see a relaxing, and we're sensing that. In- terest rates have become more of a visible concern, and when they go up, housing slows." Laukka said people also are concerned about t he unstable price of oil, the security of their jobs because of a weak national economy and the current conflict in the M kddle East. "A house is a large -ticket purchase," he said "People get very cautious and sober if there's any question about stability in the j u ork) place, that slows it down " Laukka also said that most baby boomers already have entered the housing market, so there isn't a large influx of new buy ers For those who are looking to buy, interest rates hoyenng around 10 percent or 1 I percent are a discouraging factor -We're in a bit of a recession in the hous- ing industry, but we'll come out of it," he said "It's a cyclical business Therewillal- u ays be buyers and sellers, and the Twin lines n a relat tyely stable market " Jeff Fazendm, execun%e vice president of Fazendkn Homes in Minnetonka, doesn't view the times as recessionary: he characterized the market as "soft " "Some builders -who used to do just single-family homes have gone into townhomes. Demand for them is up. " V, Traynor executive net pmudent. Mavieapols Builders Association "Some parts of it are strong, others are weak," Fazendm said "People are con- cerned about their individual situations. I think they want to wait and get a better idea of what's going to happen with the m erall national economy "It's not something we haven't dealt with before, though The Minneapolis area has alio ays had a solidly based econo- m%. and we don't have wide swings like len ofher parts of the country ." Fazendm said there is some reason for optimism. He noted that the area has a lot of apartment duellers whoe%entuall will bin homes and that remodeling existing homes probabl% udl become a growth market One residential niche that's still health% is townhomes, said Vi Traynor, executive vice president of the Minneapolis Builders Association. "Some builders who used to do just sin- gle-family homes have gone into townho- mes," Traynor said. "They're attractive to first-time buyers'and empty nesters, and the demand forthem is up." One of the largest builders of townho- mes in the Twin Cities is New Horizon Homes in Minnetonka. Chuck Hepburn, executive vice president of the firm, said that his sales are up from last year and that the company is forging ahead with three massive developments in Woodbury, Ea- gan and Plymouth. "If interest rates stay under 12 percent, there's business to be had," he said. "We feel we can still get the buyers. The town - home lifesty le is pretty popular now. Per- sonally, I'm an optimist." Still, industry sources agreed that the real estate market is generally soft. Chief among the causes is the savings and loan crisis, which was fueled to a great extent by bad real estate loans. Part of the bailout bill passed by Con- gress included a provision that angered homebuilders: a restriction that cut back S&L loans to one borrower to a limit of 15 Mee. t of their total loan portfolio. The measure was a reaction to the fact that many Skis went under after loaning 100 percent of their capital to a single borrower wholaterdefaulted. Although the restrictions act as a safety measure, they have had the effect of penal- izing many small, healthy Skis that tradi- tionally financed one large developer. Now, even if such companies have a spot. Ian record, they won't be able to pull in the kinds of funds they were used to, said Nan Elwood, senior legislative representative for the National Homebuilders Association in Washington, D.C. "They were throwing the baby out with the bathwater," Elwood said. "We lob- bied the Office of Thrift Supervision JOTS) because Congress didn't want to tamper with the bailout bill, even though they sup- ported us on the merits. The OTS decided they had the statutory power to phase in the restrictions, rather than going from 100 percent to 15 percent all at once." The OTS has ruled that for the real of this year, S&Ls can loan up to 60 percent of their portfolio to a single borrower. That number will fall to 30 percent in 1991 and eventually will drop to 15 percent, the same limit placed on chartered banks. ❑ Don Jacobson is free-lance writer in Min- neapolis executives to start new (home) projects, rid Edina builder tarry Cramer "And tot has happened because of the uncer- tainties with big companies from First Bank to Honeywell toControl Data " L. Cramer Co. Inc. builds from eight to 12 houses per year each sells for an average price of about 1500,000 Cramer said the fine six months of 1990 have been consider- ablysofter. than last year To rine extent, the high-end housing market is suffering with the rest of the in- dustry. Figures released by the National Association of Realtors last week shoed that existing home sales rosy during July nationwide, but fell 3.1 percent in the Midwest. The group predicted that rising interest rites would drive down sales for therestoftheyear In the Twin Cities, sales of existing homes during the firm seven months of the year were down 2 percent from the same period last year, according III the Minne- apolis Area Association of Reallon. Sales of vesting homes priced over ti250,000 climbed slightly during the first seven months of the year Bryan Ashbaugh said that overbuilding. the bone of the local cummercial real sstatr industry, has also affected the residential sector. Ashbaugh is chief executive officer of Street of Dreams Inc., the Seattle -basad company that sponsored the development of nine upscale homes in Eden Prairie that were toured by more than 95,000 people earlier this summer as part of the local Street of Dreams presentation. The Twin Cities upscale home market from 1995 to 1989 was so strong that build- ers* marketing pians "consisted mainly of sanding back and taking orders," Ash- baugh said. A number of developers poured into the high-end sector of the mar- ket, flooding the area with !1500.000 homes. In the late 1990s, "the market in the Twin Cities was so ha that builders didn't need a marketing device like the Street of Dreams to sell their houses But when the market turned soft, developers and build. cry wanted an invuranei• polity to grnrratr awareness of their product." Ashbaugh said. One of the nine homy, fratund on the Stn%4 of Dreams was par -odd. of Ilk-ekghl spiculathe hoknM� — proeol Ikiwa•n 1595.000 and t 9f10.tXX) — threw have Ikon sold. A%hbaugh said that Street of Dreams houses generally sell within a year of the show Randy Travalus. president of Robert Mason Homes Inc., said that business in Minnetonka and adjacent suburbs, in which mat of Masons projects are con- centrated, is down between 5 percent and 15 percent this year He said he behe%es that recent corporate "downsizings" Its%e affected the market, but his company It" tended to business as usual. -We have to be careful haw we gear our attitude," he said. "As a purveyor of any product that's in the big-ticket categon , if we convince ourselves that there's a prob- lem out there, well eventually create one. And so we hold an optimistic attitude about the future." Conhaim said that certain sub -sectors of the high-end home market continue to per- form well "Demand hasn't been affected in the better, high -amenity areas" that of. fer either large lots or choice sites on lake - shores or golf courses 'Those developers areprobably intheb edlunition " ciM SEP 14'90 Marge Knourek 16925 - 11th Avenue Plymouth, MN 55447 August 29, 1990 Mr. Dick Carlquist Director of Public Safety Plymouth City Hall 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 Dear Mr. Carlquist: North Please thank your police officers Rick Herman and Greg Oly for their excellent community service in helping my family deal with our problems. I appreciate their help very much, and I was impressed with the high quality of concern and guidance that your officers showed us. Thank you also for the prompt and consistently excellent service that your police staff has given our family during our past 24 years of living in Plymouth. We feel very lucky to be living in a community that has the best and most service -minded persons as members of their police force. Thank you for providing this service. Sincerely yours, _;I__' Marge A.�ourek (Mrs. Frank J. Knourek) o{M SE 14'90 September 1, 1990 Richard Carlquist Director of Public Safety City of Plymouth Dear Chief Car1quist, I have just completed my Eagle Scout project and I wanted to write to you and thank you for all your help in producing my video on Operation Identification. Lt. Tom Saba helped me in choosing Operation I.D. as my project. Sgt Darrel Anderson appeared in my video and was very helpful in supplying me with engravers and other material as we signed up 21 people for the program. And finally, I want to thank you for appearing in my video. I sent a copy to Lt. Saba for the use of the department, but wanted to thank you personally for being one of the "stars" and for taking the time one afternoon to be filmed for my video. Sincere ly,,,� Timmy /Ga l ov an Troop 724 !C1310 27th Avenue N. Plymouth, Mn. 55441 ciM SEP 14 .90 CITY OF September 11, 1990 PLYMOUTR Mr. Conrad Wencka Chief Transportation Officer Soo Line Railroad Company Box 530 Minneapolis, MN 55440 SUBJECT: PLYMOUTH CITY COUNCIL QUESTIONS REGARDING SOO LINE OPERATION WITHIN THE COMMUNITY Dear Mr. Wencka: At their September 10 meeting, Plymouth Mayor Kim Bergman and City Councilmembers Carole Helliwell, Lloyd Ricker, Maria Vasiliou, and Bob Zitur expressed concern about Soo Line Railroad operations within the City of Plymouth. They directed me to write this letter requesting information from you. The Council has requested information on the following: 1. Is there a speed limit established for the trains? Does it differ by direction traveled? 2. There does not appear to be consistency between the length and number of horn blasts sounded from train to train as they approach roadway intersections. Is there a minimum number of horn blasts required? Will the number and duration of horn blasts' decrease because Zachary already has a drop arm signal and Pineview will have one in 1991? 3. What types of hazardous chemicals are carried on a typical train through Plymouth?. Do you have any idea of the quantity of hazardous chemicals by type that are carried through Plymouth on a typical day, week, or month? 