City Tour Handout 2020
Commissioner Bus Tour
2020
1
Police Station & City Hall | 4401 Xylon Ave N
Groundbreaking for the new City Hall and Police Station took place on Jan. 5, 2018, and
staff officially began working from the new city hall on July 1, 2019. The landscaping
was finished in summer of 2020. The new 66,000-square foot building provides much
needed space for the police department and addresses many deficiencies of the
previous city hall. It has twice as much square footage as the old city hall, most of which
is in the police station/garage and public areas in city hall.
The new police station has a larger lobby with adequate seating and two adjacent
interview rooms to provide privacy for victims, as well as a secure location to talk with
suspects. It includes improved facilities for officers such as a larger roll call room
equipped with technology, individual workstations and ample locker room facilities.
There is a larger, more secure area for the storage of evidence and records and a 31-stall
underground heated garage; large enough to store all police squads. The new city hall
provides additional public space including two large meeting rooms equipped with
new technology and designed to adapt to a variety of uses, and two small conference
rooms between three staff counters. The council chambers has been specifically
designed to televise meetings and accommodate overflow attendees.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
2
Pool & Civic Center Park | 4411 Xylon Ave N
Plans for a new outdoor aquatic facility and other improvements within Civic Center
Park started in early 2017. The contracts were awarded by the City Council in March,
2018, and construction started the beginning of April, 2018. The approximate cost of the
project is $19.5 million. For the pool part of the project, the city received a grant from
the state for $2 million, a Hennepin Youth Sports Facility Grant for $250,000 and a
Minnesota Swimmers Grant for $40,000.
The new pool facility includes a bathhouse with concession stand, a 50-meter, eight-lane
pool, diving boards, drop slide and floatable water obstacle course, a current channel,
vortex pool, two body slides, shallow water area with zero depth entry and play
feature, water walk area and shade structures. The bather load for the new facility is
1,233 people and the pools hold a total of more than 700,000 gallons of water. A June
2020 opening was planned, but postponed until June 20 due to COVID-19.
Other improvements within Civic Center Park include a new outdoor performance
center with terraced seating, a picnic pavilion, skate park, trails, trail lighting and an
additional parking lot.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
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3
North Water Tower | 4648 Aquila Ave N
In 2018, the city planned two projects at the North Water Tower with the assistance of
the Joint Water Commission. A bypass valve was installed, connecting the existing
emergency well to the city’s water system. Previously, the emergency well could only
provide water directly to the tower. The well can now directly feed the water
distribution system in case of emergencies.
Interior and exterior painting of the tower also began in 2018. Due to the contractor start
timing and earlier than normal cold temperatures, work was not completed by the
substantial completion date in October 2018. The contractor returned in the spring of
2019 to complete sandblasting and painting of the interior and exterior of the water
tower.
City of New Hope 2019 Bus Tour
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
4
Cooper High School | 8230 47th Ave N
Cooper High School underwent a major renovation project in summer of 2019 with
substantial improvements to the entrance and auditorium at the school. The façade on
the main entry was replaced with more glass and a larger “COOPER” sign. The
entrance was reconfigured to improve security within the building. The theater and
auditorium was also remodeled. Construction on the $7.38 million project was
completed in the fall of 2019.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
5
2020 Seal Coat and Fog Seal
To maximize the life of the pavement on the city streets, the city schedules annual crack
repair, seal coating and fog sealing of selected streets. This activity is a critical part of the
city’s current pavement management strategy. This summer, approximately 2.3 miles of
street were crack filled an additional 2.1 miles of street were seal coated and fog sealed.
The intent of this process is to seal the roadway so that no moisture is absorbed into the
roadway and roadbed, which is the leading cause of asphalt failure. After the road cracks
are filled, the contractor applies an asphaltic emulsion and trap rock aggregate. Excess rock
is swept off the roadway prior to the fog sealing. The fog sealing further seals the road
surface and eliminates any excess rock release. It also provides the appearance and feel of a
jet black, brand new road surface, while extending the life span of the roadway.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
6
Holy Trinity Church| 4240 Gettysburg Ave N
Holy Trinity Church completed an expansion to its school in fall 2019. The project was
valuated at $1.848 million. This project included an 11,000 square-foot addition to the
second floor that will be used to accommodate a growing K-8 school population, as well
as a 1,000 square-foot expansion to the main floor entryway.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
7
Scattered Site Housing | 3924 Utah Ave N
In December of 2018, the
Economic Development
Authority (EDA)
purchased the vacant
and distressed property
located at this location.
