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MA T()R INITIATIVES (con ' Transportation Ramsey currently owns and maintains 133.21 miles of paved roadways after the addition of 2.63 miles of new street construction in 1997. This is up from 130.58 miles in 1996, 125.69 in 1995, 123.1 in 1994, 118.27 in 1993 and 112.09 in 1992. We also maintain 6.82.miles of dirt and gravel%roadways and Anoka County and the State control aY;other 38.46 miles of paved arterial highway corridors. A major effort over the past few years has been toward the ongoing maintenance of these roadways. Annually, the City completes sealcoating or overlays on approximately 15 miles of existing City streets. In 1993, the Council created the Public Improvement Revolving Fund [PIR] to provide the dollars necessary to pay for half of the cost of this maintenance program. Without the PIR Fund, either the property owner would pay for all of the necessary costs, or a tax increase would be required for the City portion. The PIR is self-supporting through its interest earnings. The City aniticipates approval of federal and state fmancial assistance to improve State Highway 47 between 142nd Avenue and 153rd Avenue. The City, County and State will work together to complete these improvements. Construction is expected to begin in 2000 and be completed in 2001. ~Iajor improvements were also made to the water and sewer utility in 1997. Pump House #2 went into operation in ' July. Ramsey's new well (the City's third) is also its largest, providing 1,450 gallons per minute or two million gallons daily. A fourth well that will provide more than 1,000 gallons per minute will be completed in the spring of 1998. Estimated water usage in Ramsey for 1997 was 286 million gallons. A second water tower will be built by 1999 in order to provide emergency water supplies for fighting fires or surviving long-term power outages. P~IkS I.amsey is fortunate in being the home to 522 acres of State and County park space, in addition to over 500 acres of City owned parks and trails. Included in the City inventory is almost nine miles of trails and over 125 acres of active park spaces. The balance of the system is either yet to be developed or dedicated as nature preserves. In the fall of 1997, Anoka County began to develop Rum River Central Park in northeast Ramsey. The City gained a second regional park when the County's Mississippi West Pazk was added to the Metropolitan's regional parks system. Each year the City dedicates some of the interest earnings from the Landfill Trust Fund for park improvements. In 1997, $77,000 was allocated for River's Bend Park and Alpine Park, the City's second and third largest community parks. $37,000 was used for improvements to River's Bend Pazk that included a 35-foot hexagonal shelter; a basketball standard; paths to two shelters; and fencing and other improvements to the ball field. The remaining $40,000 was used to plan and begin construction of Alpine Pazk, which is accessed from 153rd Avenue, one block west of Sunfish Lake Boulevard. The first phase of the project was funded with almost $400,000 in land sale proceeds from the Alpine Estates subdivision. In 1998, four ball fields and two soccer fields will be available. ' In October, 1997, cone-mile trail loop was constructed in a 27-acre wetland adjacent to Anoka Electric Cooperative's facility. An 86-foot wetland crossing will be constructed on this parcel in 1998 to connect the loop. Almost 2.5 miles of bituminous trail was added to Ramsey's trail system in 1997. Pedestrian safety was enhanced ' with the addition of connecting trail segments in the road right-of--way south of Ramsey Elementary along County Road 5, west to Krypton Street and along 153rd Avenue north of City Hall. ' As in past years, volunteers contributed significantly to park development and maintenance. Volunteers spent more than 500 hours enhancing landscaping in five parks. Total donated time in 1997 exceeded 2000 hours -which is the equivalent of a full-time person working the entire year. i~ v