Ramsey Resident - 1988 - November

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MEETING CALENDAR December 1988 December 1 Thursday Landfill Commission City Hall 7:30 p.m. December 5 Monday Keep America Beautiful Committee City Hall 7:00 p.m. December 6 Tuesday Planning and Zoning Commission City Hall 7:30 p.m. December 7 Wednesday Fire Department City Hall 7:00 p.m. December 8 Thursday Park and Recreation Commission City Hall 7:00 p.m. December 13 Tuesday City Council City Hall 7:30 p.m. December 14 Wednesday Economic Development Commission City Hall 7:30 a.m. December 14 Wednesday Fire Department City Hall 7:00 p.m. December 14 Wednesday Airport Commission City Hall 7:30 p.m. December 15 Thursday Landfill Commission City Hall 7:30 p.m. December 21 Wednesday Fire Department City Hall 7:00 p.m. December 22 Thursday Board of Adjustment City Hall 7:30 p.m. December 27 Tuesday City Council City Hall 7:30 p.m. December 28 Wednesday Fire Department City Hall 7:00 p.m. City offices will close at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, December 23, 1988 and will be closed on Monday, December 26, 1988 in observance of the Christmas holidays. YOU ARE INVITED TO HA VE BRUNCH WITH SANTA SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10 10:00 to 12:00 Ramsev Elementarv School ENJOY A CARAMEL ROLL AND HOT CHOCOLA TE, JUICE OR COFFEE $1.00 PLUS · A Chance to Visit with Santa · Shopping for Children · Lots of Fun and a Chance to Wish your Neighbors MERRY CHRISTMAS!! KEEP YOUR SEPTIC SYSTEM PERKING ALONG By: Building Official Elvin Erickson The f~llo~ing arti~le appeared sometime ago in the 'Chang- Ing Times magazine and I feel that it is worthwhile for every property owner in the rural district to review and make note of the suggestions made in the article. "In th~ory, a septic tank system is an ideal way to dispose of ordinary household wastewater. 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 thev ani 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 sUb?tances 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. soli~s to build ~p or use too much water, saturating t~e 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 t.he important thing: If you wait too long, the ac- cumulation of sludge and scum will wash out into 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 ~p an automatic annual check-up by a local septic tank service company. Skip the qu!ck fixes. The household plumbing market has endured a fairly steady stream of cleverly packaged additives that promise to eliminate or requce 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 drain field will remain porous and absorbent. And there's ample 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. 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. If you can, compost your garbage instead of using a sink disposer. 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. Grease, disposable diapers and paper towels are troublesome. So are cigarette butts, food wastes and sanitary napkins. 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 out. 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 me at 427-1410 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Police Department Ordinance Continued Section 13.06. Conduct of Members. It shall be the duty of every member and officer of the police department to con- duct himself or herself in a proper and law abiding manner at all times. Each member and officer of the department shall obey the orders and directions of his/her superior. Section 13.07. Rules and Regulations. The Chief of the police department may make or prescribe such rules and regula- tions as he/she shall deem advisable; such rules, when ap- proved by the Council, shall be binding on such officers and members. Such rules and regulations may cover, besides the conduct of the officers and members uniforms and equipment to be worn or carried, hours of service, vaca- tion, and all other similar matters necessary or desirable for the efficiency of the department. Section 13.08. Equal Opportunity. In making appointments to the polic department, no person shall be deprived of an opportunity to serve on the police department because of race, religion, skin color, national origin, or sex. No arbitrary rules on height, weight, or achievement of strength unrelated to job needs shall be imposed. No handicapped person shall be denied, merely by virtue of being handicapped, appoint- ment to a position on the police department which the han- dicapped person is competent to fill. WHAT~S HAPPENING AT CITY HALL The City Council met on October 25 and rescheduled the regular Council meetings for November to the 15th and 29th. Council unanimously voted to introduce an ordinance to create a chapter in the City Charter entitled "Police Depart- ment". Council referred