DEPARTMENT: Parks
FILE TYPE: Consent Action
TITLE
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Authorization To Execute Joint Powers Agreement With City Of Rosemount For Natural Resource Restoration On McMenomy Permanent Natural Area Conservation Easement
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PURPOSE/ACTION REQUESTED
Authorize execution of a joint powers agreement (JPA) with the City of Rosemount (City) for natural resource restoration and enhancement of the McMenomy permanent natural area conservation easement (Easement).
SUMMARY
By Resolution No. 22-280 (June 21, 2022), the Dakota County Board of Commissioners approved the acquisition of natural area conservation and greenway easements on the former McMenomy property (Attachment: Easement Map). Immediately following the easement acquisitions, the City purchased the fee title of the property. A Natural Resource Management Plan (NRMP) was completed for the Easement. Restoration activities have not begun.
The proposed JPA includes the roles, responsibilities, and associated costs for completing initial restoration activities per the NRMP (Attachment: JPA Draft). The total cost of the initial proposed restoration will not exceed $490,000. The County has available grant funding to provide for the costs associated only with the McMenomy Easement through May 12, 2028. The City intends to consider contributing funds toward additional restoration activities in future budget cycles, because this request did not meet the deadline for City budget considerations for 2026. The County and the City want to begin restoration activities now, to take advantage of the available state grant funds.
The City is providing a temporary access easement through a parcel it owns to the west of the Easement property. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which holds a separate conservation easement on that adjacent City property, provided the required approval for the temporary access (Attachment: DNR Approval Letter).
This is not a City-County Conservation Collaborative project; it is a pa...
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