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

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OFFICIAL ELECTRONIC CORRESPONDENCE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Mississippi National River and Recreation Area 111 Kellogg Boulevard East, Suite 105 Saint Paul, MN 55101 HARD COPY TO FOLLOW April 7, 2009 Andrew James Metropolitan Council Transportation Advisory Board 390 Robert Street North St. Paul, MN 55101 Dear Andrew, This letter is to express our support and enthusiasm for the City of Ramsey's ARRA Transportation Enhancement -Mississippi River Trail Project. This project is within the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MISS), a unit of the National Park System. Since 1996, the National Park Service, through its Trails and Open Space Partnership (TOSP), has been working with the City of Ramsey and over 50 agencies and organizations to complete a continuous trail and open space system along the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities metro area. The proposed project is a high priority of the TOSP, is a critical missing link in the regional trail system, and part of the 3000- mile Mississippi River Trail (MRT). The MRT, a national millennium trail, passes through the Twin Cities as it winds its way from the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. It is poised to become a premier national recreational trail comparable to the Appalachian Trail and East Coast Greenway. The 72-mile segment in MISS is the first stretch to be signed in Minnesota and within a national park. Its completion is paramount to developing a world class recreational, economic, and transportation experience along the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities metro area. I strongly encourage the Transportation Advisory Board to fund this project. The National Park Service looks forward to working with the Metropolitan Council and City of Ramsey to complete the Mississippi River Trail within the Twin Cities and to achieving mutual goals for recreation, alternative transportation, and economic development. Sincerely, /s/ Paul Labovitz Superintendent 24