4. Given the fact this track is part of the main line, what types of inspections are made of this trackage and what is the schedule for the inspections? GIM SEP 14'90 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447, TELEPHONE (612) 550-5000 Mr. Conrad Wencka September 11, 1990 Page 2 I would appreciate it if you would respond to these questions in writing so that I can share them with the City Council. If you need any clarif,. cation, please let me know. My phone number is 550-5013. FB:kec cc: Mayor S. F. ager & City Council 9/24/90 CIM SEP 14. W 3735 Vinewood Lane North Plymouth, MN 55441 August 29, 1990 Finance Department City of Plymouth 3400 Plymouth Blvd. Plymouth, MN 55447 To whom it may concern: I wish I had the option of canceling my service! I am most irritated about your billing system. You are the only company with whom I deal that has a different billing due date every month, whose bill is never sent at the same time, can very due dates by as much as a week but ESPECIALLY at all the extra "hidden charges" you tack in. But the reason I have initiated this letter is the crunch I have been put in. I pay Plymouth through Marquette Bank, but for some reason my payments are not being recorded for 10-12 days after I am paying. Of course Marquette says they send the payment by the next day, and I have not had difficulty with the system before after using it for 12 years, but Plymouth is not recording payment for an unduly length of time. I feel like the innocent victim, getting slapped with all the finance charges, which seem very hefty, and not getting credit for paying my bill. Several months I ago I called with a similar problem, and it was indeed found that my account was not being credited properly at that time. I do not now know the nature of the difficulty, but I am most irritated. I would strongly request you reevaluate your billing system to make it more amenable to todays billing system. I have no difficulty with other utilities, and never receive a huge finance charge or have difficulty paying them. I am not required to pay the "hidden charges" that you have. I hate being charged $1.50 just to be billed. Unfortunately, if I want water I must cooperate. I wish you could hear the conversations of residents in Plymouth about the water "plus" bill. My neighborhood has many residents of different cities and states, and they are warned when they move in about the high water bills and your system of billing. I moved to Plymouth from New Hope, and they seem to have the system well in hand. Perhaps you should learn something from them. Sincerely, cir Cr I � V Connie Anderson cc: Kim Berqman CITY OF September 12, 1990 PLYMOUTE+ Ms. Connie Anderson 3735 Vinewood Lane North Plymouth, MN 55441 Dear Ms. Anderson: Thank you for writing to us regarding your water and sewer utilitybilling. Your inquiry concerns four specific functions in the billing process: - Billing due dates - Billing cycles - Payments made by third parties. - Service charges The first two items in your inquiry are directly related to each other. You stated we are the only company that has a different billing due date every month, and the billing is never sent at the same time. True, the due date is not an assigned date each month. This is because your water and sewer charges are based on the meter readings we collect every quarter from your residence. The monthly billings for service between the quarterly readings are estimates based on your account water use history. This process establishes a weekly cyclical billing, geographically designed and billed as meter reading routes are completed. There is a consistency in the billing process for calculating your service charges. Each utility account is assigned within a meter reader's route and due on the same Wednesday of each month. Specifically, all meter reading routes west of Pineview and east of Vicksburg such as yours, are due on the second Wednesday of each month. Because of the calendar, this is not the same date from month to month, but it is applied uniformly within the billing process. All payments received through Thursday each week allow for one day grace period in the mail. These payments are processed and applied to close that particular billing cycle. We then apply the metered readings to calculate the next months service charges, and the bills are released in the mail the next week. Our target turn around time from closing the payments processing on Thursday, to printing bills the following Wednesday, is intended to allow for approximately three weeks for the customers to make their payments. 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447, TELEPHONE (612) 550-5000 =-_-; Z \ -\-- D Page Two Connie Anderson September 11, 1990 This leads into your comments on your payments through Marquette Bank. Our payment policy is applied uniformly and evenly to all customers regardless of how they elect to pay their bill. We can not accept the responsibility of when payment is received. This responsibility is solely that of the customer. Those customers who choose to have a third party pay for their services must allow adequate lead time for the third party to process and make payments by the due date. The due date is established as the means of closing a billing cycle to commence the billings in the next months service period. Any payments received after the specified due date are applied to the account on the date received. A late payment fee is applied to all customer accounts that have not been paid as of the specified due date. The following table is the past six months service periods and your payment history: Bill Date 02/16/90 AM= 22.91 Due Date 03/14/90 Date Paid 03/05/90 03/16/90 26.74 04/11/90 04/26/90 04/13/90 31.17 05/09/90 05/17/90 05/11/90 31.17 06/13/90 06/08/90 06/15/90 29.07 07/11/90 06/25/90 07/13/90 31.17 08/08/90 08/22/90 In your conversation with our utility Accountant last week, you had indicated that last month's payment was requested from Marquette Bank on August 10th and had not been posted until August 22nd. Regardless of the length it took Marquette Bank to get your payment to us, the request on August 10th was still after the due date, in which case the penalty had already been applied for late payment. Regarding your fourth and final inquiry on the service charges which you classify as hidden charges. There are five charges related to your water and sewer service. Three charges are fixed flat rate charges and two are volume based charges calculated from your meter readings. First the flat fixed rate charges. The debt service charge, the sewer account charge and the water account charge are flat, fixed rate fees charged equally to all users. This monthly total of $4.45 represents approximately 202 of the entire average residential billing. These fees are associated with the non water production or non sewage disposal costs of operating a utility system. These fixed charges cover items such as meter reading, maintaining customer inquiry and response personnel, public information access, processing service orders for new residents and those moving out of the city, conducting rate studies, paying the bills for operating the water and sewer functions, and preparing and releasing your monthly bills. You will note similar charges on your gas, electric and telephone bills. CIA !E Jk10 Connie Anderson Page Two September 11, 1990 The volume based charges for water usage and the estimated monthly flow of sewage disposal are based directly on your metered readings. We use the winter quarter for determining your 12 month estimated average sewage flow and that appears as your sewer usage charge. Your meter is read every quarter and the two monthly estimates between actual readings are based upon your household's usage from the same quarter last year. These rates are determined from the actual cost of producing and distributing the water and the costs for treating and disposing of sewage. Each customer is charged based on the volumes they use. I hope I have addressed your concerns adequately. Please contact me at 550- 5101 if you wish to discuss this in more detail. Sincerely, L,4CA,L Dale E. Hahn Finance Director cc: Mayor and City Council James Willis, City Manager Daryl Sulander, Assistant Finance Director �lh 14'99 September 7, 1990 David R. L.andswerk, Ph. D. Superintendent of Schools (612) 476-3101 SEP James G. Willis, City Manager CITY OF PLYMOUTH 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 SUBJECT: JOINT MEETING WITH PLYMOUTH CITY COUNCIL Dear Jim: I've shared with our School Board members your letter regarding the proposed joint meeting with Plymouth City Council. We're pleased to accept the invitation, and will plan to be at Plymouth City Center at 5:30 p.m. on October 29. At their September 24 work session, the School Board will discuss the proposed agenda and what items they may wish included; I'll then send that information on to you. Looking forward to October 29. nc ely, David R. Land.swerk Superintendent of Schools DRL:LMB 22.4 Enclosure c: Board of Education Kim M. Bergman, Mayor GSM gy 14S District Administrative Offices 210 County Road 101 North P.O. Box 660 Wayzata, MN 55391-9990 FAX 476-3214 INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT 281 RobbinsdWe Area Schools Learning for a lifetime of growing September 6, 1990 James G. Willis City Manager, City of Plymouth 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 Dear Jim: Thank you for the inviting the District 281 school board to meet with the Plymouth City Council on Monday, October 8, 5:30 p.m. Board members appreciate the opportunity to share common concerns with the council. They did ask if it would be possible to schedule the meeting at 6 p.m. as a consideration for those coming from work. The board has asked to me to suggest one addition to the meeting's agenda. We are in the process of developing a community visioning activity which will involve all of the district's key constituencies in developing goals and objectives for the future. Since city governments will play an important role in this process, we would like to share some information with you about the process. We look forward to meeting with the council and to continuing communication with the city of Plymouth. Sincerely, , Linda Powell Superintendent LP:jme Linda Powell Superintendent 4148 Winnetka Avenue North New Hope, Minnesota 55427 (612) 533-2781 AN EQUAL OPPORTVNnY EMPLOYER CIM SEP 14V September 7, 1990 Percy Greenberg c/o Copper Sales Inc. 1405 North Highway 169 Plymouth, MN 55441 CITY OF PUMOUTR SUBJECT: ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND THANK YOU FOR DONATION TO THE POLICE BULLET PROOF VEST FUND Dear Mr. Greenberg: I received a check today from your company for $500 for the Police Bullet Proof Vest Fund. Investigator Bill Hanvik explained to me .the circumstances surrounding your generous donation. I understand that several of our officers interrupted a burglary at your company during the early morning hours of August 25, 1990. We had received information from an informant that your business was to be burglarized. Thus the reason we acted quickly and notified you at 3 a.m. Although the burglars escaped prior to the building being surrounded, they were subsequently arrested in Buffalo, Minnesota. Our investigators obtained signed confessions to their attempted theft of 10,000 pounds of rolled copper. I have sent your check to the Plymouth Finance Director, Dale Hahn, who administers a special account for the purchase of bullet proof vests for police officers. It certainly is not necessary for you to make a donation to the Police Department. We were happy to have the opportunity to be of service to you - especially when we can prevent the loss of property and arrest those responsible for criminal conduct. Thank you again for your generous contribution. Sincerely, Richard J. rlqu' Public Safe y Director Plymouth Police Department RJC/sb cc: James G. Willis - City Manager Dale Hahn - Finance Director cim SEP 1x.'90 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447, TELEPHONE (612) 550-5000 MINNEAPOLIS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AGENCY SUITE 600 331 SECOND AVENUE SOUTH JAY JENSEN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 55401-2218 MCDA Development Agency Information 348-7100 Writer's Direct Number Public Housing Authority 342-1400 Fax Number 612-342.1215 September 10, 1990 Blair Tremere Ral. Planning/Community Development Director 3400 Plymouth Boulevard SEP 11 1990 Plymouth, Mn 55447 G ;-Y OF PLYMOUTH Dear Blair, COMMt1N0 DEVELOPMENT DEPT. On behalf of our City Council and the Minneapolis Community Development Agency, I want to thank you for your quick tour of the Parkers Lake PUD for us last Friday. Our officials saw for the first time the new housing on a tract of land that had been farmland only two years before. It is a lot easier for us to discuss our property there when our officials have a first-hand view of it. The rest of your city was a real eye opener for the group, both for its attractiveness of housing and its natural features. I hope we can keep up the contact and return the favor sometime. Sincerely, mes M. White Depity Director, Agency Relations Minneapolis Community Development Agency Gim SEP IOU EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY ir5` A n k 130YIRS September 5, 1990 t, CITY OF PLYMOUTF+ Mr. Gregory L. Wright Stich, Angell, Kreidler & Muth, P.A. The Crossings, Suite 120 250 Second Avenue South Minneapolis, Mn. 55401-2122 SUBJECT: WEED CUT ON 45TH AND LANEWOOD Dear Mr.