Fort Mitchell - City of Fort Mitchell KY
Transcription
Fort Mitchell - City of Fort Mitchell KY
F ort Mitchell www.fortmitchell.com Volume 19 - Issue 3 September 2013 Published By The City Of Fort Mitchell 2355 Dixie Highway Fort Mitchell, KY 41017 FO CU S Dear Residents, As we welcome Fall with a new school year, football games, and changing leaves, the City of Fort Mitchell remains busy with a number of projects. Our Police Department has been engaged in a number of community outreach projects, including several cookouts and presentations to local schools. On October 8, Police Chief Eldridge, members of the NKY Drug Strike Force, and other law enforcement agencies, will be conducting a presentation at Beechwood High School regarding our area’s heroin epidemic. This event is open to the entire community, and parents, grandparents, along with any other interested adult in our community to attend. Chief Eldridge has more on this in his column in the Focus. The Fort Mitchell Fire Department is also engaged in community outreach and educational activities in our local schools and will be conducting a Fort Mitchell Fire Department Citizen’s Academy in early spring; we will have more information on this program in the next Focus. As City financial information comes in, we are pleased to announce that we ended last fiscal year with a healthy fund balance due to sound fiscal management, which is why the City was able to keep the tax rate the same year as last year – continuing a trend since 2011 of not raising taxes. Our Public Works Department has likewise been busy trying to complete road projects and prepare for the winter season. We hope to have our 5 year road improvement plan available on our city website in the next month or two. This will allow residents to check the status of their particular street. Our Administration Department has been busy processing tax bills and passport applications. Be sure to visit your city web site at www.fortmitchell.com for updated city news and announcements. Our City Administrator and myself have been busy working on new economic development projects – Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell will open October 11, bringing jobs and tax revenue to our City and schools. We would also like to extend a warm welcome to two new businesses in our City, Bigby Coffee and Redzone. Finally, we have been diligently working with developers on the Drawbridge Inn site and nearby surrounding areas. I am hopeful that we will be able to unveil the specifics of this project as they materialize in the coming months, and am confident that this project will bring a great deal of excitement and benefit to our community. In this issue, you will find our Fall Recreation Program Schedule, packed with fun-filled activities for the children and adult residents. This year’s “Trick or Treat” will be Thursday, October 31, from 6-8 PM. Please exercise caution during these hours. Have a safe and enjoyable Halloween! Chris Wiest Mayor 1 Fall Recreation Guide Paintball Come with your friends to Die Hard Paintball on Saturday, November 30 from 4 PM - 7 PM and enjoy a fun game of paintball! You must register at [email protected] by November 20. Space is limited and will fill up fast! All equipment is provided. Cost is $20 per person. A participation wavier must be completed. Location: Die Hard Paintball 4936 Mary Ingles Hwy Highland Heights, KY 41076 FAMILY ICE SKATING NIGHT Fort Mitchell goes skating! Please join us at the Northern Kentucky Ice Center on Wednesday, November 27 from 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM for a night full of family fun. What a great way to spend time with family and friends. Let’s give thanks for our community!! Free skating and skate rental! No registration necessary. Jump Zone Fun Come join us for Northern Kentucky’s only indoor inflatable playground. You will enjoy 9 massive inflatables including obstacle courses, slides, and bouncers. This is a great physical activity that all Fort Mitchell children ages 2 – 7 will not want to miss!! You will be required to fill out a waiver upon entry and children must wear socks at all times. Thursday, October 10 5:30 - 7:30 PM $3.00 Per Child 5765 Constitution Drive, Florence, KY 41042 Halloween Funfest Sunday, October 27, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM, Children’s Home Picnic Grounds. Come join the witches, ghosts and goblins for a fun afternoon filled with carnival games, treats, music, and frights! Pumpkin decorating, festive music, and hayrides will be added to the FUN!!! Carnival Games Carnival games will run continuously during the Funfest. Each carnival game will cost one ticket. The cost of tickets is five tickets per donated canned good or nonperishable food item or five tickets for one dollar. The Fort Mitchell Recreation Department will donate all of the collected food items to the needy for the up coming holiday season. 