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Home My WebLink About2025-0102 Jan-FebVolume 28, Issue 1 January/February 2025 Each year the City Council is required by state law to adopt an annual budget and submit a property tax levy certification to Anoka County Property Records and Taxation Division. The deadline for the 2025 budget was December 28th. The 2025 Budget and Tax Levy certification were adopted by the City Council at the December 3, 2024 regular meeting. The 2025 Budget and Levy certification are the outcomes of budget workshops with the Council and numerous staff meetings. The overall City of Andover 2025 Budget proposes total revenues of $44,972,145 and total expenditures of $51,594,341. The $6,622,196 of expenditures over revenues is largely due to street reconstruction projects ($4,070,879), trail projects ($1,324,025), equipment expenditures ($1,073,807) and other offsetting increases/decreases in other funds. The 2025 Proposed Property Tax Levy is proposed to increase the City’s gross tax levy by 12.75%. That levy will be applied to the City’s growing tax base and will reflect a 12.71% increase in the current City tax rate. The focus of the 2025 Budget and Levy is to address inflationary items, capital replacements, an infusion of funds into the street improvement program and address staff retention. This article contains the City of Andover 2025 Budget in summary form, a property tax rate comparison and various charts and graphs. For further information on the City of Andover 2025 Budget, please view on the City website www. andovermn.gov or call the City Administrator, Sarah Cotton at (763) 767-5110. ANDOVER TODAY NEWSLETTER CITY OF ANDOVER 2025 BUDGET & CERTIFIED 2025 PROPERTY TAX LEVYCITY OF ANDOVER 2025 BUDGET & CERTIFIED 2025 PROPERTY TAX LEVY Property tax rate comparison and varous charts and graphs can be found on page 4. Revenues: $15,218,547 Revenues: $2,517,718 Revenues: $5,735,441 Revenues: $12,523,306 Revenues: $7,007,532 Revenues: $1,969,601 Expenditures: $15,718,155 Expenditures: $3,634,168 Expenditures: $4,220,262 Expenditures: $19,266,214 Expenditures: $6,835,691 Expenditures: $1,919,851 - General Government - EDA - G.O. CIP Bonds - Water Trunk - Sewer Fund - Central Equipment / Maint. - Drainage & Mapping - G.O. Street Recon Bonds - Sewer Trunk - Public Safety - LRRWMO - G.O. Equip Certificates - Road & Bridge - Water Fund - Risk Management - Forestry - G.O. Referendum Bonds - Trail & Transportation - Public Works - ROW Mgmt / Utility - G.O. Abatement Bonds - Cap Equip Reserve - Storm Sewer Fund - Construction Seal Coating - Tax Increment - Other - Community Center - Park Dedication - Local Affordable Housing Aid - PIR Projects - Charitable Gambling - Building - CARES Act / ARPA Funding - CIP / Street Recon Bond Projects - Equipment Certificates Fund Definitions General Fund - accounts for the revenues and expenditures necessary to carry out basic governmental activities of the City such as general government, public safety, public works, and other. Special Revenue Funds - accounts for revenue sources that finance particular functions and projects. Debt Service Funds - accounts for the accumulation of resources for, and the payment of general long-term debt. Capital Projects Funds - accounts for the acquisition or construction of major capital facilities financed mainly with governmental fund sources, general obligation debt, special assessments, and other Enterprise Funds - accounts for activities that consist of rendering services or providing goods to the public for which a fee or charge is collected. Internal Service Funds - accounts for goods and services that are provided to other City departments, or to other governments, on a cost reimbursement basis. Governmental Funds Proprietary Funds CITY OF ANDOVER City of Andover - Budgeted Funds 2025 Budget Summary By Fund Type Total Revenues: $44,972,145 Total Expenditures: $51,594,341 Enterprise Funds Internal Service FundsGeneral Fund Special Revenue Funds Debt Service Funds Capital Projects Funds ANDOVER CITY OFFICIALS MAYOR Jamie Barthel (612) 669-7512 cm.barthel@andovermn.gov COUNCIL MEMBERS Rick Engelhardt (612) 889-8097 cm.engelhardt@andovermn.gov Scott Schue (763) 276-3493 cm.schue@andovermn.gov Jonathan Shafto (651) 387-2728 cm.shafto@andovermn.gov CITY HALL 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW Main Phone: (763) 755-5100 Fax Number: (763) 755-8923 COMMUNITY CENTER 15200 Hanson Boulevard NW Main Phone: (763) 755-3238 Email: accinfo@andovermn.gov POLICE & FIRE All Emergencies: 911 Police: (763) 427-1212 Fire: (763) 755-9825 CITY OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED THE FOLLOWING DATES:Wednesday, January 1st Monday, January 20th Monday, February 17th Do you have a desire to give back to the community? Consider volunteering with the Anoka County Community Action Program (ACCAP). One of the programs offered through ACCAP is the Chores & More Program. This program assists seniors, ages 60 and older with housekeeping, minor home repairs and seasonal chores. For some people, Chores & More is a solution to a temporary situation such as an illness, injury or a recent hospital stay. For others, this program becomes an essential service to help people remain living safely and independently in their own homes. If you or someone you know is interested in these services, or if you are interested in volunteering, contact the ACCAP Chores and More staff at (763) 783-4767. ACCAP CHORES & MORE PROGRAMACCAP CHORES & MORE PROGRAM Sarah Cotton ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORTADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT A Warm Welcome I am excited to introduce myself as your new City Administrator. My name is Sarah Cotton, and I am honored to have been selected to serve the City of Andover. As I begin this journey, I want to take a moment to introduce myself and share a little about my background. I come to Andover with a strong passion for public service and a deep commitment to positively impacting the quality of life of Andover residents. I have had the privilege of working in local government for over 10 years, gaining valuable experience in financial management, policy development, communications, and human resources. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Minnesota State University Mankato and a Master of Public Administration from Hamline University. Before joining the City of Andover, I served in the roles of City Administrator and Finance Director for the City of Lino Lakes. This experience has given me a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by cities like ours, and I’m eager to bring this knowledge to Andover. I am excited to call this community home, and I look forward to working closely with all of you to continue the positive momentum you have here. Recognizing Our Outgoing Mayor and Councilmembers As we embark on this new chapter, I would also like to express my gratitude to our outgoing Mayor, Sheri Bukkila, and our departing Councilmembers, Ted Butler and Randy Nelson. Their leadership, dedication, and service have played an instrumental role in shaping the Andover community. We owe a great deal to their hard work and commitment to making Andover a wonderful place to live, work and grow. On behalf of the entire City, I thank them for their years of service and wish them all the best in their future endeavors. Welcoming Our Newly Elected Councilmembers I would also like to extend a warm welcome to our newly elected Councilmembers, Jonathan Shafto and Scott Schue. Their passion for our community and fresh perspectives will be invaluable as we move forward together. I am confident that with their leadership and collaboration, we will continue to make Andover a place where everyone can thrive. I look forward to working closely with them in the months and years ahead. Connecting with You One of my first priorities will be to get to know the community better, and I would love to hear from you. Whether through meetings, events or informal conversations, I am eager to listen and learn from each of you. Please do not hesitate to reach out, whether it’s a question, an idea or simply to introduce yourself. You can contact me at s.cotton@ andovermn.gov or (763) 767-5110. