ENTER AGENDA SECTION HERE- Nate Monahan, Program Supervisor
Title
ACCEPTED CONCEPT DESIGN FOR OPEN SPACE IMPROVEMENTS FOR SITE NO. 7
Background
On March 20, 2014, Council awarded a contract to Stantec Consulting Service,
Inc. to develop a detailed conceptual plan of improvements (trails and other
amenities) for the large, 500-acre open space west of Lexington Avenue and
north of 109th Avenue. This design will serve as the base for final design and
construction. At the June 5, 2014 Council Workshop, Stantec presented their
Concept Design which incorporated the Natural Resources Conservation Board
(NRCB) comments/recommendations.
Comments from the NRCB and the City Council have been incorporated into the
concept design plan. Trail loops have been included and the water feature has
been expanded to 9.8 acres with a depth of 6.5 feet. Cost estimates for the trails
and other features/amenities have been calculated. Staff will be pursuing
possible grants and other funding sources to support the implementation of this
project. One source of additional funding will be the sale of wetland credits from
the new wetland restoration project approved by Council. These credits will
begin to be available as early as 2017.
This project will be implemented in phases beginning in 2015 with projected
completion in 2020. Due to cost considerations, not all of the proposed trails and
features will be included at this time. However, a sufficient number of trails,
loops, parking and other features will be included to provide access and
enjoyment for the general public. The trails and features not constructed through
2020 will be retained on a list of future projects for expansion within the open
space area.
A table is attached to this item summarizing the recommended phases with the various associated tasks. These proposed phases can be adjusted as needed to fit
available funds. This project will be paid for through the Open Space Fund. The
current balance of the Open Space Fund is $846,374. It is projected there will be
$1,050,000 revenue to the Open Space Fund over the next 7 years from park
dedication fees. Again, other funding sources will be pursued to offset the costs
of the project.
The Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB) recommends that Site 7 be
given a name. The name they are recommending is The Blaine Wetland
Sanctuary.
Recommendation
Information