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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.01.24March 2024 Annual Spring Cleanup—May 18th Residents who participate in the City Refuse Program are eligible to place additional refuse curbside at no additional charge. All refuse must be out curbside by 6AM on the 18th and items are limited to a 6ft x 6ft area. Exceptions (include but are not limited to): Appliances, electronics, tires, pollutants, yard waste, construction waste, computer monitors, and televisions. Appliance & Electronic Dropoff May 18th, 8AM—Noon The appliance & electronic drop-off is at the St. Joseph Public Works Facility located at 1855 Elm St E. There is a limit of two items per household. Please be prepared to present your ID to confirm residency. Clean Water Starts with You! Safely Deposit Pharmaceuticals – A 24/7 accessible drop box for unused prescriptions is located at the Gov- ernment Center. Keep a Lid on Trash – Refuse carts left open cause gar- bage to fall out into storm drains. Avoid over-filling and properly bag your garbage. Keep Fat, Grease & Cooking Oil Out of our Plumbing – Grease and oils clog up not only your pipes, but also the city’s pipes. Properly dispose leftover fat in sealable containers and then into the trash. Compost Permits Available! The compost site will open May 1st, weather permitting. Site hours are Monday, Wednesday, Friday 4-7 PM; Saturday 8:00 AM—Noon. City of St Joseph—$55 City of St. Cloud—$70 St. Joseph Township—$80 St. Wendel Township—$80 Mark Your Calendars March 29th City Offices Close at Noon April 11th Tornado Drills at 1:45 PM & 6:45 PM Severe Weather Awareness Week May 27th Memorial Day, City Offices Closed Staff has been working on a redesign of the city website over the past few months. We are happy to announce that the new design will launch on March 19th around 3PM. We look forward to bringing you a more modern look and providing residents with a more streamlined product! Don’t Get Scammed! The goal of scammers is to get you panicked about a situation. Scams can be presented in many ways either through a phone call, email, text message or a direct message. Emails •Fake invoices will be sent out to attempt to get you to click on a link or call questioning the invoice. •Do not call the number on the invoice as this may be the phone number of the scammer. •You can usually delete the email; however, they may send it again. •Examples of emails could be an invoice for comput- er anti-virus software, warranties, etc •Email from someone out of the country that has a lot of money and needs your help to get it Phone Calls •Receive phone calls asking for personal information including your social security number, banking in- formation, PIN number, etc. •They may say it is in regards to some fraudulent charges on your account or to avoid your health in- surance being cancelled, etc. Text Messages •Messages about a package that can’t be delivered to you and it is being held at a warehouse •Notifications about unpaid bills for services you don’t have. Direct Messages /Dating Sites •If you are on a dating site you may have matched with someone and start talking to them through the app or text message •The person may start to show interest, but then ex- plain a difficult financial situation they or their loved one is in. This could be to guilt you into send- ing money or may lead to them asking for money. •If you are in your late teens or early 20’s they may try to convince you that you have been speaking with a minor and now you will be reported to the police. They may even go so far as to have someone posing as law enforcement call you. This usually ends in them needing money to “drop the charges.” •If you are going to meet someone you met online, meet in a public place and tell a friend who you are meeting and where you are meeting Online Marketplaces •Be careful when meeting someone to purchase an item found online •Meet in a public space or at a Safe Exchange Zone. Waite Park has a Safe Exchange Zone at their Pub- lic Works Facility and the Sartell Police Department has one at their Public Safety Facility. Residents of St. Joseph… Running a city is hard. City staff typically hear from our community when there’s a problem or complaint. Graffiti on buildings or park equipment, garbage in the streets or not picked up, billing was wrong and so on. I think it ’s time we acknowledged the good staff we do have. Our public works supervisor, Ryan and his staff go out of their way to ensure