Both the Street Reconstruction/Assessment Roll 2010 and 2011-2015 Capital Improvement Plans were adopted Tuesday night without public comment. Key highlights: the 2010 reconstruction project took place in the south half of Woodland Meadows (east of Verdin, approximately between 172nd Ave. and 174th Cir.) Due to a very favorable bid climate, the individual homeowner assessments came in at $4686.57 vs the estimated $6440.00. City Engineer Berkowitz showed several dramatic pictures of the excellent results from the City crews - on Uplander Circle, at 174th Circle, and at the intersection of 172nd & Uplander. He showed repairs needed for alligator cracking in some e roads and streets where crews regularly had to patch potholes - but now look excellent. Customer service is very important in these projects and he acknowledged fine efforts by Jason Law and Al Kester. The City also put up new signage to conform to state regulations, including new 35 MPH signs where the state allows lower limits in rural residential areas (from 55 MPH).
Thec 2011-2015 CIP calls for State Aid to be used in improving the intersection of Crosstown Dr. & Crosstown Blvd. next year. Crosstown Dr. is on the reconstruction list, as is South Coon Creek Dr. in 2012. The CIP helps the City maintain a AA+ bond rating. It includes $31 million over the next five years, which is for both construction projects and equipment replacement/purchases. 48.8% of departmental expenditures goes to streets and highways (out of an estimated $3,988,000 in 2011). Water treatment is the number two expense (@ 25%), while Parks, which generates more taslk than most other items is a comparatively minor budget item at 4%.
Sgt. Erickson from the Sheriff's Office reported that in September, Andover had 9 DUI arrests and 5 In-Custody, Domestic Assault arrests. He described specific arrests made in September, including one that SWAT was called in for on 141st Ave. That gentleman remains in custody, his home has been foreclosed upon, and he will not be returning to that neighborhood.
The Mayor signed a proclamation declaring November to be Homeless Awareness Month. Karrie Schaaf, a state expert on homeless youth, from Emma B. Howe YMCA of Coon Rapids, spoke, along with a youth assistant, Abby. On January 27, 2010 (night of the annual homeless count) there were 1301 homeless people in Anoka County, about 155 of whom were youth, aged 16-21. There are not enough beds for the homeless in Minnesota. Some sleep in parks, some in porta-potties. There are no shelters in Anoka County and Hennepin County fills up. Programs like Family Promise are in place, and Sleep Outs to raise funds for the homeless have been successful. Andover HS did its first last year, and besides raising money, the school has started a food shelf.
Here's a link to a 2010 StarTribune article on homeless youth in Anoka County: http://www.startribune.com/local/north/91566694.html?page=1&c=y.
City Administrator Dickinson passed out Anoka County Annual Homeless Count statistics. The 1301 were an increase of 297 or 30% over the 2009 count. There were 212 more homeless households in 2010.
Sixty were living on the streets in January. Homeless shelters accounted for 76, while 29 were at motels. There were 403 homeless couch hopping or doubling up with others. Two were places unfit for habitation, while 87 were located in the Transitional Housing Program. Another 29 were in homes they would be evicted from in less than a month, and 61 others were on shelter waiting lists, in the hospital or in jail.
Fifty-four of the Anoka County homeless suffered from Severe Mental Illness (SMI). Nineteen were fighting Chronic Substance Abuse (CSA) sand 39 had both CSA and an SMI. Another three had basic mental health or mental illness issues and two cope with Learning Disabilities.
This is a very troubling concern for every community, not just the urban centers of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
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