City of New Hope

A publication of the city of New Hope, Minnesota e www.ci.new-hope.mn.us

December 2013Number 188

City of New Hope, Minnesota e December 2013

Some highlights of this issue include:New Hope In Focus 2013 photo contest winnersVolunteer Commissions Commission applicants soughtIn Business • Cinema Grill Outstanding Business • Development update • Improvements at Midland CenterEmployee of the Quarter Three police clerks share recognition2013 Road Construction Review of gas main replacement and street construction projects

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A great place to grow!4401 Xylon Avenue North

New Hope, MN 55428

Prsrt StdU.S. Postage

PAIDTwin Cities, MNPermit No. 2330

Current resident or

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Council presents 2013 RAVE! Awards

4Centra Home's proposal includes 27 stand-alone townhomes near Winnetka and 34 traditional single-family homes to the west.

Council approves 2014 budget and tax levy

City Council selects preferred developer for Winnetka Learning Center site

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In November, the city of New Hope purchased

the nearly 17-acre Win-netka Learning Center site at 7940 55th Avenue N. from Robbinsdale Area Schools. The purchase clears the way for the largest residential rede-velopment project in New Hope in the last decade.The city of New Hope began discussing the potential purchase of the Winnetka Learn-ing Center site a couple of years ago, when the district identified the site as surplus school property. The city has considered the Winnetka Learning Center property to be a prime redevelopment site for many years. In July 2013, the city and school district signed a purchase agreement for $1.75 million for the property, and in November the sale was completed.In anticipation of the Winnetka Learn-ing Center purchase, this spring the city asked a number of developers about their potential interest in re-developing the site. In late May, two residential developers – Centra Homes and Pulte Homes – presented concept plans to the City Council for the site. The Council, city staff and the city's redevelopment consultant, Ehlers and Associates evaluated the proposals over the next several months. In late No-

The New Hope City Council ap-proved the final 2014 budget and

tax levy at its council meeting on De-cember 9. The approval followed a spe-cial public hearing to present the budget and levy to the public on December 2. The 2014 tax levy will increase 1.54 percent, or $147,000, to $9,717,970. The total 2014 general fund budget is $11,458,892, which is an increase of $690,847 compared to the 2013 ad-opted budget.Budget priorities for 2014 include pub-lic safety, street maintenance, redevel-opment, and elections: •ThePolicebudgetincludesfundingfor two additional officers; an officer that will focus on traffic enforcement and a second school resource officer at District 287’s North Education Center.•Fireexpenditureswillincreaseabout$200,000 to fund an increase in the fire and safety contract and to pay for facil-ityimprovementsatWestMetroFire-Rescue’s Station 3 in New Hope.•Additionalfundsareincludedforstreet repair and maintenance.•Severalsignificantredevelopmentprojects are likely to occur next year. To handle the added workload, a

community development assistant position, which has been left vacant in recent years, will be reinstated.•And,2014isanelectionyear.Thebudget includes about $50,000 to pay those expenses.New Hope is scheduled to receive $533,000 in Local Government Aid (LGA) in 2014. The New Hope budget no longer relies on LGA to fund general op-erations. The Council plans to use about one-third of the city’s LGA to partially restore the funds the city sets aside for equipment replacement. The remaining two-thirds will go to the city’s Water Fundtohelppayformuch-neededwatermain replacement work and other water distribution system improvements.New Hope also expects to save about $54,000 in sales tax in 2014, as a result of the sales tax exemption for cities and counties approved by the legislature that begins in January.In related action, the New Hope Coun-cil also approved 2014 utility rates on December 9. Sewer and water rates will increase five percent in 2014. The fees for recycling, storm drainage, and street lights will not change.

vember, after closing on the property, the Council selected Centra Homes as the preferred developer for the Win-netka Learning Center site.The City Council was interested in finding a developer who would build high-quality, owner-occupied, single-family homes on the site. They also believed that the development should help to diversify New Hope's housing stock by providing housing options that are either unavailable or in short supply in the community.The Development ProposalCentra Homes is a Minnesota-based, privately-held home builder. Centra is proposing to construct 27 stand-alone townhomes and 34 single-family homes on the Winnetka Learning Center site.