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you. I am excited about the future of Andover. Page 2 AndoverToday AndoverToday Page 3 NOTICE FOR CITY OF ANDOVERNOTICE FOR CITY OF ANDOVER NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (NPDES) PUBLIC MEETINGNATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (NPDES) PUBLIC MEETING The City of Andover is required to comply with the latest state storm water quality regulations as administered by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). The overall goal of this program is to improve the quality of stormwater runoff to keep our waterways clean for a healthier environment. The City accomplishes this by operating a series of Best Management Practices (BMP’s), which are found in the City’s dynamic Storm Water Pollution Prevention Program (SWPPP). A public informational meeting will be held Tuesday, February 4th at the City Council meeting at Andover City Hall. This will be preceded by a brief presentation on a stormwater related topic. Meeting Components: • The public will have an opportunity to make oral and/or written comments on the adequacy of the City’s program. To request a copy of the City’s SWPPP contact City Hall or visit the City’s website at www.andovermn.gov and follow the links: Your Government, Natural Resources, NPDES Phase II Program/Water Quality. • The City will consider comments received, modify its SWPPP accordingly and include them in its Annual Report to the MPCA. Every year the City prepares a 5 Year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) which identifies various street improvement projects. The type of improvement is based upon the existing roadways age and condition. The improvements, along with on-going routine maintenance, are completed to maintain and extend the condition and life cycle of the City’s roadway infrastructure. Three key improvements are the street reconstruction, full depth reclamation and mill and overlay projects. In accordance with the City’s Assessment Manual, 25% of the project costs for a standard street section are assessed to properties fronting or addressed along these projects. In 2025 these projects will improve approximately 12.7 miles of City streets. The following areas are part of the 2025 Street Reconstruction program: Xenia Street NW/Vintage Street NW/161st Avenue NW (C.P. 25-02A) and Indian Meadows 4th & 5 th Additions (C.P. 25-02B). The total length of street reconstruction improvements is approximately 2.7 miles. The following areas are part of the 2025 Full Depth Reclamation program: Meadows of Round Lake Area (C.P. 25- 11A), Fox Meadows & Indian Meadows (C.P. 25-11B), Pine Hills Addition (C.P. 25-11C) and Andover Commercial Park (C.P. 25-11D). The total length of full depth reclamation improvements is approximately 4.9 miles. The following areas are part of the 2025 Mill and Overlay program: Tulip Street NW (C.P. 25-12A), Kadlec Addition/ Oakwood Estates/White Oaks Country Estates/172nd Avenue NW (C.P. 25-12B) and Country Oaks West/Birch Pine Estates (C.P. 25-12C). The total length of mill and overlay improvements is approximately 5.1 miles. Further details and location maps for each project are available on the City’s website. An on-line viewer with this information can be accessed on the Engineering Department “Project Updates” webpage at https://www.andovermn.gov/148/Project-Updates or by scanning the QR code to the left. If you have questions regarding these projects, please contact David Berkowitz at (763) 767-5133 or Jason Law at (763) 767-5130 in the Andover Engineering Department. 2025 STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS2025 STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS HOLIDAY RECYCLINGHOLIDAY RECYCLING Corrugated Cardboard Boxes • Andover Recycle Center Holiday Lights • Andover City Hall Holiday Wreaths and Trees • Refuse/Recycling Hauler • Anoka County Compost Site Fines & Forfeits 0%Charges for Services 6% Property Taxes 80% License & Permits 5% Miscellaneous 1% Interest Income 1% Intergovernmental 6%Transfers 1% CITY OF ANDOVER 2025 General Fund Revenue Types Continued from Page 1 CITY OF ANDOVER 2025 BUDGET & CERTIFIED 2025 PROPERTY TAX LEVYCITY OF ANDOVER 2025 BUDGET & CERTIFIED 2025 PROPERTY TAX LEVY ϭϵ͘ϭϱϰ ϮϮ͘ϭϬϰ ϮϮ͘Ϯϰϯ Ϯϱ͘ϴϴϬ ϯϭ͘ϵϲϲ ϯϲ͘ϮϴϬ ϯϵ͘Ϭϰϵ ϯϵ͘ϰϲϬ ϯϵ͘ϲϯϮ ϰϬ͘Ϯϭϯ ϰϬ͘Ϯϲϲ ϰϭ͘ϳϳϱ ϰϭ͘ϴϲϰ ϰϯ͘ϯϲϱ ϰϰ͘Ϭϵϯ ϰϱ͘ϵϵϵ ϰϲ͘ϭϬϲ ϰϳ͘Ϭϯϴ ϱϯ͘ϳϰϯ ϳϮ͘ϱϰϬ ϭϬϬ͘ϭϭϴ Ϭ͘ϬϬϬ ϮϬ͘ϬϬϬ ϰϬ͘ϬϬϬ ϲϬ͘ϬϬϬ ϴϬ͘ϬϬϬ ϭϬϬ͘ϬϬϬ ϭϮϬ͘ϬϬϬ ,Ăŵ>ĂŬĞ >ŝŶǁŽŽĚ EŽǁƚŚĞŶ KĂŬ'ƌŽǀĞ ĂƐƚĞƚŚĞů ŶĚŽǀĞƌ ůĂŝŶĞ ŽŽŶZĂƉŝĚƐ ŽůƵŵďƵƐ >ŝŶŽ>ĂŬĞƐ ĞŶƚĞƌǀŝůůĞ >ĞǆŝŶŐƚŽŶ ŶŽŬĂ ĞƚŚĞů &ƌŝĚůĞǇ ZĂŵƐĞǇ ^ƉƌŝŶŐ>ĂŬĞWĂƌŬ ŝƌĐůĞWŝŶĞƐ ^ƚ͘&ƌĂŶĐŝƐ ŽůƵŵďŝĂ,ĞŝŐŚƚƐ ,ŝůůƚŽƉ dyZd / d z ͬ d K t E ^ , / W DhE//W>/d/^t/d,/EEK<KhEdz WƌŽƉŽƐĞĚϮϬϮϱŝƚǇdĂǆZĂƚĞŽŵƉĂƌŝƐŽŶ DƵŶŝĐŝƉĂůŝƚŝĞƐKŶůǇ PERCENTAGES ARE PROPORTIONAL TO REFLECT 100% RATHER THAN ACTUAL AMOUNT $4,409.40; EMV $435,300. County 29.279% City 35.207% School District 