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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-11-13 Fish Creek Minutes MINUTES CITY OF MAPLEWOOD FISH CREEK GREENWAY AD-HOC COMMISSION Friday, November 13, 2009 Maplewood City Hall - Council Chambers 1830 County Road BEast 1. Meeting commenced: 1 :00 p.m. 2. Commissioners Present: Cliff Aichinger, Ramsey-Washington Metro WD Ron Cockriel, Friends of Maplewood Nature Ginny Gaynor, City of Maplewood John Moriarty, Ramsey County Parks Carolyn Peterson, Parks Commission Ginny Yingling, Environment and NR Commission 3. Ex-Officio Members Present: Jim Von Haden, National Park Service Marybeth Block, DNR Metro Greenways 4. Invited Guests Present: DuWayne Konewko, Maplewood Communtiy Development and Parks Director Peter Fischer, Maplewood Parks Commission Chair AI Singer, Dakota County Land Conservation Manager Betsy Leach, St. Paul District 1 Council Cy Kosel, St. Paul Natural Resources Manager Bob Klatt, Woodbury Parks and Recreation Director Arnie Stefferud, Metropolitan Council Susan Overson, Park Planner National Park Serve, and Trails and Open Space Partnership (TOSP) Don Gange, City of Sl. Paul 5. Action Items: a. Motion to approve agenda with addition of grant update. Motion made by Commission Cockriel, seconded by Commissioner Gaynor, approved 6 to O. b. Motion to approve 10/23/09 Commission meeting minutes. Motion made by Commissioner Aichinger, seconded by Commissioner Moriarty, approved 6 to O. 6. Discussion items: a. Dakota County Open Space Program. AI Singer presented overview of the Dakota County Open Space program and made some suggestions to the Commission. Their program protects farmland and open space. Much of the protection is accomplished by conservation easements on private lands. Mr. Singer made suggestions for commission: i. Be strategic about acquisition. Know what you are protecting and why. Be specific about criteria for eligibility. ii. Think long-term. iii. Articulate the public benefits of funding used on private lands. iv. The important question is not "who owns what" but "who does what". v. Leverage funding. Dakota county has spent $19 million dollars of referendum money but leveraged that to $89 million. vi. Recipe for success: . Good plan . Participation of many people . Good science . Matching funds . Flexibility b. Trails Discussion. i. Commissioner Moriarty presented a trail concept for a 4-foot-wide loop hiking trail along part of the creek. If part of the former CoPar parcel north of the creek (adjacent to Henry Lane) were acquired, the trail could connect to Henry Lane. ii. Susan Overson discussed the goals of the National Park Service in MNRAA. National Parks are eligible for grants through the Alternative Transportation on Parks and Public Land Program. Projects through this program must provide transportation features. It will be difficult to find grants for a recreational hiking- only trail that has few users. Ms. Overson encouraged the city to participate in Trails and Open Space Partnership, as they are the group that sets priorities for land protection and trail connections. They can advocate on behalf of Fish Creek. Protection of additional land in Fish Creek area would help achieve protection goals of TOSP. iii. Bob Klatt indicated that Woodbury supports a natural resource-based trail through Fish Creek area that connects to Carver Lake Park and the natural resource-based trails in the park. The Carver Lake trails connect to asphalt trails that connect to the rest of Woodbury. There are trails along Century from 1-94 to Lake Road and in the future this will connect south to Bailey Road. Mr. Klatt believes Bailey Road is designated a Washington County Regional Trail and eventually will extend to the Sl. Croix River and Afton State Park. iv. Cy Kosel indicated there is a need for additional bike lanes along roads. A trail along Fish Creek would be a great walking trail but he believes it should not be a bike trail because it could destroy the natural conditions. v. Dan Gange indicated Sl. Paul is beginning work on the Great River Park Master Plan for the entire 17-mile stretch of the Mississippi River in Sl. Paul. They are looking how to make trail connections to the current system. Fish Creek looks like a wonderful walking area and he does favor a bike trail along the creek. vi. Arne Stefferud stated that everyone seems to agree this is a great place for a walking trail. He advised the group to use the Dakota county model and be strategic about where to spend city funding which has no strings attached vs. grant funds. vii. Marybeth Block indicated projects in the metro area have an uphill climb in competing for state grants because of the high cost of land acquisition in the area. If the Metro Greenways Grant Program is extended statewide, there will be more competition for those grants as well. Dakota County has been successful receiving Metro Greenways grants because it brought funding to the table. viii. Betsy Leach indicated Sl. Paul District 1 's Community Plan emphasizes trails along the bluffs and river, and making connections to the river. The Fish Creek Greenway project is very exciting and fits perfectly with District 1 goals. Currently the focus for Highwood Hills area is educating residents about stewardship responsibilities. ix. Commissioners continued trail discussion. . Commissioner Gaynor asked commissioners if everyone was content with the bike trails being as indicated in the comp plans and having a walking trail through the natural areas of the greenway. . Commissioner Yingling indicated if we purchase the former CoPar site, we have a lot more options for trails. . Commissioner Cockriel indicated he had concerns about a loop trail. 4'- wide trails on both sides of the creek seemed more destructive than an 8'- wide trail on one side of the creek. He indicated this trail should connect to Henry Lane--the beauty of this trail is going from point A to point B through the corridor. The portion west of Henry Lane where RWMWD did work seems the most practical place to connect the trail to Henry Lane. A through trail can exist without additional land acquisition. . Commissioner Moriarty indicated it would be difficult to fit an 8'-wide trail along the creek and it would require much more cutting into the slopes. The County Park Director does not support an out-and-back trail. Without acquisition of land near Henry Lane, the slopes are too steep to support a through trail. . Commissioner Aichinger indicated if parcels G, H, and I were acquired there would be options for getting the trail down to the creek. . Commissioner Peterson stressed the importance of connecting the area to the Mississippi River Trail. x. Ms. Overson encouraged the commission to put aside costs and build consensus around one big vision. The power of showing the big vision on a map is amazing. It is an important communications tool and gives people something to get excited about. TOSP put a map together and over the last 13 years contributions added up. c. Grant update. Commissioner Yingling provided an update on the Legacy grant she and Commissioner Cockriel asked staff to submil. 7. Follow-up Items: a. Commissioners Yingling and Gaynor: Meet and begin drafting the commissioner report. 8. Adjourn: Approximately 3:10p.m.