In Touch - Summer 2020City of New Hope
A publication of the city of New Hope, Minnesota e newhopemn.gov
September 2020
No. 207
City of New Hope, Minnesota e September 2020
Some highlights of this issue include:
2020 In Focus Photo Contest
Now accepting entries
Smoking and Smoke Alarm Safety
Important reminders to stay safe
2020 Census
Enumerator visits happening now
Scattered Site Housing Program
Gains momentum in 2020
Open to Business
Free consulting for small businesses
Fall In-Motion
Now available online
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A great place to grow!
4401 Xylon Avenue North
New Hope, MN 55428
3
Prsrt Std
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2330
Current resident or
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A tremendous amount of construction
has taken place since April and what a
difference a couple of months can make!
Work outside of city hall has included the
installation of safety bollards, a monu-
ment sign, flagpole lights, benches and
fencing along the south side of the
building.
The landscaping is mostly complete
around the city hall and Civic Center Park
complex. The remaining trees, plants
and decorative rock have been installed.
Sod was placed around city hall, which
is irrigated, and blow-mulch was placed
throughout the park area. The contractor
continues to water the blow-mulch areas
to establish the turf. Electrical work has
continued on parking lot lights, trail light-
ing and additional security cameras. The
remaining concrete sidewalks have been
poured and the park trails were added.
Later this fall, several additional benches
will be installed.
On the performance center and picnic
shelter project, the building brick, seat-
ing, lighting and picnic shelter have been
added. Irrigation and sod were added
in late July. The project is substantially
complete and the contractor is finishing
some minor punch list items. The aquatic
park facility is also mostly complete, with
Civic Center Project Progress Continues
the contractor working to complete a
few punch list items. Due to the weather
delays experienced in 2019, a phased
opening had been planned for this sum-
mer. However, because of COVID-19, the
facility grand opening was postponed
until June of 2021. The site was extremely
busy this spring and summer with many
installations taking place, including the
shallow water play feature, slides, div-
ing boards, sun shelters, lockers, fencing,
retaining walls and the remaining con-
crete decking. The shallow water pool,
current channel and vortex pools were
constructed and all of the pools had the
plaster added. The pools were then filled
with water for a portion of the summer
to allow the plaster to cure. Irrigation,
sod, trees and plants were also installed
and the finishing work in the bathhouse
was completed. Staff will be spending fall
learning the new mechanical systems and
preparing for the 2021 season.
Additional project photos are available on
the city website.
New Hope has conducted the City Services Survey every year since 2011. The survey
is part of the city’s participation in the State of Minnesota’s Performance Measurement
Program.
The survey asks residents about core municipal services including public safety, utilities
and infrastructure, parks and recreation, communications and code enforcement. The
City Council and city staff value residents’ feedback about these core services.
The 2020 survey is available at newhopemn.gov/survey. A paper copy of the survey
was also mailed with the utility bill residents received in July.
Surveys will be accepted through Sept. 18. Survey results will be available on the city’s
website and a summary included in a future city publication.
City Services Survey
General Election Day is Nov. 3
General Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
In addition to the presidential office, New
Hope voters will vote for several local,
state and federal offices. The polls are
open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Voters must be registered in order to vote.
Residents who have not voted within the
last four years or have a name or address
change will need to re-register. Eligible
voters may pre-register online at mnvotes.
org. The last day to pre-register before the
General Election is Oct. 13. Eligible voters
may also register at the polls on Election
Day with proper proof of residency.
Voters may also cast an absentee ballot.
Absentee ballots may be completed en-
tirely by mail or in-person at New Hope
City Hall beginning on Sept. 18. The easiest
way to request an absentee ballot is by vis-
iting mnvotes.org and navigating to “Other
Ways to Vote.” Voters do not need to be
registered to apply to have an absentee
ballot mailed or to absentee vote in per-
son. Absentee ballots must be postmarked
on or before Election Day (Nov. 3). Note:
Voters who have already applied for a
General Election ballot will be mailed one
as soon as they become available.
Additional election information is available
on the city’s website at newhopemn.gov/
vote, the Minnesota Secretary of State’s
website at mnvotes.org or by calling the
New Hope Election Line at 763.531.5160.
New Hope's Water Quality Report
The Minnesota Department of Health
requires water suppliers, including the city
of New Hope, to prepare an annual water
Consumer Confidence Report to provide
details about the water quality for the
previous year.
To read New Hope’s 2019 report, visit
newhopemn.gov/waterquality.
