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St. Louis Park, Minn. – The City of St. Louis Park, ARINC Inc., and Federal Insurance Company have agreed to resolve their dispute currently pending in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.
The dispute arose out of the installation of a municipal wireless broadband network that ARINC contracted with the city to install. The parties' agreement resolves both the city's claims against ARINC and Federal Insurance Company, and ARINC’s claims against the city. No party admits wrongdoing and all parties are pleased to have the dispute resolved.
Agreement Highlights:
- ARINC will pay to the city a cash settlement of $1.05 million
- The City will have ownership of the approximately eight miles of fiber, handholes, and conduit installed by ARINC as part of the contract
- The city will remove all equipment from all the poles by Jan. 31, 2009
- The City will begin pole removal in spring once the frost is out of the ground
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The St. Louis Park City Council will hold a Truth-in-Taxation public hearing to discuss the 2009 budget and property tax levy at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1st at City Hall, 5005 Minnetonka Blvd. The hearing is designed to give council members another opportunity to discuss the proposed budget and hear public input before adopting the final budget and tax levy on Dec. 15, 2008. The St. Louis Park City Council reviewed a preliminary 2009 budget and property tax levy at its Sept. 2, 2008 meeting. Following discussion, council members set the maximum tax levy increase at 6.27 percent, a figure that can be reduced, but not raised, prior to being adopted in December.
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How are city funds allocated and what are the revenue funding sources?
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What is the break out of the 6.27% levy?
• 3.9 % is the base levy increase allowed under state law to cover general operating costs.
• 1.47% is added reflecting growth in commercial/industrial property value
• 0.13% is growth in households
• 0.77% is allowed for public safety salary and benefit costs that exceed 3.9%
What does this mean for a St. Louis Park homeowner?
For a person in a home valued at $250,000, the percentage increase from this levy is 4.9%. The levy percentage applied to your home is dependent on the exact value change for an individual property. The percentage could be further reduced by the council action to lower the overall levy.
How are city funds allocated and what are the revenue funding sources?How can residents participate in 2009 budget process?
All St. Louis Park property owners will receive tax notices from Hennepin County in November, reminding them of the hearing. Council and city staff members look forward to sharing information and receiving comments from the community, prior to, and during the Dec. 1 hearing.
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If you’ve ever driven along Highway 100 near Minnetonka Boulevard and noticed what appears to be a huge limestone beehive by the side of the road, your eyes are not deceiving you. The beehive grill/fireplace at Lilac Park was built in 1939 as part of a Depression era federal jobs program known as the Works Progress Association (WPA). According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the National Park Service, there are only two such beehives left in the United States. The other is at Graeser Park in Robbinsdale.
But 70 years after being built as a place for travelers to take a break, and families to join together for fun and fried chicken, things are changing for this local landmark. Due to the upcoming widening of Highway 100, the beehive and other limestone features at Lilac Park (such as a fire pit and picnic table), are themselves moving down the road this fall.
Their new home will be Roadside Park, located just west of the Nordic Ware facility. Plans call for the beehive, picnic table, and rock garden to be relocated by the end of the year. In 2009, the “council ring” and firepit will be reconstructed by the beehive, a connection to the Southwest Regional Trail will be added to Roadside Park, and parking spaces, informational signage and pedestrian trail lights will be installed.
Rick Birno, the city’s parks and recreation superintendent, said there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony and picnic to celebrate the 70th anniversary of this WPA project and its restoration. He added that the success of this project is due to the cooperation of several organizations (the city, St. Louis Park Historical Society, State Historical Preservation Organization, and Minnesota Department of Transportation).
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Special work group assigned to focus on resident needs
With foreclosures affecting homeowners on a national basis, the City of St. Louis Park has been working to deal with the issue. This spring, city officials convened a special work group with representatives from various departments around the table.
The purpose of this group, according to City Manager Tom Harmening, is to find a way to anticipate the impact of the foreclosure issue on St. Louis Park residents and neighborhoods and provide assistance where possible. Additional topics the group will address include monitoring vacant properties, monitoring property condition and evidence of vandalism and other related issues.
