In Touch, October 2015

City of New Hope

A publication of the city of New Hope, Minnesota � www.ci.new-hope.mn.us

October 2015Number 193

City of New Hope, Minnesota � October 2015

Some highlights of this issue include:

Learn More About It...New Hope Parks and Recreation

Centra Homes ParkviewNew home construction is underway

Scattered Site Housing ProgramReplacing blighted properties

In Business• Apartment complexes completed• Sign code reviewed

Luxury apartment proposalAt city-owned site next to golf course

Employee of the QuarterOffi cer Nichole Korth recognized

23

5

A great place to grow!

4401 Xylon Avenue NorthNew Hope, MN 55428

4

Prsrt Std

U.S. Postage

PAID

Twin Cities, MN

Permit No. 2330

Current resident or

68

The New Hope Hy-Vee grocery store

opened for business on Tuesday, September 22. Mayor Kathi Hemken and other city offi cials participated in the rib-bon cutting. Hy-Vee's gas station and conve-nience store began op-eration on August 25.

The city of New Hope purchased the 14-acre former K-mart site in July 2012 and cleared the site in preparation for redevelopment the following January. In February 2014, three developers presented proposals for the site and the City Council selected the Hy-Vee proposal. Th e city closed on the sale of the property in September and construction began in November 2014.

Hy-Vee is an employee-owned grocery store chain with 240 stores in eight midwestern states. Th e 90,000 square foot New Hope store, and a store in Oakdale that opened the same day, mark Hy-Vee's entry into the Twin Cities grocery market.

Th e New Hope store has hired about 630 employees, including about 150 full-time employees.

For more information about the New Hope Hy-Vee, visit www.hy-vee.com and search for "New Hope."

New Hope Hy-Vee is open for business!

(continued on page 3)

City Council considers New Hope’s police station and city hall space needs

The current New Hope city hall

and police depart-ment were origi-nally built in 1968. Additions were made in 1973 and 1992 and remodel-ing projects were completed in 1984 and 1994. After nearly 50 years, however, the build-ing is showing its age, and the police station, in particular, is bursting at the seams.

In early 2013, the City Council autho-rized a space needs assessment of New Hope’s police station and city hall facilities. Th e city hired Wold Archi-tects, a fi rm with expertise in evaluat-ing and designing municipal buildings, to complete that assessment. Th e con-sultant worked fi rst with city staff and later with a citizen task force to evaluate the condition and functionality of the current building, assess the space needs of the police department and other city hall departments, and recommend a

course of action if it was determined that an updated building is required.

Space Needs AssessmentWold Architects began by doing a de-tailed assessment of the condition of the existing city hall and the police sta-tion which is located in the lower level. Th ey surveyed and interviewed city staff members to evaluate how well existing facilities were meeting their needs and to calculate the space needs of each de-partment currently housed at city hall.

Work continues on infrastructure improvements along 45th Avenue and Xylon Avenue north of city hall. Streetscape improvements in-cluding pergolas, benches, banner columns, ornamental fencing and an electronic reader board at Xylon and 42nd will also be installed in the coming weeks. And, lots of pe-rennials, shrubs and trees will beau-tify the streetscape in City Center.

Street improvements too...

Th e New Hope Hy-Vee grocery store was extremely busy on opening day, Tuesday, September 22.

Mayor Kathi Hemken (in red) helped Hy-Vee store director Tony Taylor with the ribbon cutting as New Hope council members, Hy-Vee staff , and customers looked on.

New Hope's city hall and police station are nearly 50 years old.

Special materials drop-off is October 10

The Hennepin Recycling Group, which includes the city of New

Hope, will hold a drop-off event from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 10. Th e drop-off site is lo-cated at the Brooklyn Park mainte-nance facility, 8300 Noble Ave. N.

Items accepted at no charge:• paper, shredded paper and cardboard

• electronics (TVs, stereos, computers, monitors, printers, cell phones, etc.) NOTE: Th is is the last time HRG can accept electronics for no fee!• used oil, oil fi lters, antifreeze

• batteries - household and auto

• scrap metal (steel, brass, aluminum items, remove non-metal parts)

Items accepted for a small fee:• carpet and carpet pad ($10/load)

• mattress, boxspring ($15/item)

• tires ($2 each for car or pickup size)

• appliances (dishwasher, stove, etc.) $10 each, residential AC $15

For more details, call 763-493-8006 or visit www.hrg-recycling.com.


Learn more about it: New Hope Parks and Recreation

Council adopts 2016 preliminary budget and levy

Th e Parks and Recreation Department has a staff of nine, plus parks maintenance workers.

At New Hope's popular Safety Camp program, kids learn about safety while having lots of fun.


Kathi [email protected]

John ElderCouncil [email protected]

Andy Hoff eCouncil Member763-537-2647ahoff [email protected]

Eric LammleCouncil [email protected]

Frequently Called City NumbersGeneral Telephone ........... 763-531-5100

Inspections ...........................763-531-5127building permits, complaints

Parks and Recreation ........763-531-5151

Public Works .......................763-592-6777sewer backup, snowplowing, forestry

Utility Billing ........................763-592-6760

Police (non-emergency) ....763-531-5170

TTY (through MN Relay) ...651-602-9005

Kirk McDonaldCity [email protected]

City Hall Address 4401 Xylon Avenue NorthNew Hope, MN 55428

City Websitewww.ci.new-hope.mn.us

Tell us what you think...24-Hour Opinion Line .... 763-531-5102E-mail [email protected]

Jonathan LondonCouncil [email protected]

The job of the New Hope Parks and Recreation Department

is to make sure that residents have ample opportunities to get out and get active!

Th e Parks and Recreation Depart-ment has an annual budget of $3.9 million in 2015 (including a Park Infrastructure Levy of $304,880). Th e department has seven full-time staff , two part-time staff , and about 200 seasonal staff .

Th e Parks and Recreation Depart-ment’s many activities fall into three main areas: recreation programs, recreation facilities, and parks.

Recreation ProgramsNew Hope Parks and Recreation of-fers programs for participants with a wide variety of interests, ranging in age from preschoolers to seniors.

In 2014, 8,855 participants registered for almost 500 program sessions of-fered by the department. New Hope collaborates with several surrounding communities – particularly Crystal and Robbinsdale – to broaden the range of programs available to residents and reduce costs. And, New Hope teams up with Robbinsdale Area Schools to off er more than a dozen youth sports camps during the summer months and school breaks.

