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SUMMER SWIM LESSON
<br />REGISTRATION BEGINS
<br />JUNE 12
<br />Swim lessons offered by the
<br />Anoka - Hennepin School District
<br />Community Education program will start
<br />June 19. Lesson schedules and
<br />registration information will be sent
<br />home with elementary school children
<br />the week of May 15. Please keep this
<br />flyer for summer aquatics registration
<br />beginning June 12. The flyer will be
<br />available at middle school community
<br />education offices in May.
<br />Registration information will
<br />also be published in local newspapers in
<br />late May. A complete guide to summer
<br />aquatics registration will be published in
<br />the Anoka County Shopper on
<br />Wednesday, May 24, and in the Anoka
<br />County Union, Blaine Spring Lake Park
<br />Life and the Coon Rapids Herald on
<br />Friday, May 26. Clip and save for
<br />registration in June.
<br />If you have any questions
<br />contact the Community Education
<br />Department at 763 -506 -1273.
<br />COMMUNITY
<br />ACTIVITY SIGN
<br />If you are interested in renting
<br />space on the Community Activities sign
<br />at the Ramsey Municipal Center, please
<br />call Kathy Schmitz at 427 -1410.
<br />REPORT FROM THE
<br />CITY ADMINISTRATOR
<br />STREET IMPROVEMENTS 2000
<br />City residents highways this summer. While great While th onstruct on will mean a certain degree of
<br />inconvenience, the completed work will bring about safer traffic flows and more routes throughout the convenieThe Highway #47 Pr ject is scheduled to begin this summer. Detours
<br />are expected to begin on June 12, 2000. Most of the work will be seen south of creation of turn lanes, and creation of
<br />153rd Avenue with a divided median. th Three e intersections at County Road #5, Sunwood Avenue/
<br />149t Avenue, and 153rd Avenue will get new traffic lights. Traffic will be allowed
<br />past the construction during the improvement project by moving the traffic from
<br />one side of the highway to the other.
<br />The construction of Highway #47 north of 153`d Avenue will bring about
<br />a milling and bituminous overlay to the highway system. New bridges will be
<br />installed at Trott Brook and Ford Brook and several major culverts will be
<br />reconstructed. Because of the bridge and culvert work, traffic will be detoured
<br />from time to time. Minnesota Department of Transportation officials have been
<br />discussing how to maintain local traffic during the construction period. It is expected
<br />that the majority of the work on Highway #47 will be completed this fall, however,
<br />there is the possibility that the bituminous course will be completed in the spring of
<br />2001.
<br />Beyond the Highway #47 improvement project, there will be four new
<br />streets constructed in the City. They will include: Sunwood Avenue to the west
<br />of Highway #47, Sunwood Avenue between Sunfish Lake Boulevard and County
<br />Road #116, 143`d Avenue between County Road #116 and Jaspar Street, and
<br />153rd /155t Avenue between Variolite Street and Armstrong Boulevard. The
<br />construction of Sunwood Avenue west of Highway #47 will take place concurrently
<br />with the Highway #47 Project and will be completed by this fall. The three other
<br />projects are expected to begin in the later summer months and could possibly see
<br />completion during the late fall months if the weather cooperates. If the construction
<br />of the three additional streets encounter poor weather, the completion of the final
<br />bituminous roads will be laid in the spring and summer of 2001.
<br />It should be an exciting time once the construction of the new streets and
<br />highways are completed. We apologize for the inconvenience during the
<br />construction months, however, we know the final product will be appreciated by
<br />everyone.
<br />If you should have any questions regarding these projects, please direct
<br />your questions to the Engineering Department at 427 -1410.
<br />NEW IN TOWN
<br />If you are a new resident of the City of Ramsey, please visit the Municipal
<br />Center, also known as City Hall, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through
<br />Friday to pick up a new resident packet and your recycling bin. We will sign you
<br />up for the recycling program at that time and provide you with information you
<br />may need regarding the City. The Municipal Center is located at 15153 Nowthen
<br />Blvd. NW, north of Ramsey Elementary School on the opposite side of the road.
<br />Misers make wonderful ancestors. — Anonymous
<br />OAKWILT 2000/2001
<br />Here in the City of Ramsey, we are fortunate to have three different species
<br />of oak trees. The beautiful Red Oak (Quercus rubra) can be identified by the
<br />pointed lobes on its leaf, while the White Oak (Quercus alba) and the Bur Oak
<br />(Quaercus macro carpa) will have rounded lobes on their leaves. The White and
<br />Bur oaks are usually the longest lived trees in our area of the Anoka Sand Plain.
<br />These trees grow for more than 100 years, but 250 years would not be unusual, if
<br />left undisturbed and kept disease -free.