2 Holiday Panorama Tuesday, November 12, 4:00 - 6:30 PM Kenton County Extension Service 10990 Marshall Road, Covington, KY 41015 Class fee - $6.00 checks payable to Kenton County District Board. Before you know it, it will be time to “Deck those Halls” again! During this open house, stop by and you will see a variety of decorating and easy gift ideas, plus try some delicious food ideas. Your fee will include tasting and a book of instructions and recipes for items shown and tasted. Class size is limited. All payments must be received by November 4th. Family Holiday Pottery Night Join us on Thursday, December 5 from 6:30 - 8:30 PM at Beechwood Commons for an evening of creative and unique holiday treasures. Paint holiday decorations or ornaments to be exclusively yours or to use as gifts! Pottery pieces will range from $4 - $12. Paint with your family one night and pick up a week later - it’s easy and it’s fun! No registration necessary. ME AND MY LITTLE HELPER COOKIE EXTRAVAGANZA On Tuesday, December 10, from 4:00 – 6:00 PM, at Fort Mitchell Baptist Church, learn how to bake and taste the most wonderful homemade cookies with your little helper. Fort Mitchell’s very own Bakemaster, Carolyn Bergs, will be demonstrating and teaching baking skills to you and your child, grandchild or young friends, just in time for the holidays. You will need to bring a cookie sheet, a rolling pin and an apron. Email: jrstoll@fuse. net to register for the class. **No Fee! Don’t miss this opportunity to spend fun time with your little one and leave the mess to us!!! CPR / First Aid Training Please join us October 15, at 7:00 PM for one of the most important classes you will ever attend! Mayor of Lakeside Park, Dave Jansing, along with his daughter Angie, will be instructing the class. There is a 30 participant limit and classes fill up fast. Please register by October 12 to [email protected]. Lakeside Park City Building $5 payable the night of class Ages 12 to adult There will be a special Veterans Day Ceremony at Highland Cemetery on Sunday, November 10, from 2:00 - 3:00 PM. All veterans will be honored. The service will take place at the Highland Cemetery Chapel. Taps will be played and The National Guard will do a 21 gun salute. For more information, please contact Kathleen Romero at 331-2499 3 Fort Mitchell Fire Department Citizens Fire Academy Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a firefighter? The Fort Mitchell Fire Department is proud to announce there will be a Citizens Fire Academy course beginning February 27th through May 1, 2014! The course will be held on Thursday evenings from 7:00 - 9:00 PM. The purpose of the academy is to help the community gain a valuable lifelong knowledge and understanding of the fire service. It is also a wonderful opportunity for our firefighters to interact with the citizens they serve and demonstrate training they have received. For applications please contact Firefighter/EMT Adam Fuller: 859-331-1267 or [email protected] Did you know the majority of all resident fire fatalities resulted from home fires, and cooking is the leading reason of home fires and fire injuries? The most common room for a fire to start is in the kitchen and risk peak around dinner hours between 5:00 and 8:00 PM. “Cook with Caution” • Be on alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol don’t use the stove or stove top. • Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen even for a short period of time, turn off the stove. • If you are simmering, baking, roasting, or boiling food, check it regularly, remain in the while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking. • Keep anything that can catch fire – oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains – away from the stove top “If you have a Cooking Fire” • Just Get Out!! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire. • Call 9-1-1 after you leave. • If you try to fight the fire, be sure others are getting out and you have a clear way out. • Keep a lid nearby when you’re cooking to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turn off the stove top. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled. • For an oven fire turn off the heat and keep the door closed 4 Fort Mitchell Police Department A message from Chief Eldridge Once again, I would like to take this opportunity to remind our citizens and business owners of the importance of timely crime reporting. Please remember that we are a 24-hour police operation that is on duty 7 days a week to provide you with police services. We are not troubled when we receive calls for service, so if you see something suspicious or a crime in progress, call immediately. Just a second or two can make a world of difference in capturing a suspect or enabling us to prevent a crime from occurring. The only “Bad Call” or “Troubling Call” is the one that is not made. Please take note of the new dispatch number and call Kenton County Dispatch @ 859-356-3191 for non-emergencies and as always, 911 for any emergency! Personal Safety Information There are so many things that can be done to ensure that we do not become a victim of a crime. One of the easiest things to do is to be aware of our surroundings and pay attention to people and things around us at all times. Most of us, myself included, are so busy with life and the day-to-day issues that we forget to do these little things that can make a huge difference in our safety and security. One of those small things is not leaving your purse unattended in shopping carts while shopping or while you load your groceries into your vehicle. Lock your purse inside the passenger compartment or place it into your trunk before you load anything into the trunk area of your car. Unfortunately, many people, particularly women, in most incidences are falling victim to thieves while they pump gas into their automobiles. The thieves pull up next to the victim’s car and one of the passengers slides out of the vehicle into the unlocked victim’s car and steals their purses and anything else they can grab. The entire theft takes maybe two seconds to complete. So please, if you are alone, lock your door while fueling your vehicle or when going inside the fuel center to pay or purchase items. Home Security Unfortunately, thieves cruise through our neighborhoods in search of unattended garages that are left open overnight with valuables ripe for the taking. This doesn’t always happen at night. Many times the thieves will see people working in their yards and enter the garage area in broad daylight to steal whatever they can get their hands on and make a quick getaway. I know I am not telling you anything that you don’t already know, but I am asking you to please just take a couple seconds and secure your property. If you don’t, it takes a thief about the same amount of time to steal it! Please contact the police department if you have any questions regarding your home’s security or if you would like to have us perform a home security audit. For those of you who may not be familiar with the home security audit, members of the police department will come to your residence or business and check for what we believe to be areas of concern or security risks. We will then make suggestions to the home or business owner as to what actions they may take to ensure that their home or business is as safe and secure as possible. If you are interested in this service, please give Chief Eldridge a call at 859-331-2823 ext. 301 or email him at [email protected] . We now have a Facebook page that is dedicated to sharing information with our citizens and business owners. We can be found by searching for Fort Mitchell Police Department. The page offers information on current events, news and other exciting information. Drug Forum The Fort Mitchell Police Department, in conjunction with state, federal, and other local law enforcement agencies, will be holding a drug forum and presentation on October 8, 2013. The event will begin at 6:30 PM and will be held at Beechwood High School in the cafeteria. This event is a Fort Mitchell event and not exclusive to only Beechwood parents. We hope every parent and grandparent in the City attends. Because of the topics and material covered, please leave your children at home. Representatives will be speaking from the FMPD, NKY Drug Strike Force, KY State Police Drug Unit, Kenton County Commonwealth Attorney Officers and possibly other agencies. Furthermore, representatives from the Fort Mitchell Fire Department, including our paramedics, who respond to drug related overdose calls, will also be speaking. We have noticed that a number of parents and grandparents are not knowledgeable to determine what the affects of the drug(s) are, the behaviors to look for, and other associated issues. The purpose of this event is to reach out to all of the parents in Fort Mitchell to provide information to possibly save a young person’s life! 5 Notes & Quotes From the Fort Mitchell Park Board “The Fort Mitchell Parks have had a wonderful summer this year. The city of Fort Mitchell has three beautiful parks: • General Ormsby Mitchel located off Grandview Avenue: this park offers a huge play area with various play structures, pavilion, tree covered picnic area, baseball field, soccer field, basketball court, three tennis courts, and volley ball court. • Crescent Park located off Avon Drive: this park offers a basketball court along with a play area with a Little Tikes play structure. • Iris Road Park located off Iris Road: this park offers a basketball court along with beautiful