Open Streets on 50th
The City of Edina will close West 50th Street between Wooddale Avenue in Edina and Chowen Avenue in Minneapolis along with France Avenue from 49½ Street to 51st Street Sunday, Sept. 24, for the third-annual “Open Streets on 50th” event. Final preparations for the event are in full swing. We have a total of 69 vendors, plus six food options. The number of vendors is up by four booths from 2016.
SWAT Team Honored
Edina’s SWAT Team took the 2017 Minnesota Tactical Officers Association’s Top Team Award, along with third-place finishes in the physical agility challenge (The Iron Man) and the Top Gun firearms competition. Officer Darin Cizek took second place in the sniper competition. The annual competition is held at Camp Ripley.
Braemar Arena & Field
Staff from the Public Works and Parks & Recreation departments are planning the installation of the dome over Braemar Field. The dome will be installed sometime in mid-October.
Staff are also busy removing the futsal court in preparation for installing ice in the Backyard Rink.
The replacement of the south condenser is tentatively slated for Oct. 16. This includes some additional piping to increase efficiency and removal/install of the ice sheet.
The start of Skate School has been smooth. There are a couple of classes that have been combined and some movement of students from one course to another. Kathleen Gazich does a wonderful job with this and works closely with the instructors and families to find the best fit for them.
Pickleball
Rosland Park Pickleball Courts will host a Pickleball Tournament 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, for the Minnesota Recreation and Park Association (MRPA). This is MRPA’s second year hosting this event at Rosland Park.
Street Landscaping
City and Hennepin County staff having been working on landscaping improvements along York Avenue from Hazelton Road to 76th Street. A neighborhood meeting was conducted and input used to develop plans. Hennepin County landscape architects and the County Forester developed the plans with assistance from City staff. The plan calls for the planting of 130 trees within the center median areas. The trees will be furnished and installed by Hennepin County. The City will assist with watering and will be responsible for ongoing maintenance. The County intends to install the trees next fall.
Employee Update
Joan Waterstreet will wrap up her 32-year career for the City’s I.T. Division next week. We all wish Joanie well in her retirement. Joan’s replacement will begin his new job as the Senior I.T. Specialist on Oct. 9. His name is Carl Pearson. Carl is currently working at Hennepin County as a Senior IT Specialist. Prior to that, Carl worked at LOGIS as a system and Network Administrator.
Public Works Utilities Supervisor Gary Wells has announced his retirement after 23 years of service. Gary’s final day with us will be March 16, 2018.
Solar Gardens
On Monday, Sept. 18, our Sustainability Coordinator and our partners, Cooperative Energy Futures and MN Interfaith Power & Light, spoke at the Annual MN ASHRAE Energy Expo about our Edina Community Solar Garden. The Edina Community Solar Garden will be the first rooftop solar garden of its size to be constructed on a city building and be fully subscribed to by city residents. We spoke to the inception of and lessons learned to make this partnership a model for other communities to invest in renewable energy.
Update on the Community Solar on Public Works: Building permits and paperwork are being completed! The build will be done this season.
Edinborough Park
Planning is under way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Edinborough Park on Friday, Oct. 6. Entertainment and activities will take place throughout the day and special offers will be available for daily admissions and on the purchase of annual memberships for Adventure Peak and the pool and track.
Fix-It Clinic
On Sept. 9, Hennepin-Southdale Area Library hosted Hennepin County’s Monthly Fix-It Clinics. More than 100 people brought in 150 items, of which at least 106 were either fixed or are on their way to being fixed. That means we had a 71 percent fix rate, and diverted at least 972 pounds from the waste stream. This was such a success, that Edina will host the County’s Fix-It Clinic May 12 at the Edina Senior Center.
Edina Energy Fair
The Energy & Environment Commission will be host the highly anticipated Edina Energy Fair on Saturday, Oct. 7. Mayor Jim Hovland will kick-off the event with a welcome speech. The event begins at 9 a.m. at the Braemar Clubhouse.
2017 Fall Town Hall Meeting
Just a reminder that the 2017 Fall Town Hall Meeting will be held 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 19, at a location to be determined.
Ike Fund
Thank you to everyone who supported the Go Fund Me campaign for K-9 Ike. The goal was to raise $8,500 to purchase a new K-9, which would also allow Officer Mike Bengston and Ike to stay together. To date, the campaign has raised just over $12,000. As for securing another K-9, we will work with our vender and reserve a spot in St. Paul’s next K-9 training course in the early spring of 2018. This will allow for Ike to become more acclimated to retirement and address Ike’s medical condition.
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