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City of Woodbury
8301 Valley Creek Road Woodbury, MN 55125 (651) 714-3500 |
Five receive stork pins for super fast baby delivery
Recycling cards can help children in need
Council Perspective: Community resolutions for the new year
Ring in the new year at Bielenberg Sports Center!
Paramedic wows conference with resuscitation story
Come to the park for family fun!
Recycle holiday trees Jan. 4 or 11
Winter parking regulations
Five receive stork pins for super fast baby delivery
Five members of the Woodbury Public Safety Department were presented with stork pins Nov. 15 for helping a Woodbury resident give birth to a baby boy last July.
Police officer/paramedics Rich Schmitt and Paul Torguson, part-time firefighter Trish Montoya, full-time firefighter Dan Beeson, and emergency medical services coordinator J.B. Guiton each received a "golden stork" for their efforts in delivering Michael Patrick Dean-Hendricks July 1 at the SuperAmerica on Norma Lane in Woodbury.
That afternoon, Barbara Dean-Hendricks and her husband Patrick were headed up Woodbury Drive to United Hospital in St. Paul. They made it as far as Hudson Road before they turned off at the SuperAmerica to call 911 on the cell phone. The baby was coming.
Torguson and Schmitt arrived less than three minutes after the 911 call was made. Schmitt had begun timing Barbara's contractions when her water broke. Approximately three minutes later, Montoya had the ambulance at the scene. Barbara gave two pushes and Michael Patrick was born.
Schmitt "caught" the baby. Torguson and Montoya directly assisted with the delivery while Guiton held Barbara's hand.
The golden stork
Each time a Woodbury police officer/paramedic, firefighter, or part-time paramedic helps deliver a baby, he or she is awarded a "golden stork" pin to wear when in uniform. The pins, symbolic of bringing a new life into the world, come in two colors: blue with gold trim for a boy, pink with gold trim for a girl. The "golden storks" are awarded by the state of Minnesota.
The Woodbury Public Safety Department has more than a dozen staff who have delivered babies in Woodbury. Sgt. Kris Mienert holds the record, with five storks during nearly 13 years of service with the city.
Other members of the Public Safety Department who have delivered babies while on the job include: firefighter Katie Cafferty, police officers Jeff Gort, Mike Pomeroy and Jeff Zerwas, and Sergeants Sue McMahon, Cory Stilp and Curt Zacharias.
Barbara Dean-Hendricks, along with Michael Patrick and big sister Kelli, presented the stork pins to the team that answered her call last July. "They were all great," she said.
Recycling cards can help children in need
This holiday season, the Woodbury Environmental Education Commission is continuing its tradition of encouraging residents to recycle greeting cards. Through the seventh annual holiday card drive, you have the opportunity not only to reduce waste, but also to help needy children.
The commission, with help from some community volunteers, will be collecting the front covers of used holiday cards and sending them to St. Jude's Ranch for Children, a home in Nevada for neglected, abandoned, and abused children from all over the country.
At St. Jude's, the children carefully cut out pictures from the card covers and reuse them with new messages. Each child receives money in an individual account for the cards she or he makes. Last year, the city sent about 141,100 cards to this program.
Where to bring cards
Drop boxes for used cards will be located at Rainbow Foods in Woodbury Village, Mervyn's and the Hallmark Store in Tamarack Village, and Woodbury City Hall. In addition, Woodbury Lutheran Church, King of Kings Lutheran Church, and Woodbury Community Church have agreed to collect cards.
The drop boxes will be available from Dec. 24 through Jan. 15. Please drop off only the front covers of the cards.
St. Jude's also sells boxes of these recycled cards. To order, contact St. Jude's Ranch at 1-800-492-3562. For more information about Woodbury's card recycling program, call City Hall at (651) 714-3500.
Council Perspective: Community resolutions for the new year
The start of a new year often inspires us to make resolutions about things we intend to change or a course of action we want to take to improve our lives. In that spirit of improving life for our residents, I'd like to suggest some community resolutions we could all adopt that would make our city a better place.
City Council members often get complaints about a host of issues that really come down to an individual's thoughtless behavior. We try hard to address these issues by enforcing laws or enacting new ordinances, but the solutions more realistically depend on changing the behavior that gives rise to the complaints.