Programs for youth include sports instruction, science and technolo-gy, arts and crafts, and more. Some of the most popular programs with the largest participation include dance, gymnastics, ice skating and swimming lessons. Several well attended special events for youth and families include Vehicle Fair and Bike Rodeo in May, an outdoor musical each July and August in collaboration with Off Broadway Musical Th eatre (OBMT), Safety

Camp and Wet and Wild Water Fun Day in August, and Movies in the Park scheduled throughout the summer.

Popular programs for adults and se-niors include CPR and defensive driv-

ing instruction, golf, tennis, and adult fi tness, informative “Donut Make You Wonder” coff ee klatches, “Tripster” day trips, and more.

If there is a new class that you would like to see New Hope Parks and Rec-reation off er or if you have skills you would like to share as a class instructor, the department would love to hear your idea. Visit the “Suggest a New Recre-ation Class” page on the city’s website.

Recreation FacilitiesNew Hope Parks and Recreation Department staff operate New Hope

Village Golf Course, New Hope Ice Arena, and Milton C. Honsey Outdoor Pool. Th e department also jointly operates New Hope Community Gyms with Robbinsdale Area Schools.

Th e New Hope Village Golf Course is a beautiful, carefully-maintained, par-3, nine-hole course located at 8130 Bass Lake Road. Th e course is not too intimidating for duff ers, but its mature trees, water hazards and sand traps provide suitable challenges for more experienced golfers. Th ere are ample opportunities for open golf. Tee times can be reserved on teemaster.com or by calling the clubhouse at 763-531-5178. Th e course has leagues and lessons for both youth and adults. And, it’s a great place for families, organizations or businesses to hold their golf tournament.

Th e New Hope Ice Arena, located at 4949 Louisiana Avenue N., has two standard 200x85 foot rinks, an indoor walking track, and a community room. Th e arena is home to both the Arm-strong Cooper boys and girls hockey teams, Armstrong Cooper Youth Hockey, Upper Midwest High School Elite Hockey, and New Hope Skating School. Signifi cant updates and energy-effi ciency improvements were made at the arena in 2012 and a dryland train-ing area was added in 2014.

The 2016 New Hope preliminary budget and tax levy were adopted

by the City Council and certifi ed to the Hennepin County Auditor earlier this month.

Th e 2016 preliminary general fund bud-get is $12,865,300, which is an increase of $798,669 over 2015. Th e total prelim-inary tax levy is $10,813,014, which is a $710,847 or 7.04% increase over 2015. Th e estimated overall impact of the city tax levy on residential properties ranges from $52 to $96 per year for market val-ues between $150,000 and $250,000.

Th e total preliminary tax levy includes $8,898,654 for the general fund, which is an increase of $633,244, or 7.6% over 2015. Th e preliminary levy also in-cludes 3% increases in both the street and park infrastructure levies to pro-vide additional funding for street and park improve-ments. And, the city will begin to pay off the debt for City Cen-ter streetscape improvements.

Major increases in the proposed general fund budget include approximately $435,000 for wage and ben-efi t increases, increases of about $180,000 in central ga-rage equipment

replacement and $41,000 in central garage operations, $107,000 to fund a third police investigator, $41,000 to fund elections, and an additional $25,000 for the city’s Emerald Ash Borer Program. Th e city is scheduled to receive $616,161 in local government aid (LGA) in 2016. Th at revenue will be utilized in the general fund to help off -set central garage equipment replace-ment costs. It will not be used to fund general city operations.

Th e City Council will continue to re-fi ne the budget and levy over the next few months. Th e fi nal budget and levy numbers can decrease, but they may not increase. Th e proposed budget and tax levy will be presented at a public hearing on November 30. Th e fi nal 2016 budget and tax levy will be ad-opted in December.

2015 Market Value

of Home

2015 Actual

2016 Estimated

Increase in Dollars

$150,000 $705 $756 $52$175,000 856 919 63$200,000 1,009 1,083 74$225,000 1,161 1,246 85$250,000 1,313 1,409 96The median home value is $185,000. The 2016 estimated tax represents a 4.4% increase in market value as the median change in residential market values.

Estimated tax impact on residential homesbased on proposed increase in 2016 city tax


When comparing the property taxes New Hope homeown-

ers pay in 2015 to comparably priced homes in nearby communities, the city’s property taxes appear to be a bit higher than average.

New Hope’s total tax capacity rate in 2015 is 55.978%, or sixth lowest of the nine communities. Th at ranking, however, does not take into account that New Hope is the only one of those communities that does not levy special assessments for street infrastructure improvement projects.

In most communities, when a street project is done adjacent to a property owner’s home, that property owner is

Unlike neighboring communities, New Hope includes street improvements in property tax levy

billed for at least a portion of that proj-ect’s cost. New Hope, instead, funds those projects through its annual street infrastructure levy. Th e cost of street improvements in New Hope is spread across all taxpaying properties. No tax-able properties are singled out for special assessments. Tax exempt properties such as schools and churches are assessed.

Removing New Hope’s street infra-structure levy from the tax capacity rate comparison puts it on an equal playing fi eld with neighboring communities. In that comparison, New Hope ranks third lowest in total tax capacity rate for 2015, at 47.423%, behind only Plymouth and Champlin. See the tables below.

City2015 Total Tax Capacity Rate

Plymouth 28.374%

Champlin 42.709%

Crystal 50.498%

Robbinsdale 51.134%

Golden Valley 54.626%

New Hope 55.978%

Brooklyn Park 57.494%

Hopkins 62.503%

Brooklyn Center 71.290%

2015 Tax Capacity Rate Comparison Including

Street Infrastructure Levy

City2015 Total Tax Capacity Rate

Plymouth 28.374%

Champlin 42.709%

New Hope 47.423%

Crystal 50.498%

Robbinsdale 51.134%

Golden Valley 54.626%

Brooklyn Park 57.494%

Hopkins 62.503%

Brooklyn Center 71.290%

2015 Tax Capacity Rate Comparison Without

Street Infrastructure Levy

Property Type

Home Value

Estimated 2016 Property

Taxes With Street Levy

Estimated 2016 Property Taxes Without

Street Levy

Street Levy Portion of

Property Taxes

Homestead $150,000 $707 $599 $108

Homestead $225,000 $1,164 $986 $178

Th e New Hope Street Levy Equates to About 15% of Your Local Property Taxes

Centra Homes has done extensive grading and is beginning to install

utilities at “Parkview,” its new single-family housing development near 55th and Winnetka avenues in New Hope.

When Robbinsdale Area Schools sold the former Winnetka Learning Center site to New Hope in 2013, it presented a rare opportunity for the city, which is fully developed, to create a new neigh-borhood. In early 2014, the city demol-ished the old school and cleared the site in preparation for redevelopment. At about that same time, the City Council chose Centra Homes as the preferred developer for the site.