Since 2006, the New Hope City Coun-cil has recognized excellence in resi-

dential properties through the RAVE! Awards. The program gives the Council the opportunity to highlight the proper-ties of residents who have gone through the time, effort and expense to make their homes something special. It also helps to give other residents ideas about how they might improve their property.Nominations were accepted for this year’s RAVE! Awards until August 1. In mid-August a group of volunteer judges toured the nominated properties and recommended winners to the City Coun-cil. The judges were extremely impressed with all of the properties and had a difficult time choosing the winners. On September 23, the City Council recognized RAVE! Award winners in five categories: gardens, land-scaping, environmentally sensitive improvements, general property maintenance and interior improve-ments. And, the winners were:

Gardens: Catherine NavaltaCatherine Navalta’s neighbors really enjoy her gardens at 4709 Boone Avenue N. “The beauty and

smells from this yard make me happy every time I walk by,” said the neighbor who nominated her. Navalta has large gardens in her front yard and along the south side of the house consisting mostly of perennials. She especially loves blue, purple and pink flowers with accents of orange. The garden includes impatiens, petunias, joe pye, purple coneflowers, and lots of pink phlox and countless other varieties, accented by marigolds. About 14 years ago Navalta and her husband made a koi pond which serves as a focal point for the front garden.

Developers to present City Center proposals

On Wednesday, January 22, two development groups who have

expressed interest in redeveloping the former Kmart site at 4200/4300 Xylon Avenue N. will present their prelimi-nary concepts for redevelopment of the site. The presentations will give a broad sense of the type of project each devel-oper is proposing.Interested residents are invited to hear the developer presentations. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the council chambers at New Hope City Hall, 4401 Xylon Avenue N. The meet-ing will also be broadcast live and re-broadcast on cable Channel 16 in New Hope.

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Catherine Navalta's impressive front garden and koi pond.

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models feature either two or four bed-rooms, 2½ baths, and a two car garage. Centra Homes believes that the typical buyer for the stand-alone townhomes is likely to be young families, young pro-fessionals, or empty-nester couples that are looking to downsize.Centra's concept places the traditional single-family home neighborhood be-tween the stand-alone townhomes on the east and School District 287's new North Education Center on the west.The traditional single-family homes would range in size from about 2,500 to 3,500 square feet, with two stories above ground and a basement. The homes would be priced between $275,000 and $350,000. Centra's traditional single-family home models feature three or four bedrooms, 2½ baths, and either a three car or a two car garage.

A Centra Homes single-family model

City of New Hope, Minnesota e December 2013

Kathi Hemken Mayor763-537-7990 khemken@ci.new-hope.mn.us

John Elder Council Member763-913-1472 jelder@ci.new-hope.mn.us

Andy HoffeCouncil Member763-537-2647ahoffe@ci.new-hope.mn.us

Eric LammleCouncil Member763-544-0912elammle@ci.new-hope.mn.us

Frequently Called City NumbersGeneral Telephone ........... 763-531-5100Inspections ...........................763-531-5127building permits, complaintsParks and Recreation ........763-531-5151Public Works .......................763-592-6777sewer backup, snowplowing, forestryUtility Billing ........................763-592-6760Police (non-emergency) ....763-531-5170TTY (through MN Relay) ...651-602-9005

Kirk McDonaldCity Manager763-531-5112kmcdonald@ci.new-hope.mn.us

City Hall Address 4401 Xylon Avenue NorthNew Hope, MN 55428City Websitewww.ci.new-hope.mn.usTell us what you think...24-Hour Opinion Line .... 763-531-5102E-mail .......cityhall@ci.new-hope.mn.us

