Community News and Views – Carver, Minnesota, USA
Thank you to those of you who either tuned in live or watched the recording of the City Council Special Meeting last evening. Please know that City Staff will continue to improve the video and sound quality of the meetings as we move forward with the telephone/electronic meetings. We appreciate your patience as we navigate through these types of issues.
If there are any further questions/comments, please contact [email protected].
The March 23, 2020, Special City Council meeting can be viewed by clicking on the following link:
Regular Meeting
Previous meeting videos are also available by clicking ALL VIDEOS
If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
For the documents for the March 23, Special City Council meeting, click on Special Meeting Agenda.
If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
Carver County libraries and their express library locations will be closed from March 18 – March 27, 2020.
Visit the Library’s website at www.carverlib.org and Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts for online opportunities to connect during this closure.
Homes will begin receiving their invitation to respond to the 2020 Census between March 12-20. These official Census Bureau mailings will include detailed information and a Census ID for completing the Census online.
For more information about the Census, visit the United States 2020 Census website.
The March 16, 2020, City Council meeting can be viewed by clicking on the following link:
Regular Meeting
Previous meeting videos are also available by clicking ALL VIDEOS
If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
Eastern Carver County’s Nutrition Services Staff is providing free lunches for all kids 18 and under while schools are closed due to the COVID-19 virus. Meals can be picked up at one of their distribution centers Monday – Friday, between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
Distribution Centers:
If you are unable to pick up meals from the distribution centers, please contact Nutrition Services at 952-556-6150 or via email at [email protected] for alternative delivery options.
*Please note, there will be no meal service during Eastern Carver County’s schedule spring break (March 23 – March 27).
A note from Chaska Parks and Recreation:
Dear CCC Member,
As the coronavirus outbreak continues to evolve, I wanted to let you know that we are closing the Community Center at 7:00pm March 16 through March 31. The Curling and Event Center is closing at 4:30 pm March 16 through March 31. These closures include the cancellation of all programs, activities, leagues, and rentals.
You’re probably wondering what this means for you.
While we understand that this is an inconvenience, it is important to do our part to help slow the spread of COVID-19. You are our top priority, and we felt this was the best way to keep you healthy and safe.
Our department’s vision is to create lifelong memories and a healthy community for all to enjoy. We will continue to find ways to strive towards this goal.
We encourage everyone to find ways to exercise. We believe that staying active, while keeping your social distance, can play a big role in good mental and physical health during this stressful time.
We are looking into ways to stay engaged even though we won’t see you in our facilities. You might see some workout videos posted on the Chaska Community Television YouTube channel. With spring on the horizon, you could try exercising outside. Going for a walk on some of our great trails can be a good way to move around and get some fresh air. You might even discover some of our beautiful scenery.
Luckily, being social these days isn’t only face-to-face. Share your home or outdoor workouts or adventures with us on our Facebook page. We’d love to see how you are coping during this time of perceived isolation.
This is an opportunity to connect in different ways with our community. While we may not be able to meet for a run at the community center or go to a community festival, we can all chip in by helping a neighbor or supporting a local charity.
We understand that we may not have answered all your questions. Please reach out by calling 952-448-3176 to talk with us. We will continue to assess this situation as it evolves and provide updates.
In Health,
Marshall Grange
City of Chaska
Parks & Recreation Director
The Monday, March 16 City Council meeting will be held, as scheduled at 7:00 pm, in the Council Chambers in Carver City Hall (316 Broadway).
Doors will be opened at 6:45 pm and best practices for social distancing will be followed.The City Council meeting will be live streamed at cityofcarver.com.
Residents and other stakeholders may submit written comments to [email protected] to be read aloud during the meeting.
Residents and other stakeholders may also request to submit verbal comments, via phone during the meeting, by making this request to the City Manager at [email protected] by no later than 4:30 pm on Monday, March 16.
Carver City Hall and the Fire Station/Public Services Building will be closed to the public effective Monday, March 16 through at least Tuesday, March 31.
1) The City has a continuity of operations plan in place to maintain essential services in the community such as fire, police, water, sanitary sewer, flood protection, and snow plowing services during this time.
2) City staff will be working during this time and we invite all those who have service needs with the City to conduct their business by phone, US Mail, email, or via the City’s website.