32.505% Other 3.009% CITY OF ANDOVER 2025 Proposed Tax Breakdown General Government 26.2% Public Safety 43.9% Public Works 29.3% Other 0.6% CITY OF ANDOVER 2025 General Fund Expenditures by Function Council 2.7% Administration 7.8%Newsletter 0.9%Human Resources 2.4% Attorney 5.5% City Clerk 5.2% Elections 2.2%Finance 9.4%Assessing 3.9%Information Systems 6.8% Planning & Zoning 14.2% Engineering 19.2% Facility Mgmt 19.8% CITY OF ANDOVER General Fund - General Government Expenditures Police Protection 57.0% Fire Protection 33.8% Protective Inspection 8.5% Emergency Management 0.6% Animal Control 0.2% CITY OF ANDOVER General Fund - Public Safety Expenditures Streets & Highways 22.9% Snow & Ice 20.1% Street Signs 5.0%Traffic Signals 1.0%Street Lighting 1.0% Street Lights - Billed 4.0% Parks & Recreation 40.2% Natural Resource Preservation 0.4% Recycling 5.4% CITY OF ANDOVER General Fund - Public Works Expenditures PERCENTAGES ARE PROPORTIONAL TO REFLECT 100% RATHER THAN ACTUAL AMOUNT $4,409.40; EMV $435,300. Page 4 AndoverToday AndoverToday Page 5 Website: www.AndoverMN.Gov/ACC • Email: accinfo@andovermn.gov • Main Phone: (763) 755-3238 The Andover Community Center offers drop-in activities open to the public, no pre-registration required. Admission is $7 per person. Cash, credit, ACC Punch Cards and Free Andover Resident Passes accepted for activity admission fees. Monthly activity calendars provide specific dates and times of ACC activities listed below. Visit www.AndoverMN.Gov/ACC for more information. In June 2024, QCTV, in partnership with the Morris and Leatherman Company, completed a survey of cable subscribers, which showed strong growth in brand awareness and viewer engagement. We at QCTV know that there is a demand for City information in video form, and our survey shows this demand has increased substantially in recent years. It has been our privilege to produce this video content for residents of Andover, Anoka, Champlin and Ramsey for over forty years, and we are pleased to see an increased awareness of our work in these great communities! We would like to thank all of our viewers for their continued support of QCTV and local media! We are excited to bring you great new stories in 2025! Source: Cable Subscriber Survey, 400 resp., Morris Leatherman Co., June 2024, paid for by QCTV. Learn more at www.QCTV. org QCTV SURVEYS CABLE SUBSCRIBERSQCTV SURVEYS CABLE SUBSCRIBERS Want to do some winter citizen science? Hardy souls can help test for levels of chloride (salt) in waterbodies throughout the city. Volunteers receive chloride test strips to measure chloride levels three times throughout the winter in street runoff or a nearby waterbody, whichever is safer. Volunteers report results using the Izaak Walton League of America’s (IWLA’s) Clean Water Hub website or smartphone app: https://www. cleanwaterhub.org Chloride is a permanent pollutant. Just 1 teaspoon of salt can permanently pollute 5 gallons of water! Chloride pollution alters water chemistry so is harmful to aquatic life. Over 50 Minnesota waterbodies have chloride levels above State standard. Let’s keep Coon Creek below the standard. Join the national Salt Watch project! https://www.iwla.org/water/ stream-monitoring/salt-watch HELP MONITOR OUR WATER FOR SALT POLLUTION!HELP MONITOR OUR WATER FOR SALT POLLUTION! ADULT HOCKEY - Weekday Adult Open Hockey 16+. Gloves and helmets are required. Goalies skate FREE. BASKETBALL - All ages shoot hoops. No full court games, team practices or training equipment allowed. ½ court games allowed if space allows. OPEN SKATE - All ages welcome. Skate rental available for $4 per pair, sizes available youth 8 – adult 13. Skate sharpening available $6 per pair. PICKLEBALL - Drop-in open pickleball times include weekday, evening and weekend hours. Graphite paddle rental available $3 ea. Skills & Drills and Teaching Moments are also offered, visit website for more information. TOT TIME OPEN GYM - Tot-Time is a non-structured indoor playtime for youth ages 6 & under. No need to pre- register, attend when it works for you! Meet new friends, socialize, and let the kids play with age appropriate toys and sports equipment. Tot-Time meets most Mondays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Admission is $5 per child. See monthly calendars for specific activity dates. Tot Time does not meet on days District #11 is not in session. VOLLEYBALL - Volleyball is for participants who are 14 years of age or older. WALKING TRACK - The indoor walking/ jogging track is open daily from 6:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Admission is free for Andover residents, however, those utilizing the track between the hours of 6:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday must check in at the information desk to show proof of residency. Create your household account at www.AndoverMN.Gov/ACC for easy check-in. Individuals using the track evenings and weekends are not required to check-in. Non-resident admission fees are $2 per person, Monday – Friday, 6:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. ACTIVE OLDER ADULTS - FOREVER WELL - A number of activities are available for active older adults to participate in while at the Andover YMCA Community Center. The Forever- well Newsletter link can be found on the Community Center’s website under Older Adult Activities You do not need to be a member of the YMCA to participate in many of these activities. GOLF/MULTI-SPORT SIMULATOR - Now open at the Andover Community Center! Reservations required at https:// www.andovermn.gov/532/Simulator. The cost is $40/hr + tax. SPRING PROGRAMS - Registration and information for spring programs will be available at www.AndoverMN. Gov/ACC. Programs will include Indoor Turf Soccer; ages 4 - 9 and Ice Skating Lessons; ages 3 - 15. PARK PLACEPARK PLACE Hopefully everyone had a great holiday season and has been enjoying the mild winter so far. Even though we are in the middle of the winter season, City staff is working hard on the final steps in some exciting park and trail improvement projects for 2025. Many of these projects start as ideas brought to the Park & Recreation Commission. The Commission meets once to twice a month to discuss park and trail related items such as improvement, new additions, replacement needs and many other items. If you have suggestions related to our parks and trails, I encourage you to attend a Park & Recreation Commission meeting. Schedules and agendas can be found on the City of Andover’s website www.andovermn.gov. A large addition to the park system for 2025 is a reservable shelter at Pine Hills North Park. It is under construction currently and expected to be completed in the spring of 2025. This shelter has a covered seating area, indoor bathrooms and a small room with a service window and sink. It is a perfect spot for birthday parties or graduation parties. Look for more details about reservations on our website and social media soon as we get closer to completion. Another addition to our trail system will be the construction of a trail along Coon Creek off Prairie Road NW. This trail will run east along the creek from Prairie Road NW and have multiple connections to the neighborhoods along the creek. At the east end, there will also be a bridge connection across Coon Creek to the Shadowbrook Neighborhood. Engineering staff are currently working on plans and staff hopes to see the project completed by the end of 2025. This trail was made possible by funding provided by the Mn DNR Local Trail Connection Grant that the City was awarded. Each year, Parks Department staff inspect and maintain forty-three playgrounds in the various City parks to ensure they are safe for users. This will soon be forty-four with the addition of a new park and playground scheduled to be installed in the Fields of Winslow Cove development in 2025. A large portion of this maintenance is ensuring that these structures are replaced on a timely basis per industry standards to ensure the safety of all users of the playgrounds. Even though equipment may look good from a distance, it is the things we cannot see that can cause the biggest safety concerns. Parts rust from the inside and can make welds and joints weak, leading to failure and potential injuries. For this reason, we inspect every piece of all our playgrounds twice a year and try to stay to a consistent replacement schedule based on age and inspection findings. Replacing playground equipment is an expensive endeavor and prices continue to rise. Because of this, staff has taken advantage of grant programs offered by the manufacturer. This has been a great program and has allowed us to better replace our playgrounds within budget, without having to downsize due to the drastic cost increases. The