Aerial photos capture Civic Center Park project
progress in April (top) and August (bottom)
Upcoming Election Dates
• Sept. 18 - Vote early by mail or in
person at New Hope City Hall Sept. 18
through Nov. 2
• Oct. 13 - Register in advance by Oct. 13
to save time on General Election Day
• Saturday, Oct. 31, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.-
City Hall open extended hours for ab-
sentee voting
• Nov. 3 - General Election Day
City of New Hope, Minnesota e September 2020
The 2020 In Focus Photo Contest is a
great way to get out and explore what
makes New Hope a great place to live,
work and play.
• People who live, work or study in
New Hope can enter up to three pho -
tographs in one or more of the three
categories: People & Families, City
Landmarks and Wildlife & Nature.
• The photos entered must be taken
somewhere in New Hope.
• Photos may be submitted as either a
5x7-inch print or as a high-resolution
JPG no more than 5MB in size.
• Photos may be submitted anytime be-
tween now and the contest deadline
at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16.
Volunteer judges will select the winners
in the three main categories, plus a special
category for youth ages 18 and younger.
Community members will have the op-
portunity to select a winner in a People’s
Choice category by voting online or
2020 In Focus Photo Contest Improvements at Begin and Northwood Parks
This summer, Begin Park received new
playground equipment. The playground
at this park was last replaced in 1996 and
was the oldest in the park system. The
project included the replacement of the
playground container, playground equip-
ment, improvements to the sidewalk area
leading to the container, addition of a pic-
nic table with a shade structure and new
benches.
Planning began last November with a sur-
vey sent to Begin Park neighbors asking
for their input on the new equipment and
if they had interest in being a part of the
planning committee.
Meetings were held in February and in
April the New Hope City Council ap-
proved the project.
The 25-year-old basketball court at
Northwood Park was also replaced this
summer. The project involved the re-
placement of the court surface. New
hoops have also been installed.
The contractor is currently working to
establish turf in the disturbed areas at
both parks.
John Elder
Council Member
763.913.1472
jelder@newhopemn.gov
Andy Hoffe
Council Member
763.537.2647
ahoffe@newhopemn.gov
Frequently Called City Numbers
General Telephone .....................763.531.5100
Inspections ............................................763.531.5127
building permits, complaints
Parks and Recreation .....................763.531.5151
Public Works ......................................763.592.6777
sewer backup, snowplowing, forestry
Utility Billing .......................................763.592.6760
Police (non-emergency) ............763.531.5170
City Hall Address
4401 Xylon Avenue North
New Hope, MN 55428
City Websitewww.newhopemn.gov
Tell us what you think...
24-Hour Opinion Line ...............763.531.5102
E-mail ....................cityhall@newhopemn.gov
Cedrick Frazier
Council Member
612.296.0573
cfrazier@newhopemn.gov
Kirk McDonald
City Manager
763.531.5112
kmcdonald@newhopemn.gov
Jonathan London
Council Member
763.546.1293
jlondon@newhopemn.gov
Kathi Hemken
Mayor
763.537.7990
khemken@newhopemn.gov
in-person at City Hall beginning in late
October. Winners will be announced and
recognized at a future New Hope City
Council meeting.
A complete list of contest rules and entry
form are available on the city’s website at
newhopemn.gov/infocus.
2019 In Focus Contest Winner,
"Vine and Fungus" by Richard
Isenhart
Saturday Farmers Market Returns
The New Hope Community Farmers Mar-
ket returned in mid-June after a hiatus last
season. The market is held in the parking
lot of New Hope City Hall (4401 Xylon
Ave N) every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1
p.m. through Oct. 3.
The farmers market, which features a
variety of vendors each week, is a great
place for residents to get healthy, farm-
fresh vegetables and fruits. It’s also a good
place to browse the handiwork of local
crafters and discover delightful locally pre-
pared foods. Sept. 19, 26 and Oct. 3 will be
crafter days at the market!
The New Hope Community Farmers Mar-
ket is a 501(c)(4) non-profit corporation
led by a volunteer board of directors from
the community. For more information,
visit the market’s website at newhopemar-
ket.org.
Vegetables and flowers are just a few things visi-
tors may find at the farmers market.
Smoking and Smoke Alarm Safety Reminders
So far, in 2020, West Metro Fire-Rescue
District (WMFRD) has responded to
multiple fires related to the improper use
and disposal of cigarettes and smoke
alarms that are either not installed or
malfunctioning.
Smoking Safety
Smokers need to know the steps they
can take to keep themselves and their
families safe from fire. The core of a
cigarette, if not correctly extinguished,
can smolder up to eight hours, and this
could start a fire. Every cigarette should
be extinguished and disposed of properly
before walking away.
