Volume XXIIII, No. 3

The City Newsletter September 2019

News for Loretto City Residents

City of Loretto 279 N. Medina Street

Suite 260 P.O. Box 207

Loretto, MN 55357

763-479-4305 (phone) 763-479-2685 (fax)

Website: www.ci.loretto.mn.us

City Hall Office Hours: Monday 8:00-1:30

Wednesday 8:00-1:30 3:00-6:00

Friday 8:00-1:30

Special points of interest:

• Thank you to Fun Fest donors, p.2

• Loretto Fun Fest - Saturday, September 14th, p.3

• Recycling News and Dates to Note, p. 4

• Lions Park Flag Garden, T-shirt contest winners, p.5

• Stormwater Best Practices, p. 6

• Quiet Zone Update, Grant Award, p. 7

• Clothing Drive, Blood Drive p.8

Highlands Park

A new picnic shelter was recently added to the Highlands Park, located at the

intersection of Summit Avenue and Edgewood Lane. This effort was spearheaded

by former Parks Committee and Council Member John “Archie” Neumann. The

current Parks Committee, consisting of Council Members Melissa Markham and

Eric Riley, are working on plans to expand the playground at the Highlands Park,

similar to the expansion that took place at the Ponds Playground in 2018. If you

are interested in participating in the planning or if you have comments, you may

contact Parks Committee members or City Hall: mmarkham@ci.loretto.mn.us,

eriley@ci.loretto.mn.us or mschneider@ci.loretto.mn.us.

Mayor

Kent Koch

kkoch@ci.loretto.mn.us

Council Members

Brenda Daniels

bdaniels@ci.loretto.mn.us

Melissa Markham

mmarkham@ci.loretto.mn.us

Eric Riley

eriley@ci.loretto.mn.us

Brian Sevigny

bsevigny@ci.loretto.mn.us

City Clerk Treasurer

Mary Schneider

mschneider@ci.loretto.mn.us

Public Works

Jeff Leuer

jleuer@ci.loretto.mn.us

Utility Clerk

Connie Scheibe

cscheibe@ci.loretto.mn.us

PA GE 2 T HE CIT Y N E W S LE T TE R

to all those listed below for their donations and support of the

2019 Loretto Fun Fest. We are grateful for your contributions!!!

Thank you to all those who help make the Fun Fest a success!

Your generosity is genuinely appreciated!!

Gold Donors ($100-499.99): Allstar Construction Bagy Jo, Inc. Mary Cavanaugh—Edina Realty Choo Choo Restaurant Detour 19 Bar & Grill Dick’s Auto Detailing DMJ Asphalt Inc. Doboszenski & Sons Inc. Dvorak Co. Tom & Jan Grinnell Ingleside Engineering & Construction KD Canopy Rental LLC-Duane & Karen Schlosser KD & Company Recycling Inc. Herb & Shelly Koch-Koch’s Korner Gordon E. Lang Lano Equipment Loretto Knights of Columbus Loretto Machine Inc.-Marv & Marlys Timm Loretto Office Park Metro West Inspections Park Place Storage ProLawns, Inc. Randy’s Environmental Services Schu’s Cabinets Brian & Tammy Sevigny Saints Peter and Paul Tom Van Beusekom & Susan Rae Vinland National Center

Silver Donors ($50—$99.99):

Lana & Daryl Gilpin-LVG Stables, LLC Rick & Carol Hatcher Mary Joyce Koch Glenna & Bob Kramer Melissa & Pete Markham John “Archie” & Michelle Neumann Nick Oeffling Quality Lawn Care

Bronze Donors (up to $49.99):

Juanita & Shannon Flaherty Cheryl Jalonen Barbara Kutz Patriot Erectors Inc. Paul & Sherri Raskob Gordon Schmidt Ed Schumacher Tony & Julie Van Beusekom Lorelie Yager

Donations of Resources:

21st Century Bank City of Hanover City of Medina Church of Ss. Peter and Paul Fish & Labeau Signs Lano Equipment Loretto Volunteer Fire Department Loretto Knights of Columbus Loretto Lions Club Medina Police & Police Reserves Village Church

Thank You to the Fun Fest Planning Committee:

Ron Guild John Nelson Jeff Horch Melissa Robbins Jason Nelson Cindy Spaulding City Staff

Titanium Donors (donations over $1,000)

Platinum Donors ($500—999.99):

Empire Cycle ⧫ Loretto Fire Department ⧫ Shingobee Builders

Wenck Associates, Inc.

