In the Pipeline - 03 March 2020Over
March/April
City Council regular meetings: March 9 and 23, April 13 and 27 at 7 p.m.
City Council work sessions: March 16 and April 20 at 6:30 p.m.
Citizen Advisory Commission meetings: March 10 at 7 p.m. (no April mtg.)
Human Rights Commission meetings: March 2 and April 6 at 7 p.m.
Planning Commission meetings: April 7 at 7 p.m. (no March mtg.)
Board of Appeal and Equalization meeting: April 2 at 7 p.m.
All activities are at City Hall, 4401 Xylon Ave. N. unless otherwise indicated.
Agendas and minutes for meetings are available at newhopemn.gov.
Schedule is subject to change. Call 763.531.5100 for more information.
West Metro food drive
West Metro Fire’s seventh-annual
“Firefighters Fighting Hunger!” food
drive is March 1-21. Firefighters are
collecting non-perishable food items
and monetary donations to ben-
efit The Food Group. Items can be
dropped off at Station 3 in New Hope,
4251 Xylon Ave. N., from 8 a.m. to 4
p.m., on weekdays or anytime crews
are present.
The highlight of the food drive will
be an event on Saturday, March 21
from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. West Metro
firefighters will be collecting food
with fire vehicles at Almsted’s, Aldi
and Target in Crystal, Hy-Vee in New
Hope, and Cub Foods in Crystal and
Plymouth.
For more information, visit
wmfrd.org or call 763.230.7007.
It’s that time of year when many are
working on filing their state and fed-
eral taxes.
Preparing your taxes can be a daunt-
ing task at times, but it’s one that not
everyone needs to face alone. Here are
two programs available to New Hope
residents:
Prepare + Prosper is offering free
tax preparation and e-file services to
individuals with an annual income
of $35,000 or less, families with an
income of $55,000 or less, or self-
employed individuals making $55,000
or less.
Services at Prepare + Prosper are
provided by a team of 500+ IRS-
certified volunteers. All tax returns
are doubled checked for accuracy to
ensure those filing returns receive the
maximum possible refund.
Prepare + Prosper provides assistance
with federal and Minnesota returns,
including property tax refunds for
renters and homeowners.
For additional details, site locations,
or to schedule a tax assistance ap-
pointment, call 651.287.0187 or visit
prepareandprosper.org. Please allow
2-4 hours to have your taxes com-
pleted.
The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide also
offers free tax preparation to low-to
moderate-income taxpayers, with
special attention to those 60 years of
age and older.
Upcoming Tax-Aide dates include:
➤ Crystal Community Center
4800 Douglas Dr.
Crystal, MN 55429
Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Now through April 14
➤ Dover Hill Midrise
2400 Rhode Island Ave. N.
Golden Valley, MN 55427
Tuesdays (every other week),
9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Now through April 14
➤ Maple Grove Community Center,
12951 Weaver Lake Rd.
Maple Grove, MN 55369
Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Now through April 15
For more details about other Tax-
Aide sites and hours, visit
aarp.org/findtaxhelp.
Tax preparation assistance
Primary election
The Presidential Nomination Primary
election will be held on Tuesday,
March 3. Polls will be open from 7
a.m. to 8 p.m.
Visit the Secretary of State’s website
at mnvotes.org for helpful informa-
tion. Residents can confirm that they
are registered, check their polling
location, view a sample ballot, and
request an absentee ballot.
Prior to Election Day, absentee voting
is available at city hall during regu-
lar business hours and on Saturday,
February 29 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
and Monday, March 2 from 8 a.m. to
5 p.m.
Call 763-531-5160 with election-relat-
ed questions.
Property value concerns
Do you think the 2020 estimated
market value for your property is
too high or too low? Call the
Hennepin County Assessor’s Office
first at 612.348.3046.
Property owners who still have con-
cerns should attend the New Hope
Board of Appeal and Equalization
on April 2 at 7 p.m. at city hall.
Recreation Corner
Spring break activities
New Hope Parks and Recreation has several fun programs planned during
spring break. Youth ages 4-12 will learn how to put together a professional
show at the Snow Queen Musical Theater Camps March 23-26 from 9 a.m.-
12 p.m. (ages 4-8), and 1-4 p.m. (ages 7-12). Kids ages 7-12 can also register
for the Three Rivers Explorer Camp March 23-26 to learn about nature,
make crafts, and participate in outdoor recreation activities. Youth ages 6-12
can participate in several sports camps, including Basketball and Baseball
on March 23, and Lacrosse and Soccer on March 24. Families with kids in
grades 3-8 can attend Open Gym Basketball on March 25 beginning at 10 a.m.