=Wright: In reply to your letter of August 31, 1990, I received a complaint via our receptionist on August 17, 1990 stating there was a weed problem on the corner of 45th Ave. and Juneau Lane North in the City of Plymouth. I went to this intersection and did not find a weed problem. I returned to the office and called the number on the complaint. I spoke to the answering machine and told it that I did not find a problem at this intersection. I left my telephone number. On August 28th a lady called my telephone answering machine and said that she had received a ticket from a police officer because he did not see her stop on the corner of 45th and Lanewood because of the high weeds. She said her name was Wright. I went to this corner and observed a vacant house on the northwest corner of this intersection. The lot that this house is on was infested with weeds two to three feet high. This corner had a visual obstruction for motorists because of the high weeds. I wrote a cut order for our City tractor operator. I told him that there was an obstruction on the corner of 45th and Lanewood Lane. The corner was cut on August 31, 1990. I also sent a Weed Notice to the property owner, Hans Hagen Homes, Inc. to cut their weeds by September 12, 1990. When we send a notice we allow five days for the mail to get to the owner and 10 days after that for complaince. The weeds on the corner of 45th and Lanewood Lane North violated the City Ordinance because they were higher than 8" in height and the boulevard portion had not been cut by the abutting property owner. Enclosed please find copies of the ordinance and other pertinent data. I hope this information has been of assistance to you. Sincerely, Glenn C. Upton Weed Inspector cim SEP 14'90 GU: am 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447, TELEPHONE (612) 550-5000 LAW OFFICES STICH, ANGELL, KREIDLER & MUTH, P.A. THE CROSSINGS, SUITE 120 250 SECOND AVENUE SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 55401.2122 TELEPHONE (612) 333-6251 - ROBERT T. STICH JOHN F. ANGELL MICHAEL S. KREIDLER• STEVENJ MUTH ROBERT D. BROWNSON D. SCOTT BALLOU ROBERT H. YAEGER THOMAS J. LINNIHAN SCOTT P. DRAW E JAMES D. KNUDSEN RICHARD A. KOEHLER SUSAN M. HANSEN GREGORY L. WRIGHT MICHAEL W. GAUGHAN. JR. -ALSO ADMITTED TO PRACTICE IN WISCONSIN Mr. Glen Upton Weed Inspector city of Plymouth Public Works Department 14900 23rd Avenue North Plymouth, MN 55447 Dear Mr. Upton: August 31, 1990 0 FACSIMILE 0(612) 333-1940 OF COUNSEL: W.M.LASLEY Please be advised that there exists a weed problem on the northwest corner of the intersection of 45th Avenue North and Lanewood Lane North in the city of Plymouth, Minnesota. The weeds, which are in proximity to and surround the stop sign at that location, limit the visibility of drivers eastbound on 45th Avenue north and southbound on Lanewood Lane north. The visibility problem is an additional hazard because of the intersection's close proximity to the entrance to Turtle Lake Park, an area frequented by children. I believe this is a problem that should not go uncorrected. Please respond to me in writing within 10 days as to the following: 1. Whether the weeds on the northwest corner of 45th Avenue north and Lanewood Lane north violate any city ordinance (citing the ordinance); 2. What your findings are upon inspection of the above corner; and 3. What your disposition of this matter is. I look forward to receiving your reply and thank you for your GIM SEP 1'90 Mr. Glen Upton August 31, 1990 Page Two assistance in resolving this matter. Very truly yours, STICH, ANGELL, KREIDLER & MUTH, P.A. Gregory L. Wright cc: Mr. Fred Moore, Director of Public Works Mayor Kim M. Bergman 0114 SEP 14'90 CIM SEP - 7 ..3 i vi on ��- eDrrt,Pr r�-� yJ �f' �.,�� �v1'i��-✓ 4-arifz _ 1'' t/L) -e i- 7 ff ,rt� U �, l0 i ;, :1 !� j% U /J �'�,�/L%„! /✓��'- (�. �' o441-7qc �G7�iCr•4tr�lt j�1U !/V�ed �Jj-��-�l�rrt ��tt J�itrz 1 1 v ber. 74��.1��� C7/ X114 -9- 2l !! i.eceiueC� T 0 rJ. t ry c f C% r� C'r r� / // > g31 T a S'U X0 17Qr�•� �f� �Frf /�U:.::�'1 rr��. �1Lt>2(rr CyT CIM Se 14'90 CIM SSE' ` .� . J Plymouth Weed Inspection - field Form Mober: 001% CAI t Complaint Dater Owners Name: owners Address: Inspection Date:_ Lot Block Subdiv.: Section: Q•Q••• Pin: It 9P, Car 4� O Weeds At: iC1cS�i'�r• L16- th ¢W00� �a a'Remarks: Compl . Name. /�r �S• ��''I Address: Phone: S59 339 Map N T /`7�ad? Cdf 90� a �%�kef beck so GIM SEP X4'90 CITY OF PLYMOM ENVIMN ERML DIVISICN Inspector's Notice to serve on occupants, owners, agents, or Public Officials in charge of weed infested lands. CITY OF PLYMOUTH, COUNTY OF HMZPIN, STATE CF MHVEI 0rA BY AUTHORITY OF PLmlou'H CITY CRDRWiCE, 1981, Section 810.03, Subdivision 1 thru 5 - Notice is hereby given. To: Notts 14&tu n Noes Zn c. ADDRESS: P353 Ro ce St /V0. st P"/ M Al SS 113 To cut, destroy or otherwise eradicate within a days from this date. ?-61- #0 all nuisance vegetation in excess of eight inches in height - located in and upon the following described land: Described Land: Section (NJ) Ta"hip IM O 17 (S#) Range ?fid Subdivision I-IV ,- 1 F-•�'th Ad d, f,o m Lot J I Block dW Quarter-Quarter-!J3Pin # 89 Property 1. D. # O Q /t All 04 9$ Tall fa,sr Q, a� eveadr o" Y"!a y $p 5 Lan¢ wood tare ND. Plymouth Property owners are required by City Ordinance to maintain these properties. If this notice is not complied with,the City of Plymouth will cut the nuisance vegetation at a rate of 30 dollars per hour for man and machine and assess the property owner for the cost of eradication plus the current administrative charge. A mimium of one hour will be charged for all cutting done by our contractor. Your cooperation in this matter will be greatly appreciated by all parties concerned. Sincerely, 4.1t� 1/*-.. G.C. Upton, Weed Inspector Environmental Division 14900 23rd Avenue North Plymouth, M. 55441 550-5154 GIM SEP 14,90 A c4m K' 1 1_ Q September 10, 1990 Mr. Kim Bergman, Mayor City of Plymouth ;.'; cap 3400 Plymouth B1vd. Plymouth, MN 55447-- . Dear Mr. Bergman, 1 have just returned from this evenings council meet in some comments regarding curb and gutter assessments levie against the properties backing up to the Schmidt Lake Road extension west. I do not wish to argue the issue of need for an east/west artery between Pineview Lane and Northwest Boulevard, this has been shown. What I would like to address is the assessment of households deriving absolutely n2 benefit from this expansion. This evenings council meeting was attended by a contingent of some 15 homeowners arguing the virtues of the proposed thoroughfare and attesting to the anticipated enrichment of their properties. Does it not seem fair to include these households in the assessment procedure? The unjust nature of this assessment was well stated at this evenings meeting by another affected resident. Councilmember Vasiliou agreed that in this instance there is some unfairness. The council seemed to take the position that yes, there are inequities, but that's the way things are done. This attitude is extremely frustrating to your constituents and perpetuates the old "can't fight city hall" axiom. I realize the difficult nature of the assessment process but in this instance the true intent of the process is lost. The Schmidt Lake Road extension is totally without benefit, and is in fact a detriment, to those being asked to absorb the curb and gutter expenses of this project. I therefore ask that the city consider underwriting these expenses as the city at large is the true benefactor of this expansion project. I thank you in advance for your time and attention to this matter and look forward to working with you and the council towards an equitable resolution of this issue. R spectfully, Mark E. Hartman 4935 Pineview Lane 559-89C0 cc: Councilmembers Vasiliou, Helliwell, Ricker, Zitur GS, SEP 14V SEP September 13, 1990 Mr. Robert Burger Burger Development Company 15050 23rd Avenue North Plymouth, MN 55447 Dear Bob: CIN OF PLYMOUTF+ I appreciated the meeting Monday morning with you and Marlin Grant relative to the comments on the City Code building construction regulations. The input from the Development Council on August 29 as well as from you on Monday morning was helpful in clarifying several items. I have attached a sheet which shows the revised language I drafted regarding section 400.17 and section 400.19 that I submitted to the City Council Monday night. I explained to the Council that we had discussed this at our meeting and that it represented the concerns of developers. The City Council unanimously adopted the amendments to the code and, relative to section 400.17, they included the language you and Marlin discussed with me plus some additional language offered by Fred Moore for clarification. The new language after the words "surface water drainage routes" is "as shown on the City's storm water drainage plan or final grading plan..." Please see the attached updated revised code which reflects exactly the language adopted by the City Council. Section 400.17 was taken directly from the City Council Policy Resolution adopted in 1979 regarding elevations for new structures in subdivisions or on site adjacent to or containing any open storm water drainage facility. The City Council discussed at length the revised language you indicated resulted from input from an engineer who stated that additional costs would be realized if the engineer or surveyor were required to certify elevations and grades as contained in the language drafted by the City. You and Marlin proposed striking the words "grades and elevations" and inserting "general drainage" as shown on the attached sheet. The City Council approved the original proposed language and emphasized that the intent is to have a certification of the grades and elevations primarily because of the concern that improper grading and elevations on one site can have an effect on other sites in the area. In other words, the concern is not just for the proper drainage on a specific site. The Council discussion included the observation that, if builders are aware of this requirement early in the process, arrangements should be possible with the builder's surveyor and/or engineer to monitor the construction from the beginning to a degree that will allow the specified certification without the need to totally resurvey the property. Gllti SEP 14'90 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447, TELEPHONE (612) 550-5000 Mr. Robert Burger September 13, 1990 Page Two I indicated to the Council that I will be working with Building Official Joe Ryan to prepare information for builders that would highlight this requirement for them at the plan submittal stage so that they could make the necessary provisions. Finally, you indicated that some developers sought clarification of subdivision 2 of the section 400.19 regarding the special agreement for those cases where either due to weather or circumstances clearly beyond the control of the permittee, the certification of grades and elevations cannot be completed prior to desire occupancy. Specifically, you inquired whether a financial guarantee would be required and you indicated that the Development Council should be involved in the formulation of the agreement (form). I discussed this with City Manager Jim Willis and we both discussed it with the City Council. A draft standard agreement can be designed to cover most if not all situations and we will submit a draft of that to the Development Council for review. The City Manager may or may not find it necessary to require a financial guarantee; it is the intent of the City Council and City staff that maximum flexibility be allowed to address the variety of situations which do arise. I thank you again for your input. It will be productive to work with builders to fully comprehend the overall concerns of the City and the new requirements so that there can be minimum impact to the builder and maximum benefit to the consumer. Si rely, Ba--,4air r Community Development Director Enclosures cc: City Manager James G. Willis Building Official Joe Ryan (pl/bt/burger:jw) 6!M SEP 1.'90 CITY OF PLYMOUTH ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 400 OF THE PLYMOUTH CITY CODE RELATING TO BUILDING, HOUSING AND CONSTRUCTION REGULATIONS THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PLYMOUTH ORDAINS: Section 1. Section 400 Subsections 400.01, 400.05 and 400.13 of the Plymouth City Code are amended to read: 400.01. State Building Code. Subdivision 1. Code Adoption. The Building Code of the State of Minnesota, authorized by Minnesota Statutes, Sections 16B.59 60 to 16B.73, and embodied in the Rules of the Commissioner of Administration, is the Building Code of the City of Plymouth, and is a part of this Code as completely as if fully set forth herein. A copy of the Minnesota State Building Code shall be kept available for public use in the office of the Building Official. Subd. 2a. Procedures and Administration. (a) As provided in the 1990 Minnesota 4487 State Building Code, the following are hereby adopted by reference: (1) 1988 49M Edition of the Uniform Building Code, identified as "UBC." (2) 1990 4984 Edition of the National Electrical Code, identified in the Minnesota State Building Code as Chapter 1315 ars "NEG". (3) American National Safety Code for Elevators, 8embwa-Aews; and Escalators aid -Mei- ngWair identified as ANSI A17.1- 1987 4984 and Supplement, ANSI A17.1a-1988 and ANSI A17.3- 1986 49M. (4) Minnesota Plumbing Code, identified in the Minnesota State Building Code as Chapter 1355. (5) "Flood Proofing Regulations," June, 1972, Office of the Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army, identified in the Minnesota Statute Building Code as Chapter 1335. (6) +74 1990 Minnesota Uniform Mechanical Code Heating, iFefi i l atm , n • r a • + nq Via+. en Cede, identified in the Minnesota State Building Code as Chapter 1346 4345. M 4&8 1983 Model Energy Code, identified in the Minnesota State Building Code as Chapter 1370 4245. CIM SEP 14'90 MW (8) 414 Solar Energy Systems, identified in the Minnesota State Building Code as Chapter 1325. (9) 44(4State of Minnesota Manufactured Home Rules, 1982 Edit' ori identified in the Minnesota State Building Code as Chapter 1350. 