Welcome to Agenda Edina, a program summarizing the actions taken at city hall that affect you most. I'm your host, Doroththa Marty. The Adina Police Department is reminding everyone to lock around the clock this holiday season. Officers remind residents to take a few simple steps to help protect their homes and belongings. First, install a home security alarm. if you can, and always set it when you leave. If possible, ask your alarm company to contact police immediately instead of calling you first. Add exterior security cameras and lights and keep them on at night. Choose cameras you can monitor from your phone. And remember to double check that all doors and windows are locked when you're away. Leaving a few lights on can help make your home look lived in. If you keep high-V value items in your home, make sure your insurance coverage is current. If you're heading out of town, call 952-8261610 to let our dispatch team know. Officers can help keep an eye on your property. And it's also a good idea to let trusted neighbors know you'll be gone. You can also register your home security cameras with Edina's Safe Cam program. This doesn't give police access to your cameras. It simply lets investigators contact you if a crime occurs nearby and ask if you're willing to check your footage. >> Simple crime prevention tactics really go a long way. Typically, uh the neighborhood knows best really. If you don't recognize a specific vehicle um at certain times of day, uh it's important to report that to our police department because uh you know, our cops don't necessarily get in and know your neighborhoods uh as much as we would like. Um you typically know your neighbors routine more than we do. >> Learn more at edinan.gov/pol. The city's public works director has overseen some of the city's largest infrastructure projects. Some of them include expanding the north parking ramp at 50th in France, launching the sidewalk inspection and maintenance program, and improving the city's pavement condition. Following those and many more accomplishments, Brian Olsen is set to retire at the end of the month after more than 13 years with the city. Edina TV shows us how his long career has had an impact across the city. Every time a new employee starts, I have a one-on-one moment with that new employee and I spend an hour with uh them talking about their family and my family and what they mean to me and what are what my priorities are in life and one of the passages or parables that I read to them is by Charles Swindle. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It's more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. >> Public works and engineering had split. We still work together very closely, but Brian brought a very mission focused initiative to public works. >> I started my career as a civil engineer with the city of New Brighton. After about 3 years, I joined the fire department as well. >> I liked his experience in in New Brighton and also in Ramsey. Um, I liked his experience as a firefighter. I thought that was important. Brian wanted us to really focus on our mission. So, uh, service level deliverables. Uh, that's what the public sees. How how quickly are we plowing the snow? How completely are we plowing snow? water quality. What are we doing for uh street sweeping? >> Brian has been able to accomplish some things that uh uh maybe other departments would need more people to do. >> The fact of the matter is that we had 50 employees when I started. We have 50 employees today. We reduced our salt uh usage significantly during the time he's been here. Uh in terms of updating equipment that had the capacity to do that kind of measuring and operating uh including the operators themselves in the technology that they would employ and doing the street work I think has been uh something that they've embraced uh wholeheartedly and done a very effective job at. >> When it's working well it's it's a thing of beauty. It's ballet in motion. It's a lot of people and equipment in tight spaces, big spaces, um, that have to get the job done safely and efficiently. >> Every time they flush a toilet, they're relying on the sanitary sewer. They're also relying on the water. All of that stuff has to work. Um, the streets is only one aspect of it, but that that comes with, you know, challenges. We've improved on our our pavement index score is is a is a large measurable one where we've gone from pretty average to high B low A type grade in in 10 years. That's remarkable. >> We're going to miss Brian. Uh he's been a key member of our team for over a decade. Um I wish him well. This quiet confidence that you have, this confidence that you have to do the job that needs to be done uh in the way it needs to be done has really been impressive. >> We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string that we have and that is our attitude. Charles Swindle. After Olsen retires, the public works and engineering departments will combine under the leadership of Chad Milner. Olsen will continue to work for the city part-time into next summer to assist with the transition. City Hall and most city offices will be closed December 24th through the 26th for Christmas and January 1st and 2nd for New Year's. On behalf of the entire Edina TV crew, happy holidays. Thank you for watching this episode of Agenda Edina. I'm your host Dorothia Marty.