Home City Gov't Departments Public Works FAQs      

Q. What are the names and telephone numbers of city waste recycling haulers?
A. 1. Tennis Sanitation - (651) 459-1887
2. Tennis Brothers Sanitation (651) 458-1887
3. Waste Management - (651) 437-9201

Q. Where can used oil be dropped off?
A. Used oil can be dropped off at the site located behind the west side of the Public Works building. Public Works is located at 8635 West Point Douglas Road off of Highway 61 and Jamaica Avenue. Residents can pick up a used oil storage container free of charge at the Public Works Building between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Please contact Public Works at (651) 458-2808 for any questions.

Q. Where is the compost site located and what are the hours of operation?
A. Please follow this link to our "eSpecially for Gardeners" page, contact the compost site directly at (651) 459-1556.

Q. What are the rates at the compost site?
A. Follow this link to our compost site for the current rates for the compost site.

Q. How can I find out where my underground utility lines are located?
A. The group you need to contact is Gopher State One Call. They can be reached by calling their new 811 number, or their old number (651) 454-0002, or on their web site at www.gopherstateonecall.org. They will contact your utility providers, who will then come out and put flags over your underground utility lines. Please give them as many days advance notice as you can. This service is FREE, and it is required by law for anyone doing any sort of excavation work. Please check their web site for more information.

Q. Where can I pick up recycling bins?
A. Recycling bins will be delivered by your solid waste hauler.

Q. Where can I dispose of household hazardous waste?
A. Hazardous waste can be brought to the collection facility at the Oakdale Public Works building located at 1900 Hadley Avenue North in Oakdale, MN. The Oakdale hazardous waste collection hours of operation are as follows: April through October, Tuesday 12:00 to 7:00 p.m. and Thursday and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. November through March, hours of operation are Tuesday 12:00 to 7:00 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The City of Cottage Grove Public Works Department also conducts a collection of hazardous wastes two or three times during the summer months. Watch local publications or the City web site for dates and times. More information on Hazardous Waste can be found on our Environment web page.

Q. When and where is Spring Clean Up Day held?
A. Spring Clean Up Day is generally held around the first Saturday in May at the Cottage Grove Public Works Facility. Watch local publications and the City web page for dates and times.

Q. Who is responsible for trimming boulevard trees?
A. The City forester trims the boulevard trees on a rotating basis or as needed for clearance of vehicles. If you have any questions please call Public Works at (651) 458-2808.

Q. Who do I call when my street light is out?
A. Burned out streets lights should be reported to Public Works at (651) 458-2808.

Q. Why is my water dirty?
A. Dirty water is generally the result of hydrant flushing. This is done twice a year, in the spring and the fall seasons. To clear the water up, residents are asked to open their cold water taps for 10 minutes and flush the stool several times. For any further questions, please contact Rick Alt, Utilities Foreman at (651) 458-2808.

Q. How do I get a final water reading when I am moving out?
A. Please call (651) 458-2807 one week before you move out. The meter reader will come to the house on the date that you specified, and take a final reading. A bill will be sent to you reflecting all water usage up until that point. Water that is used after the reading is taken will be billed to the new owner of the house.

Q. How do I get my water service started if I'm moving in?
A. Please call (651) 458-2807 one week before you move in. A meter reader will come out on the move date and take a final reading. The previous owner will be billed for water usage up until that time, and the current owner will be billed for the remaining usage for that billing cycle. There will be a one-time charge of $25.00 for setting up the new owner. This charge will be included on the first bill.

Q. How often are water bills sent out?
A. Residents are billed monthly (as of June, 2007) for their water usage. If you need to know the exact billing date, please contact the Utility Billing clerk at (651) 458-2831.

Q. How are the water meters read?
A. Most Cottage Grove houses have meters on the outside of the house that must be individually read by our meter readers. Many commercial buildings and town homes have a radiometer that is equipped with a transmitter, which can be read from a distance. Some of the newer homes will have these same types of meters, too.

Q. How is the sewer rate calculated?
A. The City of Cottage Grove does not have meters that measure the amount of sewage that enters the sewer system from individual residences. Therefore, your sewer rate is determined by the amount of water that comes into your house during your winter quarter billing cycle. We do this because we do not want to include water that is used to water lawns and gardens, or water that is used to fill swimming pools, since that water never enters the sewer system. If you would like to know exactly which dates are used, please contact our Utility Billing department at (651) 458-2831.