The intent of the
purchase was to
rehabilitate the home for
resale and maximize the
value of the finished
product. In August of
2019, the EDA approved
a $173,671 contract with
Day Construction for
rehabilitation of the
home. This included an
alternate to remodel the
two bedrooms on the
second floor to create a
master-suite, including a
large bedroom, a
bathroom, and a walk-in
closet. The scope of work
for the project included
improvements to nearly
all interior and exterior
areas of the house. Upon
completion, the home
was sold for $375,000.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
Before
After
8
Northwood Basketball Court | 3815 Boone Ave N
Each year, capital improvement dollars are earmarked for maintaining playable court
surfaces, including basketball and tennis courts. Staff annually reviews the court
surfaces at all the parks and prioritizes maintenance based upon need and available
budget. Maintenance includes either
cleaning and crack filling, resurfacing
or replacement of the court.
In 2020, the basketball court at
Northwood Park was fully replaced
and new hoops were added. The court
had been originally installed more than
25 years ago and had received varying
levels of repair over the years. The
surface had reached the point of
needing replacement, and over the
years; existing hoops had continued to
shift and lean into the court. The proper
and safe way to correct the basketball
hoop issue was to remove the footings
and replace the entire hoop. In addition
to the Northwood basketball court
replacement, resurfacing work was
done on the Civic Center Park tennis
courts and the Fred Sims basketball
court. The basketball court and tennis
courts at Hidden Valley Park were also
cleaned and crack filled.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
9
2020 Infrastructure Project
The 2020 Infrastructure Improvement Project involves the full reconstruction of a half
mile of roadway and the mill and overlay of 3.75 miles of roadway. 36 ½ Circle and
Northwood Parkway were identified for a full reconstruction due to known
deteriorating water main and poor pavement conditions. Engineering staff determined
during the design of the project, that all of the water utilities on these streets would
need to be replaced, along with all of the storm leads in the roadway. The mill and
overlay area was determined based on the 10-year pavement management plan.
Work began in April of 2020. All water, storm and sewer installation was complete by
mid-July, and all roadwork will be complete by early September. Final wear course
paving will occur in spring of 2021.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
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10
South Water Tower | 2801 Hillsboro Ave N
In 2020, the city, in partnership with the Joint Water Commission, had the South Water
Tower cleaned. The cleaning included built-up debris removal, rust removal and power
washing of the entire tower.
City of New Hope 2019 Bus Tour
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
11
Winpark Drive Reconstruct| Winpark Drive
The 2019 Winpark Drive Infrastructure Improvement Project was identified for a full
reconstruction due to known deteriorating water main and poor pavement conditions.
Engineering staff determined during the design of the project that all of the water utility
on Winpark Drive would need to be replaced, along with all of the storm leads in the
roadway. The road width was reduced from 40 feet to 35 feet to reduce unnecessary
impervious surfaces and benefit the stormwater treatment. In addition to the reduced
impervious area, a large stormwater treatment device was installed in the boulevard to
treat runoff for phosphorus.