utility, water, street work is done on time, to the sat- isfaction of our community. Melissa is our front desk ex- traordinaire receiving information, passing that along to the correct party. She is also that smiling face you see behind the glass window. Kayla has a variety of tasks including legal notices, agenda, elections and licensing. Lori, Deb and Vicky are ready to answer all your finance and billing ques- tions. Nate is all things planning, zoning and business. He has a giant responsibility to keep this town working well together as it grows. Fire Chief Jeff Taufen has prepared our community volunteer fire department to be ready for many emergencies, including valuable EMT services. Chief Dwight Pfannenstein has done important work, to ensure his police department is at peak performance, making St. Joseph one of the safest cities in the state. But without Mary and Candi, the department would grind to a halt. They provide the reporting and office services needed to keep the department running. Rhonda and now Dillon pro- vide timely updates to our park facilities and have engaged this community with a cornucopia of youth family friendly and senior activities. Finally, David, our city administrator, is the ring master to all that goes on. This is his one-year anniversary, and he has provided great leadership and knowledge to department heads. All in all, this group works hard and does a darn good job! On a more somber note, Randy Torborg submitted his resignation to the city. I want to thank Randy for his years of dedicated service to the city. I commend employees, such as Randy, who invest their lives in our community. As always, this time of year, I am spending time at the state capital attempting to secure bonding money for pro- jects. We have the sewer main extension proposal trying to make its way to the final budget. This extension would aid in our infrastructure utilities toward county 2 and gateway commons. Because it has been such a mild and snowless winter, the DNR has listed Stearns County as a “Very High” fire category. This means fires start easily and spread at a very fast rate. It also places us in a “Restricted” burning area—meaning Agency Approved Permits Only. Please be cautious with your backyard campfires. Mayor Rick Schultz 320-260-0393 Welcome to the City of St. Joseph! A big welcome to the City’s newest employee, Recrea- tion Coordinator Dillon Haider. Dillon will be assisting Rhonda in the recreation department on community activ- ities and events! Community Development Update As construction season approaches, we would like to re- mind you of the types of projects that require a permit with the city. Projects include: fences, accessory struc- tures, parking pads, decks, roofing, windows and siding. Permit applications and additional information can be found at www.cityofstjoseph.com under the Building De- partment tab. Fire Mitigation & Spring Safety Tips Daylight savings time begins March 10th. This is a great time to check smoke detector batteries. There should be a smoke detector in every bedroom and every level of the home. Review your family’s Fire Escape Plan. Inspect gas grills, including gas hoses & propane tanks prior to Rates were adjusted to cover the cost to operate and maintain the City’s water, sewer, storm water, refuse and street light utility costs. Costs include wages, oper- ating supplies, repairs, and capital and debt expenses. Below is a summary of the 2024 utility rates for an ur- ban single-family residential user. Single-family sewer usage is determined by the total water used in Novem- ber/December 2023. Water Usage $5.45 per 1,000 gallons Water Line Charge $25.00 per bill Sewer Usage $6.60 per 1,000 gallons Sewer Line Charge $40.00 per bill State Surcharge $1.62 per bill 60 gal Recycling $12.00 per bill 90 gal Recycling $17.00 per bill 30 gal Refuse $34.00 per bill 60 gal Refuse $37.00 per bill 90 gal Refuse $43.00 per bill Refuse Tax 9.75% MN refuse tax Street Light Utility $4.80 per bill Stormwater $14.00 per bill 2024 UTILITY RATES/PER BILL CYCLE Pickleball: Open Pickleball Mondays 6-9PM, Wednesdays 6-9 PM, Saturdays 8AM-12PM, Sundays 8AM-12 PM, Kennedy Community School, ends May 24th. $2/person Open Gym: Open basketball Sundays Noon-2PM, Kennedy Community School, bring your own ball, $2 Yoga: Yoga Flow offers strength, flexibility, concentration and breath work. Perfect for those just starting out in their yoga journey as well as for the advanced yogi who is wanting to perfect the ba- sics of their poses with fine attention to alignment details. The room is heated to 85 degrees using infrared heat. Bring a yoga mat for floor poses and a water bottle. Classes will be held at KPower Yoga, 109 W Ash St, St Joseph, $84. 