• If you must smoke, smoke outside
away from your house.
• Extinguish your cigarette completely.
Do this every time. Don’t walk away
from a lit cigarette or other smoking
materials.
• Cigarettes left smoldering in con-
tainers are responsible for many
fires. Wind and breezes can cause
smoking materials to burn for a long
time after they are disposed of; this
is a common cause of house and
apartment fires. To prevent this from
occurring, put water on the ashes
and butts to make sure they are com-
pletely out before you put them in
ashtrays or trash containers. Put your
cigarette out in an ashtray or bucket
with sand. Use ashtrays with a broad
base so they won't tip over and start
a fire. Do not use potting soil to put
out a cigarette; potting soil can catch
fire.
• Be alert. Smoking after taking medi-
cations that make you tired may
hinder you from escaping if there is
a fire.
• Never smoke around medical
oxygen.
• Never smoke in bed. Mattresses and
bedding can easily catch fire. It is
common for smokers to fall asleep
while smoking in bed, causing fires
and deaths.
Smoke Alarms
Smoke alarms are proven to save lives!
WMFRD has responded to several fires
where the smoke alarms have alerted
the residents to a fire, they called 911, and
firefighters were able to extinguish the
fire while it was still small and did little
damage. Unfortunately, WMFRD has also
responded to several fires where there
were no working smoke alarms. These
fires were not detected early, resulting in
catastrophic damage and deaths. Here
are some smoke alarm safety tips to
consider:
• Install smoke alarms in every bed-
room, the hallways near bedrooms,
and on every level of the residence.
• Do not remove the batteries in your
smoke alarms because they sound
when you are cooking. Instead, con-
sider relocation of the alarms, install-
ing a different type of alarm, cleaning
your oven and providing kitchen
ventilation. All these items will mini-
mize the alarms from sounding while
cooking.
• Test your smoke alarms and change
the batteries annually when you
change your clocks back from day-
light savings time in the fall.
• Replace your smoke alarms every ten
years.
If you need smoke alarms, assistance
installing a smoke alarm or have con-
cerns about smoking safety or smoke
alarms, contact Shelby Wolf, Deputy Fire
Marshal at swolf@westmetrofire.com or
763.230.7006.
City of New Hope, Minnesota e September 2020
Infrastructure Improvement Projects
New Hope city and engineering staff rate
approximately one half of all New Hope
streets each year. This rating data is incor-
porated into annual budgets and project
forecasting parameters to create a street
infrastructure management plan.
Focusing on both short- and long-term
street and utility issues, staff identify and
prioritize street maintenance activities
to maximize the return on each dollar
invested. Depending on roadway and un-
derlying maintenance conditions,
maintenance strategies are identified as
mill and overlay, reclaim and overlay or full
reconstruction.
Here’s some of the latest information on
both current projects underway and
anticipated road projects coming in 2021:
• All utility work on the 2020 Infrastruc-
ture Improvement Project is now
complete, along with all of the 2020
paving of the full reconstruction area
and the mill and overlay area. The
contractor will continue to work on
restoration and remaining
warranty items. Final wear course pav-
ing of the full reconstruction area will
occur in 2021.
• A contract for the 2020 Seal Coat and
Fog Seal project was awarded to Al-
lied Blacktop in July. The seal coat and
fog seal project should be completed
by mid-September.
• City and engineering staff are cur-
rently working to prepare the fea-
sibility study for the potential 2021
Infrastructure Improvement Project. In
general, the project includes reclaim-
ing and overlaying of Erickson Drive as
well as the Lion’s Park neighborhood.
The complete 10-year pavement manage-
ment plan is available on the city website.
Windsor Ridge Development Takes Shape
Scattered Site Housing Program Gains Momentum in 2020
Over the years, the city has acquired
many properties as part of the scattered
site housing program. The primary focus
of the program is to target distressed
single-family properties throughout the
city, with the goal of improving residential
neighborhoods. The city uses its Economic
Development Authority (EDA) to purchase
the homes. There are a number of recently
completed and currently underway scat-
tered site housing projects across the city.
3924 Utah Avenue North
The city acquired the distressed property
at 3924 Utah Avenue North with the goal
of rehabilitating the house as part of a
demonstration project for the neighbor-
hood. The 1961 home features a two-story
home design that is common throughout
the neighborhood.
The city invested approximately $186,000
into improving the home, which included
removing a wall between the kitchen and
dining room to create an open floor plan,
and converting two upstairs bedrooms
into one master suite/bath. Upon comple-
tion of the project, neighbors were invited
to tour the home virtually.