Being a good neighbor and a responsible community member often amounts to following the golden rule: To treat others as you would like to be treated. Former Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton alluded to this in an inaugural address a few years ago, when she called for a return to civility and common courtesy in our society. I would echo her sentiments, and offer the following community new year's resolutions.
Slow down, drive more carefully
The city regularly receives complaints about drivers speeding in residential neighborhoods. We take these seriously and follow up with traffic and speed studies and enforcement efforts. The speed limit on residential roads is 30 miles per hour, but there are a few areas where drivers regularly exceed that.
Where do these speeding drivers, who cause so much concern among some of our residents, come from? Speeding tickets issued by our police officers often show that they come from that very same neighborhood!
The solution is simple. Slow down, observe the speed limit, and be aware that speeding is a safety concern for others. Here are a few more suggestions to address other traffic issues that also spark complaints:
- Don't roll through stop signs; make sure you come to a complete stop.
- Yield to pedestrians; it's the law in all crosswalks and at intersections.
- Don't pass on the right unless there is a designated passing lane.
- Don't let your children play in the street.
Lend a hand in the winter
For many years, the city has encouraged residents to "adopt a fire hydrant" near their home and keep snow shoveled away from it during the winter season. This ensures hydrants are visible and greatly speeds the response time in case of an emergency. Please don't let your neighborhood hydrant remain "under cover." Resolve to lend a hand this year to enhance safety.
And while we're on the topic, please don't place snow in the street when you clear your driveway during the winter. Doing so not only makes it difficult for the city to keep the streets clean, but also creates hazards for drivers.
Be a responsible pet owner
City ordinances require pet owners to pick up after their pet and to carry supplies for excrement removal when walking a pet off their property. All messes on public property or on the private property of others must be cleaned up. Please be considerate of others and pick up after your pet.
The city code also prohibits dogs, cats or other domestic animals from running at large beyond the land limits of the pet owner. The city receives complaints not only about dogs being at large, but also about cats that soil children's sandboxes.
Share the trails
With more than 70 miles of multi-use trails, Woodbury's park and trail system is one of the city's finest assets. But in order for everyone to enjoy the trails, users need to remember the phrase "multi-use." The system was created to accommodate a variety of recreational uses. Walkers, runners, in-line skaters and bicyclists need to follow common sense guidelines, that mainly comes down to safety and courtesy for others when using the trails.
Woodbury is a great community with caring, responsible citizens. But there is always room for improvement. Let's make 2003 the year we enhance community life by enhancing our concern for others. We'll be helping ourselves as well.
Ring in the new year at Bielenberg Sports Center!
Again this year, Woodbury families are invited to welcome the new year at the annual New Year's Eve bash at Bielenberg Sports Center.
This fun event, geared for families with children under age 12, takes place Tuesday, Dec. 31, from 6 to 9 p.m. All the popular activities from past years are planned, including games, moonwalk, slides, and open skating. You can play some bingo or mini-golf. Kids can test their skills on the obstacle course too!
As in past years, the Woodbury Skating Club will perform. Additional entertainment will be provided by KidsDance, an interactive disc jockey. The big countdown to 2003 and door prize drawings will be held at 8:30 p.m.
This event is limited to 700 people and usually sells out. The cost is $7 per person or $30 per family (up to five people) if you pre-register by Thursday, Dec. 26. Tickets are required for all participants age 3 and up, and may be purchased only through the Parks and Recreation Department at City Hall.
If tickets are still available, you may register at the door. The price will be $9 per person or $40 per family (up to five people). Skate rental and concessions are available for an additional charge. Bielenberg Sports Center is located at 4125 Tower Drive. For more information, contact Parks and Recreation, (651) 714-3583.
Paramedic wows conference with resuscitation story
After a recent presentation on traumatic cardiac arrest at the Minnesota Medical Directors Conference, Woodbury police officer/paramedic Rich Sunde fielded questions from doctors and emergency medical coordinators.
It quickly became obvious that most of them simply wanted to ask "Why?" Why did Woodbury's paramedics and emergency medical technicians attempt to resuscitate someone who suffered a cardiac arrest as the result of a severe trauma - in this case, a car accident?