Th e city closed on the sale of the prop-erty to Centra Homes at the end of June 2015. Centra Homes is one of the top 10 residential builders in the Twin Cities and is locally owned and man-aged. Th e developer will be building 60 new homes on the 17-acre site, which the developer is calling Parkview.

Th e project will include an exciting new housing type for New Hope – townhomes that are detached, each on its own lot, and association main-

townhomes will be located in the east-ern part of the development, near Win-netka Avenue.

Th e project will also include 29 dis-tinctive “step up” single-family homes. Th ose homes will be from 2,500 to 3,500 square feet in size and range in price from the high-$200,000s to the mid-$300,000s. Th e developer believes that these nicely appointed homes will be especially well suited for growing families looking to upgrade their home. Th ese traditional single-family homes will be located on the western portion of the new neighborhood.

Because Parkview is an entirely new neighborhood, Centra Homes is re-sponsible for installing the utilities and constructing the streets. Th at work began in August and the developer hopes to complete that infrastructure work this fall. For more information about Centra Homes and the new Parkview neighborhood in New Hope, visit www.centrahomes.com.

Construction underway on Centra Home’s new Parkview neighborhood

tained. Th ose 31 homes will be about 1,800 to 2,200 square feet in size and will be priced in the mid-$200,000s. Centra Homes believes that the typical buyer for these detached townhomes is likely to include young families, young professionals, or empty nester couples looking to downsize. Th e detached

In April 2013, Wold representatives began working with a core planning group of city staff that included the mayor, city manager, department direc-tors and other key personnel. Th e initial work of that core planning group in-volved refi ning space needs calculations, developing a vision for future city opera-tions, studying population and staff pro-jections, evaluating defi ciencies with the existing building, exploring site options, and reviewing cost estimates.

Wold Identifi es Defi cienciesWold has identifi ed an extensive list of defi ciencies with the current police station and city hall building, problems with both the facility’s infrastructure and what the consultant calls “pro-grammatic defi ciencies” – building amenities that are common in modern police stations and city halls but are either absent from New Hope’s current building or do not function eff ectively.

Th e consultant identifi ed a number of issues with the exterior roof and walls, the mechanical and electrical systems, and the accessibility of the current po-lice station and city hall:

❖ City hall’s fl at rubber membrane roof is deteriorating, resulting in frequent roof leaks in about a dozen locations through-out the building. Replacing the roof would cost about $200,000. Leaks in the foundation have also resulted in water seepage into basement storage areas.

❖ Exterior walls of the building are poorly insulated and portions of the mortar in the brick walls need to be repaired. Windows are ineffi cient and many are as old as the building.

❖ Th e heating and ventilation system has lots of problems. Temperature reg-ulation is often diffi cult – resulting in working conditions that are frequently uncomfortably hot or cold in many areas of the building. Th e system’s chiller uses R-22 refrigerant, which will no longer be manufactured beginning in 2020. Th e chiller tends to overheat and there are leaks in the refrigerant piping. Some components of the HVAC system are obsolete and no longer available, and the two rooftop ventila-tion units are 10 years beyond their life expectancy. Maintenance costs for the system have been about $40,000 a year over the last few years.

❖ Th e building’s main electrical ser-vice panels do not comply with current code. Many branch breaker boxes are full, and an inadequate number of elec-trical outlets in offi ce areas has resulted in extensive use of power strips and extension cords.

Th e consultant also identifi ed many areas in which the functionality and array of amenities provided in the ex-isting building fall far short of the stan-dard for newer municipal buildings, particularly in the police station.

Police❖ Th e police station lobby is very small and there are no interview rooms off the lobby. Consequently, there are no soft interview rooms to provide privacy for what are often sen-sitive conversations with offi cers;

Space Needs Study(continued from page 1)


Centra Home's detached townhomes will be a new type of housing for New Hope.

Learn more about the budget...

Th e 2016 City of New Hope pre-liminary budget document and the budget Powerpoint presentation are on the city's website. Th e budget Powerpoint provides a good sum-mary, and the budget document includes all the details.

Residents are also encouraged to at-tend the budget public hearing for the 2016 budget and tax levy at on November 30, 7 p.m., at City Hall.

Centra Homes is installing utilities and will begin constructing streets in the new Parkview neighborhood soon. City staff is currently reviewing plans for the fi rst two model homes.


and no hard interview room for conver-sations with criminal suspects, making it necessary to admit those individuals into the police offi ces.

❖ Th e squad room is also small – too small, in fact, for a full-shift roll call.

❖ Patrol offi cers have very limited space to write reports.

❖ Th e evidence storage area is over-fl owing and there is no evidence pro-cessing area. Th e area is not adequately ventilated and sealed, resulting in odors from seized property spreading into other areas of the building.

❖ Th e law requires that juvenile detain-ees be physically separated to prevent them from being exposed to the sights and sounds of adult suspects. Th is requirement can only be minimally achieved with the current booking and holding area.

❖ Th e police clerk’s area is very cramped and access to cubicles is con-strained. Six sergeants share an offi ce that was designed for two.

❖ Storage space for police records and other supplies is very inadequate.

❖ Th e police locker rooms are too small to accommodate the large volume of equipment that today’s offi cers are required to maintain and store. Lockers are undersized, and there is no area for duty bag storage. Th ere are currently more female police personnel than locker space available, and the women’s shower doubles as storage space.

❖ Th e existing police garage does not have enough parking stalls for the department’s vehicles. Th e SWAT truck and many other vehicles have to be parked outside or at other facilities. Squad cars need to be left idling in the winter to ensure that they will be ready to go when needed. Th e garage bays require vehicles to be parked two deep, and are very narrow, resulting in dam-age to vehicles.

City Hall❖ Th e public service counters for admin-istration/fi nance and community devel-opment are confusing and too big to be staff ed by one person. Th e parks and rec-reation counter is too small, particularly during high-volume signup periods.

❖ Th e public lobby area is small and the main fl oor hallways are narrow.

❖ Th ere are only two conference rooms, which is not enough for staff use. Th ere are no medium-sized confer-ence rooms. And there is very limited meeting room availability for groups associated with the city.

❖ Storage space is inadequate through-out city hall, including storage of sup-plies, fi les, and building plans. Th e council chambers and large conference room have no storage area for tables and chairs.

❖ Th ere are a number of security con-cerns throughout city hall and the po-lice station.

❖ And, there is no indoor parking for inspection vehicles at city hall.