21st Century Bank ❖ Eagle Mouldings ❖ Loretto Lions Club

Sponsored Activities

The Teddy Bear Band, Rich & the Resistors—

21st Century Bank

The Good Ole Days of WCCO Radio—

Loretto Machine Inc. - Marv & Marlys Timm

VO LU M E XXII I I , N O. 3 PA GE 3 P AGE 4 T HE CIT Y NEWS LETT ER

Recycling News

Nov. 12th ~ Leaf & Grass Collection

Randy’s will be picking up leaf and grass clippings in

Loretto on Tuesday, November 12th. Please have

compostable bags curbside by 6 am.

• Brush must be tied in 3’ x 3’ bundles.

• Plastic bags of yard waste will not be accepted.

All yard waste must be in Compostable Bags.

Dates to Note City Council Meetings

Loretto City Council meetings are held at 7 pm on the

second Tuesday of each month at the City Council

Chambers, 279 N. Medina St., Suite 260.

Future dates are: Sept. 10th, Oct. 8th, and Nov. 12th

On occasion these dates need to be rescheduled. Check

the City website or bulletin board for notices of changes.

Contact City Hall to request these email notices.

Oct. 12 ~ Fire Department Open House

The Loretto Fire Department is having an open house on

October 12th from 4-8 pm to celebrate National Fire

Prevention Week, which is October 6-12th.

There will be a delicious dinner (free will offering),

games and inflatables, silent auction, face painting,

fire truck rides, demonstrations, free drawings and more!

Come meet our local Firefighters and tour the

Fire Station!

Disposables to Decline

1. Straws: Most straws head straight for the landfill, or end up littering our streets, greenspace and eventually

our beaches and oceans. If you really do prefer drinking through a straw, there are a growing number of fantastic portable and reusable options available. So join the “say

no to the straw” movement and quickly speak up before your server sticks one in your drink.

2. Disposable Coffee Cups and Sleeves: Because of their plastic or waxed lining, disposable coffee cups are not recyclable. If you

have a daily coffeeshop habit, make a new habit of bringing along your own mug. As a bonus, your coffee will stay hot longer in a travel mug and it’s less likely to spill. If you must use a disposa-

ble cup, keep a reusable sleeve or your own fabric one in your purse or wallet. Either way, you will be reducing waste, and setting a good example.

3. Napkins: Do you really need that huge stack of napkins for one sandwich? Probably not — instead, just take what you’ll really use. Unless you practice organics recycling, paper towels

and napkins are not recyclable, even if they are unused. At home, cloth napkins can be just as easy as paper ones; they don’t take up much space in a load of laundry and they’re one less item to add to your grocery list. If you associate cloth napkins with fancy restaurants, change

your mindset and make sure the cloth napkins you buy are inexpensive, unfussy, and easy to care for— no ironing necessary! You can even make your own by cutting up an old tablecloth, curtains, or other scrap fabric that would otherwise be thrown away.

4. Condiment Packets: Fast-food and Chinese restaurants have the tendency to throw a huge handful of condiment packets in with your take-out. Does anyone ever actually use all of them? When you place your order, if you truly need a

condiment, ask for just as many packets as you’ll use. If you’re eating at home and have a bottle of that sauce, specify that you don’t need any packets. It’s more environmentally sound to use condiments from a bottle and also likely that the glass or plastic bottle can be recycled, whereas the little foil or plastic packets cannot.

Encouraging your family, friends, and community members to start turning down some of these disposable items will help send the message to businesses that single-use plastic and paper products are wasteful and undesirable.

Upcoming Recycling Dates

September 10th & 24th

October 8th & 22rd

November 5th & 19th

December 3th & 17th & 31st

Sept. 24 ~ Infrastructure CIP Public Workshop

The Loretto City Council will hold a public workshop

at 6 pm on September 24th to discuss and hear public

comments on the Infrastructure CIP (Capital

Improvement Plan) Report first reviewed at the

August Council meeting. Loretto residents and

business owners are encouraged to attend.

