Minutes - Parks and Recreation Commission - 04/09/2015

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Motion carried. Voting Yes: Vice Chair Barr, Commissioners Mobry, Troy, Fyten, Chubb, and Trappen. Voting No: None. Absent: Chair Bennett 5. COMMISSION BUSINESS 5.01: Consider Converting the Oak Savanna Area Landfill from Restricted to Passive, Public Use Parks &Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood reviewed that, following the decades of the "Anoka" landfill receiving waste from garbage haulers around the Anoka County area,the "dump" was closed in the 1990's under an agreement between Waste Management and the City of Ramsey. The landfill was subsequently declared a Superfund.Site, and the ownership transferred to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) – with the responsibility of capping the landfill to prevent infiltration of water. Additional water wells were drilled around the perimeter of the site for both monitoring and also to remove the pollutants that had already made their way into the groundwater. The contaminated groundwater is primarily contained to the area under the land owned by MPCA. The landfill will need to be managed for near-perpetuity to maintain the systems that prevent or limit pollution. This management plan is titled the Closed Landfill Use Plan, Anoka- Ramsey Landfill and is attached for Commission review. The first attachment provided is titled Open Space Area and is the subject of this case. A unique feature of the land owned by the MPCA is the Oak Savanna area in the southwest portion of MPCA's holding that is most visible from the intersections of Bunker Lake Boulevard and Sunwood Drive. Under the Closed Landfill Use Plan, Anoka-Ramsey Landfill, MPCA has determined that passive, public use of the Oak Savanna area would be consistent with the Closed Landfill Restrictions, and not be detrimental to the MPCA charge of protecting public health and safety. While MPCA will not sell or bequeath the Oak Savanna to the city, they will lease the site with certain conditions. The first step in considering this is to ascertain the Park and Recreation Commission's position on the value to the public this site may have as unique open space, and for certain, passive uses to be determined. Staff recommends that the Commission recommend that City Council direct Staff to explore options and partnerships in obtaining a lease for the Oak Savanna site and develop a long-term plan for its management as a unique and valuable natural resource in the community. Anoka County Parks has managed the area for invasive plants and this would need to be continued. Mr. Riverblood mentioned some of the low impact uses that could be developed. Vice Chair Barr stated it would be nice to utilize the land that would normally be not used. Mr. Riverblood stated one concept he had recommended in the past would be a warming house, sliding hill cross country ski trails and a couple sheets of ice at Alpine Park—the ski trail could `loop' through the Oak Savanna area. Park and Recreation Commission/April 9,2015 Page 2 of 4