Work began in April of 2019. All water and storm sewer installation was complete by
mid-July, and all roadwork was complete by the end of August. The final paving
occurred in May 2020.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
12
Scattered Site Housing | 3856 Maryland Ave N
Although located within New Hope’s municipal boundaries, the lot at 3856 Maryland
Ave N was owned by the city of Crystal for several years. It was used as a connector
between Lions Park in New Hope and Kentucky Park in Crystal. The city of New Hope
EDA purchased the property from the city of Crystal in September of 2018 with an
agreement to maintain the park connection with the construction of a trail along the
northern edge of the site. The lot was sold to Donnay Homes, who constructed a 3,200-
square foot two-story home that sold for $414,000 in October of 2019.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
13
Scattered Site Housing | 4215 Louisiana Ave N
The EDA acquired the vacant and distressed building at the site for $125,000 in March
of 2020, as part of the city’s scattered site housing program. The building was
constructed in 1961 as a single-family home and was later converted into an office
space. The building 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 construction of a
single-family home, the parcel was rezoned to a residential zoning district. A Request
for Proposals (RFP) marketing the lot was recently sent to builders.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
14
Pocket Square Cocktail Lounge | 7530 42nd Ave N
A. Davis Distillery was granted a conditional use permit in January 2020 to open a
microdistillery and cocktail room at 7530 Quebec Avenue North. This will mark the
opening of one of the first cocktail rooms in the northwest suburbs. The distillery plans
to serve hand-crafted cocktails and small 750 ml bottles of their handmade liquor. The
microdistillery will begin by selling primarily vodka, gin and possibly rum, all of which
will be produced on-site. If all goes as planned, the owners hope to manufacture
whiskey as well, but due to the required aging process, it will be at least two years
before that product is available. Although the cocktail room will not offer food, they
will encourage customers to order food from local restaurants and will possibly have
food trucks on location during some occasions. Currently, A. Davis Distillery plans to
open the Pocket Square Cocktail Lounge in October 2020 and to hold hours
Wednesdays through Saturdays, and possibly on Sundays for special events.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
15
New Hope Ice Arena | 4949 Louisiana Ave N
Last November, the City Council approved the replacement of the front doors of the
New Hope Ice Arena. The doors had originally been installed in 1996, as part of the
south rink addition. During the 2012 interior improvement project, both lobby areas
were expanded and the existing doors were removed and then reinstalled. The previous
configuration had one interior and one exterior set of automatic sliding doors for both
the north entrance and the south entrance. All four sets of automatic doors were
replaced with non-automated doors. In addition, two automatic door operators with
wireless push pad buttons for handicapped accessibility were installed at the north
entrance. Installation of the new doors took place in early 2020.
At the Ice Arena, new skate sharpeners were also purchased this year. Four new
machines replaced the two existing machines that were more than 15 years old. Two
machines are located in the office area and used by staff to sharpen customer skates.
The other two machines are located in the skate rental area. The new machines are
almost fully automatic and much easier for staff to use. In addition, they were less
expensive and require a smaller amount of space.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
16
Scattered Site Housing | 5201 Pennsylvania Ave N
The EDA acquired the single-family home located at 5201 Oregon Ave N for $145,000 in
September of 2018 as part of the city’s scattered site housing program. The home was
demolished and the lot was prepared for construction of a new single-family home. The
lot was sold to custom home builder, Novak-Fleck; who constructed a 2,800 square-foot
two-story home that sold for $401,600 in April of 2020.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
17
Windsor Ridge | 52nd and Pennsylvania Avenues
The city was seeking high quality single-family housing development proposals for an
8.7-acre undeveloped site that has been owned by the city for many years. The site is
located just north of the New Hope Ice Arena, directly west of Iron Horse Park on the
north side of Soo Line Railroad.
In fall of 2018, the city
received six proposals
from four different
companies for the site.
After careful
consideration SVK
was chosen as the
preferred developer.
SVK Development
will develop 32 single-
family units on 65-foot
wide lots. The
estimated sales prices
for the homes range
from the mid-
$300,000s to the low $400,000s for each home. So far six lots have sold, two have
pending closings, one is for sale and two homes are currently in construction. The six
homes sold thus far have averaged a sales price of $402,164. SVK anticipates that the
project will be complete sometime in 2021.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
18
Scattered Site Housing | 5355 & 5353 Oregon Ave N
The EDA acquired the single-family home located at 5353 Oregon Ave N for $170,000 in
May of 2018, as part of the city’s scattered site housing program. 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 necessitating the variance. A request for
proposals (RFP) marketing the lots was sent to builders and Great Buy Homes was
selected to construct two split-level homes. The homes will be approximately 2,300-
square feet and are projected to sell for $350,000 each. One home is currently under
construction and will be completed this fall.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
19
Scattered Site Housing | 6027 West Broadway
The EDA acquired the single-family home located at 6027 West Broadway for $141,000
in January of 2020, as part of the city’s scattered site housing program. According to
Hennepin County tax records, it was the lowest valued single-family house in the city.
