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In the Pipeline - 12 December 2020A monthly news brief from the city of New Hope, Minnesota • newhopemn.gov December 2020 December/January City Council Regular Meetings: Dec. 14, Jan. 11 and 25 at 7 p.m. City Council Work Sessions: Dec. 21, Jan. 19 at 6:30 p.m. City Council Budget Public Hearing: Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. Citizen Advisory Commission Meeting: No December meeting, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. Human Rights Commission Meetings: Dec. 7, Jan. 4 at 7 p.m. Planning Commission Meetings: No December meeting, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. Holidays (City Offices Closed): Dec. 24 & 25, Christmas; Jan. 1, New Year’s Day; Jan. 18, Martin Luther King Jr. Day All activities are at City Hall, 4401 Xylon Ave. N. unless otherwise indicated. Agendas and minutes for meetings are available on the city’s website. Schedule is subject to change. Call 763.531.5117 for more information. Food and Toy Drives City employees are once again sponsor- ing holiday food and toy drives, with donations accepted through Dec. 18. The food drop-off site is located at New Hope City Hall at 4401 Xylon Ave. N. Drop-off hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Donated food will be delivered to NEAR (North Sub- urban Emergency Assistance Response Inc) for distribution to local families in need before the holidays. Unopened, nonperishable food items and checks will be accepted. Please make sure that canned items are not beyond their “use by” date. New, unwrapped toys for children of all ages will be accepted for the holiday toy drive sponsored by New Hope Police Department. Items may be dropped off Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the police department lobby, 4401 Xylon Ave. N. Donated items will be delivered to NEAR and Toys for Tots, and cash donations support “Shop with a Cop”. Outdoor Skating Rinks Lace up your skates and get out and enjoy some clear, crisp winter weather on an outdoor ice rink at one of three New Hope parks this winter. Parks main- tenance staff will flood rinks in Liberty Park at 60th and Gettysburg avenues, Lions Park at 38th and Oregon avenues and Hidden Valley Park at 32nd and Boone avenues. The rinks are scheduled to open on Dec. 19 and remain open through mid- February, weather permitting. Each park will have a rink for leisure skating and a separate rink, surrounded by boards, for hockey. Lights will be on at each rink from 4:30 to 9 p.m. daily. Due to COVID- 19, warming houses will not be open this season. For more information visit newhopemn.gov/rec and select facili- ties/outdoor skating rinks. New Hope Snowman/ Snow Sculpture Contest Have some fun in the snow! The New Hope Citizen Advisory Commission is sponsoring the fourth-annual snow- man/snow sculpture contest this winter. Residents are invited to create a snow- man or snow sculpture and submit a photo of their masterpiece anytime between now and March 31, 2021. More than one entry is okay! You can work as an individual, family, neighborhood or even a work group. Open to all ages! Email your photo to rec@newhopemn. gov and include your name, address and title for your creation. Prizes will be awarded after the contest. Please note that prizes will be limited to New Hope residents and businesses. Dec. 7 Budget Public Hearing New Hope City Council will review the proposed 2021 city budget and tax levy at a public hearing on Monday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. at New Hope City Hall. Residents are invited to participate or may watch the meeting virtually. The complete preliminary budget is available on the city website at newhopemn.gov/finance. Smart Salting Many rely on salt to help rid driveways and sidewalks of ice during the long Minnesota winter. But did you know, it only takes one teaspoon of salt to per- manently pollute five gallons of water? Winter salting makes a big impact on Minnesota lakes, streams, groundwater and wastewater, including long-term damage to local waterbodies like North- wood and Meadow Lake. Reducing salt usage by salting smartly can help reduce damage to infrastructure, vehicles, plants and water supply. Shovel - Clear walkways before snow- turns to ice. Apply salt only if needed. Select - Salt doesn’t melt ice below 15 degrees F. Use sand for traction when it’s too cold, or a different deicer. Scatter - Use salt only where critical. Aim for three inches of space between salt granules. Sweep - Clean up leftover salt, sand and deicer to save and reuse as needed. Recreation Corner Open Skating