Q. If I fill up my pool, will that affect my sewer rate?
A. No, unless you fill your pool during the winter quarter billing cycle. The actual months that make up your 'winter quarter' will vary based on the neighborhood you live in (see previous question). If you would like to know exactly which dates are used, please contact our Utility Billing department at (651) 458-2831.

Q. Why do I get all of the snow from the cul-de-sac?
A. Snow storage areas in cul-de-sacs is limited by driveways, trees, mailboxes, power transformers and other such objects. Plow operators often begin the season by plowing to the largest available area in any given cul-de-sac. As the banks in this area grow larger the operator will often look for the second best place in the sac. Also contributing is wind direction and exposure to the sun. North and west sides of roads and cul-de-sacs receive the most drifting of snow and southerly exposures receive the benefit of the most snowmelt. Over the course of a winter these factors add up to a large difference in the amount of snow in front of one home as opposed to the neighbor's.

Q. Why do I get plowed last?
A. The belief that one's street is always the last to be plowed is not exactly correct. It very well may be that a particular street is the last in the neighborhood to be plowed. The reason for this is that plow truck operators attempt to plan their route to be the most efficient. Factors that affect the efficiency are major arterials or priority streets, number and location of cul-de-sacs, school zones and long through streets as opposed to short residential streets. Drivers try to open the most heavily traveled roads first. Because plows discharge onto the right side boulevard operators also try to make only right hand turns whenever possible. Also the absence of an operator may require a back up driver or the overlap of a driver from another route.

Q. Why doesn't the City plow earlier so I can get to work on time?
A. The normal starting time for snow removal operations in the City of Cottage Grove is 4 AM. Frequently, the start time is adjusted due to a number of factors such as the day of the week, the anticipated snowfall amounts and duration, poor visibility, the availability of plow truck operators and the need to rest operators.

In times of heavy snowfall or extended duration drivers will concentrate on keeping major arterials open and leave residential streets until last. In the worst of storms, like the Halloween storm of 1991, even this may prove impossible. Be advised that Public Works' first priority is to insure police and fire protection and that all else is secondary. The Public Works Department is not staffed to a twenty-four hour level as the Minnesota Department of Transportation so when forecasters anticipate storm duration longer than forty-eight hours crews may be pared back to insure continuous service.

The timing of storms is also critical. When storms start during morning or evening rush hour crews may attempt to keep streets passable and begin full scale plowing several hours later.

When equipment or manpower shortages are anticipated plowing will commence at an earlier time. Unfortunately, breakdowns and illnesses are rarely anticipated, making scheduling a difficult task.

During periods of extremely poor visibility crews may be pulled off the streets until it is safe to return to plowing.

Q. How do I report a street maintenance problem?
A. Normal hours of operation at the public works department are 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. During these hours concerns may be reported directly to the public works department at (651) 458-2808. During after hours an answer service will take your calls for non-emergency and emergency calls at the public works number (651) 458-2808.  The 24hr answering service will direct your concerns to the public works supervisor on duty twenty-four hours a day. If you wish, you may leave a telephone number for the supervisor to respond to your concerns. This procedure holds true for reporting problems with water, sewer or parks as well.

Q. Why, after all these years, did the city put a stop sign on my street?
A. The installation of regulatory signs in the City of Cottage Grove are accomplished either of two ways. Sign installation may be by original design by engineering staff, with review by city staff and approval by city council or recommendation of the Public Safety Commission to the city council. Public Works has no authority as to the placement of signs other than during the review process. Often sign placement is requested by citizens after which the Public Safety Commission directs the police department to perform a study and make recommendations, for or against, to the commission. On a motion of the commission, the requested sign placement is then sent to the city council for approval and then to public works for installation. Other factors that may influence a sign installation are increased traffic due to development, a history of accidents, construction of a school or business in the area or a speed study performed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Q. How do I report a sign down?
A. During normal business and after hours residents may contact public works directly at (651) 458-2808.  In the case of a stop sign down or signal light malfunction residents can expect an immediate response twenty-four hours a day. In the instance of other regulatory or informational signs, repairs may be postponed to the next business day unless they pose an immediate safety hazard to the public.