How Much Space is Needed? Th e existing city hall and police station is about 26,750 square feet with about

This year, the city of New Hope has placed increased emphasis on its

scattered site housing program. Th e purpose of the program is to acquire small, outdated residential houses in poor condition and either renovate them or demolish them and sell the property to a home builder. City staff is currently working on redeveloping four residential properties acquired through the pro-gram with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. And this spring, the city worked with Hennepin County to amend the grant agreement that eliminates income restrictions on reuse of those CDBG funds.

Almost all of the properties that the city acquires through its scattered site housing program are bank-owned, foreclosed properties. In order for it to make fi nancial sense for the city to acquire and redevelop or rehabilitate a property, New Hope needs to buy it at a reduced price – below market rate. Th e city focuses on properties that are in poor or blighted condition, houses that are small, or whose design and ameni-ties no longer meet the expectations of today’s home buyers.

For the most part, New Hope uses Community Development Block Grant dollars as the primary source of fund-ing for its scattered site housing activi-ties. Th ose funds, which are provided by the federal government and admin-istered locally by Hennepin County, can be used in a variety of ways to im-prove housing and eliminate blight as long as certain criteria are met.

Until recently, one challenge the city of New Hope has faced when using CDBG funds was that residential properties acquired and redeveloped or rehabilitated through the program needed to be sold to income-qualifi ed home buyers – eff ectively limiting the value of the new or renovated home. Th is spring, New Hope successfully amended its CDBG grant agreement with Hennepin County to broaden how CDBG funds can be used. Under the terms of the amended agreement, it will be much more realistic for the city to acquire a substandard house, demolish it, and sell the vacant lot to a builder to construct a new, modern, market-rate single-family home.

New Hope city staff is currently work-ing on four scattered site housing projects at 5431 Virginia Avenue, 6059 West Broadway, 9121 62nd Avenue and 4415 Nevada Avenue.

Th e city purchased 5431 Vir-ginia Avenue N. from the Twin Cities Community Land Bank in December 2014. Th e house was built in 1954 and had only 590 square feet of living space on the main fl oor. Th e house was demolished in May and sold to home builder Novak-Fleck in July. In August, the builder began construction of a split-level, 2,400 square foot home with a three-stall garage on the property. Novak-Fleck has constructed many in-fi ll single-family homes in Crystal.

Th e city closed on 6059 West Broadway in November 2014. Although the city initially considered rehabilitat-ing the house, city staff ultimately rec-ommended the property be demolished because of the house’s obsolete fl oor plan, the high cost of renovation and a limited resale market for the updated property. Th at property was also de-molished in May.

Th e city became aware of 9121 62nd Avenue N., which was sold as part of an estate, through a realtor. Th e house was constructed in 1956 and, while it was in relatively good condition, it had not been updated since it was built. City staff was immediately interested in the property because the lot is large enough to be sub-divided into two standard lots. New Hope purchased the property in April and it will be demolished in September.

Th e city purchased the foreclosed prop-erty at 4415 Nevada Avenue N. in June. Th e house has been vacant for many years and the city has received com-plaints about the condition of the prop-erty. Like the property on 62nd Avenue, the Nevada property is large enough that it can be subdivided to create two build-able lots. Council approval of a lot vari-ance will be required before the lot can be split. Once the house is demolished and the site is cleared, however, it is likely that substantial grading will be required to create two buildable lots. City staff ex-pects to demolish the house this fall.

Th e city will begin the process to sub-divide the properties on 62nd Avenue and on Nevada Avenue this fall and has discussions with development partners purchasing the lots and building new homes on those four properties and the property at 6059 West Broadway.

For additional information about New Hope’s scattered site housing program, call Aaron Chirpich at 763-531-5114.

New Hope strives to replace blighted properties with new homes through its scattered site housing program

The city engineer is currently pre-paring fi nal plans and specifi ca-

tions for an innovative project that will capture, treat, and reuse storm water from the area around Northwood Park. Th e city plans to combine those storm water improvements with playground and trail improvements in an eff ort to reduce project costs and limit the dis-ruption caused by construction in New Hope’s most heavily-used park. Pend-ing fi nal City Council approval, the project is scheduled to begin in spring 2016.

Over the last 40 years, the city of New Hope has completed several storm water improvement projects to improve the water quality of Northwood Lake. Northwood Lake is on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Impaired Waters list due to excess nutrients.

In 1996, Barr Engineering prepared a management plan for Northwood Lake and its surrounding watershed (the land that drains into the lake). Th at plan identifi ed the area where the pro-posed storm water project is located as an area where water quality improve-ments should be considered to prevent the degradation of the water quality in the lake and downstream waters.

Storm water, playground and trail

improvements planned for Northwood Park Th e Bassett Creek Watershed Man-agement Commission (BCWMC), the regulatory agency for surface water that includes the southern half of New Hope, has identifi ed storm water im-provements at Northwood Lake as a priority and budgeted Capital Improve-ment Program funding for that project in 2016 and 2017.

Neighbors provide feedbackon improvement optionsPrevious storm water improvements around Northwood Lake have involved the construction of pre-treatment ponds. Sediment and excess nutrients settle out of storm water runoff into those ponds before the water fl ows into the lake. While those pre-treatment ponds are inexpensive to build, they have proven to be diffi cult for city staff to maintain and lack aesthetic value.

In summer 2014, when the city asked Northwood neighbors for feedback on several storm water improvement op-tions, the majority were not in favor of constructing a pre-treatment pond on the west side of Boone Avenue south of Ensign Avenue. While they strongly supported completing storm water



BEFORE: Th e house at 5431 Virginia was very small and had an outdated fl oor plan.

AFTER: Construction is well underway on a new 2,400 square foot home at 5431 Virginia Avenue.


In Business � October 2015

In 2014, the Minnesota Legislature ex-panded the state's recycling require-

ments. Commercial buildings in the seven-county metro area that generate four cubic yards or more of trash per week must begin recycling at least three materials by January 1, 2016.

A statewide study found that about 75 percent of the trash generated in Min-nesota is made up of paper, plastic, metal, glass, organics and other materi-als that are recyclable. Th at equals about 1.2 million tons of recyclables thrown away every year, worth $285 million.

Th e new law requires commercial build-ings with one or more business located in the seven county Twin Cities metro that generate four cubic yards of trash each week (one dumpster about 6'x4'x5' high) to recycle.

A minimum of three of the follow-ing materials must be collected: paper, glass, plastic, metal, organics, and other

Compass Pointe -

In August, tenants moved in to Compass Pointe, New Hope's newest

high-quality apartment complex.

Th e city purchased and demolished three blighted fourplexes near the cor-ner of 62nd and West Broadway in the late 1990s. In 2012, New Hope pur-chased the vacant gas station at 6113 West Broadway and demolished it to fi nish assembling the pieces for a suit-able redevelopment site.