The home was demolished and the lot was prepared for construction of a new single-
family home. A RFP marketing the lot was sent to builders and Novak-Fleck was
selected to construct a 2,300 square-foot split-level home that is projected to sell for
$343,000. The home will be completed this fall.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
20
New Hope Golf Course | 8130 Bass Lake Road
In the fall of 2019, a new patio area was
added to the west of the clubhouse, which
overlooks the 9th green. With assistance
from the public works staff, the 22-foot x 24-
foot patio was built using large foundation
blocks, cement flooring and an iron railing.
Tables and chairs were added this spring.
Staff has also added landscaping around the
patio and built a new cart path.
A special thanks to the New Hope Lions for
their generous donation toward the project!
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
21
Begin Park | 5407 Xylon Ave N
Begin Park, located at 5407 Wisconsin Ave N, was updated with new playground
equipment this summer. The project involved the replacement of the playground
equipment, the container, improvements to the sidewalk area leading to the container, a
new picnic table with a shade structure, benches and a new park sign.
The playground at this park was last replaced in 1996 and was the oldest in the park
system. Planning started last fall with a survey sent to Begin Park neighbors asking for
their input on the new equipment and their interest in being a part of the planning
committee. Planning meetings were held in February and in April, after which; the City
Council awarded the site work bid to Dunaway Construction and the playground
equipment bid to Flagship Recreation and Landscape Structures. The project started in
late June and was substantially complete by the end of July.
The next playground scheduled for an upgrade is Corner Park, located at 4653 47th Ave
N. It is planned for 2021.
This concludes the end of the tour section of this booklet. Thank you for the work
you do for the city and we hope you enjoyed the tour!
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
Other Projects and Programs
22
Meadow Lake Drawdown | Meadow Lake
The city of New Hope, in partnership with the Shingle Creek Watershed Management
Commission (SCWMC) and the Meadow Lake Watershed Association (MLWA), is in
the preliminary planning stages of an in-lake treatment project on Meadow Lake. The
SCWMC’s engineering firm, Wenck, has drafted a lake management plan with the
ultimate goal of treating the extremely high in-lake phosphorus contamination. The
plan will address treatment of the curly-leaf pondweed infestation, the poor fish
habitat, and the phosphorus in the lake bottom sediment.
The project would
begin with a winter
long draw down of
Meadow Lake. The
drawdown would
begin in early
September to allow
for turtle and other
wildlife migration
prior to the first
freeze. In the spring,
the lake would be
allowed to fill back up during the snow-melt season. Water quality would then be
monitored over the next 2-3 years to verify that the draw down has been successful
enough to justify further treatment. If water quality results have not improved as much
as the engineers would like, a summer draw-down may be necessary to promote native
planting growth. Once water quality has reached the desired levels, chemical treatment,
most likely an alum treatment, would be applied to the lake to treat and contain the
phosphorus in the lake bottom sediments.
The SCWMC has applied for a Clean Water Fund grant for this project. The SCWMC is
currently working with the DNR on applying for the permit for the drawdown. If
awarded, project work would begin in 2020. However the timeline for approval is very
tight, and if the DNR does not permit this in time, project work would then begin in
2021. This project would be fully funded by the SCWMC. The city will have some
responsibility of cost on an adjacent pipe replacement and the drawdown of the
adjacent golf course pond.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
23
Safe Routes to School | Meadow Lake Elementary School
The Safe Routes to School demonstration project at Meadow Lake Elementary was
successfully installed in the fall of 2019. The installation coincided with Stantec’s annual
worldwide “Community Day,” with volunteers from the organization helping with the
installation. A special thanks to Stantec, the city engineer, the public works department,
the police department and Brooklyn Park for their assistance in planning and
coordinating the installation and keeping volunteers safe.