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Lions Park Flag Garden

Thank you to the Loretto Garden Club for

their work to improve the Lions Park Flag

Garden, located at the Loretto Lions

Park. Through their collaborative efforts,

the garden was cleaned out, weeded

and day lilies were planted. They

expressed an interest in this project to

honor our veterans, active military and

the flags that fly at this location.

T-Shirt Contest Winners

A big Thank You to all those who submitted designs

for the Fun Fest 20th Anniversary t-shirt design

contest. With all of the excellent designs submitted,

the committee had a difficult task choosing a winner!

In the end two designs were selected. Congratulations

to Jeff Horch (front) and Jordana Lacina (back).

Both received a $100 prize and a free t-shirt. If there

is enough interest, shirts sales will be re-opened after

September 14th. Contact City Hall or watch for an

email if you are signed up to receive city

notifications.

Jordana Lacina Jeff Horch

Garden club member, Veronica Shaffer planting day lilies.

Flag garden “before” photo

Completed project “after” photo

Miscellaneous News

City Council Notifications

Stay informed on what is happening at City Council

meetings. The city emails council agendas and

minutes at no cost to residents. Information on

voting, elections, civic events, and general

happenings around town is also emailed. If you

would like to be added to the email notification list,

send your request to: mschneider@ci.loretto.mn.us.

Public Notification System

Sign up for notifications of public safety information or

local emergencies. You may choose a voice, text and/

or email message. This is a private listing, information

will not be shared. The sign up form can be found on

the City of Loretto website under Helpful Info/Forms.

P AGE 6 T HE CIT Y NEWS LETT ER

Preventing Stormwater Pollution

We all live in a watershed — the area that drains to a common waterway, such as a stream, lake, river, wetland, or even the ocean — and our individual actions directly affect it. In Loretto, our rain and stormwater runoff flow to Lake Independence and Lake Sarah. Each newsletter will include guidelines you can follow to help make a difference in the quality of our local waters.

What’s The Best Thing To Do With Fall Leaves?

Here are some common leaf disposal options — read on to find out which one works best for your yard:

1. Doing Nothing

If the idea of leaving leaves all over your lawn doesn’t distress you, then do it: leave them on your lawn, right

where they fall. That’s right: Do nothing! The leaves create their own ecosystem, providing shelter and food to

animals like chipmunks, and insects like worms, bees and butterflies. Then the leaves decompose, returning

nutrients to your soil. You also save money and resources by avoiding electricity or gas used to power leaf

blowers or lawn mowers, and you get a few weekends back to do what you want (which we’re certain wasn’t

raking leaves). Sounds like a pretty great way to enjoy fall!

2. Mulching Leaves

If you have a moderate amount of leaves in your yard, mulching is the

quickest, lowest effort, and greenest way to clean up your yard this fall.

All you have to do is mow over the leaves right where they are. The leaf

clippings will provide nutrients that will support the health of your lawn

come spring. If you use a mower bag attachment, you can spread the

chopped up leaves in flowerbeds, where they will act as nutrient-rich

mulch. One downside here is burning the gas for the mower!

3. Creating A Compost Pile Of Leaves

You can also put in a little bit more time and effort and compost the leaves — a solution that can be as green

as mulching, especially if you opt to rake instead of using a leaf blower. First, gather all the leaves into a pile

and cover them with a tarp. The tarp prevents them from blowing away, and helps create an environment ripe

for composting. Turn the leaves with a rake to help add oxygen to the pile 3–4 times throughout fall and

winter. This promotes decomposition. By spring, you should have some good compost to work with.

4. Using Local Yard Waste Services To Compost Leaves

The brush and compost site located at 2052 County Road 24 (shared with Medina) is another eco-friendly option

at your fingertips. Once the leaves are all gathered together, the only environmental cons here are the use of

bags to contain the leaves, and the gas used for transporting the leaves to the collection spot. Make sure to

dump leaves out of bags or containers and take them with you. Bring your id with proof of residence, this site is

only for Loretto and Medina residents. The site is behind the shop building, northwest of Medina City Hall.

