The Crystal Insider

A Newsle er for Crystal Employees & Council Members

November-December 2021

Staffi ng News:

CITY OF CRYSTAL OFFICIALHOLIDAY CLOSINGS

2022

Nicole Smith began as a new Community Service Offi cer on Sept. 20.

Jonathan Debner transferred from the Streets to Parks Division on Nov. 8.

Resignations/RetirementsShannon Donovan PW/Parks Oct. 1, 2021Katrina Jones Admin Oct. 27, 2021Mark Kemper PW/Streets Nov. 5, 2021

It’s time to start investing in you, for 2022!

Deadline is Nov. 19, 2021

Deputy Clerk Katrina Jones last day was Oct. 27. She has accepted the city clerk position with the City of Osseo. We will miss you.

New Year’s Day Friday, Dec. 31Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Monday, Jan. 17Presidents’ Day Monday, Feb. 21Memorial Day Monday, May 30Independence Day Monday, July 4Labor Day Monday, Sept. 5Veterans’ Day Friday, Nov. 11Th anksgiving Th ursday, Nov. 24 and Friday, Nov. 25 Christmas Day Monday, Dec. 26

November-December 2021

Page 2

What’s the City Council Up To?

Earlier this year, the city’s Charter Commission did a complete review of the City Charter and recommended several amendments, mostly updating and clarifying provisions of the charter. Th e City Council is in the process of approving those amendments which includes two readings of an ordinance making those changes, a public hearing on Nov. 2, followed by a 90 day waiting period before the charter changes go into eff ect.

In September the City Council approved the preliminary 2022 budgets and tax levies. Th e preliminary budgets include current service and staffi ng levels and continues the annual levy for the park improvement capital fund. Th e 2022 levy also includes implementation of an annual levy for the street improvement capital fund.

Th e Metropolitan Airport Commission (MAC) owner of the Crystal Airport is working on the development of a required zoning ordinance update for the airport focusing on land uses adjacent to the airport and structure heights set by the Federal Aviation Administration. A Joint Airport Zoning Board has been established to draft this ordinance and consists of representatives of the MAC, Crystal and other agencies. In September, the City Council appointed Planning Commissioner Joe Sears and Planner Dan Olson to serve

as Crystal’s representatives on the Joint Airport Zoning Board with Planning Commissioner Harley Heigel and Community Development Director John Sutter as alternates. It is expected the updated zoning ordinance will be completed by late 2022.

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our fi rst K9, Rocco. Th e City of Crystal Police Department has had a K9 program since 2012. Our fi rst handler was Offi cer (now Sgt.) Geoff Kusick and his partner Rocco. Rocco was born in Slovakia and we obtained him from the St. Paul Police Department when he was 15 months old. He was a full blooded German Shepherd. Offi cer Kusick and K9 Rocco had the pleasure of training at the St. Paul PD K9 Training Unit for 12 weeks and graduated on May 23, 2012.

He successfully worked for the Crystal Police Department for 6 years and during that time received many awards and accolades for his apprehensions, community engagement work, and his overall phenomenal disposition. We were proud to have Rocco on our force and he retired honorably in December 2018 and passed away on Oct. 22, 2021.

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November-December 2021

Is Your Bathroom Scale Under A Lot of Pressure Th ese Days?Just a reminder that Brandon Dorr is in the process of fi guring out the layout for the new workout room for when that is put together. Now is your chance to give some input. Th e room is available to all city employees.

Brandon would like input from everyone regarding what type of equipment you would like to see in the workout room. It will be approximately 3x the size of the previous workout room.

Equipment we currently have is:- 2 treadmills- 1 elliptical- 1 stationary bike- 1 stretching machine- 1 rowing machine- 1 Smith machine (an assisted bench press/squat machine) with plates- TRX style straps- Kettlebells - 9, 26, 35, 44 lbs. (one of each)- Dumbbells (I believe 10lbs – 60 lbs., but I can’t remember for sure). - Wall balls- Sand bag- Battle rope

Th e goal is to have as much of a variety of functional workout equipment as possible. Th ings he’s looking into are pull-up bars, dip bars, medicine balls, slam balls, cable machines (pull-downs, rows, etc.), box jumps, a sled, climbing rope, punching bag, etc. He is currently talking with Torque Fitness regarding possible equipment/buildout (https://commercial.torquefi tness.com/). If you have any ideas/equipment from other companies please send them to Brandon as well.

