City of New Hope

A publication of the city of New Hope, Minnesota e www.ci.new-hope.mn.us

Spring 2015Number 192

City of New Hope, Minnesota e Spring 2015

Some highlights of this issue include:Learn More About It... New Hope Public WorksJWC Water Main 36" pipe will be replaced this summer2015 Street Project 12 miles of street to be improvedIn Business • Centra Homes Parkview • Revised liquor ordinance2014 Water Quality Report Drinking water test results for 2013Employee of the Quarter Smisek, Spitzer and Linn recognized

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A great place to grow!4401 Xylon Avenue North

New Hope, MN 55428

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Prsrt StdU.S. Postage

PAIDTwin Cities, MNPermit No. 2330

Current resident or

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Construction of the new Hy-Vee store at 8200 42nd Avenue North

is progressing on schedule.Hy-Vee broke ground on its new 90,000 square foot grocery store on the north end of the site in November 2014. By March, the exterior walls and roof were in place and work began on the interior of the building, exterior finishes, and grading around the building. Hy-Vee is an employee-owned grocery store chain based in West Des Moines, Iowa with 235 stores in eight Mid-western states. Hy-Vee has 17 stores in southern Minnesota. The stores under construction in New Hope and Oakdale will mark Hy-Vee’s entry into the Twin Cities grocery market. Hy-Vee prides it-self on providing quality, variety, value, and superior customer service.The new grocery store will feature sev-eral specialty departments surrounding about 65,000 square feet of conven-tional grocery offerings. The store will include a Market Grill full-service res-taurant, a wine and spirits shop, and a pharmacy each with its own entrance. There will be a large deli, Italian and Chinese Express, a bakery with artisan breads, a health and beauty area, a na-tional coffee shop, a flower shop, and a large organic food section. The store will also have a registered dietitian and several chefs on staff.While the store design will be similar to other recently constructed Hy-Vee stores with its assortment of specialty departments, a Hy-Vee representative noted that New Hope’s store design is being tweaked to give it an even more distinctive boutique feel.Construction of the New Hope Hy-Vee grocery store should be completed sometime this summer. Because Hy-Vee places a strong emphasis on cus-tomer service, they intend to get their employees in place and provide exten-sive training before opening for busi-ness later this fall. Work has begun on nearly $6 mil-

lion in improvements along Xylon and 45th avenues in New Hope’s City Center area. The project will include utility replacement, street re-construction, and streetscaping. The improvements will be completed in two phases to ensure that access to City Hall and the surrounding neighborhood is maintained throughout construction.About two-thirds of the project costs involve infrastructure improvements. Xylon Avenue between 42nd and 46th avenues, and 45th Avenue between Xylon and Winnetka avenues, will be completely reconstructed to Municipal State Aid standards. The width of the roadway will be narrowed to 30 feet to encourage motorists to slow down and to provide additional boulevard space for streetscape amenities. The streets will have new aggregate base material,

Infrastructure and streetscape improvements underway in City Center

drain tile, five inches of bituminous pave-ment and new con-crete curb. The storm sewer, sani-tary sewer and water main beneath those segments of street will be replaced (except for the sanitary sewer in Xylon Avenue south of 45th, which was redone in fall 2014). Many of the new util-ity lines will have increased capacity to alleviate existing is-sues, such as street flooding in the north end of the project area, and to accom-modate the needs of Hy-Vee and additional

redevelopment anticipated in the City Center area. The large concrete equip-ment driveway in front of West Metro Fire’s Station 1 will also be replaced as part of the project.City staff and consultants began work last summer on a streetscaping plan for the corridor along Xylon and 45th to create a public gathering space, a gateway, and a unique identity for City Center. Members of the public were

New Hope Hy-Vee grocery store taking shape

Construction UpdatesFor current detour information and construction updates, visit the project website by clicking on the “Xylon Ave. Construction” button on the homepage of the city’s website, www.ci.new-hope.mn.us.

Farmers market has new location for 2015

The New Hope Community Farmers Market will return for its seventh

season on June 20. With all the chaos and construction in City Center this summer, however, the market will have a new home for 2015. The market is mov-ing to the St. Joseph’s Church parking lot, on the southwest corner of Boone and 36th avenues, 8701 36th Ave. N.Market day is every Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. through August 29. The market will open an hour later, at 9 a.m., from September 12 through October 3, when it closes for the season.

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With about 80 workers on site at Hy-Vee, construction is progressing rapidly. Inside, electrical and refrigerant lines are in place, the concrete floor has been poured, and coolers are being constructed.

The City Center gateway at the corner of 42nd and Xylon will feature a colonnade and a monument sign with an electronic reader board.

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City of New Hope, Minnesota e Spring 2015

Every time you drive down the street, take a walk in the park,

turn on the faucet or watch water go down the drain... you are enjoying the efforts of the New Hope Public Works Department.The Public Works Department has a budget of $1.2 million in 2015 and a staff of 23. The department’s many responsibilities are divided between four divisions: Public Utilities – which includes the water distribution, sanitary sewer and storm water systems, and street lights.Street Maintenance – which in-cludes snow and ice control, street sweeping, routine street mainte-nance and potholes, street signs, and boulevard tree trimming.Parks Maintenance – which includes maintaining park turf, facilities and playground equipment and forestry.Central Garage – which includes stor-age and maintenance of city vehicles and major equipment.

Public UtilitiesNew Hope, in collaboration with the cities of Crystal and Golden Valley, purchases treated drinking water from the city of Minneapo-lis as the Joint Water Commission (JWC). Each of the JWC cities, how-ever, is responsible for maintaining its own water distribution system. New Hope’s utility crew maintains 63 miles of water main, 690 hy-drants, 5,732 metered connections, and distributes about 600 million gallons of water in an average year. Water is not something we give a lot of thought to as long as it’s there when we turn on the tap. Utility crews are there to help whenever a water main breaks (which hap-pens about 30 times a year in New

Hope), when a water meter is leaking or not reading accurately, or if you’re concerned about the level of lead in your drinking water (which is most often caused by corroding pipes in your home).

