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<br />TRUST <br />r~ <br />PU"BLlC <br />LAND <br />m;:;;;mm RAMSEY CITY MINNESOTA <br />. ."._'h..... , <br />~,' . <br /> <br />Feasibility Study <br /> <br />The City of Ramsey had a Natural Resources Inventory conducted in July 2007, which <br />document nearly 3,710 acres of natural areas. There are a variety of distinct natural <br />community types including forest, woodland, shrub land, herbaceous wetlands, and <br />grasslands, as well as areas of open water (lakes and ponds). Upland cover consists of Oak <br />forest and oak woodland/brushland and lowland cover consists of cattail marsh. Forty-nine <br />sites were listed as exceptional or high quality, meaning they had litde to no disturbance or <br />had recovered ftom past disturbance. One hundred and nineteen were sited as moderate <br />quality (moderate disturbance) and nineteen were sited as low quality (marginal). The <br />defined natural areas are located along corridors by Trott Brook and its tributaries, around <br />lakes and scattered around the city. They effectively form a backbone of a proposed <br />greenway/open space cotridor through the city, offering the opportunity to connect and <br />buffer higher quality natural resources and wildlife habitat corridors within the city.16 <br /> <br />It is important to protect these places now to ensure good water quality, both drinking and <br />recreating for future generations. The city has already made a great start on developing a <br />greenways system through their park development program, using funds from the <br />Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) to purchase property <br />and easements along Trott Brook.17 The city is currendy in the process of updating their <br />Comprehensive Plan. Notes on this process suggest goals for c01lservation are to "protect, <br />preserve, and enhance the supply of clean water for drinking and recreation for the current <br />and future generations of Ramsey citizens and businesses.,,18 <br /> <br />As mentioned previously in the fiscal overview, expenditures for the parks department are <br />expected to total $1.1 million, or 10 percent of the city's FY 2008 operating expenditures. <br />Additionally, the Ramsey City Council maintains a 5-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) <br />that is a schedule of improvements, new facilities, special projects and equipment needs. <br />The current CIP plan includes theyears 2008-2012. It is this document that gives the <br />community the best picture of projected new roads, utilities, and parks over the next several <br />years. Each year the CIP is updated and extended one year. The current CIP five-year plan <br />includes $29 million for parks development and some land acquisition. Parks projects <br />programmed in this first year include approximately $565,000 for park development and <br />urban trail connections. <br /> <br />These expenses are funded through park dedication fees, donations, interest earnings and <br />transfers from the Landfill Trust Fund, as well as charitable gambling proceeds and grants. <br />It should be noted that the last year of the CIP often functions as a 'place-holdet' for future <br />years, wherein the year of the project or the funding is uncertain. Examples include the $4 <br />million Trott Brook Trail, where land needs to be secured first; or the $4.5 million pedestrian <br />bridge over T.R. Hwy's #10 & #169, which needs both funding and partnership <br />development. <br /> <br />16 Natural Resources Inventory, Executive Summary and p. 49 <br />17 Natural Resources Inventory <br />18 From City website: http://www.ci.ramsey.mn.us/compplan/index.asp <br /> <br />10 <br />