The City of New Hope 2011 Annual Report highlights some of the more significant activities New Hope engaged in during 2011 and touches on some of the things the city is looking forward to in 2012. Click the link below to read the online publication.

2011 City of New Hope Annual Report

About 60 people attended a groundbreaking event for extensive improvements at the New Hope Ice Arena. Dignitaries who spoke at the event included Mayor Kathi Hemken, Senator Ann Rest, Representative Lyndon Carlson, Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman and Greg Ackerson from McKinstry. Work on the improvements are underway and will be completed in early August.

The yard waste site at 14796 101st Avenue North in Maple Grove is now open for the season. Regular hours are Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 7 p.m. The site accepts grass, leaves, small brush, tree limbs up to 10 inches in diameter, and small quantities of sod, dirt and gravel. For more information call 763-420-8971 or visit www.mgyardwaste.com.

Want to give your canine buddy a chance to socialize and get some exercise in a large, safe, enclosed area? New Hope's seasonal off-leash dog areas in Civic Center Park (44th and Xylon) and Lions Park (38th and Oregon) are open for the season. A dog park is also open on a trial-basis in Liberty Park (60th and Gettysburg). The Citizen Advisory Commission and City Council will review the status of the Liberty dog park in the coming months and decide whether or not to make it permanent.

The dog parks are free and may be used during daylight hours only. Pet owners are responsible for controlling and picking up after their dogs. Dogs must remain on-leash until they enter the dog park enclosure. Please read all the rules posted at the park entrance. Call 763-531-5151 for details.

Do you know what actions to take to protect yourself, your family, your pets, and your property when severe weather threatens? Check out the links below for important tips about dealing with severe weather...

Storms, Hail and Lightning

Thunderstorms affect relatively small areas, compared with most other storms. The typical thunderstorm is 15 miles in diameter and lasts for 30 minutes — but whatever their size, all thunderstorms are dangerous.

Severe thunderstorms produce large hail or winds of at least 58 mph. Some wind gusts can exceed 100 mph and produce tornado-like damage. That’s why many communities will sound their outdoor sirens for damaging straight-line winds. When a severe thunderstorm threatens, stay inside a strong structure. Mobile home occupants should go to a more permanent structure. (more...)

Weather Alerts and Warnings

We are fortunate to live in an age and country where our technology can now give us advanced warnings of impending hazards and natural disasters. Knowing where and how you can receive the warnings and what to do when you get them can mean the difference between life and death.

The information on these pages is designed to provide some background on how citizens, business and communities can be sure they receive critical warnings, what they mean and how to react.

Personal Weather Alerts - Learn how and where to subscribe and receive immediate personal weather alerts to your cell phone, computer or other communications device.
Siren Activation Information - Learn how are sirens activated and why.
Types of Warnings - Know the difference between a watch and a warning.

Flooding and Flash Floods

Nationally, floods claim nearly 200 lives each year, force 300,000 persons from their homes and result in property damage in excess of $2 billion. In Minnesota, floods kill more people than any other weather event; 15 people have died in floods since 1993.

About 75 percent of flash-flood deaths occur at night. Half of the victims die in automobiles or other vehicles. Many deaths occur when people drive around road barricades that clearly indicate that the road is washed out ahead. (more...)

Tornados

Learn what to do and where to go during a tornado event. (more)

Siren Activation Information

Counties and cities own, operate and maintain all local sirens, and set their own policy on how and when to activate them. The National Weather Service does not operate them. There are many different policies regarding siren activation that are used by the various cities and counties. Some will activate sirens across the entire county for tornado warnings only.

Others will activate sirens countywide for tornado warnings and all severe thunderstorm warnings. Some will activate sirens across the entire county for tornado warnings and severe thunderstorms that have winds of at least 70 or 75 mph. Others will activate sirens only for portions of counties. Local officials may also sound the sirens anytime they believe severe weather is a threat, even if there is no warning from the National Weather Service.

Sirens normal sound for about three minutes, and then go silent. It is very rare to keep the sirens sounding for the entire warning, since that would cause the backup battery to run out, which would be critical in the event that power goes out. Furthermore, the siren motor will fail much more quickly if the siren sounds continuously. Some jurisdictions may repeat siren activation every few minutes.

Note: There is no such thing as an all-clear siren. Please check with your local public safety officials for details on when warning sirens are sounded in your community.

Heat Waves

From 2000 to 2010, 35 deaths were directly attributable to extreme heat in Minnesota. This count does not include data from 2011 when Minnesota experienced an extreme heat event that broke several records for dew point temperature.

The National Weather Service (NWS) places high priority on alerting the public to heat wave hazards. Additionally, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has developed an Extreme Heat Toolkit with communications and public-health planning strategies to prevent heat-related illnesses and deaths.

The toolkit is available on MDH’s website here. (more...)