Learn more about it: New Hope Public Works Department

Utility crews also clean and maintain 74 miles of sanitary sewer pipe. And, because sewage doesn’t flow uphill, the city operates 11 lift stations to pump it throughout the system. New Hope’s sanitary sewage ultimately flows to the Met Council’s wastewater treatment plant in St. Paul. The city has put a great deal of time and money in recent years into reducing the amount of ground water that finds its way into the sanitary sewer system. This is being done to reduce high sew-age treatment charges and a surcharge from the Met Council. City personnel

have inspected residential sump pumps and roof drains from com-mercial buildings to reduce “inflow,” or rain water introduced into the sewer system. And, since 2009, the city has lined nearly 20,000 linear feet of leaky sewer pipe and contin-ues to repair manholes and man-hole structures that allow runoff to “infiltrate” into the sanitary sewer. Residents can help reduce inflow by ensuring that their sump pumps do not drain into the sanitary sewer.Maintenance workers maintain 27 miles of storm sewer pipe and clean and maintain storm water ponds throughout New Hope that treat and remove nutrients and sedi-ment from runoff before it enters local lakes, streams and ultimately the Mississippi River. Recent infra-structure projects have included rain gardens on park land or the

properties of interested residents, when appropriate, to help in this process. The city plans to hire a new employee in 2015 to oversee its storm water man-agement activities. New Hope residents can help improve the quality of local storm water by not over fertilizing, using phosphorus free fertilizer, and not allowing leaves and grass clippings to get into the street and down the storm drain. For addi-tional steps you can take to protect local ground water, visit the “watershed” page on New Hope’s website.

In January, the city of New Hope became the 77th Minnesota Green-

Step City. Minnesota GreenStep Cit-ies is a voluntary program to help cities achieve their sustainability and quality of life goals. The free program is based upon 28 best practices developed by experts in the field. GreenStep Cities is a public-private partnership which began in 2010. Partners include the Minnesota Pol-lution Control Agency, League of Minnesota Cities, Clean Energy Resource Teams, Min-nesota Department of Commerce and others. The GreenStep Cities program provides a framework for a city’s sustainability efforts. It includes 28 best practices in five categories: buildings and light-ing, transportation, land use, environ-mental management, and economic and community development. Each best practice can be implemented by completing one or more actions. The actions are tailored to focus on cost savings and energy use reduction. The steps toward sustainability identi-fied by the GreenStep Cities program are attainable for small and mid-sized cities. The program gives credit for actions a city has already taken and identifies new actions a city can take to improve its sustainability. Participating cities have access to free expert con-sultants from the state of Minnesota, University of Minnesota and several non-profit organizations to help them achieve their goals.

The city of New Hope has already taken a number of actions toward sustain-ability including energy improvements at the New Hope Ice Arena and other city buildings, its par-ticipation in the Complete

Streets program, a rain gar- den at the golf course, start-

ing the farmers market and community garden, and others. Over the last few months, city staff

completed an inventory of sustainabil-ity actions that New Hope has already completed. In late April, the city was notified that New Hope is one of 19 communities in Minnesota to have achieved a Step 2 GreenStep City rating. New Hope has completed 15 of the 28 best practices. The city will be formally recognized for its achievement by the League of Min-nesota Cities at its annual conference in June.Staff will also be exploring future ac-tions the city can take to improve its sustainability and energy efficiency. The GreenStep Cities program will provide up to 40 hours of assistance from sustainability experts to help New Hope identify and achieve addi-tional sustainability goals.For more information about the Min-nesota GreenStep Cities program, visit ci.new-hope.mn.us/greenstep or green-step.pca.state.mn.us.

New Hope becomes a Minnesota GreenStep City

The Public Works Department currently has a staff of 23 including 14 maintenance workers.

Utility maintenance workers clean a stop valve to determine if it is the source of a water main break.

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Kathi Hemken Mayor763-537-7990 khemken@ci.new-hope.mn.us

John Elder Council Member763-913-1472 jelder@ci.new-hope.mn.us

Andy HoffeCouncil Member763-537-2647ahoffe@ci.new-hope.mn.us

Eric LammleCouncil Member763-544-0912elammle@ci.new-hope.mn.us

Frequently Called City NumbersGeneral Telephone ........... 763-531-5100Inspections ...........................763-531-5127building permits, complaintsParks and Recreation ........763-531-5151Public Works .......................763-592-6777sewer backup, snowplowing, forestryUtility Billing ........................763-592-6760Police (non-emergency) ....763-531-5170TTY (through MN Relay) ...651-602-9005

Kirk McDonaldCity Manager763-531-5112kmcdonald@ci.new-hope.mn.us

City Hall Address 4401 Xylon Avenue NorthNew Hope, MN 55428City Websitewww.ci.new-hope.mn.usTell us what you think...24-Hour Opinion Line .... 763-531-5102E-mail .......cityhall@ci.new-hope.mn.us

Daniel StaunerCouncil Member763-546-1293jlondon@ci.new-hope.mn.us

City of New Hope, Minnesota e Spring 2015

This summer, the Joint Water

Commission (JWC) is replacing the large water main that de-livers water from the city of Minneapolis, through Robbins-dale, to the reservoir in the city of Crystal. The project will contribute in traffic delays for motor-ists in Robbinsdale and could result in a watering ban and other inconveniences for JWC water cus-tomers. The JWC does not, however, anticipate any sig-nificant disruptions to water service. The estimated cost of the water main replace-ment project is about $4 million.The cities of Crystal, Golden Valley and New Hope have been buying treated drinking water collaboratively from the city of Minneapolis since the 1960s as the Joint Water Commission. Minne-apolis treats water from the Mississippi River at a treatment plant in Columbia Heights and distributes water to JWC reservoirs in Crystal and Golden Valley through a 36 inch diameter concrete water main beneath County Road 9 in Robbinsdale.This 52 year old concrete water main is no longer in good condition. The JWC’s supply line experienced major water main breaks in June 2013 and Sep-tember 2014 that were very disruptive. The JWC hired the engineering firm of Bolton Menk, Inc. to analyze the struc-tural integrity of the water main in fall

2014. The consultant’s report indicated that nine percent of the water pipeline was compromised and several sections were in poor condition with a high risk of failure.In December 2014, the JWC Board again hired Bolton Menk, Inc. to ana-lyze rehabilitation and repair options for the water main and in March 2015 the board, with the support of the three city councils, approved plans to replace the 2½ mile water main. The project will involve replacing the deteriorated 36 inch diameter concrete pipe primarily with 24 inch diameter ductile iron pipe, the industry stan-dard. A variety of installation methods will be utilized to reduce costs and limit the disruption the project will cause to motorists, area businesses and residents.

