votewojcik.org

Update 3: Most power back on

UPDATE: UPDATE:: RPU Working to Restore Power – Call (507) 280-9191 to Report Outages/Tree on Wires
Issued By:  Rochester Emergency Management Division Issued On:  5/3/13 11:36 AM Affected Jurisdictions:  Olmsted County
THIS IS A Routine Press Release
As of 11:00 am, Rochester Public Utilities is currently responding to 2500 1400 500 120 customers who are still without power.  Most of these are individual customers. Crews are still working on restorations.  At the peak, over 12,000 were without power.  Crews are still repairing downed lines and restoring service.  To report a power outage, call (507) 280-9191.
Your safety is important. Never touch a downed power line.  If a tree or branch fell on a power line, contact RPU Electrical Outage Center at (507) 280-9191
This report is current as of 11:00 am .
Follow outage reports on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rpuoutages  (“https://twitter.com/rpuoutages“)

THIS IS A Routine Press Release

Update 2:  Where to bring those trees and branches.

TREE DEBRIS – HOW TO HANDLE; WHERE TO TAKE LIMBS
Issued By:  Rochester Emergency Management Division Issued On:  5/3/13 12:31 PM Affected Jurisdictions:  Olmsted County
THIS IS A Routine Press Release
May 3, 2013
The record heavy snow (“http://www.crh.noaa.gov/arx/?n=may0213“)  that fell on Rochester impacted trees throughout the city. Work on fallen trees continues in the days and weeks ahead.  While some tree debris is the responsibility of the city, other tree debris removal falls upon individual owner.  How can you tell the difference?
Public trees are along the curb in the public right-of-way, in a boulevard, or in park land.  Private trees are in yards (behind the sidewalk), or other “non-public” sites.  Homeowners often handle their own tree debris.  If help is needed, be sure to contact a licensed tree professional (see Parks website for a list (“http://www.rochestermn.gov/departments/park/forestry/index.asp“) ).
Homeowners who handle their own tree debris are responsible for removal.  Here are two locations that will accept woody/vegetative debris from the May 2 Historic Winter Storm:
Hathaway Tree Service, 2555 50th Avenue NW, Rochester.
Logan’s Tree Service, 4026 70th Avenue NW, Byron
Park and Recreation Forestry crews will be working for several days and weeks on the removal of downed limbs.  The priority for downed tree and limb removal is:
Trees or branches in roadways   Public trees that block driveways   Trees or branches over sidewalks   Other tree debris locations
If a public tree is down in the City of Rochester, call Parks and Recreation Department at (507) 328-2525.  Safety factors to consider:
Use a tree professional licensed in Rochester   Wear eye and hand protection   Use hearing protection   Beware of partial tree limbs, or trees under stress – a wrong cut can bring a tree branch down and cause injuries or death.  If in doubt, hire a licensed tree professional – don’t take a chance
If a tree is contacting a power line, report to Rochester Public Utilities at  (507) 280-9191  Never take a chance with a tree on a wire – consider it to be charged with electricity and call RPU to handle.
For more information, contact Ken Jones, City of Rochester, Deputy Emergency Management Director at 507-328-2824 or kjones@rochestermn.gov.   ###

Update #1:

RPU Working to Restore Power – Status Report
Issued By:  Rochester Emergency Management Division Issued On:  5/2/13 3:26 PM Affected Jurisdictions:  Olmsted County
THIS IS A Routine Press Release
Rochester Public Utilities is currently responding to 2500 customers who are still without power.  Crews are still working on restorations.  Earlier, more than 12,000 were without power. RPU is planning to have crews out working overnight to restore power.  Recovery operations will continue until all power is restored.  To report a power outage, call (507) 280-9191.
Please be patient, as crews are working hard to restore power.  While much has been accomplished, remaining power outage issues will be addressed as soon as possible.
Your safety is important. Never touch a downed power line.  If a tree or branch fell on a power line, contact Rochester Olmsted Non-emergency Dispatch at (507) 328-6800.

THIS IS A Routine Press Release

I usually put out the latest data on #twitter @votewojcik follow me if you don’t already.

Emergency Operations for City Agencies
Issued By:  Rochester Emergency Management Division Issued On:  5/2/13 10:29 AM Affected Jurisdictions:  Olmsted County
THIS IS A Routine Press Release
At 10:00 am, all City of Rochester agencies report higher than normal operations due to the heavy snowfall.  Parks Department Forestry crews are busy clearing fallen trees from roadways.  Public Works is performing normal snow removal.  Police Dept. is responding to cars stuck in roadways, medical calls, and other assistance.  Fire Dept. retained higher staffing at shift change, and is responding to wires down, medical calls, and other assistance.
All city departments are responding to priority calls first, and will take care of other issues when free to respond.
If you need medical assistance, call 911
For wires down, call non-emergency (507) 328-6800
For fallen trees, call Parks at (507) 328-2525

Here is an article on the progress in Minneapolis from the Atlantic has made in increasing bicycle commuters and reducing crashes.  A couple of take aways are that how you design the system matters and despite complaints of cyclist behavior, motorists actually contribute to more crashes.

