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Storm Damage Information

Due to the recent storms, the City of Watertown has this helpful guide for homeowners:

• Be aware of fraud
• Residents should NOT pay anything up front, Don't pay until the Roof, Siding or Window has passed inspection by MNSPECT (Watertown's Building Inspector)
• Ask for an estimate
• Contact your insurance company before signing anything
• Report any abusive peddler to City Hall (955-2681)
• Only Contractors with a Watertown City Peddler permit are allowed to go door-to-door
• Contractors are required to be licensed, Ask to see their Credentials
• Contractors need to pull building permits
• Building permits are REQUIRED for:
  Re-Roof
  Re-Side
  Re-Window
• There is a penalty for work without a permit
• Cost of the permit is $47.50 EACH

Splatter - Upcoming Events

Watertown Sign Regulations (including Garage Sale Signs)

Luce Line State Trail closed to horses March 22 - May 15
DNR NEWS - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MARCH 11, 2010

The horse trail along the Luce Line State Trail, from Vicksburg Lane in Plymouth to the city of Winsted, will be closed from March 22 to May 15. The closure is intended to prevent damage to the tread way from wet conditions and frost coming out of the ground.

Signs will be posted on the horse trail notifying users of the trail closure. DNR conservation officers and local law enforcement officials will monitor compliance.

The main tread way will remain open for permitted uses. Horseback riding is not permitted on the main tread way at any time.

Those who choose the Luce Line Trail to walk their dogs are reminded that dogs must be leashed and dog waste should be picked up. Trail rules say that dogs must be on a leash that is six feet or shorter.

Questions regarding the horse trail closure or any other trail-related issues can be directed to Martha Reger, DNR area trails and waterways supervisor, at 952-826-6769.

Spring Flooding Information

Keep up to date on Spring Flooding in and around Watertown with the following resources:

More information on flooding in Carver County is available at www.readycarver.org/news_tips.php

Why buy local?

Foreclosure Information

There are some foreclosure help services available for the residents of Watertown:
Carver Country Foreclosure Prevention Program
Carver County Community Land Trust

Bergs Donate 40 acres for New Community Park

By Todd Moen
Editor
Carver County News

Thanks to what officials are describing as a "win-win" agreement between Jerry and Kathy Berg of Watertown and the city, Christmas arrived a few weeks early this year in Watertown.

The Bergs are giving the city about 40 acres of land to be used for a community park, an amenity that has been on the wish list of city officials since 2003. In return, the city has agreed to some future considerations concerning other property owned by the Bergs. Officials estimate the donation to have a net value of just over $1 million. The agreement was the main event at the city council meeting on Dec. 9.

The 40-acre parcel is located on the south and east sides of Watertown-Mayer Elementary School between CSAH 20 and the Luce Line Trail. It contains 26 acres of usable open space and about 12 acres of old growth forest. It features access and visibility from Paul Avenue and CSAH 20 and pedestrian access from the Luce Line Trail. At one time, much of this land was earmarked for the Woodfield development.

An added feature of the location is the reciprocal benefit of being next to the school and its 12 acres of soccer and baseball fields, basketball court, playground and parking lot. An agreement already exists that those amenities can be used by the city during non-school hours.

In the agreement, the Bergs will donate about 40 acres of land for the community park. As part of this agreement, the city will construct two roads in the park as well as extend sanitary sewer and water from the point it ended in the school property east to the edge of the park property. The city has five years to do these projects and the rest of the build-out of the park will be phased in as funding becomes available.

In exchange, officials have generally agreed to allow 165 acres of property currently owned by the Bergs that is adjacent to the community park to be developed under one of two concepts that have been presented as the Oak Lake Master Plan, which at this time is purely conceptual.

In both concepts, the development includes 28 lots located to the east of the park and to the west of a corridor reserved for a future county road. The future county road would run north/south from CSAH 20 to 30th Street, where it would meet up with another future county road that runs east/west. All 28 lots would be one-half to three-fourths of an acre, which is about two to three times the size of lots in the Wildflower development.

The rest of the Oak Lake development would be located on land east of the future county road, south of CSAH 20 and, for the most part, north of the Luce Line Trail. Concept A features 39 estate lots, meaning they are 1.5 acres or more in size. Concept B has 68 one-half to three-fourths of an acre lots and 11 2.5 acre lots.