Use water wisely this summer

The residents of New Hope, Crystal and Golden Valley use more water on hot summer afternoons than any other time of year. The Joint Water

Commission (JWC) relies upon the storage capacity of its reservoirs in Crystal and Golden to meet the demand on these high volume days. This summer, because of the replacement of the 36 inch water main, the water reservoir in Crystal will be shut down. All of the water supply for the three JWC cities will be pumped through the reservoir in Golden Valley. The JWC is not anticipat-ing any shortage of water this summer, but with its water reserve capacity greatly reduced, local water users are encouraged to use water wisely – particularly on hot summer days. If high water demand or other unplanned circumstances make it necessary for JWC customers to reduce their water usage, the JWC may need to impose a partial watering ban or a ban on outdoor water use. Water customers would be notified of these restrictions through posts on the city websites, social media, local news outlets, and possibly other means. Please note, however, that watering restrictions are not currently in place and will only be enacted if required. The EPA estimates that up to 50 percent of the water used outdoors is wasted due to evaporation, wind, or runoff caused by overwatering. Here are some tips for using water wisely outdoors:• Generally it’s best to water in the early morning or evening (after the sun goes down), because significant amounts of water can be lost to evaporation during the heat of the day. • Limit lawn watering during dry periods to one inch per week– set a tuna can under the sprinkler – the lawn has enough moisture when it overflows.• Adjust sprinklers so they don't water the driveway, the street, or your house.For more water conservation tips, visit the EPA's WaterSense website at epa.gov/watersense.

JWC to replace water supply line from Minneapolis to Crystal reservoirWork on the project has already begun at the far east end, where JWC’s water main connects to Minneapolis’ 48 inch supply line, to meet scheduling con-straints from the city of Minneapolis. That portion of the project was com-pleted in mid-May. The contract for the remainder of the project was approved in late May, and construction will begin in June. The project should be completed by the end of October.The portion of the JWC water main project that will be completed in con-junction with Hennepin County’s re-construction of County Road 9, east of County Road 81, will result in road clo-sures and significant traffic delays and inconvenience for motorists, local busi-nesses and residents. Spot road closures will also likely occur in other portions of the project area.JWC water customers may also ex-perience some inconvenience due to the water main project. Periods of decreased water pressure could occur. Although the JWC does not typically implement watering restrictions, it may be necessary for the three cities to im-pose water conservation measures this summer. These measures could involve a midday watering ban or, conceivably, a full watering ban. The JWC expects to have its emergency water supply well system available to bring online some-time this summer. If the JWC needs to activate that system, the water will be treated, but it will not be softened.The Joint Water Commission will provide updates on the water main replacement on a project website main-tained by the project’s engineer and linked to the three cities’ websites. Up-dates will also be provided on the cities’ Facebook pages, through the local Sun Post newspaper, Twelve TV, and other local media.

The city of New Hope will be con-structing quiet zone improvements

this summer at the railroad crossing on Winnetka Avenue near Angeline Drive with financial assistance from Henne-pin County.The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) can designate a railroad cross-ing a “quiet zone” when supplemental safety measures are constructed at the crossing to ensure the safety of motor-ists. When a railroad crossing is desig-nated a quiet zone railroad engineers are no longer required to routinely sound their train horn as they ap-proach the crossing.The supplemental safety measures that the FRA is requiring at the Winnetka Avenue crossing include slightly nar-rower driving lanes, construction of four-foot center medians north and south of the tracks, restriping, and constant warning time circuitry for the crossing arms. The constant warn-ing time technology was installed at the Winnetka crossing in 2012.Under the terms of a cooperative agreement with Hennepin County, the city of New Hope is responsible for en-gineering and bidding the quiet zone improvements, administering con-

struction and inspecting the project. The improvements will be constructed before the county installs a new wear course overlay of blacktop to Winnetka Avenue this fall. Hennepin County will reimburse the city up to $140,000 for the quiet zone improvements. The Federal Railroad Administration is expected to finalize implementation of the Winnetka Av-enue quiet zone this fall.

County helps city build quiet zone on Winnetka

OBMT to present “Oliver!” this summer

This summer, Off-Broadway Musical Theatre will present “Oliver!” at the

New Hope Outdoor Theatre on three consecutive weekends beginning July 23.Oliver! is a boisterous musical adapta-tion by Lionel Bart of Charles Dickens’ book, Oliver Twist. It tells the story of a young boy who runs away from an orphanage and hooks up with a group of boys trained to be pickpockets by an elderly mentor. The show, which pre-miered on Broadway in 1963, includes such delightful tunes as Consider Your-self, I’d Do Anything, Oom-Pah-Pah, and many more.Nine performances are planned from July 23 through August 8. The shows are on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, beginning at 8 p.m. The Au-gust 7 performance will be signed by an American Sign Language interpreter (rain makeup on August 8). Because seating is often limited, guests are en-couraged to arrive early. With the con-struction in City Center, parking will also be limited; consider carpooling.Performances of Oliver! are free, but a free will donation of $4 per person is suggested. The New Hope Outdoor Theatre is located just west of City Hall at 4401 Xylon Ave. N. For more infor-mation about Oliver!, or to make a con-tribution to the Off-Broadway Musical Theatre, visit www.obmt.org.

When work is completed on the Winnetka Avenue quiet zone, engineers will no longer routinely sound their train's horn.

About 4,500 feet of the new water main will be installed using the slip lining process. Twenty-four inch PVC pipe will be inserted into the old 36 inch concrete water main through access pits about 400 feet apart. The process is less expensive and much less disruptive than installing new pipe through an open trench. (photo © ISCO Industries)

City of New Hope, Minnesota e Spring 2015

The New Hope City Council

approved a $4.07 million contract for the 2015 Infra-structure Project in March. This is the first major project to implement New Hope’s new pave-ment management strategy, which was approved last year.Work is already underway to recon-struct Flag Avenue, between 47th and 49th avenues, and 50th Avenue, be-tween Boone and Winnetka avenues. Work on those sections of roadway will include new aggregate base material, drain tile, 3½ inches of new pavement, and new curb and gutter. The existing cast iron water main beneath those street sections will be replaced with new PVC pipe, and spot repairs will be made as needed to the sanitary sewer and storm sewer in the area. In all, about one mile of street will be reconstructed as part of the 2015 Infrastructure Project. The reconstruction work on Flag and 50th avenues should be substantially complete by mid-September. A final 1½ inch wear course and site restoration will be completed next spring.The primary focus of the 2015 project will be mill and overlay work on about 11 miles of streets including most of the streets between 42nd and 51st avenues and between Flag and Quebec avenues. The overlay portion of the project should be completed within three weeks, from start to finish, in each neighborhood it occurs. Much of the overlay work should be completed by early July. The mill and overlay process involves milling (or grinding off) the top two inches of pavement on a street and re-placing it with about two inches of new pavement. The process adds structural integrity to existing street sections for

several years and significantly improves the appearance and driveability of the street. Because the mill and overlay process is much less expensive than full street reconstruction, the city will be able to improve more streets more quickly. Sections of curbing in poor condition is being replaced before the mill and overlay work begins.Extensive utility improvements are not planned along streets scheduled for overlay work. New Hope Public Works staff will, however, replace water valve bolts in the overlay areas. Corrosion of these bolts complicates the repair of water main breaks and replacing them can help to extend the useful lifespan of a section of water main. Leaky sanitary sewer structures and non-conforming manhole covers will also be replaced as part of the project.In coordination with the city’s street project, CenterPoint Energy is in the process of installing about 3.8 miles of small diameter plastic gas pipe and replacing about 250 natural gas service lines in the project area. They will re-store the areas affected and complete their work by July. For more informa-tion about CenterPoint Energy’s proj-ect, visit www.centerpointenergy.com/construction or call the Information Hotline at 612-321-5329.

