Agenda - Council - 11/24/2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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C. PROJECT UNDERSTANDING We understand that the City of Ramsey needs a wetland consultant to guide the closeout process of the state Wetland Conservation Act (WCA) regulatory obligations associated with the Ramsey Town Center development, now known as the Center of Ramsey (COR). HEI is ready to assist the City to assess the mitigation wetlands, determine any remaining mitigation obligations, and provide a cost estimate and plan to remedy any mitigation incompliance issues. At the end of our work, the COR development will be in compliance with the obligations of the WCA permit, which was issued in 2005. With HEI's expertise and experience in wetland regulatory matters, our goal will be to get the City of Ramsey set up with the maximum amount of wetland credits available at the existing wetland mitigation sites, as well as confirm the previously approved and permitted wetland impacts to assess if there may be a reduction in the original permitted mitigation obligation. Once the mitigation obligations are established, HEI will work with the regulatory agencies to make sure the project is in compliance with all state and federally issued permits. D. WORK PLAN, BUDGETED HOURS, AND PROJECT PERSONNEL 1. Scope of Services TASK 1: REVIEW EXISTING PERMITS AND PERMITTING IMPACTS HEI will carefully review all existing permits and associated previously permitted wetland impacts related to the COR Wetland Replacement Plan approved in 2005. This critical first step is paramount in developing an understanding of the natural and regulatory history of the site to ensure subsequent tasks can be completed to best accomplish the project goal of WCA compliance and successful compliance monitoring. HEI's team of wetland specialists scheduled to work on this project have a combined 25 years of experience handling wetland regulatory permitting, and we look forward to the opportunity of sharing this experience with the City of Ramsey. TASK 2: SITE VISIT Upon completion of Task 1, HEI will conduct two site visits to investigate current wetland conditions. This will include an updated wetland delineation, upland and wetland plant community mapping, assessment of performance standards (wetland species diversity index), and GPS boundary mapping of the updated wetland boundary. HEI's Certified Minnesota Wetland Professionals work in teams to minimize the amount of time in the field, utilizing the collective experience of two delineators to ensure determinations are made with the highest degree of accuracy, saving headaches in the long-term. We recommend at least two site visits to assess vegetation. Because the final approval of the wetland mitigation is reliant on indices of number of native species, it will be imperative to visit the site once in the spring and once in the summer to make sure that we capture the full picture of plant species diversity within these mitigation sites. TASK 3A: PREPARE FINAL MONITORING REPORT AND TASK 3B: CLOSEOUT COORDINATOR HEI has broken these tasks up into parts A and B. After the updated wetland delineation investigation and performance standard assessment have been completed, HEI will begin part A of this task by consolidating all information and generating a technical memorandum that will define the status of the site's current condition in relation to the originally permitted wetland impacts. The memorandum will describe either a mitigation credit surplus or shortfall relative to what was originally required. This will set the stage for the City to take action to ensure the COR is compliant with conditions of the 2005 WCA permit. Part B of this task will include miscellaneous coordination with the agencies for closeout. OPTIONAL TASK 4: FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT AND COST ESTIMATE FOR ALTERNATIVE MITIGATION OPTIONS (IN CASE OF CREDIT SHORTAGE) Task 3 will result in a determination of either a mitigation credit surplus or shortfall. In the event of a mitigation credit shortfall, HEI is providing an optional Task 4, which includes the preparation of an additional technical memorandum that: (1) outlines the feasibility of alternative mitigation options, and (2) assigns a cost HEI PROPOSAL CITY Or RAMSE-Y OCTOBER 12, 2020 REVIEW AND MONITORING OF WETLAND MITIGATION AREAS IN THE COR