The city received multiple offers for the
property, which sold in July for $375,000.
City staff marketed and sold the home,
saving thousands of dollars in brokerage
fees.
4215 Louisiana Avenue North
The vacant and distressed building at 4215
Louisiana Avenue North was demolished in
June of 2020 and the lot has been prepared
for construction of a new single-family
home. In order to allow for the construc-
tion of a single-family home, the parcel
was rezoned to a residential district.
A request for proposals marketing the lot
was sent to builders and a recommended
design will be presented to the EDA.
5201 Oregon Avenue North
The demolition and rebuild project at
5201 Oregon Avenue North features a
2,800-square foot two-story home. The
city acquired the distressed single-family
home that occupied the site in 2018, de-
molished the building and sold the lot to
housing developer Novak-Fleck. The new
home sold for $408,320 in April of 2020.
Progress continues on the Windsor Ridge housing development on 51st Avenue North,
between Pennsylvania and Louisiana avenues. SVK Development is constructing 32 new
single-family homes on an 8.7-acre undeveloped site that was owned by the city for
many years. The estimated sales prices for the homes range from the mid-$300,000s to
the low $400,000s.
As of this summer, approximately one-third of the homes planned for the development
were under construction or completed. The city of Crystal is also working with another
builder to develop three lots east of project.
Newly Built Single-Family Homes Line the Street of the Windsor Ridge Development
5353 & 5355 Oregon Avenue North
The city acquired the single-family home
located at 5353 Oregon Avenue North in
May of 2018. The home was demolished
and a variance was approved to allow for
splitting of the lot into two parcels. One of
the two lots was slightly smaller than the
city’s minimum lot size for the R-1, Single-
family Residential district, thus necessitat-
ing the variance. Great Buy Homes was
selected to construct two split-level
homes on the lots. The homes will be ap-
proximately 2,300-square feet and are
projected to sell for $360,000 and
$380,000. One home is currently under
construction and will be completed this
fall. Construction on the second home is
expected to begin this fall.
6027 West Broadway
Construction of a new 2,300-square foot
split-level home is underway at 6027 West
Broadway. The city acquired the single-
family home that occupied the site in Janu-
ary of 2020, demolished the building, and
sold the lot to Novak-Fleck. According to
Hennepin County tax records, the home
was the lowest valued single-family house
in the city. The new home is projected to
sell for $343,000 upon completion this fall.
Habitat for Humanity
On June 22, the EDA approved the use
of $76,250 in Community Development
Block Grant (CDBG) funds for a Habitat
for Humanity rehabilitation project. The
CDBG Program provides annual grants
on a formula basis to states, cities and
counties to develop viable communities
by providing decent housing and a suit-
able living environment, and by expanding
economic opportunities, principally for
low- and moderate-income persons. Hen-
nepin County allocates CDBG funds from
HUD to New Hope and several other cities
in the county.
Habitat For Humanity has until the end of
2021 to identify and acquire a property and
complete the rehabilitation project.
2020 Census
In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, the U.S.
Census Bureau has adjusted 2020 Census
operations in order to protect the health
and safety of the public and Census Bureau
employees, implement guidance from fed-
eral, state and local authorities, and ensure
a complete and accurate count of all com-
munities. Completion of the 2020 Census
is critical to ensuring fair representation in
Congress and the Minnesota Legislature,
as well as a fair share of federal and state
funding.
The deadline for all responses is now Sept.
30. Prior to Sept. 30, door-to-door census
workers will attempt to visit residences
where no response has been received.
Census workers are trained on social dis-
tancing protocols and are issued personal
protective equipment and required to fol-
low local guidelines for its use.
Residents can verify that individuals who
approach their homes are census employ-
ees by entering their names into the Cen-
sus Bureau Staff Search on the website and
noting that representatives:
• Must present a badge with a photo,
Department of Commerce watermark
and expiration date.
• Will provide supervisor contact infor-
mation and/or regional office phone, if
requested.
• Will provide a letter from the director
on U.S. Census Bureau letterhead, if
requested.
• May be carrying laptop and/or bag
with U.S. Census Bureau logo.
To respond online using your computer,
smartphone or tablet visit my2020census.
gov or call 844.330.2020.
A SmartFlower solar energy system was
installed at the office building at 9220 Bass
Lake Road. In 2019, the City Council ap-
proved a request for a text amendment
to the city code establishing solar energy
system regulations.