City to improve 12 miles of streets this summer

The city of New Hope is planning improve-

ment projects in Meadow Lake and Victory parks and at the ice arena and golf course in 2015.

Playground ImprovementsThe city will be replac-ing the play equipment in Meadow Lake Park, Meadow Lake Road and Yukon avenues, this fall. The 23-year-old play-ground is the oldest in New Hope’s park system. Although the play equip-ment needs replacement, the play con-tainer that holds the equipment and the pathways in the park are sound. Wood fiber will replace the sand in the container, but the container itself may not be replaced. City staff and consultants met with residents from the Meadow Lake neighborhood in April to get their ideas and feedback on the design of the new play structures. The project will be constructed this fall. The Meadow Lake Park project is expected to be completed for less than the original $170,000 budget.

Athletic Field ImprovementsThe city is also planning to make im-provements this year in Victory Park, located north of Research Center Road and International Parkway. The heavily-used athletic complex, which includes a softball and soccer field, was constructed in 1991 adjacent to a wetland. That proximity to a wetland has led to challenges caused by shifting soils. Over the years, a swale developed in center field of the softball field and right field started to sink. In 2007, min-imal work was done to correct the cen-ter field swale but nothing was done at that time to right field. Since 2007, the right field area has continued to sink.The project at Victory Park, planned for late this summer, includes raising the elevation of right field and improv-ing the drainage. For safety purposes, restoration of the entire outfield will be needed including topsoil grading, irriga-tion modifications, and sod installation. Other improvements will include a new backstop and fencing, and replacement of the trail that connects the parking lot, softball and soccer fields. Replace-ment of the scoreboard and retrofitting of the field lights with energy-efficient

LED fixtures will be deferred to a future project.The estimated cost of the Victory Park project is $314,000. Funding is available in the Park Infrastructure Fund.

Ice Arena HVAC ImprovementsArena staff has been aware for some time that several components of the heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) system for the south rink, much of which is almost 20 years old, need to be replaced. In 2014 McKin-stry, the city’s energy consultant for the arena, completed a “re-commissioning study” to determine what needed to be done to renovate the south arena’s aging HVAC system and how much savings in energy costs the city could realize by making those improvements. The study recommended that HVAC updates for the south rink be made in three phases. The first phase of the improvements, which will be completed in 2015, will in-volve installing an enhanced, computer-based air handling control system and replacing two of nine makeup air units that recirculate and treat the air from the south arena. The improvements should improve comfort and air quality in the south rink and simplify opera-tions. In December 2014, the city of New Hope received a Mighty Ducks Grant for $98,700. The remaining project costs will be funded through the ice arena op-erating budget, rebates and tax credits.

New Hope Golf Course SignThe city has ordered a new monument sign with an electronic reader board for the New Hope Village Golf Course that will be installed in early summer. The existing golf course sign is out-dated and discolored, and it’s inefficient and time consuming to post messages

with slide-in letters. The two-sided reader board at the golf course will be similar to the sign installed at the New Hope Ice Arena last year. The new signs enable staff to program multiple messages and easily change messages daily. The signs will be used to advertise recreation programs, activities at the golf course, arena and pool, and other city events. The New Hope Lions have generously committed to con-tribute $48,000 toward the $52,000 cost of the new golf course sign.

Park and recreation facility improvement projects planned

Most of the streets in the 2015 Infrastructure project will be milled and overlaid, which involves grinding off the top two inches of pave-ment and replacing it.

The new reader board at the golf course will promote golf and recreation programs and other city activities.

The new Meadow Lake Park play equipment will include both traditional swings and slides, and an innovative merry-go-round and climbing elements.

Duk Duk Daze, New Hope’s an-nual community celebration,

will be Friday, July 17, through Sun-day, July 19. Most of the events will be in Northwood Park, 38th and Boone avenues. The festival will include a variety of fun activities for the entire family, many of which are free! Fair hours are Friday, July 17, 5 to 11:30 p.m.; Saturday, July 18, 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.; and Sunday, July 19, 12 to 5 p.m.Again this year, the dazzling Duk Duk Daze fireworks display will take to the skies above Northwood Park on both Friday and Saturday nights at dusk.There will be so much to do at Duk Duk Daze, that Boone Avenue will be closed to through traffic between 36th and 42nd avenues from 12 p.m. on Thursday, July 16, to 6:30 a.m. on Monday, July 20. Visit the city’s web-site for detour details.

As always, Duk Duk Daze will fea-ture carnival games and rides, a delectable assortment of fair foods, Lion’s Bingo, live bands on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., the beer tent for adults, and the always popular unlimited ride wristband all day Sunday. The Kiddie Parade, for kids ages 0-12, is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday. This year’s theme is “Animal Parade.” The event is sponsored by New Hope Women of Today.Sports lovers can participate in tournaments for men’s and co-rec softball, baggo, and 3-on-3 youth basketball.Duk Duk Daze is sponsored by the New Hope Lions Club in coopera-tion with the city of New Hope. For a complete schedule of 2015 Duk Duk Daze activities and additional details, visit www.dukdukdaze.com.

Duk Duk Daze is July 17-19

In Business e Spring 2015

Centra Homes' single-family hous-ing development project, which

was delayed last year when poor soils were found on the former Winnetka Learning Center site, is moving for-ward once again.In 2013, the city of New Hope pur-chased the 17-acre Winnetka Learning Center site at 7940 55th Avenue N. from Robbinsdale Area Schools and chose Centra Homes as the preferred devel-oper for the site. The city demolished the former school building in January 2014. Centra Homes presented a plan to con-struct 34 step-up single-family homes and 27 detached town homes on the property. Because the project would create a new neighborhood, the de-veloper would also be responsible for constructing all public improvements including streets, utilities and storm water ponding. The city entered into a purchase and development agreement with Centra Homes in July, 2014. At that time, the agreed upon purchase price for the property was $1.05 million.Before the purchase was finalized, Centra Homes did soil borings on the site which identified areas of poor soil. That poor soil made it necessary for the developer to reconfigure the layout of the new neighborhood, reduce the number of new homes from 61 to 60, and modify the number of each hous-ing type to 29 single-family homes and 31 detached town homes. Centra Homes calculated that those changes would increase its costs by approxi-mately $547,000. They indi-cated that they could absorb half of those additional costs without affecting the finan-cial viability of the project, but requested that the city share in those costs by re-ducing the purchase price. In March 2015, the New Hope City Council agreed to share in those costs and reduce the purchase price to $777,000.