Register for spring gymnastics
Your kids will flip for the spring gymnastics classes offered by the New
Hope Parks and Recreation Department. Classes are scheduled on Tuesdays,
Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays for kids ages 4 and up. The session
begins March 11 through 21, and continues through mid-May. Class sizes
are limited. Fees range from $68 for 4 and 5 year old beginners to $150 for an
advanced session. Gymnastics classes are held in Gym D at Sandburg Middle
School, 2400 Sandburg Ln. N. in Golden Valley. Call for details.
Family Fun Night
Families with kids ages 4 and older, beat the winter blues with this great fam-
ily event coming to the Crystal Community Center, 4800 Douglas Dr., on
Friday, March 6 from 6-8:30 p.m. Everyone can bounce, jump, joust, run in an
inflatable hamster ball, and bungee run on bouncers provided by Bounce on
Air. Plus, try a game of Bingo and win prizes. One adult can supervise up to
five children. Adults who do not plan to participate do not need to pay. Tick-
ets are $6 in advance (by March 1) or $10 at the door.
Tripsters - Chocolate Tasting Tour
Our first stop will include lunch and sampling chocolates at the historic
Afton House Inn. The second chocolate tasting will take place at the Phipps
Inn, a luxurious 1884 Victorian mansion in Hudson, WI. The last stop will
be at The Outing Lodge at Pine Point, a European country home surrounded
by acres of wooded rolling farmland. Cost is $70 which includes transporta-
tion, lunch, tours, tax, gratuity, and escort. Register by March 13.
For more information about these programs or to register, call the
New Hope Parks and Recreation office at 763.531.5151.
damage caused by snowplows with
black dirt and grass seed. Once the
repair has been made, homeown-
ers are responsible for watering and
maintaining the new grass. Due to
limited resources, it is difficult for
the city to repair boulevard damage
as quickly as it would like. Residents
can help by replacing pieces of sod
that have been ripped out. The sod
will usually reroot and, if the divot
is picked up in a timely manner, the
grass underneath it does not die.
If your lawn was damaged by a
snowplow this winter, please call the
New Hope Public Works Department
at 763.592.6777 as soon as possible.
Residents who live along county roads
should contact Hennepin County for
assistance at 763.745.7700.
Hiring for pool season
Applications are now being accepted
for summer employment at the New
Hope Aquatic Park. Positions include
assistant managers, lifeguards, water
safety instructors, guest services,
concessions, and maintenance. Ap-
plications are available at city hall or
newhopemn.gov/aquatics.
The city’s snowplow drivers take
every precaution they can while
keeping the roads clean and safe,
however, snow removal equipment
occasionally tears up some turf. Pub-
lic works staff often begin repairing
snowplow damage in early May.
Nearly all of the damage caused by
snowplows occurs in the city-owned
boulevard, typically the first 12 to
15 feet behind the curb. Residents
who place irrigation systems, trees,
shrubs, flower beds, brick, stone or
other items in the boulevard do so at
their own risk.
New Hope repairs boulevard turf
Call to report damage caused by snowplows
Register for summer fun!
The spring/summer issue of In
Motion, the New Hope recreation
program brochure, will be mailed in
March. Watch for it in your mailbox,
and stay up to date with the latest
programs at newhopemn.gov/rec.
Safety tip of the month
March 15-21 is Poison Prevention
Week. The information below is from
poison.org
What is a poisoning?
A poison exposure occurs when a
person swallows, breathes, touches,
or gets splashed in the eye with
something that can cause sickness
or death. Poisoning is a matter of
dose – too much of anything can be
dangerous. Most consumer products
are safe if label directions are fol-
lowed, but some can be poisonous if
used incorrectly.
Where can people get help?
Dialing 1.800.222.1222 will con-
nect you to your local Poison Center,
which is staffed by nurses, pharma-
cists, and physicians. Poison Centers
are open 24 hours a day, seven days
a week. The call is free and confiden-
tial. You can also visit poisonhelp.org.
Report a pothole
Spring is the peak season for pot-
holes. As soon as hot-mix asphalt is
available, New Hope’s street crews
will be out regularly to fill
potholes. Residents can report a
pothole by calling New Hope Public
Works at 763.592.6777 or by using
the “report an issue” feature on the
city’s website, which can be accessed
at newhopemn.gov/reportanissue.