Agenda - Council - 10/27/1987 - Laserfiche WebLink

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CODE 19 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT STATEMENT Description of the Proposed Action River's Bend Park is located in the southeast corner of the City of Ramsey east cf State Highway 47 in an oxbow of the Rum River. The majority of the park is located in the flood plain of the Rum River and was donated to the Ciny by developers in 1981 for public purposes including park land and recreational facilities and the extension of County Road 116 across the Rum River. The City of Ramsey is planning to develop River's Bend Park as a multiple use, community park facility. The City is propcsin? to develop the northern portion of the park (approximately 26 acres) as an active use area providing ballfields and tennis courts with supporting facilities. Additional work will include site improvements and landscaping to provide better screening of the park and provide adequate drainage. The southern portion of the park is currently vacant and unused. This area will ultimately be developed with native prairie and multi-season, mixed use recreational trails, a picnic area and canoe access. No develop- ment of this area is contemplated as a part of this project. In the future, a community recreation center is planned abutting the northwest portion of the park, near State Highway 47. Trails are proposed to go throughout the entire park and are planned to link with the pedestrian/bicycle lanes on the proposed County Road 116 bridge. Once the bridge is complete, the trails will be linked to the regional trail system on the east side of the Rum River. To encourage greater use of the facilities~ automobile access will be provided to the southern picnic area and canoe access. Trails are also proposed to go under the proposed County Road 116 bridge. The proposed development and improvements include sufficient landscaping to adequately buffer the park area from the proposed bridge. A parking area is proposed to serve the southern picnic area, trails and canoe !ccess. The development of the park is designed to increase the public utility of the park and to enhance the many natural features of the park. The project is designed so that there is minimal impact on the natural environment of the park by developing much of the park for passive uses and to establish a native prairie in part of the park. Description of the Environment Present Land Use: The park is zoned as parkland and is owned by the City of Ramsey. Two softball diamonds and a parking area are under development in the northwest corner of the park. The remaining area of the park is undeveloped flood plain.