Daniel StaunerCouncil Member763-536-1415dstauner@ci.new-hope.mn.us

2013 New Hope In Focus photo contest winners

TheNewHopeInFocusphotocon-test is a great way for local photog-

raphers to demonstrate their skills and showcase some of the things that make New Hope a special place to live. 2013 was the fourth year of the In Focusphotocontest.Thisyear,sixteenphotographers entered 43 photographs in one of three categories – People, Places, and Nature. All of the photogra-phers either live or work in New Hope and each photograph was taken some-where in the city. A volunteer panel of judges evaluated each entry and selected a first place winner in each category. The winner in the People category was 16-year-old Amos Vodis for his photo "Little Girl." The winner in the Places category was Don Natwick for "April Snow in North-wood Park." And, the winner in the Nature category was Jennifer Schmidt

for "Nature in Autumn." Schmidt also won the Nature category in 2010, shared the People’s Choice Award in 2010, and won the People’s Choice Award in 2012. Amos Vodis received a check for $100 for winning a category with the highest overall score. Don Natwick and Jennifer Schmidt each received $75 for winning their categories.The judges also selected the best photo in a special Youth category – for photographers age 16 and

under.Fivephotographersbetweentheages of 13 and 16 entered photos this year, and Amos Vodis' "Little Girl" took first place. He received a check for $50 for winning the youth category.Nearly 500 community members picked the winning photo in the Peo-ple's Choice category. A display of the photos traveled around town from mid-August to mid-September, or people could vote online. Once again, Amos Vodis' "Little Girl" rose to the top. He received a check for $50 for winning the popular vote.Forthefirsttime,theCityCouncilalsopresentedthreeInFocusHonorableMention certificates. The Honorable Mention recipients were Dack Neh-ring for "Catching Snowflakes," Bruce McClurg for "Gather in the Park," and thirteen-year-old Ally Hainlin for "Praying Chipmunks."The six award winning photographers were recognized at the October 14 City Council meeting. The first place win-ning photos will be displayed in an In FocusphotogalleryatCityHall.

The City Council encourages residents and business people to

apply to serve on a New Hope city commission. The city currently has vacancies on the Citizen Advisory Commission, the Human Rights Commission, and the Planning Commission. The Citizen Advisory Commission acts as a resource to the City Council by studying, analyzing and making recommendations on subjects and matters assigned by the Council. Meetings are held on the second Tues-day of each month at 7 p.m. Members serve two-year terms.The Human Rights Commission ad-vises the City Council on human rela-tions and civil rights issues. Meetings are held on the first Monday of each

Commission applicants soughtmonth at 7 p.m. Members serve two-year terms.The Planning Commission makes rec-ommendations to the Council regard-ing matters affecting zoning, platting, commercial/industrial expansions and redevelopment, and public improve-ments. Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. Mem-bers serve three-year terms.Applicants may live, work, or own property or a business in New Hope. Foradditionalinformationoranap-plication, call the city clerk at 763-531-5117 or visit the city’s website at www.ci.new-hope.mn.us/com-mission_applicant. The application deadline is January 15, 2014. Appoint-ments will be made by the City Coun-cil following applicant interviews.

The homes Centra is proposing would be high quality and designed to be largely maintenance free – with vinyl siding accented by brick, stone, shakes and batten boards to enhance visual inter-est. The developer has several models of each housing type to choose from, with flexible floor plans to accommodate the needs of a wide variety of buyers. Centra's concept also puts an emphasis on green space within the develop-ment by including lots of pine trees along the edge of the new neighbor-hoods, 2½ inch caliper trees on the lots, sprinklered lawns, and attractive storm water ponds that will have ample capacity to handle the additional runoff from the new homes. The development's internal streets would tie into Wisconsin Avenue on the north and 55th Avenue on the south, but would not add an additional intersection at Winnetka Avenue.The stand-alone townhomes would be located just west of Winnetka Av-enue, clustered around a neighborhood green – an open green area intended to be a community gathering space. The stand-alone townhomes are freestand-ing units with no shared walls, each on its own 40-foot wide lot. These would be the first stand-alone townhomes in New Hope. The homes and grounds in the townhome neighborhood would be community-maintained by a home- owners association.The proposed townhomes would range in size from about 1,800 to 2,200 square feet and be priced between $225,000 and $275,000. Centra's two story townhome

Stand-alone townhome

Centra Homes Proposal(continued from page 1)

These high quality homes being pro-posed are considered "step-up homes," which are in short supply in New Hope. Centra Homes believes that the typical buyer for its traditional single-family homes is likely to be a growing family looking to upgrade their home.What's Next?The city attorney has begun work-ing with Centra Homes on a purchase agreement. The city has also begun the process of finding a contractor to safely remove the asbestos from the Winnetka Learn-ing Center, remove the fuel tank, and demolish the building and parking lots.