10 {}Minnesota Prefabricated Building Code, identified in the Minnesota State Building Code as Chapter 1360. 11 +124Technical Requirements for Fallout Shelters, identified in the Minnesota State Building Code as Chapter 1330. 12 {1-3}Variations in Snow Loads, identified in the Minnesota State Building Code as Chapter 1365. 13 44.4L988 498 Uniform Building Code Appendix Chapter 35 (Sound Transmission Control). (b) The following Appendices, Standards and Supplemental Materials are not a mandatory part of the State Code but are adopted by reference for the City of Plymouth and are incorporated into this Code as completely as if set out in full. (1) The foll'owing Chapters from the 1988 4-985 UBC Appendix: Chapter 7. (Geyered Mail BW!Mngs� Chapter 38. (Basement Pipe Inlets) Chapter 55. (Membrane Structures) Chapter 70. (Excavation and Grading) (2) Flood Proofing Regulations, Parts 1335.0600 to 1335.1200 Seetions— , Chapter 1335 of the Minnesota State Building Code, and F.P.R. Sections 205.4 to 208.2 Subd. 3. Organization and Enforcement. The organization of the Building Department and enforcement of the Code shall be conducted within the guidelines established by Chapter 2 of the Uniform Building Code 1988 4482 Edition. 400.05 Licensed Activities. Except as otherwise provided in this Section, it is unlawful for any person to perform any work subject to the provisions of the Building Code unless he 4s currently licensed to do so under applicable provisions of this Code or State law. Such work includes, but is not limited to, electrical installations, plumbing, high pressure steam fitting installation and elevator construction. GIM SEP 14'90 - 2 - 400.13 Building Permits; Required Information. Each application' for a huildinn nermit shall be accompanied by a eertified land suryey 4ndle ti n 3t�eq site plan, drawn to scale and based upon a certified land survey which shall include also shew theree the following: (a) All existing buildings with dimensions of each build4ng and the distance reference d4mensions measured eerpendicular from the Tof lines to the nearest point of each ui ding. (b) All proposed buildings with dimensions of each g and referenee dimen O distance measured perpendicular from the front and sid lot lines to the nearest point of each building. (c) Elevations to sea level datum of the center line of the nearest street at points where the side line of proposed buildings extended intersect said street. (d) Proposed elevations to sea level datum of the top of foundation garage floor and at the lower most lowest floor. (e) Existing and proposed elevations to sea level datum of grade at each property corner and within five feet of foundation on aT sides of proposed buildings. (f) Proposed slope or grade of ground for a distance of not less than 25 feet in front of and in back of foundation. (g) Elevation to sea level of sanitary sewer main, if existing, at point of connection. to said — ewe (h) Any and All existing utilities, easements, drainageways, water- ways and swamp land on or within the 4 -et property. (i) AnyanIndication and notation of all proposed variances. request_ (j) For one and two family dwellings, the location of an attached or detached garage, containing at least one parking stall, which could be built in addition to the dwelling within ordinance setback standards. (k) Certification that the building and proposed site grading are in accordance with the City-wide storm water drainage plans and/or grading plans approved by the City Engineer for the specific development or subdivision. 3 m SEP 14 '90 -- c Certification that permanent iron monuments are in place at each lot corner. (m) Indication that permanent iron monuments are placed on each side of the of a distance trom the front lot line a uiva ent to the proposed front bui ng setback line. In the event the distance from the side line to the Droposed building is greater than 30 feet, stakes shall be elace on the front building line a distance not to exceed 30 feet from the propose uM ding. (n) Location of existing buildings on ad! cent properties, within 25 feet of the lot lines, to include top of foundation elevation an distance to front and side property ines. (o) Location of all proposed decks orches stairways, cantilevers fireplaces, bay and bow windows. (p) Location and elevation of all sanitary and storm sewer manholes hydrants and catch basins. (g) The location of all proposed driveways, curb cuts and retaining Walls includina nroposed driveway slope and height of retaining (r) wa Indication, with arrows, the direction of proposed surface (s) For properties which abut lakes and ponds. indicate by contour ine the Ordinary High Water Elevation` OHW an distance to t e nearest point of the proposed building. Section 2. Section 400 of the Plymouth City code is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 400.17. Structures abutting water storage areas; requirements: An "as built" survey, certified by a Minnesota registered Civil En ineer of Survey or shall be submitted to the Building Official indicafing the elevation of the lowest floor level and the top of the installed foundation wall for those sites which abut lakes, ponds, streams, and/or surface water drainage routes as shown on the City's storm water drainage plan or final radin an and therefore are deemed to be subject to flooding and hiah water damage. The survey and—certification shall e compared to the established minimum elevations and approved the Buy ding Official prior to any further construction above the foundation wall. Should the submitted survey data indicate that the installed floor elevation would be less than the approved rewired a evation the Building Official shall require appropriate corrective measures before ..,., F..r+hnr rnnetrurtinn hpvnnd the fmindatinn walls is Dermltted. -4- G11W SEP 1x.'90 Section 3. Section 400 of the Plymouth City Code is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 400.19 Final. Inspections; Certification of compliance. Subdivision 1. Final inspections and authorization of occupancv of all new buildings shall be performed upon recei t o written certification an En sneer or Land Surveyor registered in Minnesota that the grades and elevations of the site and building are in accordance with t e approved pans. Subdivision 2. In those situations where the City Manager determines that the certification required by Subdivision 1 is not feasible due to weather conditions or other circumstances clearly beyond t e control of t e ermittee, prospect ve owner, or prospective occu ant may, in lieu o t e certification submit an agreement, acce to a to the City Manager, agreeing to provide the certification no later than six months from the date of the agreement. The permittee, pFospective owner, or prospective occupant shall hold the City harmless from any conditions relating to the grading an elevation of the site and shall -bear all costs associated with correcting the grading and elevations, if necessary, to conform with the ap'proved pans. Section 4. Effective Date. This Ordinance is effective on the date of its publication in accordance with Subsection 110.11. Adopted by the City Council this 10th day of September, 1990. ATTEST City Clerk Underline - indicates new text Struel - indicates deleted text (bu/j r/code.400:jw) mim Mayor Qm SEP 14'90 .. ..... • . CIN OF September 12, 1990 PLYMOUTR Dr. David Landswerk, Superintendent WAYZATA SCHOOL DIST. NO. 284 210 Highway 101 Plymouth, MN 55447 SUBJECT: WATER SERVICE GREENWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Dear Dr. Landswerk: It has been necessary for the school district to temporarily close the Greenwood Elementary School because of a failure of your private water system. It is my understanding that the well is being repaired and the school will continue to use it for your domestic water supply. Last year, as part of an approval from the City for additional building construction at the Greenwood Elementary School, a fire protection system was required. This system involved a sprinkler system inside the building and fire hydrants around the outside of the building. At the time of this approval, the City did not have a public water supply to your property that would connect to your fire protection system. The City approval included a provision that within one year after the City completed our public water system and assessed the school property for the watermain improvement, the private fire protection system would be connected. The City has underway a multi -phase project which will provide the watermain to the school. The first two phases of the project, the construction of the water tower on Highway 101, and the watermain between County Road 24 and the water tower, have been completed. A service line from this watermain was constructed by the City to the school property immediately adjacent to your driveway on County Road 101. This work was completed approximately two weeks ago. Dan Faulkner, City Engineer, talked with Stan Peterson of the school district maintenance staff and informed him that water is now available to the school property and your connection to the City water system can be completed. Since the third phase of the project is not yet completed, the school district property will not be assessed for the watermain improvement until sometime in 1991. When this is done, it will start the one year period in which it is mandatory to connect the fire protection system to the water system. It is not necessary for the school district to wait for the City to complete the project in order to connect to the system. CIM � 14'90 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447, TELEPHONE (612) 550-5000 Dr. David Landswerk, Superintendent September 12, 1990 Page Two In order to make the connection at this time, the school district would need to agree to the special assessments for the watermain improvement and obtain the necessary water permit from the Building Inspection Division. I am enclosing a copy of an assessment waiver which would need to be signed by the school district in order to agree to the assessments. Representatives of the school district would need to contact the building official in order to obtain the necessary information to obtain a water connection permit. Several years ago, after the private sewer lagoon system failed at the Greenwood School, the City undertook a project to provide public sanitary sewer to the school property. We have now completed the improvement which will provide public water to the school building. It is my opinion that the public water supply