Ramsey Resident - 1988 - March - Laserfiche WebLink

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MEETING CALENDAR April 1988 Planning and Zoning Commission Park and Recreation Commission Fire Safety Committee Landfill Commission City Council Economic Development Commission Airport Commission Fire Safety Committee Landfill Commission City Council Board of Adjustment Apr. 5 Apr. 7 Apr. 7 Apr. 7 Apr. 12 Apr. 13 Apr. 13 Apr. 21 Apr. 21 Apr. 26 Apr. 28 Tuesday Thursday Thursday Thursday Tuesday Wednesday Wednesday Thursday Thursday Tuesday Thursday City Hall City Hall City Hall City Hall City Hall City Hall City Hall City Hall City Hall City Hall City Hall 7:30 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 a.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION TO REVIEW A PROPOSED SNOWMOBILE ORDINANCE As reported in the February issue of the Ramsey Resident, City Council adopted an emergency snowmobile ordinance in response to numerous complaints of snowmobile activity damaging private and public property. That emergency ordinance was intended to be a temporary remedy while the Park Commission studied the issue and drafted a more complete ordinance to regulate snowmobile activity. The Park Commission will be discussing appropriate snowmobile regulations at their regular meeting on Thursday, April 7th at 7:00 p.m. The public is welcome to attend. WHAT'S HAPPENING AT CITY HALL Council met on February 17 and conducted a performance review regarding progress being made on the goals and objectives of the City Administrator. The Council and City Staff then conducted a workshop focusing on community, council and staff strengths and weaknesses. Council met on February 24 and conducted a public hearing regarding extension of sewer and water to Outlot B, Rum Acres Estates. Mr. Hartley reviewed proposed financing options for a volunteer fire department prepared by City Staff and the Fire Safety Committee; the Council passed a motion in- dicating that if a fire department is established, the City is willing to commit $500,000 from the sale of the landfill to assist in the establishment of that department. Mr. Suter's request for a conditional use permit to transfer buses from 6106 Hwy. #10 to 14050 Basalt for dismantling was denied and staff was directed to assist Mr. Suter in obtaining permis- sion to dismantle the buses at 6106 Hwy. #10. Coun- cil introduced an ordinance to increase the number of off-sale liquor licenses in Ramsey from 2 to 3. Council scheduled public hearings regarding 1988 sealcoating projects for March 22. Council received a petition and ordered a feasibility report for the Rum Acres Estates; the improvements would be con- tingent upon Metro Council approving additional sewer capacity for Ramsey. Staff was directed to negotiate for additional sewer capacity in Ramsey with the condition that Ramsey continues to develop It'S rural area with 2.5 acre minimum lots sizes con- sisting of 100% Class A soils. Council moved to sup- port Senate Bill 18-62 to amend State Statute Chapter 444 to allow for the establishment of taxing districts for street improvements. Staff was directed to draft an ordinance to restrict the issuance of charitable gambling licenses to local organizations that use the proceeds to benefit Ramsey. A resolu- tion was adopted supporting AVTI's request for State funding for remodeling which includes the construc- tion of a frontage road to the western edge of the property. Council met on March 8 and introduced an or- dinance to amend Chapter 110 of the City Code regarding regulations for keeping vicious dogs. Breezy Outdoor's request to construct an advertis- ing at 7009 Hwy. #10 was denied on the basis that the applicant could not provide the City with infor- mation indicating that the advertising copy would comply with ordinance requirements. Council denied Mr. Guyer's request for a wild animal license to keep two black bears on his property on the basis that ap- proving the license would require approving an ex- cessive amount of variances to the ordinance; Mr. Guyer was directed to have the bears removed from his property by July 1. Council adopted an ordinance to increase the number of off-sale liquor licenses in Ramsey from 2 to 3; the ordinance will become ef- fective September 1 and applications for the 3rd license will be received on October 1. Staff was directed to prepare a preliminary development agreement between the City and Mr. Duke Carlson and Mr. Rick Foster to the development of a 32-unit apartment building in the Oxbow Addition using tax increment funds. The site plan for the second phase of River's Bend Plaza was approved. Staff was directed to prepare an overlay map that would in- dicate the impact relocation of the Burlington Nor- thern railroad tracks would have on existing develop- ment and tree lines. A resolution was adopted to in- dicate the City's willingness to loan Anoka County $650,000 to be used for acquiring right-of-way and constructing the approach area on the west side of the Rum River along Cty. Rd. #116 to Hwy. #47 and 300 feet beyond Hwy. #47 to the east in order to im- prove the chances of the Rum River Bridge Cross- ing retaining it's current positioning in the County's 5 year capital improvement plan. Council approved the terms and conditions in the proposed stipulated agreement to establish Dayton-Port as a public railroad crossing and Puma Street as a private railroad crossing. Council authorized advertising for bids for a water tower. Council received a petition and ordered a feasibility study for street im- provements in Caroline Acres. Council authorized joining the CORONA organization with the stipula- tion that Ramsey's support of issues will be on a case-by-case basis. Staff was directed to negotiate for sewer and water easements south of Hwy. #10, east of Sunfish Lake Blvd. offering $25,000/acre. Council met on March 9 and reviewed Waste Management's proposal for a ski hill at the site of the existing landfill. PUBLIC NOTICE: LEAD IN DRINKING WATER The purpose of this notice is threefold: first, to ad- dress the potential health effects of lead; second, to indicate possible sources of lead in your drinking water; and third, what you can do to minimize your exposure to lead in your drinking water if a lead source is present. Lead has