Dear List Members, The discussion of the proposed expansion and reconstruction of the "Crosstown" brings to mind the expression-"the more things change-the more they stay the same." The "Crosstown" Hwy, Hwy 55/LRT, and the ongoing expansion of the airport and its related development, e.g. the "tunnel" (the changes) all have a continuing negative impact on the Minnehaha Creek Watershed and its dealing with runnoff and subsurface water (things that remain the same). I understand and sympathize with the neighborhood concerns about the traffic impact that the detours will have on the surrounding neighborhoods, but I don't want the Watershed issue to be lost amidst the other concerns. My ongoing political issue has been that the presence of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed in the South Mpls and Richfield area makes for a very, very vunerable situation. Negative impact of constructions in the Minnehaha Falls area (Hwy 55/LRT), Airport Expansion (Mothers and Legion Lake area) and now Crosstown development (Grass Lake and Diamond Lake Areas) will have a long term negative impact on the infrastructure. Remember the battle over the aiport tunnel and dewatering-that was negative impact. The Crosstown runs right on the edge of Grass Lake, the surrounding area of the Legion Lake Wetlands in Richfield is just to the east of Portland Avenue, and the Diamond Lake and its surrounding wetlands is to the north. To refresh your memories it was only about five years ago that the Diamond Lake Neighborhood had to fight a battle concerning the runnoff of the, existing, at that time, 62/35w interchange and the related major construction of underground piping under the neighborhood to Minnehaha Creek and the related runnoff holding areas-only a few years ago. Now we are back to square one-things remain the same. We have a natural resource in our back yard, but it is very vunerable to massive constuction projects and the damage is irreversible. Steve Stolarek Ward 11 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail. http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ _______________________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
