DEPARTMENT: Parks
FILE TYPE: Consent Action
TITLE
title
Authorization To Accept Donation Of Regional Greenway Trail Easements From City Of Inver Grove Heights For Veterans Memorial Greenway, County Project P00147
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PURPOSE/ACTION REQUESTED
Authorize acceptance of a donated 3,453 square-foot regional greenway trail easement and 267,808 square-foot regional greenway corridor easement (Easements) from the City of Inver Grove Heights (City) for a segment of the Veterans Memorial Greenway in the City.
SUMMARY
To provide a safe and efficient greenway transportation system, Dakota County is proceeding with the Veterans Memorial Greenway Project (Attachment: Project Location Map). By Resolution No. 17-493 (September 26, 2017), the Dakota County Board of Commissioners (County Board) approved the Rich Valley Regional Greenway Master Plan, now known as the Veterans Memorial Greenway Master Plan since the greenway’s 2020 renaming. The Master Plan identified the land within the existing Southern Lakes Park and Rich Valley Park in Inver Grove Heights as the preferred alignment for various segments of the Greenway trail.
Veterans Memorial Greenway, Phase II, will entail the construction of about two miles of shared-use trail, including a bridge over State Trunk Highway 3 in Eagan and Inver Grove Heights. Construction is proposed in 2025. Phase II is being funded in part by Federal and State funding.
The Easements are legally described in Attachment: Legal Description of Regional Trail Easement, and generally depicted in Attachment: General Depiction of Regional Trail Easement, on the City Property. Inver Grove Heights has been a very cooperative partner in this project, is willing to donate the Easements to the County, and supports the construction of a new regional greenway trail.
A donation plan (Donation Plan) has been adopted by the County in accordance with Policy 1570 Gift Acceptance by Resolution No. 24-101 (February 27, 2024). The donation that the City is providing for the Veterans Memorial Greenway warrants a recognition and thank-you letter, signed by the Board Chair and Commissioner of the Donor’s district (Attachment: Recognition Letter).
RECOMMENDATION
recommendation
Staff recommends acceptance of the Easements from the City of Inver Grove Heights for the Veterans Memorial Greenway project.
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EXPLANATION OF FISCAL/FTE IMPACTS
There is no cost to accept the donated Easements. There is adequate funding included in the 2024 Parks Capital Improvement Program budget to construct the new section of the Greenway trail on the Inver Grove Heights property.
☒ None ☐ Current budget ☐ Other
☐ Amendment Requested ☐ New FTE(s) requested
RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, by Resolution No. 17-493 (September 26, 2017), the Dakota County Board of Commissioners approved the Rich Valley Regional Greenway Master Plan, now known as the Veterans Memorial Greenway (Greenway) Master Plan since its 2020 renaming; and
WHEREAS, the Greenway Master Plan identified the land within the existing Southern Lakes Park and Rich Valley Park, in Inver Grove Heights as the preferred alignment for various segments of the Greenway trail location; and
WHEREAS, the 2024 Parks Capital Improvement Program has adequate fund balance to construct a new section of the Greenway trail on the City of Inver Grove Heights’s property; and
WHEREAS, Inver Grove Heights is supportive of granting an easement to the County and for the County to construct a new regional greenway trail on its property; and
WHEREAS, the City Council approval for donating a regional greenway trail on the Rich Valley Park property and a greenway corridor easement on the Southern Lakes Park City properties will be determined early 2025.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Dakota County Board of Commissioners hereby authorizes acceptance of a 267,808 square-foot regional greenway trail easement and a 3,453 square-foot regional greenway corridor easement from the City of Inver Grove Heights, on their property in Rich Valley Park and Southern Lakes Park for sections of the Veterans Memorial Greenway Regional Trail, approved as to form by the County Attorney’s Office.
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PREVIOUS BOARD ACTION
17-493; 9/26/17
24-188; 4/9/24
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment: Project Location Map
Attachment: Legal Description of Regional Trail Easement-Rich Valley Park
Attachment: Legal Description of Regional Trail Easement-Southern Lakes Park
Attachment: General Depiction of Regional Easement
Attachment: Recognition Letter
BOARD GOALS
☒ A Great Place to Live ☒ A Healthy Environment
☐ A Successful Place for Business and Jobs ☐ Excellence in Public Service
CONTACT
Department Head: Niki Geisler
Author: Tony Wotzka