Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1981 10-07 Council objects to city costs for Battle Creek Regional Park THE REVIEW Louncii objects To city costs for Battle Creek Regional Park De,t 7 /7P/ By JONATHON CLYDE GLASS need for police services,he explained. Staff Writer "Increased use does not necessarily mean increased police services,"he said. As plans for the design of the 2,207 acre Council members responded to Battle Creek Regional Park in southern Holmberg's statements with some Maplewood and St.Paul near completion, skepticism and reiterated their concerns the Maplewood City Council has balked at about the additional expense the park will the added burden the park will place on require of the city. Maplewood city services and taxpayers. Mayor John Greavu questioned In a Sept.24 letter to the director of whether the county will adequately parks and recreation in Ramsey County, maintain the parkland. "We don't Maplewood City Manager Barry Evans maintain our parks well now.How will we outlined the council's objections: do it when we have this huge thing?"he "It is undeniable that the park will asked. place a larger burden on Maplewood Maplewood has an ordinance requiring taxpayers than other county residents... landowners to maintain their property Not only has potentially valuable land and cut their noxious weeds,but the city been removed from our tax rolls,but it is cannot enforce that ordinance against the assumed without question that county,which already allows dead trees Maplewood will supply the necessary and weeded areas to build up in the park, police,paramedic,and fire services as Greavu said. well as other public needs such as im- provements to Upper Afton Road,"Evans THE COUNTY intentionally leaves 85 wrote. percent of the parkland in its natural "Maplewood has severe financial state,Holmberg responded. It does not problems as do other agencies,and we collect dead trees unless they are feel that for Ramsey County to make such diseased or dangerous,he said. assumptions without even discussing the Approximately 391 acres of the regional matter with us borders on disresepct,"he park will be within the Battle Creek continued. section of southern Maplewood,while the County landscape architect Larry remaining 1,800 acres include Indian Holmberg told the Review the county and Mounds Park and Forest,Fish Hatchery Metropolitan Council are looking at the Lake and Pigs Eye Lake in St.Paul. possibility of sharing the costs of main- Besides hiking and biking trails, the Wining and servicing the park,but they Maplewood section will include a 40-acre have not decided anything definite.At a picnic area,with 310 parking spaces and Sept. 30 meeting in Maplewood, four small ponds.According to current Metropolitan Council Chairman Charles plans,a 12-acre swimming pool complex, Weaver also affirmed the principle of with a 400car parking lot also will be built sharing maintenance and service costs, within Maplewood.The pool complex is but did not propose any specifics. expected to cost$2 million and will in- The Maplewood portion of the park will elude a wave-action pool that can create include almost all the land bound by three-foot waves within the swimming Lower Afton Road, McKnight Road, area. Upper Afton Road and Century Avenue.It Council members questioned the cost of also will include roughly half the land the pool complex in light of Metropolitan bound by Upper Af ton,McKnight,I-94 and Council and county budget problems. Century. Holmberg responded that similar pools, THE $6.2 MILLION overall cost of though more expensive initially, have developing the park will come primarily become revenue-generators because of from the Metropolitan Council,but future their increased popularity. allocations are not certain, Holmberg Public review of the Battle Creek plans said. The Metropolitan Council has will soon be completed.According to the authorized$1 million for the park thus far, current timeline,Ramsey County and St. but future budget decisions will not be Paul are expected to approve the final made until the Council is certain of its design this fall and the Metropolitan 1983 funding from the State Legislature, Council is expected to act on the matter in he explained. January,according to Holmberg. Proper park development can decrease Maplewood does not have jurisdiction the need for police services, Holmberg over the plans for the entire park,but the told Maplewood City Council members at city council does have authority over their Sept.17 meeting.By controlling the plans for the park land within Maplewood, traffic, forbidding camping and Holmberg said.The council must approve preventing people from going through the the final design of the roads, parking undeveloped land—as they currently do areas, utility improvements and the —the park managers can minimize the picnic area within city borders,he noted.