February7 Human Rights Commission meeting, 7 p.m.

8 State of the City Presentation, 7-9 a.m.

8 Citizen Advisory Commission meeting, 7 p.m.

14 City Council meeting, 7 p.m.

21 Presidents Day Holiday – City offi ces closed

22 City Council work session, Council meal at 6, meeting at 6:30 p.m.

28 City Council meeting, 7 p.m.

All activities are at City Hall, 4401 Xylon Ave. N. unless otherwise indicated. Agendas and minutes for council and commission meetings are available on the city’s website. Schedule is subject to change. Call 763-531-5100 for more information.

February2011

Over

West Metro food driveMost of the time, when you need help all you need to do is call 911 and local fi refi ghters come to your aid. Th is time, West Metro fi refi ghters are sounding the alarm and asking for your help.

Th e employees of West Metro Fire Rescue District are sponsoring a food drive, Firefi ghters Fighting Hunger!,from February 1 to March 19 to helpfi ght hunger in our community. West Metro fi refi ghters will be collectingnon-perishable food items and mon-etary donations to benefi t the Emer-gency Foodshelf Network. Th e network helps to provide food to many local food shelves which are severely depleted due to the tough economy.

Beginning February 1, there are food collection bins at each of West Metro Fire’s three fi re stations:

❖ 4251 Xylon Ave. N, New Hope ❖ 4101 Douglas Drive N, Crystal ❖ 5354 Douglas Drive N, Crystal

Residents are encouraged to come by and drop off donations of non-per-ishable food and/or a check at any of these locations weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., or any time that crews are present. Monetary donations may also be mailed to the New Hope fi re station. Checks, for your tax-deduct-ible contribution, should be made out to “Emergency Foodshelf Network.”

Th e food drive will culminate with a special event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 19. Stop by one of West Metro’s fi re stations to drop off a donation and you can take a tour of the facility and meet your hometown fi refi ghters. Or, if you’re going groceryshopping during that time, West Metro will have fi re vehicles at collection points in many of the grocery store parking lots in New Hope and Crystal.

Join them in fi ghting hunger in our community.

Last April, the New Hope City Coun-cil and Planning Commission began to take a fresh look at City Center, the area near the intersection of Win-netka and 42nd avenues. Th e city has taken the lead in starting to defi ne a vision for the redevelopment of City Center, but now it’s time for the local business community and residents to take an active role in the process.

Although New Hope has completed a couple of previous studies of the City Center area, the City Council believes it is important to reevaluate and rede-fi ne the city’s vision and approach toward redevelopment of City Center in light of current market conditions and changes in fi nancial and regula-tory tools.

City Center is generally thought to be the commercial and social heart of New Hope, but the space is currently underutilized and it’s a bit disjointed. Th e city is preparing a long-term vision for City Center now so that, when the time is right, it will be ready to build.

Th e City Council has scheduled twoopen houses to present the prelimi-nary vision developed by the New

Hope City Center Transit Oriented Development study group and to encourage community members to ask questions and share their thoughts.

Open houses to focus on vision for City Center

If you don’t create change, change will create you.

~ Unknown

Th e open houses will be:

❖ Wednesday, February 16 Sonnesyn Elementary School 3421 Boone Ave. N

❖ Wednesday, March 2 New Hope Village Golf Course 8130 Bass Lake Road

Both open houses will begin and 7 p.m. and include a Powerpoint pre-sentation, refreshments, and plenty of opportunity to talk with city staff , planning consultants, and members of the City Council and Planning Commission about City Center.

For more information about the City Center study, visit www.ci.new-hope.mn.us/citycenterstudy.

Safety Tip of the Month

Recreation CornerAdult softball leaguesRegistration for men’s, women’s and co-rec slow-pitch softball leagues spon-sored by the New Hope Parks and Recreation Department started January 31 and new teams can sign up beginning February 7. New Hope is off ering six men’s leagues including Upper Class D leagues on Tuesday or Th ursday, Lower Class D leagues on Monday or Wednesday, and Class E leagues on Monday or Wednesday. Th e department is also off ering women’s Class C/D leagues on Th ursday evenings in collaboration with several neighboring communities, and co-rec Class D leagues on Sunday or Monday. Call for details.

