Project Overview

The City of Medina and the City of Plymouth are working together to make improvements to Brockton Lane from Medina Road to Hamel Road. This project will include full reconstruction of the street and converting it from a rural to an urban design to accommodate recent growth, as well as the addition of a trail, turn lanes, utility, and drainage improvements.

Project Elements

• Additional pedestrian facilities including a trail on the east side
• Storm sewer improvements
• Concrete curb and gutter installation
• New pavement
• Intersection improvements
• Parking near Hamel Legion Park

Traffic Impacts

The project will be completed in three main stages:

• Stage 1 (44th Ave North to Medina Rd) – begins May 13th
• Stage 2 (Medina Road/Brockton Ln intersection)
• Stage 3 (Hamel Rd to 44th Ave North).

Each stage will be closed to traffic while under construction, as well as access points along the construction area. Local access will be maintained for those directly served by Brockton Lane.

For More Information

For questions about the project, contact project manager Josh Eckstein at Joshec@bolton-menk.com

Brockton Lane Newsletter

More information can also be on the City of Plymouth’s website

The City of Medina in accordance with Section 512 of the City Code notifies the public of the enforcement of the No-Wake restriction on Lake Independence because the water level for the Lake has been higher than 957.8 feet above sea level for at least three consecutive days.

Residents may drop off brush or compost Tuesday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (except holidays) and Friday 7 a.m. to Monday 3:30 p.m. (open all weekend during daylight hours).

It is located behind the shop building northwest of City Hall, 2052 County Road 24, Medina, MN 55340.

Accepted Items

Brush Pile – brush, woody shrubs, vines, Christmas trees & large logs

Compost Pile – leaves and grass clippings (no bags & no straw)

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Our dear and quite unique mayor, Bob Mitchell, passed away unexpectedly of acute myeloid leukemia on July 30, 2018.

Bob was everything a mayor should be: he listened (rather than judged), he was respectful (rather than pretentious), he critically analyzed all available information before making tough decisions (rather than reflexively imposing personal preferences), he thanked people for their contributions (often with a hand-penned note), he welcomed all who entered City Hall (regardless of age), and with his very unique sense of humor, he always made us laugh.

Bob was proud of the City of Medina.  He was happy to grill hotdogs on Clean-Up Day, show Boy Scouts what mayors really do, cut ribbons at opening ceremonies and ride shotgun with police officers on Night to Unite.  He often took time at City Council meetings to share a bit of personal wisdom, and to speak of our good fortune to live in Medina and to be Americans.   Bob reminded us, by his words and conduct, of the utmost importance of civility and kindness in the public arena.

Bob was a gentle man who believed that giving was more important than having or taking. And he gave back in many ways.  In addition to his public service, Bob was a dedicated member of the boards of Global Minnesota, the Trust for Public Land and the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library.

Above all, Bob was a consummate family man.  He often spoke of Lucy, his wife of more than 40 years, with a twinkle in his eye reminiscent of someone recounting the details of his first date.   After witnessing the tribute his children, Ella, Ned and David, paid to Bob at the memorial service on August 3, 2018, I have no doubt that Bob was a special dad who (through example and not lecture) gifted to his offspring a love of nature, a thirst for adventure, intellectual curiosity and an appreciation of the Golden Rule.

Before and after our Council sessions, and during breaks from our sometimes tedious deliberations on city business, Bob’s skill at story telling revealed his love of exploration.  We discovered that this humble man, slight in physical build, had raced cars, jumped horses, bicycled through Myanmar, attacked mountains on skis, tethered himself to trapeze artists and bungee cords, and traveled the world, often to places the rest of us would not dream of touring, usually joined by any combination of Lucy, Ella, Ned and David.

After serving on the Medina Planning Commission, Bob was elected to the City Council; he was a member of the Council from 1985 to 1992.  He was elected mayor in 2014 and represented us all, as mayor, with good humor and kindness, for four years.  His wit, intellect, good teachings and integrity will be missed deeply by all of us at City Hall.  We, with his family, celebrate Bob’s exceptional life: a life well lived.