<br />But the one disease that the oaks are particularly vulnerable to is a vascular
<br />fungus disease that plugs the sap conducting vessels. This situation causes ultimate
<br />death to the woody tissue of the tree but the first apparent sign is the wilting of the
<br />leaves which seems to occur for no apparent reason. Unfortunately, our attempts in
<br />early spring to have a well -kept yard sometimes causes the onset of this fungus.
<br />Bark damage through hitting the base of the oak with the lawn mower, over zealous
<br />tree trimming and wind breakage all contribute to make the oaks vulnerable, especially
<br />April through July. To protect the trees from damage it's important to treat fresh
<br />wounds immediately with tree wound paint. But the most significant spread of the
<br />oak wilt fungus is through contaminated root interconnections and grafts.
<br />The best way to control the spread of the fungus is to protect your trees.
<br />But once the fungus is detected, the affected tree must be removed, including its
<br />roots. It is also critical that the removal and disposal of the spore producing wood
<br />is done in a manner that will not spread the spores of the fungus. Because roots can
<br />pass by property boundaries, it is imperative that developers, builders and
<br />neighborhoods participate in Oak Wilt control efforts.
<br />WHAT YOU CAN DO IF YOU SUSPECT OAK WILT
<br />If you notice your oak tree's leaves and branches are wilting and browning
<br />during the growing season, there are several things that you can do. Generally, the
<br />oak that is affected with oak wilt is dying and can't be saved. At this point, you must
<br />do what is necessary to save your other trees. This generally includes cutting root
<br />connections between the diseased or dead tree and other trees of the same species
<br />to prevent the spread by roots of the fungus.
<br />"The primary way oak wilt spreads is through interconnected root graphs
<br />that form between trees of the same species," stated Dan Gillman, Plant Health
<br />Specialist at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. He indicated that
<br />interconnected root systems usually work in favor of trees of the same species
<br />because these interconnections expand the area that an individual tree can draw on
<br />to meet their water and nutrient needs. But oak wilt also takes advantage of these
<br />root interconnections to affect several trees. If not taken care of, the fungus can
<br />spread through the root connections until every tree in the grove is dead.
<br />The City recognizes the importance of healthy trees and that cutting root
<br />connections and removing diseased trees can be very expensive. As a result, an
<br />oak wilt cost share program was established 10 years ago using funds received
<br />from a grant through the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). To receive
<br />more information about the City's cost share program for oak wilt, contact Bruce
<br />Bacon, Environmental Specialist, at City Hall by either calling 427 -1410 or stopping
<br />by 15153 Nowthen Boulevard NW.
<br />If you need additional technical or diagnostic information about oak wilt,
<br />yard tree management, native vegetation for wildlife, or energy efficient or edible
<br />landscaping, the following is a list of resource people that are available to you:
<br />The most effective answer to an insult is silence.
<br />Bruce Bacon
<br />Environmental Specialist
<br />City of Ramsey
<br />15153 Nowthen Boulevard NW
<br />Ramsey, MN 55303
<br />bbacon(a,ci. ramsey.mn. us
<br />2. Patrick Weicherding
<br />Anoka County Extension Service
<br />550 Bunker Lake Boulevard NW
<br />Andover, MN 55433
<br />weich002 a,umn.edu
<br />3. Art Widerstrom
<br />MN DNR (N. Metro)
<br />District Forester
<br />Wild Fire Control Specialist
<br />1200 Wamer Road
<br />St. Paul, MN 55106
<br />(651)772 -7925
<br />art.widerstrom(a).dnr.state.mn
<br />4. Anoka County Soil & Water
<br />Conservation District
<br />16015 Central Avenue NE
<br />Ham Lake, MN 55304
<br />(763) 434 -2030 ext. 10
<br />5. Kunde Company
<br />2311 Wood bridge St., Suite 170
<br />Roseville, MN 55113
<br />(651)484 -0114
<br />kundeco(d,isd.net
<br />www.kundeco.com
<br />7
<br />6. Jeff Perry
<br />Natural Resource Specialist
<br />Anoka County Parks
<br />1350 Bunker Lake Boulevard
<br />Andover, MN 55304
<br />(763)767 -2896
<br />www.co.anoka.mn. us /departments/
<br />park-red
<br />7. Bob Quist and/or Jim Mattson
<br />Oliver Kelley Farm
<br />W. Highway #10 East
<br />Elk River, MN 55330
<br />(763)441 -6896
<br />j im.matts onmnhs. ore
<br />bob.quist @mnhs.org
<br />www.nuihs.ore
<br />8. Dan Gillman
<br />Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture
<br />Agronomy and Plant Protection
<br />Services Division
<br />(651)296 -0592
<br />www.mda.state.mn.us
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