the proposed moratorium ordinance on incinerator burning to the Planning Commission for a p~~li.c hearing. Kellie Ann Walker's request for a minor sub- divISion was approved. Council approved the site plan for a Holiday Stationstore at Hwy. #10 and Cty. Rd. #56. Council app~o~ed the final plat of Rar:nsey Ridge. Council granted preliminary plat approval to Rlverview Estates a combina- tion commercial and residential development south of Hwy. #10 and west of the extension of Sunfish Lake Blvd. Coun- ~il adopted an ord.inance establishing a recycling program In Ramsey. Council approved offering the position of Com- munity Development Director to Mark Banwart. The contract for the well at Central Park Center was awarded to E.H. Ren- ner. The contract for the City Hall parking lot lighting was awarded to Electric Systems of Anoka. Property at 14550 Armstrong Blvd. was rezoned from Industrial to Business. Council called for a public hearing on December 8 at 7:30 p.m. regarding improvements to Waco Street N.W. north of 179th Lane. Staff was directed to draft an ordinance establishing uniform hours of operation for billiard/amuse- ment. center establishments. Council authorized advertising for bids for a pumper and tanker for the Fire Department. Counc.il met on November 10 and adopted a resolution declaring the results of the November 8 general election. COMMISSION MEETING NEWS The Planning and Zoning Commission met on October 4 and recommended approval of Mike Eason's request to operate a repair shop on Ron Fischl's property at 15850 St. Francis Blvd. and Gerald Root's request to operate a repair shop at 16208 Coquina. The Commission recommended ap- proval of UPA's site plan for an electrical substation on 153rd and Holiday Stationstore's proposed facility at Cty. Rd. #56 and Hwy. #10. The Planning and Zoning Commission met on October 12 and recommended denial of Bladholm's request for a con- ditional use permit to establish and operate a landfill on the former Prestressed property to bury concrete and concrete related materials. The Commission also recommended denial of Waste Management of Minnesota, Inc. 's request for a con- ditional use permit to vertically expand the existing landfill; construct and operate a ski hill and sledding recreational facility; rough grade a roadway through DNR designated wetland; excavate, grade and transport soil materials for land- fill cover. The Planning and Zoning Commission met on November 1 and recommended approval of Stanley Morton's request to have an advertising sign at his nursery stock lot in the R-1 R Residential District. The Commission recommended ap- proval of: rezoning two lots in Riverside West from Business to Residential; Mr. Humbert's request to move in a house and garage to Pineview Estates; Mr. Borchert's request to change Outlots C and 0 in Rodeo Hills to platted lots; Art Bulow's minor subdivision of property south of Hwy. #10 and east of the Sunfish Lake Blvd. extension to create one lot north and two lots south of Front Street. The preliminary plat of Cedar Hills was tabled. The Airport Commission met on October 12 and consulting engineer Merland Otto reported that preliminary comments from the FAA are favorable regarding the environmental assessment on proposed airport improvements at Gateway and the pre-application for AlP funding. The Commission discussed the potential for expanded AVTI aviation programs at Gateway Airport. The Economic Development Commission met on October 12 and Chairman Greenberg directed that the next regular meeting will address five year goals for the city for incor- poration into the Star City Five Year Plan. Chairman Greenberg noted that it has become evident through recent City meetings with the STERN Committee that the citizens feels the chairman of the Economic Development Commis- sion should be a resident of Ramsey. Chairman Greenberg noted that these comments are valid and should be used to make some positive improvements to the Commission. Based on that, Chairman Greenberg requested that all com- missioners be prepared at the next meeting to address future goals of the commission and an appropriate chairman to ac- complish those goalS and promote public relations between the Commission and citizens. The Economic Development Commission met on November 9 and discussed 5 year goals for the City which included development of a frontage road along Hwy. #10, parallel to the railroad tracks; a Rum River Bridge crossing; implement zoing protection to insure compatible business development and raise development standards; a Mississippi River Bridge crossing and realignment of Cty. Rd. #83. Future goals of the Economic Development Commission include promoting communication between it and the citizenry; and educate the public as to the importance of commercial tax base in the City.