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7:00 p.m. SCHEDULE OF APRIL MEETINGS Monday, April 2, 1990 Regular Make the Scene, Keep Ramsey Clean Committee Meeting 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 3, 1990 Regular Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 4, 1990 Board of Review Meeting 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 10, 1990 Regular City Council Meeting 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 11, 1990 Regular Economic Development Commission Meeting 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 11, 1990 Regular Fire Department Meeting 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 11, 1990 Regular Airport Commission Meeting 7:00 p.m. Thursday, April 12, 1990 Regular Park and Recreation Commission Meeting 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 18, 1990 Strategic Planning Workshop (at Staff Development Center) 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 24, 1990 Regular City Council Meeting 7:30 p.m. Thrusday, April 26, 1990 Regular Board of Adjustment Meeting All meetings are held at the Ramsey Municipal Center unless indicated otherwise. BRUSH CHIPPING PROGRAM TO BE OFFERED FOR THE SECOND YEAR The City of Ramsey, because of the serious threat to the forest population, has developed a second year for the decen- tralized brush chipping operation with funding support from the Metro Council. Brush disposal can be a problem and chip- ping converts the brush into a usable product, with no disease problems. Ramsey's brush chipping program will offer the following services: · Free brush chipping · Information on tree disease prevention and control · Information on the use of wood chips · Wood chips available for use · Information on the composting of leaves and grass These free services are offered to control the current disease problems and decrease the need for burning permits to be issued during the year. These services will be provided on a neighborhood-wide format to encourage the efficient use of the program resources. There have been several changes in the program from last year's program. These changes have been made to increase the efficiency of the program and encourage resident participation. The requirements for the program are listed below. Changes from the previous year are in bold type. Who is eligible? All residents of the City of Ramsey with brush or prunings from healthy or diseased trees who prepare the piles cor- rectly, with vehicle access. How can you participate? Fill out the questionnaire and return it to Brush Chipping Pro- gram, Ramsey Municipal Center, 15153 Nowthen Blvd. N.W., Ramsey, Minnesota 55303. All requested information must be provided to be eligible for the program. Applications must be received by May 31, 1990. The City will be divided into zones for chipping so please indicate the time frame in which you would like to have your material chipped. (i.e. first part of July) The City will try to schedule chipping based on these requests. Please submit only one application per household. Additional information will be mailed to you after your ap- plication is received. If you have any questions concerning the program contact City Hall at 427-1410. NAME ADDRESS PHONE NUMBER TIME FRAME MY BRUSH IS ALREADY STACKED ACCORDING TO GUIDELINES YES NO MY BRUSH PILE CONTAINS DISEASED WOOD YES NO I HAVE THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF WOOD TO BE CHIPPED OAK ELM PINE OTHER I WOULD LIKE THE WOOD CHIPS FOR MY OWN USE YES NO I AM INTERESTED IN INFORMATION ABOUT COMPOSTING MULCHING UTILIZATION OF ORGANIC MATERIALS. I WOULD WOULD NOT LIKE TO HOST A NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING ABOUT: RECYCLING DISEASE CONTROL CHIP UTILIZATION SOIL CONDITIONING TREE EVALUATION OTHER 1_ WOULD _ WOULD NOT LIKE TO ATTEND A NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING ABOUT: RECYCLING DISEASE CONTROL CHIP UTILIZATION SOIL CONDITIONING TREE EVALUATION OTHER I AM CURRENTLY COMPOSTING ON-SITE YES NO KEEP YOUR SEPTIC SYSTEM PERKING ALONG Property owners in the rural district should review and make note of the suggestions made in this article. Portions of the fOllowing article appeared some time ago in the' 'Changing Times" magazine. In theory, a septic tank system is an ideal way to dispose of ordinary household waste water. It is self-contained, effi- cient and inexpensive. In practice, though, it often turns out to be a disaster. Problems could be caused by poor design, poor construction or poor site evaluation. But often they are caused by the way the system is used. A properly designed and installed septic system should give 15 to 20 years of trouble-free service. But it won't last anywhere near that long if the homeowner doesn't unders- tand how it works and fails to take good care of it. Fully a quarter of all U.S. households use septic systems. Most of those homes - about 20 million of them - are in rural or suburban areas without municipal sewage facilities. The beauty of the home septic system is its simplicity. There are only two basic components: a large underground tank and a leaching field. Wastewater drains from sinks, tubs and toilets into the tank, where bacterial action breaks the waste into sludge, liquid, scum and gas. The gas is vented to the outside, the sludge sinks to the bottom and the scum floats on top. The liquid, called effluent, is distributed through a network of underground tiles that make up the leaching field. There, it filters through the clogging mat, which slows water percolation and allows further digestion. It then seeps through the gravel and soil, where it is cleared of most harmful substances and bacteria and ends up in underground aquifers. Simple though it is, it's not hard to foul up a reCYCling system like this. You can put things in it that won't decompose, allow too many solids to build up or use too much water, saturating the leaching field. Once in a while, a root may plug up a drain tile. These glitches can cause a breakdown, which is accom- panied by unmistakable symptoms: sluggish toilets, bad odor, and water seeping to the surface out in the field. If you're lucky, a simple tank cleaning or root removal job will bail you