FALL/WINTER 2014 Volume 15, Issue 2 Connection Inside this issue: Greetings, The new school year has started and the buses are once again driving students to and from school. I read a news report about the Bloomington school district. They were having over 30 stop arm violations a month. In order to try and lower that number, they put stop arm cameras on their school busses. If someone drives by when the stop sign is out, it is caught on tape and given to the police department and a ticket mailed to them. Now, I don't think we need to put cameras on the busses here in Albany, but it does remind us that driving past a bus with its stop arm out is not only illegal, but puts children in danger. Drive safe! In the last 9 months we have received a lot of snow and rain. Because of this, sump pumps have been working overtime. Water that is pumped into a sanitary sewer in your basement instead of outside, goes to the wastewater treatment plant. The City has to treat ALL of the water that goes to the plant. Every year the City spends $60,000$80,000 in chemicals to treat wastewater, some of which is water from sump pumps. Please, please, pump your water outside and not in the sanitary sewer. It continues to be an honor to serve the people of Albany. 2015 Budget, Police DeptвЂ¦вЂ¦вЂ¦вЂ¦вЂ¦вЂ¦вЂ¦вЂ¦ 2 Public Works Dept., Fire Dept.вЂ¦вЂ¦вЂ¦вЂ¦вЂ¦вЂ¦вЂ¦вЂ¦..вЂ¦ 3 Notices/EventsвЂ¦вЂ¦вЂ¦вЂ¦вЂ¦вЂ¦вЂ¦ 4 Your Elected Officials Daron Gersch, Mayor dgersch@ci.albany.mn.us Laurie Dingmann ldingmann@ci.albany.mn.us John Greer, Acting Mayor jgreer@ci.albany.mn.us John R. Harlander jharlander@ci.albany.mn.us Tom Kasner tkasner@ci.albany.mn.us Daron Gersch, MD Mayor, Albany, MN City of Albany STATE GENERAL ELECTION November 4, 2014 If you live inside the City limits, you vote at the ALBANY CITY HALL, 400 RAILROAD AVE. If you live outside the City limits, you vote TH at the ALBANY FIRE HALL, 231 4 ST. WhoвЂ™s running for office in the City of Albany MAYOR вЂ“ 2-year term-Vote for one Daron Gersch, Incumbent COUNCIL вЂ“ 4-year term-Vote for two John Greer, Incumbent Tom Kasner, Incumbent Keith Heitzman You must re-register to vote each time you change name, address, or do not vote for four years in a row. Update your registration by completing a new registration application. п‚· More than 8,000 voters have registered to vote using online voter registration at mnvotes.org. Voters may pre-register through October 14th for the November 4th State General Election. п‚· College students should "decide where they reside" вЂ” whether at home, on campus, or at another address вЂ” in order to register to vote for the November 4th General Election. You can vote early by using an absentee ballot, instead of voting in person at the polling place on Election Day. You can vote absentee by mail, in person, or by having a person you know pick up and deliver your ballot for you. Absentee ballots are already available for the State General Election (Tuesday, November th 4 ). For more election information, visit: http://www.co.stearns.mn.us/Government/Elections 2015 Budget Meeting The Albany City Council will hold a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. during the regularly scheduled rd December 3 Council meeting to review the proposed 2015 budget. Anyone wishing to speak on the proposed 2015 budget is encouraged to attend this meeting. Trivia Questions: 1) When was Mother of Mercy Nursing Home built? 2) How many years has AmbyвЂ™s Foods been in business? (Answers on Page 4) or http://www.sos.state.mn.us Become informed! - The City periodically sends out Council meeting agendas and minutes, newsletters and other informational items via e-mail. If you would like to receive e-mail information from the City, you may sign up by contacting Diane at: tdjesh@albanytel.com. City of Albany Proposed Budget for 2015 The proposed City levy approved by the Council is $692,759 or a 3% increase. The City will continue to provide the quality of services citizens have come to expect within the budget constraints. The General Fund operating expenditure budgets are proposed to increase by 2% for 2015 or $25,355. The proposed General Fund budget includes total expenditures in the amount of $1,357,975. The City of Albany will continue to focus on future infrastructure needs and improvements. The CityвЂ™s infrastructure, including water, sewer, storm sewer and streets, continue to be replaced or improved. Partial water and sewer funds will be used for infrastructure replacement purposes and benefitted properties are assessed. rd The City Council will hold a public hearing on December 3 at 6:30 p.m. to allow public input on the levy and budget. The 2015 th tax levy and budget will be adopted at the December 17 City Council meeting. HWYS, Streets & Roadway 26% Fire 15% Library 1% Park 6% Misc. 2% Admin. 