As part of the agreement, the city will waive all park dedication fees related to future development in the Oak Lake Master Plan. On the 28 lots to the west of the future county road, all sanitary sewer and water connection and area charges will be waived. On the lots to the east of the future county road, the fees will be waived if service is not required (the estate lots will be allowed to use septic systems).

The Bergs have also set aside about 10 acres of land that could eventually be given to a local church.

City officials praised the Bergs for the donation, which saw the start of negotiations in April.

Mark Kaltsas, interim community development director, described the donation as rare, noting that he has seen donations of five or six acres to a city but nothing on this scale. Mayor KJ McDonald mentioned that the donation is the largest gift of land to the city since the Dakota Indians ceded the land that was to become Watertown to the original settlers in the 1800s.

Asked why they made the deal, the Bergs indicated they saw an opportunity to make arrangements that would benefit the community as well as help them when it came time to developing the rest of their land.

The Bergs look forward to seeing the development of the park and hope the community enjoys it. Kathy thanked attorney Pat Neaton as well as son Rob Berg for their work during the negotiation process. The Bergs were also pleased to provide for estate lots in Watertown, as were city officials.

Officials acknowledged that some concessions were made, such as the potential lost revenue in waived fees, but the offer of free land for the park was too good to pass up.

As noted, the net value of the donation is about $1 million, but this figure actually applies to only 20 of the 40 acres. Officials wanted a 40-acre parcel of land for the community park because the city has a standard of nine acres for every 1,000 residents (4,500 residents = 40 acres) for its community parks.

To accomplish this, the deal was made to acquire an additional 20 acres from the Bergs with the potential waived fees used as compensation.

With the land acquisition out of the way, officials are pleased that the city won't have to spend the additional money on land acquisition costs and can concentrate on the infrastructure costs of the park instead.

In 2009, the city will likely spend about $25,000 on the park, namely for property transfer fees and annexation costs with Watertown Township (about 10 acres will need to be annexed, something that has already been arranged). From 2010 to 2014, around $1 million will be spent on the initial infrastructure costs of the roads and the utilities (some of this could be assessable).

Beyond that, the city can expect to pay somewhere around $650,000 to $1.5 million for grading, seeding and trails. These figures are based on current estimates, which could prove to be lower or higher in the future.

Officials noted that the process is just beginning and every effort will be made to include the community on the planning of the community park. For example, public input will be sought on what people want to see in the park and how the city should pay for it.

Citizens can learn more by watching a presentation related to the community park on Channel 12. If citizens want to get involved with the planning of the park or if they want to be included on a mailing list about the park, they can contact city hall at 955-2681.

In other matters:

• The evening marked the final council meeting for Dan Geiger, who has served on the council for the past three years. A number of fellow council members thanked Geiger for his service to the city. Geiger described his council experience, in part, as educational and said he felt that he and his fellow councilors had accomplished a number of "wonderful things" over the past three years. He thanked citizens for voting him onto the council and allowing him to serve the community. Jodi Martinez was elected to fill the seat currently occupied by Geiger.
• The council adopted the 2009 General Fund Budget, which calls for $1,899,990 in revenues and expenditures. The budget creates a General Fund Operating Levy of $1,269,773. In addition, the council approved the Final Levy for 2008 Taxes Collected in 2009 at an estimated 38.8818 percent tax rate. Information on these items was discussed at length at the city's Truth-in-Taxation hearing on Dec. 1.
• A number of miscellaneous items were approved, including a 2.5 percent cost of living adjustment for city employees for 2009, a contract for assessment service with the Carver County Assessor, improvements to the phone systems at city hall and Public Works, and the ending of probationary periods for Karyn Islam, Mike Loehrs, Brent Mickolichek and Ned Schroeder.
• The warming house at the Grove Street Hockey Rink will open on Saturday, Dec. 20, weather permitting. The warming house will be open from 3:30 to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 3:30 to 10 p.m. on Fridays, noon to 10 p.m. on Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays. It will be open from noon to 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve and closed on Christmas Day.
• A change was approved regarding planned work in Forest Hills. The council had previously approved seven single-family lots and one four-plex along Hawthorne Avenue. Now, the four-plex is no longer being planned.
• The council will not have another meeting in 2008. The next meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009.