In late April, the City Council approved a preliminary plat for Centra Homes proposed residential neighborhood, now called “Parkview,” and rezoned the site to R-2 Single/Two-Family. The traditional single-family homes that Centra Homes is proposing for the project, will sell for between $275,000 and $350,000. The home models range in size from 1,650 to 2,800 square feet including two stories and a basement, and offer flexible floor plans with up to four bedrooms and a three-car garage.The detached town homes homes being proposed will sell for between $225,000 and $275,000. The models range in size from about 1,800 to 2,200 square feet. Each town home will be freestanding, with its own yard, and will not share any walls with the homes on either side. The detached town home models have a flexible floor plan with up to four bedrooms and a two-car garage. That portion of the development will be maintained by an association. The closing date on the sale of the property is tentatively scheduled for late June. Centra Homes plans to begin construction on the new neighbor-hood shortly thereafter. They hope to have model homes completed by this fall’s Parade of Homes. To get a better idea of the developments that Centra Homes has constructed in other com-munities, visit their website at www.centrahomes.com.

Centra Homes Parkview housing development moves forward

In May, the City Council approved an ordinance amending portions of

the New Hope Zoning Code regulating liquor licensing to address brewpubs, breweries with taprooms, and micro-distilleries with cocktail rooms.Prior to 2011, Minnesota had a strict three-tiered system that separated the roles of alcohol manufacturers, dis-tributors, and retailers and prohibited breweries from selling pints of their beer on site. In 2011, the Minnesota Legislature passed the “Surly Bill” into law. That law makes it possible, if a mu-nicipality allows, for brewers to apply for a license to sell pints at their brew-eries. In 2014, the Legislature loosened restrictions a bit more by allowing microdistilleries to sell their spirits at a cocktail room on site, and permitting the sale of 64-ounce growlers. New Hope’s recently amended liquor ordinance makes the city’s liquor regu-lations more closely reflect those recent changes to state law. The ordinance now allows brewpubs – a restaurant and brewery that sells at least 85 percent of its beer on site - in a Community Business (CB) or City Center (CC) zoning district. Breweries which manufac-ture, process and warehouse beer for wholesale distribu-tion are now allowed as a conditional-use in a CB, CC or Industrial zoning district.

Council revises liquor ordinance to allow more types of establishments

With additional licenses, a brewery can also sell its products retail, by the glass or growler, at a taproom. Microdistilleries which produce distilled liquor on site for wholesale distribution are also now permitted as a conditional use in a CB, CC, or Industrial zoning district. A microdistillery can sell its spirits by the glass at a cocktail room, with the appropriate licenses. The city’s requirements for a brewery with a taproom or a microdistillery with a cocktail room are different in an Industrial zone compared to a CB or CC zoning district.For more information about the recent changes to Sections 4-2, 4-16, 4-17 and 4-20 of New Hope Zoning Code see Ordinance 15-10 in the “Ordinances” section of the Document Center on New Hope’s website, www.ci.new-hope.mn.us, or call Jeff Alger, community de-velopment assistant, at 763-531-5119.

There are already a few dozen microbreweries with taprooms in the Twin Cities, and that number is growing quickly.

Hy-Vee plans to hire about 125 full-time and 350 part-time employees for the New Hope store. For more infor-mation about job opportunities at the New Hope Hy-Vee visit hy-vee.com/company/careers.Hy-Vee’s contractor also began work in late April on construction of a gas station and convenience store on the southwest corner of the site, near the intersection of 42nd and Xylon avenues. Hy-Vee has a Fuel Saver program which provides Hy-Vee grocery shoppers with an opportunity to save cents off at the

gas pump each week if they purchase Fuel Saver items featured in weekly ads. Hy-Vee expects to open the gas station and convenience store this fall.There has also been progress on the third component of Hy-Vee’s develop-ment proposal at City Center -- an office/retail building on the southeast corner of the site. In April, the New Hope Planning Commission’s Design and Review Committee reviewed a proposal for a 13,000 to 14,000 square foot North Memorial medical clinic on the site. If that proposal moves forward, Hy-Vee is hoping to fast track the proj-ect so that construction of that build-ing is completed in early 2016.

The plat for Centra Homes Parkview housing development includes 31 association main-tained homes (in blue) near Winnetka and 29 single-family homes (in green) to the west.

Centra Homes offers high quality single-family home models with flexible layouts, up to 2,800 square feet and a three-car garage.

Hy-Vee (continued from page 1)

North Memorial is proposing to construct a 14,000 square foot health clinic on the southeast cor-ner of the Hy-Vee site this summer.

Joint Water Commission 2014 Water Quality Report

The Joint Water Commission (JWC) cities of Crystal, Golden Valley and New Hope provide drinking water to their residents through a contract with the city of Minneap-olis for treated surface water drawn from the Mississippi River. To ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the U.S. Environmental Pro-tection Agency (EPA) prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contami-nants in water provided by public water systems. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provides the same protection for pub-lic health by regulating the contaminants permitted in bottled water.This Water Quality Report includes the results of monitoring done by the JWC on its drink-ing water from January 1 through December 31, 2014. The purpose of this report is to ad-vance consumers’ understanding of drinking water and heighten awareness of the need to protect precious water resources. Although the water the JWC provides its res-idents meets drinking water standards, the Minnesota Department of Health has deter-mined that the Mississippi River is poten-tially susceptible to contamination. If you wish to obtain the entire source water as-sessment for your drinking water, please call 651-201-4700 or 1-800-818-9318 (and press 5) during normal business hours. Also,

Before water is used for a water supply, it is tested for contaminants and other water quality factors. The sources of drinking water (both tap and bottled) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells. As water travels over land or through the ground it dissolves naturally oc-curring minerals and, in some cases, radio-active material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity. Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

Microbial Contaminants:Viruses and bacteria which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife

Inorganic Contaminants:Salts and metals which may be naturally-occur-ring or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farmingPesticides and Herbicides:May come from a variety of sources such as agricultural, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses

Organic Chemical Contaminants (including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals):By-products of industrial processes and petroleum production can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems

Radioactive Contaminants:Can occur naturally or result from oil and gas production and mining activities

Substance Detected (7/26/12) (units) MCLG Action

Level

90% of Samples Were Below This Level

Number of Samples Exceeding Action

LevelTypical Source of Contaminant

Lead (ppb) 0 15 3.2 1 out of 50 Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of natural deposits

Copper (ppm) 1.3 1.3 .07 0 out of 50 Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of natural deposits

Contaminant (units) MRDLG MRDL Lowest and Highest

Monthly Average Highest Quarterly Average Typical Source of Contaminant

Chlorine (ppm) 4 4 0.5-3.9 3.4 Additive used to control microbes

Chlorine – The Minneapolis Water Works adds chlorine to water during the treatment process to control microbes. Chlorine has a Maxi-mum Residual Disinfectant Levels (MRDL) and a Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG) set by the EPA.