New Hope began working with Ron Clark Construction in 2012, who was interested in building an apartment building on the site. In late 2013, the developer received federal tax credits from the the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency to fund the project. Construction began last July.

Compass Pointe is a 68-unit apart-ment building, varying in height from three to four stories, with a value of $13 million. Compass Pointe is workforce housing especially geared toward work-ing adults and young families. Because it was built with federal tax credits,

tenants must be income qualifi ed. Th e project is not subsidized housing, however, tenants pay all their rent.

Building amenities feature under-ground parking, a community room, a fi tness room, a tot lot and basketball court, an outdoor grilling area, and a professional on-site property manager.

Th ere is a very strong need for this kind of high-quality workforce housing with all the modern amenities. All of Com-pass Pointe's units were leased before the building opened and there is a wait-ing list of more than 500 prospective tenants waiting for units to open up.

Gates of New Hope - Residents also began moving in to a second new apartment building, Gates of New Hope, in August.

Gates of New Hope is a four-story, 32-unit apartment building at 9390 27th Avenue N. Th e secure building includes 15 one-bedroom, 14 two-bedroom, and 3 three-bedroom units.

For more information, visit gatesofne-whope.com.

Two apartment buildings completed in New Hope

New business recycling requirements takes effect soon

Ron Clark Construction modifi ed the south facade of Compass Pointe so that it varies from three to four stories to provide a better transition to the single-family neighborhood to the south.

recyclable materials. Single-sort (col-lecting multiple materials in one con-tainer) meets the requirement as long as three or more materials are collected.

Every business produces diff erent types and volumes of recyclables. It's a good idea to know what you are throwing away before you work with a hauler.

Hennepin County has resources avail-able to help businesses or organizations start or improve their recycling pro-grams. For more information visit www.hennepin.us and search for "business recycling" or call Andre Xiong at 612-543-1316. Another local recycling resource is rethinkrecycling.com

Offi cials from North Memorial and the city broke ground on North Memorial's New Hope Clinic on August 17. Th e clinic will be located just south of Hy-Vee, and North Memorial has a walk-in clinic inside the grocery store to provide basic health care. Th e foundation of the 14,000 square foot clinic has been poured and the steel skeleton of the building is being erected.

Development UpdateIndustrial Equities - 9449 Science Center Drive

Industrial Equities is proposing to con-struct a 48,000 square foot speculative industrial building at 9449 Science Center Drive. Th e building will replace a vacant industrial building in poor condition.

Th e new building will mimic a build-ing previously constructed by the de-veloper. Th e high-quaility, one-story, multi-tenant building will provide fl ex-ible space to meet the needs of poten-tial tenants.

Th e City Council approved the site plan for the project in July. Th e developer is currently working with the city on po-tentially obtaining fi nancial assistance for hazardous material abatement and demolition costs. Th e developer intends to begin demolition this fall and com-plete construction in spring 2016.

Council reviews business sign code issues

In February 2015, the City Council ap-proved changes to the city ordinance

that regulate building signs in commer-cial and industrial zoning districts. Th e Council is also currently considering loosening the restrictions on the use of temporary signs by businesses.

Building SignsPreviously, New Hope limited busi-nesses to 100 square feet of exterior signs on each side of a building, limited a single building occupant to two signs and multiple occupants to one sign each.

Th e city's planning consultant recom-mended that New Hope make its sign code more fl exible and consistent with other nearby cities.

Th e new sign code limits exterior busi-ness signs to 10 percent of a building's facade. Th e code now takes the size of the wall into consideration rather than capping the square footage of signsallowed. A comprehensive sign plan is required for buildings with two or more business occupants.

Buildings on a corner lot are allowed signs on two exterior walls, other com-mercial and industrial buildings may only have signs on one facade.

Temporary SignsTh e City Council is also considering changes to the sign code's limitations on the use of temporary signs by busi-nesses. Possible changes include in-creasing the number of temporary sign permits a business is allowed per year, decreasing the permit's length, and de-creasing the cost of each permit.

For more information about business sign code issues, contact Jeff Alger at 763-531-5119.

Lists businesses can useVisit the city of New Hope's website at www.ci.new-hope.mn.us/business for these helpful lists:

❖ A directory of New Hope busi-nesses arranged by address and by category.

❖ A list of available commercial, offi ce and industrial properties in New Hope.


The city of New Hope has

begun working with a developer toward potential redevelopment on the city-owned property adja-cent to the New Hope Village Golf Course at 8400 Bass Lake Road. Th e prospective developer, Alatus, shared its prelimi-nary concept for the site with the City Council and residents from the surrounding neighborhood at a special work session in early August. Alatus’ initial proposal is to construct about 150 to 180 luxury apartments on the site with a projected value of $24 to $31 million.

History of the SiteTh e city of New Hope purchased the Bass Lake Road Apartment property in 2008. Th e site contained fi ve small apartment buildings with a total of 60 units that were in various states of dis-repair. All of the buildings were razed in preparation for redevelopment.

In anticipation of purchasing the Bass Lake Road Apartment site, the city entered into an interim development agreement for a 120-unit, eight-story condominium project in 2006. Th at developer eventually withdrew its pro-posal. In 2007, the city entered into an interim agreement for a similar project. Th e housing market collapsed, and the agreement with that developer was terminated in 2009.

In December 2011, New Hope again sought redevelopment proposals for the site, but did not receive any interest. And, in 2013, the city’s redevelopment consultant, Ehlers, asked several devel-opers about what sort of project would be appropriate on the former Bass Lake Road Apartment site and whether they were interested in pursuing a project on the site.

What Type of Project is Best Suited for the Site?In April of this year the City Council discussed a broad range of options for development of the city-owned site ad-jacent to the golf course and directed city staff and consultants to consider luxury apartments, higher-valued sin-gle-family homes, and/or high quality senior housing.

Single-FamilyTh ree residential developers indicated that the 8400 Bass Lake Road site could be suitable for eight to 15 single-family homes in the $300,000-$400,000 price range, but that the site was too small and that the site’s close proximity to Bass Lake Road would make it diffi cult to create the type of buff er that higher value homeowners would expect. A single-family home project would provide the lowest fi nancial return on investment for the city from a land sale

Developer proposes luxury apartments on city-owned site adjacent to golf course

and property tax perspective. It would take the city approximately 53 years to recover its investment in the property.