been commonly used in the manufac- ture of products in our society, including gasoline, paints, batteries and glass windows, to name a few. Lead is known to cause health problems if consum- ed or inhaled. Your local water system, the Min- nesota Department of Health, and United States En- vironmental Protection Agency (EPA) are concern- ed about lead in drinking water. To date, no beneficial effects of lead in humans have been found. Because lead accumulates in the body, the health effects depend upon the level and duration of exposure to the lead sources. Too much lead in the human body can cause damage to the brain, ner- vous system, blood-forming processes, gastro- intestinal systems and kidneys. The greatest risk, even with short-term exposure, is to young children and pregnant women. Lead in our environment is a public health issue about which we should all be concerned. There are two pathways for lead to enter the body. They are ingestion and inhalation. One possible source of ingestion of lead is your drinking water. In 1974, the United States Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The SDWA re- quires the U.S. EPA to protect the public health by setting drinking water standards for public water sup- plies. The EPA and others have determined that lead is a health concern at certain levels of exposure. The current standard set by the U.S. EPA is a maximum of 50 parts per billion. This standard will likely be lowered significantly, based on new health informa- tion of high risk groups. Part of the purpose of this notice is to inform you of the potential adverse health effects of lead. THIS IS BEING DONE EVEN THOUGH YOUR WATER MAY NOT BE IN VIOLATION OF THE CURRENT STANDARD. Lead rarely occurs naturally in drinking water. The principal source of lead when present in drinking water is from lead-based solders or lead pipe in the plumbing of homes or residences. From the late 1800's to about 1930, lead was a common material used for water service pipe and interior plumbing. Since this time, other materials such as copper and galvanized steel pipe have been used more extensively in residential plumbing systems. Lead-based solders were commonly used to join copper pipe. SINCE JUNE 1, 1985, THE STATE OF MINNESOTA HAS BANNED THE USE OF LEAD PIPE AND SOLDERS OR FLUXES CON- TAINING MORE THAN 0.2 PERCENT LEAD TO BE USED IN ANY PLUMBING INSTALLATION WHICH CONVEYS A POTABLE WATER SUPPLY. Lead from pipes and lead-based solders enters the drinking water through corrosion. Water is an ex- cellent solvent; therefore, when water stands in the pipes of a residence for several hours without use, there is a greater potential for lead to enter the drink- ing water, if a lead source is present. Other factors that may increase the lead levels in household drinking water include: Age and condition of household plumbing or water service pipes. Naturally soft water can be more corrosive; and, therefore, creates the potential for higher lead levels. In general, water in Minnesota tends to be hard or scale forming. Some home water treatment systems, including home water softeners, may make the water more corrosive. Hot water dissolves lead from pipe and lead- based solders more quickly than cold water. IN SUMMARY, LEAD LEVELS IN YOUR DRINKING WATER ARE LIKELY TO BE HIGHEST IF: 1. Your home has copper pipes with lead solder joints, or 2. Your home or water system has lead pipes and: a. if water sits in pipes for several hours, or b. if you have soft or corrosive water, or c. if the home is less than five years old. NOTE: Water service pipes and interior potable water distribution piping in all buildings con- structed after June 1, 1985, should not con- tain lead pipes nor should lead-based solders have been used in joining copper pipe. If you are unsure if lead is present in your household plumbing or water service lines, you should either contact your local water utility or a qualified plumber to make this determination. It is not possible to see dissolved lead in drinking water. The only way to measure the lead level pre- sent in your drinking water is to have the water analyzed by a qualified laboratory. The laboratory will provide you with the sample bottle and instruc- tions on how to take a water sample. If you have your water tested and high levels of lead are found, or if you believe that you have lead- based materials in your home or water service, there are WAYS TO MINIMIZE THE EXPOSURE TO THESE LEAD MATERIALS. . Do not consume or cook with water that has been in contact with your home's plumbing for more than a few hours. Before using this water for consumption or cook- ing, "flush" the cold water faucet by allowing the water to run until you feel a temperature change. This temperature change should occur in 2-3 minutes. If you suspect or know that your home has a lead service pipe or connection, allow the water to run an additional 15-30 seconds to be sure the service line is "flushed" also. . Do not cook or drink water from a hot water tap. As previously mentioned, lead dissolves faster in hot water than cold water. If hot water is needed, use the cold water tap and heat water on the stove. . Use only the cold water faucet to prepare baby formula. Always "flush" the cold water faucet as described above before preparing any formula. . Use only lead-free materials for any plumbing repair work to be done. THIS IS STATE LAW. In 1984, the Minnesota Department of Health com- pleted a survey of lead in drinking water in buildings less than three years old. The results of this survey indicated that the source of lead found in the drink- ing water was from the building plumbing systems. The survey also demonstrated that "flushing" the water tap reduced the lead to levels well below the drinking water standard. The findings of this survey prompted legislation to be enacted in 1985 which prohibits the use of lead pipes, lead-based soldered or fluxes to be used in any plumbing installation which conveys a potable water supply. If you have any questions regarding information contained in this notice, please contact Elvin Erickson at 427-1410. The U.S. EPA has a toll-free hotline number dedicated to the subject of lead in drinking water. The telephone number is 1-800-426-4791. The U.S. EPA has also prepared a brochure on the subject.