The installation was in place for approximately three weeks, and a traffic study took
place over a three-week period while the installation was in place. MnDOT utilized a
drone to obtain video of pedestrian and traffic patterns in the area as well. The paint
used for the installation was temporary and accented the use of the delineators. With a
Safe Routes to School plan from 2017 and the demonstration project in 2019, the city is
well positioned to apply for funding from MnDOT for permanent infrastructure
improvements in the future, should they be recommended.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
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24
SmartFlower | 9220 Bass Lake Rd
A SmartFlower total energy system was installed at the office building at 9220 Bass
Lake Rd. In 2019, the City Council approved 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 energy 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 of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
25
Rave Awards| City Award Program
The annual New Hope RAVE! Award Program recognizes the efforts of New Hope
residents who put a lot of time and energy into maintaining or improving their homes to
make them something special. The New Hope City Council encourages residents to
nominate a neighbor who takes exceptional pride of ownership or who is particularly
attentive to maintaining their residential property. Self nominations are also encouraged.
Properties may be nominated in one of several categories:
General property maintenance and improvements
Remodel, renovation, or addition
Landscaping
Gardens
Environmentally sensitive improvements (e.g., rain gardens, green building, etc.)
Landscaping
Award recipeints receive an engraved garden stone or plaque to display in their home or
garden, are recognized at a City Council meeting and highlighted in the In Touch city
newsletter.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
26
New Scoreboards | Community Gyms
The two scoreboards at the New Hope Community Gyms were replaced this spring.
They were originally installed in 2001, when the facility was built. These scoreboards
are used by the city for programs and rental groups, and are also used by Cooper High
School for classes, tournaments and other programs. A Hennepin Youth Sports
Equipment Grant was received and covered $5,000 of the purchase.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
27
New Parks & Rec Programs | Response to COVID-19
Like everyone else, due to COVID-19, the parks and rec department has been making
constant adjustments. Programming has been significantly impacted, with all in-person
classes, events and programs canceled through June. Staff quickly put together some
virtual recreation options for that time period. Limited in-person programs started in
July, and to date have been
successful with kids and parents
happy to be involved. Plans have
continued to evolve for fall
programs, which will include more
indoor programs. The golf course
was able to begin operations on
April 11 and the ice arena was able
to open on June 1. Earlier this
spring, the playgrounds and
basketball courts were closed, but
reopened when the Stay At Home
orders expired. However, signage
remains at the parks that asks
people to follow the current
guidelines. Other signage educates
park users that playground
equipment, picnic tables, etc. are not
sanitized.
The dedicated staff, both regular
and seasonal staff, have worked
hard to make it all work!
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
28
2020 /2021 Sewer Lining | Liberty Park Neighborhood
The city’s 2020 and 2021 capital improvement programs include $700,000 for installation
of linings of the city’s sanitary sewer collection system, $350,000 each year. Staff is
recommending that the city initiate the lining of sections of sewer pipe in areas that
have been identified with infiltration issues. The lining of sanitary sewer manholes
reduces inflow and infiltration, or I and I. The area chosen this year has high levels of I
and I, as identified in the 2018 I and I Green Grant study.
The 2020 project includes approximately 5,890 feet of sanitary mains in the Liberty Park
neighborhood. The 2021 project includes approximately 7,156 feet of sanitary mains on
the same neighborhood. Visu-Sewer was the low bidder on the project with a
construction amount of $321,115 for the work in 2020 and 2021. Staff are currently
working with Visu-Sewer on expanding the scope of the 2020 and 2021 lining projects to
utilize more of the available CIP budget.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour
29
2020 US Census | City of New Hope
2020 marked the year, to complete another decennial United States Census. New Hope
has a fair amount of housing that is part of historically undercounted communities. The
city participated in the Census in a couple of different ways. First, a Complete Count
Committee was formed. The purpose of this committee is to help educate residents
about the Census and to make them feel comfortable completing it. Second, on March 9,
2020 the City Council approved an ordinance requiring multifamily property owners
and managers to allow census workers access to their buildings during the decennial
census. The ordinance gave building owners/managers additional reason to comply
with allowing Census takers into their buildings. It also gave them an opportunity to let
residents know about the importance of participating in the census and the ability to
provide information about who lives in any given unit.
City of New Hope 2020 Bus Tour