is more reliable since we are serving over 50,000 customers. Although it is not mandatory that the school building be connected to the public water supply for domestic use purposes, you may wish to evaluate the reliability of our supply against your existing system, which has recently failed. Please let me know if there is anything I can do in making your decision whether to connect to our public water supply at this time. If the decision is made to connect to our system, both Jim Willis and I are willing to work cooperatively in order that this could be accomplished in a short period of time. Sincerely, Fred G. Moore, P.E. Director of Public Works FGM:kh enclosure cc: James G. Willis, City Manager GIM SEP 14'90 5 WAIVER OF ASSESSMENT HEARING The undersigned does hereby waive all rights to special assessment hearings for assessments as follows on the property described as Property Identification Numbers: 18-118-22-42-0008 and 18-118-22-43-0005. ASSESSMENT (18-118-22-42-0008) Water Area (18-118-22-43-0005) Water Area Water Lateral ESTIMATED UNIT COST/UNIT 0.85/Ac. $2,370/Ac. 24.4/Ac. $2,370/Ac. 340/F.F. $26.50/F.F. ESTIMATED TOTAL By By. Dated: September 12, 1990 ESTIMATED TOTAL $2,014.50 $57,828.00 59.010.00 $68,852.50 School Dist. No. 284 am SR14'90 MUNICIPAL ISL LEGISLATIVE 00MMISSION s \ ,A r 15oo Northland Plaza 3800 West 80th Street Bloomington, Minnesota 55431 (612) 893-6650 EIGHTY—SIXTH MLC OPERATING COMMITTEE MEETING Wednesday, August 29, 1990 3:00 p.m. Messerli & Kramer Board Room 3800 W. 80th Street Bloomington, Minnesota The Eighty -Sixth MLC Operating Committee Meeting was called to order by Barry Johnson, Woodbury. Members present: Craig Rapp, Brooklyn Park; Linda Barton, Burnsville; Jon Elam, Maple Grove; Mike McGuire, Maplewood; Jim Miller, Minnetonka; Steve Sarkozy, Roseville; Dwight Johnson, Shoreview; Mark Sather, White Bear Lake. Also present: Lyle Olson, Bloomington; Ralph Campbell, Edina; Craig Dawson, Eden Prairie; Bob Renner, Jr., and Heather, Florine, Messerli & Kramer. Members Absent: John Pidgeon, Bloomington; Carl Jullie, Eden Prairie; Ken Rosland, Edina; Tom Hedges, Eagan; Jim Willis, Plymouth; Robert Schaefer, Inver Grove Heights. A motion was made by Elam, seconded by Rapp and passed unanimously to approve the Minutes of the July 26, 1990, Operating Committee Meeting. Dawson presented the Treasurer's Report. A motion was made by Rapp, seconded by D. Johnson and unanimously approved to accept the Treasurer's Report. Member Cities: Bloomington. Brooklyn Park, Burnsville. Eagan, Eden Prairie. Edina, Inver Grove Heights. Maple Grove. Maplewood. Minnetonka. Plymouth. Roseville. Shoreview, White Bear Lake. Woodbury CIM up 14% Renner distributed the final 1989 MLC Audit. After further discussion, a motion was made by Elam, seconded by Dawson, and unanimously approved to accept the Audit and refer it to the Board of Directors at its October meeting for final approval. Renner distributed a letter drafted to Minnesota Fair Share which addresses issues in their proposal of a flat rate of 1% on all residential dwellings. The letter illustrates what happens and the potential shifts which would result if Fair Share's proposal were enacted, and at what rate all property classes would have to be taxed to maintain current revenues. After further discussion, a motion was made by Olson, seconded by Johnson and unanimously passed to approve forwarding this letter to Fair Share. The Operating Committee then discussed the AMM's proposal of using local option sales tax to fund metropolitan transit/lightrail projects. It was suggested that it may be appropriate to link fiscal disparities issues with this in any discussion or initiatives the MLC may take regarding the AMM's position. The Operating Committee decided to address this at its next meeting in preparation for the October Board Meeting at which time the Board will consider the direction and scope of the MLC's 1991 legislative agenda. The Operating Committee then discussed the current status of city membership in the MLC. The City of Maple Grove has advised the Commission in writing that the City Council has deleted funds for MLC dues in 1991. The Operating Committee discussed issues relating to the perception of the MLC's effectiveness in its lobbying efforts and whether restructuring Operating Committee and Board meetings may enhance this perception. Possible solutions will be discussed at the October Board Meeting. Renner expressed his willingness to address City Councils if they should have any questions regarding the MLC during the budgeting process. The Operating Committee then discussed the upcoming regional breakfast meetings. It was agreed that instead of holding two separate meetings for each region, the MLC will combine the meetings to include both challengers and incumbents at one time. Renner distributed and explained the compilation Minnesota Government Relations Council lobbyist the November elections. - 2 - of the survey regarding 01M SEP I it", Renner distributed a draft questionnaire to be used to survey the MLC legislative delegation. After further discussion, it was decided to indicate the legislator and district on the top of each survey and allow for a signature space at the end. The question regarding fiscal disparities was dropped, and minor revisions were made. The survey will be mailed after the Primary, and the results will be compiled for discussion at the regional breakfast meetings. Renner then addressed the Operating Committee regarding the content of the recent LMC Legislative Committee Meeting in which several other lobbying groups participated, including the AMM, Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities and the City of Minneapolis. At issue was how other groups view the League's lobbying efforts. The Operating Committee then discussed the Public Relations Implementation Program. Most items included in the Plan are on schedule. It was agreed, however, that representatives from the MLC need to arrange a time to meet with the editorial boards of the main newspapers to discuss an Op -Ed piece. The next MLC Operating Committee meeting was set for 3:00, Wednesday, October 3, 1990, at Messerli & Kramer. A motion was made by D. Johnson, seconded by McGuire and unanimously passed to adjourn the meeting. The Eighty -Sixth Operating Committee was adjourned at 5:05 p.m. 3 - C►h SEP 14 LMUNICIPAL LEGISLATILEGISLATIVELEGISLATIVEIS� COMMISSION August 28, 1990 Dierdra Griswold Minnesota Fair Share Suite 113 3050 Metro Drive Bloomington, MN 55425 Dear Dierdra: = I \a 1500 Northland Plaza 3800 West 80th Street Bloomington. Minnesota 55431 (612) 893-6650 This letter will attempt to analyze the effects of a 1% flat tax on homes, seasonal recreational properties, apartments and commercial -industrial buildings. Although a 1% rate is politically appealing, the "shifts" that would occur or the cost to the state treasury to "buy down" rates to 1% would both be excessive. The figures used in this analysis are derived from the Minnesota House of Representatives Research Department, computer simulation 9F4. ALL PROPERTY STATEWIDE PROJECTED 1991 Res. Homesteads* Ag Homesteads* Res Non Homestead* Apartments* Seasonal-Rec* Commercial/ Industrial Utilities & Per. Prop. Ag Non -Homestead All other classes** TOTALS $144.6 billion $3.257 billion $2.669 billion * These classes would have a tax capacity rate of 1Z applied to total market value ** Includes ti�eCi>e$ipairsiag8�n1eB7oOia�>l�rk�lnsVg11�.11£#1s s e a Cx6vs ighi. a move. Maplewood. Minnetonka. Plymouth. Roseville. Shoreview, White Bear Lake, Woodbury GIM SEP 11+ Current Proposed Market Value Tax Cape Tax Capacity $73.0 billion $969 million $730 million 15.5 billion 148 million 155 million 6.5 billion 194 million 65 million 7.4 billion 252 million 74 million 3.7 billion 86 million 37 million 23.8 billion 1.12 billion 1.12 billion 5.6 billion 275 million 275 million '6.8 billion 116 million 116 million 2.3 billion 97 million 97 million TOTALS $144.6 billion $3.257 billion $2.669 billion * These classes would have a tax capacity rate of 1Z applied to total market value ** Includes ti�eCi>e$ipairsiag8�n1eB7oOia�>l�rk�lnsVg11�.11£#1s s e a Cx6vs ighi. a move. Maplewood. Minnetonka. Plymouth. Roseville. Shoreview, White Bear Lake, Woodbury GIM SEP 11+ Dierdra Griswold August 28, 1990 Page - 2 - Based on these calculations, the total tax capacity statewide would be reduced by $588 million ($3.257 - $2.669 = $588). The 1991 total tax rate statewide is estimated to be 1.0688 or 106.88% of the total tax capacity. If you multiply $3.257 billion by 106.88%, the total net tax paid in 1991 will equal $3.471 billion. However, if tax capacity is reduced by $588 million, the total tax rate will have to increase in order to generate the same amount of net tax. To determine the new total tax rate, you must calculate what percentage amount multiplied by the new tax capacity of $2.669 billion equals $3.471 billion. This number calculates to 1.30 or 130%, an increase of more than 22% compared to the current rate. Using this rate, property tax burdens under the Minnesota Fair Share proposal would shift as illustrated by the table below. ` Res. Homesteads Ag. Homesteads Res. Non - Homesteads Apartments Seasonal-Rec Commercial/ Industrial Utilities and Per. Prop. Ag. Non - Homestead All other classes Current Proposed* Net Tax Net Tax $1.045 billion $961 million 148 million $193 million 212 million $ 90 million 276 million $100 million 91 million $ 49 million Increase/ Increase Decrease_ Decrease - 84 million - 8% + 45 million + 30% -122 million - 58% -176 million - 64% - 42 million - 46% 1.21 billion $1.47 billion +260 million + 22% 267 million $331 million + 64 million + 24% 116 million $144 million + 28 million + 24% 104 million S129 million + 25 million + 24% TOTAL $3.469 billion $3.467 billion -2 million --- Based on the 1Z tax capacity rate applied to homes, seasonal-rec. and all rental properties and a total tax rate of 1302 applied to all property classes. ** Total numbers differ slightly due to rounding. Depending upon the mix of property tax burden shifts will differ. Although the increase on commercial industrial amounts to 22% statewide, the increase in the suburbs of western Hennepin County would amount to 32%. Conversely, homes in the Hennepin County suburbs would receive a correspondingly larger cut than homes statewide. The following tables illustrate the effects of the Minnesota Fair Share proposal on western Hennepin County suburbs. CINI SEP 14,90 Dierdra Griswold August 28, 1990 Page - 3 - Res. Homesteads* Ag. Homesteads* Res. Non -Homesteads* Apartments* Seasonal Rec.