landscaping and flower beds. The city parks are in great shape and we need your assistance in keeping them this way. If you see others defacing any of the three parks or doing things they should not, please contact Gary Smith (the park caretaker) at 341-0329 or please call me at the city building at 331-2536 ext. 333. We take great pride in the way our parks look, please make a conscious effort to pick up after yourself when you use the park. We want the parks to be the cleanest, nicest, and safest parks in Northern Kentucky. The Park Board started renovating the soccer field at General Ormsby Mitchel in August 2013. Because of this, the field will be closed from the beginning of the work till Fall of 2014. Please pay attention to the closed signs during this time period. Just a reminder that the park board meets the first Wednesday of every month at 7:30. The board meets at Fort. Mitchell Park from June through September and meets at the city building from October through May. We welcome citizens to come and attend the park board meetings. I hope you get a chance to come out and use the parks of Fort Mitchell in the near future. See you at the Park!” Kyle Bennett Park Director 6 from the tree board Autumn is here and trees are entering their dormant stage. This is a good time of year to check if your trees are due for maintenance to keep them healthy and beautiful. Before you do anything to your trees, please contact the Kenton County Extension Office to receive free information on the proper way to take care of your trees. Some trees may require the knowledge and equipment of a professional arborist. What many people think is good for a tree can actually damage it. For example: topping or pruning the entire tree into a smaller size will cause the new growth to be weak, stress the tree, and provide multiple points of entry for disease and insects. Autumn is also the best time of year to plant new trees. When planting trees consider location,purpose you want tree to serve, and soil and drainage conditions. Kenton County Cooperative Extension www.ca.uky.edu/kenton 10990 Marshall Road, Independence, KY 859-356-3155 PUBLIC WORKS ANNOUNCEMENTS Current Projects: Pleasant Ridge: Pleasant Ridge is being completely rebuilt from 100 to the Grace Ave intersection. West Maple: A turn lane will be installed starting September 17. Avon, Dale, and Clay: Damaged curbs are being replaced and a new road surface will be installed. This work will continue through September and October. Sunnymede: Parts of Sunnymede, Superior and all of Dartmouth, Cambridge and Georgetown will have damaged curbs repaired. A new road surface will be installed in September and October. Cornell and Marquette will not be done this Fall and are being slated for total reconstruction in the near future. For updates on Road Projects check out the Public Works page at www.fortmitchell.com Kenton County Libraries Our local Kenton County libraries offer a variety of weekly and monthly fun programs and events which are free to individuals and families of all ages. You can learn more at http://www.kenton.lib.ky.us/ or by picking up a hard copy of their calendar at one of the three branches. Covington Library 502 Scott Boulevard Covington, KY 41011 Phone: 859-962-4060 Durr Branch Library 1992 Walton-Nicholson Independence, KY 41051 Phone: 859-962-4030 7 Erlanger Branch Library 401 Kenton Lands Road Erlanger, KY 41018 Phone: 859-962-4000 CITY OF FORT MITCHELL PROPERTY TAXES Property taxes are due each year on October 31. According to Ordinance: (§ 39.03) “All city ad valorem taxes shall become delinquent on November 1 following their due dates.” Taxes not paid by the due date become delinquent and will be subjected to a 15% penalty and shall bear 6% interest per annum. (A delinquent tax payer also must pay costs incidental to action taken by the City for collection of a delinquent bill.) Payments are accepted at the Office of the City Clerk, 2355 Dixie Highway from 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Monday-Friday, or by mail to: City of Fort Mitchell, 2355 Dixie Highway, Fort Mitchell, KY 41017. If payment of property tax is delivered by mail, the date of the Postmark shall be the date of the payment. You may have received a copy of your tax bill this year even if you have an escrow account. If so, please contact your mortgage company to make sure they will make a timely payment for you. The tax assessment roll we receive from the county lists the property owner of record as of January 1. With so many mid-year property sales and with many homeowners refinancing, wanting to be sure the homeowner is aware of the tax bill and due date, this year we mailed the tax bills directly to the homeowner of record. We have since forwarded copies to all the mortgage companies requesting bills. Again, if you have