Please send him any wanted equipment, ideas, workouts, etc. that you would like to see in the workout room. Even if it can’t be done right away maybe down the road it could be added.

Even though we are still several months away from actually being able to use the workout room, there’s going to be a decent amount of planning required. So, the sooner your suggestions come in, the better.

January-February 2018

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January-February 2018November-December 2021

Several Crystal Police Offi cers were recognized for exceptional on-duty performances during the city council meeting on Sept. 9 at Crystal City Hall.

Offi cer Jordan Myhre receives a Life-saving Award from Crystal Police chief Stephanie Revering.

Sergeants Adam Harrer and Gabe Storz receive Exceptional Performance Awards from Crystal Police Chief Stephanie Revering.

Police Department News

Sergeants Gabe Storz and Adam Harrer received Exceptional Performance Awards for safely apprehending a male with a rifl e threatening a female and child. Th e offi cers secured the rifl e, several guns and rounds of ammunition at the scene.

Offi cer Cole Horner received the Award of Merit for aiding state and federal offi cers, successfully performing a “pit” maneuver and helping apprehend fi ve suspects without incident. Several weapons were confi scated. Th e driver confessed to involvement in multiple shootings and armed bank burglaries. One passenger had a warrant for assault with a deadly weapon. One passenger admitted the group was looking to commit acts of violence on opposing gang members.

Sergeant Jon Kurtz and Offi cer Jordan Myhre received Life-saving Awards for saving the life of an overdose victim who wasn’t breathing. Th ey quickly administered Narcan, inserted oral and nasal airways and breathed for him.

Offi cer Marcus Issa received the Lifesaving Award for saving the life of a male who overdosed on heroin or Fentanyl. Th e victim had no pulse and was not breathing. Issa quickly provided CPR, rescue breathing and Narcan.

November-December 2021

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What’s Cookin’ in Crystal?

DescriptionApple Dumplings are some of the best pastry-style desserts ever created. With only 7 ingredients, this easy apple dumpling recipe is the best and most fl avorful of them all!

Ingredients2 (8 ounce) cans crescent rolls2 sticks butter1 1/2 cups brown sugar1 teaspoon vanilla1 teaspoon cinnamon1 1/2 cup 7 Up (or other lemon soda)2 apples (Golden Delicious or Granny Smith)

InstructionsButter a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

Preheat the oven at 350 F.

Peel and core apples, than cut each apple into 8 slices

Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll and place in a buttered dish.

Melt butter, stir in sugar, vanilla and cinnamon, and when it’s thickened, remove from heat and pour over the dumplings.

Pour the soda in the middle and along the edges of a pan (not over the rolls)

Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until they become golden brown.

Serve warm.

Apple Dumplings

MOUTH BREATHING (AGAIN)

We’re going to piggyback off

the last newsletter and continue

talking about breathing.

Previously we talked about

breathing through the nose as

being the proper way to breathe,

and how mouth breathing can

be detrimental to your health.

One issue that comes up with

this is:

How about when you’re

sleeping???

Well, let’s talk about that.

First let’s go over some issues

with mouth breathing during

your sleep. Mouth breathing at

night can cause several different

issues and can be detrimental to

your overall health. It can

contribute to snoring, which

prevents proper breathing and

can lead to poor sleep quality.

Dry mouth can also be a side

effect of nighttime mouth

breathing. If the mouth

breathing is prolonged

overnight it could lead to a sore

throat, or even pneumonia, as

the air is not being filtered

appropriately (remember “cilia”

which line the nose and act as a

filter?). Sinus and nasal

congestion can be caused from

mouth breathing as the body is

expelling too much carbon

dioxide. Your body reacts to

this imbalance by creating

mucus to slow your breathing.

This, in turn, can actually lead

to even more mouth breathing.

And the cycle continues.

A lack of nitric oxide

production is another side-effect

of mouth breathing. Nitric oxide

contributes to issues with

digestion, performance, weight

loss, mental health, blood

pressure, immunity,

inflammation and cognitive

function.