18% Police 31% Council 1% MEET ALBANY POLICE DEPARTMENT SECRETARY- DANNIELLE ZIERDEN Dannielle was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington, and moved to Minnesota in 2003. She has lived in Albany since 2009 with husband, Brock, and three daughters, Alexis, Cailyn, and Elodie. The girls attend Albany Elementary. She began working for the Albany Police Department in June, 2014, and previously worked for the Stearns County Attorney's Office where she had been employed since 2005. She has had a few job titles, but most recently was a Legal Secretary providing clerical support to the attorneys. ALBANY POLICE DEPARTMENT Greetings to everyoneвЂ¦.. Well, summer is over, or at least it looks like it is. School has started; and I am sure the kids are excited to be back in school. We have all noticed the amount of kids walking, biking, and driving around before and after school, so please use extra caution. It has been a great summer; and I hope everyone has had time to enjoy it. I personally had a great time coaching the Albany Legion Baseball team this summer and getting to know some of the great kids that are the future of this communityвЂ¦.you should all be very proud! The Police Department has seen some changes this summer, and as we move into the future with a community oriented Police Department, please make an effort to meet and talk to your Patrol Officers, and they will do the same. I believe it is vital for you to know who we are and that we are approachable at all times. We care about this community and keeping this a great place to live, work, and play! I wish the best of luck to all the fall sports teams and students in general. Chief O. Carbajal 320-845-2200 Going Out of Town for the Holidays? The Albany Police Department reminds everyone that there are certain security-minded steps to take before leaving: п‚· п‚· п‚· п‚· п‚· п‚· п‚· п‚· Stop all newspaper deliveries and mail or have a trusted neighbor pick up the paper and mail daily if you do not have a post office box. Make you home appear occupied. Place timers on lights and have them go on and off at different times. Lock your garage door and disconnect the automatic opener. Tell a trusted neighbor to call the Police Department (845-2200) if they see anyone on your property that does not belong. Invite your neighbor to park a car in your driveway. Never leave a message on your telephone answering machine, your e-mail or face book that you are leaving your home. Make sure all doors and windows are locked before you leave. Turn on the alarm system. The Police Department will perform security checks of your home and property while you are away on vacation or visiting relatives or friends. To request a house watch, you can download the form from the Police Department page on the CityвЂ™s website or pick up a form at City Hall and return the completed form to the Police Department before you leave. All residential check information is confidential/private data and will not be shared with the public; it is provided only to the Patrol Officer(s) assigned. Albany to conduct seasonal HYDRANT FLUSHING th From October 20 through th October 24 , the Albany Public Works Department will be performing routine flushing of the CityвЂ™s water system and fire hydrants. Fire hydrants are typically flushed in the spring and fall as part of a regularly scheduled maintenance program, to insure that they are in good working order and to remove rust, manganese deposits and sediment from the CityвЂ™s water lines. When hydrant flushing is being performed in your neighborhood, you may notice rusty colored water in your home. The water is safe. However, this discoloration may be a problem if you are washing laundry. Here are some precautions you may take: п‚· On the days the City is flushing lines, please check the water coming from you home faucet before using your washing machine. If you notice discolored water coming from your faucet, let it run until the color clears. п‚· Wash laundry in the evenings or on the weekend, not during the times flushes are being performed. п‚· If by accident you do wash a load and rusty looking streaks appear on your laundry, do not use bleach to clean the articles as this will set stains permanently. A product called вЂњIron OutвЂќ may be purchased at some hardware or grocery stores and has been shown successful in removing reddish iron stains from fabrics. The fire hydrant flushes will be th complete by Friday, October 24 weather permitting, If you have questions or need further information, please call Joe Mergen, Public Works Supervisor, at 320-980-2990. WINTER REMINDERS Do not shovel or blow snow from sidewalks, crosswalks, driveways, or parking lots onto public streets. It is a violation of City Ordinance 41.01. To prevent damage to your lawn from snowplows, we encourage residents to install reflective markers on your property behind the curb. Now is a good time for you to take a look at your mailbox. Check for obvious damage such as cracked boards or posts, missing screws, etc. but also look below ground level to make sure your post is still in good condition. A rotted post will not stand up to a Minnesota winter very long, and repairs are more difficult after the ground has frozen. In addition, the Public Works department cannot be responsible for mailboxes knocked down as a result of snow thrown off a plow onto a weak post. When the snow flies, the Public Works Department also asks residents to refrain from putting trash containers in the street if the street is to be plowed. Keep the trash containers in your driveway. Snowplow drivers need to clear the streets for your safety and obstacles such as trash containers need to be out of the way. WINTER PARKING No parking on City Streets from November 1st to April 15th between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. during any snow fall which accumulates over one and one-half (1ВЅ) inches. The Albany Police Department will be enforcing the Winter Parking Regulations! Fire Department Greetings on behalf of the Albany Fire Department. First, I would like to thank everyone who donated to our annual fundraiser and to the Blattner Golf Tournament. With your support we were able to