Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 05/13/2010

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This project will improve safety for peds and bikers by removing them from the highway and street system. In addition, there are two educational nodes included within this project that relate to history and transportation. Acquisition of scenic easements and scenic or historic sites including historic battlefields. The Mississippi River Trail will not require the acquisition of scenic easements, as the 80-acre Icing's Island has been previously purchased by the city of Anoka. Landscaping and other scenic beautification The primary component of the landscape and beatification will be the boulevard trees along Riverdale Drive. Significant beatification and park development along this trail route have been provided separation from this project. 2. The funded activities must be accessible to the general public or targeted to a broad segment of the general public, and must be ADA compliant. RESPONSE: All of the city of Anoka and Ramsey's projects improvements are intended to be accessible, and available to and visitors to this regional and national trail. are ADA compliant, and this trail and its related the broad demographic of Anoka County residents 3. Projects must relate to surface transportation. Project Linkage (from federal guidance) To comply with Federal guidelines for eligibility there are two basic considerations: • Is the proposed action one of the listed activities in the TE definition in SAFETEA-LU? • How does the proposed action relate to surface transportation? The applicant must provide a clear statement describing this linkage. RESPONSE: This is a `stand-alone' surface transportation project, consisting of a pedestrian and bicycle trail with support facilities. 4. The project must be included in, be part of, or relate to a problem, need or direction discussed in: 1) a local or county comprehensive plan found to be consistent with Metropolitan Council plans; 2) a locally approved capital improvement program; 3) an officially adopted corridor study reflected in the local plan; or 4) the official plan or program of the applicant agency. The applicant must reference the appropriate comprehensive plan, CIP, corridor study document, or other plan or program and provide copies of the applicable pages. Because all communities in the seven-county Twin Cities region are currently in the process of updating their local comprehensive plans, applications in the 2009 Solicitation may be for projects included in the most recent local comprehensive plan that was found to be consistent with Metropolitan Council plans. It also must not conflict with the goals and policies in these adopted regional plans: the 2030 Transportation Policy Plan, the 2030 Regional Framework, and the 2030 Regional Parks Policy Plan. Trail projects that claim to be part of the regional trail network as defined in the 2030 Regional Parks Policy Plan must be identified in a Metropolitan Council-approved trail master plan. RESPONSE: This trail has been designated a Regional Trail by the Metropolitan Council in 2006 when adopting the Regional Trails Policy Amendment to its Regional Recreation Open Space Development Guidelines/Policy Plan. The trail is officially mapped by Anoka County Parks, and the city of Anoka and Ramsey within their 2008 Comprehensive Plans. 5. Typically a transportation project involves mitigation, work in addition to immediate construction activities, that is negotiated with permitting agencies and local governments as a condition of obtaining permit approval. Activities that are normally part of the mitigation of a transportation project are not eligible. RESPONSE: This project does not include any elements of required mitigation.