Nationally, the survival rate for an individual who goes into traumatic cardiac arrest is infinitesimal. Approximately one-tenth to one one-hundredth of one percent (0.1 to 0.01 percent) of these patients are successfully resuscitated. While logging only a handful of these usually fatal cases, Woodbury nevertheless has had three resuscitations in the past two years.
"Nobody told us it's not possible to revive these patients," Sunde told his audience at the statewide conference this fall. "I don't think it ever occurred to us not to launch a full-court press in an effort to save them."
A serious accident
During his presentation, Sunde recounted how he and police officer/paramedic Jeff Gort responded to a call involving a vehicle rollover in November 2000. The victim, who was pinned under her vehicle, was not breathing and had no pulse; her airway was filled with blood.
"The initial impression was very grave. Most paramedics, faced with these circumstances, would not even start working on the patient," said J.B. Guiton, emergency medical services coordinator for Woodbury.
But Sunde and Gort quickly coordinated efforts to roll the sports utility vehicle off the victim and began treatment. Their determination was rewarded when her heart began beating. The woman was taken to Regions Hospital where she later recovered.
Spotlight on Woodbury
According to Guiton, Sunde's presentation was "the hit of the medical conference" and has resulted in a great deal of attention, statewide, for Woodbury.
"Woodbury already has a high save rate (nearly 50 percent) for cardiac arrest cases," Guiton said. "Now, we have gained a new distinction as one of the few ambulance services to save someone who is in traumatic cardiac arrest."
Sunde, a Woodbury police officer since 1994, completed his paramedic training in August 1999. He and Gort have been involved in a second successful traumatic cardiac arrest case along with the one described at the conference.
The third and most recent resuscitation occurred following a car accident in September. Dr. R. J. Frascone, the Regions Hospital emergency physician who serves as Woodbury's medical director, witnessed the accident and worked with Fire Chief Mike Richardson and paramedic Paul Torguson to provide treatment.
Frascone said Woodbury's success in treating traumatic cardiac arrests has captured the interest of the emergency physicians at Regions and rekindled the debate regarding the response to these incidents.
"The evidence indicates that any patient who has suffered a recent cardiac arrest - regardless of the cause - deserves a resuscitation attempt," he said.
Come to the park for family fun!
January may be frigid and blustery, but you can come in from the cold by coming to the park! Central Park, that is. Woodbury's new indoor park will be the site of two free shows and a fun family event in January.
Performances in the Central Park amphitheater are scheduled on two Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. On Jan. 9, Dennis Warner takes the stage, blending acoustic folk/country music with humor in his up-tempo family-friendly concert.
For a change of pace, there's "Clowning Around with Half Pint & Oscar" on Jan. 23. Audience participation fuels this outrageously funny clown/comedy show designed to tickle your funny bone and keep you giggling all the way home! Both performances are free of charge.
If you'd like to spend a Sunday afternoon doing something fun with a child or grandchild age 4 to 12, sign up for Sundae Bingo. Enjoy playing bingo and making ice cream sundaes on Jan. 26, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Valley Creek Room at the park. The cost is $3 per person and pre-registration is encouraged.
Central Park is located at 8595 Central Park Place in the City Center area, adjacent to the Southeast Area YMCA and the new R.H. Stafford Library. There are parking lots on both the west and east side of the facility. For more information about the park or scheduled programs, call Parks and Recreation at (651) 714-3583.
Recycle holiday trees Jan. 4 or 11
The Woodbury compost site will be open two Saturdays in January for disposal of holiday trees. Residents may drop off trees only (no leaves or yard waste) on Jan. 4 and 11, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. A fee of $5 per tree will be charged.
All ornaments, lights, tinsel, plastic bags, nails, and tree stands must be removed so trees may be chipped. Flocked trees and wreaths are not recyclable.
The compost site is at 4600 Cottage Grove Drive, half a mile south of Bailey Road. The site is operated by Composting Concepts, Inc. under an agreement with the city. Questions about the compost site should be directed to Composting Concepts at (651) 436-1213.
Winter parking regulations
Woodbury city ordinance prohibits on-street parking:
- Between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. from Nov. 1 through April 1
- Any time two or more inches of snow have accumulated until after the street has been completely plowed
The ordinance applies only to public streets, not to private roadways. Questions about winter parking regulations should be directed to the Public Works Department, (651) 714-3720.