A general need to improve urban bike infrastructure has become increasingly evident. As Emily Badger recently reported, dedicated bikes lanes cut bike-related injuries in half, and protected lanes drop the risk by 90 percent. In its master plan, Minneapolis intends to add 183 miles of bikeway in the coming years, and to bring all residents within a half mile of a bike lane by 2020.

Also

Bicyclists played a role in 59 percent of recorded bike/car collisions: the most common problems being a failure to yield (13 percent) and disregarding a traffic signal (13 percent). Drivers, meanwhile, contributed to 64 percent of accidents, most commonly (32 percent) through a failure to yield themselves. (The figures exceed 100 percent because each party can have some blame in a collision.)

Here is one success story along with some information that the public never got to see.

Remember Dennis Weestrand?  He was the landlord that I (in my role as an elected leader, of course) publically pressured in 2011 into evicting tenant “China Massage” from his building on 2nd street.  That business not only engaged in prostitution, but also human sex trafficking.  Needless to say we won, China Massage closed, and a woman who was a victim of human sex trafficking in Weestrand’s building was rescued.  Endless thanks go out to our local law enforcement officials who resuced this woman.  Today we have a thoughtful law that no longer leaves the public at the mercy of a landlord like Weestrand.  Despite some complaints our new licensing has not put a single legimate massage therapist out of business.

I thought the public deserved to see what can happen when you stand up to a corrupt businessman in Rochester. There always those that will place money before the greater good, but in this case money lost.

From the city:

Big picture is that everyone will be OK. Read the rest of this entry »

The 2011 Legislature allowed for a Brewer Taproom License for a business holding a
Micro-Brewery license with the State of Minnesota. The request to amend our liquor
ordinance to allow for a Brewer Taproom license will come before the Council on
October 1, 2012. We are asking that the ordinance amendment be given a first and
second reading at that time.

A Brewer Taproom License is issued the same as an on-sale malt liquor license and
allows the Micro-Brewery to sell on-sale malt liquor to the general public on the premises
of or adjacent to one location owned by the brewer. A brewer can have only one
taproom license. All provisions applicable to a retail liquor license shall apply to this
license; i.e., liquor liability and worker’s compensation insurance. Staff is recommending
the charge for this license be $300.00 to be consistent with other on-sale malt liquor
licenses.

A Micro-Brewery can make and package malt liquor and sell off-sale to the public in
64-ounce containers known as “growlers”. A Micro-Brewery is regulated and licensed
through the State of Minnesota but does require a city to issue an off-sale license to sell
the growlers. An off-sale malt liquor license is $36.00.

A request for the Micro-Brewery and Brewer Taproom License will be before you at the
October 1, 2012, meeting. The facility will be located at 1016 Seventh Street NW in the
M-1 zoning district which allows for this type of business.

I am sharing this Facebook post from our Rochester Police Department.  Kutzky Park has come a long way in the last 20 years and we are going to fight this till its go as well.  Please read the note below.  I don’t want you to be scared, I do what you to be aware and proactive.  Please write down license places from cars you don’t recognize at night and leave the front lights on.

PLEASE READ IMPORTANT NEWS RELEASE BELOW:

On 9-12-12 at 2318 hours the Rochester Police Department responded to a call of sexual assault that occurred in the 1200 block of West Center Street. Upon arrival officers meet an adult female victim that reported that she was physically and sexually assaulted by an intruder who had entered her unlocked residence. The assault ended and the suspect fled the scene when the victim yelled and screamed alerting a nearby neighbor. A motor vehicle was heard leaving the area in the alley way behind the residences on West Center Street. The victim was seen and released at St. Mary’s hospital with injuries consistent with her report. The victim recalled that earlier in the day she had observed a younger black male subject in a vehicle staring at her as she walked in the area. She described the vehicle as an older burgundy colored minivan with wood grained sides. The occupant of this motor vehicle is not considered a suspect in this crime however law enforcement is seeking the assistance of the public in identifying either the vehicle or its occupant as a person/vehicle of interest.

Over the course of the past 4 months Police have identified 4 incidents with some broad and basic similarities that heightened concerns for public safety in this general geographical area. These three incidents below along with the most recent assault (9-12-12) all occurred in the neighborhood or area bordered by the following: St. Mary’s Hospital on the south (2nd St SW) , Hwy 52 on the west, Kutzky Park on the north, and 6th Ave on the east.

These incidents share some common characteristics such as the suspect was a stranger or was an intruder in the victim’s home, basic suspect description, and sexual assault or possible sexual assault as a motive.