Aff ordable Senior HousingAn aff ordable senior housing rental project with about 130-150 units could be successful on the site. One of the developers interviewed expressed inter-est in constructing that type of project at 8400 Bass Lake Road. Developers were more skeptical of the potential success of a for-sale senior cooperative due to the close proximity of an exist-ing cooperative and HUD fi nancing requirements. Ehlers estimated that the city could recover a little less than half of its investment with the sale of the land for an aff ordable senior proj-ect, but because this type of project would likely require 15 to 20 years of tax increment, the city would not be able to capture the remainder of its investment.

Luxury ApartmentsTh e developers consulted also believed that the 8400 Bass Lake Road site pro-vides a good opportunity for luxury rental apartments. Th e site could ac-commodate up to about 180 units with rents ranging from $900 to $2,000. Ehlers calculated that a project of this type would provide the highest market value of the three housing options and should, therefore, result in the highest land sale price and highest city taxes generated.

Developers indicated that the renter profi le for a project of this type is young, higher-income professionalsand baby boomers. Both of those groups are seeking housing with lots of amenities and low maintenance.

Alatus was one of the developers inter-viewed. Th ey were very interested in developing a luxury apartment project on New Hope’s site.

Based on its analysis, Ehlers recom-mended that the development opportu-nity that seems to provide the greatest immediate impact for the city on the site adjacent to the golf course is a lux-ury apartment project. For many years, the city’s zoning and vision for that site have called for high-quality, high-density residential housing. Th is type of project would compliment that vision.

While tax increment gap funding

would most likely be necessary, the value created by a luxury apartment project should enable the city to re-cover its investment in the site. In ad-dition, the taxes the city would receive from a project of this type over the years would be much higher than other options. In addition, a luxury apart-ment project would provide a housing choice not currently available in New Hope and attract higher-income indi-viduals with more disposable income.

Alatus’ Preliminary ConceptAlatus has constructed more than 5,000 units of high-quality, high-den-sity housing with a total value of well over $500 million over the last 30 years.

Alatus presented its preliminary con-cept to the City Council and interested residents who live near 8400 Bass Lake Road at a special work session on August 6. Th e developer described building amenities that would likely include an elegant lobby, a community room, an exercise facility, a sky lounge overlooking the golf course, fi re pits, an outdoor kitchen and barbecue grills, outdoor seating areas, an outdoor swimming pool, pet washing stations, and a bicycle maintenance area.

Th e developer presented four basic building layout options that could work on the site, ranging from three to four stories in height, and including from 130 to 150 units. Th e layout options were shaped roughly like a “C”, an “O” with a central courtyard, and an “H.” One concept included a 130 unit apart-ment building on the south and about 16 luxury townhomes on the north end of the site. All of the options would include underground parking with an entry off of Bass Lake Road, to keep traffi c from the complex out of the sur-rounding neighborhood.

Several neighbors in attendance ex-pressed specifi c concerns about addi-tional traffi c, safer traffi c movements from Bass Lake Road, water and sewer capacity, storm water retention, poten-tial contamination of Meadow Lake during construction, and assurances that the property would remain of high quality. Jeff Sargent, community devel-

opment director, assured residents that all of those issues would be addressed during the regular plan review process and by city code. Several neighbors also indicated that they were not in favor of the concept that included townhomes because of the additional traffi c those units would generate on Yukon and 58th avenues. Th e developer was recep-tive to the neighbors' concerns. Th e residents attending the work session seemed generally open to the basic concept of a luxury apartment complex at 8400 Bass Lake Road.

Next StepsAlatus representatives have continued to work with city staff over the last cou-ple months to begin to further refi ne its site plan for 8400 Bass Lake Road. Th e City Council will likely consider entering into a predevelopment agree-ment with Alatus in the near future. Th e predevelopment agreement is only the fi rst step in the city’s development approval process. It assures Alatus that the city will work exclusively with the company’s representatives on a poten-tial project for the next six months. Th ere will be additional meetings with the neighborhood, and the developer’s proposal will be considered at both the Planning Commission and City Coun-cil meetings, with opportunities for public comment, before the project can be approved.

After the August work session, the Council en-couraged Alatus to focus on one basic concept that they preferred.

Alatus discussed a mod-ifi ed "C" preliminary site plan (at left) with the Council at its September work session.

Alatus has not created any detailed building drawings to date. Exten-sive review and refi ne-ment of the concept lie ahead.

Th e city has long identifi ed the 8400 Bass Lake Road site for multi-family housing. New Hope bought and demolished the blighted Bass Lake Road Apartments in 2008, in preparation for redevelopment.

Yard waste siteTh e Maple Grove yard waste site is a great place to dispose of leaves, garden waste, branches, and brush.

Th e site, which is located at 14796 101st Ave. N., is free for New Hope residents with proof of residency.

Th e site is for bulk waste only. Residents need to unload their own materials.Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday through Saturday, and noon to 7 p.m. on Sundays, through November 30.

For more information, call 763-420-4886, or visit www.mgyardwaste.


improvements to help improve the water quality of the lake, they also wanted to maximize the limited park space available on the west side of Boone for a playground and some green space. A pre-treatment pond would fi ll up most of that limited space.

An innovative approach to storm water treatmentCity staff and the city engineer came up with an innovative concept that will minimize the impact that storm water improvements would have on the park space west of Boone Avenue. Th at con-cept includes:

❖ A new-36 inch storm sewer that will divert nearly all of the runoff from the 89 acres of residential neighborhood north of the site along the west side of Boone and into a storm water treat-ment structure.

❖ Th e storm water treatment structure will capture coarser sediment before the runoff is discharged into an under-ground storm water storage system.

❖ Th e runoff will then fl ow into a 160,000 gallon concrete vault at the southwest corner of Boone and Ensign avenues, which will capture and store the water.

❖ During larger rain events, when run-off volumes exceed the capacity of the concrete vault, storm water will over-fl ow into a series of three rain gardens along the south side of Ensign Avenue.

❖ A sump structure will also be added to the existing storm sewer to collect sediment prior to the storm water’s dis-charge into Northwood Lake.

Another noteworthy feature of the proposed improvement project is that the storm water will be reused for ir-rigation.Th e storm water reuse provides additional treatment by removing pol-lutants from entering Northwood Lake, including removing soluble pollutants. Storm water collected in the large con-crete vault will be pumped to the east

side of Boone Avenue to irrigate 6.4 acres of baseball and soccer fi elds. Th e vault will provide storage for about one to two weeks of irrigation during dry periods and should save the city about $5,000 to $10,000 per year in water costs.

A second component of the planned storm water improvements is construc-tion of a quarter-acre pre-treatment pond on vacant, city-owned green space between Highway 169 and Jordan Avenue. Runoff from the surround-ing residential properties and Jordan Avenue will be fi ltered through the pond before discharging into an exist-ing storm sewer pipe that empties into Northwood Lake.