* Commercial/ Industrial Utilities & Per. Prop. Ag. Non -Homestead All Other Classes** HENNEPIN COUNTY WESTERN SUBURBS Current Proposed Market Value Tax - Capacity Tax Capacity $14.9 billion $245 million $149 million 67 million 881 thousand 670 thousand 1.15 billion 344 million 11.5 million 1.6 billion 559 million 16 million 41 million 950 thousand 410 thousand 6.0 billion 290 million 290 million 457 million 23 million 23 million 58 million 982 thousand 982 thousand 421 million 21 million 21 million TOTALS $24.69 billion $672.1 million 512.9 million * These classes would have a tax capacity rate of lZ applied to total market value ** Includes timberland, enterprise zones, vacant land, railroads, seasonal/rec-commercial, and mineral classes. Based on these new tax capacities, the total tax rate would have to increase from 101% to 137%. This 36% rate increase would cause large increases on properties that did not receive any benefit from a tax capacity reduction to 1%. When the new rate is applied to the new tax capacities, large shifts occur as is illustrated by the table on the next page. �1`t1 SEQ � x'90 Dierdra Griswold August 28, 1990 Page - 4 - Res. Homesteads Ag. Homesteads Res. Non - Homesteads Apartments Seasonal-Rec. Commercial/ Industrial Utilities and Per. Prop. Ag. Non - Homestead All other Classes HENNEPIN COUNTY WESTERN SUBURBS Current Proposed* Net Tax Net Tax - 1LA -Increase/ Increase Decrease Decrease $259 million $208 million $- 51.0 million - 20% 913 thousand 916 thousand + 3 thousand +.33% 36.7 million 16.2 million - 20.5 million - 56% 59 million 22.3 million - 36.7 million - 62% 1 million 568 thousand - 432 thousand - 43% 305 million 402 million 16.4 million 21.5 million 1.0 million 1.3 million + 97 million + 32% + 5.1 million + 31% + 300 thousand + 30% ll • ! SI • ! • • ll • ! TOTAL** $701.2 million 701.9 million 968 thousand * Based on the lx tax capacity rate applied to homes, seasonal-rec. and all rental properties and a total tax rate of 1372 applied to all property classes. ** Total numbers differ slightly due to rounding. I also analyzed an area of the state that has a very high level of seasonal -recreational properties. The tables on the following page illustrate what occurs in the north central part of Minnesota. Because there is such a large concentration of cabins (26% of the total market value compared to a statewide average of 2.6%), the total tax capacity drops significantly when a 1% rate is applied to this class of property. The new total tax rate must increase by 28% (from 104% to 132%). Since homes in rural Minnesota are paying about 1% today, a tax rate increase of 28% will equate to a large property tax increase on these properties (of course, to the benefit of cabins). This will likely be difficult to sell to the Legislature. A 58% increase on farms, while "rich city slickers" are receiving a 46% decrease on their summer homes, could also be a touchy issue at the Capitol. CUP � Dierdra Griswold August 28, 1990 Page - 5 - NORTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA TOWNS Res. Homesteads* Ag. Homesteads* Res. Non -Homesteads* Apartments* Seasonal Rec.* Commercial/ Industrial Utilities & Per. Prop. Ag. Non -Homestead All Other Classes 76.4 million Current Market Value Tax ranaT city $1.0 billion $11.5 million 872 million 6.9 million 73 million 2 million 4 million 138 thousand 917 million 21 million 76.4 million 3 million 179 million 9 million 197 million 3.6 million 139 million 2.8 million Proposed Tax Capacity $ 10 million 8.7 million 730 thousand 40 thousand 9.1 million 3 million 9 million 3.6 million 2.8 million TOTALS $3.5 billion $59.9 million 47.3 million * These classes would have a tax capacity rate of 11 applied to total market value ** Includes timberland, enterprise zones, vacant land, railroads, seasonal rec-commercial, and mineral classes. NORTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA TOWNS Current Proposed* Increase/ Increase Class Net Tax Net Tax_ necrease Decrease Res. Homesteads $ 12 million Ag. Homesteads 8 million Res. Non - - 55% 54 Homesteads 2 million Apartments 150 thousand Seasonal-Rec. 21 million Commercial/ Industrial 3 million Utilities and Per. Prop. 9.4 million Ag. Non - Homestead 4 million All h r ow lq�r 40 gy- $13.1 million $+ 1.1 million + 9% 12.6 million + 4.6 million + 58% 928 thousand - 1.1 million - 55% 54 thousand - 96 thousand - 64% 11.3 million - 9.7 million - 46% 3.7 million + 700 thousand + 23% 11.8 million + 2.4 million + 26% 5.0 million + 1 million + 25% TOTAL** $62.6 million 62.3 million -396 thousand --- Based on the 11 tax capacity rate applied to homes, seasonal-rec. and all rental properties and a total tax rate of 1321 applied to all property classes. SES 1 4' CIO ** Total numbers differ slightly due to rounding. Dierdra Griswold August 28, 1990 Page - 6 - It is clear from this analysis that property tax burden shifts would differ based on the property mix in each locality, but a conclusion can also be reached that the big "winners" would be apartments, non - homestead residential and seasonal -recreational property. Most homesteads in greater Minnesota would experience increases but the biggest "losers" would be commercial -industrial, utilities and farm property. I should point out that this analysis did not factor in the school aids changes that would accompany these shifts. School aids could change the final results in certain geographical areas, but these changes would not change the general trends of this analysis. I know that some will argue that the total tax rate does not have to increase to 130% statewide if local units of government reduce spending. Let me counter this argument by saying that elementary/secondary education accounts for about 50% of the total levy. And about 80% of the budget for elementary and secondary education is comprised of salaries.. In my opinion, it would be impossible to reduce the property tax levy by $628 million (the amount of lost tax capacity multiplied by the current tax rate) without negatively affecting K-12 education. K-12 education will levy about $1.5 billion in 1991. I do not believe that Minnesota Fair Share's current position is consistent with your statement that "Minnesota Fair Share is opposed to anything that would jeopardize the quality of education in Minnesota." As an alternative, you could eliminate entirely the total levy for every city in Minnesota ($568 million) and still be short of the amount that would have to be cut. The other solution would be for the State to "buy down" these rate reductions. If the Legislature appropriated $628 million of general fund revenue, it would equate to an income tax increase of approximately 21% or a sales and motor vehicle excise tax increase from 6% to almost 8%. As you can see, the resolution of the property tax mess is not easy. The Fair Share group should be commended for the exposure you have given to the unfairness of the current system. However, you may want to reassess your position of a 1% flat rate. A flat rate on homesteads is the correct policy, but the percentage should be left for the Legislature to determine. Please take the contents of this letter in the spirit in which they were written. They are meant to provide your organization with information that can be used to arrive at fair and reasonable policies. It is not meant to be critical of Minnesota Fair Share. I think you are doing a great job. Sincerely, MESSERLI & KRAMER Robert G. Renner, Jr. % =3--k _ l MUNICIPAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION REGIONAL BREAKFAST MEETINGS Brooklyn Park Eden Prairie Edina Maple Grove Minnetonka Plymouth r Thursday, October it 7:30 a.m. BROOKLYN PARK EDEN PRAIRIE Mayor James Krautkremer Mayor Gary Peterson City Manager City Manager Craig Rapp Carl Jullie Council Council Joe Enge Richard Anderson Erick Engh Doug Tenpas Dale Gustafson Dr. Jean Harris Jerry Marshall Patricia Pidcock Ronald Slack Robert Stromberg EDI IJ$ MAPLE GROVE Mayor Frederick S. Richards Mayor James Deane City Manager City Manager Ken Rosland Jon Elam Peggy Kelly David Burtness Jane Paulus Chuck Dehn Jack Rice Don Ramstad Glenn Smith Donna Ryon Tom Erickson CIM SEP 1 4'9 - 2 - ( REGION 1 CONY D ) Mayor Tim Bergstedt City Manager Jim Miller City Council Karen Anderson Robert DeGhetto Dr. Mark Renneke Jane Gordon Fred Janus Bill Hise !:`� 47 Senator Luther/Jim Harris 47A Representative Scheid/Steve Baretz Mayor Rim Bergman Cly Manager Jim Willis City Council Lloyd J. Ricker Robert Zitur Maria Vasiliou Carole J. Helliwell 48 Senator McGgowan/*PRIMARY* Greg Hegi OR Jim Hillegass 48B Representative Schreiber/John Hall EDEN PRAIRIE 42 Senator Storm/*PRIMARY* John Cochran OR Larry Beier 42A Representative Pauly -- UNOPPOSED 43 Senator Gen Olson/*PRIMARY* Julie Erickson OR Lee Mosher 43B *PRIMARY* -- Representative Knickerbocker OR Ed Oliver NO DFL CANDIDATE ERIKA 42 Senator Storm/*PRIMARY* John Cochran OR Larry Beier c►M � ,90 SEP 1 42A Representative Pauly -- UNOPPOSED —LL: `�,A (REGION 1 CONT'D) MAPLE GROVE 48 Senator McGgowan/*PRIMARY* Greg Hegi OR Jim Hillegass 48A Representative Limmer/Dennis Filipek 48B Representative Schreiber/John Hall MINNETONKA 43 Senator Gen Olson/*PRIMARY* Julie Erickson OR Lee Mosher 43B *PRIMARY* -- Representative Knickerbocker OR Ed Oliver NO DFL CANDIDATE 44 Senator McQuaid/Ted Mondale 44A Representative Sally Olsen/Wendy Engel 45 IR PRIMARY -- Mary Tambornino OR Warren Kapsner DFL -- Judy Traub 45A Representative Abrams/David Slomkowski PLYMOUTH 45 IR PRIMARY -- Mary Tambornino OR Warren Kapsner DFL -- Judy Traub 45A Representative Abrams/David Slomkowski 45B (Heap's Seat) IR -- Peggy Lippick DFL -- Jim Dorsey 48 Senator McGgowan/*PRIMARY* Greg Hegi OR Jim Hillegass 48A Representative Limmer/Dennis Filipek - 4 - ON SEP 1,4'90 MUNICIPAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION September 12, 1990 Dear Representative 15oo Northland Plaza 3800 West 80th Street Bloomington, Minnesota 55431 (612) 893.6650 The Municipal Legislative Commission (MLC), a group of 15 suburbs, periodically surveys the 37 members of its legislative delegation on issues of concern to the Commission. This year, the MLC Board of Directors, requested that all incumbents and challengers be sent the attached questionnaire. It is obvious that the major issues facing suburban communities in the current property tax system and the unfair burdens this system places on the higher -valued homes. Please complete the attached survey and return it by October 1 in the enclosed self-addressed, stamped envelope. The MLC is scheduling candidate breakfast meetings in mid-October. Survey results will be provided to you at this meeting. Thank you for your time in completing this survey. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me at 893-6672. Sincerely, MESSERLI & KRAMER Robert G. Renner, Jr. Enclosure Member Cities: Bloomington. Brooklyn Park. Burnsville. Eagan. Eden Prairie. Edina. Inver Grove Heights. Maple Grove, Maplewood. Minnetonka. Plymouth. Roseville. Shoreview. White Bear Lake. Woodbury 'W SEQ ' CMUNICIPAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION MUNICIPAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION 1990 SUBURBAN ISSUES QUESTIONNAIRE \,-A 15oo Northland Plaza 3800 West 80th Street Bloomington. Minnesota 55431 (612) 893-6650 I. The MLC has proposed that the current property tax system should be revised to tax residential homesteads at a single tax rate regardless of value. Do you support or oppose the concept of a flat tax on homes? Support Comments: Oppose II. The current property tax system taxes homes over $110,000 at a tax capacity rate of 3%. Some argue that the 3% rate should be eliminated and only two rates should be applied to the market value of homes. As an alternative to a flat rate, would you support or oppose elimination of the 3% rate on high -valued homes? Support Comments: Oppose Member Cities: Bloomington. Brooklyn Park. Burnsville, Eagan. GIM Sip �t�Q Eden Prairie, Edina. Inver Grove HeighZ. Maple Grove. Maplewood. Minnetonka, Plymouth. Roseville, Shoreview, White Bear Lake. Woodbury III. The current system imposes a 1% tax capacity rate on homes valued from $0 to $68,000, 2% applied between $68,000 and $110,000 and 3% applied over $110,000. If the 3% rate is eliminated, should the first tier, now at $68,000, be increased, decreased or remain the same? increased decreased remain at $68,000 Comments IV. If a flat rate or elimination of the 3% rate is adopted by the Legislature, shifts will occur on other classes of property. Should these shifts be paid for by the State General Fund or should other property classes pay for the lost tax revenues due to a reduction of taxes on homes? shift to other properties pay for shifts by State General Fund combination shifts and buydown Comments: 3 - GEM SES' 14'�"o V. Other property classes such as commercial -industrial and apartments have complained that their burdens are excessive. Please rank in order of priority which property classes should receive tax relief in the 1991 Legislative session? (use 1 - 5) low -valued homes (under $68,000) mid -valued homes ($68,000 to $110,000) high -valued homes (over $110,000) apartments (over 3 units) commercial -industrial (over $100,000) Comments: VI. Cities must rely on local property taxes as their major revenue source. Would you support or oppose a local option sales tax which would allow cities to impose an additional sales tax on purchases made within their boundaries? Support Oppose Comments: 4 - = - �A VII. Current law imposes levy limits on city government. The policy behind the levy limitation is to restrain local government spending, which arguably would keep property taxes lower than they would be without levy limits. The MLC supports