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CITY OF FALCON HEIGHTS APPLICATION FOR THE PEACEMAKER AWARD 21 APRIL 1993 Introduction In March of 1991 the city of Falcon Heights successfully worked with the Dispute Resolution Center to resolve a disagreement between the city and the owners of three properties over an easement acquisition for a proposed sidewalk that was part of a major county street improvement project. This success not only resolved the dispute over the easement acquisition, it also improved the communication between the city and these property owners, and influenced how the city currently works with property owners to plan street projects. Background Dispute resolution was selected to settle this disagreement rather than formal legal channels for three reasons: 1) A councilmember familiar with dispute resolution promoted its use for city issues. 2) The city wanted a forum to sit and talk with property owners to build a better rapport rather than possibly alienating them further with formal legal proceedings (This street project had been an alienating process already.) 3) The city wanted to save the legal expenses from formal court proceedings, an estimated $8,000 to $10,000. Situation Over a three year period, the county worked with the city to approve a county road project that included a major street widening and a new sidewalk. The sidewalk was initiated and being paid for by the city. During this process property owners expressed concerns about the street width, the proposed property assessment and the new sidewalk where one currently did not exist. Due to the extra street width, the public right -of -way did not provide enough space for the public sidewalk and required the acquisition of an easement along seven properties. Owners of four properties accepted the city's initial purchase offer for the easement. However, owners of three properties refused the offer even after several discussions.