“Foreclosures and related issues involving ‘problem properties’ require the work of every city department, from public safety to inspections to assessing,” Harmening said, noting the group has improved how these departments share pertinent information. “We want to anticipate issues, and encourage residents to get assistance before the matter becomes critical. Rather than wait for a neighbor to complain, we want to address issues ahead of time.”
One example of the city’s efforts to assist residents is to provide information and contacts for financial counseling by foreclosure prevention specialist. The city has mailed information to residents and advertised foreclosure prevention workshops. The recently passed Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 is providing additional federal assistance to homeowners finding themselves in facing possible mortgage problems. So attending a workshop or contacting a prevention specialist is really important. The earlier homeowners get help, the more likely a positive outcome. Harmening added that St. Louis Park has experienced far fewer foreclosures than many other cities in Hennepin County.
For example, in the first eight months of 2008, there were 100 in St. Louis Park. Additionally, the city is not seeing large concentrations of affected properties – rather they are spread throughout the community. “St. Louis Park remains one of the most desirable locations in the Twin Cities,”
Harmening said. “So we’re not seeing these homes sit empty. There are many people who’ve been waiting for the opportunity to move to the Park, and so our foreclosed properties are not leading to depressed areas like some other cities are challenged with right now.”
Here are some helpful tips for dealing with foreclosure issues:
Worried about your next mortgage payment? Or your home equity payment? Already missed one or two? Concerned about your interest rate changing? You’re not alone. Do you – or someone you know – need assistance? Nearby community agencies will answer your questions, offer free advice, and help you create a plan confidentially. Don’t waste another sleepless night. Call today, because waiting limits your options. In St. Louis Park, contact: Community Action Partnership of Suburban Hennepin at (952) 933-1993. For more information, visit us online at
www.capsh.org Hennepin County will be offering Borrowers Workshops for residents interested in learning more about avoiding foreclosure:
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Wednesday, Nov. 12
6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Golden Valley Library
830 Winnetka Ave. N.
Golden Valley
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- Tuesday, Dec. 2
6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Brooklyn Park Library
8600 Zane Ave. N.
Brooklyn Park
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The City of St. Louis Park is currently conducting a survey about its telephone system’s features and over-the-phone customer service. A scheduled replacement of the city’s telephone system will occur in 2009. The new system will be intended to increase internal communication capabilities and enhance the over-the-phone services the city offers to the public. As we embark on this upgrade, we'd like to know a little more about your experience with our phone system.
The following link will take you to a brief survey (five questions). All answers are confidential and the survey is completely voluntary. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Communications Coordinator Jamie Zwilling at jzwilling@stlouispark.org or (952) 924-2362. Thank you!
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The holiday season colored lights illuminating the trees at Oak Hill Park, 3201 Rhode Island Ave. S., will shine from the evening of Nov. 27 until the end of the outdoor skating season.
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OUR HOUSE is a groundbreaking documentary that explores what it's like to grow up with gay or lesbian parents. Traveling to urban, rural and suburban communities in Arizona, Arkansas, New Jersey and New York, OUR HOUSE director Meema Spadola (daughter of a lesbian mom) profiles the sons and daughters of five families - African American, Latino and white; Mormon, Christian, and Jewish - who illustrate some of the diversity of America's gay and lesbian families.
This documentary film is not rated; however, we recommend this event ages 12 and up. The film is designed to spark conversation and is not a reflection of the views of the Human Rights Commission or the City of St. Louis Park.
NEW LOCATION - Due to the US Senate Ballot Recount, the film will be shown at the Little Theater at Lenox Community Center!
- Thursday, November 20, 6:30 p.m.
- The Little Theater at the Lenox Community Center
- 6715 Minnetonka Blvd, St. Louis Park, MN
- Free Admission - Free parking at Lenox Community Center
- Printable Event Flyer
- a discussion will follow the film
- for more information call (952) 924-2184
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Decision Resources Inc. is presently conducting residential phone surveys. The citywide survey is conducted to address concerns and questions resident may have about St. Louis Park. For questions or more information, call (952) 924-2500.