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Amos Vodis' "Little Girl" won three categories

Don Natwick's "April Snow in Northwood Park" Jennifer Schmidt's "Nature in Autumn"

In Business e December 2013

Cinema Grill receives Outstanding Business Award New Hope development update

Outtakes Bar and Grill has a fun, modern decor.

New Hope Cinema Grill and Outtakes

Bar, located at 2749 Winnetka Avenue N. in Midland Shopping Cen-ter, recently received the New Hope Outstanding Business Award.New Hope Cinema Grill is not your typical movie theater. “Like a traditional theater, when you come in you go to the box office and get your ticket – but from there, everything is a little different,” explains owner Sean Fuhrmann.Whenyouwalkintooneofthe business’ three showrooms, tables with chairs and booths face the screen, rather than rows of seats. “When you sit down, there is a menu at your table and a server will come and take your order.” The Cinema Grill has a full res-taurant with a menu featuring appetiz-ers, pizzas, soups, salads, sandwiches, and desserts – along with the more tra-ditional movie theater fare of popcorn, candy and soda. The venue added wine and beer to its offerings in 2006 and expanded to a full liquor license when SeanFuhrmannpurchasedthebusi-ness in 2010.The Cinema Grill offers an eclectic mix of discounted recent movies, live standup comedy and Minnesota Vi-kings and other sporting events on its giant 30-foot, high-definition screens. Since adding live comedy shows in 2010, Cinema Grill has hosted such comedy heavyweights as Louie Ander-son, Josh Blue, Cathy Ladman and Jeff Cesario. The facility is also a popular destination for birthday parties, school field trips and corporate events.FuhrmannaddedOuttakesBarandGrill to his New Hope entertainment offerings in June 2013. The mall space next door to Cinema Grill had been vacant for several years. “Especially with live comedy, a lot of our custom-ers were asking for a place to go after theshow,notedFuhrmann.OuttakesBar seemed like a nice compliment – a place where customers could go and enjoy our food and drink – with or without coming to the theater side."The bar and grill offers a full menu (sharing a kitchen with the theater) and a full bar. There is live music on Satur-day nights at least twice a month, Kara-oke on Wednesday nights and open mic night for comedy on Thurdays.“We draw a lot of local people…and we draw from all over the metro because we are the only theater concept like this intheTwinCities.”Fuhrmannadded.In selecting Cinema Grill for the Out-standing Business Award, the City Council cited the business’ community involvement and the outstanding im-provements they have made to their

facility. The Council applauded Sean Fuhrmannforhiswillingnesstohostanumber of fundraising events and for how inviting Cinema Grill is to a wide range of youth groups. Cinema Grill was nominated for the award by Paul Tibble, who lives in the neighborhood nearby.FormoreinformationaboutCinemaGrill and Outtakes Bar and Grill visit www.newhopecinemagrill.com and www.outtakesbar.com.Any resident or business person can make an Outstanding Business Award nomination.Formoreinformationora nomination form, visit the city’s web-site at www.ci.new-hope.mn.us.

Domino's has begun making interior and exte-rior improvements at 2720 Winnetka Avenue.

Pub 42After more than 40 years at 7600 42nd Avenue N. in New Hope, on November 17 SunshineFactorycloseditsdoorsandmoved to a different location. A new restaurant, Pub 42, opened its doors at that location the very next day. The owners of Pub 42, Palm Entertainment, have many years of experience operat-ing restaurants including Granite City FoodandBrewery,ChamppsandRed-stone American Grill. The new owners are working with New Hope’s building official on plans to remodel the formal dining area of the restaurant.