purchase a new thermo imaging camera. It has been a very busy year. Since the last newsletter in May, we have responded to 82 additional calls, making a total of 167 calls as of th September 17 . An ISO (Insurance Services Office) review was performed this spring and our ISO score will go from st a 6 to a 5 effective November 1 for buildings within the City limits. So it is recommended that both commercial and residential check with their insurance companies to see if you are eligible for any discounts (note not all insurance companies look at this number). Just a few reminders: Fire th th Prevention Week is October 5 -11 . The Fire Department will be visiting with kids at the schools and giving tours of the Fire Hall. Also, it is recommended that you change your batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors when you change your clock for daylight savings time. If your detectors are more than 10 years old, they should be replaced. And finally, with snow on the way, we ask that you keep gas meters and fire hydrants clear of snow and ice. If you have any questions for the Department, you can email me at albanyfire@albanytel.com or call 320-845-4040 and leave a message. . Gary Winkels Fire Chief ALBANY AREA HERITAGE SOCIETY View our artifacts, souvenirs and more at City Hall. Copies available of вЂњAlbany, the Heart of MinnesotaвЂќ 400 Railroad Ave. P. O. Box 370 Albany, MN 56307-0370 tschneider@ci.albany.mn.us www.ci.albany.mn.us UPCOMING EVENTS Annual membership meeting on Monday, October 20, 2014 at SchifflerвЂ™s Liquor in St. Anthony Music by JerryвЂ™s One Man Band at 10:30 am. Noon meal followed by meeting. Call Arnie @ 320-267-1751, for more information. SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES! ALBANY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE The Albany Chamber of Commerce is organized to advance the general welfare and prosperity of the Albany Area so that its citizens and all areas of its business community shall prosper. All necessary means of promotion shall be provided and particular attention and emphasis shall be given to the economic, civic, commercial, cultural, industrial and educational interests of the area. Albany Public Library To become a member, call the Chamber office at 320-845-7777. 320-845-4843 Preschool Story Time Wednesday, October 8 10:30-11:30 am Sock Creature Workshop Ages 12 to adult Tuesday, October 21 6:00-8:00 pm Book Club Tues., Sept. 30 & Oct. 28 6:30-7:45 pm Basic Computer & Internet Albany Robotics Team #4226 Will assist you Ages 12 to adult Tues., Oct. 14 6:30-7:30 pm Other Community Events Halloween in Albany st Friday, October 31 5:30- 8:00 p.m. Santa Day th Friday, December 5 4:00-7:30 p.m. Albany Elementary School Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet th Saturday, February 7 PaulвЂ™s Par-A-Dice JayceeвЂ™s Annual Ice Cup Challenge st Saturday, February 21 Mayor Daron Gersch would like to inform the residents that the observance of Halloween in the City of Albany will be st held on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31 . Extra Police Patrol Officers will be on duty from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for the safety of the little goblins as they trade their tricks for treats. City residents who wish to participate in the celebration are asked to turn their porch lights on to make the little demons of darkness welcome. Mayor Daron Gersch wishes everyone a safe and enjoyable Halloween! WELCOME ALBANY PUBLIC LIBRARY BRANCH MANAGER-LISA PELKEY Lisa worked for Great River in St. Cloud for seven years before starting the Albany position on August 14, 2014. She worked first as a clerk in Patron Services, helping with requests and ordering materials and later in Technical Services as a Cataloger. Before moving to Minnesota seven years ago with her family, she worked as a branch librarian in Michigan and with books for many years. Lisa and her family are residents of Avon, where her husband, Chuck, serves as pastor of Avon Community Church and as Chaplain for the Avon and Albany Police Departments. They have three children; two boys, Joshua and Caleb, who graduated from Albany High School and a daughter, Hannah, who attends Albany Jr. High. Lisa is looking forward to working with the Albany staff to maintain and create a wonderful community library here in Albany. ICE SKATING City rinks are open the end of December through mid-February (weather permitting). The general iceskating rink, at least 2 hockey rinks and warming house are located on North Lake at 530 Linden Ave. (off of th 6 St.) The warming house is equipped with first aid kits, a telephone, benches and skates for people to use. If you have any skates that you no longer want, please call Joe Mergen, Public Works Supervisor, 320-980-2990. The warming house is supervised by an attendant with authority to enforce the rules and regulations posted in the building. Rink attendants are responsible for overseeing safety and the general operation during open hours. Hours will be posted on site. Warming House: 845-4980 Answers to Trivia Questions on Page 1 1) Construction of Mother of Mercy Nursing Home began in 1958 and the building, with 50 beds, was dedicated on July 26, 1959. 2) Amby's Foods, a Locally, Independently Owned Grocery Store, was established in 1974. They were in business for 40 years. The City of Albany is non-discriminatory on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age and handicapped status in employment of the provisions of service.