Lead and Copper – If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily the result of plumbing corrosion in individual homes, not the water distribution system. The city of New Hope is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When water has been sitting in the pipes for several hours, you can substantially reduce the amount of lead in your water by simply letting the tap run for 30 seconds to two minutes before using the water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may want to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

Understanding Water Qualityyou can view the assessment online at www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/water/swp/swa.If you have questions about your drinking water or would like information about op-portunities for public participation in de-cisions that may affect the quality of the water, contact Dave Lemke, New Hope utilities maintenance supervisor, at 763-592-6762. Information about New Hope’s drinking water is also available at the Joint Water Commission website, jwcontap.org, or the city of New Hope website, www.ci.new-hope.mn.us. For more information about the federal regulation of drinking wa-ter visit www.epa.gov/safewater.

Compliance with National Drinking Water Regulations

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contami-nants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk.

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immunocompromised persons, including those with cancer un-dergoing chemotherapy, those who have had an organ transplant, those with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders,

Non-Native SpeakersEste informe contiene innformacion muy inportante sobre su aqua beber. Traduzcalo o hable con alguien que lo entienda bien.Noy yog ntaub tseem ceeb. Yog koy tsi to taub,nrhiav neeg pab txhais rau koh kom sai sai.

Key to Abbreviations: ppb - parts per billion ppm - parts per million TT - treatment technique N/A - Not Applicable

TurbidityMonitored MCLG Action

LevelLowest Monthly Percentage of

Samples Meeting Turbidity LimitsHighest Single Measurement Typical Source of Substance

Turbidity (NTU) N/A TT 100 0.19 Soil runoff

Turbidity – Turbidity, which is a measure of the clarity of the water, is monitored at the Minneapolis Water Works treatment plant as a measure of the effectiveness of the filtration system.

Regulated Substance Detected (units) MCLG MCL

Level Found in JWC WaterTypical Source of Contaminant

Range (2014) Average Result✱

Fluoride (ppm) 4 4 .95-1 .97 State of Minnesota requires all municipal water systems to add fluoride to the drinking water to promote strong teeth; erosion of natural deposits, discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories

Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) (ppb) 0 60 1.3-52 24.85 By-product of drinking water disinfection

Nitrate (as Nitrogen) (ppm) 10.4 10.4 N/A .19 Runoff from fertilizer use, leaching from septic tanks, sewage, erosion of natural deposits

Total Trihalomethanes (ppb) 0 80 7.9-61.2 26/03 By-product of drinking water disinfection

Total Coliform Bacteria 0 present >5% present N/A 1%◆ Naturally present in the environment

✱This is the value used to determine compliance with federal standards. It sometimes is the highest value detected and sometimes is an average of all the detected values. If it is the average, it may contain sampling results from the previous year. ◆ Five out of 2180 samples were positive for total coliforms. Follow-up sampling showed no contamination present.

2014 Tap Water Test ResultsIn 2014, no contaminants were detected at levels that violated federal drinking water standards. However, some contaminants were detected in trace amounts that were below legal limits. The table below shows the contaminants that were detected in trace amounts last year. (Some contaminants are sampled less frequently than once a year; as a result, not all contaminants were sampled for in 2014. If any of these con-taminants were detected the last time they were sampled, they are included in the table along with the date that detection occurred.) Regulated Substances – Several substances have Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) set by the EPA. This is the highest level al-lowed in drinking water. Some regulated contaminants also have MCL Goals (or MCLGs). This is the level of a substance where there is no known or expected health risk. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety. MCLs are set as close to MCLGs as possible using the best available treatment technology. All water systems must monitor about 80 regulated substances.

Special Health Needssome elderly, and infants can be particu-larly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/Centers for Disease Control (CDC) provide guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants.

More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

Unregulated Substances – Monitoring may have been done for additional contaminants that do not have MCL's established for them and are not required to be monitored under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Results may be available by calling 651-201-4700 or 1-800-818-9318.

Contaminant Unit Percent Removal Required

Percent Removal Achieved

Quarters Out of Compliance Typical Source of Contaminant

Total Organic Carbon Percent Removed 25-30 43.5-60 0 Naturally present in the environment

City of New Hope, Minnesota e Spring 2015

The sixth annual New Hope In

Focus photo contest will give local photog-raphers an opportu-nity to showcase their skills and show a little community pride. You don’t need to be a serious photographer or have fancy equip-ment to enter and win – many past winners used point-and-shoot cameras. You just need to pick the right sub-ject in our fair city and capture an image at just the right moment.The deadline for this year’s In Focus photo contest is Friday, August 14, but photos can be submitted any time after June 1. Photographers can enter pho-tos in one of three main categories – People, Places and Nature. The category winner with the highest overall score will receive a $100 prize, the other cat-egory winners will receive $75. The first place winners in the Youth category (16 and under), and the People’s Choice category will each receive a $50 prize.Photographers who live or work in New Hope may submit up to three photos.

Enter the New Hope In Focus photo contest

In order to qualify for the contest, a photograph must have been taken some-where in New Hope and must be the work of the person submitting it. Each photo must be submitted as a 5x7 print, and prints will not be returned. Like any contest, there are lots more rules that need to be followed. A complete list of contest rules is available on the In Focus webpage and the entry form. To obtain an entry form, see last year’s winners, or for more information, visit www.ci.new-hope.mn.us/infocus or call 763-531-5103.