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Click to Visit to GoCarverGo web site

ROUNDABOUTS: What are they? How do I drive in them?

Many people have expressed questions and concerns about the newly installed roundabouts on Highway 7. Why there? Do I stop at the roundabout like a normal intersection? There is not enough time to slow down! I don't think semi-trucks or emergency vehicles are going to be able to drive in the roundabout… Why is it so compact? What is the big hill in the middle?

Roundabouts, like all intersections, undergo thorough analysis prior to implementation to determine if it is the appropriate solution. A traffic signal and a roundabout were considered at the intersections of County Road 10 and Highway 7 and Highway 25 and 7. Traffic signals are most appropriately placed in urban settings. Roundabouts can dramatically improve safety when compared to traditional four-way intersections because people have to slow down, but don’t have to come to a complete stop like regular traffic signal intersections. People can still run red lights. A recent study of 23 intersections converted to roundabouts showed a decrease in total crashes by 39%, a decrease in injury crashes of 76%, and a dramatic 89% decrease in fatal crashes ("Safety Effects of Roundabout Conversions in the US." Insurance Institute for Highway Safety).

The size of the roundabout and the angles of the entry are designed to slow the speed of vehicles inside the circle so that vehicles yielding to get into the roundabout can safely merge into the roundabout. If the roundabout becomes too large, the vehicles inside the roundabout can go at faster speeds, therefore making it more difficult for people to merge into the roundabout. Traffic entering the circle needs to yield to the traffic already in the circle. There is a concrete apron in the interior of the circle designed for larger than average vehicles like semi-trucks and emergency vehicles to use as extra space while in the roundabout. A regular car/truck should stay on the black pavement. The big hill in the middle is a visual disruption so the driver knows something different is ahead besides another straight mile of highway.

If anyone has any questions about how to drive in a roundabout, there is a demonstrational DVD playing on Channel 12 at various times during the week for those that have Charter Cable TV as well as a weblink online. A brochure entitled "How About a Roundabout" is also available (pdf format). As people become familiar with driving in a roundabout, the roundabout will be just another way to control traffic at intersections by design.

Crime Alert Network

Dear Carver County Citizen:

The Carver County Sheriff's Office is implementing a Crime Alert Network and would like to invite you to participate.

This network will allow you to receive emails or faxes relating to crime prevention, emergency related notices, or news updates sent out by Carver County Sheriff's Office. These bulletins may relate to Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, crime alerts (i.e. thefts, assaults, burglaries, etc), or emergency directives. It is simply one more way to get important information out to our community members.

This service is free, the only requirement is that you have access to the internet or you have a facsimile machine. To register, simply access our internet webpage, or telephone the number below. We will need your name, email address or facsimile number. Your information will then be entered into a secure database. The Sheriff's Office will not share your information with any other entity/agency. This system is reserved for crime alert bulletins or information the Sheriff's office determines will help maintain the safety of you, your family, and your community.

To sign up, simply register using the form on the Carver County Internet site at: http://www.co.carver.mn.us/county_government/alerts.asp or email to vmcroberts@co.carver.mn.us or call 952-361-1128 and refer to the Crime Alert Network.

Thank you!

What is the Community Center?

The Community Center is the building that houses the Watertown City Hall and Council Chambers, the Watertown Library, the food shelf, and large conference/meeting rooms for events such as weddings and reunions. Meeting rooms in the Community Center can be rented for various events. For more information, please call (952) 955-2681.

Letter from the Mayor of Watertown

Welcome to the City of Watertown's website. I hope you will find it informative and convenient. In order to better serve you, we invite you to e-mail us at City Hall and provide us with any comments and suggestions. You may use our e-mail address as another means of contacting City Hall and elected officials, or to find answers to your questions or concerns about the City and its functions.

As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions. Also consider attending our City Council meetings held normally on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.

City of Watertown, MN
Phone: (952) 955-2681      Fax: (952) 955-2695      E-mail: info@ci.watertown.mn.us
309 Lewis Avenue S      P.O. Box 279      Watertown, MN 55388

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