Agenda - Council - 12/09/2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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CC Regular Session Meeting Date: 12/09/2014 Submitted For: Mark Riverblood, Engineering/Public Works By: Tim Gladhill, Community Development 7. 5. Information Title Consider Work Order for Preparation of Plat for Park Dedication Purposes for Rivers Bend Park Purpose/Background: The purpose of this case is to consider a Work Order for in the amount of $6,995 to Hakanson Anderson for professional land surveying services to prepare a plat to formally dedicate to the public the area known as Rivers' Bend Park. Direction from the October 14, 2014 Work Session was to look at a more cost-effective solution to executing a plat, and bring back more information on a third -party easement. Staff has been able to better define costs of a plat, as well as obtain additional information about third -party easements as outlined below. Based on previous City Council direction, the City Council should not feel obligated to approve the Work Order; however, Staff would recommend moving forward as outlined below if it is the desire of the City Council to proceed with perpetual protection of thcRivers' Bend Park. In the mid-1980's, the Rivers' Bend subdivision was developed, which included two parcels that make up an area known as Rivers' Bend Park. This approximate 60-acre park was not dedicated to the public as a park as part of platting, but rather conveyed by Deed to the City for the purposes of satisfying Park Dedication needs. Following proposal(s) to sell land along Xkimo Street to a developer in recent years, residents have asked for the City to place an encumbrance on the parcels that would further protect the area as a park into the future (i.e. not be able to be converted to a developable area by a future City Council). At the October Work Session, the City Council directed Staff to further research costs to further encumber Rivers' Bend Park as park to prevent from future development as anything other than park. The policy direction from this Work Session was that the City Council desired all portions to have perpetual protection as park. Observations/Alternatives: This topic was introduced at a recent City Council Work Session. Discussion centered around two (2) alternatives: • Approve a plat to formally dedicate to the public as Park • Convey a third -party easement that will encumber the Property Alternative #1: Approve Plat Throughout the traditional subdivision/platting process, certain areas such as roads, utilities, and parks are dedicated to the public as part of the Minnesota Statutory process. Dedicating to the public is a distinctly different transfer of property compared to simply deeding property to the City. Dedicating areas to the public as Park prevents the City Council from simply conveying property to other entities for purposes other than park. Dedicating a park to the Public does requirethe Plat to be filed with Anoka County. Staff has obtained a quote from Hakanson Anderson Associates to perform the necessary professional land surveying services in the amount of $6,995. Hakanson Anderson is part of the existing Engineering Services Pool. Following the Work Session discussion in October, Staff worked with Hakanson Anderson to better define the scope and details of the purpose of the requested plat. In reviewing the request in further detail, along with obtaining existing data available through the City as well as Hakanson Anderson, the previous broad -scope platting