Northwood playgroundand trail improvementsTh e 2016 project planned for North-wood Park also includes a new play container and playground equipment in the park. Although the existing 20-year-old play equipment is not the oldest in New Hope’s park system, it is among the most heavily used. Th e city also plans to add some fi ll to lower areas near the lake that tend to remain

soggy and not very usable. Portions of the trail will be replaced in that area, and a new section of trail will be added to complete a trail loop in the park. Parks and Recreation Department staff will hold a series of meetings with nearby residents this fall to plan the new playground.

Funding and next stepsTh e engineer’s cost estimate for the Northwood Park improvement project is $1.63 million, which includes about $1.35 million in storm water improve-ments and $281,000 in trail and play-ground improvements. Funding for the project will include a $300,000 grant from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, $750,000 from BCWMC, and $300,000 from the city of New Hope. Th e playground and trail improvements will be funded through New Hope’s Park Infrastructure Fund.

Th e city plans to advertise for bids on the Northwood Park improvement project in December. Work will likely begin next spring and there will be disruption, due to construction, in the portion of the park west of Boone Av-enue for much of next summer.

A new skate rental area is scheduled to be completed this fall. Once it opens, you won’t even need your own skates to enjoy the arena!

Th e Milton C. Honsey Outdoor Pool is located at 4301 Xylon Avenue N, across from city hall. Th e pool is open each summer from early June to mid August. New Hope’s outdoor pool fea-tures an 8-lane, 50-meter lap pool, a diving well with a 1-meter and 3-meter diving board and a 13-foot drop slide, a shallow water area with an ADA ramp, and a kiddie pool.

Th e pool off ers several sessions of Red Cross certifi ed swimming lessonsfor beginning swimmers ages 3 and 4to accomplished Level 6 swimmers. Opening swimming sessions are scheduled every afternoon and eve-ning, and lap swimming is off ered on weekdays during the noon hour.

Th e pool is also the summer home of the New Hope Crystal Plymouth Swim Club. Because the pool complex is

nearly 50 years old and beginning to show its age, the city has begun to explore options for renovat-ing the pool.

Th e New Hope Community Gyms are located at 8230 47th Avenue N, on the north end of Cooper High School. Th e facility was constructed in 2001 as a collabora-tive eff ort of the city of New Hope and Robbinsdale Area School District. Th e city provided $3.25 million to construct the gyms, and the school district pro-vided the location and maintains the facility. Th e facility is used by Cooper High School during school hours for physical education classes and after school for extra-curricular activities. Th e New Hope Parks and Recreation

Department has full use of the gym facilities during the evenings, weekends, non-school days, and summer months. Th e gyms feature two full-size basket-ball/volleyball courts as well as a bat-ting cage, concession area, restrooms and storage. For Community Gyms rental information, call 753-531-5151.

ParksNew Hope has 20 parks scattered throughout the community. Th e parks, which range in size from the half-acre Corner Park to the 47-acre Northwood, add up to about 158 acres of public green space. Most of the parks have playground equipment, ball fi elds and picnic areas.

Several parks feature special ameni-ties. Civic Center Park is home to an outdoor theatre and sk8 pad skate park. Th ere are outdoor skating rinks during the winter at Hidden Valley, Liberty, Lions, and Civic Center parks. And, the hockey rinks at Liberty, Lions, and Civic Center are used as seasonal dog parks during the warmer months. Sunnyside Park boasts a disc golf course. Six parks have lighted tennis courts, including two parks with courts striped for Pickleball. And, picnic shel-ters are available at Hidden Valley and Northwood parks.

Four parks maintenance workers, who are part of the Public Works Depart-ment, maintain the parks throughout the year. From June to August, addi-tional seasonal staff are hired to help out during the busy summer months. Certifi ed playground safety inspec-tors, on staff , regularly inspect the play equipment throughout the city’s park system to ensure that it is properly maintained, and safe.

A group of Adopt-A-Park volunteers is assigned to each park to help keep and eye on the park and pick up litter. To learn about parks that are available for adoption, call 763-592-6763. But, you don’t have to participate in that program to play a role in protecting your parks. Sadly, New Hope’s parks regularly fall victim to graffi ti and vandalism. Vigi-lance by all park users and park neigh-bors can help to minimize this criminal mischief. Always call 911 immediately if you witness suspicious activity or van-dalism in a New Hope park.

If you would like to leave a positive mark on one of the city's parks, consider do-nating a park bench or tree. Call Susan Rader at 763-531-5152 for details.

Facility RentalTh e community room at the ice arena is available for rental year round for groups of up to 100 people. Th e golf course clubhouse is available for events and business meetings during the off -season from November through March. Both facilities have limited kitchen catering equipment. For more information or to book your event, call the ice arena at 763-531-5181 or the golf course at 763-531-5178. Th e Community Gyms, ten-nis courts, ball fi elds, rinks and picnic shelters are also available for rental. For more information, call 763-531-5151.

To Learn More...For more information about recreation programs, facilities, parks and rentals, visit the city of New Hope’s website at www.ci.new-hope.mn.us and click on “Recreation.” In Motion, the depart-ment’s program brochure, is mailed to residents three times a year and avail-able online. In addition, New Hope Parks and Recreation Department has a Facebook page. To get the latest updates about parks and recreation activities, “like” us at facebook.com/newhoperecreation.

Parks and Recreation(continued from page 2)

Northwood Improvements(continued from page 4)

An update of the playground equipment in Meadow Lake Park was completed in September.

NORTHWOOD LAKE

Open Lawn

ExistingTrail

FuturePicnic Shelter

Exist

ing

Park

ing

Future Canoe Landing

Playground

ProposedTrail Loop

ExistingStorm Sewer

PumpHouse

Proposed Concrete Storage Vault

Proposed Redirected Storm Sewer Storage

Proposed Rain Gardens

Proposed Sump Pump


Korth named Employee of the Quarter

Offi cer Nichole Korth, from the Police

Department, was named New Hope Employee of the Quarter for the sec-ond quarter of 2015.

Offi cer Korth was recog-nized for the fi ne job she does coordinating and teaching defensive driv-ing classes for the city.

Offi cer Korth was nominated after a resident who attended one her defen-sive driving classes sent a complimen-tary letter to the city. "Offi cer Korth did an excellent presentation and I learned a lot from the class... which proves, you are never too old to learn." (Th e defen-sive driving class is intended for adults ages 55 and over). "She made the class fun and informative. Kudos to her."

