Thanks Scott for your remarks. I would like to revist your comments.
Scott Neiman Wrote:
I believe you are mistaken about Bob or any of the rest of us on the Board voting to transfer 7 acres of land to MNDOT at Minnehaha Falls. The Park Board did not own the land. The land in question was primarily railroad right-of-way that MNDOT had purchased years before. There was a small amount of land that was exchanged (the Park Board actually gained land) along the alignment near the land bridge.
Ken Bradley Wrote:
I do need to clarify the Minneapolis Park Board �did� vote to transferring 7 acres of parkland to MNDot. The Park Board filled a law suite against this project in the mid 70�s because of the loss of Park Land. In the mid 90�s Park and River Alliance filled another law suite based on a federal statue that read: �Federal dollars should not be used to build highway through parkland, areas of historic significance, or environmentally sensitive lands�. The highway 55 reroute fell under all of those designations. The reason the law suite was dismissed because the statute of limitations had run out. (MNDot argued that residents had 7 years from the time the Environmental Impact Statement was released to file a legal claim to stop the project) Unfortunately, the first major public unveiling of the project did not happen until the mid 90�s. The Environmental Impact Statement was completed in the early 80�s.
The project obviously impacted something of environmental significance taking 289 old growth trees. Construction was stopped because the dewatering was impacting the flow of Coldwater Spring, one more example. The city had a proposal that would have built the road on the current alignment. Government Officials argued against building along the current alignment because it would have increased the cost of the project by 5 million dollars. Legal and public relation costs to push the project through have easily surpassed the 5 million. We had to pay a 2 million dollar fee to the construction company to stop construction of this project. The current alignment would have been much more cost effective.
Scott Neiman Wrote:
This plan was agreed to by the Park Board back in the early 80's. Park Board rules forbid us to simply sale or transfer land unless it is declared "surplus" through a district court process. Even if land is condemned by another governmental agency it must be replaced. While some on the Board were more outspoken in their opposition to Hwy 55, no one would have supported transferring land to MNDOT.
Ken Bradley wrote:
MNDot did give back several additional acres of land to the Minneapolis Park Board. Several of these acres are railroad property that runs behind the Walgreen on 46th and Hiawatha. I would recommend you travel to this area to see quality of the land (It would be like trading 7 acres of wooded lakeshore property for 9 acres in the gravel pit. Sure, we gained more land and lost 289 old growth trees in the process damaged Coldwater Spring �The Birth Place of Minnesota�) I am aware of your own vote on the transfer of land. I attend dozens of meeting over the years regarding this issue and have followed your participation in the process very closely. I recommend assembling an expert group of legal, environmental and public policy people to revisit the issue. We could look at videotape and read the minutes from past Park Board meetings. We could listen to Park Board Commissioners making bold statements like, �There will be very few trees lost because of the rerouting of highway 55!� Here is another classic statement form a Park Commissioner �This project will not damage Coldwater Spring�. My favorite will always be �I promised Dick Johnson I would vote in favor of transferring this land!� Having this dialoged with you has brought back some wonderful memories! Let's have coffee.
Ken Bradley
612-728-8962
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Ken, thank you for responding to my question so quicklyI'd like the opportunity to further discuss environmental positions you feel the Board has taken that are contrary to the interests of the Sierra Club. I will be in touch soon.
Scott Neiman
Ward 11
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