The New Hope Economic Development Authority (EDA) approved the terms of a purchase agreement on March 12 for the Kmart property at 4300 Xylon Ave. N. and the Wells Fargo Bank drive through at 4200 Xylon Ave. N. The EDA agreed to pay Gator New Hope, LLC $4.5 million for the Kmart property, $125,000 for the Wells Fargo property, and up to $10,000 for related incidental expenses. As part of the agreement, New Hope will provide $225,000 in earnest money and the city will have the opportunity to inspect the property in April. Kmart’s lease ends and they plan to vacate the property before the scheduled July 2 closing date. The New Hope EDA is acquiring the properties for future redevelopment opportunities.

The New Hope City Council recently approved changes to the city’s precinct boundaries. The changes are part of the mandated redistricting process which occurs every 10 years. The approved changes will reduce the number of precincts in New Hope from 11 to eight, eliminate directional elements in precinct titles (e.g. 3N,6E), and make the number of eligible voters in each precinct relatively similar while aligning precinct boundaries with distinct physical features (such as roads). Precinct boundaries were also modified to accommodate changes made to Legislative District 45B. For more information about the new precinct boundaries and polling places, view the revised precinct map on the city’s website, www.ci.new-hope.mn.us, or call City Hall at 763-531-5100. (more)

New Precinct Map

Twenty-two residents of New Hope and Crystal completed the weekend-long basic training course for the newly formed West Metro CERT on March 11. CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Team. Each CERT participant completed an extensive independent study course online, which introduced the basic concepts of CERT, before attending the 20-hour in-person training course. The three-day training session focused on disaster preparedness, incident command structure, disaster medical operations, light search and rescue, fire safety, and disaster psychology. The weekend concluded with a realistic disaster scenario -- a “tornado” at West Metro Fire Station 1 with more than a dozen “victims” suffering from a wide range of injuries -- which enabled team members to put their new skills to the test. Click on photo above to view larger version. (more)

CERT Training Slideshow

The New Hope City Council recently awarded Plymouth Heights Pet Hospital the Winter 2012 New Hope Outstanding Business Award. Plymouth Heights Pet Hospital has been in operation for 42 years. As the practice grew, it eventually outgrew its original building in Plymouth and built a new facility at 9200 49th Avenue in New Hope in 2004. The pet hospital has 45 employees, including five veterinarians, and offers a full range of veterinary services. (more)

The New Hope City Council approved the 2011 rates the city’s utility customers will pay at its meeting on December 12. There will be no increase in sanitary sewer, storm water, recycling or street light rates in New Hope for 2012. The rates New Hope utility customers pay for water will increase by 7 percent across the board to resolve a deficit in the city’s utility fund and to provide adequate funding for ongoing maintenance and improvements to the city’s water system.

New Hope’s water bill includes a basic service fee and a volume fee based on the number of gallons of water a utility customer uses. The basic service fee for residential customers will go up 40 cents in 2012 to $6.12 per month. Water volume charges are based on a three-tiered, state-mandated, water conservation rate schedule. The volume rate will increase by 7 percent to $4.50 per 1,000 gallons for customers who use less than 10,000 per month, $4.90 per 1,000 gallons for those who use 10,000 to 20,000 gallons, and $5.51 per 1,000 gallons for those who use more than 20,000 gallons a month. Commercial water rates in New Hope will also increase 7 percent in 2012.

The total monthly water bill for a residential water customer who uses 6,000 gallons of water will increase $2.14. While a customer who waters their lawn a lot in the summer, using 18,000 gallons of water during those months, can expect a total increase of $5.86 in their utility bill. New Hope property owners who have questions about the new utility rates or their utility bill may contact the utility billing clerk at 763-592-6760.

The City Council adopted the 2012 budget and tax levy at its regular meeting on December 12. The 2012 budget is $10,312,863, which is $18,864 less than the 2011 adopted budget. The 2012 tax levy is $9,228,730, or a zero increase compared to 2011. Links to a recording of the December 5 budget hearing, the 2012 proposed budget and the budget hearing Powerpoint are provided below:

• December 5 Budget Hearing
• 2012 Budget Power Point
• 2012 City of New Hope Budget

About 300 people attended the 20th Annual New Hope Community Mayor's Prayer Breakfast on Friday, October 28 at the New Hope Community Gyms. The theme of this year's event was "New Hope for Our Children." The event featured a dozen local spiritual leaders from a wide variety of faiths and musical performances by Cooper High School Chamber Strings, Armstrong High School Chamber Singers, and thie All District Choir. Browse the Prayer Breakfast program or click on the photo (at right) to view a slideshow of the event.

 

The Minnesota Department of Health require water suppliers, including the city of New Hope, to prepare an annual water quality report (also known as a consumer confidence report) for their customers. The reports tell where drinking water comes from, what's in it, and how you can help protect it. Click on the link below to read the 2010 Water Quality Report for the Joint Water Commission, which includes the city of New Hope.

2011 Water Quality Report