the repeal of levy limits. Would you support or oppose the repeal of levy limits. Support Oppose Comments: IX. Currently, about 50% of a property tax bill is levied to fund elementary and secondary education. The Legislature in 1990 decided that the state should pay a larger share of K-12 costs. Some propose shifting all of the cost of K-12 education to the State General Fund. This would mean that elementary and secondary education would be funded by the income and sales taxes rather than the property tax. Would you support or oppose legislation which would fully fund education from state rather than local tax sources? Support Oppose Comments: - 5 - �� SEP 1 � 90 G X. Fiscal disparities has been a controversial issue for almost two decades. Do you feel the current law should be left alone, substantially changed, or repealed? left alone or only minor adjustments substantially changed repealed Comments: XI. The 1990 Legislature adopted significant changes to Minnesota's Tax Increment Financing (TIF) law. should the 1991 Legislature continue to revise TIF or should this issue be laid to rest during 1991? major revisions to TIF in 1991 minor revisions to TIF in 1991 no revisions to TIF in 1991 Comments: Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. Please enclose it in the stamped, self-addressed envelope provided and return it by October 1. SIL MUNICIA4L LEGISLATIVE TO: Board of Directors FROM: Bob Renner DATE: September 5, 1990 RE: Home Values 15oo Northland Plaza 3800 West 80th Street Bloomington, Minnesota 55431 (612) 893-6650 The chart below provides information regarding the market value of different homes by geographical regions. The source of this information was a publication by the Minnesota House of Representatives Research Department titled "The Property Tax Refund: Tax Relief for Homeowners." * 0-$60,000 498,187 $60,001-$100,000 430,350 Over $100,001 128,847 TOTALS 11057,385 EMV # of Homes* 0-$60,000 395,019 $60,001-$100,000 84,754 Over $100,001 10,083 TOTALS 489,856 $ of Total 47.1% 40.7% 12.2% 100% $ of Total 80.6% 17.3% cYA Member Cities: Bloomington. Brooklyn Park, Burnsville, Eagan, Eden Prairie, Edina. Inver Grove Heights. Maple Grove. Maplewood, Minnetonka. Plymouth. Roseville, Shoreview, White Bear Labe. Woodbury EMV 0-$60,000 $601001-$100,000 Over $100,001 TOTALS METRO CITIES AND TOWNS # of Homes* of Total 103,170 18.2% 345,592 60.9% 118,763 20.9% 567,526 100% * All numbers exclude agricultural homesteads General observations: 1. Although nearly half the homes in the state (47.1%) are valued at less than $60,000, the vast majority fall outside the metropolitan area (eight out of every ten homes in the non -metro area have a value less than $60,000). 2. There are 128,847 homes valued in excess of $100,000. Ninety-two percent of the high -valued homes are located in the seven -county metropolitan area. One out of every 5 homes in the metro area exceeds $100,000 in value compared to 2 out of every 100 homes in greater Minnesota. 3. Almost 87,000 homes in Greater Minnesota have an estimated market value of less than $20,000 (about 18% of the total housing stock). If you would like a copy of the full report, you can call the House of Representatives Research Department at 296-6753 and request it be sent to you. - 2 - elm, SEP 1 &+ SEPTEMBER 1990 VOLUME Vil NUMBER 2 On Sunday, September 16th at 2:00 - 5:00 p.m., the Plymouth Historical Society will have an OPEN HOUSE. • Entertainment will be provided by "The Whistler", Robert F. Larson at 2:30 and 4:00. He is a very entertaining balladeer, whistler, yodeler and plays the autoharp. • Plymouth's First Fire Truck will be on display. This Fire Truck now belongs to the Plymouth Historical Society for the purpose of preserving a part of Plymouth's history. • A 1925 Mode! "T" truck will be on display. This truck was originally used on Henry Schiebe's farm and is still in the family. • Refreshments will be served. • •1 1 1YA► it • 1 i ■ It's not too early to plan ahead and mark your calendar for the Fourth Annual "Old Fashioned Christmas in Plymouth" Sunday, December 9th, co-sponsored by the Plymouth Historical Society and Plymouth Park Recreation Department. It will be bigger and better than last year, so watch for future announcements. All of the people who have previously signed our guest book have been added to the mailing list. You will have to pardon us if we didn't get your name or address exactly correct. If you have any additions or corrections, please call Gary Schiebe at 473-4889. If anyone would like to become a member of the Plymouth Historical Society, please complete the attached membership form or feel free to call Jack or Mary Malmstedt at 473-4493. The annual dues are Individual $5.00, Family $7.50 and Lifetime $100.00. The Plymouth Historical Building and Carriage House has been repainted. The flower garden has been moved and reconstructed with new sod added to the lawn. An expanded area has also been paved in front of the Carriage House. This was all courtesy of the City of Plymouth and the Park and Recreation Departments. A big thanks to their people! SEP I V" t SEPTEMBER 1990 VOLUME Vil NUMBER 2 On Sunday, September 16th at 2:00 - 5:00 p.m., the Plymouth Historical Society will have an OPEN HOUSE. • Entertainment will be provided by "The Whistler", Robert F. Larson at 2:30 and 4:00. He is a very entertaining balladeer, whistler, yodeler and plays the autoharp. • Plymouth's First Fire Truck will be on display. This Fire Truck now belongs to the Plymouth Historical Society for the purpose of preserving a part of Plymouth's history. • A 1925 Mode! "T" truck will be on display. This truck was originally used on Henry Schiebe's farm and is still in the family. • Refreshments will be served. • •1 1 1YA► it • 1 i ■ It's not too early to plan ahead and mark your calendar for the Fourth Annual "Old Fashioned Christmas in Plymouth" Sunday, December 9th, co-sponsored by the Plymouth Historical Society and Plymouth Park Recreation Department. It will be bigger and better than last year, so watch for future announcements. All of the people who have previously signed our guest book have been added to the mailing list. You will have to pardon us if we didn't get your name or address exactly correct. If you have any additions or corrections, please call Gary Schiebe at 473-4889. If anyone would like to become a member of the Plymouth Historical Society, please complete the attached membership form or feel free to call Jack or Mary Malmstedt at 473-4493. The annual dues are Individual $5.00, Family $7.50 and Lifetime $100.00. The Plymouth Historical Building and Carriage House has been repainted. The flower garden has been moved and reconstructed with new sod added to the lawn. An expanded area has also been paved in front of the Carriage House. This was all courtesy of the City of Plymouth and the Park and Recreation Departments. A big thanks to their people! SEP r 100 YEARS YOUNG Phil Eckes celebrated his 100th birthday earlier this year. He was born February 15, 1890 to a family with 10 brothers and sisters. The Eckes family farm was located on the site now occupied by Carlson Companies World Headquarters. Phil lived in Plymouth all his life and was very active in the community of Plymouth (civic affairs). He served on the town board for many years and earned a living as a farmer and a truck gardener raising vegetables. He's been a life-long member of Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Medina. These are a few of the things that Phil remembered about the'Good Old Days'. It was 1904, when he was 14 years old, that he saw an automobile for the first time. All road maintenance was done with men, horses and hand tools. This included the hauling of gravel and snow removal by horses and big, wooden -V plows. The only place you could buy things in those days was at County Road 73 and the service road of what is now Highway 55. That was the halfway point for farmers to stop before heading into Minneapolis. They'd pull their team of horses up to Schiebe's Corner and head to Minneapolis the next day. You couldn't make it in one day. A good team of horses could go three to four miles an hour. If you want to appreciate that, start out and walk a pretty brisk pace for an hour. In those days, the family home was heated with wood which was cut by hand and piled in the wood box near the stove. At night, they used kerosene lamps to light the home. Most of the food was raised on the family farm. Phil can remember churning butter, rendering lard, making sauerkraut in a 55 gallon barrel, canning vegetables and fruit from the garden and preserving pork by soaking it in a brine solution before hanging it to dry in the smoke house. His mother baked once a week. Seldom did the family buy a loaf of bread. The family income was small. Farm products were sold in exchange for clothing, sugar, extracts and spices that could not be produced at home. Food for the family and livestock was stored in adequate quantities to last until the next year's crop was available. Family food supplies were canned and kept in the cellar which was usually under the house (built below the frost line to protect the perishables). Minnesota was admitted to the Union in 1858, Plymouth was given its charter in 1858, and held its first town board meeting on April 19, 1858 at the home of Francis Day when its first officers were elected. These advances in progress by the pioneer residents created the need for schools, churches and a town hall. Plymouth's first school house was called District 95. This number identified the historic school from 1858 until 1946 when it was consolidated with Wayzata and the identity changed from District 95 to Beacon Heights. The name 'Beacon' seemed appropriate because of the nearby location of one in a series of Beacon lights which were used to guide air planes to the Minneapolis (Wold Chamberlain) airport. 'Heights' also seemed appropriate because the Beacon light tower located nearby was situated on a hill which has the highest elevation in the area. 'Beacon Hill% as it was called, is in the area of the present Plymouth Fire Station #1 and the NWB Telephone Microwave Radar Tower on County Road 6 and provided an opportunity to read the time on the Court House clock in Minneapolis (on a clear day). District 95 started with a log building located about two blocks northeast of the present Beach Heights building. The log school was 14 to 16 feet square and housed 26 students who were taught the three R's by Miss Lorinda Shaw. Miss Shaw's salary was $28 per month and the value of the building and land was set at $200. This school offered instruction for the full elementary structure of Grades 1 through 8 and the students ranged in age from 5 to 19 years. Our records do not include information about who built the log school, but they do tell us that supplies and furniture were scarce and primitive. The seats were wooden benches and the text books were limited to the bare essentials. There was no well and drinking water was carried from home. The students walked to school from their homes as far away as three miles. Some of the early family names include Bofferding, Cavanagh, Ernst, Tabor, Glassing, Ryan, Shreks, Smith, Fryer, Howe, Park, Mengelkoch, McGowan, Jondas, Day, Eckes, Luby and Schiebe. During the next 11 years, the school struggled to do its best to survive. Some students continued through 8th grade, others dropped out after completing the 3rd, 4th or 5th grade. The community was growing and many of the older children were needed at home to help clear land or harvest crops, plus the general attitude that if a boy or girl could read and write, there was little reason to waste more time going to school. In 1869, Gertrude Howe was hired as a teacher. The School Board consisted of Jacob Mengelkoch, Clements, Mengelkoch, Nicolas Bofferding and Jonas Howe. In 1869, Jacob Mengelkoch was awarded the fuel contract to supply dry oak wood, cut up to fit the stove for $3.60 per cord. This was also the year that increased enrollment in school prompted the Board to consider expanding the size of the school building. During the next three years, the School Board met frequently to discuss the future needs of the school system. In 1872, the decision had been made to build a new school and to move to a more favorable location. In 1872, Clements Mengelkoch was awarded a contract to build a new wood frame school house on the newly acquired location. The cost was not to exceed $600. The location was approximately 100 feet east of where the present Beacon Heights School is now and the Board approved a bond issue of $375 to insure the financing of the project. Other financial transactions during this period included the sale of books to the students for 11 cents for a first grade reader, and as much as 69 cents for higher grade books. The most expensive book was a geography book for $1. The financial statement for 1869 showed a balance of $19.53 after Miss Howe's salary of $133 for four and one-half months work was taken out. There were other miscellaneous expenses such as a broom for 35 cents, matches and dipper for 40 cents, lawyer fees $5 and a payment on a note to Nicolas Bofferding for $36. 