Do you rave about your neigh-bor’s garden, their meticu-

lous yard maintenance, or a recent improvement they made to their home? Then you should nominate your neighbor for a 2015 New Hope RAVE! Award. Since 2006, the New Hope City Council has been recognizing residents who have done a noteworthy job up-dating, beautifying or maintaining their home and property. Awards are given in several broad categories: general property maintenance, interior and exte-rior remodeling or renovation, landscaping, gardens, and envi-ronmentally sensitive improve-ments (including rain gardens, or the use of green building materi-als). Award categories are often modified to better fit the nomina-tions that are received.All residential properties in New Hope are eligible for a RAVE! Award, including owner-occupied or rental single-family homes and multifamily rental properties owned by individuals or corporations. Any resident can submit a nomination. Residents can even nominate their own property. A panel of volunteer judges tours the entries and recommends award recipients to the City Council.

Nominate a neighbor for a RAVE! Award

The city has typically received very few nominations for remodeling projects and multifamily properties, which is a shame, because there are a lot of great examples of those types of projects.To see last year’s RAVE! Award winners or download a nomination form, visit www.ci.new-hope.mn.us/rave, or call Aaron at 763-531-5114. The deadline for nominations in Friday, July 31.

Every year, on the first Tuesday of August, neighborhoods in

New Hope and across the country gather to talk about crime pre-vention and to send a message to would-be criminals that crime and drugs will not be tolerated in our community. This year’s National Night Out, New Hope’s Night to Unite is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, August 4. Although the event is still a few months off, it’s not too early to plan for and register your neigh-borhood’s gathering.National Night Out is a wonder-ful community building event. It’s a great opportunity to spend some time outside with your neighbors, and to renew your neighborhood’s commitment to work together with the New Hope Police Department to keep your neigh-borhood and the entire community a safe place to live. While the traditional “lights on” and front porch vigils remain a part of the National Night Out, activities have expanded considerably over the years to include block parties, cookouts, vis-its from police, neighborhood walks, contests and much more. For the last several years, New Hope has also en-couraged neighborhood groups to col-lect food and/or school supplies as part of their event, which the city delivers to NEAR so that it can be distributed to local families in need. Contact Officer Nichole Korth for a list of fun activities to spice up your neighborhood’s Na-tional Night Out event.Registration for National Night Out, New Hope’s Night to Unite began May 1. By registering early, neighborhood

organizers can get their choice of popu-lar visitors including McGruff, West Metro firefighters, police K9, a North Memorial ambulance, or a City Coun-cil member. And, groups that register by July 1 will receive a free Picnic Pack sponsored by the New Hope Crime Prevention Fund. The packs include paper plates, napkins, forks, and cups for the number of people the organizer expects to attend. The city will provide barricades to groups who want to have a block party on August 4 if they register their party and submit a “Block Party Petition” and “Request for Barricades” by July 21.A National Night Out, New Hope’s Night to Unite registration form is available online at ci.new-hope.mn.us/nno. For more information or to have registration materials mailed to you, contact Nichole Korth at 763-531-5140 or nkorth@ci.new-hope.mn.us.

Sign up for National Night Out

very supportive of streetscape concepts when they were presented at an open house in January. One of the first things that will be done to help beautify City Center is to bury the overhead utility lines along the east side of Xylon Avenue. A gateway plaza will greet City Center visitors on the northeast corner of Xylon and 42nd avenue. The plaza, lined with pavers, will feature a decorative colon-nade and gateway sign with an electronic reader board. The entry plaza will also include a large elevated bed for flowers and lots of additional landscaping.The new streetscape on Xylon will include a 10 foot pedestrian pathway along the west side and a six foot side-walk along the east side of the street. The walkways will be accented with colored concrete banding and pavers and there will be decorative crosswalks at three key locations. Four pergolas with metal benches will create inviting seating areas near the pool and City Hall. Additional street furniture will in-clude matching waste receptacles, bike racks, orna-mental fencing, and an informal seating area with tables. Decorative LED street lights, illuminated ban-ner columns, and lighted bollards will brighten the corri-dor when night falls. And, the streetscape will spring to life during the more

temperate months with 55 trees, nearly 500 shrubs, and 700 perennials.The streetscape along 45th Avenue will share some of the same amenities as Xylon Avenue, but scaled back somewhat.The infrastructure and streetscape work along Xylon and 45th avenues began in mid-May and is not expected to wrap up until late October. During construction, Xylon and 45th Avenues will be closed to through traffic. Access will, however, be maintained to City Hall, Civic Cen-ter Park, the outdoor pool, Wells Fargo Bank and the apartments along 45th Av-enue throughout the summer. The project will be done in two phases. Until sometime in August, construc-tion will be focused on Xylon Avenue, south of City Hall. Xylon Avenue is currently closed at 42nd Avenue, and access to the area is being provided along 45th Avenue from Winnetka Avenue. When the street work is com-pleted south of City Hall, the second phase of project will begin. At that time, 45th Avenue will be closed at Winnetka Avenue, and access to City Center will be provided along Xylon Avenue from 42nd Avenue.

Michael Powell's photo, "Prairie Flower Monarch" won in the Nature category in 2014. It was the first time he participated in the contest.

K-9 Officer Miguel Robles and his partner Kody were a big hit at several block parties last year.

City Center Improvements (continued from page 1)

The Xylon Avenue streetscape includes a section of "convertible street" with collapsible bollards that will make it easy to close that portion of the street for events like the farmers market or City Day.

Filipina and James Berry's gardens, at 4816 Ensign Ave. N., won in last year's "Outstanding Garden" category.

City of New Hope, Minnesota e Spring 2015

Street MaintenanceNew Hope Public Works also main-tains 64 miles of street and 26 miles of sidewalk in the city. A few of the main roadways in New Hope – Bass Lake Road, Winnetka Avenue, 42nd Avenue, Medicine Lake Road – are maintained by Hennepin County. When it snows, all of New Hope’s main-tenance workers take to the streets to ensure that they are cleared as quickly as possible. Frequently, snowplowing begins in the middle of the night so that streets are passable in the morning. Residents and businesses can help to speed the plowing process by removing vehicles from the street when it starts to snow, and by not blowing or shovel-ing snow into the street.By ordinance, residents and businesses are ultimately responsible for shoveling and controlling ice on the sidewalk in front of their property. The city plows sidewalks and ice rinks in four city parks as time permits, but clearing and maintaining New Hope’s streets is always the top priority. The public works maintenance staff is too small to dedicate staff to those activities and it is not cost effective to plow sidewalks and rinks on an overtime basis. If New Hope has multiple snow events close together, it’s sometimes not possible for maintenance crews to get to sidewalks and rinks for a few days. The Public Works Department is re-sponsible for the maintenance of city streets. New Hope’s northern climate is hard on pavement. Potholes are an on-going challenge. Call 763-592-6777 to report a pothole. Each year, New Hope hires a contractor to perform routine crack seal and seal coat maintenance on several miles of city street to stabilize and extend the life of street pavement. The Public Works De-partment also oversees more extensive street maintenance work in-cluding pavement mill and overlay and, when necessary, complete street reconstruction. These more extensive street maintenance activities are typically scheduled every other year. (See page 4 for this year’s project).Street crews also main-tain about 10,000 public trees in the boulevards