Domino’s PizzaThe Domino’s Pizza franchise, which is currently located in Midland Center, recently purchased the commercial building at 2720 Winnetka Avenue N. The owner plans to make both inte-rior and exterior improvements to the

property and move its shop to that lo-cation. Domino’s will occupy the south-ern one-third of the building and create two additional for-lease tenant spaces.The new owners have started to re-model the inside of the building, including the installation of some partition walls. They plan to update the building’s front façade by replacing the existing brick with stone veneer, insulatedstuccopanels(EFIS),andlarger panes of glass. The remainder of the building will be painted to match the color scheme of the front façade. Some improvements are also planned for the building’s grounds, including resurfacing and restriping the parking lot, maintenance of the existing fence, a new pylon sign, screening of rooftop HVAC equipment, and possibly some landscaping along Winnetka Avenue. The owners hope to open Domino’s at itsnewlocationinFebruary2014.

5909 Aquila Habitat HomeThe city purchased the vacant, fore-closed home at 5909 Aquila Avenue N. in June 2012 through the Twin CitiesCommunityLandBank“FirstLook” program with $67,000 in CDBG funds. Before the city took possession of the property, the bank that held the property had a contractor remove wall board and insulation that contained mold. Habitat for Humanity purchased the property from New Hope in March 2013 and renovated the home during the summer months. Improvements in-cluded installation of a high-efficiency furnace and water heater and a new electrical panel, replacement of the roof, appliances and garage door, and painting the exterior. An income-qualified buyer moved into the home in mid-December.

The owner of the Midland Shopping Center, Engelsma

Limited Partnership, recently completed work to remodel the façade of the entire mall, which is located at the intersection of Winnetka Avenue N and Medi-cine Lake Road. Arc Value Village has also completed an expansion of its space in the mall.The façade remodeling project involved removing the existing metal canopies at Midland to re-veal the original brick façade. The building façade was broken up to give each tenant space a more unique look within the overall building. The new building colors and materials comply with New Hope’s De-sign Guidelines. As part of the project, the mall owner is also constructing trash enclosures for all mall tenants.Arc Value Village added 8,700 square feet at the back of its store at 2717 Winnetka Avenue N. The expansion

Improvements made at Midland Center

provides additional sales floor area and a new production room, doubling the size of the store. Arc also added a dona-tion drop off service lane.Cinema Grill also expanded, adding an additional 4,300 square foot tenant bay to the south. Outtakes Bar and Grill opened in June (see the article above).

The City Council plans to select a de-molition contractor in mid-January. Before the demolition occurs, person-nelfromWestMetroFireandtheNewHope Police Department will have the opportunity to conduct training exer-cises in the old school building. The as-bestos removal will likely begin in late January, and demolition work should be completed by early April.Centra's plans for the Winnetka Learning Center site will be meticulously reviewed by city staff, the city planner, the Plan-ning Commission's Design and Review Committee, and the entire Planning Commission. The property will need to be rezoned from R-1 Residential to Planned Unit Development (PUD). The PUD zoning gives the city more flexibil-ity and latitude to ensure that require-ments for the development meet the city's needs. The property will also need to be replatted to create individual lots. The Planning Commission will hold public hearings in a few months to pro-vide an opportunity for public feedback on Centra's development application. Followingthepublichearing,thePlan-ning Commission will make a recom-mendation to the City Council on the application. The City Council will make the ultimate decision on whether Cen-tra's housing development will be ap-proved, most likely early next spring.If Centra's housing project receives all

the necessary approvals and the city and Centra are able to finalize a purchase agreement and close on the sale of the property, Centra hopes to begin con-struction of the street and utility infra-structure in the west end of the project in late April.FormoreinformationaboutCentraHomes, visit www.centrahomes.com.

