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Politics & Government

Oakdale Fire Truck Cost up $100,000 in Eight Years, 3M Cleanup Done by June, How to Report Plow Damage

Increased requirements and cost of steel upped the price of a new fire rig.

Following are a few items that came up in the Oakdale City Council workshop and regular meeting Tuesday, April 12:

Fire Truck Cost up more than $100,000 since ’04: The Oakdale City Council approved a request from Fire Chief Jeff Anderson to purchase a new fire truck for about $450,000 to replace one that’s 29 years old. Anderson said the cost for the truck increased more than $100,000 from when the city bought a similar one in 2004 due to new regulations and the increased cost of steel. In 2007 and 2010 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued two guidelines for diesel engines that basically prevent the truck from releasing diesel particulate into the air, however the vehicle upgrade to meet that standard added about $30,000 to $40,000 to the fire truck’s price tag, Anderson said. The National Fire Protection Association also revised its fire truck standards in 2009, calling for a number of new safety features, such as black boxes in fire trucks similar to those in airplanes, that added $8,000 to the cost of the truck, Anderson said. The rest of the price hike is due to the increase in the cost of materials such as steel, he said.

 3M Remediation to be done by Memorial Day: The excavation project to remove contaminated soil from a former 3M dumpsite near Highway 5 and Granada Avenue should be done by the end of May, said Director Brian Bachmeier at the Oakdale City Council meeting. Excavation should be complete by the first week in May, and then site restoration will take place for the following three weeks, Bachmeier said.

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Council Approves Parks Funding Recommendations: The Oakdale City Council voted Tuesday to approve Parks and Recreation Department Director Bruce Anderson’s proposals for reinvesting $15,000 saved by cutting lifeguards from into other parks programs with the caveat that it would be preferable to save some of the money. The council had previously approved putting $5,000 of the money toward the city's summer concert series. The additional recommendations included funding for jumbo chess and checkers games, adding sled dog rides to the Winter Wonderland event and equipping an old ambulance to be used for the In the Streets program, which takes recreation opportunities into neighborhoods.

Students Take on Oakdale Mall Redevelopment Plans: Teams of students from five Midwest universities acted as real-estate consultants for the Oakdale Mall redevelopment project in the NAIOP 2011 University Real Estate Challenge April 7 at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, said Community Development Director Bob Streetar. Teams from The University of Wisconsin-Madison, St. Cloud State University, the University of St. Thomas, the University of Northern Iowa and Marquette University presented what they thought was the highest and best use for the site to a panel of judges, which Streetar was part of. The teams’ proposed uses were generally similar to what the city has planned for the site, although some students said they found there was a demand for more multifamily rental housing in Oakdale, and incorporated that into their plan, he said. Representatives from Wellington Management and Ryan Companies, the two companies the city has contracted with to develop the site, were instrumental, he said, in getting the site to be used for the contest.

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Have Snowplow Damage? Call Public Works: Oakdale residents can call 651- 730-2740 to report damage to their mailboxes or sod from snowplows over the winter, said Oakdale’s Public Works Director Brian Bachmeier at the Oakdale City Council meeting Tuesday. The city will seed and mulch areas of grass that were torn up by plows, or provide sod, which the property owner has to install, he said. If it is clear due to a dent or scrape that a snow plow knocked over someone’s mailbox, the city will install a new, basic mailbox or provide the property owners with a $100 allowance to install their own, he said. There is also a form to report snow plow damage on the city’s website. Just go to ci.oakdale.mn.us, click on “departments,” then click on “public works,” and then click on “report plow damage.”

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