an escrow account, please contact your lender to be sure they have a copy of the tax bill which is due on or before October 31. After the due date a penalty of 15% is added and interest of 1/2% per month is added. Most but not all properties in Fort Mitchell are in the Beechwood School district; Beechwood School taxes are included on the City tax bill. In 2004 the City and the Beechwood School District approved an agreement whereby the City bills and collects the taxes for the District. Because the City charges less for this service than the County did, this saves the District money while at the same time allowing the City to realize additional income. If you live in the Beechwood School District, again this year your tax bill from the City includes your City and School taxes. The total amount is due on or before October 31. You will still receive your regular tax bill from the County for all of the other county and state taxes, but it no longer includes Beechwood School District taxes. It’s a good “rule of thumb” to remember your City property tax is due on Halloween. Please contact our office at 331-1212 if you have questions. Please Note: the City is responsible for the City real estate tax, park tax and the road tax. These amounts have not gone up since 2011. However, Beechwood School Board of Education is responsible for setting the Beechwood School real estate and tangible tax rates. The City collects this for them, under contract, which saves residents a significant amount of money as opposed to having the county collect this tax. Questions about the Beechwood School tax rates should be directed to the Beechwood Board of Education. 8 FALLING LEAVES The season of autumn means falling leaves. After they have fallen, you can dispose of leaves by bagging them and setting them out at the curb with your normal trash collection, you may mulch them, or you may compost them in a proper manner. Leaves may not be depositing of any grass or leaves into the street. Whenever these items accumulate in the street, they present two potential dangers; First of all, they eventually wash into the storm sewers which can cause severe flooding during heavy rains. Additionally, they become very slippery when wet and this poses a serious safety risk to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. We hope that when our residents are in the process of removing the leaves from their yards, they will also consider removing the leaves from the street in front of their homes to help prevent the problems previously mentioned. We thank those residents who do make the extra effort to help us keep their streets and gutters clean! Leaf Collection Again this year, leaf removal will be available in the City through L&M Lawn Care. The City does not pay for this service. You can sill choose to rake your leaves and bag them for regular trash collection, but some residents are interested in having leaves composted and prefer a leaf pickup. The service will be offered in Fort Mitchell on Mondays throughout autumn. Residents interested in this service should contact L&M Lawn Care at # 586-5544 and ask for Roger Laws. Please call by Friday to schedule a Monday pick up. The cost begins at $25 per pick up depending on the amount of leaves. Each homeowner using the service will be billed directly by L&M Lawn Care. Payment will be due at the time of service. In order for the collection service to safely and efficiently pick up leaves, you must contract with them and follow the guidelines provided. Leaves will need to be raked to within 20 feet of a paved surface accessible by truck. In some cases this will be in the front yard, just behind the sidewalk. In other cases you may negotiate with L&M to see if it is better to rake leaves to an area adjacent to you driveway. For example, if the majority of you leaves fall in the back yard and you can rake them to a spot at the back end of your driveway, they may be able to pull into your driveway and collect leaves from there. Also, if your street has a lot of on street parking it may be better to have a leaf pile beside your own driveway so it is accessible. With collection dates set for Mondays, it is best to do raking on Saturdays, and Sundays to avoid a leaf pile drift or blowing away. • Leaf piles should not contain yard waste such as limbs, branches, large sticks, grass • • • • • • clippings or discarded plants Avoid Parking in front of a leaf pile Do not put household waste or garbage in the leaf piles Do not bag the leaves if you are using the collection service Do not rake leaves into the street Do not rake leaves near or into storm drains Do not rake Leaves onto sidewalks 9 New Trash Collectors As you may have noticed, Best Way trucks have recently begun collecting trash and recycling materials throughout the City. Bavarian Waste Services has