1872 was a big year in the history of District 95. It was getting a new building which had desks, a well for water, and blackboards. Clem Mengelkoch built the structure with the help of many neighbors and it was ready at the start of the school year starting in September. Miss Howe was still the teacher, but she was going to get some help. Ella Parker was hired to help with the increased enrollment. The names of Scherer, Gates, Frost and others had been added to the list of permanent residents. During the next several years, our records show that the following teachers were hired at District 95: Annie Moriarity, R. C. Knapp, Mary Jardine, Bridget McGowan, Adeline Jarvais, Ella Doyle, and May McLean. This brings us up to the year 1921. The teachers salary had increased to $105 per month. The janitorial work was performed primarily by the teachers and students, however, major jobs like washing windows and scrubbing floors were done for extra pay by local help. The 1920's were relatively stable years with Miss Margaret Cavanagh and Mr. Osterberg sharing teaching responsibilities. Mr. Osterberg was the first male teacher at District 95 according to our records. Tragedy struck the community in the Spring of 1924. The instant death of Leo Cavanagh is still vividly remembered by students, teachers and neighbors. The accident happened during lunch hour when Leo took his turn to slide down the school house hill and over the road at the bottom of the hill. He was on a homemade wooden sled and he hit the front wheel of a car that was traveling on the road. This is the only recorded fatal accident at the school during its 124 year history. During the 1930's, enrollment increased slowly and steadily until the need for additional space could no longer be ignored. In 1939, the Cavanagh Brothers were awarded a contract to build a two -room brick school on the same location and adjacent to the wood structure which had served the community needs since 1872. The 1939-1940 classes had the rare experience of spending part of the year in one school house and finishing the year in a different one. The move was made during Christmas vacation and needless to say, everyone involved was delighted and enthusiastic. The old wood building was removed during the summer of 1940 by Ed and Art Schiebs. Thus ending 82 years of history and memories of the one room school which served so many so well. The new school had two classrooms, a small auditorium and facilities for serving hot lunches. For the first time in the history of District 95, there was inside plumbing, including toilet facilities. The cost of the new structure was $30,000 and enrollment at the time of occupancy was 58 students and two teachers - Mr. G. E. Osterberg and Miss Verdell Reilly. Grades 1 through 4 were the classes taught by Miss Reilly and Mr. Osterberg had Grades 5 through 8. Mrs. Frank Baumann was the first cook. School Board members included Steve Gates, Andrew Scherer and Albert Schiebe. The 1940's were very active years in population growth and educational concept changes. The idea of separating the 7th and 8th grades from the elementary status and calling them Junior High students was gaining popularity and attending High School seemed like the thing to do. So many new problems became major issued. School enrollment was increasing at 15 to 25% each year and the space in the new building would soon be crowded. In 1946, the Board of District 95 voted to dissolve the district and become part of Wayzata School District 284. District 95 enlded in 1946 remain in the From that time until the schoolfrom eclosedninh1982, it was known h grade 12, eas the "Beaconhe existence Heights School'. Continued population growth in the Plymouth area made it necessary to expand the school facilities once again, so in 1949, four more classrooms were added; two up and two down across the front of the existing building. In 1955, still another addition was made. It included seven classrooms and a library on the back of the building and a gymnasium and a kitchen on the west side of the building. This was the final addition and it brought the total number of classrooms to 14 and the teaching staff to 15. Total enrollment from 1955 through 1982 varied between 450 and 500 students in Grades K through 6. The Junior High and Senior High students were transported by bus to other locations within the Wayzata School System. Mrs. Julie Quady, Mr. Weeks and Mr. Benko served as Principals of Beacon Heights prior to its closing in 1982. i PLIOM4 91041CAL SOCIETY MUSEUM: 3605 Fernbrook Lane MAILING: 3400 Plymouth Blvd., Plymouth, MN 55447 Dear Member: This is a reminder that your 1990 Rnnual PLYMOUTH HISTORICAL SOCIETY Dues are payable. We hope you enjoyed the meetings of our Society during the past year, and we thank you in advance for your continued membership and participation. Ril members and friends are invited to our regular meetings which are held on the fourth Wednesday of every month at 7:30 PM in the Old Town Hail at 3605 fernbrook Lane. Please tear off the lower part of this sheet and send it with your check in the enclosed envelope. If you itemize deductions on your Income taK forms you may qualify for a deduction. Name Address City Phone Yours truly, Jack Malmstedt Memberships PLYMOUTH HISTORICAL SOCIETY State Zip I am interested in helping with cataloging collection of art - facts interviews for oral history preservation programs for meetings other -- - Annual dues: individual $5.00 family $7.50 Lifetime $100.00 elm,SEP 1�,'+�'0 Our Past Is Present ... Help Us Keep It" upwwsm Sm ' � � / ' � A., ! ' PLYMOUTH POLICE DEPARTMENT MONTHLY REPORT MONTH August 1990 CLASS I MURDER CSC ROBBERY ASSAULT BURGLARY THEFT AUTO THEFT ARSON 0 3 0 18 33 119 18 1 0 4 0 1 33 1 57 1 115 9 6 TOTALS 1989 192 1990 242 16% CLASS II 1989 1990 FORGERY COUNTERFEIT FRAUD HAR COMM STOLEN PROPERTY VANDALISM SEX OFF NARC OFFENSES FAM/CHILD D.W.I LIQ LAW DISORDERLY CONDUCT OTHER 6 10 10 1 97 8 6 0 33 11 5 41 1 18 33 2 108 5 7 7 29 11 5 37 TOTALS 1989 228 1990 245 CLASS III 7% FATAL ACCIDENT PERSONAL INJURY PROPERTY DAMAGE SNOWMOBILE ACCIDENT DROWNING MEDICAL EMERGENCY SUICIDE SUICIDE ATTEMPTS NATURAL DEATH ANIMAL BITES FIRE 0 18 61 0 1 84 1 2 4 7 -24 0 18 66 0 0 90 1 3 1 3 7 26 • X1:3: � CLASS N DOMESTIC ANIMAL DETAIL FALSE ALARMS LOCK OUTS OTHIER AGENCY WARRANT SERVED TRAFFIC DETAIL SUSPICION INFORMATION MISSING PERSON LOST FOUND PUBLIC NUISANCE MISC. 37 158 156 142 46 29 168 206 8 31 181 239 32 1 140 1 157 1 159 1 56 1 31 1 .146 1 240 13 25 158 1 280 TOTALS 190 1401 1990 1437 3% HAZARDOUS VIOLATIONS 1989 345 1990 349 _,_ NONHAZARDOUS VIOLATIONS 1989 465 1990 476 __2_ CRIMINAL oFFENSES CLEARED 1989 28% 1990 18% TOTAL NUMBER OF INCIDENTS 1989 2023 1990 2120 5% CiM SEP 14 '90 89 90 89 90 89 90 PLYMOUTH POUCE DEPARTMENT MONTHLY REPORT MONTH January -August 1990 .ASS I MURDER CSC ROBBERY ASSAULT BURGLARY THEFT AUTO THEFT ARSON 0 29 0 199 193 -727 133 10 0 21 3 221 266 808 1 84 1 20 TOTALS 1989 1291 1990 1423 10% CLASS II 1989 1990 FORGERY COUNTERFEIT FRAUD HAR COMM STOLEN PROPERTY VANDALISM SEX OFF NARC OFFENSES FAM/CHILD DW.1 LIO LAW DISORDERLY CONDUCT OTHER 30 55 151 11 542 33 85 28 246 144 51 110 19 83 204 4 524 17 63 32 1 265 171 906 2093 TOTALS 1989 1693 990 1602 _5% ^IASS III FATAL ACCIDENT PERSONAL INJURY PROPERTY DAMAGE SNOWMOBILE ACCIDENT DROWNING MEDICAL EMERGENCY SUICIDE SUICIDE ATTEMPTS NATURAL DEATH ANIMAL BITES FIRE 0 86 579 0 1 673 5 16 13 27 226 0 110 530 0 0 679 1 1 19 1 19 1 41 219 TOTALS 1989 1626 1990 1618 CLASS N DOMESTIC ANIMAL DETAIL FALSE ALARMS LOCK OUTS O ASSIER AGENCY WARRANT SERVED TRAFFIC DETAIL SUSPICION INFORMATION MISSING PERSON LOST FOUND PUBLIC NUISANCE MISC 270 1122 1062 1167 353 264 1277 1269 67 171 906 2093 243 1 1046 1 1126 1 1204 405 322 1116 1587 46 275 1075 1850 TOTALS 1989 10.021 1990 10,295 3% HAZARDOUS VIOLATIONS 1989 3025 1990 2925 -3% NONHAZARDOUS VIOLATIONS 1989 3725 1990 3419 -8% CRIMINAL OFFENSES CLEARED -M-221- 98922%1990 1990 19% TOTAL NUMBER OF INCIDENTS 1989 141637 1990 141938 2% clm SEP 14 '910 MEMO CITY OF PLYMOUTH 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447 DATE: September 4, 1990 TO: Chief Richard J. Carl is FROM: Sergeant Ron Foreman 1 c9�' SUBJECT: SPECIAL ENFORCEMENT ASSIGNMENT Chief, I arranged to have patrol officers use saturation patrol/radar enforcement tactics in the areas of concern. These officers were advised to use the attached highlighted map as a guide and to be especially alert to dealer "test drives." On Saturday, August 25, 1990, Officer Mary Nelson spent approximately one hour and fifty minutes total in the assigned areas. He experienced "very low traffic volume", but was able to issue three speed tags - one on Ridgemount and two on Sunset Trail. Apparently none of the three cars was obviously associated with area car dealers. On Saturday, September 1, 1990, Officer Bob Levans spent a total of two hours and fifty minutes in the assigned areas. He observed no speeding, but did note seven vehicles with dealer plates, presumably on "test drives." No tags were issued. RF/sb CIM SEP 14'90 W E CITY OF SCALE OF MILES PLYMOUTH- S 111111 a3.34 11111111111 .111Ey 111i 11-111 1111 I1 II will I x1s1i11Ih11 0.1111 �w, HII[III HIM 111I119IIIIIIIIIH IIIIIIII111111III1iIIIIIIIIIlIIIIIIIIH III€ ;llll€lIlQIIIIIIi���l� uu �.wcc.awr •ri s ► ,� n If s� STREET MAP Z a 8-56 Litt, SEP 14'90 CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE September 12, 1990 PROBLEM: The timing on the traffic light at County Road 101 and Highway 12 needs to be changed. The new school is generating more traffic. Consequently, traffic is backing up one to one and one-half miles at rush hour because the green light is only allowing two or three cars through per time. Many motorists are resorting to U-turns in Highway 101 to avoid the light. SOLUTION: Retime the light. Mr. Goddard requests that City staff contact him to let him know what action has been taken on this. (9/11/90, 7:25 p.m.) '� elm SEP IL k. CITY OF PLYNDUTH 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447 DATE: September 12, 1990 TO: James G. Willis, City Manager FROM: Helen LaFav;�,VCommunications Coordinator SUBJECT: CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE CALL Peter Goddard, 18525 - 30th Place North, 473-5645 (home), 639-2566 (work), called the 24-hour Customer Service Line on September 12 to report the traffic backing up at County Road 101 and Highway 12 due to the timing of the traffic signal. Mr. Goddard notes that the new school is generating more traffic and as a result, cars are backed up for one to one and one-half miles at rush hour peak. Many motorists are resorting to doing U-turns on Highway 101. Mr. Goddard requested that the City have the timing on the light changed to avoid this backup of traffic. Because this is a potentially dangerous situation, I called Tom Vetsch to request that he contact the appropriate county staff person to notify him/her of the problem. Tom has already done so and has contacted Mr. Goddard to inform him that action has been taken on his concern. HL:kec cc: Tom Vetsch, Street Superintendent Frank Boyles, Assistant City Manager Fred Moore, Public Works Director cion SEP 1419 0