-Kathleen Martin, Acting Mayor
August 4, 2018

©All rights reserved/Kathleen Martin 2018

Other Tributes to Mayor Mitchell:

‘He liked to go fast. And he did:’ Medina Mayor Bob Mitchell remembered for being stalwart – Published in Lakeshore Weekly online on August 7, 2018

Medina Mayor Mitchell dies – Published in Crow River News on August 2, 2018

Obituary for Robert G. Mitchell, Jr. – Published in the Star Tribune on July 31, 2018

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently completed a multiyear project to re-examine flood risks throughout Hennepin County and develop electronic flood hazard maps, which will become effective on November 4, 2016.

Federal law mandates that any federally regulated or insured lender require any property with a structure within the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) on these maps to carry flood insurance.

Most mortgage lenders will check their loans when the updated maps become effective on November 4, 2016. Lenders will likely send a letter to all properties in SFHA, and other properties that are even close to the SFHA, to notify them that they must purchase flood insurance within 45 days. If a policy is not purchased within this time period, the lender will “force place” a policy, which is normally much more expensive.

Flood insurance is available through your agent or one of the agents listed by searching the “Agent Finder” section of FEMA’s Flood Insurance website, FloodSmart.gov. If you have any kind of risk for flood damages, both in or out of the floodplain, the city encourages you to purchase flood insurance.

If you live near a lake, stream, or large wetland, you are encouraged to investigate whether your property may be “newly mapped” within the SFHA. View the floodplain map  to find your property on the map.

What to do if you believe you’ve been inadvertently included in the Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA)?

There are often scenarios where the boundaries of the floodplain do not accurately reflect the true topographic characteristics of a site. In addition, it is likely that lenders will be fairly conservative when determining if a property may require flood insurance.

In much of the county, the boundaries of the floodplain have not been updated with better elevation information since they were originally mapped in the early 1980’s. This newest map update merely digitized these areas – making them easier for everyone to view. If you believe your structure and/or parcel is higher than the actual flood elevation, there is a procedure for appeals known as a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA). Traditionally, a LOMA involves hiring a surveyor to verify the lowest ground touching the structure, deck or stairs is above the 100-year flood elevation.

Under the right circumstances, the city may be able to assist with collecting data rather than hiring a surveyor. City staff may be able to use LiDAR-derived contour elevations from the Minnesota DNR to verify that a structure is above the 100-year flood elevation.

If you have any questions, please contact City Planner Dusty Finke at 763-473-8846 or dusty.finke@ci.medina.mn.us.

The Monarch Butterfly Population

The Monarch butterfly populations have plummeted by as much as 90% in the past 20 years and are on the cusp of moving toward protection on the Endangered Species Act.

One of the primary reasons for this decline is the decrease in milkweed plants, which grow easily in Minnesota. Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on the underside of the milkweed plant and it is the only source of food for the monarch caterpillar. If you have milkweed growing in your yards and fields, please don’t pull it, and let it grow. Planting milkweed is one of the easiest ways that we can make a difference for the monarchs.

Residents that are interested in planting milkweed in their yards to help the Monarch butterflies can pick up a bag of seeds, free of charge, while supplies last, at City Hall, 2052 County Road 24, Medina, MN 55340 during regular business hours M-F 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Additional resources on the Monarch Butterfly can be found below:

https://monarchjointventure.org/resources – View a number of publications on Monarchs and Milkweed

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarchs – This organization was started by Karen Oberhauser at the U of M who has studied the Monarchs for years

https://www.nwf.org/sitecore/content/Home/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/National-Initiatives/Pollinators – The National Wildlife Federation explains the importance of milkweed.

https://www.saveourmonarchs.org/ – This organization is out of Edina, MN, and is working to provide milkweed seeds for planting. The site also does a great job of explaining the importance of milkweed.

Links for Purchasing Bulk Milkweed Seeds

https://www.prairiemoon.com/seeds/

http://www.prairieresto.com

https://www.saveourmonarchs.org/