only downfall is the funding for this program runs out quickly, and there are only a limited number of selections for qualifying equipment. Because of this, the Park & Recreation Commission and Staff must move quickly when the grant program opens. For the 2025 playground replacements and the additional new playground, staff obtained $194,747.50 in grant funding which goes along way in providing great play structures in these parks. For further information regarding the Andover parks, free park maps are available at City Hall, or visit the City of Andover’s website at www.andovermn.gov If you are interested in one of the County parks, visit the Anoka County website at http://www.anokacountyparks.com. If you have questions about any of these projects or parks in general, feel free to contact myself, Jason Baumunk at (763) 767-5178, or Terry Seeger, Park Maintenance Lead at (763) 767-5177 with the Andover Parks Department. COMMUNITY GARDEN UPDATE COMMUNITY GARDEN UPDATE Community Garden sign-up for Andover residents (or non- residents that are employed within the City limits) begins Monday January 6, 2025. Applications and fee must be submitted to City Hall. One plot per address can be purchased at this time. Applications available on the City website at www.andovermn.gov. The fee for each plot is $50, which goes towards the maintenance costs of the site. Guidelines and rules are implemented to help with a successful gardening experience. Exciting news! Organics (food waste) recycling will be coming soon to the Andover Recycling Center. Additional information about the program will be shared on the city website and facebook page once all the details have been finalized. Visit the Andover Recycling Center web page for more information www.andovermn.gov/recycling. ORGANICS COMING TOORGANICS COMING TO ANDOVER RECYCLING CENTER! ANDOVER RECYCLING CENTER! Page 6 AndoverToday Jason Baumunk. Parks & Streets Operations Manager Pine Hills North Park Shelter AndoverToday Page 7 WINTER REMINDERS FROM PUBLIC WORKSWINTER REMINDERS FROM PUBLIC WORKS SNOWPLOW OPERATIONS - The City of Andover follows the Snow Removal and Ice Control Policy as closely as possible. This policy can be found on the City of Andover website at www.andovermn.gov. Snow accumulations of 2” or more will warrant full snowplowing operations. This includes all streets, cul-de-sacs and trails. There are times when plows will be sent out for snow falls less than 2” if there is a potential of drifting or icing that could create hazardous driving conditions. Commencement of Snow and Ice operations will normally start as close to the end of the snow event when possible. Typically, this is in the early morning hours when traffic is at a minimum. At times, main heavily traveled streets will be plowed daytime hours during the storm to keep them passable with a full plow to follow overnight. For the safety of everyone, we do not typically plow between 5:00 pm and 10:00 pm due to the heavy traffic on the roadways. This also allows us to utilize limited staffing most efficiently to ensure we have enough drivers to do a full plow in a timely, safe manner. MAILBOX REQUIREMENTS - The base of the box should be 48-50” above street level. The post should be 20” back from the curb. The face of the mailbox should line up with the curb. The snowplow wing needs the 48” height clearance to avoid hitting the box and the 20” from the curb to clear the post. The City does NOT assume liability for mailboxes damaged during plowing operations, unless it is determined the plow made direct contact with a mailbox that is properly installed using the standard 4 x 4 post and metal box requirements. Decorative mailboxes are not within the requirements and will not be replaced if damaged. The mailbox should be secured to the base and post and the post securely in the ground, no rotting wood. There should not be any plastic newspaper tubes or attachments to the mailbox below the 44” minimum height requirement. (See mailbox placement diagram on the City website at www. andovermn.gov). TRAILS are plowed during the regular scheduled working shift except for trails within a 2-mile radius of a school. These trails are plowed as soon as possible during regular plowing operations. CUL-DE-SACS are plowed by smaller snow removal vehicles. You may notice the large plow truck will clear one path while turning around in the