out, probably for around $100. If the trouble recurs in a short time though, you could be looking at the major expense of building a new drainfield, replacing a too-small tank, or both. AVOIDING THE PROBLEMS Whatever the problem, chances are it could have been avoid- ed. For starters, look over this checklist. Don't skimp on tank cleaning. Some experts recommend an every-other year cycle, but what's best for you depends on the size of your system and the load you put on it. Here's the important thing: If you wait too long, the ac- cumulation of sludge and scum will wash out to the tiles, clogging the absorption system and shortening the life of your field. Just to be on the safe side, you might want to set up an automatic annual check-up by a local septic tank service company. Skip the quick fixes. The household plumbing market has endured a fairly steady stream of cleverly packaged additives that promise to eliminate or reduce the need for periodic tank cleaning and prolong the life of your entire system. Don't believe it. The old bromide about flUShing a cake or two of baker's yeast down the toilet is harmless enough. But, experts warn, some of the new additives can actually hurt your system by dislodging undigested solids, allowing them to spill out of the tank and consequently clog the ab- sorption field. Don't squander water. The less you use, the longer your drainfield will remain porous and absorbent. And there's am- ple opportunity, in most American households, for signifi- cant water conservation. In addition to following sensible water-conservation practices, septic tank owners should take a couple of additional steps. a. If you have a water softener, don't set it to recycle more often than necessary. That spares the system a load of up to 80 gallons every time your softener recharges. b. Compost your garbage instead of using a sink disposer. If you must use a garbage disposal, you will need to remove septic tank solids every year or more. Ground garbage will frequently find it's way out of the septic tank and clog the soil treatment system. It is better to compost, incinerate, or throw out garbage with the trash. Even though material like lettuce, car- rot tops, potato peelings, etc. are organic, they do not break down completely in the septic tank and add volume to the accumulated solids in the tank. c. Detergents can cause problems with septic systems. It is very difficult to estimate the amount of cleaning powder required for a load of laundry, so people generally use more than is actually needed. If the automatic washer discharges a large amount of suds after the washing cycle, the amount of washing pro- ducts should be reduced. Be wary of inexpensive waShing products, which may contain excessive quan- tities of filler or carrier, some of which can be extreme- ly detrimental to the sewage system. The best solu- tion may be to use liquid laundry detergents, since they are less likely to have carriers or fillers which are detrimental to a septic system. Watch what you flush. Nothing should enter the system that won't quickly disintegrate, decompose and settle on the bot- tom of the tank. Human waste, toilet paper and soapy water are fine - but that's about all. Coffee grounds, food wastes, cooking fats, wet-strength towels, disposable diapers, facial tissues, cigarette butts, sanitary napkins and similar non- decomposable materials are troublesome. None of these materials will decompose, and they will cause a rapid ac- cumulation of solids in the septic tank. Avoid dumping cooking fats or grease down the drain. This material may plug sewer pipes of build-up in the septic tank and plug the inlet. Keep a separate container for waste grease and throw it out with the trash. ' IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE If your system ceases to function, get a plumber to clean out sink drains, toilets and the main drain. After the septic tank is pumped out, make sure the inlet and outlet open- ings are inspected for blockage. Don't get into the tank yourself to do this. Gases in it can kill you. Let someone who knows how to handle the hazards do the inspections. Have the tiles checked for root invasion, breaks and clogging. If the leaching field is not wet, the trouble may be an obstruc- tion in the distribution box, which connects the tank to the leaching field. If the field is soggy, have the tank pumped out and undertake a week or two of intense water conserva- tion. That will give the field a chance to dry to. And make sure there is no depression over the drainage area where rain water can accumulate and add to the system's load." NOTE: Local costs for tank pumping range from $60-$100. If you have any questions or desire additional information, please feel free to call Glyn Huff at 427-1410 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. MINNESOTA FORESTRY FAIR Don't forget to add the Minnesota Forestry Fair to your school, family, and/or group plans. Its a great activity and admission is free. When: Thursday, April 19 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Where: DNR Building State Fairgrounds St. Paul, MN Exhibits - Entertainment Demonstrations For more information, contact Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry at (612) 296-4491 or Minnesota Forestry Association at (218) 326-4200. u- -- - ---- GUIDELINES FOR BRUSH PILES If you are participating in the brush chipping program, the following guidelines will apply: . Brush must be stacked with the trunk ends in the same di rection. . Brush diameter should be 6 inches or less and length is restricted to 6-8 feet. Brush piles may be stacked up to 6 feet in height. . Brush must be neatly stacked where it is readily ac- cessible to the truck and chipper trailer, i.e., alongside driveways. . Only clean brush and limb piles will be accepted; i.e., no rocks, dirt, whole trees, stumps, metal, plastic, cloth, boards, leaves or grass. . Healthy and diseased brush, limbs and prunings will be accepted. The chipping process removes the disease hazards and the chips can be used for mulch, landscaping, weed control and moisture retention. UPDATED CITY MAPS AVAILABLE Ramsey City maps, updated as of February, 1990, are available at City Hall for $1.00 each.