The SmartFlower is an all-in-one, ground-
mounted solar system with a tracker that
follows the sun. Solar cells on the system
are arranged on individual “petals” that
open at the beginning of each day. After
the sun goes down, the petals fold up and
a self-cleaning process takes place.
City Hall Hosts Mask Distribution
Event For Area Businesses
New Hope Building Official, Accountant Recognized as Employees of the Quarter
SmartFlower Solar Energy System
Need a trusted business advisor, or need
help obtaining funding to start up or ex-
pand your business?
Small businesses provide the economic
lifeblood for the communities we serve.
These small firms generate the jobs and
income that make an important difference
for families and neighborhoods through-
out our metropolitan region.
"Open to Business" provides free, con-
fidential business counseling to current
and prospective entrepreneurs. Their
experienced consultants work with small
business owners to access the technical
assistance and financing options they need
to succeed.
Locally, Open to Business is a partnership
between New Hope and the Metropolitan
Consortium of Community Developers
(MCCD), an association of nonprofit com-
munity development organizations serv-
ing the Twin Cities.
With the help of a matching grant from
Hennepin County, New Hope works with
MCCD to provide business consultation
services and financial advice to small local
SmartFlower Solar Energy System installed
at 9220 Bass Lake Road
business owners and aspiring business
owners.
The program offers help in several areas,
including:
• Business plan assistance
• Financial management
• Bookkeeping set-up and training
• Loan packaging
• Real estate analysis
• Marketing assistance
• Strategic planning
• Professional referrals
Entrepreneurs can meet with a business
advisor one-on-one at New Hope City
Hall by scheduling an appointment. Ar-
rangements can also be made to meet at
the MCCD offices in Minneapolis.
For more information, contact Tyler Hil-
sabeck, Program Manager at MCCD at
612.789.8838 or thilsabeck@mccdmn.org.
ed for the extra duties she took on during
the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her nominator noted that her cohort, An-
drea Phinney, accounting technician, had
only been with the city for a short time
and was not initially equipped to work
from home. So Shari took on double
duty during a stressful time and worked
in collaboration with management to
determine ways to track both material
and labor COVID-19 costs. Accurately
tracking these costs has been important
as the city has sought federal and state
reimbursement for the emergency ex-
penses. Additionally, the annual financial
audit was still in process, which creates
extra workload during a normal year.
Most im-
portantly,
employ-
ees and
vendors
continued
to be paid
accurately
and on
time (and
payments
to the city
continued
to be de-
posited).
We are all grateful to Shari for keeping
an essential function of the city moving
smoothly.
New Hope's Employee of the Quarter for
2020 Q1 is Dean Blom, the city's build-
ing official. Dean has been New Hope's
Building Official since 2018.
Dean's nominator recognized him for
going above and beyond to help a New
Hope resident. They described a situation
which began with a series of connections.
Dean was advised of an elderly resident
that members of the utility crew had just
assisted with an emergency water shut-
off and needed help. Dean and a plumber
he was working with at the moment were
able to re-establish water in the home for
the resident. The nomination went on to
describe how Dean made some neigh-
bors
aware
of
what
was
hap-
pening,
who
were
able
and
happy
to aid the resident with moving furniture
and starting the cleanup process. We are
thankful to have Dean looking out for the
best interest of our residents.
Congratulations to Shari Rains, city of
New Hope Accountant who is the Em-
ployee of the Quarter for Q2. Shari has
been with the city since 2013, starting as
an accounting technician and promoted
to accountant in 2019. She was nominat-
Open to Business Consulting Services
New Hope city staff distributed 20,000 masks to Hennepin County businesses during
a mask distribution event hosted by the city on July 30, in partnership with TwinWest
Chamber of Commerce. The event was part of a county-wide effort distributing masks
to area businesses, following Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's statewide mask mandate
requiring face coverings in all public spaces.
New Hope city staff members Aaron Thelen and Susan Rader ready to hand out masks at the July 30
distribution event.
City of New Hope Accountant,
Shari Rains
New Hope Building Official, Dean
Blom conducts an inspection.
Fall In-Motion Now Available Online!
New Hope Parks and Recreation’s fall In
Motion brochure is now available! The fall
edition is available online-only at
newhopemn.gov/rec and includes
programming for September through
November.
Moving to an online version allows staff to
more easily adjust programs or dates as
needed due to COVID-19. Physical copies
of the fall brochure will not be mailed.
Unable to access the online version?
Don’t worry. Contact the New Hope Parks
& Recreation department at 763.531.5151
for assistance.
City of New Hope, Minnesota e September 2020