Defensive driving skills for seniorsTh is eight-hour defensive driving course, developed by the National Safety Council, helps older adults (55 and older) identify risky driving habits and conditions that eff ect their driving ability. Th e course teaches techniques that help participants recognize driving hazards and avoid collisions. Th e pro-gram will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. on February 10 and 17 at New Hope City Hall. Th ose who complete the course are eligible for a 10 percent reduction in their auto insurance premium. Th e fee is $26 for New Hope residents.

Kids will explore the science of lightKids ages 4 to 6 will investigate where light comes from and how it trav-els using colored fi lters, prisms, and light-bending wheels. Activities will include hands-on experiments, stories and art projects. Th e class will be from 6 to 7:15 p.m. on Mondays, February 28 and March 7 at Crystal Com-munity Center, 4800 Douglas Drive. Th e fee is $21 for residents.

Musketeers FencingChildren ages 6 to 11 will learn fundamental fencing skills while having loads of fun. Th e class meets on Mondays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the New Hope Community Gyms beginning March 7. Call for details.

For more information about these programs or to register,call the New Hope Parks and Recreation offi ce at 763-531-5151.

A Guide to Internet SafetyTh e Internet off ers a world of oppor-tunities. People of all ages share pho-tos and videos, build online profi les, text each other and create alter egos in the form of online avatars.

Th ese ways of socializing and com-municating can be fulfi lling, and yet, they come with risks:

Inappropriate ConductTh e online world can feel anony-mous. Kids sometimes forget that their online actions have real-world consequences.

Inappropriate ContactSome people online have bad inten-tions, including bullies, predators, hackers and scammers.

Inappropriate ContentYou may be concerned that your kids could fi nd pornography, violence or hate speech online.

Th e Net Cetera Community OutreachToolkit was created as part of onguar-donline.gov, a project that provides practical tips from the federal govern-ment and the technology community to help you guard against Internet fraud, secure your computers and protect your privacy. Th e project is managed by the Federal Trade Com-mission, the nation’s consumer pro-tection agency, and includes more than a dozen federal agencies.

Th e kit off ers information about pro-tecting kids online. It includes Net Cetera, a guide for parents; Heads Up, information for kids; and slides and videos about online safety.

Th e onguardonline.gov website also has information on many other computer-related topics: Email scams, identity theft, Internet auctions, kids’ privacy, laptop security, malware, online dating scams, online investing, peer-to-peer security, phishing, social networking sites, spyware, wireless security, and more.

In a nutshell, the website encourages computer users to stop, think, click.

Liberian Community Experiences on Th ursday, February 10, is the fi rst in the Know Your Neighbors series of sessions, sponsored by the New Hope Human Rights Commission, intended to create a dialogue about the diverse ethnicities found in New Hope.

Th e event will feature speakers Doris Parker from the Liberian Women Initiatives and Marie Hayes from the New Hope Human Rights Commis-sion. Community members will have an opportunity to learn about their Liberian neighbors and ask questions.

Th e event will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the city council chambers at New Hope City Hall, 4401 Xylon Ave. N. Refreshments will be served.

Event celebrates NewHope’s Liberian residents In partnership with AccountAbility

MN, Community Action Partnership of Suburban Hennepin (CAPSH) is off ering free tax prepartion and e-fi le services to individuals with an annual income of $35,000 or less and a family income of $45,000 or less.

Some upcoming clinics include:

February 9, 4:30-8 p.m.CEAP, 6840 78th Avenue N

February 23, 3-7 p.m.Ridgedale Library, 12601 Ridgedale Dr

February 26, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.Brookdale Library, 6125 Shingle Creek Pkwy

March 5, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.Brookdale Library, 6125 Shingle Creek Pkwy

For additional clinic dates, more infor-mation, or to schedule an appointment,call 952-697-1414.

Free tax clinics