Centra Homes Proposal(continued from page 2)

Arc Value Village celebrated its newly expanded building with a ribbon cutting event on November 15

window, phones and bookings, I think they have done an exceptional job. The homicide reports and statements were a priority, and the clerks worked long hours to make sure that the investigators would have the information they needed.”The full-time police clerks’ job respon-sibilities include typing letters, reports and other correspondence from drafts and other digital recordings. They an-swer phones, provide assistance to cus-tomers, and assist with bookings and searches of ar-rested subjects as needed. They are also responsible for providing ac-curate informa-tion to the public and department personnel by researching and retrieving data from files or computer programs.Jeanna Allen-Hatcher started as a part-time police clerk in 2008 and has been a full-time clerk, working the overnight shift, for about a year. Kate Larson has been a full-time clerk with the depart-ment since 2004. She works the after-noon shift. Barb Schendel started with the department in 1997, and has been a full-time police clerk for about two years. She currently works the day shift.Recipients of the New Hope Employee of the Quarter recognition are nomi-nated by coworkers and selected by a committee with representatives from each city department. Congratulations to Jeana Allen-Hatcher, Kate Larson and Barb Schendel, for being named New Hope Employee of the Quarter!

Police clerks Jeana Allen-

Hatcher, Kate Larson and Barb Schendel were jointly named New Hope Em-ployee of the Quarter for the third quarter of 2013. Allen-Hatcher, Larson, and Schendel were recognized for “going above and beyond” at a time when the department was short staffed and the clerks had lots of extra work because of a homicide. The New Hope Police Department usu-ally has four, full-time police clerks. When one of the full-time clerks resigned in June, that meant the re-maining three clerks had to take on additional tasks to keep their workload up-to-date. The clerks’ workload grew significantly following a homicide in late June. The homicide investiga-tion resulted in many statements that needed to be transcribed verbatim and reports that needed to be typed in a timely manner. The three clerks worked as a team to cover each other’s respon-sibilities and to keep the department’s paperwork from falling behind.

The clerks’ nomi-nator summed up the trio’s fine work, “With a busy summer, the homicide, the three cover-ing each other’s shifts if one of them was gone, a very busy front

City of New Hope, Minnesota e December 2013

RAVE! Award Winners(continued from page 1)

Police clerks named Employee of the QuarterThe pond area features water hyacinth, sedum, hen and chicks and, of course, large koi. Navalta has planned her gardens so that something is in bloom during every season. Lots of mums and a few other perennials mark the arrival of fall – coming into bloom about the time the remainder of the garden stops growing. The backyard includes many more flowers, along with an extensive vegetable garden.

side of the house. The Bethkes took a different approach. They built a dry riverbed of assorted rocks with dozens of hostas along each bank. To conserve water, they also have a rain barrel to catch the runoff from their home’s roof. General Property Maintenance: Jeri NowakJeri Nowak has created beautiful gardens and carefully maintains the yard at 2845 FlagAvenueN.“Jeritakesgreatcareinher yard and the neighborhood,” noted her nominator. What might be most impressive about Nowak’s efforts is that she and her daughter Shawn rent the townhomeonFlagandhaveupgradedthe property’s landscaping on their own initiative and at their own expense.Nowak has planted an attractive as-sortment of flowers around the town-home’s front entry including daisies, astilbe, purple coneflowers, daylilies, coleus and ornamental grass. Along the side of the house she has planted a va-riety of hostas. And, a garden featuring sedum, ox-eye daisies, allium, daylilies, and ornamental grass surround the el-evated deck in the backyard.

2013 was a very busy year for road construction projects in New Hope.