5. Burning Or Trashing Leaves

Don’t do it! Burning leaves releases molds into the air that are not great for human health. Trashing leaves

contributes to methane buildup from landfills. Both options represent the loss of a valuable natural resource

that could be feeding lawns.

Illicit Discharge is defined as any direct or indirect discharge

of anything other than storm/rain water into the storm drains.

This is against city code and should be reported immediately to: Jeff Leuer at 612-221-4963. See City Code Section 412:30 for

details and exemptions.

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Quiet Zone Update

For many years the City has been investigating Quiet Zone improvements for the Loretto railroad crossing on

County Road 19. In 2018, the State Legislature approved funding through a bonding bill for improvements at

this intersection. These improvements would allow the crossing to be considered a Quiet Zone, which means

trains would no longer blow their whistles when approaching the intersection. Language in the legislative bill

highlights “improvements at Townline Road” within the project de-

scription. Since this language was included in the bill, funding for

improvements at the Loretto crossing will only be authorized if

improvements are also made at Townline Road. Substantial

improvements would need to be considered for the Townline Road

crossing to satisfy the language identified as “safety improvements”

as it relates to a Quiet Zone, making the project as a whole

infeasible.

At the August 13th city council meeting, City engineers recommended

the City revisit the language in the approved Bonding Bill to strike out

text related to improvements at Townline Road. The City Council

directed city staff to work with the engineers and state

representatives in this effort.

CenterPoint Energy Community Partnership

Grant Award

Thank you to CenterPoint Energy for their recent Community

Partnership Grant Award in the amount of $2,500 to the City

of Loretto.

The Community Partnership Grant program offers an

opportunity for CenterPoint Energy to invest in the

cities we serve. For over 145 years we have partnered

with communities supporting our shared commitment

to safety while delivering safe, reliable natural gas.

Since 2003, the program has awarded more than $1.8

million in donations and provided funding to support

967 projects in communities throughout CenterPoint

Energy’s service area.

Through the grant program, we can help cities

leverage local funds to purchase needed safety

equipment or support safety projects that are

important to your community.

This year’s grant will assist Loretto in purchasing traffic

control equipment, helping to keep our community safe.

Past awards were used to purchase automated external

defibrillators (AED’s) in 2016 and a four-gas detector for

the public works department in 2014.

Miscellaneous News

CenterPoint Energy Supervisor of Field Operations, Roger

Schmitz, presents Community Partnership Grant Award to

Loretto Public Works Director, Jeff Leuer.

City of Loretto

279 N. Medina Street, Suite 260 P.O. Box 207 Loretto, MN 55357

Phone: 763-479-4305 Fax: 763-479-2685

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LORETTO, MN 55357

Community Blood Drive

Thursday, October 3rd, 1:30-7 pm at Saints Peter and Paul Church gym. All blood types

are needed, especially Type O. Sponsored by Memorial Blood Centers. Sign up online at

mbcherohub.club and enter sponsor code 1524 or contact Dan Wise at

612-669-0947, 763-479-3998 or DRWise4850@aol.com.

We’re on the web!

www.ci.loretto.mn.us

A Note from 21st Century Bank:

Love INC, Clothing Drive

In conjunction with the Loretto Fun Fest,

21st Century Bank will once again collect items to help benefit Love INC. Items collected support the thrift shops located in Delano and Howard Lake for public sale to

benefit people in need.

The following items are needed:

• Gently used clean clothing

• Very old or worn clean clothing, to be recycled*

• Very worn tennis shoes – to be recycled*

Please separate items in bags as listed.

*Many of the clothes and shoes donated can be recycled, BUT please keep them separate from clothing that can be sold. Label the recyclable clothing in a bin/bag with tape

that says “recyclable.”

Drop-off: There will be a trailer in the 21st Century Bank parking lot across from the ball fields, Saturday, September 14th from 9 am to 1

pm.

Pick-up: Stop by or call to make arrangements before

September 14th. Give us your address, and on September 14th we will pick up your items if you live within the city limits.

We will not be accepting furniture or household items.

During this same time, we will also be collecting nonperishable food items for the Hanover Food Shelf.

Feel free to call the Loretto 21st Century Bank office, 763-479-2178 with questions or to schedule a pick-up. Spread the word to your neighbors!