These incidents are being aggressively investigated in an effort to determine if they are related however at this time no direct investigative connection can be made between any of these incidents

The three additional incidents each of which was released to the public are:

On 5-4-12 at approximately 0530 hours an adult female reported that she was sexually assaulted by a unknown light skinned black male as she prepared to jog in area. The suspect abandoned the assault as the victim physically resisted her attacker.
On 7-1-12 at approximately 0310 hours an adult female reported that she was awaken while sleeping in her bedroom as she was being touched by a male intruder. She yelled and the suspect fled the unlocked residence.
On 9-4-12 at approximately 2145 hours an adult male subject was in a bedroom of his residence when a black male intruder opened the bedroom door. When verbally confronted the intruder fled the residence on foot.

All four of these incidents involved a suspect that generally can be described as a light skinned black male, 20-30 years of age, 5-6 to 5-10 height, average to athletic build.

The Rochester Police Department is releasing this information so that individuals that reside in or near this neighborhood can take action to lock and secure their residences and be alert to their surroundings. The Rochester Police Department is also seeking the public’s assistance with information regarding possible suspects, the ownership of the burgundy van, or any additional information regarding any of these incidents or other suspicious activity occurring in this area.

Great note about our Rochester Fire Department!

Chief Martin, I am just writing you a thank you note for what one of a couple of your firefighters did. We were down in Rochester at Mayo for a procedure for my son who is 3 on Wednesday the 22nd. After his procedure we had to go over the Target off 41st Street. One of your truck pulled in behind us after we got my son out, who had already had a long day, and he saw the firefighters getting out of the truck. They stopped and could tell that he was not having the best day because he still had a tube coming out of his nose for a test that he was having. They stopped and went back to the truck to try and find him a sticker. They couldn’t find a sticker but instead found a stuffed animal for him. They also found a stuffed animal for my 8 mo old daughter. They also invited us to tour the station if we wanted. It was something that was able to put a little good in a very hard morning. I do not know who the 2 guys and 1 gal were but they should know that we really appreciated it and would like to say THANK YOU! Sincerely, XXX

The Country Club Manor Area (south of Highway 14, North of CR 34, West of West Circle Drive) has a population larger than all of Stewartville, but has an incredibly low crime rate.  I would like to keep it that way.  I was alerted to a situation in Judd Park which has moved me to act. Read the rest of this entry »

For years Rochester and Olmsted County have been developing a bicycle masterplan.

Many meetings and opportunities for feedback have finally resulted in a plan that the city council got to review.  For this to be implemented we will need your advocacy and support at the Rochester City Council and Olmsted County Board meetings.  Even after we get these plans adopted we need to make sure that they are not ignored.  There is so many good recommendations here that I encourage you to take the time to read this, write down your thoughts, and make sure your elected leaders vote to adopt and follow the plan.

To make this plan a reality we will need to spend about 2.5% of our transportation funding on this system.  This SHOULD be an easy sell given the fact that:

• 12% of all trips in Minnesota are by walking or bike (higher in places like Rochester)
• biking receives about 1.5% of federal funding
• results in more than 9% of all traffic fatalities in Minnesota
• the industry represents has more than 1500 jobs in MN
• the industry contributes $145 million annually to the MN economy

And just in case you hear this nugget:

According to County Planner Phil Wheeler’s presentation to the city council, only 1.8% of transportation funding comes from the gas tax.  So don’t buy that tired talking point.  Biking is far more cost effective for taxpayers than more and bigger roads.

http://www.bikeleague.org/conferences/summit12/factsheets/State_MN.pdf

Here is data on bike commuting in major cities:

http://www.bikeleague.org/news/acs2010.php

Here is the link to the yet to be adopted masterplan:

http://www.co.olmsted.mn.us/planning/trnsprtnplng/bpac/bikemasterplan2011/Pages/default.aspx

Here is the downtown bicycle study:

http://www.co.olmsted.mn.us/PLANNING/TRNSPRTNPLNG/BPAC/Pages/dwntwnbikestudy.aspx

Here is a link to our Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee:

http://www.co.olmsted.mn.us/PLANNING/TRNSPRTNPLNG/BPAC/Pages/default.aspx

I am happy that our city sidewalk have never been cleaner.  There have been a number or questions on Rochester sidewalk snow removal policies.  I have kids that may walk in a couple of years to school, seniors in my neighborhoods, and I represent at least 2 legally blind men how need sidewalks for mobility.  I will protect their safety even if it is unpopular.

Here are a few questions and if you send me more I will answer them here:

Q:  Why do you want to stick it to us?

I don’t want to stick it to you.  I want property owners to be responsible and clear sidewalks.  Zero fines is my desired outcome. Read the rest of this entry »