Gas Pipeline ReplacementCenterPoint Energy replaced the 24 inch natural gas main along Win-netka Avenue N., between Bass Lake Road and 42nd Avenue N. as part of its multi-year Minnesota Belt Line project. The pipeline improvement project in-creases the safety and reliability of the pipeline system and facilitates ongoing inspection of the pipeline. In order to complete the work, Cen-terPoint’s contractor partially closed sections of Winnetka Avenue from mid-April to mid-September. The in-tersection at Winnetka and 42nd was closed for about six weeks beginning in mid-June. The intersection closure was longer than expected because the soils were saturated by the storm that occurred in late June. CenterPoint will eventually return to replace the gas main along Winnetka Avenue south of 42nd Avenue, but not for a few years.2013 Infrastructure ProjectThe city’s 2013 Street Infrastructure Project included street and utility work along Boone Avenue N. between 49th Avenue and Bass Lake Road, and most of 49th Avenue N. west of Boone Av-enue N. Because of many water main breaks in recent years, the water main beneath Boone and 49th avenues was

Barb Schendel

Jeana Allen-Hatcher

Kate Larson

2013 road construction recapreplaced. Some sanitary sewer and storm sewer improvements were also made as needed. The contractor began utility and street reconstruction work on Boone Avenue in mid-April and wrapped up the con-struction season in November with sim-ilar work on 49th Avenue. Quiet zone improvements were constructed near the railroad crossing on Boone, south of Science Center Drive. Those improve-ments include concrete medians in the middle of the road on both sides of the railroad crossing arms and a wider sec-tion of street just south of the crossing to provide an adequate turning radius for tractor trailer trucks exiting the ad-jacent industrial business. Although the project is not complete the most disruptive work, involving extended road closures, has been com-pleted. A final “wear course” layer of bituminous pavement will be installed on both Boone and 49th avenues next spring. Permanent striping of road and bike lanes and turf restoration in the boulevard will also be completed. And, quiet zone work will be completed and the railroad quiet zone will be imple-mented. The remaining streets in the project area west of Boone will receive mill and overlay improvements next year to provide a new driving surface. Some spot sanitary sewer, storm sewer and water improvements will also be made.

Landscaping: Tony PreheimTony Preheim and April Pastorius moved into the home at 3643 Jordan Circle N., which had sat vacant for a few years, and quickly beautified the back yard. “They replaced the deck, put in a magnificent waterfall, and added a fire pit, which greatly enhanced their backyard and the neighborhood,” their nominator explained.Preheim’s landscaping stretches across the hill in his backyard. A meander-ing bed of decorative landscape rock is bisected by a rock ridgeline that takes advantage of the change in grade. Plantings include juniper, sedum, threadleaf coreopsis, and lots of hostas. The focal point of the backyard is a three-step waterfall that flows through the center of the hillside landscaping. A firepit constructed of landscape block on a patio of pavers is located nearby on a leveled-off section of hillside.

Environmentally Sensitive: The BethkesLots of mature trees tower above the home of Jen and Justin Betke at 4808 Aquila Avenue N. Consequently, the Bethkes have a very shady backyard. “When Jen and Justin moved into their home approximately five years ago, they had a relatively blank canvas when it came to gardens and landscaping,” explained their nominator.The Bethkes have risen to the challenge. They have added gardens to a good share of the yard behind the house. Some of the plants featured in those gardens include coral bells, hutchera, lamium, azalea and many varieties of hosta. The gardens also include a lovely rock water feature and low voltage land-scape lights. Previous owners of the home had strug-gled to grow grass along the southwest

Interior Improvements: The McCulloughsPaul and Wendy McCullough have done an impressive job updating the main level of their home at 7924 37th Avenue. “Paul and Wendy had roots in New Hope, and they have definitely set down and expanded their own roots for years to come with these improvements to their home,” effused their nominator. The McCulloughs remodeled their home so that it would better meet the needs of their growing family and their lifestyle. After consulting with city in-spectors, the McCulloughs found that an interior wall was not load bearing. They removed the wall and completely opened up the main level. The reno-vated kitchen includes new wood cabi-nets, granite countertops, and many other meticulously crafted details. Another impressive interior improve-ment project, by Pablo and Josey Lan-drieu at 7909 37th Avenue N., received a 2013 RAVE! Honorable Mention.The RAVE! Award winners each received an engraved garden stone or plaque and had their names and addresses added to a plaque displayed at City Hall.

Preheim's striking waterfall and firepit

Bethke's shade-friendly dry riverbed

McCullough's remodeled kitchen

Nowak's beautiful front entry