cul-de-sac, but the smaller plows will clear the street curb to curb. Plow operators try to evenly distribute snow throughout the cul-de-sac, but limited space makes it difficult. Reminder to keep cul-de-sacs clear of all sports equipment such as hockey nets and basketball hoops. Plow operators cannot leave the vehicle to move objects left in the road. DO NOT plow, shovel or blow snow ONTO or ACROSS any public roadway. Minnesota State Statue 160.27 - The Minnesota Department of Transportation reminds everyone it is against State law to deposit snow onto a public roadway. Dumping or plowing snow onto a roadway can create a slippery area, frozen rut or bump, which has the potential to contribute to a motor vehicle or pedestrian accident. MN Statue 160.27 and many local ordinances prohibit the plowing, blowing, shoveling, or otherwise placing of snow from sidewalks, driveways and parking lots onto public roadways. The public is cautioned that violations are misdemeanors and civil liability can extend to both the property owner and the person/company who placed the snow improperly. GARBAGE CANS/RECYCLE BINS should be placed approximately 2 feet behind the curb IN the driveway. Plow operators cannot leave the vehicle to move objects left in the road. SPRINKLER SYSTEMS placed in the curb right-of-way are not the responsibility of the City if damaged during snowplowing operations. NO PARKING on any City street after 2 inches or more snowfall until the streets have been plowed curb to curb. The City of Andover observes a parking ordinance during the winter months, which is NO PARKING on any City street between the hours of 1:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. from November 1st to April 15th. Cars parked or left unattended in a City street during plowing operations will be tagged and towed. CITY PARK parking lots that are NOT required to stay open during winter months and most will not be plowed. STAKING CURBS FOR SNOWPLOWING – During the first couple snowfalls it can be very difficult for the plow drivers to determine where the edge of the road is. Placing wooden stakes along the edge of the curb helps guide the plow operator to establish where the edge of the street is. Stakes should be wood with the top 4 inches painted orange. (NO STEEL POSTS) Place stakes no more than 6 inches behind the curb, approximately 25 feet apart. The City is not responsible for damage to items placed in the right-of-way including, but not limited to, sod, landscaping, irrigation systems and other such items. The right-of-way is there to place snow as it is plowed off the street. OUTDOOR ICE RINKS are cleared and maintained as quickly as possible after a snow event. Plowing streets and trails is our priority before we clear the outdoor rinks. During heavy snow, or multiple day events rinks will often remain closed. Please help us maintain them easier by not shoveling piles of snow against the boards. The piles freeze into place making it difficult to clear them in an efficient and timely manner. Check the City of Andover website at www.andovermn.gov for up-to-date information on the status of the ice rinks and warming houses. ECRWSS RESIDENT Andover, MN 55304 POSTMASTER: TIME SENSITIVE MAIL 1685 Crosstown Blvd. N.W. Andover, MN 55304 DATED MATERIAL PRSRT STD U.S. PostagePAID Permit No. 26 Anoka, MN Page 8 AndoverToday Holidays and District #11 school breaks warming house hours are: Monday-Friday 1:00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m. • Monday, Tuesday & Thursday - (Andover Huskies Youth Hockey Association), 4:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. • Wednesday & Friday – 4:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. • Saturday & Sunday – 1:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. PARK LOCATION WARMING HOUSE HOCKEY RINK SKATING RINK Prairie Knoll 595 - 146th Lane X X X Crooked Lake School 2939 Bunker Lake Boulevard X X X Hawkridge 18001 Verdin Street X X X City Complex East/West 1885 Crosstown Boulevard X X X Nordeens 15535 Juniper Street X Hidden Creek North 2620 Bunker Lake Boulevard X SLIDING HILL Andover Station North 1823 - 139th Lane Lighted Prairie Knoll 595 - 146th Lane Lighted 2025 ICE SKATING RINKS AND SLIDING HILLS WARMING HOUSE HOURS OF OPERATION AND RINK ATTENDANTS ***All City legal notices are published in the City’s official newspaper, the Anoka County Union.***