3) All events scheduled to be held at Carver City Hall through at least March 31 have been cancelled.
4) The utility bill payment drop box, located in the City Hall vestibule, will remain open.
5) The City will not conduct any utility/water shut-off processes over the next 30 days.
Open Gym, which has been on Sundays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Carver Elementary, is cancelled through the end of March.
For the documents for the March 16, City Council meetings, click on Agendas and Packet.
If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
“Hurley here says it’s time for spring cleaning. Any piles of pet waste left on your lawn are subject to unsuspecting feet —or worse.
Pet waste contains A LOT of bacteria and parasites that are a health threat to people and wildlife. Plus, the pet waste adds nutrients to the water, reducing oxygen available for aquatic life and leading to more algae.
So pick up that pet waste before it washes away.”
Learn more by clicking HERE.
If there are any questions, please contact [email protected]
Bike and helmet scholarships are available! Send your request to [email protected] by Friday, May 1.
Carver Fire Department’s Spring Safety Event and Bike Rodeo will be held Saturday, May 30, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. To find more information, see the event flyer by clicking HERE.
To read the latest news, click March Newsletter.
Previous newsletters can be found on our website by clicking Archives.
To sign up for communication updates from the City of Carver, click Communications.
For the March 10, 2020, Heritage Preservation Packet, click HERE.
If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
Remember to set your clocks ahead one hour as daylight saving time officially begins this Sunday, March 8, at 2:00 am.
The February / March 2020 edition of Carver’s Villager Tower is now available for download!
Please support the Villager Tower by downloading it and visiting its sponsors.
Carver Villager Tower #358 February / March
The Villager Tower has been written and published since 1983 by Ricki Schultz. She can be contacted at (952) 448-5126 and [email protected].
Every year during the spring thaw (early-March to mid-May), City of Carver follows MnDOT’s seasonal road restrictions (postings). This requires large trucks to reduce the weight on each axle of the vehicles to 5-ton on City of Carver roadways. The roads exempt of this are: 6th Street, 4th Street, Levi Griffin Road, Ironwood Drive, and Monroe Drive.
The two primary causes for premature deterioration of asphalt streets are weather and traffic. As the frost is leaving the ground during the spring thaw, the gravel under the streets has high moisture content, which affects the load carrying capacity of the asphalt pavement. Therefore, the City of Carver does not issue permits for overweight vehicles during the spring load restriction period.
The exact dates on which seasonal limits go into effect and are removed very depending on annual temperature variations. The City of Carver follows Minnesota Department of Transportation’s (MnDOT) schedule for imposing and removing spring road weight limit restrictions.
Additional information can be found by calling MnDOT at 651-366-5400 or visiting MnDOT’s website.
We’ve made it through what are literally the darkest days of winter, and have warmer weather and longer days to look forward to. It’s the time of year where I look forward to seeing my neighbors as they come outside to take advantage of some of the first warm days of the year. When we’re catching up, my neighbors will share their thoughts and ask questions about issues which affect the City of Carver, which I’m always happy to answer.
Resident engagement, which includes listening to feedback from community stakeholders, is key to any thriving city. What surprises me the most in my role as Mayor is how little feedback I receive from residents. That said, I understand. We all have busy lives, and keeping tabs with everything that’s going on in the City of Carver doesn’t often rise to the top of our to-do lists.
As part of the 2020 budget, the City of Carver hired the Morris Leatherman Company to conduct a community survey. This telephone survey will gather data from 400 randomly selected households in the City of Carver using a mix of landline and cell phone numbers to connect with our community members. This sample selection will provide statistically sound feedback from residents on various topics including City services, which will benefit City Council and staff as we determine our priorities for 2021 and beyond. The survey will take place later this spring.
The code to resident engagement is something I’ve struggled to crack since being elected to serve on City Council in 2017. I am confident this survey will give us a really good indicator of how residents feel on various issues affecting the City of Carver so we can use this feedback to guide the decisions we make going forward.
Regardless if you’re randomly chosen to participate in the community survey or not, I want to know where you stand on City issues. Please feel free to connect with me by phone (my cell phone number is 612-702-7703), email ([email protected]), or on Facebook (@CarverMayorCourtney).
I look forward to hearing from you!
Mayor Courtney Johnson