contracted with Best Way Disposal to perform residential waste collection services here in Fort Mitchell. Your waste and recycling collection services and schedules will not change. In case you did not know, Best Way also does large item pick up on any collection day. Just call in advance to give them a courtesy heads up. Here are some items that can and can’t be picked up for a large item pick up. Can’t be picked up: Light bulbs, batteries, tires, microwaves, paint, etc. However, if you call and need these things picked up, they will try to work with you and the Kenton County Waste Disposal Department to get these items removed. Here’s the Kenton County website to check out the Kenton County services: http://www.kentoncounty.org/county_departments/solid_waste_ management/household_hazardous_waste_disposal_standard.htm Can be picked up: Mattresses, grills, refrigerators, dryers, couch sofas, lawn sofas, dishwashers, AC as long as the Freon is removed by a professional. Again, a courtesy call is all they need. You may contact Best Way at: Best Way Disposal Burlington Phone: 859-372-4900 Hours of Operation: 1389 Production Drive Burlington, KY 41005 Monday-Friday 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM Saturday 7:00 AM -12:00 PM Attention Fort Mitchell Businesses In an effort to promote our businesses, and underwrite some of the cost of publishing the Focus, the City will be offering advertizing space on the last page of the Focus for our businesses for future copies of the Focus. The requirements are that the business be a Fort Mitchell business. For pricing and other information, please contact the City Clerk. 10 LIGHT UP FORT MITCHELL Sunday, December 8, 5:30 - 8:30 PM Again this year the city will be combing two holiday traditional favorites and putting them into one fun and fabulous, festive night! The festivities begin at the city building with a dedication ceremony and the official “LIGHTING OF THE TREE!” A special jolly plump visitor will join us immediately following the tree lighting. Special musical groups will also be entertaining throughout the evening. Then it is off to our streets as we “LIGHT UP FORT MITCHELL.” The tradition lives in Fort Mitchell as we light our luminaries and take carriage rides to enjoy the festive holiday lights and luminaries. Again this year there will be refreshments and carriage rides at three different locations in the City. Those locations are Sunnymede, Iris Park and Longmeadow. 5:45 Tree lighting ceremony at Firehouse 6:15 - 7:30 Santa visits at Firehouse 6:30 - 8:30 Light up luminaries and carriage rides at all locations “Light up Fort Mitchell” Luminary Kit Order Form Light up your sidewalks, driveways, porches or yards. A luminary is a bag weighted down with sand and illuminated by a candle. Each luminary kit is available for $10. Kits contains 24 bags and candles, sand and assembly directions. Checks should be made payable to “City of Fort Mitchell” Order forms can be mailed to the City Building, deadline Wednesday, November 27th and will be available for pick-up on Tuesday, December 3 between 4:00 - 6:00 PM Cut and return this portion with you payment to : City of Fort Mitchell City Building, 2355 Dixie Highway, or mail this portion with your check payable to “City of Fort Mitchell” to 2355 Dixie Highway, Fort Mitchell, KY 41017 Name: Telephone: Address: No. of Kits: X $10.00 = Amount Enclosed (Due November 30th) 11 City of Fort Mitchell 2355 Dixie Highway Fort Mitchell, KY 41017 Dates Inside to Remember October 8 Presentation at Beechwood High School for adults in our community on heroin and our area’s heroin epidemic October 10 Jump Zone Fun ages 2 – 7, 5:30 – 7:30 PM October 11 Opening of Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell October 15 CPR/First Aid Training at Lakeside Park City Building at 7:00 PM (Register by October 12) October 27 Halloween Funfest at Children’s Home Picnic Grounds 2:00 - 4:00 PM October 31 Trick or treat 6-8 PM October 31 Property taxes due November 10 Veterans’ Day Ceremony at Highland Cemetery 2:00 – 3:00 November 12 Holiday Panorama at Kenton County Extension Office 4:00 – 6:30 PM (Fees due by November 4) November 27 Free Family Ice Skating at Northern Kentucky Ice Center 5:30 – 7:30 PM November 28 The City administrative offices will be closed for Thanksgiving November 29 The City administrative offices will be closed for Thanksgiving November 30 Paintball at Die Hard Paintball 4– 7 PM (Register by November 20) December 5 Family Holiday Pottery Night at Beechwood Commons 6:30 – 8:30 PM December 8 Lighting of the Tree 5:45 PM, Santa visits at Firehouse 6:15 – 7:30 PM, Light up Luminaries and carriage rides 6:30 – 8:30 PM December 10 Me and My Little Helper Cookie Extravaganza at Fort Mitchell Baptist Church 4:00 – 6:00 PM (Email [email protected] to register) 12