****The MPRB Commissioners again voted on the De La Salle issue
tonight. A couple of weeks ago, the Board voted to accept the Citizen's
Advisory Committee (CAC) report and recommendation - with practically
all Commissioners pointing out that the vote was NOT an endorsement of
the De La Salle proposal but simply an acceptance of the CAC's work.
Tonight was a repeat of the same scenario - in short the MPRB
Commissioners voted to use the CAC recommendation as the basis for the
Environmental Assessment Worksheet. The actual text of the resolution:
"That the Board accept the final design adopted by the Nicollet
Island/De La Salle Citizen Advisory Committee for the athletic field as
the design that will be reviewed in the City's EAW process and the
Board, by adopting the design, is not making a final governmental
decision to permit the project, approve the project, or begn the project
and that the Board, by adopting this action, is not determining the
subsequent development of the project or limiting alternatives to the
project or any mitigative measures related to the project that may
result from the EAW process."
The resolution was twice amended.
Kudos to Commissioner Erwin for stubbornly insisting that before the
proposal is forwarded for review [by the City for the EAW] the MPRB
require that De La Salle abide by non-discrimination ordinances and
statute. This issue was raised today in a City Pages blog:
**Will Non-Discrimination Clause Trip Up DeLaSalle Stadium Efforts?**
http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2005/11/why_tonights_pa.asp
By Britt Robson
Comm. Fine refused to accept Mr. Erwin's proposal as a friendly
amendment. Several Commissioners tried to discourage Mr. Erwin from
setting forth the non-discrimination requirement at this time. An
immediate speaker in favor of the amendment was Comm. Dziedzic who
seconded the motion (& it is always nice to see DFLers cross faction
lines to act like DFLers.) Mr. Siggelkow mentioned that the field would
be ONLY used for athletics implying there was no need for the
amendment. Comm. Erwin responded that he couldn't foresee what the
field would be used for in the future - and without the
non-discrimination requirement, he didn't believe the proposal should
move forward. MPRB attorney Brian Rice spoke in favor of the
non-discrimination action saying it was standard to include this in MPRB
contracts. The amendment passed with all in favor.
Commissioners Erwin and Young also proposed an amendment to 1) eliminate
the planned parking expansion and 2) increase landscape plantings. This
amendment also passed unanimously. So, the CAC recommendation, as
amended, moves forward to the City Planning Commission for the EAW process.
The De La Salle issue inches along and less than a week before the
election, Commissioners are off the hook. They have yet to truly vote
for or against the MPRB giving De La Salle a 75 year easement of
Nicollet Island regional parkland. Comm. Dziedzic pointed out that by
referring the matter to the City, it is quite probable that the issue
will not return to the MPRB until next year - and the Board will be
reconfigured by then.
An interesting aside: one of the speakers at tonight's public hearing
represented Minnesota Atheists. Evidently, his organization has been
collaborating with the MCLU. He requested that public access to the
proposed shared facility be through the MPRB and not De La Salle.
FYI,
Shawne FitzGerald
Powderhorn
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