Finally, mouth breathing can

lead to poor and deteriorating

dental hygiene. When the

mouth is closed saliva

continuously washing away

bacteria in the mouth. When the

mouth is left open the saliva

evaporates, which weakens the

body’s defense against bacteria.

This can increase the

probability of developing

cavities, gum disease, bad

breath, tooth decay and other

oral issues.

So, what can you do to prevent

sleeping with your mouth open?

Well, you can try to concentrate

on keeping your mouth closed

while you sleep. Which would

be impressive if you succeed.

But there is another way; and

this is where it gets weird.

MOUTH TAPE.

Taping your mouth shut when

you sleep will prevent your

mouth from opening and will

require you to breath out of

your nose, the way nature

intended.

I know, it sounds weird. Really,

really weird.

But legitimately, there has been

a lot of research recently

looking at how truly detrimental

mouth breathing is. And mouth

tape is an extremely good

option to fix the problem when

you’re sleeping. As always, if

you’re considering this, do your

own research and talk to your

doctor to see what is best for

you.

But, if you sleep with your

mouth open, it may be

beneficial for you to at least

look into and/or try mouth tape

at night.

Below are some options for mouth tape. You can also use medical tape.

Mouth Tape 1 Mouth Tape 2 Mouth Tape 3

Crystal PD Wellness Newsletter Article

Take a Mental Health Break

A mental health break is anything that allows you to step back, relax and recharge your mind. They look different for everyone, depending on what helps you feel renewed. Some last for 10 minutes, while others may include a week-long vacation. Most often it is a mixture of the two. Here are a few ideas on how to use some mental health break time:

REFLECTIn today’s busy world, taking time to pause and reflect can be rare for many people. But doing this, whether it’s working through your feelings, making a list of things you’re grateful for, or reminiscing on good times, can help.

MEDITATEFollow a guided meditation, or take deep breaths and try to calm your mind. Either way, your brain will appreciate hitting the “pause” button for a few minutes.

ENJOY YOUR FOOD Slowing down and taking time to savor your food can give you a pleasant break a few times a day. Put your phone away, let the distractions go, and give yourself permission to enjoy.

GET OUTSIDE Fresh air and sunshine can have a positive impact on your mental health. Take a hike, eat outside, or simply go for a short walk.

TALK TO SOMEONEResearch shows that social connection is tied to happiness. A friendly conversation can be a great way to take a mental health break.

RESTGetting good sleep is vital to mental health. Take a power nap, or to give yourself an earlier bedtime.

DO SOMETHING CREATIVECreativity often requires you to access a different part of your brain, giving your “autopilot mode” a rest.

DO YOU NEED A MENTAL HEALTH BREAK?If you’re waiting for a sign that you might need a mental health break, here are some pretty clear ones.

• FEELING FREQUENTLY STRESSED• FEELING BURNED OUT• STRUGGLING TO STAY FOCUSED

NOTE: Taking a mental health break when you’re struggling might feel like putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound – and in the case of serious mental disorders, it might be. Always talk to your doctor about the best way to handle your specific mental health challenges.

• FEELING PHYSICALLY ILL OR TIRED• FEELING IRRITABLE• PULLING AWAY FROM PEOPLE

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)Learn more about finding a balance with everyday support available anytime on the next page.

 

HealthPartners Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services are provided by Workplace Options. The HealthPartners family of health plans is underwritten and/or administered by HealthPartners, Inc., Group Health, Inc., HealthPartners Insurance Company or HealthPartners Administrators, Inc. Fully insured Wisconsin plans are underwritten by HealthPartners Insurance Company.  

Find balance with everyday support Life doesn’t always go as planned. Imagine you just found out your mom has Alzheimer’s. Or you’re struggling to pay some credit card debt. Or you’re having a hard time balancing your busy work life and your family. No matter what your situation is, HealthPartners Employee Assistance Program (EAP) can help. Your EAP is available anytime for you and anyone in your household. Get help with almost anything you can think of, all at no extra cost.

Your privacy is important. Everything you do with HealthPartners EAP is confidential. Nothing is shared with your employer or health plan. Information will only be released with your permission or when required by law.  

24/7 help with: Making a budget Finding child care Managing stress  

Call: 1-866-326-7194  

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