Come and experience the ice arena where the first Mighty Ducks movie was filmed. Open skating is offered most (please check city website for complete schedule) Friday nights from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and Sunday afternoons from 4 to 6 p.m. The cost for admission is $5/person and skate rentals are available for $3. Registration for open skating is available online, walk-ins are not accepted at this time. Each session is limited to 25 people. Soccer Camp Don’t miss your opportunity to participate in this fun and instruction-filled soccer camp running Dec. 28 and 29 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Players in grades 4-6 will focus on dribbling, passing, shooting and basic tactics. All learning involves game-like activities to keep players moving. The camp will be led by Cooper girls’ head coach, Nic Wetherall, his staff and players. The camp is $39 for residents and $45 for non- residents and will take place at the New Hope Community Gyms. Fastpitch Pitching Clinic This clinic on Dec. 29 from 1 to 4 p.m. will help you develop your speed and off speed pitches. Players ages 8+ will develop fundamentals and learn how to improve power and speed and then learn how to throw a consistent, deceptive changeup. The clinic is $30 for residents and $37 for nonresidents and will take place at the New Hope Community Gyms. Winter Break Challenge Youth ages 5-14, take the Winter Break Challenge to see how many outdoor win- ter challenges you can complete over winter break from Dec. 21 through Jan. 3. Be a high scorer and be entered into a drawing for a recreation prize pack. Cost is $5/ person and a Google Form Challenge Link will be emailed on Dec. 21. Register by Dec. 14. Family Activity Packs Families can check out sports equipment, games, crafts and activities to enjoy at home or in any of our parks! The different packs available include backyard games, sports, crafts, winter activities and more. Families can rent and use for up to two weeks. All equipment is cleaned and sanitized between uses. Cost ranges from $15-$20 depending on the pack. Call 763.531.5151 for more details. For more information about these programs or to register, call the Recre-ation office at 763.531.5151 or visit Rec Express at webtrac.nhrecexpress.com. Avoid a Frozen Water Meter It’s time to start preparing to keep your water meter and service line from freezing. To avoid a chilly and unwelcome surprise, keep the area where your water meter is located open to warm, circulating air. Also, keep closet doors and crawl spaces open and clear. If your line is frozen, try the following: • Use a hair dryer on the pipes near where the water meter is located. • Make sure air is being circulated where the meter is located. • If these steps fail, contact a plumber. If you have any questions, contact New Hope Public Works at 763.592.6777. Keep Your Waste Containers Curbside A friendly reminder that all residential waste containers must be kept on driveways near the curb and should not be placed in the street. Not only does this make city streets less congested for drivers, but allows snowplows to clear the roads more thoroughly and efficiently. Are You Signed Up For CodeRED Notifications? CodeRED is a free notification system offered by the cities of New Hope and Crystal, along with West Metro Fire- Rescue District. It allows important and timely information to be delivered quick- ly via your preferred method including phone, text, email and more. CodeRED emergency updates will keep you in- formed with urgent updates including snow emergencies, missing persons, utility emergencies and more. Make sure to select “general notifications” to receive important, non-emergency up- dates as well. To register visit newhopemn.gov/co- dered or text “crystalnewhope” to 99411. Note: Voice, data and messaging rates may apply. Think Before You Flush Please only flush toilet paper. Hygiene products, paper towels and wipes can clog your personal sewer system as well as the regional system. This leads to wide-scale sewer backups. Baby wipes and other non-flushable hy- giene products must be disposed of in the trash can - never flushed down the toilet. Even wipes labeled “flushable” can block the sewer and cause backups into homes or get caught on equipment in the sewer processing system causing blockages. Thank you for doing your part to protect the infrastructure in our community! French Park Feedback What do you think of French Park? Three Rivers Park District wants to hear from you. Take the French Park survey at letstalkthreerivers.org/ french-regional-park-master-plan.