along New Hope’s streets. Each win-ter, maintenance workers trim about 400 street trees. The remainder of the year, city workers attend to trees with broken branches or those damaged by a storm. Park MaintenanceThe Public Works Department staff, including temporary workers in the summer months, work hard so that residents can have fun in New Hope’s parks. Workers maintain the turf, drag and prepare fields for play, and remove trash from the city’s 22 parks. New Hope’s forester/contract manager is also part of the Park Maintenance staff. The forester monitors the health of New Hope’s urban forest. The for-ester also oversees the removal of inva-sive species, including Buckthorn, from city parks.Since 2010, New Hope has invested $100,000 each year to proactively ad-dress the spread of the emerald ash borer beetle into Minnesota. Although no infested trees have been found in New Hope to date, the pest continues to spread unchecked and infested trees have been found in Minneapolis. The city forester has carefully monitored the condition of the ash trees in New Hope. More than 700 ash trees have been removed and the city has begun to replace those trees with other species.

Central GarageNew Hope’s Central Garage staff is re-sponsible for maintaining a fleet of 32 police cars, trucks, and other vehicles and a large assortment of equipment. Rather than issue bonds to pay for equipment replacement, the city of New Hope sets money aside each year for that purpose.The Public Works Department main-tenance facility is located at 5500 International Parkway. To contact the department, please call 763-592-6777.

Linn, Smisek and Spitzer receive Employee of the Quarter recognition

Office specialist Jill Smisek and administrative specialist Penny

Spitzer, from the Parks and Recreation Department, were named New Hope Employee of the Quarter for the fourth quarter of 2014. Community service officer Wendy Linn received the award for the first quarter of 2015. Jill Smisek and Penny Spitzer shared Employee of the Quarter honors for October through December of 2014 for the pivotal role they played in help-ing the Parks and Recreation Depart-ment transition to its new registration software. New Hope is one of several cities that belongs to a local government IT consortium that are in the process of changing to the new parks and rec-reation registration software. As an early adopter, the New Hope Parks and Recreation Department faced a number of challenges. The software was new to the consortium’s support staff, and there was no instruction manual.

Smisek and Spitzer par-ticipated in two full weeks of training. While the new soft-ware has a lot of useful features, it is

quite complex and very different from the previous software the department used. Jill and Penny spent a great deal of time trying to work through those complexities and figure things out on their own. They also helped make the transition as easy as possible for the rest of the recreation staff. They were continuously available to answer questions and provide tutorials. They also spent a lot of time helping recre-ation program participants set up new passwords and accounts for the new software.According to their nomina-tors, “Jill and Penny showed tenacity and ingenuity in helping to set up and cus-tomize the software to meet New Hope’s needs. Because of their hard work, New Hope is further ahead with our implementation of the software than another city that started the pro-cess at the same time. Jill, who works part-time, has been very flexible adding extra hours when needed and alter-ing her schedule to accommodate the department.”Penny Spitzer has been the admin-istrative specialist for the Parks and Recreation Department since 1994. She has previously been recognized as New Hope Employee of the Quarter in 2003 and 2010 and was named Employee of the Year in 2005. Jill Smisek has been a part-time office specialist for the de-partment since 2004.

Wendy Linn received Employee of the Quarter recognition for Janu-ary through March 2015 for going above and beyond her usual duties to train three new part-time community service officers (CSOs). In early 2015, when three new part-time CSOs were hired at the same time, Linn’s supervisor asked her to take on the responsibility of training the new personnel while continuing her regular duties. Before the new employees started, she reviewed and revised the CSO training manual and training schedule. According to her nominator, “Wendy was involved in almost every aspect of the new CSO’s training. She had a trainee riding along with her on almost all of her shifts for two months. Even though they are now on their own, she continues to make herself available to answer questions.”As a community service officer, Linn is responsible for animal control – at-tending to both domestic and wild ani-mals and animal complaints. She also performs security responsibilities at city facilities, crime scenes, and public events; patrols parks and park facilities; assists with administering first aid at medical emergencies; assists police of-ficers in performance of their routine duties, and many other tasks.Wendy Linn began volunteering as a New Hope Police Reserve officer in 2007. In April 2013, she was hired as a part-time CSO. And, in April of 2015, she was one of two part-time CSOs promoted to full-time status.Recipients of New Hope Employee of the Quarter recognition are nominated by coworkers and selected by a com-mittee with representatives from each city department. Congratulations to Wendy Linn, Jill Smisek and Penny Spitzer for being named New Hope Employee of the Quarter.

The New Hope farmers market, which featured about 80 vendors last year, is a great place for area residents to get healthy, farm-fresh vegetables and fruits. It’s also a good place to browse the handiwork of local artists and crafters, discover some delightful lo-cally prepared foods, listen to some home-spun entertainment, and learn about a variety of community groups. The market is a great place for local amateur musicians to get some expo-sure. And, free booths are available

each week for a community group or youth entrepreneurs. Contact info@newhopemarket.org for more informa-tion or john@newhopemarket.org to sign up.The New Hope Community Farmers Market is a 501c4 non-profit corpora-tion led by a volunteer board of direc-tors from the community. For more information, visit the market’s website at www.newhopemarket.org, become a Facebook fan at www.facebook.com/newhopefarmersmarket, or get on the mailing list for the market enewsletter by sending an email to info@newhope-market.org.

Farmers Market (continued from page 1)

Public Works Department (continued from page 2)

All of New Hope's maintenance workers pitch in when it snows to ensure that the city's streets are cleared as quickly as possible.

Jill Smisek

Penny Spitzer

Wendy Linn

City has three off-leash dog parks

New Hope has off-leash dog parks in Civic Center, Liberty and Lions

parks. The seasonal dog parks opened in early May and will close for the sea-son by the end of November. The areas are located in the hockey rink enclo-sures in each park.There is no fee for using New Hope's dog parks. The off-leash areas may be used during daylight hours only. The hockey boards provide a large, safe, en-closed area where pet owners can allow their pets to run and socialize with other dogs. Pet owners are responsible for controlling and picking up after their dogs. Dogs must remain on-leash until they enter the dog park.For more information, call the New Hope Parks and Recreation office at 763-531-5151.