6 sessions each, Tuesdays, April 9 -May 14. https:// secure.rec1.com/MN/st-joseph-mn/catalog Tai Chi: Mondays, 11-12:00, St Joseph Government Center. Come learn and practice the move- ments of Tai Chi. Regular practice can increase flexibility and strength, and improve cardiovascular fitness. The emphasis on correct posture means that Tai Chi can instill a greater awareness of the body and how it moves through space. Free Wellness Classes: Mondays, starting March 11, Hypertension; 18th, Health Risk Appraisal; 25th Nutrition; 9-10:30, St Joseph Government Center. Put on by the Whitney Senior Center. Free, do- nations accepted https://www.ncoa.org/article/evidence-based-program-health-coaches-for-hypertension-control Seniors Cookie Decorating: join us on March 14, for cookie decorating, 12-1:00 at the Firehall. Please reserve your spot with Rhonda so we have enough supplies, $5, rjuell@cityofstjoseph.com or 320-250-0967. Cards (500) and Games 1:30-3:30. Summer Recreation: Sign up starts March 4-April 26. https://secure.rec1.com/MN/st-joseph-mn/ catalog. Create an account for your family and then select your activities. Flashlight Dash: Friday, March 29, 8:30PM is our Adult Egg Hunt at Milk and Honey Ciders. Check-in begins at 7:30PM. $10/person. Prizes from local businesses will be inside the eggs. Come join the fun! https://secure.rec1.com/editor/edit/sessions Wellness Classes: Mondays, April 1, Tobacco use Cessation; 8th, Physical Activity; 15th, Medica- tion Management; 22nd, Stress Management; 29th, Personal Action Plan; 9-10:30, St Joseph Gov- ernment Center. Put on by the Whitney Senior Center. Free, donations accepted https://www.ncoa.org/article/evidence-based-program-health-coaches-for-hypertension-control Seniors: Join us on April 11 for Games, Cards (500), coffee and treats at the Fire Hall, 1:30PM. Free Spring Scavenger Hunt: April 15-21, Clues will be posted on the city website and Facebook page. Read the clues and find the six locations. Take a picture of yourself and the place to show your lo- cation. Collect all six photos from the six locations and email them to rjuell@cityofstjoseph.com or text to 320-557-8140 by April 21 and your name will go in a drawing for a prize from our sponsors. Paint & Sip: Tuesday, April 16, 7-9:00PM: Come join us at Bad Habit for another night of fun with Jeremy The Bearded Artist. $38, use code Habit for a 15% discount. Register at https:// www.paintandsipmn.com/bad-habit-brewing-co ST. JOSEPH RECREATION EVENTS Bike Event: Women of Today are hosting their annual Bike Event on Saturday, May 11, 11:00 1:00PM at Klinefelter Park. First 100 kids will receive a FREE bike helmet, after getting your helmet you will make your way around the pond to each station learning about Safety and getting goodies at each one. Ages 0 - 17 are eligible to win 1 of 10 bikes, 2 of them will be tykes this year . You MUST be present to win any of the drawings. Movie In The Park: Saturday, May 18, 8:30PM, Millstream Park. The title was voted on and, The Sandlot it is! Seniors: Thursday, May 30, join us for a bus trip to the MN Twins game against the Kansas City Royals. $65 includes a coach bus ride, ticket to the game and all the hot dogs, chicken tenders, burgers, popcorn, chips, soda, water, juice and milk you can handle. Call the Whitney Senior Cen- ter (320-255-7245) to sign up. Nonrefundable. Senior Yoga: Wednesdays, 1:30-2:30, Heritage Hall. Call (320) 255-7245 to register. Increase your flexibility, balance, and range of motion as you move your entire body through a series of seat- ed and standing yoga poses. Restorative breathing exercises and relaxation promote stress reduc- tion and mental clarity. Optional chair support provides added stability when needed. Enhance Fitness: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:30-2:30, Heritage Hall. Call (320) 255-7245 to reg- ister. An evidence-based program designed to improve the overall functional fitness and well-being of older adults. The exercises focus on four key areas important to health and fitness: stretching and flexibility; low impact aerobics; strength training; and balance. All recreation activities and events can be viewed and registration can be completed by going to the city’s website www.cityofstjoseph.com under the Parks & Rec. tab.