Defensive driving classes were not orig-inally one of Offi cer Korth's responsi-bilities as crime prevention offi cer. She took the program on many years ago. She teaches classes in the evening for residents. When she doesn't teach a class, she lines up other police offi cers to teach.

In addition to teaching defensive driv-ing to the public, Offi cer Korth has also taught defensive driving classes to city employees for several years. According to her nominator "She helps make us all better drivers."

Korth's nominator noted, "Nichole has a position that pulls her in many

Offi cer Nichole Korth

12,300 square feet of space utilized by the police department and 14,450 used by the city manager, administration/human resources, fi nance, community development and parks and recreation departments.

Wold Architect’s space needs assess-ment found that the amount of space currently allocated for the police sta-tion was woefully inadequate, and that modest increases in the space allocated to the city hall functions should also be considered – particularly in the public space areas such as the lobby, council chambers, and public meeting spaces. Th e consultant’s preliminary recom-mendation was for a police station of 35,652 square feet, including 11,180 square feet of underground parking. Th e consultant determined that city hall space of 21,237 square feet, includ-ing 900 square feet of parking, was appropriate. According to Wold’s cal-culations, the combined space needed for New Hope’s police department and other city hall departments adds up to 56,889 square feet.

Addition and Remodel or New Building?Wold Architects evaluated the approxi-mate cost of completely remodeling the current city hall and constructing a new addition for the police department compared to the cost of constructing a completely new municipal building for both the police station and city hall.

One option the consultant discussed

diff erent directions – the defensive driving classes are just a small part of what she does. It would be easy for her to say she doesn't have time for the classes, but she continues to teach. She feels the defensive driv-ing classes are important."

As the crime prevention offi cer, Offi cer Korth edu-

cates residents about how to prevent crime. Korth coordinates the New Hope Police Department's Neighbor-hood Watch program, which has more than 42 neighborhood groups, and New Hope's National Night Out-Night to Unite event, which consistently has very strong participation. She works with recreation and West Metro Fire staff to organize the annual Safety Camp and attends many community events to educate the public about how to avoid becoming a victim of crime.

Offi cer Korth also teaches D.A.R.E classes to about 300 5th graders each school year, and is very active in the state D.A.R.E organization. She is a cer-tifi ed child passenger safety technician, publishes the TIPS crime prevention newsletter, and much more.

Offi cer Korth started as a New Hope police offi cer in 1993 and has been the New Hope Police Department's crime prevention offi cer for most of her 22 years with the city. She was previously recognized as New Hope Employee of the Quarter in 2001 and 2008.

was to construct a new addition to the existing city hall building for the police department, then remodeling the existing building to accommodate the remaining city hall departments. Th e existing building would be gutted to the exterior shell and remodeled. All mechanical systems, the roof, and interior walls would be redesigned and replaced. Challenges presented by remodeling the existing building would be that the architect would be constrained by the dimensions, con-fi guration and location of the building, and there would be additional cost and inconvenience associated with continuing to operate city hall during construction.

A second option would be to construct a new police station and city hall facil-ity. Because the existing police station and city hall would not be involved in the construction, city staff could remain in place and function as it cur-rently does until the new building was completed.

Based on its considerable experience constructing other city facilities, Wold estimated that it would cost approxi-mately $16.1 million to remodel and expand New Hope’s existing municipal building and about $17.4 million to construct a new police station and city hall on the Civic Center Park site.

If New, At What Location?Wold also discussed potential locations for a new police station and city hall with the City Council, core city staff , and the citizen task force.

Initially, incorporating a new munici-

pal building into redevelopment of the former Kmart site was considered. Th e City Council eliminated that option fairly quickly because using a portionof that site for a municipal facility would take taxable property off the tax rolls, limit other redevelopment op-tions for the site (the Hy-Vee project, for example, would not have fi t on the site along with a city building), and was not the best use for that prime redevel-opment site.

A more viable option appears to be building a new police station and city hall on the Civic Center Park site, somewhere to the west of the current city hall.

Possible Joint

Facility With School DistrictIn April 2013, the City Council and city staff also began discussions with the school board and staff of Robbins-dale School District about their facility needs and the potential for a joint city hall/police station/school administra-tion building.

In February 2015, both the City Coun-cil and the school board mutually agreed that a joint facility was not in the best interest of the two entities and would no longer be pursued.

Task Force Studies Facility NeedsAfter the City Council and school board decided not to collaborate on a joint facility, and based on Wold’s needs assessment fi ndings, the Council decided that it was time to form a task force of New Hope community mem-bers to study and make recommenda-tions on the city’s police and city hall facility needs. Th e task force included 13 New Hope residents, business

people and city commission members with support from city staff and Wold representatives.

Th e group held four meetings through-out the summer of 2015. Th ey reviewedexisting conditions and facility defi -ciencies and toured New Hope’s po-lice station and city hall. Th ey toured Richfi eld’s police station and city hall, which were constructed in 2011, and took a virtual tour of the Cottage Grove public safety/city hall facility. Th ey dis-cussed if New Hope’s police station and city hall needed to be upgraded or re-built and whether a new building or an addition made more sense. And, they reviewed costs and fi nancing options with the city’s fi nancial consultant. At a work session in late September, the task force recommended to the City Council that a new police and city hall facility be constructed on the Civic Center Park site.

What is Being Consideredand Next StepsTh e City Council will take some time to review task force recommenda-tions and consider how the city should proceed. Th e task force's report and recommendations will be posted on the city's website in mid-October.

If the Council decides to move forward on an updated police station and city hall facility, there will be ample oppor-tunity for public input. Th e City Coun-cil plans to hold an open house before the end of the year to present more in-formation about the space needs of the police department and city hall and the recommendations of the Space Needs Citizen Task Force.


City employees are sponsoring a Th anksgiving food drive through November 20. Unopened, nonperishable food items or checks will be accept-

ed for the food drive. Please make sure that canned items are not beyond their “Use By” date.

Food drop-off sites are located in the upper level of New Hope City Hall, 4401 Xylon Ave. N., and the New Hope public works maintenance facil-ity at 5500 International Parkway. Drop-off site hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Donated food will be delivered to NEAR (North Suburban Emergency Response) for distribution to local families in need before the holidays.

A second food drive and a holiday toy drive are scheduled from November 21 through December 15.

C

eite

Thanksgiving food drive

Thank you New Hope Lions!

In February, the New Hope Lions presented the City Council with a check for $36,000 to be used toward the purchase of a new electronic sign board at the New Hope Village Golf Course. Th e Lions plan to donate a total of $48,000 over the next four years, a donation that will cover almost the entire cost of the new golf course sign.

Documents

In Touch, October 2015