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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20080122 - VIII-C-1VIII-C-1 City of Hastings Parks & Recreation 920 W 10th St, Hastings MN 55033 Ph: (651) 480-6175 Fax: (651) 437-5396 Web: www.ci.hastin~s.mn.us "Creating Community Through People, Parks, and Programs" Date: 116/08 To: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members From: Barry Bernstein, Parks and Recreation Director Subject: Hastings to Red Wing Trail I have enclosed a letter addressed to Mayor Hicks from the Minnesota Parks and Trails Council requesting participation in a feasibility study to identify this possible trail corridor. In this letter, it identifies other local units of government that will be participating. They are City of Red Wing, The Prairie Island Community, Goodhue County, Dakota County and possibly the City of Hastings. I had a conversation with Dorian Grilley, Executive Director of the Minnesota Parks and Trails Council investigating what local units of government had committed to this project? Mr. Grilley indicated to me that all other governmental agencies have committed to this project and they are waiting to hear from the City of Hastings. I have discussed this opportunity with the NRRC and the Parks and Recreation Committee of Council. Both the NRRC and Parks and Recreation Committee of Council thought this was a worthwhile joint venture. Therefore, I am seeking authorization from the City Council for $8,000 to contribute towards feasibility/planning document to be completed by Brauer and associates. Civic Arena Aquatic Center Youth First 2801 Red Wing Blvd. 901 Maple Street 920 W 10`h Street Ph: (651) 480-6195 Ph: (651) 480-2392 Ph: (651) 480-6182 Fax: (651) 437-4940 Fax: (651) 437-5396 Fax: (651) 437-5396 November 12, 2007 Paul Hicks, Mayor City of Hastings 101 Fourth Street Hastings, MN 55033 Dear Mayor. Hicks: I am writing to share with you a little background regarding the Parks & Trail s. Council .of Minnesota and our interest=in the proposed Hastings to Red Wing Trail. Simply said, we feel you are sitting on one of the best trail opportunities in the Midwest. To further this effort Parks & Trails. is willing to lend its experience, political clout,. financial services and land' acquisition capacity to the effort. The task force that has been spearheading this effort has asked that each of .the five units of government that the trail would cross to contribute an equal share of the estimated 540,000 cost of a feasibility study. .Parks & Trails Council has agreed to serve as the fiscal agent for-this study free of~cost. We have. made this .offer to facilitate and expedite the process, not control or influence it. If we-proceed,: the report will be addressed to the five units of government. -The Parks & Tra~.ls Counci places a high priority on this Pzvj~c:t b~C;duse it is of great-significsn~e. ~n Wednesday, November 7th, our land acquisition committee voted:. unanimously to add this project to. our list of active projects ..because it. would provide a critical link in Minnesota's. trail system. In .addition, we feel . strongly. that a trail that, for the most part, follows the old railroad .grade along the Vermillion River between Hastings and Red Wing would. provide a t•ruhy unique trail experience and: draw people from a. significant distance. In.addtion .to being a'gre~t local, regional and state resource, I feel it would be one of the`most spectacular links in the proposed Mississippi River Trail from the headwaters at Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico. I say this from my position as a board member for the past 6 years of Mississippi River Trail, Inc. I would again like to emphasize that Parks & Trails will support the decisions made collectively by the five units of government and the task force. Should there be agreement to pursue state trail designation and turn the project over to the DNR the Parks & Trails Council would lend our expertise and experience to that effort. If you choose to follow the Cannon Valley Trail joint powers model we would be Mayor Paul Hicks November 12, 2007 Page Two happy to assist with that effort too. I'm sure Senator Pariseau and Representative McNamara would support you either way. However, I am sure they would be the first to agree that state trail designation does not mean that the five units of government can simply turn this over to the DNR. If you, along with the other government units, want this to get done you will need to keep pushing. It has been our experience that the state trails that get built are the ones that the local communities have worked hardest to facilitate. Collective action and consensus is a hard thing for state legislators to ignore. The Parks & Trails Council played a significant role in the acquisition and state authorization of many of Minnesota's trails. We worked with the Root River Trail Western Extensions Joint Powers Board to acquire the right-of-way for the Preston to Harmony and Preston to Forestville trails. We are currently working on acquiring three parcels for the Goodhue-Pioneer State Trail from Red Wing to Pine Island. We were also the entity that. originally acquired the Cannon Valley Trail's right-of-way from the Chicago Northwestern Railroad. Most recently we worked on the authorization of the Browns Creek, Gitche Gami, Mill Towns and Minnesota River state trails and the extension of the Paul Runyan, Root River and Gateway state trails. I would be happy 'to provide you with local contacts for each of these efforts. -Our experience tells me that the Hastings to Red Wing trail effort will be one of great complexity and that the next-step is a feasibility study. done by an experienced consultant. I have worked directly with the proposed consultants, Brauer and Associates, on ~everai projects and feel they would do an -excellent job of assessing and documenting the political and logistical feasibility and documenting community support and issues. Brauer .and Associates is a highly sought after firm. They. have tentatively allocated a portion of their time over the next evera.l months to thin effort: Missing this window could result ` in significant delays. So, I hope you will consder.this.-action soon. To that end I have enclosed a sample.resoiution for you and the council to consider. Eight thousand dollars is not a lot to invest to leverage a potential investz~ent of many millidns. Please call if you have any questions or concerns. We stand ready to help. Very truly yours, Dorian Grilley Executive Director C: Barry. Bernstein, Parks Director, City of Hastings